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1 Peter 3:1. Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that those of them who do not obey the word may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives. 1 Peter 3:2. when they see your pure, God-fearing life. 1 Peter 3:3. Let your adornment not be the outward braiding of your hair, or gold jewelry, or elegance in clothing, The apostle set forth moral teaching for everyone: for kings, rulers, masters and slaves. For the subordinates he made it a law that they obey the kings and rulers to whom they should and in what they should, and thereby showed that the rulers themselves have some destiny and motivation for truth in the laws, and for everything that they do according to the laws they will not be condemned, but for everything that they do contrary to them, lawlessly, unjustly and arbitrarily, they will perish. For the law was given to them for the benefit of the nations, as the Apostle Paul says (Rom. 13:4). Like laws, rulers are given for some benefit, and not, as some people argue badly, as if the power that exists on earth is from the devil, agreeing in this matter with the devil, who said to the Lord: “all this is committed to me, and I give these to whomever I want” (Luke 4:6); It is not by the will of the devil that kings are appointed; for they are given to correct evils, and the devil does not care to introduce anything like that between people. Authorities and rulers are given from God, on the one hand, in order to protect the right and arrange the benefit of the subordinates, on the other hand, in order to restrain those who sin through fear of punishment and reproof, and finally, in order to inflict due punishment on those who have committed injustice. Having shown this, namely, that obedience to authorities is good, and disobedience is evil, and having prescribed similar relations between slaves and masters, the apostle now turns his speech to women. Wives, he says, should be occupied with two things: to obey their husbands, and to abstain from all ornament and decoration, imitating the holy wives. For they, he says, knew only one decoration, that they obeyed their husbands. What's the use of this? The fact that the pagans receive a good concept of faith and zeal for it, which produces our obedience to the authorities, and for our sake they thank Christ, and for Christians there is great praise when for our sake and for the sake of our good behavior the pagans bless the name of God. The words “acquired without a word” mean either that they are acquired without any reasoning or contradiction, or that proof from deeds is stronger than words and skill, just as the holy man said: “A deed not accompanied by a word is better than a word not accompanied by deed.” 1 Peter 3:4. but the hidden man of the heart is in the imperishable beauty of a meek and silent spirit, which is precious before God. For: “All the glory of the King’s daughter is within; her clothes are decorated with gold; speckled" (Ps. 44:14). That is, our innermost disposition and external position must correspond exactly to one another. Decoration with gold signifies external activity. He calls the clothes adorned with gold and speckled because what is revealed from the inside is not something that will happen, but honest and important. 1 Peter 3:5. Thus, once upon a time, holy women who trusted in God adorned themselves, obeying their husbands. 1 Peter 3:6. So Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master. You are her children if you do good and are not embarrassed by any fear. 1 Peter 3:7. Likewise, you, husbands, treat your wives prudently, as with the weakest vessel, showing them honor, as joint heirs of the grace of life, so that there is no hindrance in your prayers. Here he calls obedience an adornment, saying: they adorned themselves by obeying their husbands. Having vaguely said “holy women,” he calls them daughters of Sarah either by faith or by origin. For daughters must necessarily imitate their mothers. With decorations befitting Christian women, he convinces them to be merciful, without fear of punishment from their husbands. He wants to express this in words: “do not be embarrassed by any fear.” For it is natural that husbands will sometimes demand from them an account of the costs. With such an exalted speech, convincing thrifty and cowardly women to give away household things more generously, the apostle also restrains husbands from being strict with them, and says: “husbands, treat your wives wisely,” that is, take into account the weakness and tendency of the female sex to cowardice and be generous to their wives, without irritably demanding an account of what is entrusted to them in the household. Convinces husbands not to exact strictly from their wives because, as we said, they were more generous in giving to the poor. And it seems to me that with these words the apostle hints more intimately and more importantly than Paul at the enjoyment of the rights of marriage. For Paul says directly: “Do not depart from one another except by consent,” and so on. (1 Cor. 7:5). And Peter, more importantly saying: “prudently” and thereby hinting at the matter, convinces husbands, since the female sex is more inclined to this, not to separate from their wives with prohibition and severity, but first to use them condescendingly, as to the weakest, and then with some caution to convince them to get used to abstinence from this. For this, that is, condescension, he wants to indicate with the words: “by showing them honor.” For to whom no attention is paid, there is neither honor nor mercy. Then, one must use them in relation to the message, as the weakest, or as joint heirs of living grace. And that we have given such a meaning to the present saying not without reason, this is indicated by the further addition: “so that there is no obstacle in your prayers.” For what obstacle to prayer can there be from the severity of a husband towards his wife? Meanwhile, leaving a message during prayer brings greater attentiveness and zeal. That's my thought about it. 1 Peter 3:8. Finally, be all of the same mind, compassionate, brotherly, merciful, friendly, humble in wisdom; 1 Peter 3:9. Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult; on the contrary, bless, knowing that you are called to this in order to inherit the blessing. The connection with the previous instruction is this: finally, or to put it briefly, be all of the same mind, etc., knowing that you have been called to this in order to bless everyone. For Paul also says: “Bless those who persecute you” (Rom. 12:14); By doing this, you will hear everyone calling you “blessers” (Ps. 36:20). For He who thirsts for eternal life should not slander anyone with his tongue. Therefore, David urges those who strongly desire to achieve true life to “keep their tongues from evil” (Ps. 33:14). When you arrange yourself this way, the Almighty will be merciful to you. And in that case, who can harm you? But if, while doing good and being jealous of it, you are insulted, then do not grieve, but rejoice, firstly, because this is not evil, and secondly, because through this you are blessed. Therefore, sanctify God in your hearts, and do not be afraid of human fear, and do not be embarrassed. Otherwise. Having finished the private instructions concerning husbands and wives, he generalizes the conviction to everyone, husbands and wives, and says: “finally.” Why private instructions? I tell everyone in general. For this is the end, everyone has one goal - salvation, everyone has one law - love. From here comes all virtue, humility, compassion, mercy, etc. Of these, unanimity is complete agreement on something. Compassion is the same pity for those who suffer as for ourselves. Brotherly love is the disposition towards neighbors as one should have towards brothers. Charity is the spiritual desire for goodness of the same kind. Friendliness is gentleness with everyone, as with acquaintances and friends. Humility or humbleness of mind - enduring blasphemy from another, awareness of one's sinfulness, enduring accusations, which could be called good-naturedness. Adorn yourself with these virtues; Moreover, do not succumb to malice (cursing is an inclination to slander that comes from a bad habit), but be zealous for goodness, leading a holy and perfect life. For he who is blessed by all is also a zealot. 1 Peter 3:10. For whoever loves life and wants to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech; 1 Peter 3:11. turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it, That the instruction he deduces is not false, he confirms by pointing to the words of David, and says: “Whoever loves life,” that is, whoever transforms himself for the true life and wants to show it as desirable (for this is indicated by the expression “loves”, wants to show it desirable for people), let him unswervingly adhere to what the prophetic word offers with me. 1 Peter 3:12. Because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are on their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (to destroy them from the earth). 1 Peter 3:13. And who will harm you if you are zealous for good? 1 Peter 3:14. But even if you suffer for the truth; then you are blessed; but do not be afraid of their fear and do not be embarrassed. 1 Peter 3:15. Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. From the words of the prophet cited by him, he draws a conclusion. It says there: “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12), the apostle adds to this: if you live like this, then God will be favorable and merciful to you. And in this situation, who will harm you? For everything is in His hand, “life and death” (Wis. 16:13). But just as some considered suffering for faith to be evil, the Apostle Peter, to correct this opinion, says: do not consider this evil, on the contrary, consider it a guarantee of bliss. For fear from people is not worth any attention, but is fleeting. For if the eyes of the Lord are turned to the righteous and His ears are directed to their prayer, but against those who do evil the face of the Lord threatens the evil with destruction, then, if it were evil, the Giver of good things, without a doubt, would not repay our love for Him with evil. For He brings evil upon the wicked: “Tribulation and distress to every soul of a man who does evil” (Rom. 2:9), therefore, sorrow for piety is not evil. Together with Isaiah (Isa. 8:13) commands to sanctify the Lord in the hearts, that is, not to be proud of visible deeds, but in the secret chamber of the heart to sanctify the Lord, which consists of moving away from defilements, that is, from the evil pagan morals. So sanctify Him. And He is sanctified through your good behavior, when other people glorify Him, as the God-Man Himself commands: “Let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds” (Matthew 5:16). 1 Peter 3:15. Be always ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence. 1 Peter 3:16. Have a good conscience, so that those for whom you are slandered as evildoers may be put to shame by those who reproach your good life in Christ. The words “ready... to give an answer” and so on. must be combined with the words: “show good activity” (“have a good conscience”). For when you do this with meekness and decency, then you yourself will be convinced that you have a good conscience, and you will put to shame those who have a bad idea about you. The Apostle commands the faithful person to always be ready to give an account of faith, so that whenever they ask us about faith, we can always answer easily, and do it with meekness, like everyone else, as if in the presence of God Himself. For in the presence of his master, no prudent slave is insolent. The benefit of this is that the infidels will know what we are like and will be fair to us. It should be noted that these words of the apostle do not contradict the saying of the Lord. When the Lord says that when they lead us to the rulers and authorities, we should not worry about “what we should answer” (Luke 21:14), and Peter now commands us to prepare for an answer, then the Lord speaks about testimony, and the Apostle Peter speaks about teaching. For whoever thinks that he knows anything without understanding and research invites blasphemy against himself. For the knowledge of the foolish is unsearchable words. Otherwise. Since they accused us of many iniquities and showed our hopes to be in vain, the apostle commands us to prepare thoughtful answers and to have a life worthy of praise, which he calls conscience. 1 Peter 3:17. For, if the will of God pleases, it is better to suffer for good deeds than for evil ones; 1 Peter 3:18. because Christ, in order to lead us to God, once suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unjust, The reason appears, not for what was said before, but for what was said a little higher, namely the words: “even if you suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed” (1 Peter 3:14); because it is better to suffer evil for good deeds than for evil. If anyone wants to attribute this reason to the immediate preceding speech, then the words “good deeds” should be understood not about charity to others, but about virtue in general; The word “evil” must be understood in the same way. He adds: “if it pleases the will of God,” showing by this that nothing happens to us without God’s permission, but it happens either to relieve us from sins, or to reveal and glory ours, or even to save others. And this comes in two ways. Or some righteous person endures evil for the sake of chastity of other sinners, according to what was said: “If a righteous person is barely saved, then where will the sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:18). And from here there is a twofold benefit: for the suffering righteous - an increase in righteousness through patience, and for the sinner - conversion, as it is said. Or the righteous suffers both for his own glory and for the conversion and salvation of others, just like Christ. Therefore, Peter sets Christ here as an example, because Christ once suffered not for His sins, but for ours; which is why he adds: “the righteous for the unjust,” for Christ Himself “committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), to show the power of the One who suffered, he added “once.” And since He suffered in order to lead us to God and His Father, He showed that not all those who suffer suffer for their sins. And as Christ is both God and Man, through His suffering He gave us twofold grace. By dying as a man, He freed us from death, laying the foundation for our resurrection, and in Himself giving an example that those who die do not die without the hope of resurrection. Having come to life, that is, having risen from the dead by the power of Divinity (for He rose from the dead not as a man, but as God), He brought to life all those in hell, having resurrected with Himself. For, according to the evangelist: “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected... and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52–53). Having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 1 Peter 3:19. to whom He went and preached to the spirits in prison, Having been put to death “according to the flesh,” that is, as a man; but made alive "in spirit" like God. By “Spirit” we mean God, and by “flesh” we mean man. The evangelist testifies to the first when he narrates that Christ, the true Wisdom, talking with the Samaritan woman, said: “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and all Holy Scripture testifies to the second. From here it is clear that Christ is purely (dual) not in Face, but in Nature. “Which” is placed instead of “why”. For having said that He died for us unrighteous, the apostle then says that He also preached to those in hell. Having reached this point, the apostle still had to explain how the death of Christ was useful for those who had fallen asleep before, and to resolve the question: if the incarnation of the Lord was for the salvation of all, then what kind of salvation did those who died before receive?” He immediately allows both and says that the death of Christ produced both together, the hope of resurrection through His resurrection and the salvation of those who fell asleep before. For those who had a good time in their lives even then received salvation through the Lord’s descent into hell, as St. Gregory thinks. He says: “Christ, having appeared to those in hell, does not save everyone without exception, but only those who believe” 2. For it depended on the will of each (as rationality demanded) not to remain insensitive to the rich gift of the Creator, but to present himself worthy of the goodness of the Giver. 1 Peter 3:20. once disobedient to God's long-suffering that awaited them, in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved from the water. This was put into the resolution of the objection. Another could say: “Who else preached before Christ, and to whom were those who disobeyed condemned?” Like the Apostle Paul (Rom. 2:15), he could point to our innate rational powers: for those who were created capable of distinguishing between good and evil and, despite this, did not do good, are worthy of condemnation. But he doesn't point it out. Why? Because this is understandable to a higher mind and more wise reasoning than the mind of the Jews, tied to the earth. The apostle confirms disobedience from Scripture, and not from the time of the prophets, but almost from the very creation of the world. From here he imagined that salvation was preached to people from the beginning, but they, due to their inclination towards vanity, neglected it, and while there were countless people, only eight souls obeyed the preaching and were saved in the built ark. Since salvation was in water, he by the way refers this to holy baptism and says that this water pointed to our baptism, for it destroys rebellious demons and saves those who come with faith into the ark, that is, into the Church, and just as water washes away uncleanness, so does baptism, only it produces the deposition of impurity that is not carnal, but through an external sign it produces the washing away of filth. soulful. It is, as it were, a pledge and delivery of a good conscience before God. 1 Peter 3:21. So now baptism, similar to this image, does not wash away the uncleanness of the flesh, but the promise to God of a good conscience, saves us through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:22. Who, having ascended to heaven, The connection is this: in the same way we are now saved by baptism similar to this image, not by washing away the uncleanness of the flesh, but by questioning or begging for a good conscience before God. For those who are aware of the good in themselves, that is, attached to an immaculate life, they resort to holy baptism. What makes baptism saving? Resurrection of Christ. For before His suffering and resurrection, Christ declared: “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5), and after the resurrection he commanded to baptize all coming nations “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), is at the right hand of God and to whom the Angels and Powers and Powers have submitted. Who is this “him” for? * The man He accepted into unity with Himself. See St. Gregory the Theologian, Word 45 of Creation, part 4, page 179. M. 1844. – In the text in our library this phrase is interrogative. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” This verse is in the Church Slavonic text: “who is at the right hand of God, having ascended into heaven, the angel and the authorities and the powers submitted to him.” – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: