Введение

1. What is the Orthodox Catechism? The Orthodox catechism is instruction in the Orthodox Christian faith, taught to every Christian for the sake of pleasing God and saving the soul. 2. What does the word “catechism” mean? Catechism translated from Greek means catechism, oral instruction. Since apostolic times, this word has traditionally denoted the original teaching of the Orthodox faith, necessary for every Christian (see Luke 1:4, Acts 18:25). 3. What is needed to please God and save the soul? To please God and to save the soul we need: knowledge of the true God and correct faith in Him; life by faith and good works corresponding to it. 4. Why is faith needed in the beginning? Faith is needed because, as the word of God testifies, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). 5. Why, in addition to faith, are life by faith and good works needed? Life by faith and good works must be inseparable from faith because, as the word of God testifies, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). 6. What do we call faith? As explained by the Apostle Paul: “faith is... the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). That is: confidence in the invisible, as if in the visible, and confidence in the desired and expected, as in the present. 7. What is the difference between faith and knowledge? The difference between knowledge and faith is that knowledge has the tangible and knowable as its subject, while faith has the invisible and even incomprehensible as its subject. Knowledge is based on experience and study of the subject, and faith is based on trust in the testimony of truth. Knowledge belongs to the mind, although it can also act on the heart; faith belongs primarily to the heart, although it begins in the thoughts. 8. Why does the teaching of piety require not only knowledge, but also faith? The teaching of piety requires not only knowledge, but also faith because the main object of study is God, invisible and incomprehensible, and the wisdom of God, surrounded by mystery. Therefore, much in this teaching cannot be covered by knowledge, but can only be perceived by faith. “Faith,” says Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, “is sight that sanctifies the conscience; it gives man knowledge. If you do not believe, it is because you are not proven” (Isa. 7:9; Catechetical Teaching, 5). 9 . Saint Cyril explains the need for faith in this way: “Not only among us, who bear the name of Christ, is faith revered as great, but everything done in the world, even by people alien to the Church, is accomplished by faith. Agriculture is based on faith: he who does not believe that he will reap the harvest will not work in the field. Seafarers are guided by faith, entrusting their fate to a small ship and preferring the rough sea to solid land, indulging in unknown hopes and having with them only faith, which for them is more reliable than any anchor” (Catechetical Teaching, 5:3). About Divine Revelation 10. What is the source of the teaching about the Orthodox faith? We draw the doctrine of the Orthodox faith from Divine revelation. 11. What do we mean by Divine revelation? Divine revelation is what God Himself wished to reveal to people, so that they could correctly and savingly believe in Him and honor Him worthily. 12. Is Divine revelation given to everyone? God gave the necessary and saving revelation for all people, but since not everyone is able to directly receive revelation from God, He chose special messengers who conveyed Divine revelation to those who wish to accept it. 13. Why is not everyone able to accept revelation from God? Not all people are able to directly accept revelation from God due to their sinful impurity and weakness of spirit and body. 14. Who were the heralds of the revelation of God? The heralds of the revelation of God were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and other prophets. They accepted and preached the principles of God's revelation; the incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, brought the revelation of God to earth in completeness and perfection, and spread it throughout the universe through His disciples and apostles. “God, who at times and in various ways spoke of old to the fathers through the prophets, has spoken to us in these last days through the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1–2). “But we preach the wisdom of God, the secret, hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the ages for our glory; which none of the authorities of this age knew... But God revealed it to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:7–8, 10). “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18). Jesus Christ himself says: “No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal it” (Matthew 11:27). 15. Can a person know God without His special revelation? A person can know God by studying the things He has created, but this knowledge is imperfect and insufficient and can only serve as a preparation for faith or only some aid to the knowledge of God from His revelation. “For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world by looking at what is made” (Rom. 1:20). “From one blood He brought forth the whole race of mankind to dwell upon all the face of the earth, having appointed predetermined times and limits for their habitation, that they might seek God, lest they should feel Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us: for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:26–28). Reasoning about faith in God begins with the thought that God exists. We come to this thought by contemplating the objects He created. By carefully examining the world, we learn that God is wise, omnipotent, and good; We also recognize many of His invisible properties. Thus we accept Him as the Supreme Ruler. Since God is the Creator of the whole world, and we form part of this world, therefore, God is also our Creator. This knowledge is followed by faith, and after faith - worship (St. Basil the Great, Epistle 232). About Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture 16. How is Divine revelation preserved and disseminated? Divine revelation spreads among people and is preserved in the true Church in two ways: through Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. 17. What do we call Sacred Tradition? By Sacred Tradition we mean that by word and example, true believers and people who honor God pass on to each other and their ancestors pass on to their descendants: the teaching of faith, the law of God, the Sacraments and sacred rites. 18. Where is the Sacred Tradition kept? All true believers, united by the Holy Tradition, according to the dispensation of God, successively and in unity, constitute the Church, which is the custodian of the Holy Tradition, or, according to the saying of the Apostle Paul, “The Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Saint Irenaeus writes: “You should not seek from others the truth that is easy to obtain in the Church. In it, as in a rich treasury, the apostles completely placed everything that belongs to the truth. Anyone can drink from it the water of life, it is the door of life” (Against heresies, book 3, chapter 4). 19. What do we call Holy Scripture? The Holy Scriptures are the books written by the Holy Spirit through men sanctified by God, called prophets and apostles. These books are usually called the Bible. 20. What does the word “Bible” mean? The word Bible translated from Greek means books. This name expresses that the sacred books in relation to others are worthy of special attention. 21. What is ancient: Holy Tradition or Holy Scripture? The most ancient and original way of disseminating the revelation of God is Sacred Tradition. From Adam to Moses there were no sacred books. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself conveyed His Divine teaching and institutions to His disciples by His word and example, and not by book. In the same way, the apostles initially spread the faith and established the Church of Christ. Not everyone can use books, but everyone can use tradition (this is also the need for Sacred Tradition). 22. Why was the Holy Scripture given? The Holy Scriptures were given so that the revelation of God could be preserved more accurately and unchangeably. In the Holy Scriptures, we read the words of the prophets and apostles exactly as if we ourselves lived with them and heard them, despite the fact that the holy books were written several centuries or millennia before our time. 23. Should one adhere to the Holy Tradition if there is Holy Scripture? We must observe the Holy Tradition, which is in agreement with Divine revelation and Holy Scripture, as Holy Scripture itself teaches. The Apostle Paul writes: “Therefore, brethren, stand steadfast and hold fast the traditions which you have been taught, either by word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15). 24. How to use Sacred Tradition in our time? Sacred Tradition is needed even today for guidance to the correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures, for the correct performance of the Sacraments and for the observance of sacred rites in the purity of their original establishment. Saint Basil the Great says the following about this: “Of all the dogmas and traditions preserved by the Church, some were received from a written source, while others were accepted from the secretly transmitted Apostolic tradition. For piety, both have the same power, and no one who has the slightest understanding of church rules will contradict this. Because if we dare to reject unwritten customs as supposedly of little importance, then we will certainly damage the Gospel in the most important way - moreover, we will leave only the outer shell of the apostolic preaching. So, for example, where is it written that those who trust in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ sign themselves with the sign of the cross? What scripture taught us to turn to the east in prayer? Which saint wrote down the words of invocation for us in the breaking of the Bread of the Eucharist and the Cup of Blessing? After all, we use not only words from the Apostle and the Gospel, but also before and after them, we pronounce words taken from unwritten teaching and having great power for the Sacrament. According to what scripture do we bless the water of Baptism, the oil of Anointing, and the person being baptized? Is it not according to a secret and unwritten tradition? What else? What written word taught us anointing with oil? Where does the triple immersion of a person come from? And the denial of Satan and his angels relating to Baptism - from what scripture is it taken? Is it not from the unpublicized and unspoken teaching, which our fathers, having been thoroughly taught to guard the sanctity of the sacraments in silence, preserved in silence inaccessible to curiosity and prying? Since it would be unworthy to proclaim in writing the teaching of something that is not permissible for the unbaptized to look upon?” (Rule 97, Concerning the Holy Spirit, Chapter 27). 25. When were the Holy Books written? Holy books were written at different times. Some before the birth of Christ, and others after. 26. How are the Holy Books divided? These two sections of the Holy Books have special names. Those Holy books that were written before the birth of Christ are called the books of the Old Testament; and those written after the birth of Christ are called the books of the New Testament. 27. What are the Old and New Testaments? The Old and New Testaments are the ancient and new union of God with man. 28. What was the Old Testament? The Old Testament was that God promised to give people a Divine Savior and prepared them to accept Him. 29. How did God prepare people to receive the Savior? God prepared people to receive the Savior through gradual revelations, through prophecies and types (types). 30. What is the New Testament? The New Testament is that God really gave people a Divine Savior, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 31. How many books does the Old Testament consist of and what are the names of these books? Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Saint Athanasius the Great and Saint John of Damascus accept the number of the Holy Books of the Old Testament - twenty-two, in accordance with how the Jews count them (according to the number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet - ed.) (see Athanasius, message 39, festive; John of Damascus, Theology, book 4, chapter 17). 32. Number (counting) of Jews It is worthy of attention because, as the Apostle Paul says: “To them was entrusted the word of God” (Rom. 3:2), and the New Testament Christian Church accepted the Old Testament Holy books from the Old Testament Jewish Church. Saint Cyril and Saint Athanasius count as follows: 1. The Book of Genesis. 2. Outcome. 3. Leviticus. 4. Numbers. 5. Deuteronomy. 6. Book of Joshua. 7. The Book of Judges and together with it, as it were its addition, the Book of Ruth. 8. The first and second books of Kings are like two parts of one book. 9. The third and fourth books of Kings. 10. First and second books of Chronicles. 11. The first and second books of Ezra. 12. Esther. 13. Book of Job. 14. Psalter. 15. Proverbs of Solomon. 16. Ecclesiastes, his own. 17. Song of Songs, his own. 18. Book of the prophet Isaiah. 19. Book of the prophet Jeremiah. 20. Book of the prophet Ezekiel. 21. Book of the prophet Daniel. 22. Books of the twelve prophets. 34. Not mentioned in this list of Old Testament books about the book of the Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, and about some others, because they are not in the Hebrew language (not preserved in the Hebrew original). 35. But we must accept these last books. Saint Athanasius the Great says about them: “they are appointed by the fathers to read those entering the Church.” 36. How are the books of the Old Testament divided? According to their content, the Old Testament books can be divided into four categories: books of law, which form the main basis of the Old Testament; historical, which contain primarily the history of piety; teaching, which contain the teaching of piety; prophetic, which contain prophecies or predictions about the future, and especially about Jesus Christ. 37. Which Old Testament books are legal? There are five books of law written by the prophet Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Jesus Christ himself gives these books a common name - the Law of Moses (see Luke 24:44). contains the narrative of the creation of the world and man, as well as the history and establishment of piety in the early times of the human race. 39. The other four books of Moses contain the history of piety during the time of the prophet Moses and the law given through him from God. 40. Which Old Testament books are historical? The historical books of the Old Testament are the books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Kings, Chronicles, the books of Ezra, the books of Nehemiah and Esther. 41. Which Old Testament books are teaching books? Educational books are the book of Job, the Psalter and the books of Solomon. 42. What place does the Psalter have in the Bible? The Psalter, together with the teaching of piety, contains its history and many prophecies about Christ the Savior. An excellent guide to prayer and glorifying God, the Psalter is always used in worship. 43. Which Old Testament books are prophetic? Prophetic books are the books of the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and twelve others. 44. How many books are there in the New Testament? There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament. 45. Which books of the New Testament are called positive? The legal books that underlie the New Testament are the four books that make up the Gospel: the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 46. ​​What does the word “Gospel” mean? The word Gospel is Greek and means gospel, that is, good or joyful news. 47. What does the Gospel say? The books called the Gospel preach about the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, about His coming to earth, about His life on earth, His wonderful deeds and saving teaching, and finally, about His death on the cross, glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven. 48. Why did the Gospel receive such a name? These books are called the Gospel because there cannot be better and more joyful news for people than the news of the Divine Savior and eternal salvation. That is why the reading of the Gospel in the Church is each time preceded and accompanied by a joyful exclamation: Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee! 49. Which book in the New Testament is historical? Among the New Testament books there is a historical book: the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. 50. It tells about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and about the spread of the Christian Church through them. 51. What does the word apostle mean? The word apostle means messenger. This name refers to the chosen disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, whom He sent to preach the Gospel. 52. Which books in the New Testament are teaching? The educational books of the New Testament are seven Catholic epistles: one of the Apostle James, two of Peter, three of John, one of Judas and fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul: Romans, two Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians (Thessalonians) two, Timothy two, Titus, Philemon and Hebrews. 53. Which book in the New Testament is prophetic? Among the books of the New Testament there is also a prophetic book - this is the Apocalypse. 54. Translated from Greek this word means revelation. 55. This book contains a mysterious image the future fate of the Church of Christ and the whole world. 56. How should the Holy Scriptures be read? When reading the Holy Scriptures, the following must be observed: it is necessary to read it with reverence, as the word of God, and with prayer for its understanding; with pure intention, for our instruction in faith and encouragement to good deeds; it should be understood according to the interpretation of the Orthodox Church and the Holy Fathers. 57. What confirms that Holy Scripture is the word of God? The Church presents the following signs that the teaching of the revelation of God and the Holy Scriptures are the true word of God: the height of this teaching, indicating that it could not be invented by human reason; the purity of this teaching, showing that it originated from the purest mind of God; prophecies; miracles; the powerful influence of this teaching on human hearts, characteristic only of God's power. 58. What are prophecies? Prophecies are a sign of God's true revelation. This can be illustrated with the following example. The prophet Isaiah predicted the birth of Christ the Savior from the Virgin, which the human mind could not even imagine, and several hundred years after this, our Lord Jesus Christ was born from the Blessed Virgin Mary. This prophecy was the word of God omniscient, and the fulfillment of the prophecy was the work of God omnipotent. Therefore, the Evangelist Matthew, narrating the birth of Christ, cites the prophecy of Isaiah: “And all this happened, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Behold, a virgin is with child and bears a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means: God is with us” (Matthew 1:22–23). Miracles are works that cannot be done through human knowledge or ability, but only by the almighty power of God. For example, the resurrection of the dead. 60. Miracles are a sign of the true word of God. He who performs true miracles acts by the power of God, therefore, he is pleasing to God and partakes of the Holy Spirit. Such a person speaks only the truth. And therefore, when he speaks in the name of God, the word of God speaks through him. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself performed miracles, which were evidence of His Divine mission: “The works that the Father has given me to do, these very works that I have done, testify of Me that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36). 61. What is the impact of Christian teaching? The powerful effect of Christian teaching can be seen in the example of the twelve apostles, chosen from people who were poor, unlearned, and of low social status, but with this teaching they defeated and conquered the strong, the wise, the rich, kings and kingdoms to Christ. 62. What three parts can the catechism be divided into? In order to correctly present the composition of the catechetical teaching of piety, in accordance with the “Orthodox Confession” approved by the Eastern Patriarchs, one can be guided by the words of the Apostle Paul that the basis of a Christian’s life should be faith, hope, love. “And now these three remain: faith, hope, love” (1 Cor. 13:13). So, a Christian needs: the doctrine of faith in God and in the Sacraments that He reveals; the doctrine of hope in God and the means of affirmation in it; the teaching of love for God and for everything that He commands to love. 63. By what means is the doctrine of faith revealed? The Church introduces us to the doctrine of faith through the Creed. 64. By what means is the doctrine of hope revealed? As a guide to the teaching of hope, we can take the Lord’s sayings about blessedness and the Lord’s prayer. 65. By what means is the teaching of love revealed? The initial teaching about love can be found in the Ten Commandments of God's Law. 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