Message to Prince Antiochus about many and necessary dark subjects found in the Divine Scriptures

The authorship of the “Epistle to Prince Antiochus on many and necessary subjects, obscure, found in the Divine Scriptures” is attributed to St. Athanasius the Great. The essay is written in the form of questions and answers (92 in total) with the aim of explaining difficult-to-understand (“dark”) passages of Holy Scripture. The work is a catechetical treatise, where the author consistently examines a number of key dogmatic and exegetical issues relevant to Christian thought of the 4th century. In the course of interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, a number of important topics are touched upon: the doctrine of God the Trinity, Christology, soteriology, anthropology and eschatology. Particular attention is paid to proving the Divinity of Christ and His consubstantiality with God the Father, which was relevant in the context of the Arian disputes of that time. The author also explains the symbolism of biblical images, reveals the meaning of prophecies and shows the continuity of the Old and New Testaments. *The title of the work in Greek is Πρὸς ̓Αντίοχον ἄρχοντα. *The title of the essay in Latin is Questiones ad Antiochum ducem. This message in the Slavic language was printed in the Tablet, published in 1656, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Nikon. Answers 3 and 8, etc. show that not everything contained in this article belongs to St. Afanasy. Question 1. Having believed and been baptized in the consubstantial Trinity, and confessing the Father as God, the Son as God, and the Holy Spirit as God, why don’t we say that there are three Gods, but one and only God? And if we worship God alone, are we not Judaizing by believing in unity of command? Again, if we worship three Gods, are we not being pagan, introducing polytheism, and not piously worshiping the one God? Answer. One should not be curious about the image of piety, which is known and revered by faith alone, and not by study. God comprehended is no longer God. For if we cannot comprehend Angels or our souls, although they are creatures, then how much more fitting is it for their Creator himself to be incomprehensible? A learned secret ceases to be wonderful. Why, according to the teachings of the Christian faith, their Trinitarian God is not one humanoid in hypostasis, as the pagans fable; again, not some three Gods, as if separated from each other: away with pagan fables! For the Divinity of one being is indivisible in three persons. However, one should know that the human mind cannot understand or tell anything about the Divine, neither in words nor in thoughts. All those who were striving to comprehend God were chasing their own shadow, and those who wanted to say something about the being of God tried to measure the abyss with their handful; and those who thought that they penetrated the depths fell into evil heresies: for the Father and the Son do not exist as I, a created father, who begat a created son like me, below the Son became a son, like every natural son, below we describe the Holy Spirit as the human spirit, but the mystery of the Holy Trinity is ineffable and inexplicable. And don’t say: how? for this is beyond your question; don't say: how? for the Divine image is higher than any image. And don’t say: for what reason? for the Divine cause is above every cause; but believe in the Father, and do not search things; worship the Son without being curious about His birth; glorify the Holy Spirit without experiencing the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. Go to the Jordan, and you will clearly see in your own experience the power of the Holy Trinity of the Consubstantial: the Father testifying from above, the Son being baptized down, the All-Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove. To Him be glory and power and worship with the Almighty Father and His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, now and always, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Question 2. How does a person know that he is fully baptized and has received the Holy Spirit as an infant in holy baptism? Answer. The prophet Isaiah appeals to God: for the sake of Thy fear, O Lord, in the womb I received and was sick and gave birth to the spirit of salvation. Thus, just as a pregnant wife, from the movements of the baby in her womb, unmistakably learns that she has conceived a fetus, so the soul of a true Christian, not from the words of the parents, but from the deeds and movements of the heart, and especially during holidays, and enlightenments, and the communion of the holy body and blood of Christ, from the joy that it feels, learns that the baptized has received the Holy Spirit. Question 3. When and where and how did Angels come from? Rep. Human nature cannot say where or how the Angels came from, except that they were brought from non-existence into existence by the word of God. As for the question: when, some say that on the first day, and others that before the first day. Our Holy Father and Wonderworker Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus, in his word against Paul of Samosata, in Ponaria, stated at greater length that Angels were created along with heaven and earth, and not before, refuting with conclusions those who affirm this last opinion. He also says the same thing in another word. Question 4. How is it clear that Angels were created: for there is nothing of the kind in the book of Genesis? Answer. God, knowing the tendency of people and especially Jews to idolatry and polytheism, with the intention of keeping silent about the Angels in the book of Genesis, so that they would not be deified by those who idolized calves and other things. And that the Angels were created, listen to what the Holy Spirit says through the mouth of the Prophet: praise the Lord, all His Angels, praise Him with all His might, as He spoke, and was, He commanded, and was created. Question 5. Are they from this being of light, or from some other substance? Rep. As much as the sun differs from a star, the essence of the Angels differs from every visible creature. Question 6. How many more are the number of Angels than the number of men? Rep. Some say that Angels are 99 parts compared to the number of people, according to the meaning of the Lord's parable about the 100 sheep. Others - 9, according to the meaning of the parable about 10 drachmas. Others say that the number of Angels is equal to the number of people, citing as evidence the following saying: set the limits of tongues according to the number of Angels of God. Question 7. How does the being of demons differ from the being of Angels? Rep. The being does not differ, but the will differs, like the thought of a righteous man from the thought of a sinner. Question 8. How many ranks and how many essences of Angels? Rep. The essence is the same, just like people. The ranks, as the great Dionysius says in Theology, are nine, which are: Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Powers, Dominions, six-winged Seraphim, many-eyed Cherubim and Thrones. St. speaks about the one essence of Angels. Gregory of Nyssa in chapter 17 of his words about man. Rep. This issue is controversial for many. For although the book of Genesis speaks of two heavens, Saint Paul also saw a third heaven. And the Prophet David also names the fourth, saying: praise Him, heavens of heavens. It should be known that those who say that Paul was caught up to the third heaven, and not into three heavens, understand that just as - regarding the nature of man - one is called a man, and again many are called men, so regarding the nature of the heavens, the Divine Scripture speaks of both one heaven and many heavens. Question 10. When and why did the devil fall? For some say that he fell because he did not agree to worship Adam. Rep. These are the words of crazy people; for the devil fell before Adam was created. It is known that, as Isaiah the Prophet says, out of his pride he thought: I will ascend above the clouds and I will be like the Most High. Question 11. Why did God allow him to fight against the human race? Rep. So that through this it will be revealed who loves God and who is devoted to pleasures. For it is impossible to recognize the true warriors of the king if the enemy does not attack. Therefore, for those who love God, the devil is the author of victory, crowns and honors. Question 12. If the devil fell from heaven, then how is it written in the book of Job: The angels of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and the devil came with them? Rep. Scripture does not say that the devil came to heaven with the Angels; therefore it is obvious that it was on earth. For wherever the holy Angels are, they stand before God. However, it should be known that God spoke to the devil through the medium of some Angel, just as the Tsar speaks to the condemned man through the medium of some person. Question 13. Can magic really kill a person? Rep. The righteous cannot, not even come close to him, but the sinner can, by God’s permission: because the devil has no power over pigs, as we heard in the Gospels. Question 14. What prayer and word do demons and the devil fear more than any prayer and word? Rep. Some spirit-bearers worthy of faith told us that the devil, having once appeared to them in a visible form and being asked about this, answered: “in the whole Old and New Testament there is no word so frightening and dispersing all our strength as the beginning of Psalm 67.” When, after these words of the devil, they began a psalm and uttered only the first word: may God rise again, the devil immediately disappeared with a strong cry, showing the power of prayer in his very deeds. Question 15. Where do thoughts and words arise in a person’s heart that are blasphemous, and lawless, and nasty and often insulting God himself, which the soul did not want to say, below the human tongue - to name? Rep. This is what the devil does; he instills these nasty thoughts in a person’s soul; speaking words against God, tries to bring a person into despair. But a person is not condemned for this at all. It won't happen! Often such a thought comes to a person out of conceit; the one who considers himself earth and ashes and does not consider this thought important, but says to the devil, is freed from it: let your blasphemy be turned on your head, devil; For I will worship the Lord my God, but I will not blaspheme Him. So you must carefully listen to what is said here; for many people, having been overcome by this thought, some killed themselves, while others, falling into despair, perished. Question 16. After the word about God and Angels, we consider it fitting to place a third word about the soul. For people have a lot of inquisitiveness and controversy about this subject, that is, what kind of thing is the human soul, and where does it come from in the body? and when and how is it separated from the body? and what does he do until the resurrection? For none of the dead, having returned to life, announced this to us, which is why we asked your shrine to resolve for us these questions about the soul, as insoluble for many. Rep. The human soul is an intelligent, incorporeal, immortal being; However, the soul was not ever an Angel, as the Originians say; below, before bodies, there are souls, as the Manichaeans think. Question 17. How can it be seen that during death the soul does not die along with the body? Because some people think so. Rep. The Son of God and the Word - Jesus Christ clearly teaches us the mortality of the body and the immortality of our soul, saying: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but kill the soul of those who are unable to kill. It is clear that the soul is immortal and comes from God. Question 18. This word is true and worthy of all acceptance. But how is the soul separated from the body? Rep. We believe that the human body consists of four elements, that is, blood, viscous substance, liquid substance and bile, or warm and cold, dry and wet, that is, fire and water, air and earth. For blood, as a warm and vital element, obviously comes from fire; a substance liquid, like moisture, clearly coming from the air; bile, like dry bile, is from the earth, but a viscous substance, like cold, is obviously from water. In these four elements, as if within four walls, in the house of the body, following the example of the dove, the soul is enclosed. So, at the time of death, when, by the command of God, the four elements leave each other and disintegrate, like the four walls of a house, the dove enclosed within, that is, the soul, flies away. Question 19. Where are the departed souls of people? Answer. This question is wonderful and strange and hidden from people. For God did not allow anyone to return to us from there and tell us where and how the souls who have departed from us are. However, we know from the Scriptures that the souls of sinners are in hell under all the earth and sea, as the psalm says: in the dark places and the shadow of death and in the pit of the grave; and as it is written in the book of Job: into a dark and gloomy land, into a land of eternal darkness, where there is no light, below the belly of man can be seen. The souls of the righteous, after the coming of Christ, as we learn from the example of the thief crucified on the cross, are in paradise. For it was not for one soul of the repentant thief that Christ our God opened heaven, but for all the souls of the saints. Question 20. Well, did the righteous receive rewards and the sinners receive punishment? Rep. No way. However, the very joy that the souls of the saints now feel is a private pleasure, just as the sadness of sinners is a private punishment. And just as when the King calls his friends to dine with him, as well as the condemned, in order to punish them, those called to supper, even until the hour of supper, remain in joy before the King’s house, and the condemned, being imprisoned until the King comes, indulge in sadness: this is how we should think about the souls of the righteous and sinners who have now moved there from us. Question 21. If no one, as you said, has ascended either into the kingdom or into Gehenna: how then do we hear in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that the rich man, being in fire and torment, talked to Abraham? Rep. Everything that concerns Lazarus and the rich man, the Lord said in detail, as in the parable of the ten virgins and in other parables. For what was told about Lazarus did not actually happen, but only in a parable: because sinners, being in Gehenna, do not see the righteous who are with Abraham in the kingdom; but below someone recognizes his neighbor, being so surrounded by darkness. Question 22. How is this? This word is scary and wonderful, that we don’t recognize each other there, brothers of brothers, fathers of children, and friends of friends? Rep. Recognition usually occurs by bodily signs; disembodied souls are similar to each other in every respect, like a multitude of some pure pigeons or bees that do not differ from one another in either dignity or size, and are equal to each other in everything. However, I say this about sinners condemned to hell, because they do not recognize each other. For God has granted this good to the souls of the righteous, that is, to recognize each other. Question 25. Do the souls of departed people look at real life or not? Rep. Not all. Listen to what the Prophet David says about people who have passed away: a man is like grass, his days are like a field flower and so they fade away. For the spirit has passed through him, and no one will be and will not know his place... But there should be no doubt about the souls of saints. Question 26. If this is true, then how come the saints often appear in their churches and at their graves? Rep. The question is strange and wonderful, and only the most faithful soul can answer it. However, if you can bear it, then listen without wavering in thought. The apparitions and visions that happen in churches and on the graves of saints do not come from the souls of the saints themselves, but from holy angels transformed in the form of saints. For how, tell me, will the soul of blessed Peter or Paul, being alone, in one instant, during the glorification of his memory, appear in thousands of his churches throughout the world? For even an Angel alone cannot do this: for to be in two places and in the whole world, at the same moment, is characteristic of the one God. And the most intelligent forces, of course, leave words in heaven when they are sent to serve on earth. Question 27. How does the essence of an Angel differ from the essence of a person’s soul? Rep. We find three essences, incomprehensible to people, which, as they are in themselves, no one has ever seen or can see on earth, that is, the essence of God, Angels and souls. However, we think that as much as the sun differs from the moon, the essence of the Angels is just as superior and more luminous than the essence of human souls. Question 28. How then did the Prophets often see the Lord? Rep. After all the Prophets and after the very appearance of Jesus Christ, the holy Apostle and Evangelist and Theologian John said: No one has seen God anywhere; and, in order to assure how terrible and wonderful this thing is, he added: The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, is the one who confessed. Why does the holy Apostle Paul say: Whom no one has seen is from man, who can see below. Therefore, no man can in any way see the naked being of God. But God appeared to the Prophets, taking on an image adapted to human weakness; being limbless and incorporeal, He often appeared to them as an incarnate man. Whence it appears that they saw not the essence of the Godhead, but the glory. The same should be understood about Angels and our souls. Question 29. What then? Is it really true that Angels do not appear to people on earth? Rep. No way: for the perishable eye cannot see the imperishable essence; from here we can clearly understand that Angels do not appear to us in essence: since they do not appear on earth in one image, but some are transformed into the image of youths, and others in the form of warriors, and in general there are many of them, but the essence is one. Question 30. How is the essence of Angels determined? Rep. An angel is a rational, incorporeal, glorifying, immortal being. Question 31. What do the heavenly powers do in heaven? Rep. Their activities consist of: unceasing song and unceasing praise to the greatness of God, as well as fervent prayer for our salvation. When the heavenly powers are called orders and armies, then we must understand here the order of teaching, the order of protection, the order of industry, the order of service, the order of punishment, the order of separation of souls from bodies, the order of being among people. According to the difference in ranks, in the heavenly powers there is a difference in degrees and knowledge of them. Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim, as the highest of all and closest to God, directly learn from God and give instruction to the lower ranks; and in general the higher ones teach the lower ones. Question 32. Do departed souls remember us, as the Angels remember us? Rep. The souls of the Saints - of course; the souls of sinners in hell - in no way: for, awaiting the punishment prepared for them, they are concerned with only one thing and do not care about anything else. Question 33. What are the previously departed souls doing there now? Rep. The souls of the Saints, moved by the Holy Spirit, together with the Angels, glorify God and triumph in the land of the living. Question 34. Do the souls of sinners receive benefits from prayer meetings, benefactions and offerings made for them? Rep. If they had not received some benefit from this, they would not have been remembered during the offering. But as it happens with wine enclosed in a vessel, which, when the grapes bloom in the field, hears the smell and blooms with it, so think about the souls of sinners: they receive some benefit from the bloodless sacrifice and charity offered for them, as the only Lord of the living and the dead, our God, knows and commands. Question 35. Is it possible to know why God did not allow any of the souls who went there to return to us and tell us what the order of things is in hell, and what sorrow and cramped conditions there? Rep. From this many delusions would arise in life: for many of the demons would begin to take on the appearance of dead people and, saying that they have risen from the dead, dispel false thoughts about the afterlife in order to lead us into error and destruction. Question 36. Many people say that it would be useful for a person to know in advance the day of his death? Rep. If God, through His wisdom, created everything for good, then it was not without a purpose that He hid it from us. For if a person knew in advance the day of his death, then throughout his entire life he would fearlessly sin, and then two or three days before his death he would surrender to repentance, relying on the words of God spoken by the Prophet: whatever I find you doing, that is what I will judge. But tell me, what kind of mercy can a sinner expect when he, despising God, commits a hundred murders, and then only abstains from evil for two days? Question 37. Why do we Christians bow to the east, and Jews to the south? Rep. There is more than one answer to this. For it is necessary to respond differently to the Jews, and to interpret it differently to the Pagans, and again to explain it differently to Christians. We say to the Jews that we, believers, bow to the east, fulfilling the law of the Holy Spirit, who said through David: let us bow down to the place where the nose of the Lord stands (Psalm 131:7). And when the Jew asks where the feet of the Lord stood, the Prophet Zechariah teaches them, saying: And his feet will stand on the day of the Mount of Olives, which is directly to Jerusalem to the east (Zechariah 14:4). Therefore, the Jews themselves, praying in Jerusalem, turn to the east - to the Mount of Olives. Here is the short answer for the Jews. To the Greeks we say the following: when we bow to the east, we do not at all think that God is limited to the east; but since God is the true light and is called the true light, therefore, fixing our gaze on the created light, we worship not him, but his Creator, learning by the light element to honor the brightest above all elements and the eternal God. Let the faithful hear and know, for this purpose the most blessed Apostles commanded to turn the churches of God to the east, so that we would direct our gaze to the paradise that we have lost, to our ancient fatherland and country, asking God and the Master to lead us again to where we were expelled. The Jews were commanded by the Prophets to turn to the south so that the Lord was to be born in the south in relation to Jerusalem, that is, in Bethlehem; which is why the Prophet says: God will come from the south (Hab. 3:3). Question 38. If Christ was circumcised, why are we not circumcised like Him? Rep. Christ, being the Son of God, came to fulfill the law, so that they would not consider Him the adversary and enemy of God, who gave the law; for the Jews continually reproached Him for this. When He fulfilled for us the rules prescribed in the law, then we are no longer under the law, but under grace; This is why Christ tells us through the mouth of Paul: if you are circumcised, Christ will profit you for nothing (Gal. 4:2). From here we clearly learn that all those who are circumcised are strangers to Christ, whether they are faithful or unfaithful, whether Jews or pagans; since they boast of the Law of Moses, and do not follow Christ: for just as all who sacrifice blood and dumb animals to God, thereby reject the bloodless sacrifice of Christ and show their aversion to it: so all who perform circumcision of the flesh dishonor spiritual circumcision, that is, holy baptism. There is another similar reason: Christ did not overthrow the devil and demons by law, nor did He make our salvation by law, but by the cross. Why, seeing the law, demons do not tremble and are not afraid, but seeing the cross, they tremble, run away, are overthrown and driven away. Question 39. If God, through the Prophets, forbade the worship of things made by hands: then why do we worship icons and the cross, which are the works of artists, just like idols? Rep. We, the faithful, do not worship icons as gods, as the pagans do: let it not be! but we only express the disposition and love of our soul for the mark depicted on the icon; why often, if the image is erased, we burn what was previously an icon like a useless tree. And just as Jacob, before his death, bowed to the top of Joseph’s rod, not honoring the rod itself, but the one who held it: so we, the faithful, honor icons for no other reason than to express our love for those holy faces that are depicted on them, doing the same thing as in relation to our fathers and friends, just as the Jews once worshiped the tablets of the law and the two To the golden and sculptured cherubim, not honoring the nature of stone or gold, but the Lord, who commanded this to be done. And those who, out of pride, do not want to worship the cross and icons, let them say, crazy ones, how often did holy icons exude myrrh with the power of the Lord? How did a soulless tree, struck by an arrow, miraculously bleed, like a living body? how are demons often driven away with a scream through shrines, relics and icons? But in order to put the madmen to shame, listen to the story about the icon told by our fathers. In Jerusalem, one of the ascetics was attacked by an evil demon and disturbed him. One day the spirit appears before his very eyes and says: if you want me not to attack you, do not bow to this icon, and I will retreat from you; and the icon was of the Most Holy Theotokos. What will those who prohibit veneration of the icons of saints, whose faces we depict only for remembrance, and not for anything else, say to this? This is a short word about icons. As for the cross, it is obvious that we, the faithful, bow and kiss it for the sake of the Lord crucified on it. Question 40. How can we see that our Christian faith is better than any faith that is under heaven? for every faith considers itself more pious than others. Rep. A lot can be said about this, and there is extensive evidence for the truth of the Christian faith. However, we see two special signs that show the truth of our piety and God’s love and protection for us: the first of them is that since the beginning of the century we have not found a people who, for so many times, suffering an attack from all nations, was not destroyed as soon as the faith in Christ, which would not have remained undestroyed, having been so persecuted from all nations, if the hand of the Lord had not protected it and preserved it from extermination. Another proof is that God would not have allowed a false faith to rule over all the ends of the earth after the incarnation of His Son and our God, the Lord I. Christ. Why is it that the very fact that the Gospel of Christ is accepted with faith in all nations serves as unfalse evidence that there is no other pious faith on earth. Question 41. If this is so, then why did Satan not divide other faiths into as many heresies as the Christian one? Rep. Obviously, he divided her as being contrary to him and crushing him. For, tell me, what is the need for Satan to fight against Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles, or to divide them into various heresies and faiths? for they are all his essence, and Satan never fights against his own property, but against the property of God, so that from here we can learn that there is no other pious faith on earth except faith in Christ. Question 42. How long did Adam stay in paradise? Rep. In resolving this question, the Fathers disagree: some say six months, others more, others believe as many hours as the Lord hung on the tree of the cross, which I also consider most likely: but others believe only nine hours. Question 43. If Adam had not broken the commandments, how would people live and how many would there be? Rep. God, who in one word created many Angels, could also create many people in some honest and pure way. Others say that since God created the male and female sexes, it is obvious that He wanted the human race to occur by being born from a seed; however, He did not want this to be accomplished through disobedience, but with honor. Question 44. Why did God end creation on the seventh day? Rep. In the order of numbers, the number ten constitutes the completeness of every number: for as soon as you reach ten, you immediately return to one again; So seven and three are the most complete numbers, and therefore the number seven is for creation; and the Holy Trinity is uncreated. Question 45. Many people ask: what should come first: the day before the night or the night before the day? for if we give primacy to the day, it will follow that Christ was resurrected on Saturday, because that night belonged to Saturday, according to the word of Moses, the writer of the universe. Rep. Judging by the fact that God first of all said: let there be light, it follows that day precedes night: for this darkness at the top of the abyss was not yet called night and was not measured by the moon and stars and twelve hours. So, without any doubt, light precedes darkness. But so that the Jews could not tell us that Christ was Risen on Saturday, God stopped their mouths in advance, legalizing that they should begin the Sabbath day in the evening. Question 46. ​​Why did God command us to begin Sunday on Saturday evening? Rep. Not for that; but since God called the peoples from the darkness of ignorance and the shadow of the law to the light of the knowledge of God and the Gospel, he justly commanded us to begin the Sunday day in the evening and end with light: for it would be indecent to begin the days of Christ, the true Light, with light and end with night and darkness. Question 47. Why on the twenty-fifth day of the month of March (as the Romans call it) did Christ become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin? Rep. Because on this day from the beginning God created man; therefore, in this month all trees and herbs and animals are encouraged to bear fruit and bear children, since at this time they were created by God. Question 48. What are these garments of leather that God created for Adam and Eve? Rep. Some say that these were leaves of a tree, while others mean our flesh; some think that it is more likely that the vestments of the ancestors were indeed made of leather. Question 49. How did Cain learn to kill Abel when no one had ever died? Rep. The devil showed him in a dream how to kill his brother. Question 50. Who are these sons of God who saw and took the daughters of men for themselves? Rep. These are the sons of Seth: because the incorporeal nature is not captivated by the love of bodies and does not mix with wives. Question 51. Why did God give the law in darkness? Rep. Because it contained dark and hidden the secret of the construction of Christ our God. Question 52. Why were the first two tablets broken? Rep. God showed through this that the first law will become outdated and will be broken. Question 53. Since God does not have a body or image, what should be understood by the back of God, which Moses saw? Rep. We believe that the uncreated God of all is pre-eternal and exists before all creatures. From this it is clear that the rear of God is the essence of the creatures and their causes, which Moses learned and said: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen.). Question 54. Who was the first in the Old Testament to represent two peoples: Jews and Gentiles? Rep. Obviously, Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, who gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau. However, the two tablets of the law were also a symbol of two peoples. Question 55. Who was the first in the Old Testament to depict the image of the life-giving cross? Rep. Jacob, who, blessing the children of Joseph, crossed his hands in a cross. Question 56. Is it possible that to this day the sins of the fathers are brought upon children to the third and fourth generation? Rep. God said this through Moses; but through Jeremiah the Prophet he said that it would not be like this in the future, but that whoever ate sour food would have his teeth set to stone (Jeremiah 31:30). Do you also hear that Christ says to the Jews: Amen, I say to you: the iniquities of your fathers will come against you from the blood of righteous Abel, even to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachi, who was killed between the church and the altar. From this we can guess that among the unfaithful, the sins of the wicked fathers are brought upon the children of the evil, and not the good. As for the faithful, holy baptism cleanses us from all ancestral sin. Question 57. Why do infants die, while others pass the limits of old age? And where does it come from that some, acting righteously, live a short time, while others, acting unrighteously, die in old age? Also, some good people remain childless and poor, while others, the wicked, have many children and live happily? Rep. One can talk a lot about these judgments of God, and yet they are incomprehensible. However, as much as we know from St. Scriptures, we answer that the children of the faithful die in infancy not for the sins of their parents, but often to admonish them: through this God does two good things: one, so that the children who leave here clean will inherit salvation; for, perhaps, God took them in advance because, having remained on earth, they would have led a vicious life. Another good thing is that their parents should be more chaste, and equally that they should rely on the poor for the property that, according to the will, should have been given to the children. However, maybe for another reason unknown to us. This is the answer regarding the death of infants. Evil people, perhaps, are successful, happy and have many children because, having done some good deeds, they here receive a reward for them, like the rich man who was told: remember that you received your good things in your belly (Luke 16:25), that is, you received the full reward for the good deeds that you did. The pious and saints suffer misfortunes here so that, having been cleansed by sorrows from their own sins, like Lazarus, there they can enjoy complete consolation with him. For if the Lord loves him and punishes him, then why are you embarrassed when you see that the saints suffer misfortunes and the wicked are blessed? The wicked are fattened like pigs and prepared for food in the eternal fire. So, do not be disturbed in advance: for here is not only our good, but those who are being saved must enter the kingdom of heaven through many sorrows. since the Lord has the goal that all people should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, he often gives longevity to sinners, giving them an opportunity to repent, so that they turn to God even at the eleventh hour, that is, in deep old age. He plucks the righteous from the land of the living after a short life so that it is not malice, as Solomon says, that will change their mind or flattery deceive their soul; They, having died in time, fulfilled a year of debt: for their soul was pleasing to the Lord (Wis. 4:11, 13, 14.) Question 58. So, will none of those who suffered in this present life be sent to Gehenna in the future? And again: will none of those who prosper here enter the kingdom of heaven there? Rep. Some of the people sinned a lot, but were punished here little, and are certainly subject to punishment there, as can be seen in the Sodomites; others went to great lengths for God, but here they only enjoyed little prosperity, which is why the kingdom of heaven awaits them, like Abraham, Noah, and Melchizedek. Others sinned a lot, and yet did not suffer any misfortune here, as for example. the rich man mentioned in the parable of Lazarus, and are subject there to the heaviest of all punishments. Others, throughout their lives for the sake of God, lived in sheepskins and goatskins (Heb. 11:37), rejecting all earthly pleasures; and they will be honored by God with great gifts more than all people. Others partially sinned against God, but, having been deservedly punished for their sins, they were freed from eternal punishment, like poor Lazarus. From what has been said, it is clear that some people are punished both here and here, others only here, and others are not punished here at all, but are severely punished there. And vice versa: some enjoy both here and there, others do not enjoy here, but there; and some lose both the pleasure here and there: here they suffered, trying to please people, and therefore lost the blessings of heaven. So, all the pious should be compassionate towards those in need, not only in regard to their sins, but also for all the benefits that God has given them; for it is not what we must measure, but what God gives us, so that even for the very gifts of God we do not fall under terrible condemnation. God often gives wealth to the unworthy and sinners, so that, using it for alms, they cleanse and atone for their sins: for through alms, as the Scripture says, sins are cleansed. Question 59. What should one think about those who die suddenly, or those who fall from rapids, and about similar types of death? Rep. This is unknown to us, but only God knows. However, since the Lord says: or are they eighteen, on whom the pillar of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were more sinners than all those living in Jerusalem? Neither, I tell you (Luke 13:4): it is obvious that not all are wicked and unrighteous who die the bitter kind of death; for the children of Job died a miserable death, although they were righteous. From this we can deduce two consequences: that the pious, dying a bitter death, had some small vice, from which they were resolved by such a disastrous death in order to receive greater honors. However, this also happens so that we, in spite of this, will be wise according to what has been said: even if the righteous are barely saved, where will the wicked and sinful appear (1 Peter 4:18)? Likewise, sinners, dying such a death, receive some relief from this; and this brings some benefit to the living when they see that a person is expelled suddenly, not at all expecting his death. Don’t be surprised if babies die like this; for they do not receive any harm from this, they suffer this for their own sin, but so that their parents become more chaste or pious, thinking that for their sins their babies die in this kind of death. However, we must always remember the word of the Lord, who said: are not two birds valued by a single assar? And not one of them will fall on earth without My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:29), and that of us believers, all the hairs of our heads are numbered. Question 60. What the Lord said to many on earth seems terrible: all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven by man; and even blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven by man. And if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; and whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven him either in this age or in the next (Matthew 12:31)? Rep. For this reason, the Divine Apostle exhorts everyone, saying: the letter kills, but the spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). For there are many places in the Holy. Scriptures, which if we take literally, we will fall into ungodly blasphemies. This is the word now offered to us from the Lord, which if we take only in the literal sense, we will not only fall into wicked thoughts, but we will also find that the Lord contradicts himself. For if he is released to the one who speaks a word against the Son of man, then how does the Son himself say: He who was denied Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God (Luke 12:9)? Again, if every sin and blasphemy is forgiven to men, then how can we give an account of every idle word (Matthew 12:36)? And how can he who says to his brother, “You’re a freak,” be guilty of fiery hell (Matthew 5:22)? Why is St. Paul says: do not flatter yourselves: neither harlots, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor defilers, nor effeminate, nor drunkards, nor molesters will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10)? And if this is true, then how, tell me, will all sin and blasphemy be forgiven to people? Why do we blame Origen, who preached that there would be an end to torment from God and forgiveness of all sin for both demons and people? And again, if blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not forgiven by repentance, then why does the church condemn Novatus, who rejects repentance? But the darkest and most incomprehensible thing in this saying is that whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be released to him, as if the Son were lower than the Holy Spirit and the Father. Why do we curse the disgusting Arians, who diminish and humiliate the Son before the Holy Spirit? How does the Son himself say: I and the Father are one (John 10:30); and: whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father (John 5:23): and He says: whoever speaks a word against the Son will it be forgiven him? Tell me: has the blasphemy against the Son been forgiven to the Arians, Simonians, Photinians, Sabellians and all the others who spewed blasphemy against the incarnation of the Son? No way; this is ridiculous. For if he who says to his brother, “You freak,” is guilty of fiery Gehenna: then tell me, into what Gehenna of Gehenna should he be plunged who says to his God: “You are created, and not the Son of God, but a servant, a servant, and a little one.” And if anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven him, then how does the Son himself say: he who does not eat My flesh and does not drink My blood does not have eternal life (John 5:53)? And how can you honor the Holy Spirit without honoring the Son? For he who does not honor the Son obviously rejects baptism, and he who rejects baptism is deprived of the Holy Spirit. And just as in relation to the sensual sun, if someone curses the warmth or its ray: then the curse falls on the sun itself: so in relation to the trisolar light of the Holy Trinity, blasphemy of the one hypostasis is blasphemy of the entire fullness of the Divinity. What does it mean that the Lord said to the Jews: all sin and blasphemy will be forgiven by man, and whoever speaks a word against the Son will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the next? Let us listen carefully, and then we will not fall into error. The Holy Scriptures tell us that Christ, after the ineffable union of natures has been completed, is purely by nature, that is, in Him Divinity and humanity are united. For the Word is flesh (John 1:14). Thus, the Jews, who always insulted and blasphemed God, were guilty of doubly blaspheming I. Christ. Some stumbled over His flesh, or, what is the same, over the Son of man, considering him not God, but only a Prophet; to such he granted forgiveness. For this was the beginning of the sermon, and the world did not yet accommodate the belief that the man who appeared was God. This is why Christ says: whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, that is, against the body, will be forgiven him. For I do not consider it bold to say that His blessed disciples themselves did not have perfect knowledge of His Divinity until the Holy Spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost; even after the resurrection, some of them, having seen Him, bowed to Him, but doubted, but for this they were not condemned. But to those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that is, the Divinity of I. Christ, and say: for the prince of Beelzebub will cast out demons (Matthew 12:24), to those, He says, he will not be released either into this age or into the next. However, it must be replaced that Christ did not say: he will not be forgiven the one who blasphemed and repented, but: the one who blasphemes, that is, the one who stubbornly persists in blasphemy. For God has no unforgivable sin for those who holyly and worthily repent to Him. Question 61. What then? Does the one who rejects Christ and blasphemes the Holy Spirit receive repentance through repentance? Rep. God granted three baptisms to human nature for the cleansing of all sin, whatever it may be: water baptism, baptism in one’s own blood through martyrdom, and tearful baptism, by which the harlot was cleansed. And the supreme of the holy Apostles, Peter himself, after renouncing Christ, shed tears, was again accepted and saved. If the renunciation of Christ is forgiven, but the renunciation of the Holy Spirit is not forgiven, then it will follow that the Son is less than the Holy Spirit. Listen to the testimony of Scripture, and make sure that there is no sin that overcomes God’s love for mankind. God speaks thus through the mouth of Ezekiel the Prophet: As I live, says the Lord, even if a man commits all iniquities, I will find him in righteousness, I will not remember all his iniquities (Ezek. 33:12-19). I will find him, obviously, at the hour of his death. For it must be known that the source of tears, just like baptism, cleanses a person. Why did many who desecrated themselves with sins after holy baptism were cleansed through tears and became righteous? Question 62. What sin makes prayer displeasing to God? Rep. Grudge. For the Lord says: if you bring your gift to the altar, remember that one, because your brother has something against you: leave your gift before the altar, and go first to humble yourself with your brother, and then come and bring your gift (Matthew 5: 23. 24), that is, vindictiveness makes the gift of prayer not accepted by God. Question 63. What sin is there no repentance for? Rep. In the sin of despair, with which Judas was possessed, he hanged himself. Question 64. Which sin is more serious than all others? Rep. If, according to the words of the Apostle, the greatest of all blessings is love, then it is obvious that the greatest of all evils is brotherly hatred, unmercifulness and intractability to alms. Question 65. What commandment forgives a person all his sins? Rep. since the Lord says: do not judge, lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1): and again: forgive us, just as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12): it is obvious that we receive forgiveness of sins if we do not judge our neighbor, just as if we do not remember the evil done to us: for it is said: forgive, and it will be restored to you. Question 66. If someone, having committed a grave sin, repents of it, then how can he know whether this sin has been forgiven him by God or not? Rep. Not many people on earth know this. However, whatever the relationship is between master and slave, the same is between God and man’s conscience. Thus, just as a criminal slave learns from the movements and words of his Master that he has lost his favor, which he enjoyed before transgressing his will: so a person who has sinned loses the boldness towards God that his conscience had in prayer; when the sinner repents, as he should, then God will again grant him the boldness that he had before the fall; and from here a person will know that God has forgiven him for his sin. Question 67. If someone, having committed a great sin, condemns himself and begins to repent, and then dies three days later, what should one think about him? Rep. If, having begun repentance, he restrained his soul from evil desires, and made a vow to God that he would no longer repeat the sins he had committed, and would die in this disposition the next day: then God accepted his repentance, like the thief. For it is in the will of man to begin repentance, but to live or die depends on God. God, in His goodness, delights many who have begun to repent from the earth for their benefit, foreseeing that they would again fall and perish if they lived longer. Question 68. Why do some shed almost rivers of tears for one and even unimportant occasion, while others, even if they have fallen into thousands of misfortunes and disasters, or have seen others in such a state, can never cry? Rep. Tearfulness depends on the nature of the physique and the quality of the soul. Some, being of a warm and tender build, immediately cry out of compassion, which can be seen in all women; others, on the contrary, cannot cry, because their feelings are rude, their nature is very harsh and their hearts are arrogant. We say this about those living in the world. Those who pass through the field of monastic life often receive the gift of tears from Divine grace. However, there is a big difference in tears: for some often cry after drinking wine, while others want to receive glory from people through this. Therefore, truly good tears are those that are offered to God in secret, which is also commanded to us regarding alms. Question 69. Should I give alms or not if a beggar asks for it, for example, on the road, in the presence of many other people? Rep. God judges the thoughts of man; Therefore, whoever does good even in front of a thousand people will not be condemned, if only he does it for God, and not out of man-pleasing. Question 70. Why is the soul sometimes kind and compassionate, and sometimes cruel and unmerciful? Rep. Only the Divine nature is unchangeable: because some of the Angels have changed. Therefore, one should think about the changeable human nature that sometimes it becomes good, as created in the image of God, but sometimes it becomes hardened, as subject to attacks by the enemy and the passions of everyday life. However, if a person forces himself to be compassionate and to do good, then he acquires the good skill of giving alms willingly. Question 71. Since the Apostle says: neither out of sorrow, nor out of need: God loves a giver willingly (2 Cor. 9:7): then shouldn’t a person force himself to give alms? Rep. Doing good constantly, with a cheerful face, is characteristic of the perfect. But those who force themselves to fulfill the commandment about the poor are acceptable before God, who said: the needy women delight in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 11:12). Question 72. If someone repents of his sins, then it is obvious that he makes amends for his sins: does it follow from this that the one who, having done a good deed, repents of it, loses the reward for it? Rep. No way: for just as in repentance for sins the culprit is God, so repentance in giving alms is produced by the devil, and not by the human soul, which is why the well-deserved reward does not disappear. However, it is not good to repent of the good done: for the more often we allow ourselves to repent of it, the lazier we become in doing good. Question 73. Some say that we should not give alms indiscriminately, but carefully test whether the one who approaches us is truly poor. For it is said: if you do good, understand to whom you do it (Sir. 12:1). Rep. This is how evil-minded people distort other scriptures: for this is not said about the beggar, but the words: understand to whom you are doing, mean that you are doing to God. If this is said about discerning those who ask, then how does the Lord say: Give to everyone who asks you (Luke 6:30)? Question 74. What is more pleasing to God: to give to the church or to give to the needy? Rep. The Lord, having said to those standing at the right hand: “You are hungry, and give me food; you are thirsty, and give me drink” (Matthew 25:35), showed that compassion should be preferred to churches created in His image and likeness; however, if the visible church of God is close to destruction, sacrifice to maintain it is necessary; and even better to give for the liberation of those suffering for their faith. Question 75. Does alms have the power to atone for every sin of a person or not? Rep. Sin is not the same and charity is not the same. For example, if we have a memory of malice towards our neighbor, then even with countless alms we will not receive forgiveness if, according to the word of the Lord, we do not leave our brother his debts. Again, alms have a different meaning when someone gives it after having given up fornication, and another if the giver to the poor remains in this sin; and again there is a different reward for the farmer who gives what he has acquired with his own sweat, and another for the boss who gives alms from the income and gifts brought to him. In addition, one gives from excess, another from deprivation, and another distributes someone else's property entrusted to him for distribution to the poor. And not only is this the difference, but also whoever lives in the world and cannot bring anything else to God for his sins is cleansed by alms; a monastic is required to live a higher way of life. However, if alms could justify such a wicked man as Nebuchadnezzar, then of course it atones for great and grave sins. Let's listen to what St. says. Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar: King, let my advice be pleasing to you, and atone for your sins with alms, and atone for your iniquities with the generosity of the poor (Dan. 4:24). And the Divine Scripture also says: alms will cleanse great sins (Sir. 3:30); and again: blessed is he who is poor and wretched; on the day of cruelty the Lord will deliver him (Psalm 40:2), that is, on the day of judgment, which will be cruel for sinners, like the day of condemnation to eternal punishment. Question 76. Some dare to assert that those who practice mercy are more blessed than those who perform miracles. Rep. They do not pronounce such a sentence on their own, but having heard what the Lord said: of this they all understand that you are my disciples, not if you do signs, but if you love one another (John 13:35); the sign of true love is alms: for Christ, having placed the righteous at the right hand, did not say: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, since you have performed signs and wonders, and have done nothing else good, but because you are hungry, and give Me food, etc. (Matthew 25, 34). In the same way, sending those standing on their heels into eternal darkness, he reproaches them for their intractability to the poor and lack of mercy: for to create signs is the work of God’s omnipotence alone, and to show love and compassion to one’s neighbor depends on the will of man. But listen to the clearest testimonies about those who work miracles and give alms: if, says Paul, I speak in the tongues of men and with the tongues of angels, and if I give up all the faith, even as I have removed mountains, and if I betray my body and burn it, I am not imam for love, but it is of no use to me (1 Cor. 13). And again the Lord says: do not be miracle workers, but be merciful and good, like your heavenly Father. Question 77. What part of the acquisitions does God command each person to spend on charity? Rep. God does not look at what people give, but at what they keep. So, since the Apostle says: let your abundance be given to the poor to make up for their deprivation: then it is obvious that if we hide anything here behind the satisfaction of the needs of food, drink and clothing, on the day of judgment we will be subject to the same condemnation as murderers are subject to; since, having the opportunity, through our property, to save many from death, they did not save, but despised. Question 78. What should one think about alms left to the dying for the benefit of the poor? Rep. Dead alms! However, if the deceased was merciful in life, then his good deeds are pleasing to God even after death. Question 79. If someone, having grown old in sins, can no longer fast, or throw himself to the ground, or exercise in vigil or any other labor, or has an abundance of property to distribute it to the poor, and cannot renounce the world, then how can such a person be saved? Rep. In the same way as the publican was saved, according to the word of the Prophet: humble yourself and the Lord save me: for just as bloodless sacrifice and alms are offered to God for the remission of our sins, so is humility of heart; for it is said: a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise (Psalm 33:19). And one more thing: the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and He will save those who are humble in spirit (Psalm 33:19). And again, just as the merciful and pure in heart are blessed, so the poor in spirit are blessed most of all, for to them is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). This path of salvation can be followed by the poor, the powerless, the old, and the unenlightened. Question 80. What is humility? Rep. Humility consists of when the soul does not pay attention to the sins of other people and does not judge them, but, looking only at its own sins and considering itself guilty of eternal condemnation, says to God: save me by Thy mercy, and not by my deeds. He who looks at himself in this way will not remember the evil done to him by others, will not condemn the person who sins any lower, and thus will receive remission of sins in three ways: as one who does not judge, he is not judged, as one who is humble, he is justified, and as one who forgives, he receives forgiveness. Question 81. If someone, often sinning, often repents, and then falls into sin again: then to how many sins does God accept his repentance? Rep. God, knowing the changeability of human nature, never rejects a repentant person, even if he has fallen ten thousand times and repented the same number of times. For Who commanded Peter to forgive his brother who had sinned seventy times seventy times, He will much more Himself forgive seven thousand times the one who has fallen and repented. However, if a soul develops the habit of sinning often and repenting often, then such a soul, having lost the fear of God by repeating sins, can hardly refrain from sin. since the end of our life is unknown to us, we must stay awake so that it does not find us in sin, and so that we, having died without repentance, are not subjected to endless torment. Question 82. How many types of adultery are there? Rep. Two: a wife commits adultery when she falls into fornication while having a husband; Likewise, the fornication of a husband, if he has a wife, is adultery in relation to his own wife. Question 83. Some say that carnal sin is more forgivable than all sins, since it is a consequence of a natural impulse in man. Rep. On the contrary, the Apostle calls it the gravest sin when he says: every sin that a man commits is besides the body: but the fornicator sins in his own body (1 Cor. 6:18); because from his very flesh, as if some kind of sacrifice, he brings his seed to Satan. Eating food naturally; but God condemned the criminal Adam for eating. Question 84. What are the degrees of carnal sins and punishments for them? Rep. Although all fornication is a very serious sin, a fornicator who has a wife is subject to greater condemnation than one who does not have a wife; more - he who has a good wife rather than an evil one; more - one who wanders in old age than in the strength of his strength; greater is the one who fornicates incessantly than the one who only occasionally falls into this sin; more - the one who, being by nature not ardent, but cold in build, warms himself up with dishes and inflames himself for pleasure. There are also many other and various punishments established by God for fornicators. Namely: another judgment for the one who sins with one wife, and another for the one who sins with many, destroying many souls along with his own; and again another judgment will be heard, who, falling into sin, is ashamed and is nevertheless careful, and another - he who, having trampled shame, surrenders to it; he who has a wife and fornicates with her is guilty of gross adultery; but the most terrible judgment awaits the one who leads a virgin dedicated to God into fornication, as well as the one who, while helping an offended woman, lives fornication with her, thereby receiving a reward for his intercession on her behalf. All this is seen and examined by the righteous eye of God, with its ineffable and impartial judgment, weighing every crime on the scales of the faithful, terrible for scoffers and scoffers. Question 85. Since many righteous people in the Old Testament had two wives: why is this not allowed to us, as well as to have concubines? Rep. I. Christ not only forbade those who worship God to have two wives, but also exhorted us to refrain from one. He says: if anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and comes after Me, he is not worthy of Me (Luke 14:26). Do you want more proof? Listen: it was said to the ancients, says Christ, not to commit adultery. But I say to you, that everyone who looks at a woman lusts after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, if Christ imputes one lust of the eye to believers as adultery, then what kind of wisdom and life is required of believers in comparison with those of the Old Testament? And again: if it is permissible for a husband to have two wives, then it is necessary to allow a wife to have two husbands. But listen to what God says about husband and wife: they will become two into one flesh (Gen. 2:24), and did not say: they will be three into one flesh. However, if one wife given to her husband became the cause of great troubles for him and for the world, then what would the world not have suffered if God had given two wives to man from the beginning? If you ask: why did the Old Testament people have two and three wives? know for sure that at that time the devil had a lot of power, which Christ, coming to earth, destroyed, driving out many demons, some into the abyss, others into deserts and uninhabited and impassable places. Question 86. Why are dreams often true? Rep. This sometimes comes from God, often from chance; sometimes the soul itself, as a rational being, foreknows the future; The demons also predict something else through dreams. Question 87. So? Do the devil and demons really have foreknowledge, so that they can predict the future? Rep. Knowing the future belongs to the only knower of the heart - God: since the Angels themselves do not know what is hidden in the heart or the future. Demons, if they apparently foreshadow something, speak about it with slyness based on a hunch, which is why they often lie. Whoever wants to denounce them, let him assume and decide in his soul to distribute a certain number of coins tomorrow; then let him call the magicians or fortune-tellers and ask them about this; he will no doubt find that they know nothing about it. Question 88. Since some Jews and pagans often do good deeds, will they enter the kingdom of heaven for this? or what should one think of them? Rep. since the Lord says to Nicodemus: Amen, I say to you: unless someone is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (John 3:5), then it is clear that none of the unbaptized will enter there. About the good deeds done by unbelievers, one should think in such a way that either they receive a reward for them here, enjoying prosperity, or that in the next century they will be more easily punished in comparison with other unbelievers who have not done anything good. If it is written: glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew before and to the Greek (Rom. 2:10), do not be surprised at this: for the Apostle said this about those who lived before the coming of Christ. Question 89. Will the torment of sinners have an end or not? Rep. The Lord speaks of those in Gehenna: their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched (Mark 9:47), and also: and these, that is, sinners, go into eternal torment (Matthew 25:46). Likewise, the Apostle Paul: do not flatter yourselves: neither harlots, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor defilers, nor wicked women, nor sodomites, nor covetous people, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor molesters, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9.10). From this it is clear that both the pleasure of the righteous and the punishment of sinners will continue forever. The Lord also says about Judas: it would have been good for him if that man had not been born (Matthew 26:24). If there were ever an end to the torment, then it would be good for Judas to be born if, having endured punishment, he could enter the kingdom of heaven, as the heretics say in their delusion. Question 90. Where does it come from that some righteous people struggle with death for a long time in the last minutes of their lives, while some sinners die quickly and calmly? Rep. It is impossible to know all the destinies of God, and therefore one should not be curious about them. However, based on a guess, we will say that pious people are often tested before death or during death, so that, looking at their death, we would be afraid and wise, and perhaps so that, with all their holiness, like people, having light sins, by the torment to which they are subjected at the time of death, they are completely cleansed and blameless go to the Lord. Question 91. Where does it come from that some struggle with difficulty against the passion of fornication, while others, almost by nature itself, are restrained from this vicious pleasure, although some have a fat body? Rep. Bodily lust comes either from a hot constitution of the body or from excess in food, sleep and rest, and perhaps from the devil’s action. These are three reasons; the fourth is condemnation of one's neighbor; fifth - arrogance. Whoever dreams a lot about his purity, God allows him to fall into sin, so that through a fall he can leave pride and, guided by humility, receive salvation. For comparing these two evils with each other, we find that pride is heavier than carnal lust. Maintaining purity depends either on the special protection of God, or on a cold physique, or on when we try to overcome ourselves by constant exercise in labor, and when we do not condemn anyone. If some keep purity even with pride, then they should know that the devil leaves them in negligence, knowing that pride, more than all passions, is sufficient to subject a person to eternal punishment. Question 92. Both Christians and Jews confess Christ. But since the Jews reject His coming, saying that there will be a time when He will come, how can we convince them that Jesus Christ is God, and that He is true, and not a flatterer, as they think? Rep. 1. That Christ is God and Lord, the Prophets testify to this: David says: God is the Lord and appear to us (Psalm 117:27), and again: bow the heavens and come down (Psalm 17:10), and again: sit on the Cherubim and appear (Psalm 79:2). Habakkuk says: God will come from the South (Θαιμὰν) (Hab. 3:3). Baruch says: This is our God; no one will be imputed to Him. Find out every way of cunning, and give it to Jacob his servant, and to his beloved Israel from Him. For this reason, he appeared on earth and lived with people (Bar. 3:37.38). This is how clearly the Prophets call Christ God. 2. And that Christ has come, the Prophet Daniel testifies to this, who, showing the time of His coming, says, or, better, the Archangel Gabriel says to him: seventy weeks have been shortened for your people, and for your holy city, that sin will be promised, and sin will end, and sins will be sealed, and a little lower: to seal the vision and prophecy, and anoint the Holy One with saints (Dan. 9:24). Who else is this anointed Holy of Holies if not Christ the Son of the Living God? For seventy weeks are four hundred and ninety years, and from Daniel to our time more than eight hundred years have passed. Let the Jews show us who this Holy of Holies is, anointed 490 years after Daniel, and who destroyed the sacrifice and the legal drink offering? But they have no one to point to except I. Christ, the Son of God. 3. That Jesus is the true Christ, and not a flatterer, as you Jews think, we will prove this to you not with words, but with very deeds, which even to this day cry out, testifying that everything He said came true. He said: heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Luke 21:33). Let us listen carefully to what words these are. He said: one stone will not stand on another stone unless it is destroyed (Matthew 24:2). Tell me: did this word come true or not? He said: The Romans will come and take your people and the city and the kingdom (Luke 21:20). Did this not come true under Vespasian and Titus? He said: the law and the Prophets end with John the Baptist (Luke 16:16). Didn't this also come true? Did you have any Prophet after John the Baptist? Apparently there was none. Again He, the Lord I. Christ, our true God, said that the Gospel will be preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:9). Did this come true or not? Again He predicted that the gates of hell would not prevail against the churches. Did he really lie? No way. He proclaimed to us who believe in Him: you will be hated by everyone for My name's sake (Matthew 24:9). Tell us, do not all nations hate and curse us for the name of Christ? If you remain silent about the event of the prophecies of Christ, then the stones will cry out, and the very truth of the deeds can sufficiently convict, shame, and convince you against your will that Christ God visibly came and appeared on earth, bowed the heavens and descended and ascended again on the Cherubim, and ascended into heaven as God in a shout. 4. But in order to one day forever expose the blindness of the Jews, and for us faithful to still be confirmed in faith in Christ, we will briefly present evidence from the Old Testament about the economy of Christ and about the truth of the Gospel: they will be useful to all who are attentive. That the Word incarnate in the last days - the Son of God - is pre-eternal, this is clear from the words of the Psalm: from the womb before the morning star I gave birth to you (Psalm 104:3). For no man was born before the morning star: because the morning star was created on the fourth day, and Adam was created on the sixth. In the same way, Solomon speaks about the eternal birth from God the Father of the Only Begotten Son of our Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of the Son himself: before the mountains were raised, before there was a fountain of waters, before all the hills He gave birth to Me (Prov. 8:24.25). Here we must ask the Jew: whom did God beget before all creation? Also, when God said about Adam: Behold, Adam was one of us (Gen. 3:22), thereby showing the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And in more words: and the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, a bogey and fire from the Lord from heaven (Gen. 19:21), clearly points to the Father and the Son. 5. And that God the Word in the last times had to take on human nature and become incarnate, let us listen to how the Prophetic voices speak about this, namely: Prophet David: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord: God is the Lord and will appear to us (Psalm 117:26.27), and again: God will clearly come (Psalm 49:3). Next is the Prophet Isaiah: no intercessor, no less an angel, but the Lord himself will come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will hear. Then the lame will leap like a tree (Isa. 35:4-6). And that Christ had to be born of a Virgin, listen to the words of the same Prophet about this: behold, a Virgin will conceive in her womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Immanuel (Isa. 7:14). And again: A Son was born unto us, and was given unto us, whose rulership was upon His frame: and His name is called great counsel, Angel, wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Ruler, Prince of Peace, Father of the age to come (Isa. 9:6). The same Prophet also predicted about the place of the incarnation of Christ - Nazareth: the land of Abulon, and the land of Naphtali, the path of the sea on the land of Jordan, the Galilee of tongues, people sitting in darkness saw the great light (Isa. 9, 1. 2). Everyone knows that the pagans sat in the darkness of ignorance, error and idolatry. Why does David, showing that God will become incarnate to save the languages, says: God reigns over the languages ​​(Psalm 46:9). And again the same Prophet, as if on behalf of the Father to the Son, says: ask of me, and I will give your tongues your inheritance (Psalm 2:8), which is why he proclaims: all the nations clasp your hands (Psalm 46:1), and also: all the nations that you have created will come and worship before you and glorify your name forever (Psalm. 85, 9). 6. That in Bethlehem (which means: the house of bread) the Bread of Life was to be born, and that the birth of the Son from the Father is eternal, let us listen to what the Prophet Micah says about this: and you, Bethlehem, the house of Ephrath, had little food to eat, even if you were among the thousands of Judah? From you, for me, an Elder will come forth, who will become a prince in Israel; he has come forth from the beginning from the days of the age (Mic. 5:2). That Christ will appear in Zion, and that He is the Most High, David prophesies about this in the following words: the mother of Zion says man, and man is born in it, and the foundation and the Most High (Psalm 86:5). So Christ the Son of God is the Most High. That the born Christ, together with his Matter, this spiritual cloud, had to flee to Egypt, the prophet Isaiah speaks about this: behold, the Lord sits on a light cloud, and he will come to Egypt, and Egypt will be shaken (Isa, 19, 1). That during the baptism of Christ the Father will testify about Him from above, this is written about in the Psalm: the voice of the Lord on the waters: The God of glory will roar, the Lord on many waters (28:3). Isaiah foretold about the miracles and healings that Christ and our God performed, saying: “You have accepted our illnesses and borne our illnesses” (Isa. 53, 4). We learn from the Psalm that Christ came to pacify the world: he will fall like rain on the fleece, and like a drop falling on the ground. In his days truth and abundance of peace will shine, until the moon is taken away. And he possesses from sea to sea, and from rivers to the end the universes (Psalm 71:6–8). The Jew lies if he says that this Psalm should be understood about Solomon: for here it is said: before the sun his name abides, and in him all the tribes of the earth will be blessed, and all the kings of the earth will worship him (v. 17. 11). These words cannot apply to Solomon: for he was not before the sun. 7. That the Lord our God will crush the devil through baptism, the Psalmist testifies to this, saying to God: you have erased the heads of the serpents in the water, you have crushed the head of the serpent (Psalm 73:13.14). That Christ, who walked on the sea, is the creator of the sky, let us hear about this from Job: he who walks on the sea is one who walks on the earth (Job 9:8). About the colt and the donkey on which Christ sat, Zechariah prophesies: Rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion, preach, daughters of Jerusalem: Behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, he is meek, and always on the yoke and the young stallion (Zech. 9:6). What could be clearer than these prophetic broadcasts? But Satan has blinded the eyes of the Jews, so that they interpret such clear prophecies falsely. Let us also hear about the children who cried out to Christ: Hosanna, and directly called Him Lord; This is foretold in the eighth Psalm: O Lord our Lord, for Your name is wonderful throughout all the earth, for Your splendor is exalted above the heavens. From the mouth of a child and of those who piss, you brought praise (vv. 2.3). And the fortieth Psalm speaks about the betrayal of Judas: my poisonous bread, magnify my stumbling (v. 10). The misfortunes that the pagans and Jews inflicted on Christ are described in Psalm 2: How did the pagans and people reel in vain? the kings of the earth appeared, and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. For whoever takes arms against the Son insults the Father also. 8. About the bonds with which Christ was bound, Isaiah speaks, mourning the blindness of the Jews: woe to their souls, having already conceived evil counsel on themselves, saying: let us bind the righteous (chap. 3, 9). Here ask the Jew and tell him: Which man on earth is sinless? It is obvious that there is not a single one pure from filth, even if his life on earth was only one day; why does the Prophet cry out to God: do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living will be justified before You (Isal. 142:2). From here we clearly learn that there is no one without sin except God. Now let's see what Isaiah the Prophet tells us about the suffering of the sinless Christ our God, the Son of God. Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter, and like a lamb that is silent before its shearers, so it does not open its mouth (Isa. 53:7). It is known that Christ was silent during his suffering when he was presented to Pilate. In his humility his judgment will be taken: who can confess his generation? (v. 8), that is, no one can explain His Divine birth: for the genealogy of Christ our God is described only according to the flesh. Because of the iniquities of my people I was led to death (v. 8). It is known that Christ accepted death for the sins of the world. And I will give the wicked instead of his burial (v. 9), that is, He delivered the Jews to the Romans, and the rich instead of his death (v. 9). Tell us clearly, Prophet, why is this so? For if you do not commit iniquity, flattery will be found in his mouth (v. 9). What will the Jews say to this? Who was he who committed no sin and was led like a sheep to the slaughter? There is no one to point them to except God, who became man. 9. Let us listen to what is said in Psalm thirty-four about false witnesses who gave false testimony against Jesus Christ: having stood up against me as a witness of unrighteousness, even those who did not know, I questioned me. Rewarding the evil one (v. 11. 12), that is, for the benefits that Jesus Christ showed to the people of Israel, by bringing them out of Egypt, by specially protecting them, and finally by healing the sick among them. About those who scourged and buffeted Christ on the cheeks, Isaiah the Prophet, as if on behalf of Christ, says this: I put my lashes on the wounds, and my cheeks on the blows, but I did not turn away my face from the cold of spitting (chapter 50, 6.) David also speaks about the same thing in Psalm thirty-seven: for I am ready for wounds, and my illness is before me to endure (v. 18). Jeremiah foretold that Christ would be sold: and I received thirty pieces of silver, the price of the valuable thing, which I valued from the children of Israel, and I gave it to the poor man in the village, as the Lord had told me (Matthew 27:9; Jeremiah 32:9). Can you, Jews, object to anything that lies before the eyes of the whole world from that time even to this day? I mean the village of skudelniche, where wanderers are buried. In a similar way, Zechariah the Prophet mentions thirty pieces of silver, speaking as if on behalf of Christ: and I set my reward at thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:22). That I. Christ will bear on his shoulder the beginning of our salvation - the honorable cross, having been lifted up on it, Isaiah prophesied about this: when we were born a child, a son was given to us, whose authority, that is, the life-giving cross, was on his frame (Isa. 9:6). It is written about the crown of thorns in the Song of Songs: daughters of Zion, go out and see King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him, that is, the Jewish synagogue, on the day of his betrothal and on the day of the joy of his heart (chap. 3, 11). It is known that the day of His suffering was the day of His joy in our salvation: for the sins of the world were, as it were, thorns, which Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, destroyed. Just as sin entered the world through the fruit of the tree, so salvation came through the tree of the cross; The suffering of Christ in the garden corresponded to the crime of Adam in the Garden of Eden; therefore, through the cross of Christ, paradise is opened to the thief; Christ was crucified at the sixth (12th after midnight) hour, because the expulsion of Adam took place at midday; eats gall in order to heal the vicious sweetness of Adam's taste; hits my cheek to give me freedom; endures spitting in his face in order to give us the breath of the Holy Spirit; endures blows in order to dispel the burden of sins that lies on our shoulders; exposed on the tree to cover my shame; He is put to death in order to give me life; condemned in order to free me from the oath; strikes the head with a reed in order to crush the head of the serpent; he pierces the ribs with a spear in order to heal what was created from Adam’s rib, to take away the fiery weapon directed at us, and to open the entrance to paradise for us. 10. That Christ had to be crucified in the midst of the earth, this is written about in the seventy-third Psalm: God our King, before the ages, wrought salvation in the midst of the earth (v. 12). That Christ had to be crucified with the robbers, Isaiah says about this: imputed with the lawless (Isa. 53:12). The twenty-first Psalm speaks of the nails and the dividing of His garments: I have dug up my hands and my nose, I have worn out all my bones. I divided my garments for myself, and cast lots for my clothing (vv. 18, 19). Zechariah also speaks in a similar way about nails: and they say to him, “Why are these plagues in the midst of your hand?” And he says: I was wounded by the image in the house of my beloved (Zech. 13:6). The same Prophet speaks about darkness: and in that day there will be no light, but winter and darkness: and there will be one day, and that day will be known to the Lord, and not day, nor night, and at evening there will be light (Zech. 14:6.7). Likewise Amos: and in that day, says the Lord God, the sun will set at noon, and the light of the earth will be darkened in the day (Amos 8:9). This also includes the words of Joel: the sun and the moon will darken, and the stars will extinguish their light (Joel 2:10). That Christ had to be fed with ocet and gall, this is what is said in the sixty-eighth Psalm: give gall to my food, and give me ocet to drink for my thirst (v. 22). Why does this Psalm curse those who have done this: let their table be a snare before them, both as a reward and as a temptation. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and let their backs be cut off. Pour out thy wrath upon her, and let the fury of thy wrath be upon them. Let their courtyard be empty, and let there be no living thing in their dwellings (vv. 23-25), that is, in their temple in Jerusalem, which is what happened. Other words of curse contained in the Psalm refer directly to the Jews, whom Moses reproached thus: and your life will hang before your eyes, and you will fear day and night, and you will not have faith in your life (Deut. 28:66). 11. About the spear with which the ribs of Christ were pierced, Zechariah the Prophet says this: they will look upon the one who pierced it (Zechariah 12:10). The same Prophet says about the water that flowed from His side: on the day He will go forth as living water from Jerusalem (14:8). Let us listen to how Isaiah speaks about the burial of Christ, and how he ridicules the Jews: you see how the righteous perish, and no one accepts it with his heart (Isa. 57:1). About the burial of Christ, David speaks on His behalf like this: having laid me in the pit of the grave, in the dark places and the shadow of death, and also: like a man without help in the dead, freedom, that is, free from sin (Psalm 87:7). In the book of Job it is also written: the gates of death are opened to you through fear; The gatekeepers of hell saw you and were afraid (Job 38:17), that is, the hostile demonic forces. Similarly, in Psalm sixty-seven: harass those who are bound by courage, those who are in great sorrow, those who live in the tombs (v. 7). That Christ will not remain in the tomb, but will be resurrected after three days, this is said in the fifteenth Psalm: for thou hast not left my soul in hell, nor let thy venerable one see corruption (v. 10). And the Prophet Hosea says: let us go and turn to the Lord our God, as if we were wounded, and He will heal us: He will wound us and heal us, He will heal us in two days, on the third day we will rise again and live before Him (Hosea 6:1.2). 12. About the Ascension of Christ it is written in the seventeenth Psalm: and the Cherubim ascended, and the flying, flying on the wing of the wind (v. 11), and again: God ascended with a shout, the Lord with a trumpet voice (Psalm 46:6). Also in Zechariah the Prophet: and they will stand before Him on the day of the Mount of Olives, which is right to Jerusalem to the east (Zech. 14:4). Daniel the Prophet speaks about the second glorious coming of the Son of God: I saw in a dream at night, and behold, on the clouds of heaven, the Son of man came, and even came to the Ancient One of the Day, and was brought before him: and to him was given power and honor and a kingdom; and all people, tribes, and nations will work for him: his power is everlasting power, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not crumble (Dan. 7, 13, 14). From what has been said so far, it is clear that I. Christ is the Son of God, who became incarnate and suffered for us, and rose from the dead, and ascended in glory to his Father, and will come again on the clouds of heaven, with eternal glory, to judge the living and the dead. For the Prophet Daniel predicted this too. In vain, until the throne was erected, and the Old One sat down day by day, and his clothes were as white as snow, and the hair of his head was as pure as a wave, his throne was a flame of fire, his wheels were scorching with fire. A river of fire flowed before him: a thousand thousand served him, and ten thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened. Then I saw from the voice of the great words, even the horn said, until the beast was killed and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire (Dan. 7, 9-11). It is obvious that this beast is the Antichrist: for he will be killed by the spirit of his mouth, the Son of Man who is come, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen. 13. We proposed this from St. The Scriptures, having chosen a few from many, to confirm us Christians in the faith, and to expose the hard-heartedness and madness of the Jews, may they be convinced that there is one person of the Holy, Life-Giving Trinity, God the Word and the Son of God, our Lord I. Christ in the last days for our salvation became man from the Most Holy, Most Pure Lady of our Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; that He, having accomplished everything divinely and suffered, as the holy Prophets predicted, saved our race from error and work for the enemy. For the great benefits that we have been rewarded with from His goodness, we strive to appear acceptable before Him by fulfilling His holy commandments, in order to receive eternal, endless benefits in Christ our God, to whom be glory and power, with His Almighty Father, and the All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.