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1–4. Preface. – 5–25. Foreshadowing of the conception and birth of John the Baptist. – 26–38. Announcement of the Nativity of Christ. – 39–56. Journey of the Blessed Virgin to Elizabeth. – 57–66. Birth and circumcision of John the Baptist. – 67–80. Song of praise to Zechariah. Luke 1:1. As many have already begun to compose narratives about events that are completely known among us, The Evangelist Luke differs from other evangelists in that, following the example of Greek historians, he writes a short preface to his Gospel. Here he talks about the main idea, method and purpose of his work. The purpose of his Gospel (verse 4) is to give his readers a sure means of being convinced of the truth of the Gospel teachings. To do this, he will adhere to a completely scientific method in presenting the Gospel events and will take care of the completeness of the presentation (verse 3). At the same time, the evangelist points out that he is not the first to take up this matter - before him, other people were also involved in describing the gospel events (verses 1-2). “How” – in Greek: ἐπειδήπερ. This expression is no longer found either in the New Testament or in the 70s, but is often found among classical Greek writers and means for them a strengthened indication of the basis for one or another action: “since.” "Many". This refers to Christian writers who, as can be seen from verse 2, were not themselves eyewitnesses to the gospel events they described. Among such writers, Luke could also count the Evangelist Mark, who was not an eyewitness to all the deeds of Christ. The works of these writers, excluding, of course, Mark, have not reached us. What is certain is that these were not the authors of the so-called apocryphal Gospels, because these Gospels appeared in the form in which we have them much later than our canonical Gospels. “They began” - in Greek: ἐπεχείρησαν - undertook. By this, the evangelist indicates the importance and difficulty of describing the Gospel events, but does not at all want to make any reproach against those who undertook such a difficult task. “To compose narratives” - in Greek: ἀνατάξασθαι διήγησιν, i.e. to put in order or put in order the narrative or what served as the subject of the narrative - the facts of gospel history. “About completely known events between us” - περὶ τῶν πεπληροφορημένων ἐν ἡμῖν πραγμάτων, i.e. about events that have completely finished their course. Some understand the verb πληροφορεῖν in the sense of “to lead to complete confidence,” but this verb has such a meaning only when applied to persons (for example, Rom. 4:21; Col. 4:12), and not to events. “Between us”, i.e. between Christians. Luke 1:2. as those who from the very beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word conveyed to us, “How they told us...”. This is a subordinate clause relating to the first verse and explaining what motivated “many” in their narratives. “How” – more precisely: “according to how” (καθώς). "Transferred". This means that tradition, and specifically oral tradition, was the source from which “many” drew material for their stories. From whom this “tradition” came is stated in the following words. “Former from the very beginning”, i.e. from the very beginning of those “events” (verse 1) or from the opening of Christ’s public ministry to the human race, which coincides with the calling of the apostles (Euphemius Zigaben; cf. John 15:27; Acts 1:21 et seq.). "Eyewitnesses and Ministers of the Word". Here we mean the apostles and those disciples of Christ who accompanied Christ, starting from His very appearance in public service. Since at first they were already eyewitnesses of everything that Christ did, they later, after the ascension of Christ, became preachers of the Gospel (the words τοῦ λόγου in the sense of “teaching”, “preaching” cf. Acts 14:25). Among the Synoptics, the term “word” in the sense of designating the second Person of the Holy Trinity, as in John 1:1, is not found. Blessed Theophylact concludes from this verse that the Evangelist Luke did not belong to the number of disciples of Christ, but became a Christian at a later time. But he, of course, could collect quite accurate information about the life of Christ from the Apostle Paul and other apostles and relatives of Christ (cf. Eusebius of Caesarea, “Church History”, V, 8). Luke 1:3. then I decided, after a thorough examination of everything from the beginning, to describe to you in order, venerable Theophilus, “It has been reasoned for me too.” Apparently, writing the Gospel seems to him to be his own work, a matter of his will. But in fact, according to the Church, he was guided in this by the Holy Spirit, and the evangelist carried out the mysterious inspiration of the Spirit in this case. He then appears to equate himself with the “many” he just spoke of (verse 1). But in fact, undoubtedly, he decided to give more than what “many” gave, otherwise he would not have needed to take up the work. "By thorough examination of everything first". The evangelist verified everything he learned from tradition with the testimony of those persons who took part in the gospel events described. He begins his Gospel not directly with Christ’s appearance to preach, but much earlier, from the very beginning, so to speak (ἄνωθεν). Indeed, in the first two chapters he depicts the story of the birth of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, he wants to talk about everything (πᾶσιν). In this completeness and thoroughness, his Gospel differs from those written before. Perhaps he also has in mind here the Gospel of Mark, which, while representing a reproduction of the stories of the Apostle Peter, which, of course, as told on well-known occasions, did not embrace the entire content of the Gospel story, is also distinguished by its particular brevity and omission of very important sections (for example, the history of Christ’s childhood). "In order". Here one can see an indication of both chronological and systematic “order,” but moreover, the evangelist thereby emphasizes the chronological sequence in the presentation of the gospel events. "Venerable Theophilus". See “The reason and purpose, place and time of writing the Gospel.” Luke 1:4. that you may know the solid foundation of the doctrine in which you have been instructed. “So that you know”, i.e. learned in the most definite way (ἐπιγνῷς, cf. Matt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 13:12). “Solid foundation” – steadfastness (ἀσφάλειαν). Here we are not talking about the fact that doubts were then raised about the facts of the gospel history from the point of view of their reality or correct illumination in tradition, but about the fact that the teachings (λόγοι - in Russian inaccurately: teaching) that Theophilus learned would be presented in their indestructible truth. In fact, Christian teaching is based on history and finds confirmation in history. "In which he was instructed". Theophilus, thus, was already enlightened by Christianity, but, obviously, he still lacked an accurate knowledge of the history of the life and teachings of Christ. Luke 1:5. In the days of Herod, king of Judah, there was a priest from the order of Abius, whose name was Zechariah, and his wife from the family of Aaron, her name was Elizabeth. The narration of the conception of John the Baptist begins by indicating the time of this event and designating the persons about whom the evangelist was supposed to speak. “In the days of Herod” - see comments on Matthew 2:1. “There was a priest” - more precisely: he appeared, appeared in history (ἐγένετο; cf. Mark 1:4). “Priest” - in the Greek text the word τις is added here - some. From this it is clearly seen that Zechariah was not a high priest, as some teachers of the Church supposed. The Jewish historian Josephus also does not know a high priest with the name of Zechariah from the time of Herod. "From the Aviev chain". David established that the priests, who, as is known, descended from the two sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, took turns serving in the church. The succession to which Zechariah belonged was the 8th among all 24 successions. Each succession held sacred services for eight days - from one Saturday to the next. At the same time, the priests changed every day (this is indicated by the name of the series - ἐφημερία, i.e. daily service). Wed. 1 Par. 24. "In the name of Zechariah". The name Zechariah translated from Hebrew means: “the one whom Jehovah remembered.” “And his wife...”. Both by his father and mother, John thus came from the line of Aaron and, therefore, had every right to become a priest. The name "Elizabeth" translated from Hebrew means "oath of God." This was also the name of Aaron's wife (Ex. 6:23). Luke 1:6. Both of them were righteous before God, walking according to all the commandments and statutes of the Lord blamelessly. "Righteous before God". Zechariah and Elizabeth not only appeared righteous before people, i.e. doing the will of God, but also before God. This means that their righteousness was real, not hypocritical (cf. Gen. 7:1). It is clear, however, that this righteousness was not that which people received through the atonement accomplished by Christ: the burden of hereditary sin was not removed from these righteous spouses. “Walking according to all the commandments and statutes...”. The difference between “commandments” (ἐντολή) and “statutes” (δικαίωμα) is that the former refer to individual regulations of the Law of Moses, while the latter refer to the legal norms underlying all legislation. Luke 1:7. They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were already advanced in years. The couple did not have children, which was considered a very great misfortune among the Jews, since it served as a sign of God’s disfavor (Deut. 28:18). In the present case, however, this, as it turned out, was not a matter of God’s disfavor, but probably served to ensure that the baby born in old age to Zechariah and Elizabeth should have become the subject of their most tender care, just as Isaac once became such an object for his parents - Abraham and Sarah. Besides the fact that Elizabeth had hitherto been barren, and the very age of both spouses (προβεβηκότες ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις - “in advanced years”) did not give any hope of receiving children. Both spouses were probably sixty years old (Prof. Bogoslovsky, “The Childhood of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” p. 155). Luke 1:8. One day, when he was serving before God in the order of his turn, Luke 1:9. by lot, as was usual among the priests, he got to enter the church of the Lord for incense, Luke 1:10. and the whole multitude of people prayed outside during the incense, - It is better to translate these verses as follows: “When one day Zechariah, in the order of his turn, served before God, then, by lot, as was usual among the priests, he got to burn incense when he entered the church of the Lord, and all the multitude of people were praying outside during the censing.” "One day" . Some interpreters are trying to clarify this vague expression of the evangelist and determine when exactly the incident discussed here happened and, consequently, the conception of John the Baptist. From the fact that the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Romans on the 9th day of the fifth month (July 15) 823 from the founding of Rome, precisely on the day when, according to the Talmud, the first series began its service, the conclusion is drawn that a little over a year before the Nativity of Christ, i.e. in the year of the conception of the Forerunner, probably 748, the sequence of Abiev served in the first half of the year from April 17 to 23, and in the second from September 16 to 22, and, therefore, it is assumed that the appearance of the Angel Zechariah happened in the second half of the year 748 (Theological, p. 150). “Served before God,” i.e. performed his priestly duties precisely before God, since the church was considered a place of the gracious presence of Jehovah. “Got it by lot” (ἔλαχε – received by lot). “As was usual with priests.” Chopping was considered by the priests to be the most important sacred act, and the one who received this task was recognized by everyone as especially honorable from God (Deut. 33:10 et seq.). “To the church of the Lord” – τόν ναόν, i.e. in the sanctuary where the altar of incense stood (cf. verse 11). The priest placed fragrant incense on this altar as a symbol of the people's prayer to God (Ps. 142:2). At this time, the people stood in the courtyards and in the vestibules of the church, since only priests could enter the sanctuary. “During” – more precisely: at the hour (τῇὥρᾳ) of incense (in the Greek text here instead of “incense” there is “incense” - this is the so-called figure of metonymy). Luke 1:11. then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. “An angel appeared to him.” According to the explanation of St. John Chrysostom, the evangelist, saying that the Angel “appeared” and not “was seen,” thereby wants to say that this was the actual appearance of the Angel. "On the right side". This side was considered happy among the Jews, and therefore the appearance of the Angel should not have had a depressing effect on Zechariah. Luke 1:12. Zechariah, seeing him, was embarrassed, and fear attacked him. However, Zechariah was afraid. He could have recalled those places in the Old Testament where the appearance of an Angel is recognized as a sign of imminent destruction (Judges 6:22–23, 13:22). Moreover, no matter how “righteous” a person is, he is never alien to the consciousness of his sinfulness or guilt before Divine Justice. Luke 1:13. The angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John; "Your prayer has been heard." It is unlikely that Zechariah, as a representative of the entire people (verse 10), could pray for his personal needs at this time. Most likely the assumption (Blessed Augustine, Euthymius Zigaben) is that Zechariah prayed for the granting of the long-awaited Messiah to the Jewish people. The angel announces to him that his prayer has been heard by God... The Messiah will come soon. “And your wife Elizabeth...” To prove the truth of his prediction about the imminent coming of the Messiah, the Angel announces that the Forerunner of the Messiah has already been planned, which will be the soon-born son of Zechariah. “And thou shalt call...” see comments on Matthew 1:21. "John" Translated from Hebrew - God is merciful (Johanan). Luke 1:14. and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, “Joy” (χαρά) is the actual internal state of a person, and “joy” (ἀγαλλίασις) is the external manifestation of this state. “They will rejoice at his birth.” This will, of course, be when John fulfills his high purpose - to lead people to Christ. Luke 1:15. for he will be great before the Lord; He will not drink wine or strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb; “Great before the Lord” - i.e. truly great (cf. verse 6; Matt. 11:9, 11). “He will not drink wine or strong drink,” i.e. will be a Nazirite who did not drink grape wine or drinks made from other fruits (strong drink). Wed. Numbers 6:3, 5. At the same time, it is not indicated that John took this vow of Naziriteship only for a certain period, as the Old Testament Nazirites usually did. Rather, the point here is that John, like Samson (Judg. 13:5) and Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11), will remain a Nazirite throughout his life. Obviously, by this the Angel wants to designate the special moral height on which John the Baptist will stand: he will be completely devoted to serving God and by this will already attract the attention of his fellow tribesmen. “And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instead of the stimulating effect of wine and strong drink, John will be stimulated to activity by the Holy Spirit, who will send him His strength and gifts in abundance. "From the mother's womb". It seems that the expression “having appeared” or “coming” is missing here (cf. Mark 7:4). The angel wants to say that John from his birth, i.e. in the youngest years of life, will already have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:16. and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; We are talking only about Israelis. This is quite consistent with the understanding of the Old Testament people, to whom Zechariah belonged: they believed that the Kingdom of the Messiah and all the preparatory work for it - including the service of the Forerunner of the Messiah - were intended only for them, the Jews. Moreover, not all Jews will be converted by John: some will remain in their sin. Luke 1:17. and he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the minds of the righteous, to present to the Lord a prepared people. “And he will go before Him,” i.e. will go ahead of God (cf. verse 16). The prophets of the Old Testament repeatedly depicted the onset of the Messianic time as the coming of Jehovah, who, as the Messiah, will appear to His people and save them from the yoke of their enemies (Is. 46:13, 52:10, 56:1). "In the spirit and power of Elijah". John will act among the Jewish people with the same zeal for God and the power of animation with which the greatest prophet Elijah once acted among his contemporaries. This, however, does not apply to the creation of miracles, since it is known that John did not perform miracles (John 10:41). “To return...”. The evangelist speaks about the activities of John almost literally in the words of the prophet Malachi (Mal.4:6). The prophet (see in the Bible Commentary on Mal.4:6) talks about peace in the family. Since John did not do anything like Elijah, some interpreters (for us - Theologian, p. 169) believe that here we are talking about the renewal of spiritual unity between the ancient patriarchs (fathers) and their descendants - unity, interrupted by the disobedience and disobedience of the latter. This is necessary in order for the Jewish people to be able to receive the Lord (cf. verse 16 and beginning of verse 17). Luke 1:18. And Zechariah said to the angel: By what means do I know this? for I am old, and my wife is advanced in years. Zechariah, like Abraham (Gen. 15:8), asks for a sign by which he could recognize the actual occurrence of what was promised to him (“this”). At the same time, he also indicates the reason why he needs a sign. Luke 1:19. The angel answered him: I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and was sent to speak with you and bring this good news to you; Since in Zechariah’s question there was some doubt about the possibility of fulfilling what was said to him by the Angel, the latter points out to Zechariah his high position before God (cf. 1 Kings 10:8), which guarantees that he correctly conveyed the will of God to Zechariah. Moreover, the very name Gabriel - “mighty of God” (cf. Dan. 8:16) should remind Zechariah of those great promises that were given to the Jewish people precisely through this Angel to the prophet Daniel. “I am the same one who once appeared to Daniel - as Gabriel says - you can trust me!” Luke 1:20. and behold, you will remain silent and will not be able to speak until the day this comes true, because you did not believe my words, which will come true in due time. “You will remain silent.” Zechariah, as a priest and teacher of the law, should not have doubted when he heard the Angel, but he showed himself not up to the height of his calling. Therefore, as punishment for doubt, the Angel places a seal of silence on his lips: he, a priest, a preacher of religion, must remain silent! “And you will not be able to speak.” Zechariah's silence will be due to the fact that he actually becomes numb. Luke 1:21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he was delaying in the church. The priests could only stay in the sanctuary for a short time. Otherwise, the people began to worry whether some misfortune had happened to them there, since they really could have been struck by God for some error in the correction of sacred rites, just as the priests Nadab and Abihu were once struck for the same thing (Lev. 10). Luke 1:22. He, having gone out, could not speak to them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the church; and he communicated with them by signs, and remained mute. The people, obviously, from the sudden dumbness that befell Zechariah, realized that something unusual had happened to him - namely, the people said - he could see a vision from the upper world (ὀπτασία). “And he explained to them by signs” - of course, confirming in this way that the people’s guess was correct. Luke 1:23. And when his days of service were ended, he returned to his home. Luke 1:24. After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself for five months and said: Luke 1:25. Thus did the Lord do for me in these days, in which he looked upon me, to remove from me the reproach of men. The evangelist does not say where Zechariah’s house was located: obviously, in the Jewish source that he used in this story, the city where Zechariah lived was not named by name, as was well known to the first readers of this written monument. It is remarkable that Zechariah completed his next ministry, despite the muteness that befell him: he was so faithful to his ministry. “Hidden for five months”, i.e. hid from the eyes of the neighbors. The reason for this "hiding of self" is not stated. Perhaps Elizabeth simply wanted to concentrate within herself, without entertaining herself with anything extraneous in her new position. This is also evident from her words, in which she expressed gratitude to God for removing the reproach of childlessness from her. At the same time, she says nothing about the meaning of the child who should be born from her. It is obvious that Zechariah, following the Angel’s command to remain silent, did not tell her anything about the revelation that had happened to him. Luke 1:26. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, Luke 1:27. to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph, from the house of David; The name of the Virgin is: Mary. “In the sixth month” - after the conception of John the Baptist by Elizabeth (cf. verse 36), i.e. approximately March 749 from the founding of Rome. "To the city of Galilee". See comments on Matthew 2:22–23. "To the Virgin..." . See comments on Matthew 1:18–19. According to church traditions, the Most Holy Virgin, daughter of Elijah, otherwise Eliakim, and Anna, being a three-year-old girl, according to the vow of Her parents, was brought to live in the church, where she was raised by pious women who lived at the church in a special room. Having matured, She took a vow of virginity for life, and She was betrothed to Joseph only to preserve her virginity and so that Joseph could give his name to the Messiah born of Her (Son of Joseph - Luke 3:23). The Blessed Virgin should not have been subjected to criticism and condemnation when it was discovered that She was not idle (St. John Chrysostom). "From" the family of "David". This addition can apply to both Joseph and Mary. It is more likely, however, to believe that here, in the original Jewish source of the story, the origin of Joseph is indicated first of all, since the Jews usually did not give female genealogies in their narratives. According to legend, the Blessed Virgin was reading at that time the book of the prophet Isaiah, precisely the place from it that contains the prophecy about the birth of Emmanuel from the Virgin, and thought about who this great Virgin would be. Luke 1:28. The angel, coming to Her, said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women. "Rejoice" A common greeting equivalent to our “hello.” “Graceful” - more precisely: blessed or rewarded with special favors from God. "The Lord is with you". This is not just a wish, but evidence of a real fact. The angel knows that the Lord really is with Mary. “Blessed are You among women.” These words are usually excluded in new editions of the Greek text, as if they were borrowed from verse 42. But they are found in some respected ancient Greek codes and translations. They indicate that the Blessed Virgin is the happiest among wives. Luke 1:29. She, seeing him, was embarrassed by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be. The Most Holy Virgin does not reveal unbelief and doubt, but, as a supremely humble Virgin, she is embarrassed only by the extreme praise that she received from the Angel. Not daring out of embarrassment to directly address the question to the Angel, She herself tried to figure out what such an extraordinary greeting could mean for Her. Luke 1:30. And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; "You have found grace." These words clarify and confirm the Angel’s previous appeal to the Virgin: “Graceful One.” She, of course, acquired mercy from God with Her special virtues, Her spiritual qualities - faith, humility, purity. Luke 1:31. and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. The angel speaks here clearly in the words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14), with which the prophet foretold the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin (see comments on Matthew 1:21). Luke 1:32. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; Luke 1:33. and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Here the properties and activities of the Son of the Blessed Virgin are depicted. “He will be great” - great precisely in that he will be called or will be (cf. Matt. 5:9-19) the Son of the Most High, of course, as a man, because according to Divinity He is eternally the son of the Most High God (Blessed Theophylact). "The Throne of His Father David". The coming of the great King from the line of David was predicted to David himself (2 Samuel 7:12–19). But if the Son of the Blessed Virgin is called here a descendant of David, then this clearly shows that the Blessed Virgin came from the line of David: She alone - without Joseph - here appears as giving birth to the Messiah, a descendant of David, who is represented as such here precisely by his Mother. "Over the House of Jacob". While the Messiah is portrayed only as the King of the chosen people, the Angel’s speech moves in the circle of prophetic ideas about the Messianic Kingdom, according to which, indeed, this Kingdom will be founded primarily in the Israeli people. Of course, this did not exclude the possibility for the pagans to become members of this Kingdom over time. Luke 1:34. Mary said to the Angel: How will this be when I don’t know my husband? The question of the Blessed Virgin is not an expression of doubt or disbelief, it is a natural desire to find out how such an extraordinary birth of the King-Messiah will take place. Since the Virgin was already betrothed to Joseph at that time, with these words She shows that this betrothal will not entail any marital relations between Her and Joseph: this, so to speak, is a settled matter 3 . Luke 1:35. The angel answered Her: The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. In response to the humble question of the Blessed Virgin, the Angel says that she will conceive a Son by a special supernatural action of God: the Holy Spirit will come upon Her, and the power of the Most High will cover Her (ἐπισκιάσει from σκιά - shadow; the image is borrowed from a cloud covering a certain space with its shadow). It is obvious that here we are talking about the special pre-purifying action of the Spirit of God on the womb of the Blessed Virgin. Such pre-purification was required because the Most Holy Virgin, despite Her purity, was still not free from ancestral sin. To prevent this sin from being passed on to Her Son, it was necessary, before conception, to cleanse the womb of the Most Holy Virgin, so that the Child conceived by Her would be sinless from the very beginning of His human life. "The Holy Spirit and the Power of the Most High". Is it necessary to distinguish between these expressions? Some interpreters consider both expressions to be completely identical in content, seeing here the so-called parallelism of members. Others distinguish between both expressions and by the Holy Spirit they understand the third Person of the Holy Trinity, and by the power of the Most High - the second Person of the Holy Trinity - the Son of God. Of these two opinions, the first should be considered more correct, since everywhere in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit is the source of Divine powers transmitted to people. Here the Holy Spirit is also spoken of in relation to His cleansing power, which, of course, is the power of God in general (“the power of the Most High,” i.e., God). Therefore, both expressions are undoubtedly parallel. That is why the Creed of the Orthodox Church says that the Son of God became incarnate from the Holy Spirit - of course, however, in the sense that the Holy Spirit prepared the bowels of the Blessed Virgin for the conception of the sinless God-man, sanctified Her womb and helped Her to conceive in the womb, which was impossible for Her by nature (Euphemius Zigaben). But Christ did not owe His birth to the Holy Spirit alone, as some heretics interpreted: the Divinity acted here in general, since all three Persons always act inseparably. “Therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God,” i.e. He who is born of You holy, without blemish, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will also be called, according to humanity, the Son of God. It should be noted that in this expression “Holy” (τὸ ἅγιον) is the subject, and “born” is the adjective. Thus, the special logical emphasis here lies on the word “Holy”. The angel obviously wants to point out the complete sinlessness of the Child to be born from the Virgin. Then, the image of “overshadowing” is probably borrowed from the book of Exodus, where it is said that the cloud in which Jehovah was overshadowed the newly created tabernacle (Ex. 40:35). Luke 1:36. Here is Elizabeth, your relative, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already in her sixth month, Luke 1:37. for with God no word will be powerless. Luke 1:38. Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. And the Angel departed from Her. To strengthen the faith of the Blessed Virgin, the Angel points to another miraculous event, although incomparably lower than the birth of the Messiah the God-Man from the Virgin, namely, the resolution of Elizabeth’s infertility. "Your relative" The Levites could take wives from other tribes. Therefore, if we assume that the mothers of the Blessed Virgin and Elizabeth were from the tribe of Judah and were sisters of one another, then nothing prevented one of them from marrying a descendant of Levi, and the other from marrying a descendant of Judah. “For God will not have any left...” i.e., since God has spoken, His word will certainly come true (cf. Gen. 18:14). With this saying, the Angel substantiates what he said above about the resolution of Elizabeth’s infertility: this resolution was the work of the omnipotent will of God declared to Zechariah. “Behold, the Servant of the Lord...”. This is a humble agreement to serve the will of God unquestioningly. The Most Holy Virgin could not help but foresee the difficult trials that would begin for Her when Her betrothed husband found out that She had conceived, and, nevertheless, She went through all these trials as an obedient servant of God, obviously hoping that God’s Providence would arrange everything in the end. “According to your word”, i.e. just like you said. Luke 1:39. And Mary arose in those days, and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, The Evangelist does not say a word about the very conception of Christ by Mary: it, as is self-evident, occurred immediately as the Most Holy Virgin said: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Now the evangelist describes the journey of the Blessed Virgin to Elizabeth, whom the Angel pointed out to Her, as a sign to strengthen Her faith. The Blessed Virgin does not want to neglect this sign and immediately gets ready to set off. "To the mountainous country". And Nazareth, where the Blessed Virgin lived, actually also lay on the mountains. But it was customary for the Jews to call the “mountainous” or “mountainous” country that part of Judea that consisted of a mountain range. “To the city of Judah”, i.e. to one of the cities that belonged to the tribe of Judah. According to the latest research, this was the city of Vet-Zachary, traces of which were found on a site currently owned by the Russian government. This place is located near Bethlehem. Luke 1:40. and she went into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:41. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, "Greetings to Mary", i.e. A common Jewish greeting: “Peace be with you.” “The baby jumped up...”. Along with the first word of the Mother of the Lord, the baby who was in Elizabeth’s womb made itself known with some movements that were not painful, as usually happens, but, on the contrary, brought Elizabeth into a joyful mood. That the baby was filled with the Holy Spirit (Theological, p. 224) - the evangelist does not say this. Only about his mother, Elizabeth, does he notice that she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Thanks to the enlightenment she immediately received from the Spirit, she realized that the Mother of the Messiah was standing before her, Who was greeted with a joyful movement by the baby in her womb. Luke 1:42. and she cried with a loud voice and said: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb! Elizabeth repeats almost the same greeting that the Angel said to Mary (verse 28). But she adds that Mary already carries the Messiah in Her womb: the fruit of Her womb is already blessed and will always be blessed by people. Luke 1:43. And where does it come from for me that the Mother of my Lord came to me? Luke 1:44. For when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped joyfully in my womb. After the first outpouring of enthusiastic feeling, Elizabeth begins to humbly reflect on the reason why she was awarded such a great honor as a visit to her by the Mother of the Messiah (“Lord”). “For...” - here Elizabeth indicates the basis on which she declared Mary the Mother of the Messiah. She received a revelation about this from the Holy Spirit, who made her understand the movement of the baby in her womb as his greeting to the approaching Messiah. Luke 1:45. And blessed is she who believed, because what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled. "Blessed is she who believed." Elizabeth even knows that Mary believed in the words of the Angel (verse 38): the Holy Spirit, so to speak, revealed to her the whole picture of the Annunciation. She speaks of Mary in the third person because she imagines the Annunciation as an event that has already passed, as if already included in history - she narrates... "Because" . It seems that the conjunction “because” is better replaced here by the conjunction “that” (ὅτι can have this meaning). Elizabeth had to indicate the content of Mary’s “faith”, say what exactly she believed. She does this, generally denoting everything announced to Mary by the Angel with the words: “what was said to her from the Lord.” “It will be accomplished” - more precisely: complete fulfillment will come (ἔσται τελείωσις). Luke 1:46. And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, Luke 1:47. and my spirit rejoiced in God my Savior, Luke 1:48. that He looked upon the humility of His Servant, for from now on all generations will please Me; These verses contain the first stanza of the song of praise to the Mother of God. Here, as well as in the following stanzas, the Blessed Virgin expresses the feeling of Her reverence for God with the words of the Old Testament sacred hymns, and above all with the words of the song of Anna, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1 et seq.). “And Mary said” 4. This remark indicates that the following song is a personal outpouring of the feelings of the Blessed Virgin, and was not said at the special inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “Magnifies” – i.e. elevates, glorifies. “Soul” is the center of a person’s inner life. “Spirit” is the spiritual, supreme leader of a person’s inner life. However, both concepts – “soul” (ψυχή) and “spirit” (πνεῦμα) – can be recognized as simply synonyms. “Rejoiced” – in Greek aorist (ἠγαλλίασε). This marks a turning point in the spiritual life of the Mother of God, which represents the receipt of a joyful greeting from the Angel (verse 28). Returning to this already past event, Mary glorifies God. "My Savior". In relation to Mary, God appeared as a Savior (σωτήρ), i.e. a liberator from all evil or, since Mary, in fact, had not suffered any misfortune until now, her Benefactor. And what is this benefit? She says further. “That He looked upon the humility of His Servant.” Mary calls Herself the humble Servant of God, showing by this that She occupied a very inconspicuous position among the people of Israel and was extremely poor (humility is not the virtue of humility, which Mary, of course, would not point to as the reason for God’s mercy towards her, namely a low, poor position, cf. Is. 11:4 according to the Slavic text). Luke 1:49. that the Mighty One has done great things for Me, and holy is His name; Luke 1:50. and His mercy throughout all generations is upon those who fear Him; In the second stanza (2nd half of verse 48 - verse 50) Mary thanks God for the benefits shown to both Her and the entire human race. "From now on" i.e. from the moment Elizabeth first glorified the Blessed Virgin. “They will please”, i.e. glorify, praise. "All genera", i.e. all future generations of people. “What” is more correct: “because.” “He has done great things for Me”—he has done the greatest, unheard of thing for Me: She is the Mother of the Messiah! "Strong" . This is what She calls God here, because He showed His extraordinary power towards Her (cf. the song of St. Anna). "And holy is His name." It is better to put a period before this phrase, because it represents the beginning of the depiction of God’s actions in relation to all humanity: the Blessed Virgin has already finished talking about herself. The “Name” is the revelation of the being and power of God. This is Jehovah Himself in His revelation before humanity. These discoveries are “holy”, i.e. extremely pure, just - all the works of God are perfect. "And His mercy". Along with holiness, i.e. By purity, righteousness, Mary places the “mercy” or mercy of God. God is not only holy, but also good and merciful. “For generations of generations” – according to a more correct reading: “for generations and generations” ( εἰς γενεὰς καὶ γενεὰς – according to our Greek text εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν – to the most distant generations), i.e. passed on from one generation to another. The Lord is merciful to fathers, children, grandchildren, etc. "To those who fear Him." However, God is merciful to people as long as they fear Him. Fear of God is the same as godliness. Luke 1:51. He showed the strength of His arm; He scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; Luke 1:52. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble; Luke 1:53. He filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich with nothing; In the third stanza, Mary depicts in separate strokes the omnipotence, holiness and mercy of Jehovah, which She only briefly indicated in the previous stanza. (Here are aorists, indicating that the speaker imagines for herself in each individual phrase some event from the history of the Israeli people.) “He showed the strength of his arm.” When a person fights, the hand muscle acts. God is also represented here as a fighter who has an unusually strong muscle (cf. Job 40:4). “He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.” Arrogant, proud people have many thoughts or great plans in their hearts or souls, but God scattered them, i.e. He dispersed everyone when they planned to carry out a deed hostile to God with their joint forces. (Perhaps this refers to the dispersion of the nations during the Babylonian Pandemonium.) “He brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble.” The strong are noble and rich people who used their advantages to the detriment of the entire people, and the humble are people of low rank and poor. God put the last in the place of the first. “He has fulfilled the hungry.” The idea is the same as in the previous phrase. The benefits here are understood, undoubtedly, only material: this assumption is required by the context of speech. Luke 1:54. He received His servant Israel, remembering mercy, Luke 1:55. as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever. In the fifth stanza, Mary praises God for His mercies, particularly toward the people of Israel. “Received” - more precisely: stood up (ἀντελάβετο). With this, Mary points to the message to the people of Israel of the Messiah, who will soon be born of Her. Now the Israeli people will no longer be far from God - God has again extended His arms to them and will protect them from their enemies. “Remembering mercy” - more precisely: to remember mercy (the indefinite mood μνησθῆναι here replaces the place of the goal sentence). It seemed that God had forgotten to fulfill those mercies that He had once promised to the patriarchs of the Jewish people and their descendants. The Jewish people not only did not become the happiest people, but their situation was much worse than the situation of many pagan peoples. Now comes another time. The Lord will fulfill all His promises regarding the mercies that the Jewish people should receive. And these mercies will endure “until forever,” i.e. for all time. The expression: “as I said...” is intercalary. It explains why Mary defines the work of God as “remembrance.” They only remember what was said or done before. The Lord promised the patriarchs - and now He has fulfilled His promise. Mary does not yet define exactly how She understands the “mercies” that will be given to the people of Israel “forever”: the entire depiction of the work of God in Her songs has a communal character. Luke 1:56. Mary stayed with her for about three months, and returned to her house. The Most Holy Virgin had not yet lived in Joseph’s house (here it is said that She returned to “Her” house) and therefore could remain in Elizabeth’s house for so long without arousing mistrust and fears in Joseph. Only the approach of the time of Elizabeth’s release should have prompted Her to retire to Her city, since otherwise, if She had remained here for this time, she would have become an object of observation for Elizabeth’s relatives, who, of course, would have come to her after her release from the burden (verse 58). Luke 1:57. The time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Luke 1:58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy over her, and they rejoiced with her. When Elizabeth gave birth to a son, it created a joyful excitement among her neighbors and relatives. The Lord's mercy towards Elizabeth was great ("the Lord has magnified..."), since the birth of a son after such a long period of infertility was an extraordinary thing. Therefore, they rejoiced with her and expressed their sympathy for her. Luke 1:59. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the baby and wanted to name him, after his father’s name, Zechariah. The same relatives and friends came to Zechariah's house to witness the circumcision of his newborn son. (On circumcision, see comments on Gen. 17:10–12.) Relatives insisted that the baby be given the father's name at circumcision, as a reminder that God had finally remembered his faithful servants who had languished in anticipation of the children for so long (the name Zechariah means “God remembered”). Luke 1:60. To this his mother said: no, but call him John. Elizabeth, as a prophetess (Blessed Theophylact), by revelation from the Holy Spirit (Euphemius Zigaben), declared her desire that her son be named John. But perhaps she simply found it appropriate to give her son a name meaning “the gracious gift of God.” It can hardly be assumed that at that time she already knew about the will of God, spoken through an Angel about what name her son would bear (verse 13). Luke 1:61. And they said to her: There is no one in your family who is called by this name. Luke 1:62. And they asked his father by signs what he would like to call him. Since names were usually given to newborns in honor of the father or a respected relative, i.e. the same as those worn by these persons, the relatives were surprised at Elizabeth’s desire to give her son a name unusual in her family. Therefore, they turned to Zechariah, communicating with him by signs. The last expression may indicate that Zechariah stopped hearing, and not just speaking. Otherwise, there would be no point in communicating with him using signs, as one usually does with deaf-mutes. Nothing is said here about this explanation taking place through scripture (Theological). Luke 1:63. He demanded a tablet and wrote: John is his name. And everyone was surprised. Zechariah - probably by signs - demanded a writing tablet for himself; such tablets were usually covered with a light layer of wax and finely sharpened sticks were used to write on them; and wrote such words (in the Russian translation the expression λέγων, i.e. “such words” - cf. 2 Kings 10:6 - is left without attention). “John is (ἐστί – omitted in Russian translation) his name.” Zechariah announces that the baby already has a name - it was given to him by God Himself (verse 13). This unexpected coincidence of the names desired by the father, on the one hand, and the mother, on the other, plunged those who asked into amazement. Luke 1:64. And immediately his mouth and his tongue loosened, and he began to speak, blessing God. At this moment, Zechariah’s dumbness was resolved, of course, by a special miraculous action of God: the prophecy about the birth of a son to Zechariah was now fulfilled - and the name of the baby was already given in accordance with the prediction of the Angel (verse 13). Therefore, Zechariah's punishment had to be removed, as predicted in verse 20. More precisely, this verse should be translated as follows: “immediately his mouth was opened (ἀνεῴχθη), and his tongue was loosened (here, obviously, the verb ἐλύθη) was loosed:.” "Blessing God". Here the evangelist does not mean the blessing that Zechariah sent forth in his next song, but the doxology that poured out from his lips immediately after the resolution of his dumbness. If Zechariah had spoken at this time in the following prophetic speech about his son, why would those present and others who heard about what happened at the circumcision express bewilderment about the future fate of the newborn baby (verse 66)? Luke 1:65. And there was fear on all those living around them; and they told about all this throughout the entire hill country of Judea. Luke 1:66. All who heard it laid it on their hearts and said: What will happen to this child? And the hand of the Lord was with him. Fear in all the inhabitants of the mountainous Jewish country was caused by the extraordinary events that took place in the family of Zechariah: everyone understood that a higher, divine power was at work here. “They put it in their hearts” – i.e. made the subject of their constant reflection (1 Samuel 21:12). “What will happen” – i.e. With such extraordinary signs, what can we expect from this baby? "And the hand of the Lord was with him." More precisely: “for (in Tischendorf: καὶ γάρ) the hand of the Lord was with him.” The Evangelist wants to point out those miraculous events that took place at the birth of John and clearly testified that the Lord was sending His special help to the baby. This is what aroused the curiosity of those who “heard.” Luke 1:67. And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: Zechariah's speech appears to date back to the time when the Jewish people became particularly interested in the identity of Zechariah's son (verse 66). In this speech, Zechariah speaks as a priest - that's the first thing. Then, in many ways he resembles the Old Testament prophets who predicted the coming of the Messiah, especially Isaiah (Is.40) and Malachi (Mal.3-4). In addition, Zechariah repeats the thoughts of the Psalmist (Ps. 131; Ps. 40; Ps. 71; Ps. 105). "Prophesied". This word denotes not only predictions, but inspired speech in general (cf. 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Cor. 12:10). Zechariah's speech is conveniently divided into three parts. In the first part, Zechariah praises God for sending the Messiah into the world and for saving Israel (verses 68–75). In the second, he prophesies about the appointment of his son - to be the Forerunner of the Lord (verses 76-77) and, finally, in the third (verses 78-79) - he again turns to the personality of the Messiah and in majestic features depicts both His coming to people and the benefits that He bestows on people (cf. Theological, p. 290). Luke 1:68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that He hath visited His people and brought deliverance to them, Zechariah glorifies God for the salvation of the Israeli people, which he imagines has already arrived, since in his newborn son he sees the Forerunner of the Messiah, and the Messiah was supposed to accomplish the salvation. "Visited" (ἐπεσκέψατο), i.e. He looked up, turned His merciful gaze (cf. Acts 15:14) “and created deliverance for them” (more correctly: for His people. The last expression in the Russian translation is incorrectly attributed to the verb “visited,” which stands completely independently). By “deliverance” or “redemption” (λύτρωσις), Zechariah, of course, first of all, understands the political liberation of the people (cf. Luke 24:21), but then, undoubtedly, the idea of ​​​​the spiritual revival of the people, which was also included in the concept of messianic salvation (cf. verse 71), was not alien to him. Luke 1:69. and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, Here Zechariah blesses God for the fact that He erected or erected a “horn of salvation” in the descendants of David. "Horn" is here taken as a designation of power (cf. 1 Samuel 2:10) and can be replaced by the word "power." This means that God raised up the “power of salvation” or bringing salvation, in other words, the Messiah the Savior. From the fact that Zechariah mentions the origin of the Messiah from the house of his beloved slave (youth - παίς, cf. verse 54), one can conclude that he recognized Mary as a member of the house of David: during her unmarried conception, She alone gave Christ the right to be a descendant of David. Luke 1:70. as He declared by the mouth of His holy prophets from time immemorial, This verse is an explanatory sentence related to the previous verse. It is better to put it in brackets. "From everlasting", i.e. for a very long time (cf. Gen. 6:4). Luke 1:71. that will save us from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us; “What will save us” is more correct: “has raised up (verse 69) salvation from our enemies.” These words obviously form an application to the words “horn of salvation” (verse 69). They define what exactly salvation consists of, which Zechariah had in mind in the expression “horn of salvation.” By enemies and haters, some (for us - Bogoslovsky, p. 298) understand demons and human passions. But, undoubtedly, Zechariah, who still lived in the circle of Old Testament ideas, meant here the oppressors of the Israeli people - the pagans and external enemies in general (cf. Ps. 17:18). Luke 1:72. He will show mercy to our fathers and remember His holy covenant, It would be more correct to translate: “to show (ποιῆσαι – indefinite mood to indicate the goal) mercy on our (μετά., cf. verse 58) fathers”, i.e. patriarchs, who appear to Zechariah to be very upset by the political fall of their people, “and to remember (of course, through the fulfillment of what was promised) His holy covenant,” which God concluded with the patriarchs of the Israeli people (Gen. 17:4 et seq.). Since God promised the patriarchs that their offspring would lead a completely independent life, then He will certainly fulfill this. Now is the time for this. Luke 1:73. the oath which He swore to Abraham our father to give us, Representing the definition of the word “testament”, the word “oath”, in the Greek text (ὅρκος) is placed in the accusative case according to the law of attraction, depending on the following ὅν. The expression “give to us” is an independent clause and signifies the intention God had in raising up the “horn of salvation.” This is the beginning of the next verse. Luke 1:74. fearlessly, after being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Luke 1:75. to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives. By raising the horn of salvation or the Savior - the Messiah, God wants to give us, the Israelis, the opportunity to serve Him, no longer fearing enemies who previously distracted us from serving the true God with fear of torment, as was the case, for example, under Antiochus Epiphanes. The Israelites will now “serve” “in holiness and righteousness before Him,” i.e. before God. This, therefore, will not be only the external fulfillment of the requirements of the law (truth - δικαιοσύνη), but first of all true holiness, dedication to God of the whole person (ὁσιότης). “Service” is presented to Zechariah as priestly service in the church: this is indicated both by the Greek expression λατρεύειν (cf. Heb. 9:1) and by the expression “before Him”, referring to the word “to serve.” This ministry, not like the ministry of the Old Testament priests, which they performed only in their own capacity, will continue throughout a person’s entire life. Luke 1:76. And you, little child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, Luke 1:77. to make His people aware of His salvation in the forgiveness of their sins, From the Messiah, Zechariah's gaze shifts to His Forerunner, who must prepare the way for the establishment of theocracy in its entirety. “And you” is more correct: “but also you.” Here John is contrasted with the Messiah, who was discussed above. "Baby", i.e. now you are just a weak baby. “You will be called a prophet of the Most High,” i.e. you will be a messenger of God. “Before the face of the Lord” (see verse 17), i.e. before God. “Prepare His ways” (see Mark 1:2–3). “Let me understand...”. This is the purpose of “preparing the ways” and together the ultimate goal of John’s “walking before the Lord.” “Salvation” (see verse 71). "In the forgiveness of their sins." Usually this expression is considered as an explanation of the words “to understand salvation” (γνῶσιν σωτηρίας) and connects them with the previous sentence with the conjunction “what” (Theological, p. 303). Thus, it appears that Zechariah here understands salvation as the forgiveness of sins. But such an explanation is too unexpected: above, salvation was understood as political (verses 70–71). Therefore, it is better to understand this verse this way: John will let the people know that the promised salvation has come and will let them know about it through baptism, which will mark the beginning of the forgiveness of the sins of the people. The people will turn to God with repentance, listening to the preaching of John, and the forgiveness of sins they receive will testify to the coming of the Messianic time. Luke 1:78. according to the gracious mercy of our God, by whom the East visited us from above, Luke 1:79. to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet on the path of peace. In the last stanza of his song, Zechariah again turns to God with thanksgiving for sending the Messiah and for the benefits that the Messiah will bring with Him. "By benevolent mercy". These words must be connected not with the expression “in the forgiveness of sins” (as in Zigaben and some other interpreters) and not with the word “salvation” (as in Keil), but with everything that is said, beginning with the words “and thou shalt come” in the 76th verse. The expression itself means "merciful heart" (σπλάγχνα ἐλέους). God has a merciful heart, and this explains why He sent John. “Which”, more precisely: “by virtue of which or what” (ἐν οἷς). “The East has visited us from above.” Some interpreters understand the “East” (ἀνατολή) as God, others as the Messiah (we have Bishop Michael and Prof. Theologian, pp. 305–306). But it seems best to accept that Zechariah here refers generally to Messianic salvation. In the prophet Isaiah, God says: “My salvation” rises like light (Is. 51:5). This expression and similar ones could have been recalled here by Zechariah, and he depicted this coming salvation (it is more correct to read: “will visit” - ἐπισκέψεται, than “visited” - ἐπεσκέψατο) as a light rising and gradually spreading across the sky and from there ("from above") diverging on the ground. “To enlighten...” more precisely: “to enlighten those who are in grave distress, both spiritual and physical” (see Matt. 4:16; Is. 9:2). “Direct...” . This is the goal of enlightenment and therefore the ultimate goal of the coming of Messianic salvation (verse 78). It is necessary that people who are in darkness find the road leading to a peaceful life, as opposed to the spiritual and physical disasters in which they are hitherto. There is no sufficient basis to say (like Prof. Theologian, pp. 307–308) that here Zechariah means the atoning sacrifice of Christ, which gives true peace with God: Zechariah, like the Old Testament prophets, imagines a new life in the most general terms... Luke 1:80. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his appearance to Israel. Here is a general description of John's further development. The baby “grew” physically “and became stronger in spirit,” i.e. acquired the firm character that he later discovered. "In the Deserts". Here, primarily, of course, the Jewish desert (see Matt. 3:1). When did he go into the desert? Church tradition reports that he lived in the desert from early childhood. But from whom? Some interpreters believe that John was educated by the Essenes, who also lived in the desert. But such an assumption is unfounded. The Essenes did not believe in the coming of the Messiah, and John called himself the forerunner of the Messiah. They lived away from people, but John goes to preach to people. Moreover, the very context of the speech speaks against this assumption: John goes into the desert, lives there in solitude in order to prepare for his ministry - why would he join the Essene society, which was very large in the number of its members? Wouldn't it be better for him to stay in his own city? “Until the day of appearing...” i.e. until the time when the voice of God called him to the preaching ministry of the Forerunner (Luke 3:2-6). On the Authenticity and Reliability of the First Chapter of the Gospel of Luke Recent criticism has raised objections to the authenticity of some of the parts included in this chapter. But these objections are unfounded. So Baur denies the authenticity of the preface to the Gospel (verses 1–4), saying that it was compiled by someone in the middle of the 2nd century AD. But another scholar, Ewald, is amazed at the genuine simplicity, noble modesty and precise brevity, which could hardly be discovered by a person who wanted to make his own addition to the inspired Gospel of Luke. Then, Papias and Justin the Martyr, writers of the 2nd century, were familiar with this introduction... But many more objections are heard against the reliability of the miraculous events reported in the 1st chapter. Critics (especially Strauss) sought to show that all these events were invented among the first Christians, who wanted to glorify the Founder of their Church in this way. But all the reasons that criticism gives in favor of its opinion are completely worthless. So, for example, Strauss considers the story of the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah a “myth” because it seems to him completely impossible that Angels could appear to people. But in this case, he should first have rejected the entire Old Testament, where the appearance of Angels is a very common occurrence. Then he considers the Nazarene Gospel to be a fiction, which was formed under the influence of ancient predictions about the Messiah as a great king and descendant of David. But fictions and myths in the era of the Nativity of Christ could hardly have been composed among the Jewish people, who were then experiencing not some kind of prehistoric era when myths are created, but, one might say, the end of their political and civil development. Moreover, such a fiction as the legend of the Messiah, born of a poor Virgin and not called, apparently, to the royal throne, was not at all in the spirit of the Jewry of that time, which expected a different Messiah. If, as Strauss notes, neither John the Theologian nor the Apostle Paul speak about the birth of Christ and the events that accompanied it, then this is explained by the special task of the Gospel of John - to paint precisely the image of Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God, and as for the Apostle Paul, he did not even have the opportunity to describe all these events... As for the speeches of the Blessed Virgin, Zechariah and Elizabeth, they are questioned in terms of their actual origin from these persons: they were allegedly compiled by the writer of the Gospel himself. But against this objection it must be said that these speeches undoubtedly bear a Jewish imprint. This affects both individual expressions and the construction of sentences. Meanwhile, the Evangelist Luke was Greek, and it was difficult for him to imitate the nature of Jewish speech. Finally, it should be noted that the authenticity and reliability of all the stories contained in the 1st chapter is confirmed by the concurring testimony of the most ancient fathers and teachers of the Church. Merckx claims that the words “when I do not know my husband” are an insertion made by a later hand. But the reasons he gives to prove his thought are insufficient. In fact, if he points out the contradiction of these words with reality, since Mary already knew that Her husband, at least legally, was Joseph, then he does not understand that here Mary is saying that She remains and will remain a virgin forever, and not that She does not know a husband. Merckx, however, objects to this understanding of the expression “to know the husband.” It would be necessary, he says, in this case, for the verb “to know” (γινώσκω) to stand either in the past or in the future tense, as, for example, is done in Gen. 19:8 and in other places. But the present tense “I don’t know” very often means a constant action that was performed in the past, is being performed in the present and should be performed in the future. In this sense, for example, God says about Himself: “I kill and I give life, I smite and I heal” (Deut. 32:39), “I know you (Moses) by name” (Exod. 33:12). Even about people, the present tense is sometimes used when they want to indicate some constant mood of theirs, which took place before and will continue forever. In this sense, Pharaoh says to Moses: “I do not know the Lord” (Ex. 5:2). Finally, if Merckx refers to the fact that the verb “to know” in the exclusive sense of the word, as a term meaning marital communication, is used in Syriac translations only about the relationship of a husband to his wife, then it must be said that the Syriac usage in the present case cannot have evidentiary meaning, because the evangelists received messages about the birth of Christ, undoubtedly, from Jewish sources, and among the Jews the verb “to know” is also used about the relationship of a woman to a man ( Judges 11:39). In some codices the word “Mary” is not present and the song is obviously attributed to Elizabeth. You might be interested in: