Homilies on the book of Genesis

“Homilies on the Book of Genesis” (16 homilies) were pronounced by Origen in Caesarea Palestine in the 40s. III century He considers his main task to be the presentation of the spiritual (allegorical) meaning of the biblical narrative. In the 1st homily, Origen offers an interpretation of the story of the creation of the world and man. He uses here the method of drawing parallel passages from other books of the Bible, especially from the New Testament. For example, the image of the “deep” is explained as an indication of the location of the devil and evil spirits with reference to the Gospel of Luke (see: Luke 8:31). Origen allegorically correlates the process of creation of the world by God with the inner life of man: heaven is a spiritual man, earth is a carnal man, water is the human mind, plants are good deeds, birds are good thoughts, reptiles are evil thoughts, etc. At the same time, the literal biblical narrative in Origen is not rejected, but, on the contrary, is emphasized. For example, in the first part of the 2nd homily, Origen discusses in detail the form and structure of Noah’s Ark and declares untenable the opinion of one of Marcion’s followers, who believed that all the animals could not fit into the ark, and on this basis considered the biblical narrative to be false. Homilies 3-14 discuss the events of the life of Abraham and his son Isaac: from God's establishment of circumcision to Isaac's union with Abimelech. A special homily within this group contains an interpretation of the references to Lot. The final two homilies are associated with the beginning of the Jews' stay in Egypt. In the 15th homily, Origen examines the story of the return of Joseph's brothers to Jacob and the command given to the latter by God to move to Egypt. The 16th homilia is dedicated to the story of how Joseph bought up the land of all Egyptians during a famine, except for the land of the Egyptian priests. Along with the literal, Origen offers a moral interpretation for these passages. He identifies Egypt with the earthly world, in which carnal people, like the Egyptians, serve passions and sins, and spiritual people, like the Israelites, remain faithful to God and fulfill His commandments. The publication presents a translation made by Alexander Shperl. *The title of the work in Latin is In Genesim homiliae. Contents Homilia I. On the origin of the world and what is in the world Homilia II. About the construction of the ark and the fact that Homilia III is in it. On the circumcision of Abraham Homilius IV. To what was said: “God appeared to Abraham” and so on Homilia V. About Lot and his daughters Homilia VI. About Abimelech, king of Gerar, how he wanted to take Sarah as the wife of Homilius VII. About the birth of Isaac and why he was weaned Homilius VIII. About how Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac Homilius IX. About the promise given to Abraham for the second time Homilia X. About Rebekah, when she went out to draw water and was met by Abraham's servant Homilia XI. About how Abraham took Keturah as his wife and how Isaac stayed at the well of the vision of Homilius XII. On Rebekah's pregnancy and birth Homilia XIII. About the wells that Isaac dug and the Philistines filled up Homilius XIV. On the fact that the Lord appeared to Isaac at the well of the oath, and on the covenant made with Abimelech Homilia XV. About what is said: “And they departed from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father, and told him, saying: Joseph lives, and now rules over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 45:25-26) Homilia XVI. About what was said: “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because the Egyptians sold each of his fields, for hunger overcame them. And the land went to Pharaoh. And he made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other” (Gen. 47:20–21). Homilia I. On the origin of the world and what is in the world 1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). What is the beginning of everything, if not our Lord and “Savior of all men” (1 Tim. 4:10), Jesus Christ, “the first born of all creation” (Col. 1:15)? In this beginning, that is, in His Word, God created heaven and earth, as the Evangelist John says at the beginning of his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that was made” (John 1:1-3). There is no mention of any temporal beginning here; it is said that the earth and the heavens and everything else that was created were created “in the beginning,” that is, in the Savior. “The earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters” (Gen. 1:2). “Now the earth was without form and void” before God said, “Let there be light,” and separated the light from the darkness, as the order of the narrative indicates. It goes on to say that God commanded, “Let there be a firmament,” and called it heaven, and when we get to this point, we will explain the reason for the difference between heaven and firmament, and also why the firmament was called heaven. Now it is said: “Darkness is upon the face of the deep” (Gen. 1:2). What is the abyss? Of course, the place where “the devil and his angels” will be (cf. Rev. 12:9, 20:3; Matt. 25:41). This is also clearly shown in the Gospel, where it is said about the Savior: “And they asked Jesus, so that he would not command them to go into the abyss” (Luke 8:31). Therefore, God dispelled the darkness, as the Scripture says: “And God said: Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness night. And there was evening, and there was morning: one day” (Gen. 1:3-5). As these verses say, God called the light day and the darkness night. But let's look from a spiritual point of view, why, when God in the beginning, about which we spoke above, created heaven and earth and said: “Let there be light” and separated light from darkness and called light day and darkness night and said “and there was evening and there was morning,” it is not said “the first day,” but “one day.” There was no time before the world existed. However, from the next days, time began to exist. The second day and the third day and the fourth and others began to mark time. 2. “And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate water from water. And God made the firmament” (Gen. 1:6–7). Although God first created the heavens, He now creates the firmament. First He created heaven, about which He said: “Heaven is My throne” (Is. 66:1). But now He creates the firmament, that is, the material sky. Any material object is undoubtedly solid and durable, and this firmament separated “the water that is under the firmament from the water that is above the firmament” (Gen. 1:7). And since everything that God was going to create had to consist of spirit and flesh, it is said that heaven, that is, everything spiritual, on which God rests, as if on a throne, was created “in the beginning” and before all things. But this sky, that is, the firmament, is material. And therefore the first heaven, which, as we said, is spiritual, is our mind; and he is also the spirit itself, that is, our inner, spiritual man who sees and perceives God. And this material sky, called the firmament, is our external man, who looks at everything with bodily eyes. And just as the sky is called the firmament, because it separates the upper waters from the lower, so a person placed in the body will also be called heaven, that is, a heavenly man (cf. 1 Cor. 15:47), according to the Apostle Paul, who said: “But our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), if he can divide and distinguish which waters are from above, “above the firmament,” and which are from below, “under the firmament.” In the words of Scripture it is described as follows: “And God made the firmament, and separated the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament. And so it became. And God called the firmament heaven. And there was evening, and there was morning: the second day” (Gen. 1:7-8). Let each of us earnestly try to separate the upper waters from the lower ones, so that, having gained understanding and participation in the spiritual waters that are above the firmament, we may pour out from ourselves rivers of living water flowing into eternal life (cf. John 4:14, 7:38), undoubtedly distant and separated from the lower waters, that is, the waters of the abyss, shrouded in darkness, in which dwells the “prince of this world” and the “enemy”, “the dragon and his angels,” as stated above. So, being a partaker of these heavenly waters, which, as it is said, are above the firmament, every believer becomes heavenly, that is, when he directs his mind to the sublime, not thinking about earthly things, but only about heavenly things, and seeks “the things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1). For then he also becomes worthy of the praise from God given in this verse: “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:8). And then what is said in the following statements about the third day takes on the same meaning. It is written: “And God said: Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so” (Gen. 1:9). So let us labor and gather the water, which is under heaven and are the works of our flesh, and cast it away from us, so that “dry land” can form and people “saw your good works and glorified your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Since if we do not separate from ourselves this water that is under heaven, that is, the sins and vices of our flesh, our “dry land” will not be able to form and will not gain the strength to move towards the light, “for everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed, because they are evil, but he who does righteousness comes to the light, so that his deeds may be revealed, because they were done in God” ( John 3:20–21). We, of course, will not receive this if we do not separate and throw away from ourselves, like water, the vices of our body, which serve as material for sin. But if we can do this, then our land will no longer be “land,” as can be seen from what follows. For it is said: “Let the water that is under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear. And so it became. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of waters he called seas” (Gen. 1:8-9). Thus, this land, after the waters, as stated above, have left it, no longer remains “dry land”, but is called “earth”. Likewise, our flesh, if this division occurs in it, will no longer remain “dry land”, but, on the contrary, will be called “earth”, for then it will be able to bear fruit to God. And just as “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” so later he created the “firmament” and “dry land.” And he called the firmament heaven, giving it the name of the heaven that He created before. And he called the “dry land” “earth” because he gave it the ability to bear fruit. Therefore, if someone, through his own fault, remains “dry land” and does not bear fruit, but produces only “thorns and thistles” (cf. Gen. 3:18, Heb. 6:8), producing food for the fire, according to what he has brought out of himself, he himself will become “food for the fire” (Is. 9:19). But if, after he separates from himself the waters of the abyss, which are the thoughts of demons, and with his zeal and zeal reveals himself to be a fruitful land, then he will have the right to expect that God will lead him “into a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow” (Ex. 3:8). 3. But let us learn from what follows what kind of fruits are these that God commanded the earth to produce, so called by Himself. It says: “And God saw that it was good. And God said, “Let the earth produce green grass, grass yielding seed, and a fruitful tree bearing fruit according to its kind, in which is its seed on the earth.” And so it became. And the earth brought forth grass, grass yielding seed according to its kind, and tree yielding fruit, in which is its seed according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:10–12). From these words it is clear that these fruits are brought by “earth”, and not “dry land”. Let's apply this to us again. If we have become “land”, if we are no longer “dry land”, then we will bring abundant and varied fruits to God, so that the Father will bless us too, who said: “Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field that the Lord blessed” (Gen. 27:27), and so that what was said by the Apostle will be fulfilled in us: “The land that drinks the rain that falls on it many times and produces grain useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God; But the thorns and thistles that produce are worthless and are close to a curse, the end of which is burning” (Heb. 6:7-8). 4. “And the earth brought forth grass, grass yielding seed according to its kind, and tree yielding fruit, in which is its seed according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning: the third day” (Gen. 1:12–13). God commanded the earth to produce not only “greens” but also “seed” so that it could always bear fruit. And God made it so that there would not only be a “fruitful tree,” but that it would bear “the fruit in which its seed is according to its kind,” in other words, so that it could always produce from these seeds the fruits that they contain. And therefore we must both bear fruit and have a seed in ourselves, that is, contain in our hearts the seeds of all good deeds and virtues, so that, preserving them in our minds, we could produce from them all appropriate actions, for they are the fruits of these seeds, namely our actions, poured out “from the good treasure of our hearts” (Luke 6:45). If we hear “the word” and from hearing “immediately” our land produces “green,” but it withers before it ripens and bears fruit, our land is “rocky” (cf. Matt. 13:5-9). If what has been said penetrates into our heart and takes deep roots in it, so that it bears the fruits of labor and contains the beginnings of future deeds, then truly the land of each of us will bear fruit according to its capabilities: “one hundred times, and another sixty, and another thirty” (Matthew 13:8). However, we need to make sure that there are no “tares” in our fruit, that is, weeds, that the seed did not fall “by the way” (cf. Luke 8:5), but was sown on the path itself, on the path about which it is said: “I am the way” (John 14:6), so that the birds of the air do not eat either our fruits or our grapes. If any of us is worthy of being a vine, let him beware lest the vineyard bear wild berries instead of grapes and for this reason stop “pruning” and “digging it”, receive the command of the cloud “not to rain on it” and it remain “desolate” and overgrown with “thorns and thistles” (cf. Is. 5:2, 6). 5. Then the firmament was honored to be adorned with luminaries. For God said: “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heaven to illuminate the earth and to separate the day from the night” (Gen. 1:14). And just as on this firmament, called heaven, God commanded the luminaries to arise “to separate the day from the night,” the same can happen in us; if we too strive to be called and become heaven, then we will find lamps within ourselves, and they will illuminate us; These lamps are Christ and His Church, for He Himself is “the light of the world” (John 8:12), illuminating the Church with His light. For just as the moon receives light from the sun so that the night is illuminated, so the Church, receiving light from Christ, illuminates all who are in the night of ignorance. If someone grows so much that he becomes a son of God and behaves as if by day (cf. Rom. 13:13), as a son of light and a son of day (cf. 1 Thess. 5:5), then Christ Himself illuminates him, as the sun illuminates the day. 6. “And for signs, and for times, and for days, and for years; and let them be lamps in the firmament of the heaven to give light on the earth. And it was so” (Gen. 1:14–15). Just as the heavenly lights visible to us were established “for signs, and times, and days, and years,” so that they shine from the firmament of heaven to those on earth, so Christ, illuminating His Church, gives signs with His instructions, so that a person, when he receives a sign, can learn how to avoid “the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10; cf. Matt. 3:7; Luke 3:7), so that the day does not overtake him like a thief (cf. 1 Thess. 5:4), but “the acceptable year of the Lord” has come to him (Is. 61:2). So, Christ is the true light, “Who gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). With His light the Church itself is enlightened, and it becomes “the light of the world,” enlightening “those who are in darkness” (Rom. 2:19), as Christ Himself testifies to His disciples, saying: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). From this it is clear that Christ truly is the light of the apostles, and the apostles are “the light of the world.” For they, having “no spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing,” are the true Church, as the Apostle says: “That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27). 7. “And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars; and God set them in the expanse of the heaven to give light on the earth, and to rule the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning: the fourth day" (Gen. 1:16-19). And just as the sun and moon are the great luminaries in the firmament of heaven, so Christ and the Church are in us. But since God placed the stars in the firmament, let’s see what the stars are in us, that is, in the sky of our heart. The star in us is Moses, who shines and enlightens us with his deeds. And also Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, David, Daniel and everyone who, as the Holy Scripture testifies, pleased God. For just as “star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41), so each of these saints, according to his size, sheds his light on us. And just as the sun and moon illuminate our bodies, so Christ and the Church enlighten our mind, but only if our mind is not blind. For although the sun and moon shine on those who do not see with their bodily eyes, they still cannot perceive this light; so Christ sheds His light on our mind, but it can illuminate us only if the blindness of our mind does not prevent it. But even if this is so at first, those who are blind must follow Christ, crying out: “Have mercy on us, Jesus, son of David!” (Matthew 9:27), and having received sight from Him, they will also be able to be illuminated by His radiance. However, Christ enlightens those who see not equally, but to the extent that a person is able to perceive the power of light. And just as our bodily eyes are not illuminated to the same degree by the sun, but in accordance with how high a person has been able to rise and how closely he looks at the rising of the sun, he will receive more warmth and light from it, so to the extent that our mind approaches Christ in an exalted and majestic manner and appears before the radiance of His light, in the same degree it will sparkle in the light of Christ, who said through the prophet: “Turn to Me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 1:3). And again: “I am the God of those who draw near, says the Lord, and not a God who is afar off” (Jer. 23:23). However, we do not all come to Him in the same way, but each according to the measure of his virtue. Either we come to Him with a crowd and He strengthens us with parables only so that we do not “weaken on the way” (Matthew 15:32; Mark 8:3), exhausting ourselves with fasts, or we sit at His feet all the time and constantly listen to “His word”, not caring “about many things,” but choosing “the good part, which will not be taken away” from us ( Luke 10:39–42). And, of course, those who approach Him in this way receive much more light from Him. But if we, like the apostles, never separate from Him, but always be with Him in all His sorrows, then He will resolve and explain to us what He said to the crowd and enlighten us. And if, in addition to this, someone is able to climb the mountain with Him, like Peter, James and John, then he will be enlightened not only by the light of Christ, but also by the voice of the Father Himself. 8. “And God said, Let the water bring forth living things; and let the birds fly over the earth, through the firmament of the sky” (Gen. 1:20). As this verse says, water brought forth reptiles and birds at the command of God, and we understand who created what we see. But let's see how the same thing turns out to be on our firmament, that is, on the firmament of our mind and heart. I think that if our mind is enlightened by Christ - our sun - then it is commanded to produce from these waters “reptiles” and “birds”, that is, to discover those good or bad thoughts that naturally come out of the heart, so that good thoughts can be distinguished from bad ones. For both good and bad thoughts come from our heart, as if from these waters. But according to the word and commandment of God, let us submit them to God's consideration and His judgment, so that through His enlightenment we could distinguish good from evil, in other words, we could separate from ourselves that which crawls on the earth and requires care for earthly things, and allow what is better, namely “birds,” to fly not only “above the earth”, but also “across the firmament of heaven,” that is, we will explore in ourselves the meaning and purpose of not only earthly things, but also heavenly, in order to understand for us what “reptiles” in us can cause harm. If we look at a woman with lust (cf. Matt. 5:28), it will be a poisonous reptile in us. If we show the ability to control ourselves, even despite the fact that the Egyptian mistress has deep feelings for us, then we will become birds and, leaving the Egyptian robe in her hands, we will fly out of the snare of obscenity. When the desire to steal arises in us, this is the most dangerous reptile. If, having only “two mites,” we intend to give them out of mercy as a “gift to God” (Luke 21:4), then this intention is like a bird that does not think about anything earthly, but rushes to the firmament of heaven. If we are tempted to avoid the suffering of martyrdom, it is a poisonous reptile. If the determination to fight for the truth even to death is kindled in us, this is a bird striving from the earthly to the sublime (cf. Phil. 3:13). In the same way, we must perceive and distinguish other types of either sin or virtue, which of them are “reptiles” and which are “birds”, which our waters are commanded to give birth to, so that we can separate them in the eyes of God. 9 . “And God created the great fish and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind” (Gen. 1:21). We should treat these words in the same way as those discussed above, that we too must give birth to “large fish” and “reptiles”. I think that the big fish here means blasphemous thoughts and ungodly reasoning. And yet, all of them must be presented before God's sight, so that we can distinguish and separate good from evil, so that God can give everything its proper place, as can be seen from the following words. 10. “And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth. And there was evening, and there was morning: the fifth day" (Gen. 1:21-23). God commands that the great fish and reptiles born of water remain in the sea, where also resides “the leviathan whom God created to play in it” (Ps. 103:26). However, He determines for the birds to breed on the earth, which was once “dry land”, but now, as we explained earlier, is called “earth”. Someone will ask: why are large fish and reptiles interpreted as evil, and birds as good, if the Scripture says about everything: “And God saw that it was good”? What opposes the saints is useful for them, since they can overcome this opposition and, having overcome it, become even more glorified by God. And indeed, when the devil asked to be given power against Job, the enemy, attacking the saint, caused his glory to double after his victory. God doubly compensated Job for what he had lost in this life; this indicates that he will undoubtedly find good in heaven in the same way. And the Apostle says: “But even if someone strives, he will not be crowned if he struggles unlawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). And really, can there be a competition if there is no one with whom to fight? The beauty and radiance of light can only be appreciated if it alternates with the darkness of night. Why should some be glorified for purity if others are not condemned for debauchery? Why praise strong and brave people if there are no weak and cowardly people? If you taste bitter things, you appreciate sweet things more. If you think about the dark, the more pleasant the bright will be for you. In a word, against the background of the bad, the good stands out more clearly. That is why Scripture says about everything: “And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:21). And yet, why is it written not “and God said that it was good,” but “and God saw that it was good”? In other words, God saw the usefulness of His creations and how, although remaining what they really are, they could nevertheless contribute to the improvement of good people. Therefore He said: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth” (Gen. 1:22), that is, that large fish and reptiles live in the sea, as we explained above, and birds live on the earth. 11. “And God said, Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds, cattle and creeping things and wild beasts of the earth after their kinds. And so it became. And God created the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the cattle according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1:24–25). Naturally, no questions arise regarding the literal meaning. It is clearly said that everything on earth was created by God, be it animals, beasts, cattle or snakes. However, it would be very useful to relate these words to what we have interpreted above in a spiritual sense. Thus, it is said: “Let the water bring forth living things; and let the birds fly over the earth in the firmament of the heaven" (Gen. 1:20), but in this place it says: "Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds, livestock, and creeping things, and wild beasts of the earth, after their kinds" (Gen. 1:24). And, as we have already said, what came out of the water should be understood as the thoughts of our mind and the motives of our heart. But I think that what is said in this last verse: “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds, livestock and creeping things and wild beasts of the earth according to their kinds” (Gen. 1:24) reflects the motives of our external, that is, carnal, earthly man. In a word, this text, in what is said about the flesh, does not point to anything winged, but only to “cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth.” Of course, what the Apostle said: “No good thing lives in me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18) and that “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7) testifies that all this is generated by the earth, that is, our flesh, about which the Apostle Paul edifyingly says: “Mortify your members that are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust and covetousness, which is idolatry” ( Col. 3:5 ). Therefore, when all these visible objects, at the behest of God through His Word, came into existence and this vast material world was prepared (at the same time, the allegorical image revealed what everything was that was called upon to decorate the smaller world, that is, man), then the time came to create man, which is described further. 12. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 1:26). Therefore, according to what was said above, God wants the man we have described to have dominion over previously created beasts, livestock, birds, creeping things, reptiles on the earth and all other creatures. We explained how this should be understood allegorically when we said that water, that is, the human mind, was commanded to produce the spiritual, and the earth - the carnal, so that the mind could control it, and not it - the mind, for God wants man, the greatest "work" of God, for whom the whole world was created, not only to remain untainted by the carnal and not to be enslaved by it, but also to dominate over it. But now let's see what kind of living creature, according to these words of Scripture, man is. All other creations were created at the command of God, as the Scripture says: “And God said, Let there be a firmament” (Gen. 1:6). “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear” (Gen. 1:9). “And God said, Let the land produce greenery” (Gen. 1:11). Scripture also speaks about other things. But let us look at what is created by God Himself, and at the same time pay attention to what greatness befits man. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Likewise, Scripture says: “And God made two great lights” (Gen. 1:16). And again: “Let us make man” (Gen. 1:26). The actions of God Himself relate only to this and nothing else. God Himself created only the sky and the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, and now man, and everything else, as it is said, was created at His command. Understand from this how exalted man is: he was created equal to such important elements, bears the glory of heaven, and for this reason the “Kingdom of Heaven” is promised to him. He also has the glory of the land, since he hopes to enter “a good and spacious land, where milk and honey flow” (Ex. 3:8; 33:3). He is clothed in the glory of the sun and moon, for it is promised to him that he will shine “like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father” (Matthew 13:43). 13. I see, however, in the creation of man something even more remarkable, which I do not find anywhere else: “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him” (Gen. 1:27). This is not said about the sky, nor about the earth, nor about the sun, nor about the moon. It is not clear, however, how a person, created, according to Scripture, “in the image of God,” can be carnal. For the form of the body does not contain the image of God, and it is said that God “created” and did not “make” man, as can be seen from the following words, where it is written: “And the Lord God created man,” that is, formed, “from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). Our inner man was created “in the image of God,” invisible, incorporeal, incorruptible and immortal. It is in these properties that the image of God is understood correctly. But if someone considers that man, created in the image and likeness of God, is made of flesh, he, apparently, imagines God Himself made of flesh and in human form. It is certainly wicked to think of God in this way. Those carnal people who do not have an understanding of the meaning of the Divine, having read in the Scriptures about God “heaven is My throne, and the earth is the footstool of My feet” (Is. 66:1), imagine that God has such a huge body that He sits in heaven and stretches His feet to the earth. And they think this way because they do not have ears to hear the words of God about God spoken in the Scriptures. For the statement “heaven is my throne” should be understood so that we know that God abides and rests in those whose “dwelling is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). In those who are still absorbed in earthly things, there remains only the most distant part of His providence, which is figuratively expressed by the mention of His feet. If one of them becomes jealous and wants to become heavenly by the perfection of life and the sublimity of understanding, then he will also become the throne of God, becoming heavenly through his struggle and way of life. It is also said: “And he raised up with him, and made him sit in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). About those whose “treasure is in heaven” (Matthew 19:21), we can say that they are heavenly and are the throne of God, “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” And God not only rests on them, but abides in them. But if someone exalts himself so much that he can say: “You are looking for proof whether Christ speaks in me” (2 Cor. 13:3), then God not only abides in him, but also walks in him. And therefore those who have become perfect or made heavenly, as the psalm says, “preach the glory of God” (Ps. 18:2). For this reason, the apostles, who were heavenly, were sent to preach the glory of God and received the name “Boanerges, that is, “sons of thunder”” (Mark 3:17), so that through the power of thunder we would believe that they were heavenly. So, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him” (Gen. 1:27). We must understand that there is an image of God, and with with all diligence to investigate in the likeness of what image man was created, for it is said not “God created man in the image or likeness,” but “in the image of God he created him.” So what other image could there be of God, in which man was created, if not our Savior, “the firstborn of every creation” (Col. 1:15), about whom it is said that He is “the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3), Who said about Himself: “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” and “whoever has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:10, 9)? For just as he who sees the image of someone sees the one whose image he is, so God is seen through the Word of God, which is His image. This confirms the truth of what was said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Man, then, was created in the likeness of His image, and for this reason our Savior, who is the image of God, out of sympathy for man, created in His likeness, when he saw him, put off His own image in order to clothe himself with the corrupt image. He Himself, moved by compassion, took on the form of a man and descended to him, as the Apostle testifies: “He, being in the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled himself and became obedient even to death” (Phil. 2:6–8). Therefore, those who come to Him and want to join this spiritual image through self-improvement are daily renewed (cf. 2 Cor. 4:16) according to the image of Him who created them, to be made “according to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21), but each to the best of his ability. The apostles were transformed in His likeness to such an extent that they could say about themselves: “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). For He had already interceded with the Father on behalf of His disciples, so that the original likeness would be restored in them, when He said: “Father... that they may be one, even as We are one” (John 17:21-22). So let us always contemplate the image of God that we can transform into His likeness. For if man, created in the image of God, contrary to nature, takes on the image of the devil and through sin becomes like him, then, having taken on the image of God, in whose likeness he was created, he will to a much greater extent acquire the form given to him by nature by the Word and His power. And let no one despair, seeing that his image is more like the devil’s than God’s, for he can again regain the appearance of the image of God, because the Savior “came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Matthew was a publican, and, undoubtedly, in his image he resembled the devil, but when he comes to the image of God, our Lord and Savior, and follows it, he is transformed into the likeness of the image of God. James Zebedee and John his brother (cf. Matt. 4:21) were fishermen and “unlearned men” (Acts 4:13), who at that time had a great resemblance to the devil, however, they, following the image of God, became like Him and the other apostles. Paul himself pursued the image of God, but, having received the ability to see His mercy and beauty, he was so changed in his likeness that he said: “You are seeking evidence whether Christ speaks in me” (2 Cor. 13:3). 14. “Male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:27–28). What is worthy of consideration in this passage is how, according to these words, the Scripture says, “male and female he created them,” when woman had not yet been created. Perhaps, as I see it, it is because of the blessing He blessed them with when He said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” In anticipation of what was to happen, Scripture says: “Male and female he created them,” since it is obvious that a man could not be fruitful and multiply except with a woman. And because there could not be the slightest doubt about the blessing that was coming, it is said: “Male and female He created them.” A man, seeing that the result of his union with a woman would produce offspring, could harbor even greater hope in this God's blessing, for if the Scripture had said: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it,” but had not added: “Male and female He created them,” he would certainly have doubted God’s blessing, as Mary said in response to the blessing pronounced by the archangel: “How will this happen when I don’t know my husband?” (Luke 1:34). Or, perhaps, because everything created by God is said to be connected and united, like heaven and earth, like the sun and moon, it could be shown that man also is the creation of God and was not generated without due harmony or due connection, and therefore it is said: “Male and female he created them.” We said all this about the questions that may arise from a literal reading. 15. But let's also look at the allegorical meaning of how man, created in the image of God, is both male and female. Our inner man consists of spirit and soul. It is said that the spirit is masculine, and the soul can be called feminine. And if they agree with each other, then by this very agreement they become fruitful and multiply and produce sons - good intentions and understanding or good thoughts with which they fill the land given to them for possession. This means that they turn the inclinations of the flesh, subject to them, to better intentions and dominate the flesh, and it, of course, exalts itself, not being able to resist the will of the spirit. But if the soul, bound to the spirit and, so to speak, united to it in marriage, deviates from time to time towards the pleasures of the body and turns again to its inclination to the pleasures of the flesh, and sometimes, as it seems, submits to the beneficial warnings of the spirit, and sometimes gives in to carnal vices, then such a soul, as if defiled by adultery with the body, can no longer increase or multiply, for, as the Scripture says, “the children of adulterers will be imperfect” (Wis.3:16). Such a soul, completely submissive to the inclinations of the flesh and bodily desires, rejecting unity with the spirit, as if turning away from God, will hear with shame: “You have acquired the appearance of a harlot, you have become shameless towards everyone” (Jer. 3:3). Therefore, she will be punished as a harlot, and her sons will be prepared to be beaten. 16. “And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the wild animals, and over the birds of the air, and over every livestock, and over all the earth, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen. 1:28). These words have already been interpreted in their direct meaning when we discussed what God said: “Let us make man” and so on, where He says: “And have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air” (Gen. 1:26) and so on. But in a figurative sense, what we were talking about, it seems to me, is no less expressed in fish, birds or beasts of the earth and animals that move on the earth, that is, either what comes from the inclinations of the soul and the thoughts of the heart, or what is generated by bodily desires and impulses of the flesh. Saints and those who retain within themselves the blessing of God rule over all this, subjecting the whole person to the will of the spirit, but, on the other hand, that which is generated by the vices of the flesh and the pleasures of the body rules over sinners. 17. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed that is on all the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed; - This will be food for you; And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food” (Gen. 1:29-30). The meaning of this sentence, at least literally, clearly indicates that God originally allowed plants and fruit trees to be eaten. And the opportunity to eat flesh was given to man only later, when after the Flood God entered into a covenant with Noah. We will look at the reasons for this in due course. However, earthly vegetation and fruits given to humans for food can allegorically be interpreted as bodily affections. For example, anger and lust are bodily creations. Their fruits, that is, actions, are common both to us - rational beings, and to the beasts of the earth, for when we fall into righteous anger, in other words, we reproach the sinner for the sake of his saving correction, we consume these earthly fruits, and that material anger with which we restrain sin and restore justice becomes our food. And lest it seem to you that we are drawing such conclusions based on our own understanding, and not drawing them from the depths of Holy Scripture, let us turn to the book of Numbers and remember what the priest Phinehas did when he saw how the Midianite woman and the Israelite, in front of everyone, embraced each other in an unholy embrace. Filled with the wrath of Divine jealousy, he drew his sword and pierced them both (Num. 25:7–8). God counted this action to him as righteousness when the Lord said: “Phinhas turned away My wrath in My jealousy” (Num. 25:11–12) “and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Ps. 105:31). Thus, this earthly food of wrath becomes our food when we use it wisely for the sake of righteousness. But if anger is kindled unreasonably and the innocent suffer from it and it falls on someone who has done nothing wrong, then it becomes food for the beasts of the field and the snakes of the earth and the birds of the air. For the demons who encourage us to commit evil deeds and feed on them are fed on this food. Evidence of this is Cain deceiving his brother in a jealous rage. We must think in the same way about lust and personal attachments of this kind. For when “my heart and my flesh delight in the living God” (Ps. 83:3), lust is our food. But when we are inflamed with lust for another man's wife or covet something that belongs to our neighbor, lust becomes food for the beasts. An example of this is the passion of Ahab and the act of his wife Jezebel in relation to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite (1 Kings 21). We should pay attention to the words in which Scripture warns us. And although it is said that the Lord said about man: “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed that is on all the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed; “It will be for you to eat” (Gen. 1:29), about the animals it is not said that “I have given it to them for food,” but “it will be for them to eat” (Gen. 1:30), so according to the spiritual understanding that we have explained, these preferences are given to man by God, but God says that they will also be food for the beasts of the earth. For this reason, the Divine Scriptures choose their words very carefully when it is said that God says to man: “I have given you all this for food,” but when it comes to animals, He does not command, but, in fact, states that all this will also be food for animals, birds and snakes. But, consistent with the view of the Apostle Paul, let us take a close look at the text itself, so that we, in his own words, may gain “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16) and “know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). So let us not make what is given to us for food into the food of dogs and pigs, but let us prepare it for ourselves, so that God may consider the inner chambers of our heart worthy to receive the Word and the Son of God, who will come with His Father and will wish to dwell in us in the Holy Spirit, whose church we must become, first of all, by our holiness. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. Homilia II. About the building of the ark and what is in it 1. And as we have already begun to talk about the ark built by Noah at the behest of God, let us, first of all, look at what is said about it in the literal sense, and, asking those questions that often arise in many, we will find answers in the tradition left to us by our predecessors. Having thus laid the foundation, we can ascend from the historical narrative to the mystical and allegorical understanding of the spiritual meaning, and if there is something hidden here, we will try to explain it, for the Lord has revealed to us the knowledge of His word. Let's first quote the words of Scripture: “And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with evildoings from them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth. Make yourself an ark of square logs; make compartments in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and outside. And make it this way: the length of the ark is three hundred cubits; its breadth is fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. And thou shalt make a hole in the ark, and thou shalt make it a cubit at the top, and thou shalt make a door into the ark at the side thereof; build in it a lower, a second and a third dwelling” (Gen. 6:13–16). And a few verses later it says: “And Noah did everything: as God commanded him, so he did” (Gen. 6:22). First of all, let's see what shape the ark was and what it looked like. I think that, as far as we can judge from the description, rising from the four corners from the bottom and gradually converging as it approached the top, the ark at the top was one cubit in size. As it is said, at the base the length of the ark is three hundred cubits, the width is fifty, and the height is thirty. Its upper platform was one cubit long and wide. Inside it were located two decks, which made up a double dwelling, called the lower decks. On top were three decks, or, as we would say, three upper rooms. They were demarcated to make it easier to separate domestic and less aggressive animals from wild animals. These divided dwellings are called nests. It is said that the ark was made of quadrangular logs so that, on the one hand, they would fit together better, and on the other, such a design would better withstand the onslaught of the flood waters, and the joints were tarred outside and inside. As we were told, it is quite possible that the lower compartments, which, as we said, were made double, and these in turn were separately called two-tiered, with the exception of the upper compartments, which were three-tiered, were made double for the following reason: the animals were in the ark all year round, and, of course, they had to be fed. But, in addition to this, it was necessary to prepare a place for waste so that the animals themselves, and, most importantly, people, did not suffer from the stench. Therefore, the lower compartments located on the bottom of the ark were intended for these purposes, and the compartments located above and adjacent to them were used for storing food. It was also necessary to take animals for meat-eating predators so that they could survive and subsequently produce offspring, but for other animals it was necessary to store the food required by their nature. So, the lower compartments, called double-decker, were used for these purposes, and the upper ones were the dwellings of animals and animals, and wild animals, predators and snakes were located on the lower tiers, and the upper ones, adjacent to them, were stalls for domestic animals. But the most important thing - the dwelling for people - was located at the very top, because they surpass everyone in honor and intelligence, for just as a person, through his reason and wisdom, dominates everything earthly, so he should live above all animals. It is also said that a door made on the side of the ark so that it had lower compartments, called double-decker, located below the door, and upper compartments, located above the door, called three-decker, could be called upper in relation to the location of the door, and all the animals brought into the ark could be located separately according to their types, as was said above. However, the door itself was no longer sealed by a person, for after it was locked, and there were no longer people left outside, how, if not by the action of Divine power, could it be tarred from the outside so that the waters of the flood would not penetrate inside through the cracks? For this reason, although Scripture says about everything else that Noah made an ark and brought the animals and his sons and their wives into it, it does not say about the door that Noah closed it, but “the Lord God shut the ark behind him” (Gen. 7:16). It should be noted, however, that after the flood, Noah is said to have opened not a door, but a “window” when he “sent out a raven to see if the water had abated from the earth” (Gen. 8:7). The fact that Noah prepared food for all the animals and beasts that entered the ark with him is evident from the words that the Lord says to him: “Take for yourself all the food that they eat, and gather it to yourself; and it will be food for you and for them” (Gen. 6:21). And the Scripture testifies that Noah fulfilled everything that the Lord commanded him in the following words: “And Noah did everything: as God commanded him, so he did” (Gen. 6:22). And since Scripture says nothing about those compartments which, as we have said, were reserved for the waste products of animals, although references to this have been preserved in tradition, it seems appropriate to pass over in silence this question, which reason convincingly presents as important. And due to the fact that in a spiritual sense this has no significant significance, it is true that Scripture, trying to give the story an allegorical meaning, does not mention it. However, according to what the narrative says about the force of the rain and the pressure of the waters of the flood, it was impossible to give the ark a more regular and suitable form so that from the upper part, as if from a roof reduced to a small platform, the storm streams diverged, and, maintaining stability due to the fact that all four corners of the ark were deeply immersed in the water, it could neither rise high above the surface of the waters, nor sink too deep under the influence of gusts of wind or fierce waves or movement animals inside. 2. And although all this was done very skillfully, some have questions, in particular, Apella, a student of Marcion, who invented another heresy, even greater than that he inherited from his teacher. He wanted to show that the writings of Moses did not contain any Divine wisdom and no work of the Holy Spirit. He exaggerates statements of this kind and says that it was impossible to accommodate in such a small space so many animals and a supply of food for them for a whole year. For if it is said that unclean animals were brought into the ark “in pairs” (Gen. 6:19), that is, two males and females - for this is what the repeated word means - but clean animals were brought into the ark “in sevens” (Gen. 7:2), in other words, seven pairs, then how, he asks, could it happen that in such a space indicated in the Scriptures, even four elephants could be accommodated? And, after Apellus goes through all kinds of animals in a similar way, he adds: thus, it is clear that this story is invented, but if so, then it is quite obvious that Scripture is not from God. To refute these words, we will cite what was transmitted to us by people experienced in Jewish traditions and by our ancient teachers. They said that Moses, who, as the Scriptures say about him, “was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), recalculated the number of cubits indicated in the Scriptures in accordance with the laws of that geometry in which the Egyptians were especially skilled. And according to the calculations which geometers call exponentiation, one cubit of three-dimensional space and area is counted as six taken together, and three hundred taken separately. If these calculations are followed, the space of the ark, which has such a significant length and width, will be large enough to accommodate the living beings of the entire world and subsequently restore them. Let us say this in support of the historical narrative in refutation of those who try to question the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament as containing something impossible and irrational. 3. Now, having offered up prayers to Him who alone can tear away the mysterious veil from the correct understanding of the Old Testament, let us try to explore what spiritual instructions are contained in the description of this wonderful structure of the ark. I think, as far as my limited understanding is able to comprehend, that this flood, which then almost destroyed the world, is a type of the coming end of the world, for the Lord Himself said: “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man: they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26; Matthew 24:37–39 ). It is obvious that in this statement the previous flood and the coming end of the world are presented as the same type of flood. Therefore, as it is said that when Noah was building the ark and took with him not only his sons and his loved ones, but also animals of various species, so the Father said at the end of time to our Noah, Who alone is truly just and perfect, to the Lord Jesus Christ, so that He would build Himself an ark from square logs, and give Him dimensions so that all the mysteries of heaven could enter into it. This is described in the psalm, which says: “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps. 2:8). So, He builds an ark and makes nests in it, that is, dwellings in which animals of various species will dwell. The prophet says about these dwellings: “Go, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you, hide yourself for a moment, until the wrath passes away” (Is. 26:20). This people, saved in the Church, are thus compared with all the people and animals saved in the ark. And just as the merits and growth in faith are not the same for everyone, so in Noah’s ark there is not one dwelling common to all, but there are two lower decks and three upper ones, and compartments are separated in it to show that in the Church, although everyone is united by the same faith and washed by the same water of baptism, they do not all grow in the same way, but “each in his own order” (1 Cor. 15:23). Those who live by rational knowledge and are able not only to govern themselves, but also to teach others, although there are very few of them, represent a minority saved with Noah himself and united with him in close union; so our Lord, the true Noah, Christ Jesus, has few relatives, few sons, few relatives who participate in His word and are capable of His wisdom. But they are the ones who occupy the highest position and are at the very top of the ark. The lower decks contain many non-intelligent animals or even beasts; There are especially many of those animals whose predatory habits could not be softened by the sweetness of faith. However, of these, somewhat higher are those who, although they do not have much intelligence, nevertheless retain more simplicity and innocence. And thus, climbing up the tiers of dwellings separated from each other, you find yourself next to Noah Himself, whose name means “peace” or “righteousness” and who is Jesus Christ. For what Lamech, the father of Noah, said does not apply to the ancient Noah: “He will comfort us in our work and in the labor of our hands in cultivating the land which the Lord has cursed” (Gen. 5:29). For how could ancient Noah give rest to Lamech and all the people among whom he lived? How could peace from sorrows and labors come in the days of Noah? How could the curse that God placed on the earth be removed when the wrath of God flared up and God said: “I repented that I created them [men]” (Gen. 6:7)? And again: “I will destroy all flesh from the face of the earth” (Gen. 6:7), and the destruction of all living things indicates the extreme degree of disfavor. But if you look at our Lord Jesus Christ, about whom it is said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and it is also said: “He has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13), and again it is said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), “and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29), then you will see that He is the One who truly gives man peace and frees the earth from the curse with which the Lord God cursed it. Therefore, it was said to this spiritual Noah, who gave people peace and took upon himself the sin of the world: “Make yourself an ark of square logs” (Gen. 6:14). 4. Let's see what quadrangular logs are. Such logs do not swing from side to side, but, when installed in their place, lie firmly, providing the required reliability. These logs bear the full load of the weight of the animals from the inside and the pressure of the flowing waters from the outside. I think that they are teachers of the Church, leaders, adherents of the faith who support people entering the Church with a word of instruction and grace-filled teaching and fight with the power of the word and the wisdom of reason with those who are outside its fence, be it pagans or heretics, attacking the Church, flooding it with questions and causing storms of strife. Do you want to know that Divine Scripture presents trees as intelligent? Listen to what the prophet Ezekiel writes: “In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man! say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his people: to whom do you compare yourself in your greatness? Behold, Assur was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage, and tall in stature; its top was among thick branches. The waters raised him, the abyss raised him, her rivers surrounded his nursery, and she sent her channels to all the trees of the field. Because of this, its height exceeded all the trees of the field, and its branches were many, and its branches multiplied, and its branches became long because of the multitude of waters as it grew” (Ezek. 31:1-5). And a few verses later: “The cedars in the garden of God did not darken it; The cypresses were not equal to its branches, and the chestnuts were not the size of its branches, not a single tree in the garden of God equaled it in beauty. I adorned it with many branches thereof, so that all the trees of Eden in the garden of God envied it” (Ezek. 31:8-9). Do you notice what trees or what types of trees the prophet is talking about? How does he describe the cedars of Lebanon, which cannot be compared with any tree in the garden of God? And at the end he adds that all the trees in God's garden are jealous of him, clearly showing that in a spiritual sense all the trees in Eden are intelligent, since the prophet writes about envy among them regarding the cedars of Lebanon. Therefore, it should be said, slightly distracting from the topic, that the saying “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Deut. 21:23) should not be understood in the same sense as the saying given elsewhere in Scripture: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man” (Jer. 17:5). For we must rely 1 on God and no one else, even if someone is said to be from God’s garden, just as Paul says: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). But more on that another time. So, you have seen what the square logs mean, laid by the spiritual Noah in the likeness of a wall, protecting those inside from the floods falling on them, and tarred “within and without” (Gen. 6:14). For Christ, the architect of the Church, does not want you to be like those “who on the outside seem beautiful, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27), but wants you to be holy in body on the outside and pure in heart on the inside, ready for anything and protected on all sides by the power of purity and innocence, which is what it means to be tarred outside and inside. 5. Next, it talks about the dimensions of the ark, and the numbers that express its length, width and height are consecrated with a great mystery. But before we discuss these numbers, let's see what the Scriptures call length, width, and height. The Apostle in one of his epistles speaks very mysteriously about the mystery of Christ and says the following: “so that you... may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height” (Eph. 3:18). Depth and height mean the same thing, but height seems to be the distance from the bottom to the top, while depth starts at the top and goes down to the bottom. Therefore, the spirit of God reveals these very mysterious figures through Moses and through Paul. For when Paul preached about the descent of Christ, he used the word "depth," as if Christ were descending from above to below. And Moses describes the restoration of those whom Christ calls from the lower regions to the upper, heavenly ones, from the destruction of the world, as from the deadly waters of the flood, speaking not about the depth, but about the height of the ark, when a person, as it were, ascends from the earthly, lower regions to the higher, heavenly ones. The numbers are also given: three hundred cubits in length, fifty in width, thirty in height. Three hundred is three times a hundred. The number one hundred is complete and perfect in everything, it contains the mystery of the entire rational creation, as we read in Scripture, where it is said: “Which of you, having a hundred sheep and having lost one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it? And having found it, he will take it on his shoulders with joy” (Luke 15:4–5; cf. Matt. 18:12–13). Thus, one hundred is the number of the fullness of the rational creation, since it does not exist on its own, but comes from the Trinity and receives the duration of Her life, that is, the grace of eternity, from the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is said that it is tripled to the extent that it is that which is raised to perfection by the grace of the Trinity and that by its knowledge it can restore up to three hundred out of a hundred who have fallen through ignorance. The width of the ark is fifty, illuminated as the number of forgiveness and liberation 2. For according to the law, the long-awaited release came every fifty years; in other words, if someone's property was sold off, he could get it back; if a free man fell into slavery, he could regain freedom; the debtor could be relieved from paying the debt; the expelled could return to his homeland. Therefore, Christ - the spiritual Noah - in His ark, in which He delivers humanity from destruction, that is, in His Church, sets the number fifty as its width - the number of forgiveness. For if He had not granted the forgiveness of sins to the faithful, the Church would not have embraced the whole world in its breadth. And the number thirty, which signifies the height of the ark, contains the same mystery as the number three hundred. For what is a hundred multiplied by three there is ten multiplied by three here. But all these numbers come down to one thing - the number of the universal beginning, for “we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are to Him, and one Lord” (1 Cor. 8:6) and “one faith, one baptism, one body and one Spirit” (Eph. 4:5, 4), and everything is directed towards one goal, the perfection of God. And again, if the words you hear in your leisure hours direct your thoughts to the Holy Scriptures, then you will discover that many great events contain the number thirty or fifty. Joseph was thirty years old when he was released from prison and became the ruler of all Egypt, so that by God's providence he could avert the impending famine (cf. Gen. 41:46). It is said that Jesus was thirty years old when He came to be baptized by John, and “John saw the heavens opening and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him.” (Mark 1:10), when the mystery of the Trinity first began to be revealed. And you'll see a lot of the same. You will also learn that on the fiftieth day the Feast of Weeks was celebrated (Deut. 16:10), sanctifying the new harvest, and the fiftieth share of the spoils captured in the war with the Midianites was intended for God (cf. Num. 31:37). You will also learn that Abraham defeated the Sodomites with three hundred men (Gen. 14:14), and Gideon defeated the Midianites with three hundred who were lapping water with their tongues (Judges 7:5-7). The door is not built in front or on top, but on the side, obliquely, since it is the time of God’s wrath, for it is said that the day of the Lord is “a day of trouble and distress” (Zeph. 1:15); because although it seems that some are saved, nevertheless, many, whose deeds are condemned, perish - the door stands inclined so that what was said by the prophet will be revealed: “If after this you will not listen to Me and go against Me, then I will go against you in wrath” (Lev. 26:27-28). Next, let us consider what the Scriptures call separately the two lower and three upper decks, and then, perhaps, these words will clarify what the Apostle said: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10); here it is shown that what the Apostle calls the underworld is the lowest deck in the ark; the next deck, located above it, is the earthly region, and the three upper decks, about which it is said, are all together the boundaries of heaven, they mark the virtues of those who can, in the words of the Apostle Paul, rise “to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). There are many nests in the ark, indicating that the Father “has many mansions” (John 14:1). But what other image should we see in animals, beasts, livestock and all the diversity of living creatures, if not the one that Isaiah showed when he said that in the Kingdom of Christ the wolf will live with a lamb, the leopard with a kid, the lion and the ox will graze together, and their cubs will eat straw, and, moreover, the little child is, without a doubt, one of those about whom the Savior said: “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3), - will he stretch out his hand into the asp’s nest, and there will be no harm to him (Isaiah 11:6-8)? Or is it the image already present in the Church that the Apostle Peter teaches us when he writes that he had a vision of all the four-legged creatures and beasts of the earth and the birds of the air gathered into one cloth of faith, tied at the four corners of the Gospels (cf. Acts 10:11-12)? 6. But since God commands that the ark which we are endeavoring to describe should be built not only with two lower decks, but also with three upper decks, let us consider the addition, by God's direction, to this double explanation of a third. The first is the direct meaning as a kind of foundation of the lower levels. The second interpretation is mystical, more sublime. Let's try, if possible, to add a third - a moral explanation, assuming that even in these very words there is a mystery, no different from the interpretation that we propose, in that it does not say: “Build in it only a lower and second dwelling” or “only a third dwelling,” but says: “Build in it a lower, second” and immediately added “and a third dwelling” (Gen. 6:16). For three dwellings mean a tripartite interpretation. But in Divine Scripture it is not always possible to establish the historical sequence of events; sometimes it is absent, for example, when it is said: “Like a thorn in the hand of a drunken man, so is a proverb in the mouth of fools” (Prov. 26:9), and when it is said that in the temple of Solomon “neither a hammer, nor an adze, nor any other iron instrument was heard” (1 Kings 6:7), and when the book of Leviticus says that leprosy wall or clothing must be shown to the priest (cf. Lev. 14:34, 13:48). As a result of this and similar things, not only a third, but also a second dwelling was built in the ark, in order to teach us that in Divine Scripture a three-part explanation is not always given, for the direct interpretation is not always clear to us, but sometimes only in combination with a double explanation. So let's discuss the third, moral explanation. If someone, when evil intensifies and vice overflows, can turn away from what flows and passes and falls, and hear the word of God and the heavenly commandments, then he creates in himself, so to speak, a library of Divine words and builds in his heart the ark of salvation, and as its length, width and height he builds faith, love and hope. He extends the length of faith in the Trinity throughout life and into eternity. It affirms the breadth of love with compassion, gentleness and kindness. He raises the height of hope to heaven, to the region of the sublime, for although he walks on earth, his “dwelling is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). And he directs all his affairs towards one thing, for he knows that “all run, but one receives the reward” (1 Cor. 9:24), and, of course, neither the variety of thoughts nor the scattering of the mind can shake him. He builds his library not from rough, unhewn logs, but from square logs, evenly laid in one row, in other words, not from the books of secular writers, but from the books of the prophetic and apostolic, for these authors, hewn by various temptations, cut off all vices from themselves, and they contain life, corrected, ennobled and free in all its aspects. The authors of secular books can be called “high hills” and “broad trees” - for Israel was condemned for committing fornication “on every high hill and under every green tree” (Jer. 2:20) - because they spoke loftily, using their flowery eloquence, but did not act as they spoke. Therefore, they cannot be called “square logs,” because their deeds are very different from their words. Thus, if you are building an ark or a library, collect in it the words of the prophets, apostles or those who follow them and walk in the right direction of faith. Do it with two and three dwellings, get acquainted with historical narratives, learn the great mystery embodied in Christ and in the Church (cf. Eph. 5:32), from it learn how to correct your life, cut off vices, cleanse the soul and free it from all bonds of slavery, build in it “nests” of various virtues and perfections. By all means, tar it “with pitch within and without” (Gen. 6:14), believing with the heart for righteousness, and confessing with the mouth for salvation (cf. Rom. 10:10), maintaining knowledge within and doing deeds without. Let us place in this ark in the dwellings of morality either a library of Divine books or a believing soul. One must also introduce into it various animals, not only clean, but also unclean. Now we can safely say that by pure animals we should understand memory, learning, understanding, consideration and discernment of what we read, and other similar things. However, unclean animals, which are also listed in “pairs,” are not easy to talk about. And yet we can take the liberty of saying this: I think that the lust and anger that live in every soul should be considered unclean in the sense that they induce a person to sin. And since subsequent generations are impossible without lust and no correction can be made without anger, it is said that they are necessary and must be present. And although it may seem that we are talking about things that relate more to external form than to morality, nevertheless, we could use the thoughts that now come to us for edification. Without a doubt, if anyone, in his leisure hours, studies the Divine Scripture and compares what is said in it and connects “spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13), then he will reveal in this passage many secrets of the hidden mystery, which we do not talk about here due to lack of time or fatigue of the listeners. Let us pray to Almighty God that by His grace He will make us not only listeners, but also doers of His word (cf. James 1:22), and that He might bring down the waters of the flood into our souls and destroy in us what He knows must be destroyed, and hasten what He knows must be hastened, through Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit. “To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Homilia III. About the circumcision of Abraham 1. In many places of the Holy Scripture we read that God speaks to people, therefore not only the Jews, but also some of us believe that God should be understood as a man, that is, endowed with the members of a man and having his appearance. However, philosophers reject these fairy-tale ideas, formed in the likeness of poetic fiction. Therefore, it seems to me that I should first consider these issues and then move on to what we have read about. And let my words be primarily addressed to those who are outside the Church and arrogantly shout around us, arguing that the exalted, invisible, immaterial God should not experience human feelings. For if you endow Him with the ability to speak, then you undoubtedly assume that He has a mouth, a tongue, and other organs of speech. But if this is so, then you have wandered away from the invisible and immaterial God. Such things confuse the faithful with many similar things. And with your prayers, if God wills, we will briefly answer these arguments. 2. Just as we affirm that God is immaterial, omnipotent and invisible, we also recognize with all conviction and consider it an unshakable dogma that He cares about the affairs of mortals, and nothing happens either on earth or in heaven without His providence. Notice that we said “without His providence,” and not “without His will,” for much happens without His will, but nothing happens without His providence. For providence is that by which God monitors, controls and arranges everything that happens. And His will is that by which He wills or does not will something. But enough about this for now, because this topic can be discussed endlessly and verbosely. Then from the statement that God provides and arranges everything that happens, it follows that He makes it clear what He desires or what is beneficial for people. For if He does not report this, then He will not take care of man and he will not believe that God looks upon the affairs of mortals. And since God lets people know what He wants from them, how can we express exactly how He does this? Is it not in the way that people know and use? For if we were to say, for example, that God is silent, which is considered to be due to His nature, then how will His will be known if He is silent? But since He is said to speak, people, knowing that in this way the desire of one person becomes known to another, can realize that the words conveyed to them by the prophets are the revelation of God's will. Of course, they do not believe that the will of God is contained in these words, unless it is said that He spoke them, for people do not consider and do not understand that this will can be communicated through silence. But again, we do not assert this in the sense that is characteristic of the erring Jews and some of us who repeat their error, that we should think that since man, due to his weakness, cannot hear about God except through words known to this weakness, then God, for this reason, also does all this with bodily members similar to ours, and in human form. This is contrary to the faith of the Church. However, it is said that God speaks to man in the following way: He either inspires something in the heart of every saint, or causes the sounds of a voice to reach his ears. And also, when He reveals that He knows what each of us says or does, the Scripture says that He “hears”; and when He shows us that we are doing wrong, it is said that “He is angry”; when He reproaches us for being ungrateful to Him for the benefits He has bestowed, He is said to be “contrite,” showing this in a way common to people, but not through members belonging to material nature. For this substance is simple and contains neither individual members nor bodily structure and does not express feelings. However, what is done by Divine power is said to be either accomplished by the members of man, or expressed by known and habitual feelings, so that it would be understandable to people. It is in this sense that God is said to be angry, hear or speak. For if the human voice is defined as the vibration of air, in other words, it is air set in motion by the vibration of the tongue, then the voice of God can be said to be air upon which God's power or will acts. And from this it follows that when God wants to convey something to people, it does not enter the ears of everyone, but reaches the ears of those to whom it concerns, so that you can know that the sound is not produced by the movement of the tongue - otherwise everyone would hear it - but is controlled from above by the will of God. However, it is said that the word of God often comes to the prophets and patriarchs and other saints without the sound of a voice, as the holy books teach us. In essence, in this case the mind, enlightened by the spirit of God, turns to words. And thus, when God communicates His will in one way or another, which we talked about above, it is said that He speaks. Let us consider from this point of view what is conveyed in what we read. 3. God gave many answers to Abraham, but they were not addressed to the same person; some were addressed to Abram, others to Abraham, in other words, some were given to him after his name was changed, others while he was known by the name he received at birth. And in the first prophecy of God to Abraham it is said: “Get out of your land, from your kindred and from your father’s house” (Gen. 12:1) and so on, but here no commands are given regarding the covenant with God, nothing is said about circumcision, for while Abram bore his name given to him at physical birth, he could not accept the covenant with God and the sign of circumcision. But when he left his land and his kinship, answers were given to him about more mysterious things. First, the Lord tells him: “You will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham” (Gen. 17:5). And immediately he accepted the covenant of God and circumcision as a sign of faith, which he could not receive while he was in his father's house and in carnal relationships and bore the name Abram. And while he was in his father’s house and lived according to flesh and blood, neither he nor his wife were called presbyter, but as soon as he left there, he was honored to be called both Abraham and presbyter. For both of them, as it is said, were elders, that is, old men, Abraham and his beautiful wife “were old” (Gen. 18:11). How many people before them lived longer, nine hundred years or more, others lived a little less, before the flood, and none of them were called elders. For Abraham was awarded this title not because of the advanced age of his body, but because of the maturity of his heart. So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather for Me seventy men from among the elders [presbyter] of Israel, whom you know to be elders” (Num. 11:16). Let's take a closer look at the Lord's words. What does it mean to add, “Whom you know to be elders”? Isn’t it obvious to everyone that an elder or old man is one who is old in body? Why then was Moses, such a great prophet, given the command to choose those whom others did not know, whom the ignorant mass of people did not recognize, but whom a prophet filled with God should have chosen? The decisive factor in this choice was not the age of their body, but their mind. Therefore, Abraham and Sarah were the elders. First of all, their names, given to them at birth in the flesh, were changed. “Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him: I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless; And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will greatly, greatly multiply you. And Abram fell on his face. God continued to speak to him and said: This is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations, and you will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham” (Gen. 17:1-5). And after God gave him this name, He immediately added: “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and between your descendants after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, that I will be your God and that of your descendants after you” (Gen. 17:7). And after these words he adds: “Let all your male sex be circumcised; circumcise your foreskin” (Gen. 17:10–11). 4. And since we have reached this point, I would like to ask, when Almighty God, the Ruler of heaven and earth, desired to make a covenant with this saint, whether He made the chief thing in it the circumcision of the foreskin, and that his future male descendants should be circumcised. It is said: “My covenant will be on your body” (Gen. 17:13). Was this what the God of heaven and the God of earth (Gen. 24:3) conveyed in His eternal covenant to the one whom He chose from all mortals? After all, this is the only thing in which the teachers in the synagogues saw the glory of the saints. But let them come, if they wish, and hear how the Church of Christ, which through the prophet proclaimed: “But for me Thy friends, O God, shall be glorified,” glorifies the friends of the Bridegroom, and His glory is transmitted to them, reflected in them. Therefore, we, taught by the Apostle Paul, say that just as many things were done in the image and likeness of the future truth, so also circumcision of the foreskin had the form of spiritual circumcision, about which “the God of glory” (Ps. 28:3) gave His commandments to mortals. Listen, then, to how Paul, the teacher of “the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Tim. 2:7), teaches the Church of Christ the mystery of circumcision. “Beware of circumcision,” he says of Jews who circumcise the foreskin, “for we who are circumcised are those who serve God in the Spirit and boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:2-3). This is one of Paul's views on circumcision. Consider another: “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that is outwardly in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and that circumcision which is in the heart is in the Spirit, and not in the letter” (Rom. 2:28-29). Doesn't it seem to you that this understanding of circumcision is more suitable for the saints and friends of God than circumcision of the flesh? However, the novelty of this expression may frighten not only the Jews, but even some of our brethren, for Paul, speaking of “circumcision of the heart,” seems to admit the impossible. For how can you circumcise an internal organ that is hidden from the eyes of people? Let us turn to the words of the prophets, who, through your prayers, can shed light on the issues that interest us. The prophet Ezekiel says: “No strange son, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in the flesh, shall enter into My sanctuary” (Ezek. 44:9). And also a no less prophet says reproachfully in another place: “All these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart” (Jer. 9:26). So, it is said that with an uncircumcised heart and flesh, one “should not enter the sanctuary” of God. 5. But it seems that I will be caught in the trap of my own arguments, for the Jews will immediately point me to the quoted words of the prophet: “Look, the prophet speaks of circumcision of heart and flesh. And where two types of circumcision are required, there is no place for allegory.” If you will help me with your prayers, “that the word may be given to me” (Eph. 6:19), the word of God, living and abiding forever (cf. 1 Pet. 1:23), then we can, with God's help, walk the narrow path of inquiry and enter the wide expanse of truth, for in regard to carnal circumcision we must refute not only the Jews according to the flesh, but also some of those who, apparently, having accepted the name of Christ, nevertheless believe that one should accept circumcision of the flesh, like the Ebionites and those who err with them in the same poverty of understanding. Let us turn to the testimony of the Old Testament, to which they freely resort. In the book of the prophet Jeremiah it is written: “Behold, their ear is uncircumcised” (Jer. 6:10). Listen, O Israel, to the voice of the prophet. Great reproach is addressed to you. A great sin is charged to you. A charge has been brought against you: your ears are not circumcised. So why, when you heard this, did you not bring the razor to your ears and plunge it into them? For God condemns you because your ears are not circumcised, and I do not allow you to hide behind our allegories, which Paul teaches us. Why such neglect of circumcision? So cut off your ears, cut off the organs that God created to help the senses and to decorate man, if that’s how you understand God’s words. But I will give you one more argument to which you cannot object. In the book of Exodus, where, as we wrote in the code of laws of the Church, Moses, answering the Lord, says: “Send, Lord, whomever you can send” (Exodus 4:13), for “I am not a man of speech... I speak hard and am tongue-tied” (Exodus 4:10), the Jews say: “For my lips are not circumcised.” Notice that the circumcision of lips is discussed in your books, which you claim are more accurate. Therefore, if, according to your texts, Moses speaks of his unworthiness because his lips are not circumcised, then he undoubtedly means that the one whose lips are circumcised is more worthy and holy than he. So put a knife to your mouth and cut off the covering of your mouth, for this is your understanding of the words of God. But if you attribute the circumcision of the mouth to an allegory and say that the circumcision of the ears is said in an allegorical, figurative sense, why don’t you transfer this allegory to the circumcision of the foreskin? But let us leave those who are like idols: “they have ears, but do not hear, they have eyes, but do not see” (Ps. 113:14, 13; 134:17, 16). You, “the people of God, a special people to proclaim the praises of Him who called you” (1 Peter 2:10, 9), receive the circumcision of your ears and your lips and your heart and your foreskin and all your members according to the word of God. And let your ears be cut off to the word of God, so that they do not perceive the voice of a slanderer, so that they do not hear the words of a slanderer and a blasphemer, so that they remain deaf to false witness, lies, and discontent. Let them be closed and silenced, “so as not to hear of blood” (Isa. 33:15) and not to listen to obscene songs and the sounds of theatrical performances. Let them not hear anything indecent, but let them turn away from all filth. With this circumcision, the Church of Christ circumcises the ears of its children. These, in my opinion, are the ears that the Lord wants to gain from those who hear Him when He says: “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9). For no one with uncircumcised and unclean ears can hear the pure words of wisdom and truth. Now, if you want, let's move on to circumcision of lips. I think that the lips of the one who has not yet turned away from foolish chatter and obscenity, who speaks ill of good people, who slanderes his neighbors, who stirs up quarrels, who makes false accusations, who sets brothers against each other with false statements, who talks vainly, uses foul language, utters shameless, obscene, insulting, lascivious, blasphemous and other words, are not circumcised, unworthy of a Christian. But if someone refrains from all this and gives “firmness to his words in judgment” (Ps. 112:5), if he curbs his loquaciousness, controls his tongue, keeps his words within proper boundaries, then it is rightly said about him that his lips are circumcised. Those who “viciously spread slander are talked down to; lift up their lips to heaven” (Ps. 72:8-9), as heretics do, it should be said that they have unclean and uncircumcised lips. But he is pure and circumcised who always speaks the word of God and utters the sounds of true teaching, supported by the gospel and apostolic examples. Thus, circumcision of the lips is given by the Church of God in this sense. 6. Now, as we promised, we will consider how circumcision of the foreskin should be understood. Everyone knows that the organ that has the foreskin serves the natural function of copulation and childbirth. Therefore, if someone does not cause trouble with regard to impulses of this kind, does not go beyond the limits established by the law, does not know another woman other than his lawful wife, and copulates with her at the time specified by the law solely for the purpose of procreation, then it is said about him that his foreskin is circumcised. But the foreskin of the one who gives himself over to voluptuousness and seeks everywhere for various and lawless caresses and rushes without restraint into every whirlpool of lust is not circumcised. But the Church, strengthened by the grace of Christ crucified for her, abstains not only from lawless and ungodly lies, but also from legal and permitted ones, and blooms, like the virgin bride of Christ, with pure and chaste virgins, having the true circumcision of the foreskin and keeping in their flesh the true and eternal covenant. It remains for us to consider circumcision of the heart. If someone is consumed by obscene desires and shameful passions, in a word, he commits adultery in his heart (Matt. 5:28), such is “uncircumcised in heart” (Ezek. 44:9). But the “uncircumcised in heart” is also the one who harbors heretical views in his mind and makes blasphemous statements in his heart against the knowledge of Christ. But he is circumcised in heart, who in sincerity of consciousness defends pure faith, about whom it can be said: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). And I dare in a similar way to add something to what the prophets said. Similar to what we said above about the need to circumcise the ears, lips, heart and foreskin, perhaps our hands and feet, and sight, and smell, and touch need to be circumcised. For since a man of God can be perfect in everything (cf. 2 Tim. 3:17), all his members must be circumcised: his hands must be circumcised from theft and robbery, from murder, and stretched out only to serve God. The feet must be circumcised so that they do not hasten “to shed blood” (Isa. 59:7) and do not walk “in the counsel of the wicked” (Ps. 1:1), but so that they can follow the paths indicated by the commandments of God. Let our eyes also be circumcised, so that they do not look greedily at what belongs to another, so that they do not look “at a woman with lust” (Matthew 5:28), for he whose eyes wander with curiosity and lust over a woman’s contours is uncircumcised. Also, if someone eats or drinks, as the Apostle Paul prescribes: “Whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31), then that person’s taste is circumcised; and I would say that the taste of that man is uncircumcised, whose “god is his belly” (Phil. 3:19) and who delights in the taste of food and drink. If someone has found “the fragrance of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15), seeks this fragrance in works of mercy, his sense of smell is cut off. But for the one who seeks to enjoy the “best aromas” (Song. 4:14), it must be said that his sense of smell is uncut. Thus, we can say that each of the members of our body is circumcised if it serves to keep God's commandments. But if they enjoy themselves beyond the laws of God established for them, then they are considered uncircumcised. And I think this is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said: “Just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to lawlessness, to do wicked works, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, to do holy works” (Rom. 6:19). For when your members served iniquity, they were not circumcised, and God's covenant was not in them. But as soon as they began to serve “righteousness in holy works,” the promise given to Abraham was fulfilled in them. For then the law of God and His covenant were sealed in them. And this is the true “sign of the covenant” (Gen. 17:11), which contains the agreement of an everlasting covenant between God and man. This is circumcision with “swords of stone” 3 given to the people of God by Joshua (cf. Joshua 5:2). But what is this “sword of stone,” and with what sword were God’s people circumcised? Listen to what the Apostle says: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). This is the sword with which we must be circumcised, about which the Lord Jesus says: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Doesn't it seem to you that this circumcision is more worthy of making a covenant with God through it? Compare, if you wish, what we have said with your Jewish fables and disgusting stories and see whether in these your stories or in those that are read in the Church of Christ, circumcision is observed according to God's commandment. Don’t you see and understand that circumcision by the Church is honorable, holy and worthy of God, and yours is obscene, disgusting, disgusting and is κακέμφατον 4, both in essence and outwardly. God says to Abraham: “And my covenant shall be in your body for an everlasting covenant” (Gen. 17:13). Therefore, if our life is such that all members of our body act together, and all their movements are performed according to the laws of God, then the true covenant of God will be on our body. So let the words we have quoted from the Old Testament serve to refute those who believe in circumcision of the flesh, and at the same time let them serve to edify the Church of God. 7. However, I will move on to the New Testament, which contains the fullness of everything. Based on it, I want to show how the covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ can be on our body. It is not enough for everything said to remain only in words, it must be fulfilled in practice. The Apostle John says: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2). What then? If one who sins and does wrong confesses that Christ has come in the flesh, will he seem to confess in the spirit of God? Such a covenant is not in the body, but in speech. Therefore, he was immediately told: “You are mistaken, “for the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). But I ask how the covenant with God will be in my body. If I mortify my earthly members (cf. Col. 3:5), then I will receive the covenant of Christ in my body. If I always bear “in my body the death of the Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:10), the covenant of Christ is in my body, for “if we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). “If we are united to Him in the likeness of His death” (Rom. 6:5), then I discover that His covenant is in my flesh. For what good is it if I say that Jesus came in the flesh taken from the Virgin Mary, and do not show that He also came in my flesh? But I will show this only if, after having previously given over my members “as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness,” I now present my members “as slaves to righteousness and to holy works” (Rom. 6:19). I will show that the covenant of God is in my body if I can say with Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:19–20) and if I can say like him: “I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body” (Gal. 6:17). But he truly showed that the covenant of God is in his body, the one who said: “Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?” (Rom.8:35). For if we confess the Lord Jesus only in words and do not show in the above ways that His covenant is in our body, then we will become like the Jews who think that they confess God only by circumcision of the foreskin, but deny Him by their actions. May the Lord grant us to believe with our hearts and confess with our lips (cf. Rom.10:9), to actually prove that the covenant of God is in our body, so that people see our good deeds and glorify our Heavenly Father (cf. Matt. 5:16) through our Lord Jesus Christ, “To Him be glory forever and ever.” Amen" (Gal.1:5). Homilia IV. To what was said: “God appeared to Abraham” and so on 1. The next appearance of God to Abraham is conveyed to us as follows: “And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance to the tent, during the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood over him 5 (Gen. 18:1-2). Let us, first of all, if you like, compare this phenomenon with the one that happened to Lot. “Three men” came to Abraham and stood over him; Two people came to Lot and sat down on the street (cf. Gen. 19:1). Look, when the Holy Spirit was given, didn’t each of them receive what they deserved? For Lot was much lower than Abraham, because if he had not been lower, he would not have separated from Abraham, and Abraham would not have said to him: “If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; and if you go to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9). And if Lot had not been lower than Abraham, he would not have liked the land of Sodom and his stay in it. So, three men come to Abraham at noon; two come to Lot in the evening (Gen. 19:1), for Lot could not gain the strength of the midday light, but Abraham was able to receive all the brightness of the light. Now let's see how Abraham and Lot received those who came to them, and compare their readiness for hospitality. But first, let us note that the Lord appeared before Abraham with two angels, but only two angels came to Lot. And what do they say? “The Lord has sent us to destroy it [Sodom]” (Gen. 19:13). Thus, Lot accepted those who bring destruction, and not the One who saves. And Abraham accepted both the One who saves and those who destroy. Now let's see how each of them receives those who come. It is said: “He [Abraham] ran to meet them” (Gen. 18:2). Notice that Abraham immediately strives to fulfill his duties with zeal and readiness. He runs to meet them, and after that he hurries back to the tent and tells his wife to hurry up (cf. Gen. 18:6). Notice in these individual examples how great his zeal is. He is in a hurry in everything, strives to do everything quickly, does nothing slowly. Therefore, he says to his wife Sarah: “Knead quickly three sacks of fine flour and make unleavened bread” (Gen. 18:6). The Greek text says έγκρυφίας, which indicates hidden, hidden bread. “And Abraham ran to the herd and took a tender and good calf” (Gen. 18:7). What calf? Probably the first one he came across? Not at all, but “gentle and good.” And although Abraham hastens in everything, he nevertheless knows that he must offer the excellent and excellent to the Lord or the angels. Therefore, he took or chose a “tender and good” calf from the herd “and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to prepare it” (Gen. 18:7). Abraham himself is running, his wife is in a hurry, the boy is in a hurry. No one hesitates in the house of a sage. He serves the calf and with it bread made from the best wheat flour and also milk and butter. Abraham and Sarah showed proper hospitality. Now let's see what Lot did. He had neither excellent flour nor excellent bread, only simple flour. He did not know how to serve his guests “three sats of the best flour,” nor could he serve them έγκρυφίας, that is, hidden, hidden bread. 2. Now let's see what Abraham does with the three men standing over him. Notice that the expression used here is “above him,” not “before him.” Abraham undoubtedly submitted himself to the will of God, which is why God is said to be above him. He serves “unleavened bread” mixed with three measures of fine flour. He receives three husbands, kneads bread from three measures of the best flour. Everything he does has a mysterious meaning, everything is filled with mystery. The calf is served; here's another secret. The calf itself is not tough, but “gentle and good.” And what could be more tender, what could be better than the One who “humbled Himself” for our sake “to death” (Phil. 2:8) and laid down “His life for His friends” (John 15:13)? He is the “fatted calf” that the father slaughtered to receive his prodigal son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16) for the life of this world. But still this sage knew Whom he was accepting. He runs to three men, but worships one and says, addressing one: “If I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant” (Gen. 18:3). But why does he continue further, as if addressing several people: “And they will bring a little water and wash your feet” (Gen. 18:4)? By this Abraham, the father and teacher of the nations, instructs you how you should receive guests and that you should wash their feet. And even this has a mysterious meaning. For he knows that the mysteries of the Lord are not fulfilled except in the washing of feet (cf. John 13:6). And, of course, he also knew how important the instruction in which the Savior says: “And if anyone will not receive you and will not listen to you, then, when you leave there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city” (Mark 6:11). Thus, Abraham wanted to prevent this and wash their feet, so that there would be no dust left on them, which, being shaken off, would testify to his unbelief “on the day of judgment.” Therefore, wise Abraham says: “And they will bring a little water and wash your feet” (Gen. 18:4). 3. Let us now see what is further said about Abraham: “And he himself stood beside them under a tree” (Gen. 18:8). To hear these kinds of stories, our ears must be cut off. For we must not suppose that the most important thing for the Holy Spirit, who guided the hand of the author of the books of the law, was where Abraham stood. For what profit is it to me if I come to listen to what the Holy Spirit is teaching mankind, to hear that Abraham “stood beside them under the tree”? But let's see under what tree Abraham stood and served food to the Lord and the angels. It is said, at the oak of Mamre. "Mambre" in our language means "vision" or "visual acuity". Do you see what kind of place this is where the Lord can eat? He liked Abraham's vision and the sharpness of his vision. He was pure in heart and therefore could see God (cf. Matt. 5:8), therefore in this place and in this heart the Lord can feast with His angels. After all, prophets used to be called seers (cf. 1 Samuel 9:9). 4. What does the Lord say to Abraham? “Where is Sarah your wife? He answered: here, in the tent.” And the Lord said again: “I will be with you again at this same time, and Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah listened at the entrance of the tent, behind it” (Gen. 18:9-10). Let wives learn from the examples of patriarchs, let, I say, wives learn to follow their husbands. For it is not written just like that: “Sarah listened at the door of the tent, behind it,” but to show that if a husband goes to the Lord, the wife must follow him. I want to say that a wife should follow her husband if she sees that he is standing next to God. Next, let us rise to a higher level of understanding and say that man is the rational principle in us, and woman is our flesh, which, like woman, is one with man. So let the mind always lead the flesh, not allowing itself to be lazy, so that it does not become mired in luxury and pleasures and subjugate the mind. That's why Sarah stands behind Abraham. But in this passage we can also see something mysterious if we look at how in the book of Exodus “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, showing them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire” (Ex. 13:21), and the children of Israel followed Him. And I also understand that Sarah followed or stood behind Abraham. What does it say next? “And Abraham and Sarah were old [presbyteroi] and advanced in years” (Gen. 18:11). As for bodily age, many people lived longer before them, but no one was called presbyter. From this it is clear that the title was given to these saints not because of their longevity, but because of their maturity. 5. What happened next, after the excellent and plentiful meal prepared by Abraham for the Lord and His angels, under the tree of vision? The guests are leaving. It is said: “Abraham went with them to see them off. And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham what I want to do? From Abraham will surely come a great and strong nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed, for I chose him so that he would command his sons and his household after him to walk in the way of the Lord, doing righteousness and justice; and the Lord will fulfill on Abraham what he said about him. And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very heavy; I will go down and see whether they are doing exactly what the cry is against them, rising to Me, or not; I will know” (Gen. 18:16–21). These are the words of Divine Scripture. Let's see how they should be understood. It was said: “I’ll go down and have a look.” When God answers Abraham, He is not said to descend, but He is said to stand above him, as we explained above: three men stand above him. But now, so far as sinners are concerned, it is said that God descends. Be careful not to understand the ascent and descent in spatial terms. For in the sacred books one can often find these expressions, as, for example, in the prophet Micah: “...behold, the Lord comes from His place, and will descend and tread on the heights of the earth” (Micah 1:3). Thus, it is said that God descends when he shows condescension towards human weakness and bestows His attention on the affairs of people. This mainly refers to our Lord and Savior, Who “counted it not robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6–7). Therefore He descends, for “no one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven” (John 3:13). The Lord came down to not only take care of us, but also to bear what is ours. For He took on the form of a servant, and although He Himself was invisible by His nature, since He was equal with the Father, yet He took on a visible form, and “in appearance became like a man” (Phil. 2:7). But just as when He descends, He becomes lower than some, so when He ascends with others, He turns out to be higher than them. He ascends with the chosen apostles “to a high mountain” and is transfigured before them (Mark 9:2). Thus, above He is with those whom He teaches about the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, and below He is with the crowd and the Pharisees, whose sins He condemns, and He is with them where the grass grows. However, He cannot be transformed below, but ascends to the heights with those who can follow Him, and there is transformed. 6. “I will go down and see whether they do exactly what the cry is against them that rises up to Me, or not; I will know” (Gen. 18:21). Heretics usually attack my God for this statement, saying, “See, the God of the law would not have known what was going on in Sodom unless he had come down and looked and sent to know.” But let us, who are commanded to fight the battle of the Lord, sharpen the “sword of the word of God” against them and rush into battle. Let us line up in battle formation, “having girded our loins with truth,” “let us take up the shield of faith,” to reflect with it the arrows filled with poison that were shot at us in disputes, and let us accurately shoot them back (cf. Eph. 6:14–17). For such are the battles of the Lord that David and the other patriarchs fought. So let us arm ourselves against our enemies for our brothers. “For it is better for me to die than” (1 Cor. 9:15) they rob and ruin one of my brothers and by clever deception they lure into the net “babes in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). But they will not dare to raise their hand against the perfect ones, they will not dare to enter into battle with them. So let us first of all pray to the Lord and with your prayers go against them in a verbal battle. We affirm with full confidence that, according to the Holy Scriptures, God does not know all people. God does not know sin, and God does not know sinners. He knows nothing of those who are alienated from Him. Listen to what the Scripture says: “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Tim. 2:19) and “The Lord will show who is His and who is holy, to bring him closer to Himself” (Num. 16:5). The Lord knows His own, but does not know those who are wicked and wicked. Listen to what the Savior says: “I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). And, again, Paul says: “If anyone considers himself a prophet, or spiritual, let him understand that I am writing to you, for these are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone does not understand, let him not understand” (1 Cor. 14:37–38). We say all this without, however, having in our thoughts, unlike you, anything blasphemous, we do not attribute ignorance to Him, but in this way we understand that those whose deeds are unworthy of God do not deserve to be known by God. For God does not want to know anyone who turns away from Him and does not know Him. That’s why the Apostle says that if someone doesn’t know, then they don’t know him either. Therefore, it is said of those who live in Sodom that if God sees that “they do so, according to the cry that rises up against them” to Him, they will be considered unworthy; but if one of them turns to God, if there are at least ten righteous people among them, only then will God recognize them. And that’s why God says: “I will go down and... find out” (Gen. 18:21). It is not said: “I will know what they do,” but “I will recognize them and make them worthy to know Me, if I find the righteous among them, if I find the repentant among them, if I find one of those whom I should know.” And since no one was found except Lot who would repent, not one was converted and only God knew him, only he alone was delivered from the destroying fire. Neither his children, who were warned, nor his neighbors, nor distant relatives followed him. No one wanted to know the mercy of God; no one wanted to hide behind His compassion. That's why no one was known. All this is said against those who “mock everyone, viciously spread slander, and speak condescendingly” (Ps. 72:8). But let us work so that our deeds are such, our lives are such that we become worthy of God knowing us, so that He sees our zeal to be recognized by Him, so that we become worthy of the knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, so that we, known to the Most Holy Trinity, may also be worthy to know the mystery of the Trinity fully, completely and completely, and the Lord Jesus Christ would reveal it to us, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet. 4:11). Homilia V. About Lot and His Daughters 1. When the angels sent to destroy Sodom set out to fulfill the task entrusted to them, they first of all took care of their master, Lot, in order to save him from the inevitable destroying fire for his hospitality. Listen to these words, you who shut your homes from strangers, listen to these words, you who avoid guests as if they were enemies. Lot lived in Sodom. We know nothing about his other good deeds. Mention is made only of his hospitality shown at that time. He escaped the fire, he was saved from the destroying flame thanks only to the fact that he opened his doors to those who came to him. Angels entered the hospitable house, and fire entered the houses closed to strangers. So let's hear what the angels told the host about his hospitality: “Save your life... flee to the mountain, lest you perish” (Gen. 19:17). Lot was indeed hospitable. And, as Scripture testifies of him, after he had welcomed the angels, he was hidden from the destroying flames (cf. Heb. 13:2). But he was not so perfect that, having left Sodom, he could immediately ascend the mountain, for only a perfect one can say: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where my help will come” (Ps. 121:1). He was neither so great as to perish with the inhabitants of Sodom, nor so great as to be with Abraham on the heights. For if Lot had not been like that, Abraham would not have told him: “If you go to the left, then I will go to the right, and if you go to the right, then I will go to the left” (Gen. 13:9), and he would not have liked life in Sodom either. He was somewhere between the perfect and the lost. And, knowing that he is not strong enough to climb the mountain, he humbly and piously justifies himself, saying: “I cannot escape to the mountain... behold, it’s better to flee to this city, it’s small” (Gen. 19:19-20). Of course, when Lot entered the town of Zoar, he was saved there (cf. Gen. 19:23). Then he and his two daughters climbed the mountain (cf. Gen. 19:30). For it was impossible to ascend the mountain from Sodom, although it is said about the land of Sodom, before it was destroyed, at the time when Lot chose it as a place of residence, that it was “like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt” (Gen. 13:10). But, deviating a little from the topic, I’ll ask: what do the garden of the Lord and the land of Egypt have in common with the land of Sodom, so that it can be compared with them? I think the point is that before Sodom sinned, when it still retained the simplicity of a blameless life, it was “like the garden of the Lord.” But as soon as it began to fade and darken, becoming covered with stains of sin, it became “like the land of Egypt.” But since the prophet said: “And your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, will return to their former state” (Ezek. 16:55), we ask whether it will be restored to the extent of being “like the garden of the Lord” or only “like the land of Egypt.” I, at least, doubt that the vices of Sodom can be cleansed to such an extent and its sins diminished to such an extent that after restoration it will be compared not only with the land of Egypt, but also with the garden of the Lord. However, those who assert this cite in support the words added to this promise, for the Scripture does not say: “Sodom will be restored” and nothing more, but says: “Sodom will be restored to its former state” (cf. Eze. 16:55). And they assert that this “former state” is not “like the land of Egypt,” but “like the garden of the Lord.” 2. However, let us return to Lot, who, having received the command of the angels, left Sodom, doomed to destruction, and with his wife and daughters headed to Zoar (cf. Gen. 19:17). But his wife ignored this command. She broke the established law, looked back and “became a pillar of salt” (Gen. 19:26). Do we believe that there was so much evil in this offense that the woman, looking back, brought upon herself the destruction which, it seems, by God's grace she escaped? What great crime was it that the woman's alarmed mind looked towards where the terrifying crackling of the flames came from? But since “the law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14) and everything that happened to the ancients “happened to them as examples” (1 Cor. 10:11), let’s see if Lot, who did not look back, is the rational understanding and soul of man, and his wife in this case personifies the flesh. For it is the flesh that always directs its gaze to vices and, when the soul strives for salvation, looks around in search of pleasures. And the Lord said: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62) and adds: “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). But the fact that she “became a pillar of salt” obviously testifies to her recklessness. For salt symbolizes prudence, which she lacked. And Lot came to Zoar and, having gained strength, which he did not have in Sodom, went up the mountain and, as the Scripture says, “he began to live in the mountain, and his two daughters with him” (Gen. 19:30). 3. Then the famous story is told of how Lot’s daughters deceived themselves into lying down with their father (Gen. 19:31–38). I don’t know if there is even one who will justify Lot in such a way that his sin will be completely removed. Nor do I think that he should be blamed too much for his part in this serious incest. For I do not see that he insidiously plotted to delight the innocence of his daughters or did it by force, but rather, on the contrary, he became the victim of a conspiracy, fell into a cunningly placed net. But, on the other hand, the girls would not have been able to lure him into a trap if he had not drunk himself with wine. Therefore, it seems to me that Lot is partly guilty, but partly he can be excused. Excuse because he did not commit adultery and did not desire it and did not give in to those desires. His guilt lies in the fact that he allowed himself to be deceived due to his excessive addiction to wine, not once, but twice. Thus, even Scripture itself, as I see it, in some way justifies him when it says: “And he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.” This is not said about daughters who deliberately deceived their father by cunning. He, however, got drunk to the point of insensibility and did not know that he was lying down with his daughters, first with the eldest, and then with the youngest. Find out what wine does, see what outrages intoxication leads to. Hear and beware, you who do not consider this evil a vice and indulge in it. Drunkenness deceived him who was not deceived by Sodom. The one who was not burned by the sulfur flame was caught by the woman's flame. Thus, Lot was deceived by cunning, and not by his own will. He is something between a sinner and a righteous man, since although he was a relative of Abraham, he lived in Sodom. And even the fact that Lot came out of Sodom, as stated in Scripture, has more to do with the honor of Abraham than with Lot's merits. For it is said: “And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the region around, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out from the midst of the destruction, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt” (Gen. 19:29). 4. But I think the intention of Lot's daughters should also be considered more closely; perhaps they do not deserve as much blame as they seem at first glance. For the Scripture says that the eldest daughter said to the younger: “Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who has come in to us according to the custom of all the earth; Let us therefore make our father drink wine, and sleep with him, and raise up a descendant from our father” (Gen. 19:31-32). So far as the Scriptures can be judged, they seem to justify Lot's daughters in a certain way. For, obviously, they had heard something about the end of the world, doomed to destruction in fire, but, being women, they did not know about it exactly and fully. They did not know that when Sodom and its surroundings were destroyed by fire, many areas of the world remained untouched. They heard that at the end of the world the earth and all its elements would be destroyed by fire. They saw fire, they saw sulfur flames, they watched the fire consume everything around them. They saw that their mother was not saved, and they thought that what they had heard happened in the time of Noah had happened, and that only they and their father were left on the whole earth to restore the human race. That’s why they took upon themselves the necessary task of reviving humanity and decided that a new era should begin with them. And although their crime of lying with their father by deception seemed grave, their sin would have been even more serious if, while preserving their innocence, they had, as they thought, destroyed the hope of the rebirth of mankind. Therefore, they fulfilled their intention, committing, in my opinion, a lesser sin, but giving hope, and at the same time weakened and softened the sorrow and severity of their father with wine. Having entered Lot in turn and on different nights, they conceived from an unsuspecting man; They didn’t do that anymore and didn’t strive for it. So where is the sin of voluptuousness here? What is the crime of incest? How can one surrender to a vice that does not repeat itself? I'm afraid to say what I think; I am afraid, I say, that the incest committed by these girls would not be purer than the chastity of many women. Let married women ask themselves and say whether they approach their husbands only for the purpose of bearing children, and after conception abstain from intimacy. And those who seem to have been convicted of incest, when they conceived, no longer copulated with any man. And there are women, for we do not condemn everyone equally, but there are women who continuously serve their passion, like animals, indiscriminately, whom I cannot even compare to dumb beasts. For even cattle know when they have conceived, and no longer allow males to approach them. Divine Scripture also condemns such when it says: “Do not be like a horse, like a foolish mule” (Ps. 31:9) and also “These are fattened horses: each of them neighs at the other’s wife” (Jer. 5:8). But, O people of God, “who love our Lord Jesus Christ unfailingly” (Eph. 6:24), understand the word of the Apostle: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). For by what the Apostle adds after eating and drinking - “or whatever else you do” - with these modest words he designates immodest actions in marriage, showing that even these actions themselves are performed for the glory of God, if their goal is exclusively childbearing. We have dealt as best we could with the question of the misdeeds of Lot and his daughters, or, on the other hand, their justification. 5. But I know that some, considering this story allegorically, refer Lot to the person of the Lord, and his daughters to the two Testaments. But I do not know whether those who know what Scripture says about the Ammonites and Moabites, descended from Lot, accept these views. For how can one apply to Christ the statement that he who comes from his seed “cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord, and the tenth generation of them cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord forever” (Deut. 23:3)? However, according to our understanding, we consider Lot to be a man of the law. And although our word “law” is feminine, this is by no means an inconsistency, since in Greek it is masculine 6 . We think that Lot's wife symbolizes those who, having come out of Egypt and being delivered from the waters of the Red Sea and saved from the persecution of Pharaoh, as if from the flames of Sodom, again succumbed to the desires of the flesh and again wanted to eat “cucumbers and melons and onions” for nothing (Num. 11:5), looked back and fell in the desert. They also became a monument to “lust in the wilderness” (Ps. 105:14). Thus, in the case of this first people, the law, like Lot, lost and left his wife looking back. So, Lot comes to Zoar and lives in this town, about which he says: “Behold, this city is near, so that I can escape to there, which is small, there I will be saved; Isn’t he small” (Gen. 19:20). Let's see what this city, which is “small and not small,” represents from the point of view of the law. The city is named according to the way of life its inhabitants lead, for it defines and unites the lives of many people gathered in one place. Therefore, the life of those who live according to the law is insignificant and petty if the law is taken literally. For there is nothing great in keeping the Sabbath and the new moon, circumcising the foreskin, and distinguishing food according to the flesh. But if someone begins to understand the law spiritually, these same institutions, which in the literal sense are insignificant and petty, in the spiritual sense are by no means small, but great. After all this, Lot climbs the mountain and, as the Scripture says, lives “in a cave, and his two daughters with him” (Gen. 19:30). It should be considered that the law also ascends, because it was decorated with the church built by Solomon and truly became the house of God and the “house of prayer” (Is. 56:7). The wicked inhabitants turned it into a “den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). So, Lot “dwelt in a cave, and his two daughters with him” (Gen. 19:30). Obviously, the prophet describes two daughters, saying that these sisters - Oholah and Oholibah - "were called Oholah Judah, and Oholibah Samaria" (Ezek. 23:4). 7 Thus the people were divided into two parts, corresponding to the two daughters of the law. They, wanting to preserve their descendants in the flesh and strengthen their earthly dominance through abundant offspring, deprived their father of feelings and put him to sleep, in other words, they hid and obscured his spiritual understanding, taking from him only the carnal. And they conceived and gave birth to sons, whom their father did not perceive or recognize. For neither the understanding nor the will of the law is generated by the flesh. But the law is meaningless if it produces descendants who cannot “enter into the congregation of the Lord” (Deut. 23:3). For it is said: “An Ammonite and a Moabite cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord, and the third and fourth generation of them cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord forever” (Deut. 23:3), which means that those born of the carnal law will not enter the Church of Christ, neither the third generation, due to the Most Holy Trinity, nor the fourth, due to the Gospels, nor forever, unless after the end of the present age, when “the complete number of pagans; and thus all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25–26). We have, to the best of our ability, considered the figurative understanding of what is said about Lot, his wife and daughters, without any prejudice to those who may find something else here. 6. So, above, in the moral sense, we attributed Lot himself to rational understanding and the human soul, and about his wife we ​​said that she is flesh, given over to fornication and pleasures. Oh reader, don't take this lightly. For even when you are saved from the flames of the world and escape the fire of the flesh, even when you rise above the town of Zoar, “small and not small,” which lies somewhere in the middle, which is not very difficult to reach, and you ascend to the heights of knowledge, as if to a mountain peak, see that those two daughters who do not leave you, but follow you, even when you climb the mountain, do not lie in wait for you. These daughters are vanity and her elder sister is pride. Beware lest they deprive you of your senses and put you to sleep and make you incapable of knowing or understanding, and lest their embrace bind you. They are called daughters because they do not come to us from the outside, but come from us and are generated by our actions. Be careful as much as possible so that you do not beget sons from those daughters, for whoever is born of them “cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord” (Deut. 23:3). But if you want to give birth, give birth in the spirit, for “he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8). If you want a hug, hug wisdom and say to wisdom: “You are my sister!” (Prov.7:4), so that Wisdom can say about you: “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50). This Wisdom is our Lord Jesus Christ, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia VI. About Abimelech, king of Gerar, how he wanted to take Sarah as his wife 1. We have heard about the story told in the book of Genesis, where after the appearance of the three men, after the destruction of Sodom and the salvation of Lot due either to his hospitality or his family ties with Abraham, it is said: “Abraham went up from there to the south ... and was for a time in Gerar” (Gen. 20: 1), in the kingdom of the Philistines; and that he agreed with his wife Sarah that she would say that she was not Abraham’s wife, but a sister (cf. Gen. 20:2); that Abimelech took her, but God came to him at night and said to him: “I did not allow you to touch her” (Gen. 20:6). And after this Abimelech returned Sarah to her husband and reproached him for hiding the truth from him. It is also narrated that Abraham, being a prophet, prayed for Abimelech and for his wife and for his handmaids, “and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his handmaids” (Gen. 20:17). Why did Almighty God heal Abimelech’s slaves too? It is said: “For the Lord has shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech” (Gen. 20:18), but through the prayer of the prophet Abraham, “they began to give birth.” If someone, having heard these words, wants to understand them literally, then it is better for him to go to a meeting of Jews, not Christians. For if he wants to be a Christian and a disciple of Paul, let him hear him say that “the law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14); and when the law speaks of Abraham, his wife and sons, “there is an allegory in this” (Gal. 4:24). And although none of us can easily understand what allegory is contained in these words, everyone should pray that the veil from his heart will be removed when he turns to the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 3:16), for “the Lord is spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17), so that the Lord will remove the veil of letters and reveal to us the light of the Spirit, so that we can say that “with an open face, as in a mirror, beholding the glory the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). I think that Sarah, and the name means “prince” or “one who rules the empire,” symbolizes άρετης, that is, the virtue of the soul. This virtue cleaves to a wise and believing person and holds tightly to him, even to that sage who said about wisdom: “He wanted to take her as his bride” (Wis. 8:2). Therefore, God says to Abraham: “In everything that Sarah tells you, obey her voice” (Gen. 21:12). However, these words do not refer to physical marriage, since in the famous Divine statement revealed to a woman about a man, it is said: “In him you will find refuge,” “and he will rule over you” (Gen. 3:16). If it is said that a husband is the master of his wife, then how then is it said to a man: “In everything that Sarah tells you, obey her voice” (Gen. 21:12)? If someone has accepted virtue as a spouse, let him listen to the voice of his wife in everything that she advises him. So Abraham does not want to call virtue his wife. For while virtue is called his wife, it belongs only to him and no one else. And until we achieve perfection, the virtue of the soul must be within us and belong only to us. When we achieve perfection and are able to instruct others, let us no longer lock virtue in our hearts, like a wife, but let it, like a sister, unite with others, with those who need it. For to the perfect the Divine word says: “Say to wisdom: “You are my sister!”” (Prov. 7:4). In this sense, Abraham said that Sarah was his sister. He, being perfect, allowed everyone who wanted to have virtue. 2. Once upon a time, Pharaoh also wanted to take Sarah (Genesis 12:15), but his desire was not from a pure heart, and virtue can only be combined with purity of heart. Therefore, the Scripture says that “the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with heavy blows” (Gen. 12:17). For virtue cannot abide with the destroyer - this is what the word “Pharaoh” means in our language. But let's see what Abimelech said to the Lord. “I did this in the simplicity of my heart and the purity of my hands” (Gen. 20:5). As we see, Abimelech acts completely differently from Pharaoh. He is not so ignorant and vile and knows that for virtue he must prepare a pure heart. And since he wanted to acquire virtue with a pure heart, God, through Abraham’s prayer, heals him. And he heals not only himself, but also his slaves. But what does this addition mean in Scripture: “That is why he did not allow you to touch her” (Gen. 20:6)? If Sarah personifies virtue, and Abimelech wanted to find virtue “in simplicity of heart,” why is it said that the Lord did not allow him to touch her? "Abimelech" means "my father is the king." Therefore, I think that Abimelech symbolizes the industrious and wise people of the world who, being interested in philosophy, although they do not achieve complete and perfect piety, nevertheless recognize that God is the Father and King of all, that is, he created the universe and rules over it. Therefore, to the extent that this relates to ethics, that is, moral philosophy, they are known for the fact that to a certain extent they cared about purity of heart and zealously, with all the strength of their mind, sought the inspiration of Divine virtue. But God did not allow them to touch her. For this grace was supposed to be given to the Gentiles not by Abraham, who, although great, was still a minister, but by Christ. And although Abraham tried with all his might so that everything that was said to him - that “in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 22:18) - was fulfilled in him and through him, nevertheless, the promise to him was determined in Isaac, that is, in Christ, as the Apostle says: “It is not said: and to descendants, as if about many, but as about one: and to your seed, which is Christ” ( Gal.3:16). And yet “God healed Abimelech and his wife and his handmaids” (Gen. 20:17). 3. It does not seem to me at all unnecessary to mention not only Abimelech’s wife, but also his slaves, especially in the place where it is said: “And they began to give birth; for the Lord has shut up every womb in the house of Abimelech” (Gen. 20:17–18). So far as we can judge from this complex passage, we believe that the wife of Abimelech may be called natural philosophy, and his slaves symbolize the intricacies of dialectics, various and varied, depending on the school. Abraham, meanwhile, wants to share the gift of Divine virtue with the pagans, but the time has not yet come for the grace of God to pass from the former people to the pagans. For the Apostle, although for a different reason, nevertheless says: “A married woman is bound by law to her living husband; and if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage... and will not be an adulteress if she marries another husband” (Rom. 7:2-3). Thus, the letter of the law must first die, so that the soul, finally freed, can be betrothed to the spirit and find intimate union with the New Testament. Now is the time of the calling of the pagans and the death of the law, when time liberates souls, and, finally, they, having gotten rid of the former husband - the law - can now find another husband - Christ. But if you want to know that the law is dead, look where the sacrifices are now, where the altar is, where the church is, where the purifications are, where the celebration of Easter is. Hasn't the law died in all this? If not, then let friends and defenders of the letter of the law protect it if they can. Thus, according to this order of allegory, Pharaoh, that is, the destroyer and the wicked, could not find Sarah, that is, virtue. Later, Abimelech, that is, the one who lived purely and with love for wisdom, could receive it, for he sought “in simplicity of heart” (Gen. 20:5), but “the time had not yet come” (John 7:6). Therefore, virtue remains with Abraham, it remains with circumcision, until the time has come when in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom “all the fullness of the bodily Godhead dwells” (Col. 2:9), full and perfect virtue will pass into the Church of the Gentiles. Then both the house of Abimelech and his female slaves, healed by the Lord, will give birth to sons of the Church. For this is the time when the barren woman will give birth, and “she who is forsaken will have many more children than she who has a husband” (Gal. 4:27). For the Lord opened the barren womb and made it fertile, and she gave birth to “a nation at once” (Is. 66:8). And the saints cry out, saying: “Before You, Lord, we were pregnant, suffered and gave birth; We have filled the Spirit of Your salvation on earth” (Is. 26:18). And Paul also says: “My little children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed in you!” (Gal.4:19). The Church of God gives birth to such sons; it gives them life, for “he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8). And the sons of the spirit are those about whom the Apostle says: “A woman... will be saved through childbearing if she continues in faith and love and in holiness with chastity” (1 Tim. 2:14-15). So let the Church of God understand birth in this way, gain posterity in this way, approve of the deeds of the holy fathers with due and glorious interpretation, and so not allow worthless Jewish fables to distort the words of the Holy Spirit (cf. Tim. 4:7; Titus 1:14), which it considers full of reverence, virtue and benefit. Otherwise, what instruction will we receive if we read that Abraham, the great patriarch, not only lied to King Abimelech, but also gave him the chastity of his wife? What can the wife of this great patriarch teach us, if we assume that she became defiled through marital relations? This is the opinion of the Jews and all those who are friends not of the spirit, but of the letter. But we, “comparing spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13), are made spiritual, both in works and in understanding in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Pet. 4:11). Homily VII. About the birth of Isaac and why he was weaned 1. Moses is read to us in the Church. Let us pray to the Lord, that, according to the word of the Apostle, when we read Moses, the veil will not lie over our hearts (cf. 2 Cor. 3:15). We read that “Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him” (Gen. 21:5). And Sarah said: “Who would say to Abraham: Sarah will suckle the children?” (Gen.21:7). It is said: “And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac on the eighth day” (Gen. 21:4). Abraham did not celebrate his son's birthday, but “had a great feast” (Gen. 21:8) when the child was weaned. Why? Do we think that the intention of the Holy Spirit was to make up stories and tell how the child was weaned and a great feast was made and how he played and did other things like children? Or should we understand from this that He wants to teach us something Divine, worthy that humanity can learn from the word of God? "Isaac" means "laughter" or "joy" (cf. Gen. 21:6). Who then gave birth to this son? Undoubtedly, the one who said about those whom he gained through the Gospel: “For you are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:20). There is great joy and great celebration when such sons are weaned, for they no longer need milk, “but solid food is characteristic of those who are perfect, whose senses are trained by skill to distinguish between good and evil” (Heb. 5:14). A great celebration occurs when these sons are weaned. However, joy does not happen, and a feast is not held for the sake of those about whom the Apostle Paul says: “I fed you with milk, and not with solid food, for you were not yet able, and even now you are not able. And I could not speak to you, brethren, as to spiritual people, but as to carnal people, as to babes in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:2, 1). Let those who insist that Divine Scripture must be understood in a literal sense tell us what the following words mean: “And I could not speak to you, brethren, as to spiritual people, but as to carnal ones, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food” (1 Cor. 3:1-2). Can these words be taken literally? 2. Let us return, however, to the topic from which we deviated. Abraham rejoiced and “had a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” (Gen. 21:8). After this Isaac plays, and he plays with Ishmael. Sarah is angry that the son of a slave is playing with the son of a free woman, and regards this as death. She advises Abraham: “Cast out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not inherit with my son Isaac” (Gen. 21:10). I will not consider now how these words should be understood. The apostle talks about it this way: “Tell me, you who want to be under the law: do you not listen to the law? For it is written: Abraham had two sons, one by a bondwoman, and the other by a freewoman. But he who is of a slave is born according to the flesh; and the one who is free, the one according to the promise. There is an allegory in this” (Gal. 4:21–24). So what? Wasn't Isaac "born according to the flesh"? Didn't Sarah give birth to him? Wasn't he circumcised? And when he played with Ishmael, did he not play in the flesh? It is truly amazing in the understanding of the Apostle that he calls “allegory” something that is obviously done in the flesh. His purpose is to teach us how to understand other verses, especially those where the historical narrative seems to reveal nothing worthy of the Divine law. So, Ishmael, the son of a slave, was “born according to the flesh.” Isaac, the son of a free woman, was not born according to the flesh, but “according to promise.” The Apostle says about this that Hagar gives birth to a carnal people “into slavery” (Gal.4:24), and Sarah, who was free, gives birth to a people who are not “according to the flesh,” but are called to “the freedom that Christ has given us” (Gal.5:1). For He Himself said: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). But let's see what the Apostle adds to this, developing the thought: “But just as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also now” (Gal. 4:29). Notice how the Apostle teaches us that the flesh is in everything contrary to the spirit: either that carnal people is opposed to this spiritual people, or even among us, if someone else is carnal, then he is contrary to the spiritual. For if you live “according to the flesh” and direct your life “according to the flesh,” you are the son of Hagar and, therefore, are contrary to those who live “according to the Spirit.” And if we take a closer look at ourselves, we will find that “the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh: they oppose each other” (Gal. 5:17), and we see in our members “another law, warring against the law of the mind” of ours and making us captives of the law of sin (Rom. 7:23). Do you see what fierce battles the flesh wages against the spirit? There is, however, another battle, perhaps more fierce than all these. Those who understand the law “according to the flesh” oppose and persecute those who understand it “according to the Spirit.” Why? Because “the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness; and cannot understand, because this must be judged spiritually” (1 Cor. 2:14). Thus, if you have in you the fruits of the “Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith” (Gal. 5:22), you can be Isaac, born not “according to the flesh,” but “according to the promise,” and then you are “the son of a free woman,” if only you can say with Paul: “For we, although we walk in the flesh, do not make war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds: with them we cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:3-5). If you become such, then you will be able to truly apply to yourself the statement of Paul: “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you” (Rom. 8:9), and, thus, if you become such, then you are no longer born according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit through the promise, and you will also become an heir of these promises, one of those who are “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ” ( Rom.8:17). You will not become a joint heir with the one who was “born according to the flesh,” but a joint heir with Christ, for “even if we knew Christ according to the flesh, now we know it no more” (2 Cor. 5:16). 3. And yet, based on what has been said, I do not see what prompted Sarah to demand that the slave’s son be expelled. He played with her son Isaac. How did he hurt him or otherwise harm him if they were playing? As if already at this age it is unpleasant when the son of a slave plays with the son of a free woman. And then, it is surprising that the Apostle called this game persecution, saying: “But just as then he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now” (Gal. 4:29), for there was no persecution of Isaac on the part of Ishmael, there was only a game. But let's see how Paul understands this game and why Sarah became indignant. We have already established earlier in our spiritual exposition that Sarah represents virtue. Therefore, if the flesh, which is symbolized by Ishmael born according to the flesh, attracts the spirit, that is, Isaac, and seduces him, and if this captivates and enchants Isaac, if this draws him into the search for pleasures, such a game of the flesh with the spirit especially affects Sarah as a virtue, and Paul regards such seduction as cruel persecution. And therefore, you who hear these words, do not think that the persecution consists only in the fact that the madness of the pagans forces you to worship idols. But when the pleasures of the flesh attract you, when voluptuousness flirts with you, if you are the son of virtue, run away from them as from cruel persecution. That is why the Apostle says: “Flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). But if injustice attracts you and, “pleasing the face of the great” (Lev. 19:15), succumbing to his tricks, you act unfairly, then know that under the guise of a game you suffer cruel persecution from injustice. But we should also consider individual manifestations of evil as persecution of the spirit, even if they are pleasant and charming in appearance and resemble a game, for in all this virtue suffers. 4. So, “Abraham had two sons, one by a bondwoman, and the other by a freewoman” (Gal. 4:22). Nevertheless, each of them is a son of Abraham, although not each is the son of a free woman. For this reason, one born of a slave, of course, does not become a joint heir with the son of a free woman. And yet he receives gifts, he is not sent away with anything. He too receives the blessing, but the son of a free woman “receives the promise.” He also becomes a “great nation” (cf. Gen. 12:2), but an adopted people. Thus, in a spiritual sense, all who come to acknowledge God through faith can be called sons of Abraham; but of these, some cling to God through love, others through fear, fearing the coming judgment. Therefore, the Apostle John says: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because in fear there is torment. He who fears is not perfect in love" (1 John 4:18). Therefore, he who was perfect in love was born of Abraham and a free woman. However, the one who fulfills the commandments not out of perfect love, but out of fear of future torment and fear of punishment, is also a son of Abraham; he also receives gifts, that is, a reward for his labors, for even the one “who gives one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water, in the name of the disciple... will not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42), but still he is lower than the one who is perfect not out of slavish fear, but in the freedom of love. The apostle also expresses something similar when he says: “The heir, as long as he is a child, is in no way distinguished from a slave, although he is the master of all: he is subject to trustees and stewards until the time appointed by the father” (Gal. 4:1-2). Thus, he is a child “fed on milk” and “ignorant of the word of righteousness”, he cannot receive the solid food of Divine wisdom and knowledge of the law (cf. Heb. 5:13-14), is not able to compare “spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13). He cannot yet say: “But when he became a man, he left behind his children” (1 Cor. 13:11) and therefore “is no different from a servant” (Gal. 4:1). But, “having left the first principles of the teaching of Christ” (Heb. 6:1), he ascends to perfection and seeks “the things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God,” thinks on things above, and not on earthly things (Col. 3:1-2), and looks “not on the visible, but not on the invisible” (2 Cor. 4:18), and in the Divine Scripture follows not the letter, which kills, but the spirit, which gives life (cf. Cor.3:6). Based on all this, he will undoubtedly be one who does not receive “the spirit of slavery to live again in fear, but” receives “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom he cries, “Abba, Father!”” (Rom. 8:15). 5. Let's see what Abraham does after Sarah shows him her displeasure. Abraham sends away the slave and her son, but still gives him a bottle of water (cf. Gen. 21:14), for his mother has no well of living water, and the boy cannot draw water from the well. Isaac has wells, over which he has a fight with the Philistines (Gen. 26:14–17); and Ishmael drinks water from the skin, but the water in it runs out, for it is a skin, so the boy suffers from thirst and does not find a well. But you, the son of “the promise according to Isaac” (Gal. 4:28), “drink the water from your reservoir and the water that flows from your well” (Prov. 5:15), and the one who is “born according to the flesh” drinks water from the skin, and this water itself runs out, and he is deprived of much. The wineskin of the law, from which carnal men drink, is the letter that determines their understanding; and this letter often turns out to be insufficient, because it cannot explain itself, since historical understanding is in many ways incomplete. But the Church drinks from the evangelical and apostolic springs, which never dry up, but “spill over... in the streets” (Prov. 5:16), for they are always overflowing and pour out in a wide stream of spiritual interpretation. She also drinks from wells as she draws from the law and explores something deeply hidden within it. I think that our Lord and Savior spoke about this secret to the Samaritan woman when, as if talking with Hagar, He said: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst” (John 4:13-14). But she says to the Savior: “Master! Give me this water, so that I won’t thirst and won’t have to come here to draw” (John 4:15). To which He responds: “The water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (John 4:14). 6. So, Hagar went and “got lost in the wilderness” (Gen. 21:14), and the boy raised a cry, and Hagar walked away from him and sat at a distance, saying: “I don’t want to see the boy die” (Gen. 21:16). And when he was already left as if dead, and was groaning, the angel of the Lord called to Hagar, and “her eyes were opened, and she saw a well of living water” (Gen. 21:19). How can these words be correlated with historical events? For where do we find that Hagar closed her eyes and later they opened? Is not the spiritual and mystical meaning of these words clearer than daylight, that people “born according to the flesh” are forsaken and suffer from hunger and thirst, but they do not “hunger for bread, nor thirst for water, but thirst for hearing the words of the Lord” (Am. 8:11), until the eyes of the Jews are opened? This is what the Apostle called “the mystery”: this blinding “happened in Israel in part until the time when the fullness of the Gentiles should come in; and thus all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:25). This is the blindness of Hagar, who gave birth “according to the flesh,” who remains blind until the angel of God removes the veil of the letter, and then she sees the living water. For while the Jews lie around the well itself, but their eyes are closed, they cannot drink from the well of the law and the prophets. But let us also beware, for we often recline near the well of living water, that is, near the Divine Scriptures, and are mistaken in them. We hold books in our hands and read them, but we do not touch their spiritual meaning. And therefore, we need to constantly pray and shed tears so that the Lord will open our eyes, for even the eyes of the blind men sitting by the road in Jericho would not have been opened if they had not cried out to the Lord (cf. Matt. 20:30). But what am I saying? That our eyes, already open, can open? After all, Jesus came “so that the eyes of the blind may be opened” (Is. 42:7). Our eyes are open and the veil has been lifted from the letter of the law. But I am afraid that we can close our eyelids again and fall into a deep sleep if we are not attentive to the spiritual meaning, and no one will disturb us so that we can drive away the sleep and contemplate the spiritual and not be mistaken with the carnal people sitting by the water itself. So let us be vigilant and say together with the prophet: “I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor my eyelids to slumber, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Ps. 132:4-5). To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily VIII. How Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac 1. Listen to me, you who have approached God, who consider yourselves to be faithful, and judge carefully how the faith of the faithful is proven by the words that we read: “And it came to pass after these events that God tempted Abraham and said to him: Abraham! He said, “Here am I” (Gen. 22:1). Pay attention to every detail of what is written. For whoever knows how to dig deep will find in these details a treasure, and perhaps even gems of secrets hidden where we do not suspect. This man was formerly called Abram, and nowhere is it said that God called him by this name or said to him: “Abram, Abram.” For God could not call him by the name that should have been abolished, but calls him by the name that He Himself gave him. Moreover, He not only calls him, but repeats his name. And when Abraham answers: “Here am I,” he says to him: “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac; and go to a high land and there offer it as a burnt offering on one of the mountains about which I will tell you” (Gen. 22:2). God gave him exactly this name and called him Abraham, because, as He Himself explained: “I will make you the father of many nations” (Gen. 17:5). God gave him this promise when Ishmael was born, but told him that it would be fulfilled in the son born of Sarah. And his soul was kindled with love for this son, not only as his offspring, but also in hope of the promise. And this son, about whom such great and wonderful promises are made, the son, I say, by whom he is called Abraham, he must “offer as a burnt offering on one of the mountains.” What do you say to this, Abraham? What thoughts are wandering in your heart? God has spoken a word that can shake and test your faith. What do you say to this? What do you think about this? What are you thinking about? Don’t you think, don’t you think in your heart like this: if a promise is given to me, and I bring my son as a burnt offering, then there will be no hope for the fulfillment of this promise? Or, more likely, do you remember the famous words and say to yourself that “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18) and, no matter what happens, this promise will remain in force? But, “for I am the least” (1 Cor. 15:9), I cannot examine the thoughts of such a great patriarch; I have no way of knowing what thoughts the voice of God, who decided to test him, aroused in him, what feelings aroused in him by commanding him to kill his only son. But since “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Cor. 14:32), Paul, the apostle, who, I believe, taught by the Holy Spirit, revealed to us what Abraham was thinking about, what he felt when he said: “By faith Abraham, when he was tempted, offered up Isaac, and having a promise, he offered up his only begotten, for he thought that God was able to raise him from the dead, wherefore he received him as a sign.” ( Heb. 11:17, 19 ). Thus, the Apostle conveyed to us the thoughts of this faithful man and the fact that faith in the resurrection was already in the time of Isaac. Therefore, Abraham hoped for the resurrection of Isaac and believed in a future that had not yet come. How then can they be Abraham's seed (cf. John 8:37) - they who did not believe in what was accomplished in Christ, in what Abraham believed happened in Isaac? Moreover, I can express myself more clearly: Abraham himself knew that he served as a prototype of future truth; he knew that from his seed would come Christ, who was destined to become the true sacrifice for the whole world and rise from the dead. 2. Meanwhile, as it is said, “God tempted Abraham and said to him: Take your son, your only son, whom you love” (Gen. 22:1-2), for it was not enough to simply say “son,” but “only.” Let's look at this. Why is “the one you love” added? Understand the importance of this test. Fatherly love increases by the frequent repetition of affectionate and tender names, so that when the memories of love are awakened, the right hand of the father killing his son would freeze and all flesh would rebel against the faith of the soul. So “take your son, your only son, whom you love” (Gen. 22:2). May you, Lord, remind the father whom you command to kill his son that he is his only son. Let this be enough to torment my father. You also add “whom you love.” Let there be triple flour in this. But why do you call his name Isaac? Doesn't Abraham know that his only son, whom he loves, is named Isaac? Why is it mentioned here? So that Abraham would remember how You told him: “Your seed will be called Isaac” (Gen. 21:12). The mention of this name, as well as the promises associated with it, plunges him into despair. But all this happened because God was testing Abraham. 3. What happens next? It is said: “Go to a high land and there offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains about which I will tell you” (Gen. 22:2). Notice how the severity of this test increases. “Go to the highland land.” Couldn’t the Lord have first commanded Abraham to go there and climb the mountain indicated by Him, and then tell him that he must sacrifice his son? But first he is ordered to sacrifice his son, and then he is told that he must go “to the highland land” and climb the mountain. For what? And so that while he goes there, while he gets to that place, throughout this entire journey bitter thoughts tear him apart, so that he is tormented by a cruel command, so that his fiery love for his son does not give him peace. Therefore, this entire journey and the subsequent ascent to the mountain were appointed so that all this time in Abraham there would be a struggle between love and faith, love of God and love of the flesh, the charm of the present and the expectation of the future. So, he was sent “to a high-mountain land,” but the high-mountain land is not enough for the patriarch to accomplish such a great work for God; he was also ordered to climb the mountain so that, strengthened by faith, he would leave earthly things and rush to the high. 4. “Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his servants and Isaac his son; He chopped wood for the burnt offering, and stood up and went to the place that God had told him about” (Gen. 22:3). Abraham got up in the morning. This was said perhaps to show that light had dawned in his heart. He saddled his donkey, prepared firewood, and took his son. He does not think, does not reason, does not consult with anyone, but immediately sets off on the road. It goes on to say: “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar” (Gen. 22:4). For now, I will remain silent about what secret the “third day” contains, but will consider the wise plan of the One who tests it. If everything had to happen in the mountains, then were there really no mountains nearby, and it was necessary to go to them for three days, and during these three days the parent’s heart languished from constantly returning pain, so that all this long time the father was with his son, they ate together, and at night the boy reclined on his father’s chest, in his arms? See how the severity of the test increases. The third day always refers to the sacraments. So, when the Israelites left Egypt, on the third day they made a sacrifice to God, and on the third day they cleansed themselves (cf. Ex. 19:11, 15, 16). And on the third day the Lord rose again (cf. Matt. 27:63; Mark 8:31). And many other sacraments are performed on this day. 5. “Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. And Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and my son will go there and worship, and we will return to you” (Gen. 22:4-5). He leaves the youths, because they cannot go up with Abraham to the place of burnt offering that God showed him. “You stay here with the donkey, and I and my son will go there and worship, and return to you” (Gen. 22:5). Tell me, Abraham, are you telling the truth to the youths that you will bow down and return, or are you deceiving them? If you speak the truth, then you will not offer him as a burnt offering. If you are deceiving, then it is not fitting for such a great patriarch to lie. So what disposition of mind does this statement indicate? I speak the truth, he testifies, and I offer my son as a burnt offering. And so I carry firewood with me and return with it. For I believe, and this is my faith, that “God is able to raise from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). 6. After this, the text says: “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; took the fire and the knife in his hands, and they both went together.” The fact that Isaac himself carries “wood for a burnt offering” is an image, because Christ “carried His cross on Himself” (cf. John 19:17), because carrying “wood for a burnt offering” is the duty of a priest. Isaac thus becomes both sacrifice and priest. This also applies to what is said: “And they both went together,” for when Abraham carries the fire and the knife as if for a sacrifice, Isaac does not go behind him, but with him, which shows his equal participation in the priesthood. What happens next? “And Isaac began to speak to Abraham his father, and said, My father!” (Gen.22:7). And at this moment the son utters the word of temptation. For one can imagine how this word, uttered by the son who was to be killed, wounded the heart of the father. And although Abraham was very strict when it came to faith, he nevertheless responded to the expression of love and answered: “Here am I, my son” (Gen. 22:7). And Isaac asked: “Behold the fire and the wood, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Gen. 22:7–8). I am struck by Abraham's response, precise and careful. I do not know what was revealed to him in the Spirit, for he speaks not of the present, but of the future: “God will provide for himself a lamb” (Gen. 22:8). He answered his son's question about the present situation with a prediction about the future. “God provided for Himself a lamb” in Christ, for “wisdom built herself an house” (Prov. 9:1) and He “humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to death” (Phil. 2:8). And you will learn that everything that happens to you to read about Christ was not done out of necessity, but freely. 7. “And they both walked on together. And they came to the place that God had told him about” (Gen. 22:8–9). When Moses came to the place indicated to him by God, he was not allowed to get up, but first God said to him: “Take off your shoes from your feet” (Ex. 3:5). Nothing of the kind is said to Abraham and Isaac, and they climb the mountain without taking off their shoes. The reason for this may be that Moses, although “he was very great” (Ex. 11:3), still came from Egypt, and the fetters of mortality were on his feet. Abraham and Isaac did not have them, “and they came to the place.” Abraham builds an altar, arranges the wood, binds the boy and prepares to kill him. Many of you hearing these words are fathers in the Church of God. Do you think that one of you, having read this story, will gain such steadfastness, such strength of soul that when he loses his son, due to his death, natural and awaiting everyone, even if he is the only son, even if he is the beloved son, will be able to set Abraham as an example and imitate his generosity? And such greatness of soul is not required of you so that you yourself tie up your son, take the knife yourself and kill your only son yourself. You are not required to perform all these sacraments. Be constant at least in intention and offer your son to God joyful, unshakable in faith. Become a priest in your son's life. It is not fitting for a priest to cry when he is making a sacrifice to God. Do you want to see what all this is required of you? In the Gospel, the Lord says: “If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39). Look, this is Abraham's work. Do the works that Abraham did, but “not grudgingly or under compulsion; For God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). And if you strive for God in this way, then it will be said to you: “Go to a high mountain land and there offer [your son] as a burnt offering on one of the mountains” (Gen. 22:2); not in the depths of the earth, not in the valley of tears (cf. Ps. 83:7), but on high and majestic mountains. Show that faith in the Lord is stronger than the attachment of the flesh. For it is said that he loved his son Isaac, but put the love of God above the love of the flesh and was filled not with carnal love, but with “the love of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:8), that is, love for the Word of God, for truth and wisdom. 8. It goes on to say: “And Abraham stretched out his hand and took a knife to kill his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said: Abraham! Abraham! He said: here I am. The angel said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God” (Gen. 22:10–12). This statement of God, when He says that He now knows that Abraham fears Him, is usually used against us, as if He did not know about it before. God knew, and this did not hide from Him, for He is “knower of the unseen and knowing everything before its existence!” (Dan.13:42). But all this is written for your sake, for you also believe in God, but if you do not do the “work of faith”, if you do not fulfill all the commands, even more difficult, if you do not make a sacrifice and show that you do not put father, mother, or son before God (cf. Matt. 10:37), then you will not know that you fear God, and it will not be said about you: “Now I know that you fear God” ( Gen.22:12). It should be noted that, as it is said, these words were spoken to Abraham by an angel, and this clearly shows that this angel is the Lord. Therefore, I think that both among us humans, “becoming in appearance as a man” (Phil. 2:7), so among the angels He becomes in appearance as an angel. And, following His example, the angels in heaven rejoice “over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10) and rejoice, seeing how people grow. For they care for our souls, and while we are still children, we are subject to them as “trustees and stewards until the time appointed by the father” (Gal. 4:3, 2). And therefore they talk about the growth of each of us: “Now I know that you fear God” (Gen. 22:12). For example, I want to become a martyr. Based on this, the angel cannot say: “Now I know that you fear God,” for the intentions of the mind are known to God alone. But if I begin to struggle, if I make a “good confession” (1 Tim. 6:12), if I calmly endure everything that this causes, then an angel, in order to support and strengthen me, can say: “Now I know that you fear God.” However, these words are addressed to Abraham, and it is said that he fears God. Why? Because he did not spare his son. But let's compare these words with what the Apostle said about God: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all” (Rom. 8:32). Look at the great generosity with which God competes with people: Abraham sacrificed to God a mortal son who was not killed; For the sake of people, God put the immortal Son to death. What do we say to this? “What shall I render to the Lord for all His good deeds to me?” (Ps. 115:3). God the Father did not spare His Son for our sake. Which of you, in your opinion, will ever hear an angel say: “Now I know that you fear God, and have not spared your son” (Gen. 22:12), or your daughter, or your wife, or have not spared money, or the glory of the world, or worldly aspirations, but you despise all this, you consider it all “loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:8), that you sold your possessions and gave to the poor and do you follow the Word of God (cf. Matthew 19:21)? How many of you do you think will hear something like this from the angels? And Abraham heard these words, it was said to him: “You have not withheld your son, your only son, for Me.” 9 . It further says: “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, behind him was a ram caught in a bush by his horns” (Gen. 22:13). I believe we have already said above that Isaac symbolizes Christ. But this ram also seems to personify Christ in no less a way. Now it makes sense to find out how Isaac, who is not put to death, and the ram, who is killed, correspond to Christ. Christ is the “Word of God,” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Thus, one is in Christ from above, the other is from human nature and the womb of the virgin. Therefore, Christ suffers, but in the flesh, and suffers death, but the death of the flesh, the image of which is the ram, just as John said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But he remains “incorruptible” (1 Cor. 15:42), the true Word is Christ in spirit, and His image is Isaac. Therefore, He Himself is a victim and a priest. For in the spirit He offers sacrifice to the Father, and in the flesh He Himself is sacrificed on the altar of the cross, because it is said about Him: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and also: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109:4). That's why the ram got its horns entangled in the bush. 10. Then it says, “Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh (the Lord has provided)” (Gen. 22:13–14). For those who know how to listen to these words, the bright path of spiritual understanding is open. For everything that happens reaches vision, which is why it is said that “the Lord has provided.” The Lord sees in the spirit, and you too can see in the spirit everything that is written; and just as there is nothing corporeal in God, so you will not see anything corporeal in all this, but you, too, can give birth to a son Isaac in the spirit when you begin to bear the fruits of the “spirit: love, joy, peace” (Gal. 5:22). And you will eventually give birth to such a son, for although, as it is said, “the custom of women ceased with Sarah” (Gen. 18:11), after that she gave birth to Isaac. So in your soul, the characteristic of women must cease, so that nothing effeminate and weak remains in it, but you become strong and courageous (cf. Deut. 31:6) and courageously gird your loins with the truth. You will give birth to such a son if you put on “the breastplate of righteousness” and take the helmet of salvation “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:14–17). And if, in this way, the characteristic of women ceases in your soul, then you will give birth to peace and joy in it, like a son from your wife, virtue and wisdom. And you will give birth to it if you rejoice when you fall into various temptations (James 1:2), and bring this joy as a sacrifice to God. For if you approach God with joy, He will return it to you and say: “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). So, what you sacrifice to God, you will get back a hundredfold. Something like this, although one of the Gospel parables tells how someone received a mine, which he had to use, and then the owner of the house demanded the money back. But if you multiply the five minas received to ten, they will be given to you, given to you. For listen to what is said: “Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas” (Luke 19.24). Thus, at least in appearance, we are engaged in trading for the Lord, but the profit from this goes to us. And, although it seems that we make sacrifices to Him, they all return to us. For God does not need anything, but wants us to be rich, He wants us to grow in everything we do. The same image is also shown to us in what happened to Job. For even though he was rich, he lost everything for God’s sake. But he endured all adversities patiently and was magnanimous in everything he endured, saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked I will return. The Lord gave, the Lord also took away; Blessed be the name of the Lord!” ( Job 1:21 ). And therefore, look at what is said about him at the end: “And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). Do you see what it means to lose something for God? This means getting everything back a hundredfold. However, in the Gospel you are promised even more, “a hundredfold” you will be rewarded, and you will inherit “eternal life” (Matthew 19:29) in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily IX. About the promise given to Abraham the second time 1. The further we progress in reading, the more secrets are revealed. And just as someone who sets out on a sea voyage on a tiny boat experiences less and less fear as he approaches the land, but when he goes further and further into the open sea and is either lifted onto the crest of a high wave or thrown from it into the depths of the sea, great fear and horror take possession of his heart, for he entrusts a small ship to such gigantic waves, so we, small in dignity and weak in ability, tremble when we dare to go out into the open sea. secrets But if through your prayers the Lord deigns to send us a favorable breath of His Holy Spirit, then the beneficial word will lead us to the harbor of salvation. Let's see what words were read to us: “And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said: By me I have sworn, says the Lord, that because you have done this deed, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will bless you in blessing and multiply I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Gen. 22:15-17) and so on. These words require careful consideration. What is new here, of course, is what is said: “And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven” (Gen. 22:15). But what is added to this is by no means new, for the words “Blessing I will bless you” have already been spoken and the phrase “I will multiply your seed” has already been spoken and it was promised that it will become “like the stars of heaven and like the sand that is on the seashore” (Gen. 22:15). So what new was said from heaven for the second time? What new word is added to the promises already given? What other reward is given for what is said: “Because you have done this work” (Gen. 22:16), that is, you sacrificed your only son for Me? I don’t see anything new, since the same thing is said that was promised before. Is it unnecessary to repeat what has already been said? On the contrary, it is necessary, because everything that happens happens in secret. If Abraham lived only “according to the flesh” and was the father of only one nation, begotten by him “according to the flesh” (cf. Gal. 4:29), one promise would be enough. But now, in order first of all to show that he was destined to be the father of those of the circumcision “according to the flesh,” the promise concerning the people of the circumcision was given to him at the time of his circumcision. Secondly, since he was destined to become the father of the faithful and those who became heirs through the sufferings of Christ, the promise made to the people saved by the sufferings and resurrection of Christ was renewed during the sufferings of Isaac. It seems that much is repeated, but there are significant differences, for what is said for the first time in relation to the former people was said on earth. So, the Scripture says: “And he brought him out” – from the tent, of course – “and said: Look up to the sky and count the stars, if you can count them. And he said to him, “You will have so many descendants” (Gen. 15:5). But when this promise is repeated a second time, it is indicated that it was spoken to him “from heaven” (Gen. 22:15). The first promise is given from earth, the second “from heaven.” Doesn’t this confirm what the Apostle said: “The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47)? Thus the second promise, which concerns the faithful, is given “from heaven,” the first from earth. In the first there was only a statement, in the second an oath was added, which the holy Apostle in his letter to the Hebrews interprets as follows: “Therefore God, desiring to show the heirs of the promise more clearly the immutability of His will, used an oath as a medium” (Heb. 6:11). And again: “People swear by the supreme, and an oath as evidence ends all their disputes” (Heb. 6:16). “When God made a promise to Abraham, as he could not swear by anyone higher, he swore by himself” (Heb.6:13), “And he said: By me I swear, says the Lord” (Gen.22:16). The oath of God is not caused by necessity, for who can demand an oath from Him? But, as the Apostle Paul explains, by this He shows believers “the immutability of His will” (cf. Heb. 6:17). So in another place of Scripture the prophet says: “The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109:4). At the time of the first promise there was no reason given as to why it was given, but only said: “Look up to the sky and count the stars if you can count them. And he said to him, “You will have so many descendants” (Gen. 15:5). But now He speaks of the reason why He confirms His sure promise with an oath. For He says: “Because you have done this work, you have not withheld your son, your only son” (Gen. 22:16). He shows that through the sacrifice and sufferings of His Son this promise is immutable, and clearly demonstrates its immutability by the sufferings of Christ for the Gentiles, “according to the faith of the descendants of Abraham” (Rom. 4:16). But is the second statement stronger than the first only in this passage? You will discover secrets in many such passages of Scripture. Moses broke and threw away the first tablets of the law expressed in letters. He received the second law in spirit, and it is stronger than the first. And again, the same Moses, when he concluded the whole law in four books, writes Deuteronomy, that is, the second law. Ishmael is first, Isaac is second, but the second has the advantage. Examples of this are Esau and Jacob, Ephraim and Manasseh and thousands of others. 2. But let's return to our previous path and consider the moral side in detail. Above we have already quoted the words of the Apostle: “The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second person is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, so are the earthy; and as is the heavenly, so are the heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of earth, we will also bear the image of heavenly things” (1 Cor. 15:47–49). You see, he points out that if you remain in the first, that is, in the earthly, you will be rejected if you do not change, if, having been created “heavenly,” you do not acquire the “image of the heavenly.” He says the same thing in another place: “Having put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9-10). And he writes about the same thing in another epistle: “The old things have passed away, everything is new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore, God repeats and renews His promises, thereby showing that you should also be renewed. He does not dwell on the old, so that you too do not retain your old man; this is said “from heaven,” so that you too may receive the “image of heavenly things.” For what will it profit you if God renews His promises, but you yourself are not renewed? What if He speaks from heaven and you listen from earth? What benefit is there for you if God binds Himself with an oath, and you ignore it as if it were an ordinary story? Why don’t you think that God, for your sake, has embraced even what is least befitting of His nature? It is said that God swears that when you hear this oath, fear would attack you, and you would tremble, and, overwhelmed with horror, you would wonder what this great thing is that God swore. This is said so that you would be attentive and circumspect and, having heard that a promise has been prepared for you in heaven, you would watch and strive to find out how you can become worthy of the Divine promises. So the Apostle explains this passage, saying: “But the promises were given to Abraham and to his seed. It is not said, “And to your descendants, as if they were many,” but as if they were one, “And to your seed, which is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). That is why it is said about Christ: “By blessing I will bless you, and by multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17). And who after this will need an explanation to know how the seed of Christ will multiply, if he sees how the preaching of the Gospel has spread “throughout all the earth ... and to the ends of the world” (Rom. 10:18), if he knows that there is almost no place left on earth that would not have received the seed of this word? For the prototype of this was given at the beginning of the world, when God said to Adam: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). Which is what the Apostle says: “I speak in relation to Christ and to the Church” (Eph. 5:32). However, in regard to what the text says “as the stars of heaven” and adds “and as the sand that is on the seashore,” perhaps one could say that the number of the heavens signifies the Christians, and the number of the sand of the sea the Jews. But I believe that, rather, each of these numbers can be applied to both. For just as among the first there are a large number of righteous people and prophets, comparable to the number of stars in the sky, so among the others there are many who think “on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19) and whose stupidity is “like the sand on the seashore,” and among them, I think, there are especially many heretics. But let us not become careless; for until one of us leaves the “image of the earthly” and puts on the “image of the heavenly,” he is compared with the images of the earth. Therefore, as I see it, the Apostle expresses the image of the resurrection in heavenly and earthly bodies, saying: “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of those in heaven is one, and that of the earth is another. There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor. 15:40-42). But the Lord also reminds those who know how to listen of this when he says: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). 3. But if you want to see even more clearly in the words of Scripture that Christ is from the seed of Abraham and the son of Abraham, listen to what is written in the Gospel: “The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abram” (Matthew 1:1). Thus, this also fulfilled what was said: “Your seed will take possession of the cities of his enemies” (Gen. 22:17). How did Christ take possession of “the cities of His enemies”? Undoubtedly, through the fact that the “sound” of the apostles “passes through all the earth,” and “their words reach the ends of the world” (Ps. 18:5). That is why the angels, who were given a separate people as their inheritance, became angry. “When the Most High gave inheritance to the nations and scattered the sons of men, then he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God; For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob is His inheritance” (Deut. 32:8–9). Christ, to whom the Father said: “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance and the ends of the earth for Your possession” (Ps. 2:8), removed those angels from dominion over the nations and thereby caused their wrath. And therefore it is said: “The kings of the earth rise up, and the princes take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Ps. 2:2). So they oppose us and sow enmity and discord among us. Therefore, the Apostle of Christ says: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). We must be attentive and act carefully, “because our adversary “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). And if we do not resist him with “firm faith” (1 Peter 5:9), he will again lure us into his net. And if this happens to us, then we will make thankless the work of the One who “nailed to the cross, taking away the strength of the principalities and powers, powerfully putting them to shame, having triumphed over them by Himself” (Col. 2:15), and Who preached “liberation to the captives” (Luke 4:18). But, on the contrary, led by faith in Christ, who, “having taken away the powers of the principalities and powers, powerfully brought them to shame, having triumphed over them in Himself” (Col. 2:15), let us break the bonds by which we were bound by their power. The chains in which they imprisoned us are our passions and vices, with which we are enslaved until we have “crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24), and then we will finally “break their bonds and cast off their fetters from ourselves” (Ps. 2:3). Thus, the seed of Abraham, in other words, the seed of the word, which is the preaching of the Gospel and faith in Christ, took possession of “the cities of their enemies” (Gen. 22:17). But I ask: did the Lord try to seize the nations through injustice and free them from the power of His enemies and called them to believe in Himself and in His sovereignty? No way. For Israel was once the Lord's portion (cf. Sir. 17:15), but sin turned the Israelites away from their God, and as a result of their sin, God said to them: “If you become transgressors, then I will scatter you among the nations” (Neh. 1:8). And again he says to them: “When you turn to Me... then even if you were driven out to the ends of heaven, from there I will gather you” (Neh. 1:9). And since the “prince of this world” first invaded the Lord’s inheritance, the “good shepherd” (John 10:11) was forced to leave the ninety-nine sheep in the mountains (cf. Matthew 18:12), go down to the earth 8 and look for one lost sheep, and having found it, He brought it back on His shoulders and returned it to the sheepfold of perfection on the high places. But what good does it benefit me if the seed of Abraham, “who is Christ” (Gal. 3:16), takes possession of “the cities of his enemies” (Gen. 22:17), but does not take possession of my city? If in my city, that is, in my soul, which is “the city of the great King,” neither His laws nor His regulations are observed? What benefit is it to me if He subjugates the whole world to Himself and takes possession of the cities of His enemies, but does not overcome His enemies in me, unless He destroys “in my members... another law, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin” (Rom. 7:23)? So let each of us do everything necessary so that Christ defeats the enemies in his soul and body and, having subdued them and triumphed over them, is able to take possession of the city of his soul. For we were created to belong to His portion, a better portion, that is, like the stars of heaven in glory (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:41), so that we too may receive the blessing of Abraham through Christ our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia X. About Rebekah, when she went out to draw water and was met by Abraham's servant 1. It is said in Scripture that Isaac grew up and became strong, in other words, Abraham’s joy increased as he looked “not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18). For Abraham did not rejoice in the present, not in the riches of the world, not in the pleasures of this age. Do you want to hear what Abraham was happy about? Listen to what the Lord says to the Jews: “Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced” (John 8:56). Thus Isaac grew up; the vision of Abraham, in which he contemplated the day of Christ, and the hope in Christ increased his joy. Oh, that you too would become Isaac and become a joy to your mother, the Church! But I am afraid that the Church is still giving birth to her sons in grief and sorrow. And how can she not be in sorrow and sorrow when you do not gather to listen to the word of God? Even on holidays you hardly go to church, and if you do go, it is not so much out of a desire to hear the word of God, but out of love for the festivities and a desire to relax. What should I do, who is entrusted with spreading this word (cf. 1 Cor. 9:17)? And although I am a worthless slave (cf. Luke 17:10), yet the Lord “has appointed me over His servants to distribute to them in due season a measure of bread” (Luke 12:42). But notice that “in due time” is added to the word of the Lord. So what should I do? When and where can I find your due time? You spend most of your time, or rather almost all of your time, in earthly concerns; part of it takes place in the market, part of it in earthly labors; some have time to farm, others to litigate, and none, or very few, have time to listen to the word of God. But why do I condemn you for your activities? Why am I complaining about your absence? Even when you are present in church, you are distracted and waste time on ordinary everyday gossip; you remain deaf to the word of God and turn your back on the reading of Scripture. I am afraid that the Lord will not tell you the same thing that was said through the prophet: “They turned their backs to me and not their faces” (Jer. 39:33). What then should I do, who has been entrusted with the shepherd of the word? The words we read are mysterious and must be interpreted figuratively. Can I throw beads (cf. Matthew 7:6) the words of God into your deaf, disgusted ears? The apostle did not do that. Look what he says: “Tell me, you who want to be under the law: do you read the law and not hear the law? 9 For it is written: “Abraham had two sons” (Gal.4:21–22) and so on, and then adds: “There is an allegory in this” (Gal.4:24). Did he reveal the secrets of the law to those who had not read or heard the law? No, but he said, “You do not hear the law,” to those who read the law. How then can I open and interpret the mysteries and allegories of the law, which the Apostle taught us, to those to whom both reading and hearing the law are alien? Perhaps I seem a little harsh to you, but I cannot whitewash the fallen wall (cf. Ezek. 13:10), for I am afraid of what is written: “My people! your leaders lead you astray and corrupt the way of your paths” (Isaiah 3:12). “I admonish you as my beloved children” (1 Cor. 4:14). I will be surprised if it turns out that the way of Christ is not yet known to you, if you have not yet heard that it is not “wide and broad,” “but narrow is the way that leads to life.” And therefore you “enter in at the strait gate” (Matthew 7:13–14). Leave a wide path for those who are perishing. “The night is past, and the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12). “Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). “The time is already short, so those who have wives must be as if they had not; and those who use this world as if they do not use it” (1 Cor. 7:29, 31). The Apostle commands us to pray “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). How can you, who do not gather for prayer, “continually” do what you always neglect? However, the Lord also commands: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation” (Mark 14:38). But if those who watch and pray and always adhere to the word of God still cannot escape temptation, what then should those who go to church only on holidays do? “And if the righteous can hardly be saved, where will the wicked and sinful appear?” (1 Peter 4:18). It is difficult for me to draw any conclusions from these words, for even the Apostle says that this kind of words “is difficult to interpret, because you have become unable to hear” (Heb. 5:11). 2. But let us still consider what was read to us. “Rebekah went out... with her pitcher on her shoulder,” and “went down to the fountain” (Gen. 24:15–16). Rebekah went to the spring every day and carried water every day. And since she spent time every day at the source, Abraham’s servant met her there, and she was united in marriage with Isaac. Don't you think that all these stories are stories and that the Holy Spirit tells us all sorts of stories? They are instructions for the soul and spiritual instruction, which teach and instruct you to come daily to the source of the Holy Scriptures, to the living waters of the Holy Spirit and constantly draw water and carry home a full jar, like holy Rebecca, who otherwise would never have been united with such a great patriarch as Isaac, “born according to the promise” (Gal. 4:23). Draw water and collect enough of it so that there is enough to drink not only the household, but also Abraham’s servant; and not only the servant, but also water his camels with the abundance of water drawn from this source until they are drunk. There is a mystery in all this. Christ wants you to be united with Him, for through the mouth of the prophet He says to you: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me... in goodness and mercy... and you will know the Lord” (Hos. 2:19-20). Thus, He wants to betroth you to Himself and sends you a servant in advance. This servant is a prophetic word, and unless you accept it, you cannot be united with Christ. Know, however, that the untaught and inexperienced do not accept this prophetic word; it is acquired only by the one who knows how to draw water from the depths of the well and collect it in such quantity that there is enough of it for those who are foolish and stubborn, whom camels personify, so that he can say: “I owe both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the ignorant” (Rom. 1:14). And indeed, this servant said in his heart like this: “And the girl to whom I will say: “Tilt down your pitcher, I will drink,” and who says: “Drink, I will give your camels something to drink,” - this is the one whom You appointed for Your servant Isaac” (Gen. 24:14). And Rebekah, which is translated as “patience,” when she saw the servant and considered the prophetic word, “immediately she let her pitcher fall on her hand” (Gen. 24:18). For she cast aside the haughty arrogance of Hellenic eloquence and preferred a simple prophetic word, saying: “Drink, I will give your camels drink too” (Gen. 24:14). 3. But perhaps you will ask: if the servant symbolizes the prophetic word, then why does Rebekah give him a drink, and not he gives Rebekah? Think about it this way: although, on the one hand, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the “bread of life” (John 6:35, 48) and He Himself feeds hungry souls, on the other hand, He admits that He is hungry when He says: “I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat” (Matthew 25:35). And again, although, on the one hand, He Himself is living water (cf. John 7:38) and gives drink to all who are thirsty, on the other hand, He Himself says to the Samaritan woman: “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7). So here, although the prophetic word itself gives drink to the thirsty, nevertheless, it is said that they also give it drink when it accepts the exploits and service of the zealous. The soul that endures everything patiently, that thirsts and is strengthened by great knowledge, that is accustomed to drawing streams of knowledge from the depths, can itself become engaged to Christ. Therefore, if you do not come to the source every day to draw water, you will not only not be able to give others something to drink, but you yourself will suffer a “thirst for hearing the words of the Lord” ( Am. 8:11 ). Listen also to what the Lord says in the Gospels: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). But, as I see it, you do not thirst or hunger for righteousness (cf. Matt. 5:6), and how can you say: “As a deer desires streams of water, so does my soul desire You, O God! My soul thirsts for the mighty, living God: when will I come and appear before the face of God!” ( Ps.42:2-3 )? I beg you who are present here, always when the word of God is preached, to listen patiently when we rebuke the careless and idle. Have patience, because our sermon is about Rebekah, that is, about patience. And we must constantly rebuke those who neglect our meetings and avoid hearing the word of God, who do not need either the “bread of life” (John 6:35, 48) or the “living water” (John 7:38), who do not leave the camp, do not leave their “churches of clay” (Job 4:19), to gather for themselves manna (Ex. 16:13ff.), who do not go to to the stone to drink “from the spiritual subsequent stone”; That stone is Christ (1 Cor. 10:4), as the Apostle said. Have, I say, a little patience, for our preaching is for the careless, the unhealthy, for “those who are healthy do not need a doctor, but those who are sick” (Luke 5:31). Tell me, you who come to church on holidays, aren’t other days holidays? Are they not the days of the Lord? It is common for Jews to observe religious rituals on certain, far from frequent, days. Therefore, God says to them: “I cannot endure the new moon and Saturdays and holiday gatherings” (Is. 1:13). God hates those who believe that the Lord's holiday is one day a year. Christians eat the flesh of the lamb every day, in other words, they feed daily on the flesh of the word, “for our Passover, Christ, was slain for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). And since the law of Passover requires eating it in the evening (cf. Ex. 12:8-10; 8:12-13), the Lord suffered in the evening of the world so that you could eat the flesh of the Word, for for you it is always evening until the morning comes. And if this evening you watch, fasting and weeping, and lead a life striving for righteousness, you will be able to say: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 29:6). For you will rejoice in the morning, that is, in the world to come, if in this world you gather “the fruits of righteousness” (James 3:18) through labor and mourning. So come, and let us drink from the “well of vision”, where Isaac goes out to indulge in spiritual exercises (cf. Gen. 24:62–63). Pay attention to how many things happen by the water, and you, too, can come every day to the source of the water of the word of God and stand at the well, as Rebecca used to do, about whom it is said: “The maiden was beautiful in appearance, a virgin whom no man knew” (Gen. 24:16). And she, as it is said, went out in the evening to draw water (cf. Gen. 24:15, 11). 4. This was written for a reason. And yet the meaning of the statement haunts me: “The maiden was beautiful in appearance, a maiden whom no husband knew” (Gen. 24:16). Sounds like the girl might not just be the one who hasn't been touched by a man. And what does this addition mean in relation to the maiden, where it is said: “The virgin whom the husband did not know”? Or is there a virgin whom her husband has known? I often repeat: Scripture does not tell historical events, but secrets are woven into the narrative. And I believe that something similar happens in this story. Just as it is said of Christ that He is the husband of the soul, with whom it is united when it comes to faith, so, on the contrary, the one who is called “the enemy,” comes and sows “tares among the wheat,” is called the husband with whom the soul is united when it falls into unbelief. Therefore, it is not enough for the soul to keep the body clean; it is necessary that the worst of the wicked “should not know it.” For it may happen that someone can keep the virginity of the body, but, combining with this worst of the wicked - the devil - receives from him the kindled arrows of lust in the heart and can thus lose the purity of his soul. Therefore, Rebekah was “holy in body and spirit” (1 Cor. 7:34), and for this reason her praise is doubled: “The maiden was beautiful in appearance, a virgin whom no husband knew” (Gen. 24:16). “In the evening” she went out to draw water. We already talked about the evening above. But note the servant’s prudence - he wants to take as a bride to his master Isaac a worthy and beautiful-looking maiden, and not just a maiden, but a maiden whom her husband has not known, and only one who will come to draw water, and does not want to betroth any other to his master. He wouldn't have given her jewelry if she wasn't like that. He wouldn't give her earrings; I wouldn't give her the bracelets. It remains simple, unlearned, unvarnished. After all, we don’t think that Rebekah’s father, a rich man, did not have earrings and bracelets that he could put on his daughter? Or was he so indifferent to his daughter or greedy that he did not give her jewelry? But Rebekah did not want to adorn herself with Bethuel's gold. The jewels of a barbarian, an ignorant man, were unworthy of her. She needs the jewels of the house of Abraham, because patience is adorned with the jewels of the house of the sage. Therefore, Rebekah's ears could not have acquired their beauty if Abraham's servant had not come and decorated them himself; and her hands could only be adorned with jewels sent to her by Isaac. For she wants to take golden words into her ears and golden deeds into her hands. But she could not have received or deserved them if she had not come to the source to draw water. How can you, not wanting to come to the source of water, not wanting to listen to the golden words of the prophets, be able to be adorned with teaching, adorned with deeds, adorned with character? 5. So, omitting much - for now is not the time to study the text in detail, but it is time to instruct the Church of God and awaken careless listeners with the examples of saints and mystical interpretations - let's say that Rebekah follows the servant and comes to Isaac. The church certainly follows the prophetic word and comes to Christ. Where does she find Him? Isaac goes “through the wilderness near a well” (Gen. 24:62). Never move away from the source, never move away from the water. Rebekah “went down to the fountain” (Gen. 24:16). She meets Isaac "near the well" (Gen. 24:62). There she saw him for the first time and “descended from the camel” (Gen. 24:64). There she sees Isaac, whom the servant points out to her. Do you think these are the only words about wells? Jacob also goes to the well and meets Rachel there. He sees that she is “beautiful in form and beautiful in face” (Gen. 29:17). And Moses meets Zipporah, the daughter of Raguel, at the well (cf. Ex. 2:15ff). Have you not yet realized that all this is said in a spiritual sense? Or do you think that patriarchs accidentally come to wells and find brides by the water? Anyone who thinks this way is a “natural man” and “does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). But whoever insists on such an understanding, let him remain a “spiritual man,” and I, following the Apostle Paul, say that “there is an allegory in this” (Gal. 4:24), and I affirm that the marriages of saints are the union of the soul with the word of God: “He who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:17). But it is obvious that this unity of the soul with the word cannot occur except through the instructions of the Divine books, which are allegorically called wells. If someone comes to them and takes water from them, in other words, reflecting on these words, finds a deep meaning in them, he will find a union worthy of God, for his soul will unite with God. Rebekah also “came down from the camel” (Gen. 24:64), that is, she left her vices, cast aside unreasonable feelings, and united with Isaac. For it is worthy that Isaac moves from virtue to virtue (cf. Ps. 83:8). He who is the son of virtue, that is, Sarah, is united with patience, that is, with Rebecca. This means moving from virtue to virtue, “from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). But let’s turn to the Gospels and see where the Lord Himself seeks rest, “having been weary from the journey.” It is said: “Jesus... sat down by the well” (John 4:6). Do you see how the mysteries everywhere agree with each other? Do you see how the images of the New and Old Testaments harmonize? He who comes to the well and water finds a bride there; so the Church is united with Christ in the font of water. Do you see what a burden of secrets weighs on us? We cannot cope on our own with what is revealed to us. However, it should at least encourage us to listen as we gather together. And even if we are in a hurry for the sake of brevity and miss something, you can, when you read the text again and reflect on it, you yourself will reveal the mystery and see, if, of course, you persistently study these questions, that the Word of God, meeting you at the water, can exalt you and unite you with Himself, so that you become “one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17) with Him in Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XI. About how Abraham took Keturah as his wife and how Isaac stayed at the well of vision 1. The Holy Apostle Paul always provides us with the opportunity for spiritual understanding and shows the zealous signs by which one can see in everything that “the law is spiritual.” And although these signs are few, they are nevertheless necessary. In one place of Scripture, reflecting on Abraham and Sarah, he says: “And, not having fainted in faith, he did not consider that his body, almost a hundred years old, was already dead, and Sarah’s womb was dead” (Rom. 4:19). Of this man, whose body became dead at the age of a hundred years, and who begat Isaac more by the power of faith than by the power of his body, it is said in Scripture that he took a wife by the name of Keturah, and begat more sons, when he was, in all probability, one hundred and thirty-seven years old (cf. Gen. 25:1 ff.), for it is written that his wife Sarah was ten years younger than him. And since Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years, then, obviously, Abraham was more than one hundred and thirty-seven when he took Keturah as his wife. And what follows from this? Should we assume the impulse of the flesh in the patriarch? And should it be considered that the one about whom it is said: “His body, almost a hundred years old, is already dead,” has now been reborn for passion? Or, as we have repeated more than once, before the marriages of the patriarchs pointed to something mysterious and sacred, as is suggested in the words of the one who said about wisdom: “I decided to take her into cohabitation with me” (Wisdom 8:9)? Perhaps even then Abraham thought about the same thing, and although he was wise, for the same reason, he knew that there is no end to wisdom and age does not set a limit to knowledge. Can a person who has become accustomed to marrying in the manner that we spoke about above, in other words, who is accustomed to having virtue as his wife, refuse such a union? For the death of Sarah is understood as the realization of virtue. But a man of perfect virtue must always remain in knowledge, and in Divine language this knowledge is called wife. Therefore, I think that an unmarried person or a barren person is subject to a curse according to the law, for it is said about him: “Cursed is he who leaves no seed in Israel” (cf. Deut. 7:14; 25:5-10). But if we assume that these words are spoken about physical seed, then, apparently, all virgins of the Church fall under this curse. And what can I say about the virgins of the Church? John himself, the greater of whom “did not rise from those born of women” (Matthew 11:11), and many other saints did not leave physical seed, since it is not even written that they were married. But they certainly left spiritual seed and spiritual sons, and each of them had wisdom as his wife, just as Paul begot sons through the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 4:15). Therefore Abraham, being old and dead in body, took Keturah as his wife. I think that, based on what we talked about above, it is better if a wife is taken when the body is dead, when the members of the earth are mortified (cf. Col. 3:5), for our consciousness is much more capable of wisdom when we “carry in the body the deadness of the Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:10). Abraham, now a very old man, took Keturah as his wife, whose name means “thymiama” - “aroma”, “fragrance”. By this he undoubtedly conveyed the same thing that the Apostle Paul said: “We are the aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15). But let's see how someone becomes the "scent of Christ." Sin is a disgusting thing. Sinners are compared to pigs who wallow in sin like in dung. And David, as a repentant sinner, says: “My wounds stink and fester because of my madness” (Ps. 37:6). 2. Therefore, if there is someone among you in whom there is not the stench of sin, but the aroma of righteousness, the sweetness of mercy, if someone, praying “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17), always brings the aroma of incense to the Lord, says: “Let my prayer be like incense before Thy face, the lifting of my hands like the evening sacrifice” (Ps. 140:2), then such a one has married Keturah. I consider this interpretation of the marriage of elders more appropriate; therefore, the alliances that the patriarchs entered into in their old age should be understood sublimely. I think that in this sense the need to produce children should also be understood, because young men are not as well suited for such marriages and such offspring as older ones. For to the extent that a person is weak in the flesh, to the same extent he will be stronger in the virtue of the soul and more suitable for the embrace of wisdom. So the righteous Elkanah, as the Scripture says, had two wives at once, one of whom was called Pennan, and the other Anna, that is, “conversion” and “grace.” And first he had children from Peninnah, that is, conversion, and then from Hannah, that is, from grace (cf. 1 Samuel 1:1ff). And truly Holy Scripture shows the perfection of the saints allegorically, through marriages. Therefore, if you want, you can become a husband in such a marriage. For example, if you are hospitable, then hospitality will appear in the form of your wife. If in addition to this you care about the poor, then it will appear as if you took a second wife. And if you add patience, kindness and other virtues to this, it turns out that you have taken as many wives as you have virtues. Therefore, Scripture tells us that some patriarchs had many wives at the same time, while others took other wives when the previous ones died (cf. Gen. 25:1). The purpose of this is to allegorically show that some can have many virtues at the same time; others cannot acquire the next one until they perfect the previous one. Thus, it is said that King Solomon had many wives at the same time (cf. Song 6:8), and about him the Lord said: “There will be no one like you among the kings all your days” (1 Kings 3:13). Therefore, the Lord gave him prudence in abundance, “like the sand that is on the seashore” (Gen. 22:17), so that he could govern his people, and for this reason he had many virtues at once. Truly, if we are edified by something other than the law of God, and draw knowledge that comes from outside, from the world - for example, we study literature or the theory of grammar, geometry or mathematics, or even dialectics - and all this, brought from outside, is added to our teaching and made statements of our law, then, obviously, we take as spouses either foreign wives or “concubines” (cf. Song 6:8). And if we can turn away from such a union and convert to faith those who contradict us, and if, using their own argumentation and skill, we convince them to accept the true philosophy of Christ, true communion with Christ and the piety of God, then we will give birth to sons from dialectic or rhetoric, as if from foreign wives or concubines. Thus, advanced age does not prevent one from producing such sons. On the contrary, the birth of pure offspring is more typical of mature age. Therefore, Abraham, being, as the Scripture says, “old and advanced in years,” takes Keturah as his wife. And indeed, based on what is said in the literal sense, it is impossible not to notice which descendants and which clans came from Keturah. And if we do not forget about this, it will be easier for us to understand what is said in Scripture about various nations. For example, when it is said that Moses took as his wife the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian, and Midian is the son of Abraham and Keturah (cf. Gen. 25:2). Thus, we learn that Moses' wife is from the seed of Abraham, and not a foreigner. And also, when it is said about Kidar (cf. Jer. 49:28), one should know that Kidar comes from the descendants of Keturah and Abraham (cf. Gen. 25:13). 10 But you will find something similar in the family of Ishmael. If you look carefully at these stories, you will see something in them that others do not notice. But let's put them aside for now and hurry to what we read next. 3. “After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. Isaac lived by the well of vision 11” (Gen. 25:11). What can we add about the death of Abraham to what the Lord said in the Gospel: “And about the dead, that they will rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how God said to him at the bush: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living” (Mark 12:26–27). So let us also choose that death about which the Apostle says: “Consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God” (Rom. 6:11). For the death of Abraham should be understood in such a way that it expanded his bosom so much that all the saints who came from the four corners of the earth could be carried “by the angels into Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). But now let's see how after his death “God blessed Isaac” and what this blessing is. It is said: “After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. Isaac lived by the well of vision” (Gen. 25:11). The Lord blessed Isaac with a complete blessing: he could abide “at the well of vision.” This is a great blessing for the one who understands it. If only the Lord would give me such a blessing so that I could “live by the well of vision”! Which people can know and understand what “the vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz” was (Is. 1:1)? Who among the people can know what vision the prophet Nahum had (Nahum.1:1ff)? Who can understand what was the vision that Jacob saw at Bethel when he was on his way to Mesopotamia and said: “This is none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven” (Gen. 28:17)? And if one can know and understand every single vision, or what is said in the law and the prophets, one can be "at the well of vision." But consider more carefully that Isaac was worthy to receive such a great blessing from the Lord that he could live “by the well of vision.” Will we ever be able to at least pass by this “well of vision”? He deserved to stay and live in the vision; and we are so little enlightened by the grace of God that we can hardly comprehend or guess what even one vision means. If, however, I could comprehend even one meaning of the visions of God, then it was as if I had spent one day “at the well of vision.” And if I can touch not only what is according to the word, but also what is according to the spirit, I will, as it were, spend two days “at the well of vision.” But if, in addition to this, I touch on the moral side, it was as if I spent three days with him. Or even if I could not understand everything, then I, nevertheless, remain in the Divine Scripture and reflect on the law of the Lord “day and night” (Ps. 1:2) and at no time cease to seek, reason, study and, of course, most importantly, pray to God and ask for understanding from the One who admonishes the nations (cf. Ps. 94:10), and as if I live “at the well of vision.” But if I am careless and do not study the word of God at home, nor often go to church to hear this word, which I sometimes observe among you, those who attend church only on holidays, then I will not be able to remain “at the well of vision.” But I am afraid that the careless, even when they come to church, do not drink water from the source and do not quench their thirst, but are completely occupied with the thoughts of their hearts, which they bring with them, and leave the wells of the Holy Scriptures, feeling no less thirsty. So hasten to act so that this blessing of the Lord comes to you too, so that you too can live “by the well of vision,” so that the Lord will open your eyes and you will see the “well of vision” and be able to draw from it “living water” (Gen. 26:19) and it will become in you “a source of water flowing into eternal life” (John 4:14). But if someone rarely goes to church, rarely draws from the sources of Holy Scripture and, leaving the church, immediately forgets everything he heard there and is completely occupied with other things, then such a person does not remain “at the well of vision.” Would you like me to show you someone who never leaves the “well of vision”? This is the Apostle Paul, who said: “But with unveiled face we all behold, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18). So you too, if you constantly seek prophetic visions, if you constantly strive to know, if you begin to reflect on them and abide in them, then you too will receive a blessing from the Lord and will live “at the well of vision.” For the Lord Jesus Christ will appear to you “on the road” and will open the Scriptures to you, so that you too can say: “Didn’t our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). But He appears only to those who think about Him, meditate on Him and live in His law “day and night” (Ps. 1:2). To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XII. About Rebekah's pregnancy and birth 1. We must pray to the Father of the Word that “when they read Moses” (2 Cor. 3:15), He will fulfill in us what is written in the psalm: “Open my eyes, and I will see the wonders of Your law” (Ps. 119:18). For if He Himself does not open our eyes, then how will we see those great mysteries that were handed down to us in the patriarchs and expressed either in the images of wells, or through marriages, or through births, or even through infertility? In the meantime, we read: “And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord heard him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The sons began to beat in her womb” (Gen. 25:21–22). First of all, think about why many holy women in Scripture are said to be barren: Sarah herself, and now Rebecca (cf. Gen. 11:30). And Rachel, the beloved of Israel, was barren (cf. Gen. 29:31). It is also said that Hannah, the mother of Samuel, was barren (cf. 1 Samuel 1:2). And in the Gospels it is written that Elizabeth was barren (cf. Luke 1:7). But in all these examples it is found that after barrenness they all gave birth to saints. So, it is said that Rebekah was barren, but “Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife... and the Lord heard him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The sons began to beat in her womb” (Gen. 25:21–22). Look - a barren woman conceived. The sons of a barren woman “began to fight” before they were born. She who despairs of having descendants carries tribes and peoples in her womb. For it is said this way: “And she went to ask the Lord. The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two different nations will come out of your womb” (Gen. 25:22-23). You can talk for a long time about how your sons began to fight while still in the womb. It will take a lot of time to tell about those interpretations and riddles that the Apostle writes about, what secrets they contain, what meaning they contain; why is it said about them: “When they were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad” (Rom. 9:11); “one nation will become stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23); why, even before they came out of their mother’s womb, the prophet said: “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau” (Mal. 1:2-3). These questions exceed both my ability to speak and your ability to listen. 2. Let us now see what the following statement about Rebekah means: “And she went to inquire of the Lord” (Gen. 25:22). “And off she went.” Where? Moved from the place where the Lord was not to where He was? This seems to be what is meant when it says, “And she went to inquire of the Lord.” Isn't the Lord everywhere? Didn’t He Himself say: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord" (Jer. 23:24)? So where did Rebekah go then? I think that she moved not from one place to another, but from one way of life to another, from one action to another, from good to better; she went from useful to even more useful; she hurried from the saint to the even more holy. For it is absurd to suppose that Rebekah, brought up in the house of wise Abraham by her learned husband Isaac, was so ignorant as to think that God was imprisoned in some place and that she could go there and ask Him what it meant that “the sons began to beat in her womb.” Do you want to see that the saints, when they see something revealed to them by God, say that they either walk or cross over? When Moses saw the thorn bush burning but not being consumed, he was amazed at the sight and said, “I will go and see this great sight” (Ex. 3:3). He, of course, also did not mean that he would go to some place, climb the mountains or descend into the valley. The vision was next to him, in his eyes and on his face. However, he says, “I will go,” to show that he, irresistibly impelled by this heavenly vision, must move on to a higher and better life than the one he led before. That is why it is said about Rebekah that she “went to inquire of the Lord” (Gen. 25:22), for, as we have already said, it was assumed that she would make the transition not by the steps of her feet, but by perfecting her mind. So you too can go “inquire of the Lord” if you begin to look “not at what is seen, but at what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18), in other words, not at the material, but at the spiritual, not at the present, but the future. If you reject your former habits and refuse to make friends with those with whom you previously led a shameful and vicious life, but you do honest and godly deeds, when they look for you in shameful companies and do not find you and never see you in a crowd of criminals, then they will say about you: “And he went to inquire of the Lord” (cf. Gen. 25:22). Thus, the saints do not move from one place to another, but from one way of life to another, from initial instructions to more perfect teachings. 3. So God said to Rebekah, “Two tribes are in your womb, and two different nations will come out of your womb; one nation will become stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23). How “one nation will become stronger than the other,” in other words, the Church will become stronger than the synagogue, and how “the greater will serve the lesser,” is known even to the Jews themselves, although they do not believe it. Therefore, I consider it unnecessary to talk about things that are known and too obvious to everyone. But let us say this for the teaching and instruction of everyone who hears these words. I think that about each of us individually we can say that there are two tribes and two peoples within us. For in us there is both a people of virtues and no less a people of vices. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy” (Matthew 15:19), as well as “idolatry, sorcery, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, factions, dissensions, temptations, heresies, hatred, murders, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and the like” (Gal. 5:20–21). Do you see how great a people of vices we are? And if we deserve to utter the words of the Holy Spirit: “For the sake of Thy fear, O Lord, we received in the womb and suffered in childbirth and gave birth; We have filled the Spirit of Your salvation on earth” (Is. 26:18) 12, then another people, born in the spirit, will be found in us. For “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23) and the like. As you can see, there is another people in us, but this one is smaller, and the other one is larger. For there are always more bad people than good ones, and vices are more numerous than virtues. But if we are like Rebekah and are worthy to conceive from Isaac, that is, from the word of God, then “one nation will become stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23) even in us, for the flesh will serve the spirit, and vices will yield to virtues. It further says: “And the time came for her to give birth: and behold, twins were in her womb” (Gen. 25:24). This statement, that is, “the time has come for her to give birth,” is almost never found in Scripture and applies only to holy women. For this is said about Rebecca, about Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (cf. Luke 1:57), and about Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 2:16). Therefore, as I see it, such a birth reveals something supernatural, beyond the capabilities of other people. Apparently, when it is said that the time has come, this indicates the birth of a perfect offspring. 4. “The first one came out red, all over, like a skin, hairy 13; and they called his name Esau. Then his brother came out, holding Esau’s heel with his hand; and his name was called Jacob” (Gen. 25:25–26). In another place of Scripture it is said about this that “even in his mother’s womb he [Jacob] kicked his brother” (Hos. 12:3), and evidence of this is that his hand squeezed the heel of his brother Esau. Esau came out of his mother’s womb “like skin, hairy” (Gen. 25:25), and Jacob was clean and smooth. That is why Jacob is called by this name, 14 and Esau - as those who interpret Hebrew names say - received his name either from redness or from earth, that is, "red" or "earthly", or, as others think, his name can mean "something created." But it is not for me to argue about what the predominant right of birth is, why one “kicked his brother” and was born pure and smooth, although, of course, both sons, according to the Apostle, were conceived “of Isaac our father” (Rom. 9:10), or why the other was born “like a skin, hairy,” shaggy and, so to speak, mired in the abomination of sin and vice. For if I want to dig deeper to discover the hidden streams of “living water” (Gen. 26:19), then the Philistines will immediately appear and begin to fight with me, begin to argue and make malicious accusations against me and fill up my wells with their earth and dirt. For, undoubtedly, if these Philistines would allow it, I would approach my Lord, my most patient Jesus, who says: “Him who comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37), and I would ask Him, as His disciples once did: “Teacher! who sinned, he or his parents” (John 9:2), that Esau was born “like a skin, hairy” and shaggy, that he was kicked by his brother in the womb? But if I want to find out about this from the word of God and ask, the Philistines will immediately begin to scold and viciously accuse me. And therefore, let’s leave this well, calling it “Enmity,” and begin to dig another one. 5. Then it says: “And Isaac sowed in the land, and that year he received barley a hundredfold: so the Lord blessed him. And the man became great and increased more and more until he became very great” (Gen. 26:12-13). Why did Isaac sow barley, and not wheat, and received a blessing, for he sowed barley, and was exalted “until he became very great”? It seems that he was not great, but after he sowed and harvested “barley a hundredfold,” he “became very great.” Barley is food mainly for livestock or peasants, because it is a rougher plant and can prick anyone who touches it with its sharp tips. Isaac is the word of God, who sows barley in the law, and wheat in the Gospel. One food is for the perfect and spiritual, the other is for the inexperienced and unenlightened, for it is said: “Thou preservest man and beast, O Lord” (Ps. 35:7). Therefore, Isaac, as the word of the law, sows barley and in this very barley finds fruit “a hundredfold” (Matthew 13:8). For even in the law you will find martyrs who bore fruit “a hundredfold.” So our Lord, Isaac of the Gospel, spoke to the apostles about more complex and perfect things, and to the people about simple and understandable things (cf. Matt. 13:34). But do you want to see that even He offers barley to beginners? It is said in the Gospels that He fed the people a second time (cf. Matt. 15:32ff.). Those whom He fed for the first time, that is, the beginners, He satisfied with barley loaves (cf. John 6:9). But later, when by that time they had grown in word and doctrine, He gives them wheat bread. And after this it is said: “The Lord blessed him [Isaac]. And the man became great” (Gen. 26:12–13). In the law Isaac was insignificant, but in time he becomes great. Over time, he becomes great in prophets. For while he remains in the law alone, he is not yet great, since a veil lies over him. Therefore, he does not yet grow into prophets; but when he reaches the point where he throws off this veil, then he becomes “very great.” When the letter of the law begins to be separated like chaff from barley, and it turns out that “the law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14), then Isaac is exalted and becomes “very great.” For notice that in the Gospels the Lord also breaks several loaves; notice how many thousands of people He feeds and how many pieces remain (cf. Matt. 14:19ff., 15:36ff., 16:9). As long as the loaves remain whole, no one can get enough of them, and the loaves themselves do not multiply. So, see how we break a few loaves: we take a few words from the Divine Scripture, and many thousands of people are fed. But if these breads are not broken, if the disciples of Christ do not grind them into pieces, in other words, if the letter is not divided into small parts and examined, its meaning cannot reach everyone. But when we begin to study and discuss each individual issue, then the people will learn as much as they can. And what cannot be will be collected and stored, “so that nothing is lost” (John 6:12). So we save what “the people” cannot accept, and collect it in baskets and boxes. 15 For a little while ago, when we broke bread for Jacob and Esau, how many pieces of this bread were left? Let's see what pieces we have carefully collected so that they do not go to waste, and what we store in baskets until the Lord commands what will happen to them. But now let us fill ourselves as much as possible with this bread or draw water from the wells. Let us also try to do what Wisdom advises us, saying: “Drink the water from your cistern and the water that flows from your well” (Prov. 5:15). So try, O listener, to find your well and your source, so that when you take the book of the Holy Scriptures in your hands, you would begin with your own understanding in order to understand the true meaning, and, in relation to what you learn in the Church, try to drink from the source of your abilities. You have within you a source of “living water” (Gen. 26:19) and inexhaustible streams of rational understanding, unless they are clogged with dirt and debris. So dig your soil and clear away your rubbish, in other words, eliminate the laziness of your natural gifts and drive idleness out of your heart. Listen to what the Scripture says: “He who strikes the eye brings forth tears, and he who strikes the heart arouses a painful feeling” (Sir.22:21). So you, too, purify your natural abilities, so that someday you too can drink from your springs and draw living water from your wells. For if you receive the word of God into yourself, if you take living water from Jesus and accept it with faith, then it will become “a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (John 4:14), in you, in Jesus Christ Himself, our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XIII. About the wells that Isaac dug and the Philistines filled in 1. We are constantly faced with the usual work of the patriarchs associated with wells. Look, the Scripture tells us that Isaac, after “the Lord blessed him” and he “became very great” (Gen. 26:12–13), did a great job. And he began, as the text says, to dig wells, “the wells that his father’s servants had dug during the life of his father Abraham, the Philistines filled them up and covered them with earth” (Gen. 26:15). At first, “Isaac lived by the well of vision” (Gen. 25:11), and, being enlightened by the well of vision, he began to open other wells, but at first not new ones, but those that his father, Abraham, had dug. And when he dug the first well, it is said that “the Philistines began to envy him” (Gen. 26:14). However, their jealousy did not stop him, nor did he yield to their envy, but, as it is said: “And Isaac dug again the wells of water that were dug in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines filled up after the death of Abraham; and he called them by the same names that his father called them” (Gen. 26:18). Thus, he dug up those wells that his father had dug and which the wickedness of the Philistines had filled with earth. He dug other, new wells “in the valley of Gerar” - not himself, of course, but his servants, “and they found there a well of living water” (Gen. 26:19). But “the shepherds of Gerar argued with the shepherds of Isaac, saying, ‘The water is ours. And he called the name of the well Unrighteousness, because they dealt him unrighteously” (Gen. 26:20). Isaac withdrew from their malice and dug “another well; they also argued about him; and he called its name Enmity. And he moved from here and dug another well, about which they no longer argued, and called its name: Space, for, he said, now the Lord has given us a spacious place, and we will multiply on the earth” (Gen. 26:21-22). The holy Apostle said well when he discussed the power of the mysteries: “And who is capable of this?” (2 Cor. 2:16). And in a similar way - no, rather, very dissimilar, to the extent that we are below him - we, too, seeing such great depths in the mystery of the wells, say: “And who is capable of this?” For who can explain, as it should be, either the secrets of the great wells, or the secrets of what is said to have been done for these wells, unless we call on the Father of the living Word and He Himself deigns to put words in our mouths, so that we can draw up at least a little “living water” (Gen. 26:19) for you, who are thirsty to drink from these wells, which are so abundant and numerous? 2. So, there are wells that Abraham's servants dug, but the Philistines filled them up with earth. Therefore, Isaac first cleanses these wells. The Philistines hate water; they love the earth. Isaac loves water; he is constantly looking for wells; he clears out old wells and digs new ones. Look at our Isaac, who "gave Himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5:2), coming into the valley of Gerar, which means "wall" or "barrier," coming, I say, to destroy "the wall that stood in the midst, having abolished the hostility in His flesh" (Eph. 2:14-15), coming to remove the wall that stands between us and the heavenly virtues, that He might He made “both one” (Eph. 2:14) and carried the lost sheep back to the mountains (cf. Matt. 18:12) on his shoulders and added it to the ninety-nine who were not lost (cf. Luke 15:5–6). Thus, this Isaac - our Savior - when he enters the valley of Gerar, wants first of all to dig up those wells that His Father's servants dug; He, of course, wants to renew the wells of the law and the prophets, which the Philistines filled up with earth. Who are they, those who fill up wells with earth? Without a doubt, those who give earthly and carnal interpretations of the law and prevent spiritual and mystical interpretations, so that they themselves do not drink and do not allow others to drink. Listen to what our Isaac, the Lord Jesus Christ, says in the Gospels: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you close the Kingdom of Heaven to men, for you yourselves do not enter, and you do not allow those who want to enter” (Matthew 23:13, cf. Luke 11:52). These are the ones who fill up the wells dug by Abraham's servants with earth; those who teach the law carnally and poison the waters of the Holy Spirit, who need wells not so that they can draw water from them, but so that they can throw earth into them. That's why Isaac digs these wells. Let's see how he does it. When the servants of Isaac, who are the apostles of our Lord, passed through the sown fields on the Sabbath, then, as it is said, “they plucked the ears of corn and ate them, rubbing them with their hands” (Luke 6:1). Then those who filled up His Father’s wells with earth “said to Him, Behold, Your disciples are doing what ought not to be done on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:2). In order to reveal their earthly understanding, He says to them: “Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? how did he enter the house of God and eat the showbread, which neither he nor those who were with him were to eat, but only the priests?” (Matthew 12:3–4). And he adds to what has been said: “If you knew what it means: I want mercy, and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent” (Matthew 12:7). And what do they answer to these words? They begin to argue with His disciples and say: “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16). In the same way, Isaac digs up the wells that his father’s servants had dug. Moses, who dug the well of the law, was his Father's servant; David and Solomon and the prophets were slaves of their Father, as were those who wrote the books of the Old Testament, which the Jews filled with earthly understanding. When Isaac wanted to clear this understanding and showed that everything said in the law and the prophets was said about Him, the Philistines began to argue with Him. But He leaves them, because He cannot be with those who want the wells to contain not water, but earth; and says to them: “Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:38). Therefore, Isaac also digs new wells, that is, Isaac’s servants dig them. Isaac's slaves - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; His servants - Peter, James, Judas; and the Apostle Paul is also His servant. They are all digging the wells of the New Testament. But those who “mind their minds on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19), do not allow anything new to be established or the old to be cleared away, also argue about these wells. They resist the wells of the gospel; they oppose the apostolic wells. And since they oppose in everything, since they do not agree in everything, it is said to them: “But because you reject it [the word of God] and make yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:46). 3. After this, Isaac dug a third well “and called its name Expanse, for,” he said, “now the Lord has given us a spacious place, and we will multiply in the earth” (Gen. 26:22). Truly now Isaac has spread, and His name has been magnified throughout the whole earth, for He has revealed to us the knowledge of the Trinity. And if in those days God was known only “in Judea,” “His name was great” only in Israel (Ps. 75:2), but now “their sound goes throughout the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Ps. 18:5). For Isaac’s servants went throughout the whole earth, dug wells and showed living water to everyone, “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). For “the earth is the Lord’s, and what fills it, the world and everything that lives in it” (Ps. 23:1). But each of us who serves the word of God digs wells and seeks living water with which he renews his listeners. Therefore, if I begin to reflect on the words of the ancients and look for spiritual meaning in them, if I try to remove the veil from the law and show that in what is written “there is an allegory” (Gal. 4:24), then I will truly dig wells. But immediately the friends of the letter will begin to angrily accuse me and lay snares for me; they will begin to quarrel with me and poison me, claiming that the truth can only be on earth. But if we are servants of Isaac, then let us love the wells and springs of living water. Let's move away from those who love to argue and make malicious accusations, and leave them to bury themselves in the land they love so much. We will never stop digging wells of living water. And, discussing the old and the new, let us be like that scribe of the Gospels, about whom the Lord said that he “brings out of his treasury new and old” (Matthew 13:52). But if someone trained in worldly sciences hears my instructions, he will perhaps say: “What you are talking about belongs to us and is the knowledge of our science. The very eloquence with which you reason and teach is ours.” And like some Philistine, he will begin to argue with me, saying: “You are digging a well in my land.” And he will consider himself right that he considers what is in his land to be his. To this I answer that there is water all over the earth, but the Philistines, those who “mind their minds on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19), do not know how to find water in all the earth, do not know how to gain rational understanding and the likeness of God in every soul, do not know how to discover in everything what can become faith, piety and holiness. What is the use of having knowledge but not being able to use it, of having words but not being able to speak? This is exactly what Isaac’s servants do - they dig “wells of living water” in every land, in other words, they preach the “word of God” to every soul and receive fruit. Do you want to see how many wells one servant of Isaac dug in foreign lands? Look at Paul, who spread the gospel of Christ “from Jerusalem and the surrounding area to Illyricum” (Rom. 15:19). But for each of these wells he suffered persecution from the Philistines. Listen to him himself: “What persecutions I suffered in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra” (2 Tim. 3:11) or in Ephesus (cf. 1 Cor. 15:32). How many times did he suffer beatings; how many times did they stone him (cf. 2 Cor. 11:25), how many times did he fight with beasts? But he suffered until he came “to a wide place” (2 Samuel 22:20, Ps. 17:20), in other words, until he established the Church throughout the space of the whole earth. So, the wells dug by Abraham, that is, the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, are covered with earth by the Philistines, or false teachers, scribes and Pharisees, or even hostile forces; and their streams were stopped, so that those of Abraham could not drink from them. For these people cannot drink from the Scriptures, but are thirsty "to hear the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11), until Isaac comes and digs them up so that His servants can drink. Therefore, we are grateful to Christ, the Son of Abraham, about whom it is written: “The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), who came and opened these wells for us. For He revealed them to those who said: “Did not our heart burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He explained the Scripture to us?” (Luke 24:32). So, He opened these wells and, as it is written, “called them by the same names that his father called them” (Gen. 26:18). For He did not change the names of these wells. It is surprising that among us Moses is called Moses, and each of the prophets is called by his own name. For Christ did not change their names, but their understanding. And He changed it so that henceforth we would not listen to “Jewish fables” (Titus 1:14) and “endless genealogies” (1 Tim. 1:4), for “they will turn away their ears from the truth and turn to fables” (2 Tim. 4:4). Therefore, He opened wells and taught us not to look for God in any particular place, but to know that “in every place they will offer incense to My name, a pure sacrifice” (Mal. 1:11). For “the time has come when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father,” but “the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:21, 23). Thus, God does not dwell in some place or in some country, but in the heart. And if you seek the abode of God, His abode is a pure heart. For He says that He will abide in it when through the mouth of the prophet He proclaims: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Lev.26:12, 2Cor.6:16). Think about the fact that perhaps in the soul of each of us there is a “well of living water”, there is some heavenly perception, a hidden image of God, and the Philistines, that is, hostile forces, fill this well with earth. What land? Carnal perception and earthly thoughts, and thus we bear “the image of earthy things” (1 Cor. 15:49). Therefore, when we “bear the image of dust,” the Philistines filled up our wells with earth. But now, after our Isaac has come, let us accept His coming and dig up our wells, throw out the earth from them, cleanse them from all garbage, from all dirty earthly thoughts, and open in them that living water about which the Lord says: “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Look how great is the generosity of the Lord: the Philistines filled up our wells and blocked our streams of water, but instead springs will open for us and rivers will flow. 4. Therefore, if you, having heard these words today, accept with faith what was said, Isaac will work in you too, cleansing your hearts from earthly things, and, seeing these mysteries, which are too great to lie hidden in the Divine Scripture, you will grow in understanding and begin to improve in spiritual perception. You yourself will become teachers, and “rivers of living water” will flow from you. For the Word of God has come, and It can remove the earth from the soul of each of you and open your sources. For It is within you, and does not come from without, just as “the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Likewise, a woman who has lost a drachma finds it not on the street, but in her home, after she lights a candle and sweeps the room (cf. Luke 15:8) to remove the dirt and debris that has accumulated for a long time due to idleness and despondency, and then she finds her lost drachma. So you too, if you light a lamp, if you turn to the illumination of the Holy Spirit and see the light in His light (cf. Ps. 35:10), then you will find the drachma in yourself. For the image of the Heavenly King will be found in you. After all, when God created man, He created him in His image and likeness (cf. Gen. 1:26), and God did not place His image outside man, but in him. And this image was not visible in you while your house was full of dirt and garbage. This source of knowledge was in you, but water could not flow from it, since the Philistines covered it with earth and placed in it “an image of earthy” (1 Cor. 15:49). And at that time you really carried within you the “image of heavenly things,” but now that you have heard about all this, when the Word of God has cleansed you from all this mass of earth that lay like a heavy burden on your heart, make the “image of heavenly things” sparkle brightly in you. This is the image about which the Father said to the Son: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). This image was painted by the Son of God. And since He is a great artist, His image can be clouded by your negligence, but cannot be destroyed by evil. For the image of God always remains in you, even if you paint on top of it the “image of earth.” You paint this picture within yourself. And when fornication darkens you, you bring into it one earthly color. But if, in addition to this, you are burned by greed, then you mix in another color. And when at the same time anger inflames your blood, you add a third color. Another shade of purple comes from pride, another from wickedness. And so with each individual vice, which brings its own color to the general palette, you yourself paint in yourself the “image of earthy things” that God did not create in you. Therefore, we must pray to the One who said through the mouth of the prophet: “I will blot out your iniquities like a cloud, and your sins like a cloud” (Is. 44:22). And when He erases in you all the purple-tinged colors of wickedness that you have collected on your canvas, then the image created by God will shine brightly in you. Thus you see how the Divine Scriptures offer forms and images by which the soul can learn to know or purify itself. Would you like to see another form of this image? Some letters are written by God, others we write ourselves. We write the letters of sin. Listen to what the Apostle says: “Having destroyed the handwriting that was against us, which was against us, He took it out of the way and nailed it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). What he calls manuscripts are the bonds of our sins. For each of us, in what we have done, has become a debtor and has written lists of our sins. So the prophet Daniel, describing the judgment of God, says: “The judges sat down, and the books were opened” (Dan.7:10); These books, without a doubt, contain the sins of men. So we ourselves create these manuscripts by what we do. An image of this is also what is said in the Gospel about the “unfaithful steward” (cf. Luke 16:8). To the one who owes a hundred measures of wheat, he says: “Take your receipt and write: eighty” (Luke 16:7) and so on. You see that he says to everyone: “Take your receipt.” From this it is clear that our receipts are the handwritings of sins, but God writes the handwritings of righteousness. For the Apostle says: “You are our letter, written in our hearts... not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh of the heart” (2 Cor. 3:2-3). Therefore, you carry within you the writings of God and the writings of the Holy Spirit. But when you sin, you write the handwriting of sin within yourself. But notice that when you approach the Cross of Christ and the grace of baptism, your handwriting is attached to the Cross and washed away with the water of baptism. Do not rewrite what has been erased, do not restore what has been destroyed, keep within yourself only the handwritings of God. Let only the Scriptures of the Holy Spirit remain in you. But let us return to Isaac and dig with him “wells of living water.” Even if the Philistines oppose, even if they argue and scold, let us stubbornly dig wells with him, so that they will say about us: “Drink the water from your reservoir and the water that flows from your well” (Proverbs 5:15). And let us dig so many of them that the waters from these wells will flow throughout the streets (cf. Prov. 5:16), so that our knowledge of the Scriptures will be sufficient not only for us, but so that we can teach and instruct others, so that both people will drink and cattle will drink. Let the wise listen, let the unsophisticated listen, for the teacher of the Church is indebted to “the wise and the ignorant” (Rom. 1:14). He must give drink to both people and cattle, for the prophet also said: “Thou preservest men and beasts, O Lord!” (Ps.35:7). The Lord Jesus Christ our Savior Himself enlightens us and purifies our hearts, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XIV. On the fact that the Lord appeared to Isaac at the well of the oath, and on the covenant made with Abimelech 1. It was said in the prophets on behalf of the Lord: “I spoke to the prophets, and multiplied visions, and through the prophets used parables” (Hos. 12:10). This statement means the following: although our Lord Jesus Christ is one in His essence and is none other than the Son of God, nevertheless, He appears various and diverse in the images and symbols of the Holy Scripture. For example, as far as I remember, we explained above that Isaac, when he was offered as a burnt offering, was a prototype of Christ Himself. But He is also symbolized by the ram. Next, I will say that He appears in the form of an angel, Who talks with Abraham and says to him: “Do not lift up your hand against the child” (Gen. 22:12), for He says to him: “Because you have done this deed, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will bless you with blessing” (Gen. 22:16-17). He is said to be the sheep or lamb sacrificed at Passover (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7), He appears as the good shepherd of His sheep (John 10:11, 14; Heb. 13:20), He is described as a high priest offering sacrifices (Heb. 5:1-5). The Word of God is also called the Bridegroom (cf. Matthew 9:15), just as the prophet speaks on His behalf: “He clothed me with the robe of salvation, He clothed me with the robe of righteousness, as He placed a crown on a groom, and adorned me with ornaments like a bride” (Isa. 61:10), and with many other names, listing which would take too much time. And just as the Lord Himself chooses His appearance depending on the time, place and specific conditions, so the saints who served as His prototypes should be considered symbols of the mysteries in accordance with the place, time and specific conditions, as we see in Isaac, about whom we read: “Thence he passed to the well of the oath. And that night the Lord appeared to him and said: I am the God of Abraham thy father; Fear not, for I am with you; and I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of Abraham my servant” (Gen. 26:23–24). The Apostle Paul presents us with two images of Isaac: one - about which he said that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, symbolizes people according to the flesh, and Isaac - according to the promise (cf. Gal. 4:23); the other - about which he said: “It is not said: and to descendants, as if many, but as if one: and to your seed, which is Christ” (Gal. 3:16). Thus, Isaac symbolizes both people and Christ. Christ is definitely spoken of as the Word of God, not only in the Gospels, but also in the law and the prophets. But in the law He teaches beginners, and in the Gospels He teaches perfect ones. Therefore Isaac personifies the Word which is in the law or the prophets. 2. “From there he went to the well of the oath. And that night the Lord appeared to him” (Gen. 26:23–24). We have also already said that the decoration of the church and the services held in it was an exaltation of the law. The rise of the prophets can also be called the rise of the law. And perhaps for this reason it is said that Isaac went over to the well of the oath, and it is said that the Lord appeared to him there. For through the prophets “the Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 109:4). Therefore, God appeared to him at the well of the oath, confirming the fulfillment of the promise He had made. “And he [Isaac] built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. And he pitched his tent there, and Isaac’s servants dug a well there” (Gen. 26:25). Isaac builds an altar while still in the law and pitches a tent, but in the Gospels he does not pitch a tent, but builds a house and lays the foundation. Listen to what Wisdom says about the Church: “Wisdom built herself a house, she hewed out its seven pillars” (Prov. 9:1). And Paul also speaks about this: “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). Thus, where there is a tent, even if it should be pitched, it will certainly collapse. But if a foundation is laid under a house and the house is built “on rock,” such a house will never fall, “because it was founded on rock” (Matthew 7:25). However, Isaac digs a well here too; he does not stop digging wells until he opens the source of living water and “the river streams will rejoice in the city of God” (Ps. 46:5). 3. And Abimelech, a man who formerly revered Abraham, now comes from Gerar with his friends to Isaac. “Isaac said to them: Why did you come to me, when you hated me and sent me away from you? They said: we have clearly seen that the Lord is with you, and therefore we said: let us put an oath between you and us and make a covenant with you so that you do not harm us” (Gen. 26:27-29) and so on. Abimelech, as I see it, was not always at peace with Isaac, but when he argued with him, and when he agreed. If you remember how we said above that Abimelech represents the learned and wise men of this world, who through the study of philosophy learned a lot, even about the truth, then you will be able to understand why he could neither always argue nor always agree with Isaac, who personifies the Word of God in the law. For philosophy neither contradicts everything said in the law of God, nor agrees with everything. Many philosophers write that there is one God who created everything. In this they agree with the law of God. Some philosophers add that God created everything and controls everything through His Word and everything is directed by the Word of God. In this they agree not only with the law, but also with the Gospels. In fact, almost all philosophy called moral or natural philosophy holds the same views as we do. But our opinions differ when she says that matter is co-eternal with God; when he denies that God is interested in the affairs of mortals, but declares that His providence extends to regions beyond the lunar sphere; when he claims that people's lives are determined by the position of the stars; when he assures that this world is eternal and has no end. And there is much more in which she either agrees with us or contradicts us. And therefore, in accordance with this image, Abimelech sometimes argues with Isaac, and when he agrees with him. However, I do not think that the Holy Spirit, who wrote this, without any purpose, said that two more came with Abimelech: “Ahuzath his friend, and Phichol his captain” (Gen. 26:26). Ochozath means “all-encompassing,” Phicol means “the mouth of all,” and the name Abimelech itself means “my father is the king.” In my opinion, these three men allegorically represent all philosophy, divided into three parts: logic, physics, ethics, in other words, rational, natural and moral philosophy. Rational - the one who recognizes that God is the father of everything; this is Abimelech. Natural is the one that embraces everything that exists and claims that it is subject to the forces of nature itself, and this is reflected through Ahuzath, whose name means “embracing.” Moral - one that applies to everyone and is on everyone’s lips due to the similarity of general concepts; and this is symbolized by Fihol, whose name means “the mouth of all.” So, all of them, heeding similar instructions, come to the law of God and say: “We clearly saw that the Lord is with you, and therefore we said: let us make an oath between you and us and enter into an alliance with you, so that you do not harm us, just as we did not touch you, but do you only good and let you go in peace; now you are blessed by the Lord” (Gen. 26:28–29). These three men, who seek peace from the Word of God and strive to establish friendship with Him through the covenant, in fact, can symbolize the wise men who came from the east, taught by the books of their fathers and the instructions of their ancestors and who said: “We have seen a king born” (cf. Matt. 2:2) “and we have clearly seen that the Lord” is with Him (cf. Gen. 26:28), “and we have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). But if someone has been taught by similar instructions, seeing that “God in Christ reconciled the world to himself” (2 Cor. 5:19), and is delighted with the greatness of His deeds, let him say: “We have clearly seen that the Lord is with you, and therefore we said: let us put an oath between us and you” (Gen. 26:28), for, approaching the law of God, he will certainly say: “I I have sworn to keep Your righteous judgments, and I will fulfill them” (Ps. 119:106). 4. But what are they looking for? “So that you do not harm us,” they say, “just as we did not touch you, but did you only good and sent you away in peace; now you are blessed by the Lord” (Gen. 26:29). It seems to me that with these words they asked for forgiveness of sins so as not to receive harm to them. They asked not for reward, but for blessing, for pay attention to what is said next: “He gave them a feast, and they ate and drank” (Gen. 26:30). He who serves the word is “indebted to Greeks and barbarians, to the wise and to the ignorant” (Rom. 1:14). And since the wise men came to him, it is said that he made not just a treat, but a feast. So you too, if you are no longer a “baby”, “nourished with milk”, and “senses are trained” (cf. Heb. 5:14) and gain the ability to understand the word of God after so many instructions have been given to you, then a “feast” will be made for you. You will not be offered the “vegetables” that the “weak” eat (cf. Rom. 14:2), you will not be given the milk that “babies” eat, but the servant of the word will make a feast for you and teach you the “wisdom” preached “among the perfect.” He will offer you “the wisdom of God, secret, hidden... which none of the authorities of this age has known” (1 Cor. 7-8). He will reveal Christ to you, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” ( Col. 2:3 ). So, he will make you a “feast” and will feast with you himself, if he does not find that you are one of those to whom it was said: “I could not speak to you, brethren, as to spiritual people, but as to carnal ones, as to babes in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). The Apostle said this to the Corinthians and also added: “For if there is envy, disputes and disagreements among you, are you not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:3). Paul did not “give them a feast,” but when he was with them and was in need, he was not a burden to anyone and did not eat anyone’s bread for free, but was engaged in “labor and labor night and day” (2 Thess. 3:8) and earned a living with his own hands both for himself and for those who were with him. The Corinthians were so far from feasting that the preacher of the word of God could not in the least degree or in any way have a feast with them. However, a great feast awaits those who have achieved perfection in the ability to listen, who have trained their senses by skill (cf. Heb. 5:14) to listen to the word of God. Isaac eats with them, and not just eats, but gets up “early in the morning” with an oath and promises them peace in the future (cf. Gen. 26:31). So let us also pray that we may hear the word of God with such a mind, with such faith, that He will consider us worthy and give us a feast. For “wisdom... killed the sacrifice, dissolved her wine... and sent her servants” (Prov. 9:1-3) so that they would call as many people to this feast as they could find. This is a great feast, and when we come to it, let us not put on the garments of foolishness, let us not put on the garments of unbelief or stained by sin, but in purity and simplicity of heart let us receive the word of God and serve Wisdom, who is Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homily XV. About what is said: “And they departed from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father, and told him, saying: Joseph lives, and now rules over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 45:25-26) 1. As you read Scripture, you should notice how the words “ascend” and “descend” are used in each particular passage. And if we look more closely, we will see that it is extremely rare that it is said about someone that he descended into some sacred place or ascended into a bad place. These observations show that the Divine Scripture is not written in a crude and undeveloped style, as many believe, but is brought in accordance with the teaching of Divine instructions and is devoted not so much to historical narratives as to mysterious concepts and ideas. Thus, it is written that those born of the seed of Abraham went down to Egypt and that the children of Israel came up from Egypt. Scripture says the same about Abraham himself: “And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the south” (Gen. 13:1). Further it is said about Isaac: “The Lord appeared to him and said: Do not go down to Egypt” (Gen. 26:2). And about the Ishmaelites, who carried “styrax, balm and incense,” descended from the seed of Abraham, it is said that they went down to Egypt, and Joseph also went down to Egypt with them (cf. Gen. 37:25 ff.). But after this it is said: “And Jacob knew that there was bread in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons: What are you looking at? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is bread in Egypt; go there and buy us bread from there, so that we may live and not die” (Gen. 42:1–2). Of course, when Simeon was left in Egypt, and his nine brothers were released and returned to their father, it is not said that they went up from Egypt, but it is said: “They put their bread on their donkeys, and went from there” (Gen. 42:26). For it can hardly be said that they ascended, since their brother remained in Egypt in bonds, and they were worried about him in mind and soul, bound, so to speak, by bonds of love. But when their brother was reunited with them and they recognized Joseph and after Benjamin appeared before them, when they returned with joy, then it is said: “And they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father” (Gen. 45:25). It was then that they told their father: “Joseph lives, and is now ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 45:26). Therefore, those who announced that Joseph was alive and “ruled over all the land of Egypt” are said to have ascended from low places to high places. This is what we can say so far about ascension and descent. All who are diligent can find even more statements of this kind in the Holy Scriptures. 2. Let's look at how we should understand the words that “Joseph your son lives” (Gen. 45:26). I don't think the literal meaning is meant here. After all, if we assume that he was overcome, for example, by voluptuousness and he sinned with his master’s wife (cf. Gen. 39:7 ff.), then I don’t think that then the patriarchs would have announced to his father Jacob: “Your son Joseph lives” (Gen. 45:26). For if he had succumbed to temptation, then, undoubtedly, he would not have been alive, since “the soul that sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). And Susanna teaches the same thing when she says: “I am cramped from everywhere; for if I do this, death is mine; but if I do not, I will not escape from your hands” (Dan. 13:22). You see, she also understands that death is in sin. So, the sentence that God pronounced to the first man contains the same thing: “In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). For as soon as he violated the commandment given to him, he died, because the soul that sins is dead, and the serpent, who said: “No, you will not die” (Gen. 3:4), deceived them. And these words are spoken about the same thing that the sons of Israel announced to Jacob: “Your son Joseph lives” (Gen. 45:26). Words similar to these are said further: “The spirit of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said: This is great for me, my son Joseph still lives” (Gen. 45:27–28). The Latin expression "resuscitatus est spiritus" ("the spirit has come to life") is a translation of the Greek άνεζωπύρησεν, which means not so much "to come to life" as "to flare up." This expression is used, as a rule, when, when some substance is burning, the fire subsides to such an extent that it seems as if it has gone out; and if the combustion is resumed by bringing fire to it, it is said to flare up. Or if the flame in a lamp diminishes so much that it seems as if it has gone out, perhaps it will come to life if oil is poured into it, but this expression is rarely used - usually they say that the flame flares up. This can be said about a candle or a torch or any other lamp of this kind. This expression indicates something similar that happened in Jacob. When Joseph was far from him and his father did not receive any news about him, his spirit, so to speak, began to fade away in him, and the light that was in him dried up and dimmed. But when those come who announce to him that Joseph is alive, in other words, those who say that “life was the light of men” (John 1:4), his spirit flares up in him again, and the true light shines in him with the same strength. 3. But sometimes the Divine fire can go out even in the saints and the faithful, and listen to what the Apostle Paul warns about those who are worthy to receive the gifts of grace and the Holy Spirit, saying: “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Therefore it is said of Jacob: “The spirit of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said, This is great to me, that my son Joseph liveth yet” (Gen. 45:27-28), as if he had experienced something similar to what Paul had warned about, and was renewed by the words spoken to him that his son Joseph was alive. It should also be noted that the one whose spirit flares up, and it seems that this spirit is almost extinguished, is called Jacob. And the one who says: “This is great for me, my son Joseph is still alive” (Gen. 45:28), as if he sees and understands that the life in the spiritual Joseph is great, is no longer called Jacob, but Israel, as the one who sees in his mind the true life, which is Christ, the true God. However, he is fired up not only by the fact that they tell him: “Joseph your son lives,” but also especially by the news that Joseph “is now ruler over all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 45:26). The fact that his son brought Egypt under his rule is truly great for him, for to suppress voluptuousness, to escape from luxury, to curb and tame all carnal lusts - all this means to rule “over all the land of Egypt.” And this is what Israel considered great and admired. But if someone subjugates at least some bodily passions, but gives himself over to others and submits to them, it will not be correct to say about him that he “rules over the whole land of Egypt,” but approximately it will look like he rules over one, perhaps two or three cities. And Joseph, over whom no bodily passion had power, was the prince and lord of all Egypt. Therefore, it is no longer Jacob, but Israel, whose spirit is again kindled, says: “This is great for me, my son Joseph still lives; I will go and see him before I die” (Gen. 45:28). It should be noted that, as it was said, it was not the soul, but the spirit, as its best part, that came to life and flared up. For even if that bright light that burned in him did not go out completely when his sons showed him Joseph’s clothes, stained with the blood of a goat, and believed their lies, “and Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son for many days,” but said: “I will go down to my son in the grave with sorrow” (Gen. 37:31-35), even if then, as we said, the light is in him did not completely fade away, he faded to a large extent, because he was deceived, because he tore his clothes, because he mistakenly grieved, because he called for death, because he wanted to go down to the underworld, grieving. That is why now his spirit came to life and flared up, since it is logical that when he heard the truth, the light that deception and lies had almost extinguished in him came to life and flared up in him. 4. But since we said that the spirit flared up in Jacob, but Israel already says: “This is great for me, my son Joseph is yet alive” (Gen. 45:28), then you, who hear these words, will be able to reveal the meaning of the change in this name, starting with the passage where it is written: “And he said: From now on your name will not be Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God, and you will overcome men” ( Gen.32:28); and in Scripture these names are used in different ways. For example, when it is said: “Tell me Your name” (Gen. 32:29), it says that the name of the questioner is not Israel, but Jacob. And where it is said: “The children of Israel do not eat the sinew that is in the thigh” (Gen. 32:32) of the patriarch, they are not called the sons of Jacob, but of Israel. The one who “saw Esau coming, and with him four hundred men” (Gen. 33:1), and “bowed down to the ground seven times” (Gen. 33:3) to the fornicator and the wicked, the one who “sold his birthright” (Gen. 25:33) for one meal, is not Israel, but Jacob. And the one who brings gifts to Esau with the words: “If I have found favor in your sight, accept my gift from my hand, for I have seen your face as if someone had seen the face of God” (Gen. 33:10), is not Israel, but Jacob. And when he heard that his daughter Dinah had been dishonored, “Jacob kept silent until they [his sons] came” (Gen. 34:5); it is not said that he is Israel. So you, as I already said, if you look carefully, you can find something similar. Therefore, here it is no longer Jacob, but Israel who says: “This is great for me; my son Joseph is yet alive” (Gen. 45:28). And when he comes to the well of oath and offers “sacrifices to the God of his father,” he is not called Jacob, but Israel. But if you ask why God, talking with him in a night vision, addresses him not “Israel, Israel,” but “Jacob, Jacob,” then perhaps the fact is that it was night and he was honored to hear the voice of God through a vision, and not openly (cf. Gen. 46:2). And when he comes to Egypt, he is not called Israel, but Jacob “and his sons” (Gen. 46:8). And when he comes before Pharaoh to bless him, he is not called Israel, but Jacob, for Pharaoh could not accept Israel's blessing. And it is Jacob, and not Israel, who says to Pharaoh: “The days of my life are small and miserable” (Gen. 47:9). Israel would never say that. But after all this, it is not said about Jacob, but about Israel: “And he called his son Joseph and said to him: If I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my lash and swear that you will show me mercy and righteousness” (Gen. 47:29). And he who bowed down upon the top of Joseph's rod was not Jacob, but Israel. And later, when he blesses the sons of Joseph, he is called Israel. And when he calls his sons and says to them: “Gather together, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come; Come together and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father” (Gen. 49:2). But perhaps you will ask why those who gather are called “sons of Jacob” and Israel blesses them. Think about it: perhaps this indicates that they have not yet come to the point where they could be equal to the merits of Israel. And for this reason they are called “the sons of Jacob” as being inferior to their father, and he is called “Israel”, for he is perfect and, foreseeing the future, blesses them. The statement that the Egyptian doctors embalmed not Jacob, but Israel, seems to cause the greatest difficulty. But, I think, that the saints died among the wicked and were embalmed shows the error of those who embalmed Israel, because all the understanding of righteousness and all the acuteness of heavenly perception is hateful to them. We have described the relevant differences between Jacob and Israel to the extent that is currently possible. 5. After all that has been said, it is obviously necessary to consider and ponder what God Himself says to Israel in the night vision and how He sends them to Egypt, supporting and strengthening them, as if sending them to battle. For God says: “Do not be afraid to go down into Egypt” (Gen. 46:3), that is: you will fight “against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12), which are allegorically called Egypt, - do not be afraid, do not be afraid. But if you want to know the reason why you should not be afraid, listen to My promise: “There I will make of you a great nation; I will go with you to Egypt, and I will bring you out at the end” (Gen.46:3-4). Therefore, the one with whom God descends to battle is not afraid to “go down into Egypt”; he is not afraid to confront this world and enter into battle with the demons opposing him. For listen to what the Apostle Paul says: “I have labored more than all of them: not I, however, but the grace of God which is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). When many in Jerusalem had disagreements with him and he fearlessly stood up for the word of God and preached the Lord, the Lord stood by him and said the same thing that is now said to Israel: “Take courage, Paul; For just as you testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11). I believe, however, that there is an even greater secret hidden in this passage. For I am interested in the following statement: “There I will make of you a great nation; I will go with you to Egypt, and I will bring you out at the end” (Gen.46:3-4). Who is the one from whom the “great nation” will come in Egypt and who will be brought out in the end? This cannot apply to Jacob, of whom this is supposed to be said, since he did not return from Egypt, but died there. It would be absurd to suggest that Jacob's return from Egypt consisted of bringing back his body. But if we accept this explanation, then the statement that “God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living” (Matthew 22:32) is false. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that these words refer to a dead body - they are said about the living. Then let's see if in this statement we can see the image of the Lord who descended into the world, from whom came the “great nation,” that is, the Church of the Gentiles, and then, when everything was fulfilled, returned to the Father. Or could this be the image of the “primordial earthly being” (Wisdom 7:1), who, after being deprived of the pleasures of heaven, descends to the struggles of this world. He will have to fight with the serpent, for it is said: “You will bruise his head, and he will bruise your heel” (Gen. 3:15), and also, when he turns to his wife: “I will put enmity between him and you, between your seed and his seed” (Gen. 3:15) 16. And yet God does not abandon those whom He sent to battle, but is always with them. He is pleased with Abel and condemns Cain (cf. Gen. 4:4, 10–12); He is with Enoch when he is called (cf. Gen. 5:12); He commands Noah to build an ark of salvation from the flood (cf. Gen. 6:14); He leads Abraham out of his land, from his father’s house, from his kindred (cf. Gen. 12:1); He blesses Isaac and Jacob (cf. Gen. 25:11, 32:27, 29); He leads the children of Israel out of Egypt (cf. Exodus 14). He writes the law in letters through Moses, and what it lacks He completes through the prophets. This is what it means to be with them in Egypt. As for the statement “I will bring you out at the end,” I think that it means, as we said above, that at the end of time His only begotten Son, for the salvation of the world, descends even into the “underworld of the earth” (Eph. 4:9) and brings out from there “the first-created earthly beings.” For what was said to the thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43) applies not only to him, but also to all the saints, for whose sake He descended into the underworld. Therefore, in Him, more than in Jacob, the words “I will bring it out to you in the end” will be fulfilled. 6. So each of us, in the same way and along the same path, goes down to Egypt and fights, and if he is rewarded with the fact that God always remains with him, then God makes from him a “great nation.” For the increasing number of virtues and increasing righteousness, to which all the saints strive, are “a great nation.” What was said is also fulfilled in the saints: “I will bring you out at the end” (Gen. 46:4). For the end is considered perfection and the fulfillment of virtues. For this reason, another saint said: “Do not take me away in half my days” (Ps. 103:25). And again Scripture testifies to Abraham as a great patriarch, since Abraham died “full of days” (Gen. 25:8). Thus, the statement “I will also bring you out at the end” sounds as if He were saying: “Because you have “fought a good fight, finished the way, kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7), I will now bring you out of this world into a future blessing, into the perfection of eternal life, I will give you the “crown of righteousness” which “the Lord, the righteous Judge” gives “to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).” 7. But let's see how then we should understand the phrase “Joseph will cover your eyes with his hand” (Gen. 46:4). I think that behind the veil of this statement there are many secrets of understanding, which we will talk about at another time. Now let us note that this, apparently, was said not without reason, since some of our predecessors saw a prophecy in this statement. And indeed, Jeroboam, who made two golden calves to entice the people to worship them (cf. 1 Kings 12:28), was from the family of Joseph, and with this he blinded and closed the eyes of Israel, as if laying his hands on them, so that they would not see their wickedness, about which it is said: “All this is because of the wickedness of Jacob, because of the sin of the house of Israel. From whom did Jacob's wickedness come? is it not from Samaria? (Mic. 1:5). But if anyone would argue that what God said about the future form of godliness should not be limited to condemnation, then we say that as the true Joseph, our Lord and Savior, laid His carnal hand on the eyes of the blind and restored the sight that had been lost to him, so He laid His spiritual hand on the eyes of the law, blinded by the carnal understanding of the scribes and Pharisees, and restored their sight, that those to whom the Lord had revealed the Divine Scriptures might see the law spiritually. vision and gain spiritual understanding of it. So may the Lord Jesus lay His hands on our eyes, so that we too may begin to look “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen” (2 Cor. 4:18). And may He open to us those eyes with which we could contemplate not the present, but the future, and reveal to us that side of our heart through which God is seen in the spirit through the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Homilia XVI. About what was said: “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because the Egyptians sold each of his fields, for hunger overcame them. And the land went to Pharaoh. And he made the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other” (Gen. 47:20–21). 1. The Holy Scriptures say with all certainty that not a single Egyptian was free, for Pharaoh made the people “slaves from one end of Egypt to the other.” And no one remained free within the borders of Egypt; freedom was taken away throughout the entire land of Egypt. And perhaps for this reason it is written: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2). Thus Egypt became the home of slavery and, even worse, voluntary slavery, for although it is narrated that the Jews became slaves and their freedom was taken away from them and they bore the yoke of tyranny, it is nevertheless said that they were forced into slavery, as it is written: “The Egyptians cruelly forced the children of Israel to work and made their life bitter from hard work in clay and bricks and from all the work of the field, from all work to which they were forced with cruelty” (Ex. 1:13–14). Note: it is said that the Jews were “coerced with cruelty.” They had an innate sense of freedom, which was not so easily taken away from them by deception; this could only be done by force. However, the pharaoh easily enslaved the Egyptians, for they were prone to low life and quickly became slaves to vices. Look at the origin of this people, and you will learn that their father Ham, who mocked the nakedness of his father (cf. Gen. 9:22), deserved a similar condemnation, and his son Canaan “shall be a servant of servants to his brothers” (Gen. 9:25), and in this case slavery testifies to the depravity of his behavior. Therefore, it is not without reason that the immorality of subsequent generations reflects the baseness of the entire people. And although the Jews became slaves, although they were under the yoke of the Egyptians, they suffered involuntarily, forced to do so. Therefore, they freed themselves “from the house of slavery” and regained their original freedom, which they lost against their will. For the law even provides that if someone buys a Jewish slave, he cannot own him permanently, but only for six years, and on the seventh this slave can be freed for free (cf. Ex. 21:2). Nothing of the kind was envisaged for the Egyptians. Nowhere in the law does it speak about the freedom of the Egyptians, for they themselves refused it. He leaves them in an eternal yoke and in constant slavery. 2. If we understand these words in a spiritual sense, then we must admit that being a slave to the Egyptians is nothing more than submitting to carnal vices and submitting to demons. One way or another, no external necessity can bring anyone to this state. Rather, everyone is overcome by laziness of the soul, voluptuousness and bodily pleasures. The soul itself submits through its carelessness. But the one who cares about the freedom of the soul and grows in the dignity of his mind, thinking about heavenly things, belongs to the children of Israel. And although he may be temporarily forced “with cruelty,” he still does not lose his freedom forever, for our Savior, reflecting on freedom and slavery, says in the Gospel this way: “He who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). And he also says: “If you continue in My word, then... you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). But if someone tells us: “If the whole land through Joseph turned out to be the property of Pharaoh and slavery, which, as we explained above, was a consequence of sin, then it turns out that the saint helped Pharaoh in this?”, We will answer that Scripture itself justifies the saint when it says that the Egyptians themselves sold themselves and their property (cf. Gen. 47:20). And therefore the blame does not fall on the manager, but the Egyptians themselves receive what they deserve. For you will know that Paul also did something similar, when he, who by the abomination of his actions had made himself unworthy of communion with the saints, “handed over to Satan” so that he would learn not to blaspheme (cf. 1 Timothy 1:20). At least in this case, no one would dare to say that Paul, having torn the wicked out of the Church and handed him over to Satan, acted unnecessarily harshly. But, undoubtedly, the guilt lies with the one who, by his actions, brought upon himself exclusion from the Church and deserved to be devoted to communion with Satan. So Joseph, when he saw neither Jewish freedom nor Israeli dignity in the Egyptians, found slavery befitting tyranny. I'll say even more. You will learn that something similar took place when God distributed the nations, which is conveyed in the words of Moses: “When the Most High gave inheritance to the nations and scattered the sons of men, then he set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God; For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob is His inheritance” (Deut. 32:8–9). So you see that the government of angels was established for each nation according to its merits, but the people of Israel became “His inheritance.” 3. It goes on to say: “The Egyptians each sold his field, for hunger overcame them. And Pharaoh got the land” (Gen.47:20). It seems to me that this statement expresses censure of the Egyptians, for one can hardly find where it would be said about the Jews that “hunger overcame them.” For although it is written that “the famine arose in the land” (Gen. 43:1), it is not said that the famine overcame Jacob or his sons, as it is said about the Egyptians: “The famine overcame them.” For although the righteous suffer hunger, it does not overcome them. Therefore, the righteous are glorified in hunger, just as Paul rejoices in suffering of this kind when he says: “In hunger and thirst... in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor. 11:27). Thus, what the exercise of virtue is for the righteous is the punishment of sin for the wicked. For it is also written that in the time of Abraham “there was a famine in the land. And Abraham went down to Egypt to live there, because the famine had increased in that land” (Gen. 12:10). And certainly, if, as some think, the expressions of the Divine Scripture are awkward and careless, it might say: “Abraham went down to Egypt to sojourn there, because hunger overcame him.” But notice what a great difference the Divine word uses, what a great warning it contains. When speaking of the saints, it says that the famine has increased “in that land”; when he talks about the wicked, he testifies that “hunger overcomes them.” So, hunger does not reign over Abraham, nor over Isaac, nor over their sons. And if he must overcome, then it is said that he overcomes the earth. It is also written that “there was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the time of Abraham” (Gen. 26:1). However, this hunger could not overcome Isaac, and the Lord told him: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land that I will tell you about; wander in this land, and I will be with you” (Gen. 26:2-3). I think that in accordance with this remark, many years later the prophet said: “I was young and old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants asking for bread” (Ps. 37:25). And in another place: “The Lord will not allow the soul of the righteous to suffer hunger” (Prov. 10:3). From these statements it follows that the earth and those who “mind earthly things” can suffer from hunger (Phil. 3:19). And, on the contrary, those whose bread is the fulfillment of the will of the Heavenly Father (cf. Matt. 7:21) and whose soul is nourished by the “living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51) will never starve. And in the third book of Kings you will find a similar warning about famine, where, when the famine was increasing in the land, the prophet Elijah said to Ahab: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand! in these years there will be neither dew nor rain, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). After these words, the Lord commands the prophet to be fed, and he drinks water from the stream Horath (1 Kings 17:3–4). And in Zarephath of Sidon He commands the widow to feed the prophet (cf. 1 Kings 17:9). She only had food for one day, but, being divided with the prophet, she stopped running out of food. For according to the word of God, “the jar of flour” and “the jar of oil” did not run out (1 Kings 17:14). Something similar happened in the time of Elisha, when the son of Ader 17, king of Syria, gathered “all his army and marched out and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria when they besieged it, so that a donkey’s head was sold for fifty shekels of silver, and a quarter measure of pigeon dung for five shekels of silver” (2 Kings 6:24-25). But suddenly everything changed in an amazing way according to the word of the prophet: “And Elisha said, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord: Tomorrow at this time a measure of fine flour will be for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria” (2 Kings 7:1). So, pay attention to what is implied in all these statements: when famine increases on earth, not only does it not overcome the righteous, but through them this threat is averted. 4. And since you see that similar observations are found in many places in Holy Scripture, look at these statements in the allegorical, allegorical sense, which we are taught by the words of the prophets. For one of the twelve prophets clearly and unequivocally declares that we are talking about spiritual hunger when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the earth - not a famine of bread, not a thirst for water, but a thirst for hearing the words of the Lord” (Am. 8:11). Do you see what hunger overcomes sinners? Do you see how much hunger is growing in the land? For those who are of the earth and “mind earthly things” (Phil. 3:19) and cannot receive “the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14), are hungry for “hearing the words of the Lord,” do not hear the commandments of the law; they do not know prophetic condemnations; they do not know the apostolic consolations; they do not feel the healing power of the gospel. And for this reason it is rightly said about them: “The famine has increased in the land” (Gen. 43:1). But for the righteous, who meditate on the law of the Lord “day and night” (Ps. 1:2), “Wisdom... She slaughtered the sacrifice, dissolved her wine and prepared a meal for herself, and sent her servants to proclaim from the heights of the city” (Prov. 9:1-3). In other words, if there are those who are humble in heart, who have learned from Christ to be meek and lowly in heart (cf. Matt. 11:29), who are elsewhere in Scripture called “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3), but rich in faith, they gather at the table of Wisdom and, having partaken at her feast, drive away the famine that “has arose in the earth.” Be careful lest you turn out to be an Egyptian and hunger overcomes you; lest, absorbed in worldly affairs, or bound by the bonds of greed, or weakened by the extravagance of luxury, you should be deprived of the food of Wisdom, which is always served in the churches of God. For if you turn away from these words, which are either read or discussed in the church, you will undoubtedly suffer from the hunger of “hearing the words of the Lord.” But if you come from the family of Abraham and maintain the nobility of the tribe of Israel, the law will always nourish you, and the prophets will feed you, and the apostles will offer you a rich meal. The Gospel will invite you to recline in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob “in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11), so that there you can eat “of the tree of life” (Rev. 2:7) and drink from the true vine (cf. John 15:1) “new wine in the kingdom of My Father” (Matt. 26:29). For “the sons of the bridal chamber” cannot abstain from this food or suffer from hunger “while the bridegroom is with them” (Matthew 9:15; cf. Luke 5:34). 5. It is further narrated that the land of the Egyptian priests did not pass to Pharaoh and they themselves did not sell themselves into slavery, like other Egyptians, but, moreover, they received either grain or gifts, but not from Joseph, but from Pharaoh, and, as those closer to Pharaoh, “they did not sell their land” (Gen. 47:22). This shows that they are more vicious than others, because thanks to their closeness to Pharaoh they did not undergo changes, but retained their vicious property. And just as the Lord says to those who grow in faith and holiness: “I no longer call you slaves... but I have called you friends” (John 15:15), so Pharaoh says to those who, so to speak, have risen to the highest level of depravity and joined the priesthood of destruction: “I do not call you slaves, but friends.” Do you want to know what the difference is between the priests of God and the priests of Pharaoh? Pharaoh gives his priests land, but the Lord does not give his priests land inheritance, but says to them: “I am your portion and your inheritance” (Num. 18:20). Therefore, you who hear these words, observe all the priests and notice the difference between them, lest those who have a land allotment and time to indulge in earthly concerns and aspirations seem not so much priests of the Lord as priests of Pharaoh. For Pharaoh wants his priests to own the land and work, cultivating the soil, not the soul, caring about the fields, not about the law. But let us listen to what Christ our Lord says to His priests: “Anyone of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33). I tremble as I read these words, for I too have my own, I say, my own accuser. I condemn myself, because Christ, when he sees that a person owns something and does not renounce “everything he has,” does not recognize him as His disciple. So what should we do? How can we, who do not renounce everything we possess, but also want to gain what we did not have before we came to Christ, understand these words ourselves or explain them to people? For if our conscience reproaches us, can we hide and not notice what is written? I don't want to be guilty of a double crime. I admit, and admit openly to those listening, that these words have been spoken, although I know that I have not yet fulfilled them. But now that we have been warned, let us at least hasten to fulfill them, let us hasten to move from the priests of Pharaoh, who have land, to the priests of the Lord, who do not have land, whose inheritance is the Lord. For such was he who said: “We are poor, but we make many rich; We have nothing, but we possess everything” (2 Cor. 6:10). Paul is famous for this. Do you want to hear what the Apostle Peter himself says about himself? So listen to what he, like John, affirms when he says: “Silver and gold I have not; and whatever I have I give to you” (Acts 3:6). Do you see the riches of the priests of Christ? Do you see the nature and abundance of the gifts they give when they have nothing? These treasures cannot come from land holdings. 6. We compared priests with priests. Now, if you want, let's compare the Egyptians with the Israelis. For it is further said that after famine and slavery the Egyptians had to give a fifth to Pharaoh (cf. Gen. 47:24), while the Israelites gave tithes to the priests. Notice also the amazing reasonableness of Divine Scripture; look: the Egyptians define the tax as five, for our body has five senses, which are served by carnal people, because the Egyptians always submit to visible and corporeal things, and the Israelites honor ten - the number of perfection, for they received the ten words of the law and, bound by the power of the ten commandments, they enter, by gift, into Divine mysteries unknown to this world. But even in the New Testament, the number ten is revered as the number of fruits of the spirit, which, as explained, stem from ten virtues (cf. Gal. 5:22), and the faithful servant brought the master ten minas of profit from his trading enterprises and received control over ten cities (cf. Luke 19: 16–17). But since there is one creator of everything and only Christ is the source and the “firstfruits,” therefore the people bring tithes to the priests, but donate their firstborn to the one who was born “before all creation” ( Col. 1:15 ) and the firstfruits of fruits to the “firstfruits” of all things, about whom it is said: “He is the firstfruits” ( Col. 1:18 ), “the firstborn of all creation” ( Col. 1:15 ). From all this, understand the differences between the Egyptian people and the people of Israel and the difference between the priests of Pharaoh and the priests of the Lord and, looking within yourself, decide to which people you belong and what order of the priesthood you adhere to. If you still serve the carnal senses, if you still pay a tax that is a multiple of five, and if you turn your gaze to visible and temporary things and do not look at the invisible and eternal (cf. 2 Cor. 4:18), know that you are an Egyptian. But if you always keep before your eyes the ten commandments of the law and the four Gospels of the New Testament, which we explained above, and from this you bring tithes and in faith sacrifice the firstborn of your feelings to the “firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18) and return the firstfruits of your fruits to the “firstfruits” of all, then you are “truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile” (John 1:47). And if the priests of the Lord look carefully at themselves, free themselves from all earthly cares and worldly possessions, then they will be able to truly say to the Lord: “We have left everything and followed You” (Matthew 19:27) and hear in response: “You who have followed Me, in the rebirth, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you too will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). 7. Let's see what Moses says after these words: “And Israel lived,” it is further said, “in the land of Goshen” (Gen. 47:27). "Goshen" means "closeness", "contiguity". This shows that although Israel lives in Egypt, she is still not far from God, but close to Him and next to Him, just as He Himself says: “I will go with you to Egypt” (Gen. 46:4) “and I will be with you” (Gen. 26:3). And therefore, even if it seems that we went down into Egypt, even if we are clothed with flesh, we fight battles and experience the difficulties of this world, even if we live among the subjects of Pharaoh, nevertheless, if we are close to God, if we live in meditation on His commandments and zealously study His “decrees and laws” (Deut. 12:1) - for this means always being close to God, thinking about the things of God, seeking those things, “Whatever pleases Jesus Christ” (Phil. 2:21) - God will always be with us through Christ Jesus our Lord, “To whom be glory and dominion forever and ever.” Amen" (1 Peter 4:11). Per. Alexandra Sperl made from: Patrologia Graeca / [Originally compiled by Rod Letchford]. – PG 1–161. – J. – P. Migne, 1857–1866. / PG 12: Origen: “Conversations on books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, The Book of Judges of Israel, Job,” “Interpretation of the Psalms.” 145–281 p. Pendere. The same verb used in Deut. 21:23. Clement of Alexandria. Stromata. 6.11 In the Septuagint and Synodal translation - “knives of stone” (approx. per.) Indecent allusion, ambiguous expression (Greek) In the Septuagint - “in front”, in the Synodal translation - “against” (approx. per.) Obviously, Rufinus's remark. In the book of the prophet Ezekiel, the order is reversed: “It is stripped of Samaria, and stripped of Jerusalem.” In the Synodal Translation, “do you not listen to the law?” (approx. per.) In the Synodal translation of Genesis. 25:12–13 says that Kedar was a descendant of Abraham and Hagar. Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation “Isaac lived at Beer-lahai-roi.” Translated from the Septuagint; in the Synodal translation - “They were pregnant, they suffered, and they gave birth like wind; salvation was not brought to the earth" (approx. per.) In the Synodal translation - “like shaggy skin” (approx. transl.) Philo of Alexandria associates this name with the word for "struggling" (palaiontos) or "heel-holding" (pternizontos). The text of the Gospel narrative (cf. Matt. 14:20 and 15:37) specifies: cophinis (baskets made of willow twigs) and sportis (baskets used by fishermen). Here Origen changes the addressee. Both statements in Gen. 3:15 addressed to the serpent (Approx. Trans.). In the Synodal translation of Benhadad. You might be interested in: