Decalogue of Christian Law

The treatise “Decalogue of Christian Law” (or “Decalogue”) was probably written by St. Gregory Palamas in 1350-1357, during the period of his bishopric. The work is addressed to the lay saint and is not just a commentary on the Old Testament Decalogue, but also its interpretation in the light of Christian teaching and the New Testament. The author offers a detailed interpretation of each commandment, going beyond the literal understanding and revealing their spiritual, inner content. In the spirit of Orthodox theology and hesychast tradition, he focuses on such aspects as the confession of the One God in the Trinity, the true worship of icons and holy relics (as opposed to idolatry), and the significance of the sanctification of Sunday through participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. A special place is given to internal feat - the fight against passions, control over thoughts and desires (anger, fornication, envy), the need for forgiveness and love for one's neighbor, as well as respect and obedience to spiritual fathers, whose authority is placed above blood ties if they interfere with salvation. The publication presents a translation from Greek by T. Miller. *The full title of the treatise is “The Decalogue of the Legislation of Christ, or the New Testament.” *The title of the work in Greek is διαθήκης. 1 The Lord, Thy God, the Lord is one, 2 knowable in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: In the Unbegotten Father, in the Son Begotten without beginning, without time and dispassionately, as in the Word, Who having anointed Himself received from us [nature], is called “Anointed” (Christ - T. M.), in the Holy Spirit, Who is not born, but proceeds from the Father. He alone is God and He is the true God, in the Trinity of hypostases the one Lord, not divided [in his] nature, in counsel, in glory, power and action and in all other signs of the Divinity. Love Him alone and serve Him alone with all your mind and with all your heart and with all your strength 3 , and let His words and commandments be in your heart, so that you do them and meditate and talk about them, whether you sit or walk, rest on a bed or stand 4 . And always remember the Lord your God and fear Him alone. And do not forget Him or His commandments, for He Himself will then give you the power to do His will. After all, He does not seek anything else from you except that you fear and love Him and walk in all His ways 5 . Do not listen to [stories] about impassive and invisible supermundane angels and about the great malice of the one who fell from there, about his clever, subtle and cunning deception, and do not consider any of this equal to God. Do not look at the greatness of the sky, at the variety of movements on it, at the radiance of the sun, at the light of the moon, at the brilliance of the other stars, at what is favorable for the breath of air, for the abundance of the fruits of the sea and the earth, and do not deify any of this. For all these things are creations subordinate to the One God, arising at His word from nothingness. For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created. Glorify this one Lord and Creator of everything [that exists], cleave to Him with love, repent before Him day and night for your voluntary and involuntary falls, for He is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and abundantly merciful and eternally beneficent, 7 who promised and gives the kingdom of heaven and never-ending, painless life and immortal life and enjoyment of the non-evening light by those who honor Him, worship Him, love Him and keep His commandments. But He is also a jealous God and a righteous Judge and a terrible avenger 8: those who do not honor Him, resist Him and do not keep His commands will face eternal punishment - unquenchable fire, incessant pain, inconsolable grief, hopeless darkness, a dark and cramped place, where the gnashing of teeth and never-ending poisonous worms cry out for compassion. He prepared this for the first evil apostate, and with him for all who succumbed to his deception, followed him and rejected their Creator in deeds, words and thoughts. Do not make for yourself any image (τὸ ὁμοίωμα) of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water, and do not serve them and do not glorify them as gods 9, for they are all creations of the One God, who in recent times took flesh from a virgin’s womb and was visible on earth, lived among people and, having suffered for the sake of salvation people, died, rose again, ascended in the flesh into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high 10; with this flesh He will come again to judge the living and the dead. So make an image (τὴν εἰκόνα) of Him who became man for our sake, [make it] out of love for Him, and [looking at] this image remember Him, worship Him, raising your mind from [the image] to the worshiped flesh of the Savior, which sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. In the same way, make images (τύπους) of saints and worship them not as gods (for this is forbidden), but because of your attitude and disposition towards them and the greatest respect, raising your mind from the images (διὰ τῶν εἰκόνων) to the [depicted] themselves, just as Moses made the images (εἰκόνας) Cherubim 11 inside the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies itself 12 was an image (τύπος) of things above heaven, and the sanctuary for the laity (τὸ ἅγιον κοσμικόν) was an image (εἰκόνα) of the whole world (παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου), and Moses called them “saints” not because he glorified created things, but because through them he [glorified] God, the Creator of the world. And you, of course, do not deify the images (τὰς εἰκόνας) of the Lord Christ and the saints, but through them worship the One who first created us in His image (κατ’ εἰκόνα οἰκείαν) 13 and then in the ineffable He deigned to accept this image of His [depicted] in us (τὴν καθ’ ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα) and in it became available for description. Worship not only the Divine icon (εἰκόνα), but also the image (τὸν τύπον) of His cross, because it is the greatest sign of Christ’s victory over the devil and over the entire opposing army, which is why they tremble and run when they see its image (τυπούμενον). This image (τύπος), when there was no prototype (τὸ πρωτότυπον) 14, was already very glorified by the prophets and performed many miracles 15. And at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ hanging on it, when He comes to judge the living and the dead, this great and terrible sign of Him will go ahead with great power and glory. Glorify him now, so that then you can look at him with boldness and be glorified with him, also venerate the images (εἰκόνας) of the saints as those crucified with the Lord and create on your face the sign of the cross, remembering that they are sharers of the sufferings of Christ. And their holy tombs [worship], and the remains of bones, if preserved, for the grace of God did not depart from them, just as during the life-giving death of Christ the [fullness] of the Divinity did not depart from His worshiped body. By doing this and glorifying those who glorified God as having in fact shown themselves to be perfect in love for God, you yourself will be glorified by God and, together with David, you will exclaim: “Your friends are of great honor to me, O God!” 16. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7), for the sake of something earthly, or out of human fear, or out of shame, or for the sake of your own self-interest, using an oath falsely. After all, breaking an oath is a renunciation of God. That is why, do not swear at all, but completely avoid swearing, knowing that through an oath comes perjury, which alienates one from God and ranks the one who breaks the oath among the wicked, and you be truthful in all your speeches and give them the reliability of the oath. If you yourself have to submit to an oath, and you need to pray that this does not happen, then when it concerns things that are consistent with the Divine law, fulfill it as a lawful matter, but punish yourself for the fact that you swore in the first place: with alms, prayer, crying and the suffering of the body, appease Christ, who commanded “Do not swear!” (Matthew 5:34). If the matter is illegal, be careful not to break the law for the sake of an oath and be numbered with the prophet-killer Herod; having renounced this illegal oath, make it a rule to never swear again and ask for mercy from God, using the mentioned medicines with great difficulty and tears. One day a week, the day that is called “Resurrection” 17 because it is dedicated to the Lord who rose from the dead on this day, Who foretold and foresaw [us] about the general resurrection, consider this day holy and do not occupy it with any everyday business other than what is necessary. And give rest to those who are with you and subordinate to you, 18 so that together we can glorify the One who purchased us with His death and rose again, having resurrected our nature with Himself. And remember about the next century, carefully fulfill all the commandments and laws of the Lord and examine yourself to see if you have transgressed or missed anything, and you will correct yourself in everything. At the same time, be zealous for the church of God, attend meetings there, with sincere faith and an unashamed conscience, partake of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and thus lay the beginning of a strict life, you will renew yourself and prepare to accept future eternal blessings, for their sake, and on the remaining days [weeks], do not worry too much about earthly things, but on Sunday, being zealous for God, set aside caring for everything except the most necessary, without which one cannot live. Thus, having God as a place of refuge, you will not transgress [the law], you will not allow the flames of passions to flare up, you will not take on the burden of sin, and you will sanctify the Sabbath day, keeping the Sabbath by not doing evil. Compare the great holidays established by law to Sunday, doing the same and abstaining from the same. Honor your father and your mother (Exodus 20:12), for through them God brought you into life and they, together with God, are the culprits of your existence. This means that you, too, honor and love them after God, if love for them contributes to love for God, but if it does not, then run from them, and if they are heterodox and oppose you, especially in what relates to the true and saving faith, then not only run, but even hate not only them, but also all your relatives and other friends and loved ones, and your very members and their aspirations and your whole body with its passionate structure. If anyone does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers, and indeed his own life, and who does not bear his cross and follow Me, he is not worthy of Me 19, said Christ. Treat your carnal parents, friends and brothers this way. And honor and love those who are yours by faith, who do not interfere with salvation. If this is how you [should treat] carnal parents, then how much more will you honor and love those who became your parents in spirit? Those who turned your existence into well-being, who passed on to you the light of knowledge, who taught you the revelation of truth, who gave birth to you again by the bath of rebirth and put in you the hope of resurrection, immortality and the inheritance of an endless kingdom, from the unworthy made you worthy of eternal blessings, from the earthly made you heavenly, instead of the temporary - eternal, the son and disciple no longer of man, but of the God-man Jesus Christ, who said: Do not call anyone on earth your father, mentor, for you have one Father and mentor, Christ 20. You must, therefore, honor and love your spiritual fathers in every possible way, realizing that the honor given to them relates to Christ and the Holy Spirit, in whom you were adopted as sons, and to the heavenly Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named (Eph 3:15). Take care throughout your life to have a spiritual father and reveal to him every sin and every thought and receive healing and forgiveness from him, because it has been given to them to decide and bind souls 21 and everything that they bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and everything that is resolved on earth will be resolved in heaven. This is the grace and power they received from Christ, so obey and do not contradict them, so as not to bring destruction to your soul. After all, if he who contradicts his carnal parents in that which is not prohibited by Divine law must die according to the law, 22 then does not he who contradicts his spiritual fathers drive away the Spirit of God from himself, does he not destroy his soul? That’s why consult with your spiritual fathers and obey them to the end, so that your soul may be saved and become an heir to eternal and incorruptible blessings. Do not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), otherwise you will no longer become a member of Christ, but a member of a harlot, and you will be cut off from the Divine body and cast into Gehenna. If the daughter of a priest, taken in adultery, according to the law must be burned with fire 23 as having dishonored her father, will not he who thereby desecrated the body of Christ be even more guilty of eternal punishment? And you, if you are able to accommodate it, observe virginity in order to completely belong to God and cleave to Him with perfect love, standing before Him all your life, constantly caring for the work of God, anticipating the future life and living on earth as an angel of God. The angels are characterized by virginity, and to them, as far as possible, is likened to the one who, living in the flesh, cleaves to virginity, and even more than them, [he is likened] to the Father, who gave birth in virginity before all ages, and to the virgin [Son], and from the virgin Father, who came in the beginning by birth and in the last times, born in the flesh from the Virgin Mother, and the Spirit, who only from The Father ineffably comes not by birth, but by procession. He who has attained true virginity becomes like this God and is united [with Him] in an immaculate marriage, being a virgin in soul and body, he adorns with the beauty of virginity every feeling, word and reflection. If you have not chosen virginity for yourself and have not promised this to God, according to the law of the Lord you can bring one wife and live with her alone and have her with you as a consecrated vessel, avoiding with all your might the wives of others. You will be able to avoid them altogether when you beware of untimely meetings with them and do not enjoy listening to prodigal speeches. As far as possible, turn away your very gaze, physical and mental, from them. And teach yourself not to stare at beautiful faces in vain. For whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28), and therefore he is unclean to Christ, Who sees the heart; the unfortunate man then falls into debauchery in his body. But what is fornication, adultery and all the abominations inherent in our nature, when from a curious look at bodily beauty a person is uncontrollably drawn to unnatural debauchery! You, uprooting the bitter roots from yourself, will not reap deadly fruits, but will receive the fruit of purity and its inherent holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Do not kill (Exodus 20:13), lest you fall from sonship with Him who makes the dead alive, and become sons of Him who was from the beginning a murderer. Murder comes from a blow, a blow comes from pride, and it comes from anger, and anger arises when someone causes us harm, a blow or an insult, so the Lord said: Do not prevent those who take away your outer clothing from taking your shirt (Luke 6:29). Likewise, do not retaliate with a blow to the one who hits you, and do not repay the one who insults you with an insult. In this way you will protect yourself and your offender from the sin of murder. You will then receive pardon for the sins you have committed against God: Forgive and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). He who speaks evil and does evil will suffer retribution - eternal punishment according to the word of Christ: He who says to his brother “a fool” is subject to fiery hell (Matthew 5:22) 24. If you can uproot evil and assimilate into your soul the bliss of meekness, glorify Christ, the teacher and helper in doing virtues, without Whom, as you know, we cannot do anything good. If you cannot remain without anger, then despise yourself when you are angry, and repent before God and before the person whom you offended by word or deed. After all, the one who repents at the beginning of sin does not reach its end, and the one who does not grieve over small sins, through them falls into large ones. Do not steal (Exodus 20:15), lest He who knows what is hidden (Dan 13:42) repay you with repeated vengeance for neglecting Him. You, on the contrary, give secretly from your possessions to those in need, so that you may receive a hundredfold from God, who sees in secret, 25 and eternal life in the next century. Do not bear false witness (Exodus 20:16), lest you become like the one who lied to God in the beginning before Eve 26, and bring upon yourself a curse along with him. Moreover, if it does not harm many, cover the sin of your neighbor and imitate not Ham, but Shem and Japheth 27 and you will receive a blessing. Do not covet anything that your neighbor has: neither his property, nor his money, nor fame, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor 28 . For desire perceived in the soul gives birth to sin, and realized sin produces death. Do not covet what belongs to others and, if you can, do not let greed take over you, but, on the contrary, give from your means to the one who asks and show mercy as much as you can to the one who needs mercy, and do not turn away from anyone who wants to borrow from you (Matthew 5:42). If you find a lost thing, return it to its owner, even if he is hostile to you, by this you will reconcile him with yourself, and you will overcome evil with good, as Christ commands you 29. Observe this with all your might, live according to this, and you will accumulate a treasure of piety for your soul and please God; God will reward you with His blessings, and you will become an heir to future blessings, of which may we all be worthy of the mercy and love for mankind of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory, honor and worship are due to Him with His Originless Father and His All-Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Translation from Greek by T. Miller Translation based on edition: PG 150, 1089–1100. Here and further the Scripture is quoted in a translation that more precisely follows the text of the Saint and is somewhat different from the synodal one, which is given in the footnote: “The Lord our God, there is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength” (Deut. 6:5); “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37); “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30; see also Luke 10:27). “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart and in your soul; and you shall teach them to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). "Therefore, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? This only is that you fear the Lord your God, and walk in all His ways, and love Him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. He is your praise and He is your God" (Deut. 10:12:21). Translation, notes. T. A. Miller, 1998 “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it was done” (Ps 32:9). “But You, O Lord, are a generous and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and truth” (Ps 85:15). “I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me” (Exodus 20:5). “You shall not make for yourself any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:4–5). “…sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). That is, before the Savior of the world was nailed to the cross. The prototype of the life-giving power of the Cross of Christ was the copper serpent, which Moses, at the command of the Lord, put on the banner and which delivered from death those who, being bitten by a snake, looked at him (Numbers 21: 8–9). The Savior compares Himself with this serpent in the Gospel of John (John 3:14). The prototype of the Tree of the Cross was a tree that Moses, at the word of the Lord, threw into the water, after which the water acquired a sweet taste (Exodus 15:25). The story about this event is included in the sequence of paremias of the service to the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross. According to liturgical texts, the prototype of the form of the Cross was the raised hands of Moses during the battle of Joshua with the Amalekites (Exodus 17:11–12). See, for example, Wednesday morning canon, tone 1, canto 6. Prophecies about the suffering of Christ on Calvary are heard in Psalms 21 and 68, as well as in the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah (see the proverbs of Holy Week). This idea is expressed differently in Ps 119:63. Literally the Day of the Lord (κυριακή). "And the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is with you, so that your servant, and your maidservant, and your donkey, may rest as well as you" (Deut. 5:14; cf. Exodus 20:10). This quote combines Luke 14:26–27 and Matthew 10:37–38. “And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven; and do not be called instructors, for you have one Teacher, Christ” (Matthew 23:9-10). “...whoever says to his brother: “cancer” is subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says “madman” is subject to fiery hell.” Wed. Matthew 6:3: “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.” “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17). See Rom 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”