Catechetical and secret words

“Catechetical and occult words” are the catechetical conversations of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, pronounced in the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection for those preparing to receive Baptism in (348 or 350-351). They consist of 1 prevocal word, 18 catechetical and 5 secrecy words. They are based on the Creed of the Church of Jerusalem. “The members of the faith,” teaches Saint Cyril, “are not compiled according to human invention, but from the entire Scripture all the most important things are collected and thus one doctrine is compiled. Just as a mustard seed contains many branches in a small grain, so faith also combines in several sayings all the teachings of piety of the Old and New Testaments.” The preconciliatory word was pronounced on the Sunday before Great Lent, 18 catechetical words were pronounced on the weekdays of Lent up to and including Holy Saturday, then the sacrament of Baptism was performed on Easter night, and the remaining five words were pronounced on Easter week. The preparatory speech sets out the purpose and essence of catechetical teachings, and gives general instructions on how to proceed to baptism and how to behave during the catechism. As one of the educational measures, the requirement to observe disciplina arcani (the prohibition of communicating the proposed teaching to the unbaptized) is used. After the preparatory speech, catechetical conversations follow. Words 1-3 present the doctrine of sin and repentance, with the goal of inducing a repentant mood in the listeners. The 4th word gives a brief overview of Christian dogmas, which are subject to further detailed disclosure. The 4th word ends with an indication of the source of Christian doctrine - the Holy Scriptures, and a list of canonical books is given. St. Cyril proposes a Palestinian canon from the mid-4th century, when disputes regarding the non-canonical books of the Old Testament and the Apocalypse were still ongoing. The remaining words (5-18) provide a detailed explanation of the same dogmas in the order of the Symbol: about God the Father (6-9), about God the Son (10-15), about God the Holy Spirit (16-17) and, finally, the doctrine of the Church, the resurrection of the flesh and eternal life (18). Five arcane words are significantly smaller in volume than the previous ones. They contain an explanation of the sacraments of Baptism (1.2), Confirmation (3) and Eucharist (4.5), which were a secret for the catechumens. The last two words are of particular importance, since they represent the testimony of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the order of celebrating the liturgy in the middle of the 4th century and the firm faith of the Ancient Church in the transmutation of the Holy Gifts. Presented translation by Prof. prot. P.S. Delitsyn differs from others by an extremely high scientific level. *The title of the work in Greek is Κατηχήσεις; Κατήχησις μυσταγωγικὴ. *The title of the essay in Latin is Catecheses; Mystagogiae. (Translation by Prof. Archpriest P.S. Delitsyn) The word is pre-vocalistic, or a preface to the words of vowels 1. The fragrance of bliss is already before you, enlightened ones; you are already collecting mental flowers in order to weave heavenly crowns from them; The fragrance of the Holy Spirit has already wafted. You have already entered the threshold of the royal palaces; Oh, if only the King would bring you to him! Color appeared on the trees; Oh, if only I could see perfect fruit on them! Meanwhile, your names are inscribed, you have been called into the army, you have wedding lamps in your hands, you have expressed your desire for heavenly life, your good will, and the hope that accompanies it. For he who said: “all things work together for good to those who love God” is not lying (Rom. 8:28). But although God is generous in charity, he nevertheless expects sincere will from everyone. Why did the Apostle add: “to those called according to His purpose.” The will, when it is sincere, makes you “called.” But if you are here with your body, but not here with your mind, then there is no benefit in this. 2. And Simon the Magus once approached this font. And he was baptized, but was not enlightened; washed the body with water, but did not enlighten the heart with the Spirit; The body was immersed in water and came out of the water, but the soul was not buried with Christ and was not resurrected with Him. I present examples of falling so that you do not fall. This was a sign for those, and it was written as a lesson to those who come to this day, so that none of you would be found tempting grace; “Lest any root of bitterness spring up and cause harm” (Heb. 12:15), lest anyone come out of you saying: “Let me see what the faithful are doing.” I’ll go have a look and find out what they have.” You expect to be seen, but you don’t expect that they will see you too; you think you are curious to know what happens to the faithful, but God is not curious to see your heart. 3. One day someone was curious about entering a marriage mentioned in the Gospel and, putting on indecent clothes, he entered, lay down and ate. The groom allowed this. But you had to see for yourself that everyone was wearing white clothes and put the same clothes on yourself. On the contrary, he ate the same dishes as everyone else, but he did not have the same attire and will. And the groom, although generous, was not unscrupulous. He goes around and examines each of those reclining (he wants to know not how they eat, but whether they behave decently) and, seeing a stranger who does not have a wedding robe, says to him: “Friend! how did you get in here?” (Matthew 22:12). In what form? With what conscience? Let us assume that the doorkeeper did not stop you due to the generosity of the one who invited you; Let us assume that you were in the dark about what clothes you should wear to the feast. But you entered and saw how light the clothes of those reclining were; Shouldn't you have been taught understanding by those who are visible? Shouldn't you have entered at the right time, so that you could also go out at the right time? Now you have entered at the wrong time, and you will be driven out at the wrong time. And he orders the servants: “Bind his feet, who entered boldly, bind his hands, who did not know how to put on a bright robe, and throw him into utter darkness” (v. 13); because he is not worthy of the wedding lamps.” Do you see what happened to him then? Take care too. 4. We, the servants of Christ, accept everyone and, as if correcting the position of doorkeepers, we leave the doors unlocked. There is no prohibition for you to enter if your soul is defiled by sins and your intentions are unclean. And you entered, were accepted, your name was written down. Do you see this improvement of the Church as worthy? Do you notice the order and knowledge of the matter, the reading of the scriptures, the presence of the clergy, the adherence to the teaching? Almost the place and come to your senses visible. Go out now at a good time, and come in at an even better time in the morning. If the love of money serves as the clothing of your soul, enter in different clothing; take off the clothes you are wearing, and don’t cover them up. Put off fornication and impurity and put on the bright robe of chastity. I warn you about this before Jesus, the Bridegroom of souls, came and looked for the garments. A long term is given to you. You have forty days to repent. You have plenty of convenient time to undress, wash, put on your clothes, and enter. If you remain with your evil will, the one who precedes you is not guilty, but you do not expect to receive grace. The water will accept you, but the spirit will not accept you. If anyone knows he has an ulcer, let him take a plaster; if anyone has fallen, let him rise. May there be no Simon among us, may there be no hypocrisy or idle inquisitiveness among you. 5. You can also enter for another reason. It is also possible that the husband wants to please his wife and therefore comes here. The same word can be applied to women. Often a slave wants to please his master, and a friend wants to please his friend. I leave the bait on the hook and catch you, who comes with a bad will, but can be saved by good hope. Maybe you don’t know where you are going and what kind of environment will accept you. You are in church networks; surrender yourself alive, don’t run. Jesus catches you not in order to kill you, but in order to, having killed you, give you life. You must die and be resurrected. Have you heard what the Apostle says: dead to sin, but alive to righteousness (Rom. 6:11). Die to sins and live in truth, live from today. 6. See what dignity Jesus gives you. You were called a catechumen because they proclaimed to you from outside; You have heard about hope and did not know it; I heard about the sacraments and did not understand; listened to the scripture and did not know its depth. Now they do not proclaim to you from outside, but you hear a voice within yourself, because the spirit living in you makes your mind a Divine dwelling. When you hear what is written about the sacraments, then you will understand what you did not know. And don’t think that you accept something small. You, a pitiable person, accept the name of God. Listen to what Paul says: “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 1:9); listen to what another Scripture says: “God is faithful and just” (Deut. 32:4). The psalmist, foreseeing this, that people would accept the name of God, said on behalf of God: “I said: you are gods, and you are all sons of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6). But be careful that you do not have the name of the right, but the will of the wrong. You have entered the competition, continue the flow. You will not have another time like this. If your wedding day were coming, would you not neglect everything and take up the preparation of a feast? If you intend to dedicate your soul to the heavenly Bridegroom, will you really not leave the physical in order to receive the spiritual? 7. You cannot accept baptism twice or three times, reasoning like this: “I didn’t succeed once, I’ll fix it another time.” If you don’t succeed once, then the matter is irreparable. For “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5). Only some heretics are rebaptized, because their first baptism was not baptism. 8. God does not require anything from us except good will. Don’t ask: “How will my sins be blotted out?” I tell you: by will, by faith. What's the short answer? But if your mouth says what you want, but your heart does not say it, then the Knower of the Heart will judge you. From now on, abandon all worthless deeds. Let not your tongue utter obscene words, let not your gaze sin, and let not your thought be preoccupied with what is useless. 9 . Let your feet hasten to the announcement. Receive spells carefully: if a breath is blown on you, or a spell is cast, this will save you. Consider gold to be unrefined and counterfeit, which is mixed with various substances: with copper, with tin, with iron, with lead. We need to have only gold, and gold cannot be purified from impurities without fire. Likewise, the soul cannot be cleansed without spells. They are Divine, collected from Divine scriptures. A veil is placed over your face so that your mind is not distracted by anything, so that your gaze wandering everywhere does not cause your heart to become agitated. But when the eyes are covered, this does not prevent the ears from receiving what is saving. Just as those experienced in the craft of goldsmithing, using thin tools to blow into the fire and direct it at the gold hidden in the melting vessel, achieve what they want through the intensification of the surrounding flame, so when the exorcists inspire fear with the Divine Spirit, and in the body, as in a crucible, they kindle the soul, the enemy demon flees, but salvation remains, the hope of eternal life remains, and the soul, having been cleansed of sins, finally accepts salvation. Therefore, brethren, let us remain in hope, give ourselves up and hope that the God of all, seeing our will, will cleanse us from sins, give us good hopes in our work, and grant us saving repentance. God has called, and you are called. 10. Abide unconditionally during the announcements. Even if we stretch out the word for a long time, let your mind not weaken. For you accept weapons against opposing forces; you take up arms against heresies, against Jews, against Samaritans, against pagans. You have many enemies, take a lot of arrows, because you must shoot at many and you need to learn how to shoot a Greek, how to fight a heretic, a Jew, a Samaritan. The weapon is ready, the sword of the Spirit is prepared. But you must also, with good will, strain your right hand in order to wage the battle of the Lord, defeat opposing forces, and remain invincible in every heretical matter. 11. But here is an order for you: memorize what is said and observe it forever. Do not consider this to be ordinary conversations. And those are very useful and worthy of faith, but if we listen to something with negligence today, we will learn it in the morning. If, from the teaching that, in order, is taught about the bath of rebirth, one listened today with negligence, then when will this be corrected? Imagine that now is the time to plant trees; If we do not dig up the ground and do not deepen what is planted into it, then when at another time can it be planted well that was once planted poorly? Imagine that the announcement is a building; If we don’t go deep into the ground and lay foundations, if we don’t fasten the houses one after another with the ties put in the building, so that nothing turns out to be unstable, and the building doesn’t become unstable, then there is not the slightest benefit in the previous work. On the contrary, it must be that stone is fitted to stone in order and angle is connected to angle, so that after we have cut off what is superfluous, the building is finally erected harmoniously. So we offer you, as it were, stones of knowledge. You must hear about the living God; must hear about the trial; must hear about Christ, must hear about the resurrection. There are many things that need to be told to you one after another, which are now not spoken of in connection, but which will be proposed in an orderly order. But if you do not put this together, you do not remember the first and second, then although the creator creates, your building will not be strong. 12. Therefore, when the catechumen teaching is pronounced, if the catechumen asks you: “What did the teachers say?” – don’t retell anything to someone standing outside. For we teach you the mystery and hope of the age to come. Keep the secrecy of the Giver of Bribes. Let no one say to you: “What harm will it do if I also find out?” And the sick ask for wine, but if given untimely, it produces insanity and there are two bad consequences: the patient dies, and the doctor is slandered. So, if the catechumen hears something from the faithful, then the catechumen will fall into madness of mind (for he does not know what he heard, and condemns the matter, ridicules what was said), and the faithful is condemned as a traitor. Now, you are already standing at the very limit, look, do not divulge what is being said, not because it is not worthy of retelling, but because the ear is not worthy to accept it. And you were once announced, and I did not tell you what was proposed now. When you experience the height of what is being taught by experience, then you will learn that the catechumens are not worthy to hear it. 13. You, inscribed, have become sons and daughters of one mother. When you enter before the incantations begin, let each of you talk about piety. And if any of you does not appear, look for him. If you are invited to dinner, will you not wait for the person invited with you? If you have a brother, will you not seek goodness for your brother? Finally, do not be curious about what is useless: about what the city did, what everyone did, what the king did, what the bishop did, what the presbyter did. Behold the grief! Your very position requires this. “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11). If you see that the faithful serve and do not care, then they are already safe; they know that they have received it, they already have grace. And you are still at an advantage, you can be accepted or not accepted. Do not imitate those who have no care, but seek fear. 14. And when there is a spell, until others who are being conjured are gathered, let there be husbands with husbands and wives with wives. Now I need Noah's ark, in which were Noah and his sons, and also Noah's wife and his sons' wives. For, although the ark was alone, and the door was shut, yet everything was in order in it. Although the church is closed, and you are all inside it, let everything be in its place - husbands with husbands, wives with wives, so that the intention of salvation does not turn into a reason for destruction. Although it is a wonderful intention to sit close to each other, let the passions be far away. Moreover, let the men sitting together have a useful book, and let one read and the other listen. If there is no book, then let one pray, the other talk about something useful. May the virgin community also be united together, and may it remain silent, engaged in either singing or reading, so that the mouth speaks, but not prying ears hear. “I do not command a woman to say in church” (1 Tim. 2:12). Let the married woman do the same. Let her pray and her lips move, but her voice is not heard. (1 Sam. 1:13), may Samuel come to pass, and your barren soul may give birth to the salvation of one who hears God. For this is the interpretation of the name “Samuel.” 15. I’ll look at everyone’s diligence, I’ll look at everyone’s reverence. Let the mind be inflamed to the point of reverence, the soul melt, the hardness of the heart of unbelief soften under the glaze, the excess dross fall from the iron, and what remains pure; The rust will fall off the iron, and it will remain intact. One day God will show you that night, that luminous darkness about which it is said: “But the darkness will not obscure you, and the night is as bright as the day: as is the darkness, so is the light” (Ps. 139:12). Then the door of heaven will open to each and every one of you; then enjoy the fragrant Christ-bearing waters; then take upon yourself the name of Christ and the effectiveness of the Divine. Now look with the eye of your mind, imagine mentally the Angelic faces, the Lord of all God seated, and at the right hand the neighboring Only Begotten Son, and the co-present Spirit, and the serving Thrones and Dominions, each and every one of you being saved and being saved. Just as your hearing has already been announced, so wish to be heard with that good voice when, after your salvation, the Angels proclaim: “Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered” (Ps. 31:1), when, like the stars, you enter the churches, pure in body and luminous in soul. 16. The great work is the upcoming baptism, it is the redemption of the captives, the remission of sins, the death of sin, the restoration of the soul, a bright robe, the holy indestructible seal, the chariot to heaven, heavenly pleasure, the preparation of the kingdom, the granting of sonship. But the serpent watches those passing along the way; be careful not to bite him with unbelief. He sees many being saved, “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). You enter to the Father of spirits, but you must pass by this serpent. How can you get past it? – “Having your feet shod with the preparation of preaching peace” (Eph. 6:15), so that even if he bites you, he will not harm you. Arm yourself with the faith that lives within you, with this strong hope, with these strong shoes, so that you can pass by the enemy and enter the Lord. Prepare your heart to accept the teaching, to communicate in the Holy Mysteries. Pray often that God will vouchsafe you the heavenly and immortal Mysteries. Do not spend a day or night without prayer, but as soon as sleep disappears from your eyes, let your mind exercise itself in prayer. If you see that a shameful thought enters your mind, take hold of this saving thought, the memory of judgment. Exercise your mind by studying so that you may forget the bad. If you see someone say: “Are you coming to go into the water? Are there no baths in the city? - then know what this serpent from the sea inspires in you. Listen not to the mouth of the speaker, but to the active God. Guard your soul so that you may become elusive and, remaining in hope, become an heir of eternal salvation. 17. We command you this and teach you this as men: do not let our building be “hay, reeds and stubble,” and that when “the work is burned,” we suffer loss, but make our work “gold, silver, and honest stone” (1 Cor. 3:12:15). My job is to say; it’s yours to agree to it, and God’s to do it. Let us strain our minds, direct our souls, and prepare our hearts. We strive for the soul, hoping for eternal blessings. God, who guides our hearts, knows who is sincere and who is hypocritical, and He is able to preserve the sincere and make the hypocrite faithful. For he can make an unfaithful person faithful, if only he gives him his heart. May He destroy the “handwriting” that was on you (Col. 2:14). He will grant you forgiveness of previous sins, plant you in the church, accept you into his army, having clothed you in the weapon of righteousness, fill you with the heavenly blessings of the New Testament, and give you the indelible seal of the Holy Spirit about Christ Jesus our Lord forever. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. When offering these catechumens of the enlightened for reading to those approaching baptism and to the faithful who have already received baptism, do not give them to the catechumens or to anyone else who has not yet become a Christian, otherwise you will give an answer to the Lord. And if you make a list from these announcements, then write this down as before the Lord. 1st catechetical word to those who are enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem and containing the initial teaching of those approaching baptism Reading from Isaiah: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, put away your evil deeds from before My eyes,” etc. (Isaiah 1:16) 1. Now, by calling, and soon by grace, disciples of the New Testament and sharers of the Mysteries of Christ! “Create for yourself a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezek. 18:31), so that there may be joy in heaven. For if, according to the Gospel, there is “joy over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:7), then how much more will the salvation of so many souls move those in heaven to joy. Having entered on a good and excellent path, reverently walk in the field of piety. For the Only Begotten Son of God, ready for your deliverance, stands and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). You, covered by the weight of the Falls and bound by the captivity of your own sins, hear this prophetic voice: “Wash yourselves, be cleansed, remove your evil deeds from before My eyes” (Isa. 1:16), so that the Angelic face may cry to you: “Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered” (Ps. 32:1). You, who have now just kindled the lamps of faith, keep them unquenchable in your hands, so that He who then, on this all-holy Calvary, opened paradise to the thief for his faith, and grants you to sing the wedding song. 2. If anyone here is a slave of sin, let him prepare by faith for the free rebirth of sonhood and, having laid aside the most wretched slavery of sin, accepting the most blessed slavery of the Lord, may he be deemed worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Through confession, put off your former way of life, the old man, which is corrupted by its deceitful lusts (Eph. 4:22), in order to put on “the new man, who is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:10). Acquire by faith “the earnest of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 5:5), so that you may be received into the eternal habitations. Proceed to the mysterious seal in order to become understandable to the Lord. Be numbered among the holy and verbal flock of Christ, appointed to stand at His right hand and inherit the life prepared for you. For those who still bear the scales of sin are put on the back foot, because they do not approach the grace of God, bestowed by Christ upon regeneration through baptism. I do not mean the rebirth of bodies, but the spiritual rebirth of the soul, because bodies are born from visible parents, and souls are reborn by faith. For “the spirit breathes where it will” (John 3:8). And then, if you are worthy, you will hear: “Good, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21), only it would become clear that you do not have any impurity of hypocrisy in your conscience. 3. For if any of those present here thinks to tempt grace, he deceives himself and does not know the power. Have an unfeigned soul, O man, for the sake of the one who searches “the heart and the womb” (Ps. 7:10). Just as those who begin recruiting warriors enter into a study of the age and physical constitution of those being recruited, so the Lord, inscribing souls into His army, tests the wills. And if anyone has hidden hypocrisy, he rejects this person as incapable of true service in the army. And if he finds someone worthy, he readily gives him grace. They do not give “holy things to dogs” (Matthew 7:6). Where a good conscience sees, there it gives a wonderful saving seal, with which demons tremble, and which angels know, so that some persecuted will flee from what was sealed, while others will accept it with love as their own. Therefore, those who accept this spiritual and saving seal also need their own will. For just as a reed or an arrow has a need for someone who does it, so grace has a need for those who believe. 4. You take upon yourself an imperishable, but spiritual weapon. You are already planted in a mental paradise. You get a new name that you never had before. Until now you have been a catechumen; now you will be called faithful. You are already transplanted to spiritual olive trees, from a wild olive grafted to a good olive tree (Rom. 11:24), from sins to righteousness, from filth to purity. Join the holy Vine. But if you remain in the Vine, you will grow like a fruitful branch. And if you do not abide, you will be destroyed by fire (John 15:4-6). Therefore, we will bear worthy fruits. May the same thing not happen to us as happened to that barren fig tree; otherwise Jesus, even now, having come, will curse for barrenness. On the contrary, let everyone be able to say about themselves: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever” (Ps. 51:10). I am not a sensual olive tree, but a spiritual, luminous one. Therefore, God’s work is to plant and water, and yours is to bear fruit. God’s work is to bestow, and yours is to accept and observe. Do not neglect grace, because it is given to tuna; on the contrary, having received it, observe it reverently. 5. The present tense is given to you for confession. Confess everything you have done, in word and deed, day and night. Confess “in the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Receive heavenly treasure. Be attentive to spells, be present at announcements, remember what will be said. For it is said not only so that you may hear, but so that by faith you may seal what is said. Destroy all human care in yourself, because you strive for the soul, but completely abandon worldly things. And what you leave is unimportant, but what the Lord gives is great. Leave the present and believe in the future. You have spent so many years in the vain occupation of the world, will you really not use forty days for prayer for your soul? “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11), says the Scripture. Avoid idle verbosity, do not judge others and do not listen with pleasure to the condemner, but above all, be ready to pray. Prove the strength of your heart through asceticism. Cleanse your vessel so that you can receive greater grace into it. Remission of sins is given to everyone equally, but the communion of the Holy Spirit is given according to the measure of each person’s faith. If you work little, then you accept little. And if you do a lot, the reward is great. You strive for your own sake, keep in mind what is useful. 6. If you have something for someone, leave it. If you come here to receive remission of sins, you also need to forgive the sinner. Otherwise, with what face will you say to the Lord: “forgive me my many sins,” when you yourself have not forgiven even a few to a slave just like you? Be diligent in God’s services, not only now, when the ministers of the church demand diligence from you, but also after receiving grace. If it is good until you receive, will you really cease to be good even after giving? If, before you were grafted, irrigation and cultivation were useful for you, then won’t it be much more useful after planting. Strive for your soul, and especially on such days. Nourish your soul with divine readings. For the Lord has prepared a spiritual table for you. Say, like the Psalmist: “The Lord is my Shepherd! I won't want for anything. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. Strengthens my soul" (Ps. 23:1 - 3), may the Angels rejoice, and Christ Himself, the great Bishop, having accepted your will, bringing you all to the Father, will say: "Here I am and the children whom the Lord has given me" (Isa. 8:11). May He make you all acceptable to Him. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. 2nd Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, about repentance and forgiveness of sins and about the resister Reading from Ezekiel: “The righteousness of the righteous remains with him, and the iniquity of the wicked remains with him. And the wicked, if you turn from all your sins that you have committed,” etc. (Ezek. 18:20.21). 1. Terrible evil is sin and the most serious illness of the soul is lawlessness; it cuts off its strength and exposes it to eternal fire. Evil is a product of free will. And that we sin spontaneously, the Prophet clearly speaks about this in one place: “I planted you like a noble vine, the purest seed; How did you turn into a wild branch of someone else’s vine with Me?” (Jer. 2:21). The planting is beautiful, the fruit is bad; evil from will. The planter is not guilty, but the grapes will be burned by fire, because they were planted for good, but they bore fruit willingly for evil. For, in the words of Ecclesiastes, “God created man upright, but people indulged in many thoughts” (Eccl. 7:29). “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works” (Eph. 2:10), says the Apostle. Therefore, the Creator, as good, created good things, but what was created, of its own free will, deviated into evil. And therefore sin, as it has been said, is a terrible evil, but not incurable. A terrible evil for one who retains sin within himself, but one that can easily be healed for one who puts away sin through repentance. For imagine a man who holds fire in his hand. While the coal is in his hand, it undoubtedly burns him, but if he throws the coal, he will remove from himself what was burning. If anyone thinks that he is not burned by sin, then Scripture tells him: “Can anyone take fire into his bosom so that his clothing does not burn?” (Prov. 6:27). Sin burns spiritual strength. 2. But someone will ask: what is sin? Is it an animal? Is it an angel? Is it a demon? What works in it? This enemy who fights with you is not outside of you, man; on the contrary, an evil branch is growing out of you. Look with right eyes, and there will be no lust; own what is yours and do not take someone else’s, and predation will not awaken; remember the judgment, and neither fornication, nor adultery, nor murder, nor any other lawlessness will increase in you. And when you forget God, then you begin to think evil and commit lawlessness. 3. But you are not the only main culprit of the matter; On the contrary, there is someone else, the most evil adviser - the devil. He teaches everyone, but does not overcome those who submit to him. Therefore, Ecclesiastes says: “If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, then do not leave your place” (Eccl. 10:4). Shut your door and remove him from you, and he will not harm you. If, without disgust, you accept a lustful thought, then through thoughts it will take root in you, bind your mind and drag you into the abyss of evil. But perhaps you will say: “I am faithful, lust will not prevail over me, although I will often think about it.” Don’t you know that over a long period of time a root often digs deep into a stone? Do not accept the seed into yourself, because it will crush your faith. Rip out evil by the roots before it flourishes, so that, having been careless at the beginning, you do not later seek axes and fire. If inflammation in the eyes begins, treat it in advance so as not to seek a doctor until you become blind. 4. So, the first culprit of sin and the founder of evil is the devil. It’s not me who says this, but the Lord said: “for the devil sinned first” (I John 3:8). No one had sinned before him. He sinned not by nature, but by necessity, having received an inclination to sin; otherwise the guilt of sin would fall again on the One who made him this way. On the contrary, having been created good, by his own will he became the devil, receiving a name for himself from his deeds. Having been an Archangel, he was later called the devil for slander; Having become a good servant of God, he became Satan in the full meaning of this name, because Satan means adversary. And this is not my teaching, but the spirit-bearing prophet Ezekiel. He, lamenting about Satan, says: “You are the seal of perfection, the fullness of wisdom and the crown of beauty. You were in Eden, in the garden of God” (Ezek. 28:12.13). And a few words later: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you” (Ezek. 28:15). “It was not found in you” is very well said; Evil was not brought from outside, but you yourself gave birth to it. In subsequent words, the Prophet said the reason: “Your heart became proud because of your beauty, because of your vanity you destroyed your wisdom; therefore I will cast you to the ground” (Ezek. 28:17). In accordance with this, the Lord also says in the Gospel: “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18). You see the agreement of the Old Testament with the New. The devil fell and took many with him into retreat. He puts lusts in those who submit to him, from him adultery, fornication and everything that is evil. Through him, our forefather Adam was destroyed and that paradise, which by itself bears wonderful fruits, was exchanged for the land that bears thorns. 5. So, what then? - someone will say - we perished, having been deceived; is there really no salvation? We fell; Is it really impossible to rebel? We have become blind; Is it really impossible to see clearly? We have become lame; Is it really impossible to start walking straight? In short, we died; Is it really impossible to be resurrected? The one who raised Lazarus, who stank for four days, will not resurrect you much more easily, man, while you are still alive? He who shed honest blood for us will Himself deliver us from sin. Let us not despair, brothers, let us not fall into a hopeless state. It is terrible not to believe in the hope of repentance. He who does not expect salvation adds evil to evil without measure. And whoever hopes for healing is already conveniently saving himself. The robber who does not expect pardon grows in insolence, but the one who hopes for forgiveness often comes to repentance. Moreover, the snake also lays aside its old age; Shall we not put off sin? And the land overgrown with thorns, if well cultivated, turns into fruitful; Is salvation really irretrievable for you? Nature makes salvation possible, but will also be required. 6. God is philanthropic and philanthropic in no small measure. Do not say: “I am a fornicator, I am an adulterer, I have committed grave sins, and not just once, but many times, will God really forgive me? Will all this really be forgotten? Listen to what the Psalmist says: “How many blessings You have, O Lord!” (Ps. 30:20). All your sins in the aggregate do not overcome the multitude of God’s bounties; all your ulcers do not overcome the experience of the supreme Physician. Surrender only yourself with faith. Tell the Doctor your weakness. Say, like David: “And I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and this will also be fulfilled on you: “And You have taken away from me the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 31:5). 7. Do you want to see God's love for mankind, having recently begun the announcement? Do you want to see God’s love for mankind and abundance of long-suffering? Listen about Adam. God's primordial Adam fell into crime. Couldn't God have put him to death immediately? Look what the philanthropic Lord is doing. He throws him out of paradise, because due to his sin he was unworthy of being there; however, he settles him “directly in paradise” (Gen. 3:24), so that, seeing where he fell from, from what bliss and to what calamity he was brought, he would finally be saved by repentance. The first-born of people, Cain, became a fratricide and the inventor of evils, the first culprit of murder, the first envious person. But, having killed a brother, what is one condemned to? “You will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth” (Gen. 4:12). The sin is great, the punishment is small. 8. And in this there was truly God’s love for mankind, but still small in comparison with what followed. For consider what happened under Noah. The giants sinned, and great lawlessness then spread across the earth, and for this there had to be a flood. And in the five hundredth year God utters a threat, and brings a flood to the earth in the six hundredth year. Do you see the breadth of God's love for mankind, extending over a hundred years? Couldn't He have done immediately what He did after a hundred years? But He deliberately continues time, giving the opportunity for repentance. Do you see God's goodness? And if those who lived then had repented, they would not have remained deprived of God’s love for mankind. 9. Let us finally move on to others who received salvation through repentance. But perhaps one of the women will say: “I am a harlot, an adulteress, I have defiled my body with all kinds of lewdness, is salvation possible for me?” Look, wife, at Rahab and expect salvation for yourself. For if she who clearly and openly gave herself up to fornication was saved for the sake of repentance, then will she not one day be saved for the sake of repentance and fasting if she fell into fornication even before receiving grace? Consider how Rahab was saved. She just said: “Your God is in heaven and on earth” (Joshua 2:11). Yours, he says, is God, but she didn’t dare call her hers because of her depraved life. And if you want to hear the testimony of Scripture that she was saved, you have it written in the psalms: “I will mention Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me” (Ps. 87:4). God’s love for mankind is great and He remembers harlots in Scripture! And he doesn’t just say: “I will mention Rahab and Babylon,” but adds: “to those who know Me.” Therefore, for husbands, as well as for wives, salvation is possible through repentance. 10. Even if a whole people sins, this does not prevail over God’s love for mankind. The people drained the calf, but God did not retreat from his love for mankind. People denied God, but God did not deny Himself. “These are your gods for Israel” (Is. 32:4), the Israelis said, but the God of Israel again, as usual, became their Savior. And it was not the people alone who sinned, but also the bishop Aaron. For Moses says that the wrath of the Lord was upon Aaron, and he adds: and I prayed for him, and God forgave him (Deut. 9:20). And Moses, praying for the sinner bishop, appeased the Lord; Will not the only begotten Jesus, praying for us, appease God? And Aaron, because of his fall, was not forbidden by God to enter the High Priesthood; will he forbid you, who came from the pagans, to begin salvation? Repent too, O man, like Aaron, grace will not be withheld from you. For the future, show yourself an irreproachable character. But God truly loves mankind, and not a single person can adequately express His love for mankind. And if all human tongues come together, then even then they will not be able to convey even a part of God’s love for mankind. For we present here only some of what is written about His love for mankind towards the fallen race. But we don’t know how much He forgave the Angels. For it also condescends to them, because there is only one sinless one who cleanses our sins, Jesus. And enough of this about Angels. 11. About us, if you wish, I will present other examples. Turn to blessed David and take him as a model of repentance. A great man fell; After a midday rest, walking on the roof of the house, he looked without any special thought and suffered something human. The sin was committed, but the good thought of confessing one’s fall did not die. The Prophet Nathan comes, a quick accuser and healer of the plague. The Lord was angry, he says, and you sinned. So the commoner said to the king, and the purple-bearing king was not indignant, because he did not listen to the speaker, but to the Sender. The squad of upcoming warriors did not blind him; He mentally imagined the angelic army of the Lord, for he, as if seeing the Invisible One” (Heb. 11:27), was afraid, and in response to the one who came, and especially in his face to the Sender, he said: “those who have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13). You see the king’s humility, you see his confession. No one caught him, few knew about his act. The deed is done quickly, the accuser-prophet immediately appears, and the fallen one confesses his evil. And since he confessed the sin with good feeling, the healing was very quick. The threatening Prophet Nathan immediately says: “and the Lord has taken away your sin from you” (2 Samuel 12:13). You see what a quick change in God, who loves mankind. “But, it is said, by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:14). Because of your righteousness you had many enemies, but chastity protected you. Since you have already lost this great weapon, your enemies are ready to rise up against you. 12. Thus the Prophet consoled blessed David, but the king, although he completely heard that “the Lord had taken away his sin,” nevertheless did not abandon repentance; on the contrary, instead of purple he put on sackcloth, and instead of the gold-plated royal throne, he sat down on ashes and on the ground. And not only did he sit on ashes, but he also ate ashes for food, as he himself says: “I ate ashes like bread” (Ps. 101:10). With tears I exhausted the lustful eye, saying: “Every night I wash my bed, with my tears I wet my bed” (Ps. 6:7). When the princes invited him to eat bread, he did not listen to them, but continued fasting for the whole week. If the king confessed his sin in this way, shouldn’t you, commoner, confess your sins? And after the uprising of Absalom, when David had many ways to escape, he decided to flee through the Mount of Olives, as if mentally calling out to the Redeemer, who ascended into heaven there. And when Shimei viciously curses him, David says: “Leave him” (2 Sam. 16:10). For he knew that whoever lets go will be let go. 13. You see that it is a wonderful thing to confess! You see that salvation is possible for those who repent. And Solomon fell, but what does he say? “And I looked, and turned my heart” (Prov. 24:32). And Ahaav, the king of Samaria, was a lawless idolater, who knew no bounds, a murderer of the Prophets, alien to piety, greedy for other people’s fields and vineyards, but when, with the help of Jezebel, he killed Naboth, and the Prophet Elijah came and uttered only a threat, Ahaav tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. And what does the man-loving God say to Elijah? Did you see “how Achaav humbled himself before Me?” (1 Kings 21:29). God, as it were, convinces the irritated Prophet to condescend to the repentant. For he says: “I will not cause trouble in his days.” Although even after forgiveness Achaav does not abandon his wickedness, the gracious Lord forgives him, not because he does not know the future, but because he grants forgiveness in accordance with the present time of repentance. For a righteous Judge tends to judge each action accordingly. 14. Also Jeroboam stood sacrificing to idols on the altar, and his hand withered, because he ordered to seize the Prophet who had denounced him. Having experienced the power of what is to come, he says: “Placate the face of the Lord your God” (1 Kings 13:6). And for this word the health of his hand was restored again. But if the Prophet healed Jeroboam, then cannot Christ, having healed you, free you from your sins? Manasseh was also lawless, he sawed through Isaiah and defiled himself with every kind of idolatry, and filled Jerusalem with the blood of the innocent. But, taken captive to Babylon, he used the trial of disasters as a medicine for repentance. For the Scripture says that Manasseh humbled himself before the Lord, and “prayed,” and the Lord heard, “and bring him back to his kingdom” (2 Chron. 33:13). If the one who sawed the prophet was saved by repentance, will you not be saved, having done nothing of the kind? 15. Look, but indulge in vain disbelief in the power of repentance. Do you want to know how strong repentance is? Do you want to know a strong weapon of salvation and find out how powerful confession is? Hezekiah overthrew one hundred and eighty thousand enemies by confessing. Truly this is a great thing, but it is still small in comparison with what I will tell you. The same Hezekiah, through repentance, canceled out God’s sentence pronounced on him. For when he fell ill, Isaiah told him: “Make a will for your house, for you will die and not recover” (2 Kings 20:1). What could you expect after this? What hope of salvation remained after the Prophet said, “for you will die”? (2 Kings 20:1). But Hezekiah did not abandon repentance, remembering what was written, “if you had remained in place and in peace, you would have been saved” (Is. 30:15), he turned away from the wall, and since the whiteness of the wall does not stop the prayers sent up with reverence, from his bed, directing his mind to heaven, he says: “Lord, remember me” (2 Kings 20:3). This is enough for healing if you remember me, because you are not subject to time, for You yourself are the author of life. And our life does not depend on the time of birth and the combination of stars, as others say in vain, but You, as You please, determine who should live and when. And to whom, according to the prophetic verdict, there was no hope of life, fifteen years of life were added to him by the sign of the sun, which completed the reverse course. Moreover, for the sake of Hezekiah the sun returned back, but for the sake of Christ the sun darkened. Not retreating back, but becoming dark, it showed the difference between one and the other, that is, between Hezekiah and Jesus. And if Hezekiah could do so that God’s decree would be canceled, then wouldn’t Jesus grant remission of sins? Go back and sigh for yourself, close the door and pray that God will forgive you your sins and take you away from the scorching flame, because confession can quench fire, it can also tame lions. 16. If you don’t believe, think about what happened to those with Ananias. What streams did they pour out? How many sextarii of water were needed to extinguish the flame of the furnace, which rose to forty-nine cubits? But where the flame rose so high, there faith poured out like a river, there in opposition to disasters, they said: “For You are righteous in everything that You have done to us; for we have sinned and done iniquity” (Dan. 3:27–29). And repentance extinguished the flame. If you do not believe that repentance can extinguish the fire of hell, then learn this from what happened to those who were with Ananias. But one of the more attentive listeners will say: “God justly delivered them, because they did not want to worship idols, then God gave them power. In this case, I will move on to another example of repentance. 17. What is your opinion about Nebuchadnezzar? Haven’t you heard in Scripture that he was bloodthirsty, fierce, and had a lion’s temperament? Have you heard that the bones of kings were removed from their graves? (Bar. 2:25) Have you not heard that the people of God were taken into captivity? Have you heard that he blinded the king’s eyes, allowing him to first see the slaughter of his children? Didn’t you hear that he crushed the Cherubim, I don’t say the imaginative Cherubim - no, don’t imagine this, man! - but the sculptured Cherubim - that purification from the midst of which God’s voice spoke, trampled the veil of the shrine, took the censer, brought it into the idol church, took away all the offerings and burned the church to the ground? How many executions was he worthy of for killing kings, for burning shrines, for captivating the people, for bringing sacred vessels into an idol’s church? Didn't he deserve a thousand deaths? 18. You see the greatness of evil; pay attention now to God’s love for mankind. Nebuchadnezzar became like beasts, lived in the desert, was executed, but in order to be saved through this. He had claws like a lion because he was a predator of the shrine; and he had the hair of a lion, because he was a predatory, roaring lion. “He ate grass like an ox” (Dan. 4:30), because, like foolish cattle, he did not know Him who gave him the kingdom. “His body was wet with dew,” because before this, having seen the fire quenched by the dew, he did not believe. And what is happening? After all this he says: “I am Nebuchadnezzar, I lifted up my eyes to heaven and I blessed the Most High, I praised and glorified the Ever-present” (Dan. 4:31). And therefore, when he came to know the Most High, sent up voices of gratitude to God, came to repentance for what he had done, and recognized his weakness, then God returned his royal honor to him. So what? To Nebuchadnezzar, who did so much bad and then confessed, God grants forgiveness and the kingdom; will he not give remission of sins and the kingdom of heaven to you, the repentant, if you live in a manner worthy of it? The Lord is philanthropic, quick to forgive and slow to punish. Therefore, let no one despair of his salvation. The supreme and foremost of the Apostles, Peter, denied the Lord three times before the slave, but, having repented, “wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75), and by crying showed heartfelt repentance. Therefore, he not only received forgiveness for his renunciation, but also inalienably maintained his apostolic dignity. 20. Therefore, my brethren, having many examples of those who have sinned and repented and been saved, confess yourself to the Lord in order to receive forgiveness of past sins, to be worthy of a heavenly gift and to inherit the heavenly kingdom with all the saints in Christ Jesus. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 3rd catechumen word to those who are enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, about baptism Reading from Romans: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? So we were buried with Him through baptism into death,” and so on. (Rom. 6:3–4). 1. “Rejoice, O heavens, and be glad, O earth” (Isa. 49:13) about those who are preparing to be sprinkled with hyssop and cleanse themselves with spiritual hyssop and the power of Him who, during suffering, was given drink from hyssop and reeds. And let the heavenly Powers rejoice, and let the souls who are to be united with the spiritual Bridegroom be prepared. Here is: “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord” (Isa. 40:3). This matter is important - this is not some ordinary and thoughtless bodily coupling, but according to the measure, election by the all-searching Spirit. Worldly marriages and obligations are not always carried out by strict choice, but where there is beauty or wealth, the groom is more likely to lean there. Here one does not look where the physical beauty is, but where is the blameless conscience in the soul; here the choice is not made by a condemnation-worthy mammon, but by enriching the soul with reverence. 2. Therefore, children of justification, listen to John, who calls and says: “correct the way of the Lord” (John 1:23); take away all stumbling blocks and temptations, so that you may walk straight to eternal life. With unfeigned faith, prepare pure vessels of the soul to receive the Holy Spirit. Begin to wash your garments with repentance, so that when you are called to the bridal chamber, you will be clean. The Bridegroom simply calls everyone because grace is generous; and the loud voice of the preachers gathers everyone. However, the Groom Himself then distinguishes those who entered into this marriage, which has a mysterious meaning. May none of those who wrote down their names now hear: “Friend! How did you come here not wearing wedding clothes?” (Matthew 22:12). But let each of you hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). For until now you have stood outside the door. Oh, if you could say to each of you: “The king has brought me into his chambers” (Song of Songs. 1:3); “My soul will rejoice in my God, for He has clothed me with the robe of salvation, He has clothed me with the robe of righteousness, as He has placed a crown on a groom, and He has adorned me with ornaments like a bride” (Isaiah 61:10). Oh that the soul of each of you would be found “not to have spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27); and not before accepting grace (I don’t say this, for is this possible for you, who are called for the remission of sins?), but when grace is given, then your conscience, being uncondemned, promotes grace! 3. This is truly a great work, brothers, and approach it with attention. Each of you will appear to God before the darkness of the angelic armies, the Holy Spirit will seal your souls, join the army of the great King. Therefore, get ready, equip yourself, not adorned with bright vestments, but with spiritual reverence and a good conscience. Look carefully at this font, not as simple water, but as spiritual grace given along with the water. For just as what is offered on the altar, being simple in nature, is desecrated by the invocation of idols, so, on the contrary, simple water, when the Holy Spirit, Christ and the Father is called upon it, acquires the power of holiness. 4. Since man is dual, consisting of soul and body, then purification is twofold - incorporeal for the incorporeal, and bodily - for the body; and water cleanses the body, and the Spirit seals the soul so that we can come to God, sprinkling the heart with the Spirit and washing the body with clean water. Therefore, when you go into the water, keep more than just the water element in mind, but expect salvation from the action of the Holy Spirit; because without both it is impossible for you to achieve perfection. It is not I who say this, but the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has authority over this. He says: “unless one is born again” (John 3:5) and adds to this: “of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). He who is baptized with water, but has not been granted the Spirit, does not have perfect grace. And whoever, although deserving praise for his deeds, did not receive the seal in water, will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This word is bold, but not mine: this is what Jesus said. And here is proof of this from the Divine Scripture: Cornelius was a righteous man, worthy of the vision of Angels: with his prayers and alms he erected a good pillar for himself in heaven before God. Peter came and the Spirit was poured out on the believers; They began to speak in other tongues and prophesy, and after the grace of the Spirit, says Scripture, “Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:48), so that, after the soul was reborn by faith, the body would partake of grace in water. 5. If anyone wants to know why grace is taught through water, and not through another element, then he will find this by studying the Divine Scriptures. Water is something great and the best of the four visible elements of the world. The habitat of Angels is heaven, but heaven is made of waters. The place of residence of people is the earth, but also the earth from the waters. Before any six-day dispensation of creatures, “the Spirit of God hovered over the waters” (Gen. 1:2). The beginning of the world is water, and the beginning of the Gospel is Jordan. Freedom for Israel from Pharaoh was given by the sea; and freedom for the world from sins “by the washing of water by the means of the word” (Eph. 5:26). Where there is a covenant with anyone, there is water. The covenant with Noah was confirmed after the flood; a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai, but “with water and scarlet wool and hyssop” (Heb. 9:19). Elijah lands, but there is water here too, because he first crosses the Jordan, and then ascends to heaven in a chariot. The bishop first washes himself, then brings incense, because Aaron first washed himself and then became a bishop (Ex. 19:4:5). Is it possible to pray for others without having yet been cleansed with water? Thus, the symbol of baptism was the laver placed inside the tabernacle (Ex. 40.7). 6. Baptism is the end of the old and the beginning of the new covenant. For its first teacher is John, in comparison with whom no one is greater than those born of women; John is the end of the prophets, “for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John” (Matthew 11:13), but also the beginning of the gospel events, for it is said: “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” and further: “John appeared baptizing in the desert” (Mark 1:1 - 4). If you point to Elijah the Thesbite taken up into heaven, then he is no greater than John. Enoch was converted, but no more than John. Great is the lawgiver Moses, and all the Prophets are worthy, but they are no greater than John. It is not I who dare to compare prophets with Prophets, but our Master the Lord Jesus also said: “John’s pains do not rise in those born of women” (Matthew 11:11), not in those born of virgins, but of women. The greatest of slaves is compared with slaves like him. The Son's superiority and grace have no comparison with servants. Do you see what kind of person God chose to be the first worker of this grace? - A non-covetous person, a desert-lover, not a man-hater, the one who ate locusts and stained the soul; ate honey and said that it was sweeter and healthier than honey; dressed in clothes made of camel's hair, and showed in himself an example of asceticism, and carried while still in the mother's womb, was sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah was also sanctified, but did not prophesy in the womb. John alone, while still in the womb, “jumped joyfully” (Luke 1:44), and without seeing with his bodily eyes, he knew the Master in spirit. Since the grace of baptism is great, it required a great primate. 7. John baptized in the Jordan and then all Jerusalem came out to him (Matthew 3:5), using the firstfruits of baptisms, because the dignity of all good things is in Jerusalem. But know, O Jerusalemites, how those who came out were baptized by John. It is said: “confessing your sins” (6). First they showed the ulcers, and then John applied healing and gave the believers deliverance from eternal fire. And if you want to be convinced of the very fact that John’s baptism served as deliverance from the threatening fire, then listen to what he says: “brood of vipers! who told you to flee from the wrath to come”? (7). Therefore, no longer be a viper, and if you were once the offspring of vipers, then, says John, put off the very essence of your former sinful life. Every snake, crawling into a narrow hole, sheds its old age, and in the cramped space, stripped of old age, its body then becomes younger. So you too, says John, enter through narrow and cramped doors and, oppressing yourself with fasting, “reject your destruction” (Proverbs 16:26). Put off “the old man with his deeds” (Col. 3:9), and say in the words of the Song: “I have thrown off my tunic, how can I put it on again?” (Song of Songs 5:3). But perhaps one of you is a hypocrite, a people-pleaser, pretending to be reverent, but does not believe in your heart; with the hypocrisy of Simon the Magus, you came not to receive grace, but to be curious about what is given. And let him hear from John: “Already the ax lies at the root of the trees; Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:5). The judge is implacable - put aside hypocrisy. 8. Therefore, what should one do, and what are the fruits of repentance? He who has two coats, give him to the poor” (the teacher is worthy of credit, because he himself is the first to do what is taught, he was not afraid to say, his conscience did not forbid him and did not tie his tongue), “and whoever has food, do the same” (Luke 3:11). Do you want to enjoy the grace of the Holy Spirit, but you do not honor the poor with sensual food? Are you looking for great things and not giving in to small things? Even if you are a publican, even if you are a fornicator, hope for salvation. “Publicans and harlots go ahead of you into the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 21:31). The witness is also Paul, who says: “neither harlots, nor idolaters,” nor others listed for this, “will inherit the kingdom of God.” “And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified” (1 Cor. 6:9.11). He did not say: such are “some” even now, but “such were some.” Sin due to ignorance is forgiven, but stubborn malice is condemned. 9. To the praise of baptism you have the Only Begotten Son of God himself. For what can I say about man? John is great, but what is he before the Lord? This voice is great, but what is it before the Word? This preacher is excellent, but what is he before the King? Beautiful is he who baptizes in water, but what is he compared to Him who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire? The Savior baptized the Apostles with the Holy Spirit and fire when “suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as if from a rushing strong wind, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-2). 10. If someone has not received baptism, then he has no salvation, with the exception of some martyrs, who acquire the Kingdom even without water. For the Savior, redeeming the universe through the cross, poured out blood and water from his pierced rib, so that those living in times of peace would be baptized in water, and those living in times of persecution would be baptized in their own blood. And the Savior also calls martyrdom baptism, saying: “Can you drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (Mark 10:38). The martyrs profess the faith, becoming “a disgrace to the world and to men” (1 Cor. 4:9); Soon you too will confess, but it is not yet time for you to hear about this. 11. Jesus sanctified baptism by being baptized Himself. If the Son of God was baptized, who of the pious will neglect baptism? He was baptized not in order to receive forgiveness of sins (because he was sinless), but, being sinless, he was baptized in order to bestow divine grace and Divine dignity on those who were baptized. “And just as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also received them also” (Heb. 2:14), so that we, having become partakers of His coming in the flesh, would become partakers of His Divine grace: thus Jesus was baptized, so that through this we again, by fellowship in that, would receive dignity along with salvation. In the waters there was a serpent, according to Job, who contained the Jordan in his mouth (Job 40:18). So, since the head of the serpent had to be crushed, Jesus descended into the waters and bound the strong one, so that we would receive the power to tread on snakes and scorpions. This beast was not small, but terrible. Not a single ship of fishermen could “pierce his skin with a spear or his head with a fisherman’s edge” (Job 40:26). “Destruction flowed before him” (Job 41:13), destroying those he met. Life came so that the mouth of death could finally be stopped and all of us who were saved said: “Death! where is your sting? hell! where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55). The sting of death is destroyed by baptism. 12. You descend into the water, carrying your sins with you, but the calling of grace that has sealed your soul does not allow the terrible serpent to devour you. Having descended dead in sins, you ascend quickened by righteousness. For if you have been equipped with “the likeness of death” (Rom. 6:5) of the Savior, then you will also be worthy of resurrection. Just as Jesus, having taken upon Himself the sins of the universe, died in order to put to death sin, to resurrect you with righteousness, so you, having descended into the water, and in some way buried in the waters, as He was in a stone tomb, arise, again walking “in newness of life” (4). 13. When you are worthy of grace, then the Lord will give you the power to fight opposing forces. For, just as He was tempted forty days after baptism, not because He could not win before, but because He wanted to do everything in order and consistently; So you too, who did not dare to fight those who opposed you before baptism, having accepted grace and relying on the weapon of truth, then strive, and if you want, be an evangelist. 14. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; Not before baptism did he begin to preach the gospel. If the Master Himself bided his time, observing order, then should we, slaves, dare to do anything without observing order? “From there Jesus began to preach” (Matthew 4:17), when “the Holy Spirit descended” on Him in a bodily form in the form of a dove (Luke 3:22), not so that Jesus would be the first to see him (He knew him even before his bodily descent), but so that the baptizing John would see him. “I,” says John, “did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me: on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining in Him, He is” (John 1:33). If you also have unfeigned reverence, then the Holy Spirit will descend on you, and the Father’s voice from above will call to you, not: “This is My Son” (Matthew 3:17), but: This has now become My son. For: “there is” is said about Him alone; because “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). It is said “is” about Him, because He is always the Son of God; about you: “now you are made,” because you do not have it by nature, but by appropriation you accept sonship. He is the Son eternally, and you receive grace according to your success. 15. Therefore, prepare a spiritual vessel so that you may become a son of God, an heir with God, and a joint heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17), if only you prepare yourself to receive it, if you come with faith in order to become faithful, if by your own will you put off the old man. For whatever you have done will be forgiven you, whether fornication, adultery, or any other similar kind of indecency. What is the greatest thing - crucifying Christ? Baptism cleanses us of this too. For to those three thousand who crucified the Lord, when they come, they ask and say: “What shall we do, brethren” (Acts 2:37)? For the plague is great. You frightened us, Peter, by our fall, saying: “They killed the ruler of life” (Acts 3:15). What kind of plaster for such an ulcer? What cleansing is there from such filth? What salvation is there in such destruction? – Peter says: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Oh, God's inscrutable love for mankind! They do not hope to be saved and are granted the Holy Spirit! See the power of baptism. If any of you crucified Christ with blasphemous words, if any of you out of ignorance rejected Him before men, if any of you through evil deeds did something that blasphemes His teaching, then having brought repentance, let him be trustworthy; grace is also ready now. 16. Be of good cheer, O Jerusalem, “the Lord has canceled the sentence upon you” (Zeph. 3:15). “The Lord will wash away the filthiness of the sons and daughters of Zion with the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire” (Isa. 4:4); He will sprinkle “clean water on you, and you will be cleansed” from all your sin (Ezek. 36:25). The Angels will rejoice over you, and will say: “He who ascends is made white, and established in favor of his brother” (Song of Songs 8:5). For the soul, which was formerly a slave, now calls the Master himself brother; and He, accepting her unfeigned will, will exclaim: “Oh, you are beautiful, my beloved, you are beautiful; your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep” (Song of Songs 4:1:2), because of the confession pronounced with a good conscience, and, as it is said further, “of which each has a pair of lambs,” because of pure grace, that is, accomplished by water and the Spirit, or proclaimed by the Old and New Testaments. And all of you, having finished the field of fasting, keeping in mind what has been said, having brought forth fruit in good deeds, having presented yourself blamelessly to the spiritual Bridegroom, may you receive remission of sins from God. Glory to Him with the Son and the Holy Spirit forever! Amen. 4th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the Ten Dogmas Reading their Epistle to the Colossians: “Be careful, brethren, that no one captivates you with philosophy” and empty deception, according to the tradition of man, according to the elements of the world,” and so on. ( Col. 2:8 ). 1. Vice imitates virtue, and the tares strive to be called wheat. And in appearance they are likened to wheat, but when they eat they are exposed by those who know how to discern. And the devil is transformed into a bright Angel, not in order to return to where he was before (because, having acquired an unyielding heart on the anvil, he already has an unrepentant will), but in order to surround those who lead a life equal to the angels with the darkness of blindness, and bring them into a contagious state of unbelief. Many wolves walk in sheep's clothes, and their clothes are sheep's, and not hooves and teeth. On the contrary, covering themselves with the skin of meek animals and deceiving the gentle ones with their appearance, they sharpen the pernicious poison of wickedness from their teeth. Therefore, we need Divine grace and a sober mind, and watchful eyes, so that, eating tares for wheat, we will not suffer harm out of ignorance, and mistaking a wolf for a sheep, and not become its prey, and mistaking the destructive devil for a beneficial Angel, and not be devoured by him. For, according to Scripture, “he walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). For this reason the Church gives reminders, for this reason real teachings are offered, for this reason there are readings. 2. For a pious life, both are necessary: ​​pious dogmas and good deeds. And dogmas without good deeds are not pleasing to God; and deeds done without pious dogmas are not accepted by God. What is the use of knowing well the dogmas about God and shamefully committing fornication? And also, what is the use of being completely chaste and blaspheming wickedly? Therefore, the study of dogmas is a great acquisition, and a sober soul is needed for this, because there are many who seduce with philosophy and vain flattery. The pagans captivate with sweet speech: “for the mouth of another man’s wife drips honey” (Prov. 5:3). These are those who, from circumcision, from childhood to old age, learning the Divine Scriptures and growing old in ignorance, deceive those who come with an incorrect interpretation of these Scriptures. Heretics deceive the hearts of simple people with kind and sweet speeches, with the name of Christ like honey, covering up the poison of evil teachings. The Lord says about all of them together: “Beware lest anyone deceive you” (Matthew 24:4). This is why the teaching of faith and its explanation are taught. 3. But, in my opinion, it will be good, before we begin to teach the doctrine of faith, now to briefly present an overview of the most necessary dogmas, so that the multitude of subjects that we will talk about, and the very distance between the days of the entire holy Pentecost, will not produce oblivion in those of you who are not so strong in spirit, and we, having now briefly laid the foundation for sowing, will not omit anything later, when we cultivate in an extensive manner. And those of those ahead who are more perfect in their abilities and already have “senses trained by skill to distinguish between good and evil” (Heb. 5:14), let them listen with patience to children’s lessons and milk-like guidance, so that together those who need clarification may benefit from this, and those who have acquired knowledge may revive in memory what they already knew beforehand. 4. Therefore, first of all, let the dogma about God be laid as the foundation in your soul, namely, that God is only one, not begotten, without beginning, not changed, not changeable, not begotten from another, and does not have another successor of life, did not begin to live in time and will not ever die; and also that He is good and truthful. And as soon as you hear a heretic who says that Another is truthful and Another is good, immediately remembering this, recognize the poisonousness of heresy; for some dared to wickedly divide the concept of the one God, and some, teaching together unthinkingly and wickedly, said that Another is the creator and ruler of the soul, and Another is the body. How can one person be a slave of two masters, when the Lord says in the Gospel: “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Therefore, there is only one God, one Creator of heaven and earth, Creator of Angels and Archangels. He is the Creator of many, but of One is only the Eternal Father - His only Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom He created everything, visible and invisible. 5. This Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not described by any place and no less than heaven; but “the works of His finger are the heavens” (Ps. 8:4), and He contains the whole earth with His handful (Ps. 40:12). He is in everything and beyond everything. Do not think that the sun is brighter than Him or equal to Him. For he who created the original sun is all the more brighter than the sun. He is the foreseeer of the future and the most powerful of all, He knows everything and creates as He pleases; not subject to the sequence of things, neither birth, nor chance, nor fate. He is perfect in everything and possesses every kind of virtue in equal measure, does not decrease, does not increase, but always has the same thing, and moreover, in the same way. He has prepared punishment for the sinful and a crown for the righteous. 6. Many, deviating from the one God, have fallen into various errors. Some deified the sun, so that after sunset, during the night, they would remain godless; others deified the moon so as not to have God during the day; others deified other parts of the world, even works of art, food and pleasure. The misogynists, placing a statue of a naked woman on an elevated place and calling it Aphrodite, began to worship passion in this visible image, while others, amazed at the shine of gold, deified gold and other substances. But whoever in his heart places the entire doctrine of the unity of God as the basis and is convinced of it, will suddenly put an end to every harmful tendency of idolatry and heretical error. Therefore, with the help of faith, make this first dogma of piety the foundation in your soul. 7. Believe also in the Son of God, one and only, our Lord Jesus Christ, God, begotten of God, life begotten of life, light begotten of light, in every way like Him who begotten, not coming into being in time, but begotten of the Father before all ages and incomprehensibly, God's wisdom and power, hypostatic truth, seated at the right hand of the Father before all ages. For not through suffering, as if crowned, from God (so some think), for patience he received the throne at the right hand, but with his very being (and He was born from eternity) he has royal dignity, co-seated with the Father, since, according to what has been said, He is God and wisdom and power. With the Father He reigns, and through the Father He is the creator of all things; but does not lack the dignity of the Divine, and knows the Begotten, as He Himself is known by the Begotten. And I will say briefly: remember what is written in the Gospel: “No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son” (Matthew 11:27). 8. Do not alienate the Son from the Father and do not create confusion, believing in sonship, but believe that there is one God, the Only Begotten Son, before all ages God is the Word, an unutterable word, spreading in the air, not being likened to unfulfilled words, but the Word is the Son, the Creator of verbal beings, the Word that listens to the Father and speaks Himself. And over time, God willing, we will talk about this in more detail; for we have not forgotten our intention of offering now an abbreviated guide to faith. 9. Believe that this Only Begotten Son of God, because of our sins, descended from heaven to earth, taking upon Himself this humanity subservient to us, and was born of the Holy Virgin and the Holy Spirit. And the incarnation took place not in a ghost, not dreamily, but in reality: not as if he passed through a pipe through the Virgin, but he truly became incarnate from her, truly fed on milk from her, really, like us, he ate and really, like us, he drank. For if the incarnation was a dream, then salvation is also a dream. There are two natures in Christ. Apparently He is a man, but invisibly He is God. Like us he truly ate like a man, because he had servile flesh on ours; He fed five thousand with five loaves, just as God did. He really died like a man, but he resurrected a four-day dead man like God. Indeed, he slept on a ship like a man and walked on the waters like God. 10. He really was crucified for our sins. If you set out to deny this, the place visible to us will convict you, this blessed Golgotha, on which we have now gathered for the sake of Him crucified on it. And the whole universe is already filled in parts with the tree of the godfather. He was crucified not for His sins, but so that we could be freed from our sins. And although he was then neglected by people and slain like a man, he was known to the creature as God. For the sun, seeing the desecrated Lord and not enduring this spectacle, was eclipsed with trepidation. 11. He was indeed laid in a stone coffin, like a man; but the stones scattered in fear of Him. He descended into the underworld to raise up the righteous from there. For, tell me, would you like the living, and most of them not saints, to enjoy grace, but everyone, starting with Adam, who had been imprisoned for so long, would not finally receive freedom? The Prophet Isaiah preached so much about Him publicly: would you really not wish that the King would condescend and deliver the preacher? There were David and Samuel, and all the Prophets, and John himself, asking through the messengers: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another” (Matthew 11:3)? Would you not wish that He would come down and deliver such? 12. But he who descended into the underworld ascended again, and the buried Jesus again actually rose again on the third day. If the Jews confuse you, immediately meet them with this question: the three-day-old Jonah came out of the whale, why should not the three-day-old Christ be raised from the earth? The dead man, having touched the bones of Elisha, rises: is it not much more convenient for the Father, the Creator of men, to rise by the power? So, He truly rose again and, having risen, appeared again to the disciples. The witnesses of His resurrection are the twelve disciples, who did not testify with captivating words, but fought for the truth of the resurrection to the point of torment and death. Moreover, according to Scripture, “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word was confirmed” (Matthew 18:16); the resurrection of Christ - twelve witnesses. Will you still not believe in the resurrection? 13. Having completed the race of patience and delivered people from their sins, Jesus again ascended to heaven on a cloud that lifted Him up. During His ascension, Angels stood before Him and the Apostles looked at Him. And if anyone does not believe what we say, then let him believe the very power of what is visible now. All kings, having died, lose their power along with their lives, but the whole universe worships the crucified Christ. We proclaim the Crucified One, and the demons tremble. There were many crucified at different times, but did the calling of another crucified one ever cast out demons? 14. Therefore, let us not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ. But if another is hiding, you clearly imprint the sign on the forehead, so that the demons, seeing the royal sign, will run far away in trepidation. Do this sign when you eat, drink, sit down, lie down, get up, talk, walk, in a word, in every activity. For He who was crucified here is the one who is in heaven. If the crucified and buried one remained in the tomb, then we would have reason to be ashamed. But now the Crucified One on this Golgotha ​​ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives, which is in the east. Here, having descended into hell and ascended again to us, he again ascended from us to heaven, and the Father proclaims and says to Him: “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps. 109:1). 15. This ascended Jesus Christ will come again from heaven, and not from earth. I say: not from the earth, because today many Antichrists will come from the earth. For many, as you have seen, have already begun to say: “I am Christ” (Matthew 24:5); and finally the abomination that makes desolate will come, falsely taking the name of Christ for itself. But you wait for the true Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, not from the earth, finally, but from heaven to come, Who, carried by the Angels, will be visible to everyone brighter than any lightning and radiance of light, and will come to judge the living and the dead and reign in the heavenly, eternal and endless kingdom. Be strong in this too, for many say that the kingdom of Christ will come to an end. 16. Believe in the Holy Spirit, and have the same thought about Him that you were inspired to have about the Father and the Son, and not the same as those who teach blasphemous things about Him. You should know that this Holy Spirit is one, not separate, has many powers, and performs many actions, but is not divided into parts, knows mysteries, “searches all things and the depths of God” (1 Cor. 2:10), descended on the Lord Jesus Christ “in the form of a dove,” acted in the Law and the Prophets, and now, during baptism, seals your soul. Every rational nature has a need for His holiness. If anyone dares to blaspheme him, he will not receive remission, neither in this nor in the age to come (Matthew 12:32). To the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son belongs the glory of the Divinity; Thrones and Dominions, Principalities and Powers have need of Him. For there is one God, the Father of Christ, and one Lord Jesus Christ, one God’s Only Begotten Son; there is one Holy Spirit, who gives sanctification and deification to everyone, who spoke in the Law and the Prophets, in the Old and New Testaments. 17. Always keep firmly in mind what has now been told to you in a brief summary, and if God willing, it will, if possible, be stated with evidence from the Scriptures. For the Divine and holy mysteries of faith must not be taught without the Divine Scriptures and not be carried away by mere probability and the arguments of reason. Don’t even just believe me, who I tell you, if you don’t receive evidence from the Divine Scriptures for what I proclaim. For the very salvation of our faith is not based on refined words, but on evidence from the Divine Scriptures. 18. Having acquired knowledge of this venerable, glorious and all-holy faith, finally know yourself who you are, namely, know that man is dual, consisting of soul and body, and that God Himself, as was recently said about this, is the Creator of soul and body. Know also that your soul is free, and is an excellent work of God, created in the image of the Creator, that it is immortal by the grace of God, who gives it immortality, and is a living, intelligent, incorruptible being, by the grace of Him who gave it to it; has the power to do what he wants. For you do not sin because you were born that way, and it is not by chance that you fall into fornication, and it is not by a confluence of stars, as others say idle talk, that you are forced to indulge in lewdness. Why, avoiding consciousness in your bad deeds, do you attribute their cause to innocent stars? Don't listen to the stargazers. For the Divine Scripture says about them: “Let the watchers of the heavens and the astrologers come forth; behold, they are like stubble; the fire has burned them up; they have not delivered their souls from the flames” (Isa. 47:13.14). 19. Know also this, that the soul, before it comes into this world, has not sinned in anything; but having entered without having sinned, we now sin voluntarily. Do not listen to those who incorrectly interpret what was said: “But if I do what I do not want” (Rom. 7:16); but remember Him who said: “If you are willing and listen, you will eat the good things of the earth; if you deny and persist, then the sword will devour you” (Isa. 1:19.20), etc. And again: “Just as you delivered your members as slaves of uncleanness and lawlessness in wicked deeds, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holy works” (Rom. 6:19). Remember also what Scripture says: “how they did not care to have God in their minds” (Rom. 1:28), and “what can be said about God is obvious to them” (Rom. 1:19); and “they closed their eyes” (Matthew 13:15). And God Himself also accuses and says: “I planted you as a noble vine - the purest seed, how did you turn into a wild branch of someone else’s vine with Me” (Jer. 2:21)? 20. The soul is immortal, and all the souls of husbands and wives are similar, but only the bodily members are different. There is no special rank of souls that by nature sin, nor a rank of souls that by nature do the truth: but both depend on will, because the souls of all are homogeneous and similar in their essence. I know that I have said a lot, and there is already a lot of time, but what is preferable to salvation? Don't you want to work hard to receive guidance against heretics? Wouldn’t it be desirable for you to know the deviations from the path, so that, out of ignorance, you do not fall into the rapids? If those who teach consider it a considerable gain for themselves to teach you this, then shouldn’t you, the student, look with pleasure at the multitude of things taught to you? The soul is free, and the devil, although he can teach, does not have the power to force against his will. He presents you with a lustful thought: if you want, you will accept it, but if you don’t want, you will not accept it. If, out of necessity, you lived fornication, then why would God prepare Gehenna? If you had created the truth by nature, and not by will, then why would God have prepared untold crowns? There is meekness in the sheep, but it will never be crowned for its meekness, because it is meek not by choice, but by nature. 22. While I have learned, beloved, what was possible to know about the soul, listen, if possible, to the teaching about your body. Do not let anyone say that this body is alien to God. He who believes that the body is something alien to God, and that the soul lives in it as in an alien vessel, readily gives it over to fornication. Why was this amazing body condemned? What is missing in it for splendor? What is not distinguished by art in its design? Shouldn’t they have imagined in their minds this bright composition of the eye, and the fact that the ears are placed on the side, unhinderedly receiving hearing, that the sense of smell distinguishes vapors and senses incense, that the tongue corrects the double service with the ability to recognize taste and the power of words, that the lungs, placed in secretness, constantly inhale air? Who gave the heart a continuous beat? Who divided so many blood and beating veins? Who so wisely tied the bones with sinews? Who turns part of the food into the essence of the body, and assigns part to decent separation, and hides unseemly members in secret places? Who made it possible that human nature, which could become impoverished, is preserved uninterrupted through this low (carnal) communication? 23. Do not say that the body is the cause of sin. For if the body is the cause of sin, then why does not the dead sin? Place a sword in the right hand of someone who has just died - there will be no murder. Let all beauty pass by the young man who has just died; there will be no lust. Why is this? Therefore, it is not the body in itself that sins, but the soul through the body. The body is a tool, like the clothing and robe of the soul. And if the soul is given over to fornication, then it becomes unclean, but if in cohabitation it is with a holy soul, then it becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s not I who say this, but Paul the Apostle who said: “Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you” (1 Cor. 6:19). Therefore, take care of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not defile your flesh with fornication, do not tarnish this beautiful robe of yours. If you have denigrated it, then wash it now with repentance, wash it while there is time. 24. And let the word about chastity be heard first by the rank of monastics and virgins who lead a life equal to the angels in the world, and after them by the entire congregation of the church. A great crown is prepared for you, brothers; do not exchange high dignity for low pleasure. Listen to the Apostle who says: “lest there be any fornicator or wicked man among you, who, like Esau, gave up his birthright for one meal” (Heb. 12:16). For your intention of chastity, you are already inscribed in the angelic books; Be careful that you are not blotted out again for your immorality. 25. Advancing in chastity, do not be arrogant before those who lead married life. For, “let marriage be honorable in all and the bed undefiled” (Heb. 13:4), as the Apostle says. And you, who maintain your integrity, were you not born of those who were married? Do not deprive the price of silver because you have gold. May those who legally enjoy marriage in marriage do not lose good hope; they entered into a permitted marriage, and not into this indecent one, concluded out of unbridled self-will; they know the time of rest in order to remain in prayer; They are brought into church during divine services with clean clothes and clean bodies, and entered into marriage for childbearing, not for voluptuousness. 26. Let those who have entered into a first marriage not humiliate those who have entered into a second marriage. Abstinence is a wonderful thing and worthy of surprise, but it is excusable to enter into a second marriage, so that the weak do not live in fornication. “For I wish that all people were like me,” says the Apostle, “but if they cannot abstain, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to become inflamed” (7 Cor. 7.8 – 9). Everything else: fornication, adultery and every kind of lewdness, may it be driven far away from you. May the body be kept pure to the Lord, so that the Lord may despise the body. And let the body be nourished with food in order to be alive and serve it without hindrance, and not in order to indulge in luxury. 27. And regarding foodstuffs, let the following rules be set for you, because many make mistakes in judging food items. Some indifferently approach what is sacrificed to idols, others are strict with themselves, but condemn those who eat; For others, in the consideration of food, the soul is defiled in various ways, due to ignorance of useful reasons, whether something is or is not there. We fast, abstaining from wine and meat, not because we hate it as an abomination, but we expect reward, hoping to enjoy a spiritual and mental meal for contempt of the sensual, hoping that, having sowed now with tears, we will reap with joy in the next century. Therefore, do not despise those who eat and eat because of the weakness of the body; do not blame those who drink a little wine “for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23), and do not condemn them as sinners, do not turn away from meats as something alien. The Apostle knew such people when he speaks of “those who forbid marriage and the eating of that which God created that those who are faithful and know the truth should eat with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:3). Therefore, when abstaining from this, abstain not as if it were an abomination, in which case you will not have any reward for it, but, recognizing this as good, neglect it for the sake of the best spiritual benefits that are due. 28. Guard your soul so as not to taste anything brought by an idol. For not only am I now concerned about these dishes, but also the Apostles, James, the bishop of this Church, already had concern. “The apostles and elders” write a conciliar message to all nations, mainly “to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and blood and things strangled” (Acts 15.28:29). For many people are so bestial and live like dogs that, imitating wild animals, they drink blood and mercilessly devour strangled animals. But you, servant of Christ, eat with reverence. And this is enough about the dishes. 29. Let simple clothing be placed on you, serving not for decoration, but for necessary covering, not to pamper you, but to keep you warm in winter and cover your bodily shame. Under the pretext of covering up shame, do not fall into another shame of using unnecessary vestments. 30. I beg you, take care of this body, and know that you will be raised from the dead to appear with this body in judgment. If it comes to your mind that there is some reason for unbelief about this, as about an impossible matter, then, paying attention to yourself, conclude about the invisible. For judge and tell me, where have you been for a hundred years or more? From what smallness, from what insignificant being did he grow to such a measure and achieve such high beauty? Considering that the One who brought you into existence, who did not exist, cannot again restore what already exists and has fallen? Whoever resurrects a grain of wheat, which is sown for us and dies every year, is it difficult for Him to resurrect us ourselves, for whose sake He was resurrected? You see that the trees now stand for so many months without fruit and without leaves, but after the winter has passed, everything, as if rising from the dead, will come to life again; Isn’t it all the more convenient for us to come to life? The rod of Moses, by the will of God, was transformed into the nature of the serpent, which is unlike it; Is it possible that a person, having undergone death, will not be restored to himself again? 31. Do not listen to those who say that this body will not rise. It will rise, witness Isaiah, who says: “Your dead will live, your dead bodies will rise!” (Isa. 26:19). And according to the word of Daniel: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life, others to everlasting reproach and disgrace” (Dan. 12:2). All people must be resurrected; resurrection is not the same for everyone. We will all receive eternal bodies, but not all will be the same. For the righteous will receive to rejoice with the Angels forever, and sinners will forever endure torment for their sins. 32. Therefore, the Lord, out of love for mankind, gave us the bath of repentance, so that, having cast aside many sins, or better yet, all the burden, and, having received the seal of the Holy Spirit, we might become heirs of eternal life. But having said enough about baptism before, let us finally move on to the presentation of other preliminary knowledge. 33. The Inspired Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments teach us this. For there is one God of both testaments, who in the old foretold Christ, who appeared in the new, through the Law and the Prophets, leading to Christ. “And before the coming of faith, we were imprisoned under the law. So the law was our guide to Christ” (Gal. 3:23–24). And if you hear that some heretic is blaspheming the Law and the Prophets, then object to him with a saving word: Jesus did not come “to destroy, but to fulfill” the law (Matthew 5:17). With curiosity, and, moreover, from the Church, acquire information about which books are of the Old Testament and which are of the New Testament, and do not read books that are not recognized by the Church! For, not knowing what is recognized by everyone, why do you needlessly torment yourself with doubt? Read the divine Scriptures, these twenty-two books of the Old Testament, translated by seventy-two interpreters, 34. For, after the death of the Macedonian king Alexander, and after the division of the Kingdom into four powers - Babylonia, Macedonia, Asia and Egypt, one of the reigning in Egypt, Ptolemy Philadelphus, as a king, was very fond of learning, collecting books from everywhere, when from the guardian of the book depository Demetrius of Falerius he heard about the Divine Scriptures, which contain the law and prophecies, and reasoned that it was much better to acquire books not by force from those who did not want to give them, but to gain the favor of those who had books with gifts and friendship (for he knew that in what is forced, since it is given involuntarily, there is often a forgery, and what is voluntarily given is brought as a gift in all truth); He sent very many gifts to the then bishop Eleazar to the local Jerusalem temple, and requested that six people from each tribe be sent to him for transfer from the twelve Israeli tribes. Then, in order to test whether the books were truly Divine, and to prevent those sent from agreeing with each other, in the so-called Pharos, located near Alexandria, he assigned each of the interpreters who arrived a special house, and demanded that each one translate all the Scriptures. When they completed this task in seventy-two days, having collected together all the translations that they had made in various houses, without meeting with each other, I found them to be in agreement, not only in thoughts, but also in sayings. For this was not a consequence of the sophistication of words, but also a matter of human wisdom, on the contrary, of the Divine Scriptures spoken by the Holy Spirit, and the translation was completed by the Holy Spirit. 35. Read the twenty-two books of these Scriptures, but do not get acquainted with the writings that are not recognized in the Church. Study only those books that we read freely in church. The apostles and ancient bishops, the primates of the Church, who handed down these books, were much more prudent than you. And you, being a child of the Church, do not change the decrees. And as it is said, study the twenty-two books of the Old Testament, which, if you are inquisitive, try, as I tell you, to remember by name. The books of the Law are the first five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; after them - Joshua the son of Nun and the book of Judges with the book of Ruth, considered the seventh. Of the other historical books, the first and second Kings among the Jews constitute one book; also the third and fourth Kings are the same book, as well as the first and second books of Ezra in one book. The twelfth book is Esther. And these are historical books. There are five written books with verses: Job, the book of Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, the seventeenth book. In addition to this there are five books of the prophets: one book of the twelve prophets, one of Isaiah, one of Jeremiah along with Baruch, Lamentations and the Epistle, then Ezekiel, and the book of Daniel, the twenty-second book of the Old Testament. 36. In the New Testament: There are only four Gospels, and the others are written falsely and are harmful. And the Manichaeans wrote the Gospel of Thomas, which, being adorned with the fragrance of the gospel name, corrupts the souls of ordinary people. Take also the Acts of the twelve apostles; in addition to this, the seven conciliar epistles of James, Peter, John and Jude, the seal of all and the final work of the disciples are the fourteen epistles of Paul. And let everything else be placed outside, in second place. What is not read in church, do not read in private, as you have already heard about it. Here's what you should know about this. 37. Flee any devilish influence on you, and do not trust the apostate serpent, who from a good being spontaneously became different. He can persuade those who wish, but he cannot force anyone. Pay no attention to astronomy, bird fortune-telling, omens and fabulous pagan prophecies, and do not allow witchcraft, sorcery and the lawless evocation of the dead to even come to your ears. Remove from yourself lewdness of all kinds, do not be a glutton and a sensualist; rise above all love of money and covetousness. Do not go to pagan solemn gatherings; When you are sick, never use belts. Turn away from all baseness and greed. Do not fall into Samaritanism or Judaism, because Jesus Christ has already delivered you. Forsake all observance of the Sabbath, and do not call any indifferent food low and unclean. 38. Most of all, hate all heretical gatherings, and protect your soul in every possible way by fasting, almsgiving and reading Divine words, so that in chastity and pious dogmas, having lived out the rest of your time in the flesh, you will enjoy the only salvation found in baptism, and, thus, having become inscribed in the heavenly armies of the Father and God, you will be worthy of heavenly crowns in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 5th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, about faith Reading from Hebrews: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. The ancients testified in it” (Heb. 11. 1:2). 1. What dignity the Lord gives you, introducing you from the rank of catechumens to the rank of the faithful, this is depicted by the Apostle Paul, saying: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:9). Just as God is called faithful, so you accept the same name, accepting with it high dignity. For God is called both good and righteous, and Almighty, and Creator of all things, and also faithful. Judge by this the dignity to which you are ascending, preparing to take upon yourself the same name as God. 2. Therefore, here “it is required that everyone should prove faithful” (1 Cor. 3:2) according to conscience. For “who finds a truthful person?” (Prov. 20:6). I am looking not so that you would reveal your conscience to me, “not as men judge me” (1 Cor. 4:3) you will be judged, but so that you would reveal the falsity of faith to God, who searches “hearts and bellies” (Ps. 7:10), and knows the thoughts of men. A faithful husband is something great; he is richer than any wealth. “The faithful have a whole world of wealth” (Prov. 17:6), because he despises and tramples on it. Those who become rich in appearance and acquire much are poor in soul; The more they collect, the more they are consumed by the desire for what they lack. And the husband is faithful (which is most surprising), rich and in poverty. For, knowing that he should have only food and clothing, and remaining content with this (1 Tim. 6:8), he tramples on wealth. 3. And not only among us, who bear the name of Christ, the dignity of faith is great, but everything that is accomplished in the world, even by those who are alien to the Church, is accomplished by faith. By faith, the laws of marriage combine those who are distant from each other, and by faith in marriage obligations, a stranger becomes a participant in the possession of the slaves and property of another. Agriculture also depends on faith. He who does not believe that he will receive fruit will not endure the labor. By faith, people go to sea, entrusting themselves to the little tree; They exchange the hardest of elements, the earth, for the fickle rush of the waves, indulging in unknown hopes and having only faith, which for them is more reliable than any anchor. Therefore, most of human affairs are supported by faith, and, as has been said, not only we are confident in this, but also those who are outside the Church. For although they do not accept the Scriptures, they give out their own teachings, but they also accept these teachings by faith. 4. The former reading also calls you to true faith today, showing you the way, just as you should please God. For it is said that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). Will a person ever decide to serve God if he does not believe that He is a “Rewarder”? Will a young woman maintain virginity and a young man maintain chastity if they do not believe that chastity is an unfading crown? Faith is the eye that enlightens every conscience and imparts understanding, for the Prophet says: “If you do not believe, it is because you are not proven” (Is. 7:9). Faith "stops the mouth of lions" (Heb. 11:33), like Daniel; for the Scripture says about him: “And Daniel was taken up out of the pit, and no harm was found in him, because he believed in his God” (Dan. 6:23). What's worse than the devil? But against him we have no other weapon except faith - this immaterial shield against the invisible enemy. The devil throws various arrows at us, “to shoot in the darkness” (Ps. 10:2) at those who are not sober. But when the enemy is invisible, we have a strong defense - faith, according to the words of the Apostle: “And above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). The devil often throws the kindled arrow of lust for shameful pleasures, but faith, recalling judgment and cooling the mind, quenches this arrow. 5. The word about faith is long, and a whole day will not be enough for us to convey it. But for now it is enough for us to point to Abraham alone from the Old Testament as an example, because we became his sons by faith. He was justified not only by works, but also by faith. He had many merits, but it was not for them that he was called a friend of God, but when he believed (James 2:23). And he did every work he did by faith. By faith he left his parents, by faith he left his fatherland, and country, and home. Therefore, just as he was justified, so you too will be justified. He was already dead in body to bear children, because he himself was old and had an elderly wife, Sarah, and there was no longer any hope of having children. God promises the old man the birth of a son. And “not having fainted in faith, he did not consider that his body, almost a hundred years old, was already dead” (Rom. 4:19); looking not at bodily weakness, but at the power of the One who gives the promise, “for he knew that he who promised is faithful” (Heb. 11:11) from bodies that were as if dead, he received a son beyond his hope. And after the acquisition, when he received the command to sacrifice his son, although he heard it said: “Your seed will be called Isaac” (Gen. 21:12), offers his only begotten to God, believing “that God is able even to raise from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). Having tied up his son and laid him on the firewood, he brings him willingly, and only by the goodness of God, who gives a ram instead of a child, accepts his son alive. And besides this, being faithful, sealed into righteousness, he received circumcision “through the faith which he had while uncircumcised” (Rom. 4:11), receiving together the promise that he would be the father of many nations. 6. Let us see how Abraham is the father of many nations! There is no dispute that he is the father of the Jews by carnal succession. But if we pay attention to carnal succession, we will be forced to recognize this saying as false, because Abraham is not the father of us all according to the flesh; on the contrary, his example of faith makes us all sons of Abraham. Why and how is this? It is an incredible thing for people to resurrect from the dead, just as it is an incredible thing for dead elders to expect childbearing. But we believe in Christ, about whom it is proclaimed that He was crucified on the tree, died and rose again. Thus, by being likened in faith we are adopted as sons of Abraham, and then we receive a spiritual seal into the inheritance of faith, like him, being circumcised in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, by circumcision not of the body, but of the heart, as Jeremiah says: “circumcise to God” the circumcision of your heart (Jer. 4:4), and according to the word of the Apostle: “by the circumcision of Christ you were buried with Him in baptism,” and so on. (Col. 2:11. 12). 7. If we keep this faith, we will not be condemned, but will be adorned with virtues of every kind. For faith is so strong that it makes people light, and they can walk on the sea. Peter was a man similar to us, made of flesh and blood, who supported life by the same food as we do, but Jesus said: “Go,” and he, having believed, “walked on the water” (Matthew 14:29), because for him faith on the waters was more reliable than any support, a heavy body was lifted upward by the lightness of faith. But as long as he believed, he walked safely on the waters, and as soon as he wavered in his faith, he began to drown. With gradual exhaustion of faith, his body was drawn into the water. And, seeing his weakness, Jesus, the healer of spiritual infirmities, said to him, “You of little faith! Why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:31). And again, strengthened by Him who held his hand, as he again believed, guided by the Master, he again received the same power to walk on the waters. For the Gospel did not directly mention this, saying: “and they got into the ship” (32). He does not say that Peter sailed and then boarded the ship, but he makes it clear that the distance Peter walked on his way to Jesus, the same distance he walked back, he boarded the ship. 8. Faith has so much power that not only the believer is saved, but by the faith of some others are saved. The paralytic of Capernaum did not have faith, but those who brought him and hung him from the roof believed. For in the sick person, along with the body, the soul was also sick. And don’t think that I’m accusing him in vain; the gospel itself said: “and Jesus seeing their faith,” not his faith, but “their faith,” says “to the paralytic: stand up” (Matthew 2:6). Those who brought them believed, and the paralytic took advantage of the healing. 9. Do you want to know more reliably that by the faith of some others are saved? Lazarus died. A day passed, two, three; His bodily ties fell apart, and rottenness had already begun to consume his body. How could a four-day-old dead man believe and beg the Savior for himself? But what the deceased lacked was filled by his own sisters. For the sister fell at the feet of the Lord who had come, and when asked: “Where did you lay him,” she answered: “Lord, it already stinks, for he has been in the tomb for four days”; The Lord says: “If you believe, you will see the glory of God” (John 11, 34. 39. 40), as if expressing this: “Thou shalt fill the lack of faith of the deceased.” And the faith of the sisters prevailed so much that she summoned the dead from the gates of hell. So others, having believed for others, were able to raise the dead; Will you not benefit all the more if you sincerely believe for yourself? But even if you are unfaithful or have little faith, then the Lord is philanthropic and bows to you, the repentant. Just say with gratitude: “I believe, Lord, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). If you consider yourself a believer, but do not yet have the perfection of faith, then you, like the apostles, need to say: Lord, “increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). For if you have what is from you, you receive much more than what is from Him. 10. The concept of faith is one by name, but is divided into two types: one type of faith is dogmatic faith, the agreement of the soul on something. And it is useful to the soul, as the Lord says: “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not come into judgment” (John 5:24) and again: “but has passed from death to life.” God's truly great love for mankind! The righteous pleased God for many years, but what they acquired by succeeding in many years of good pleasure, Jesus now gives you in one hour. For if you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and “that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9), and by Him who brought the thief into paradise, you too will be translated into paradise. And, without hesitation, believe that this is possible. For He who saved the thief who believed in one hour on this holy Golgotha, will Himself save you, who have believed. 11. Another type of faith is faith given by Christ as the gift of grace. “To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings” (7 Cor. 12:8.9). This faith bestowed by grace by the Spirit is not only dogmatic, but also effective beyond human strength. If anyone has this faith, he will say to this mountain: move from here to there, and it will move (Matthew 17:20). For as soon as someone says this by faith, believing that it will really be so “and does not doubt in his heart” (Mark 11:23), then he then accepts grace. It is said about this faith: “if you have faith the size of a mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20). Just as a mustard seed is small in size, but powerful in its effect, and sown in a small space, spreads large branches around, and when it grows, it can shelter birds, so faith in the shortest moment produces a lot of good in the soul, because the soul imagines God and, being illuminated by faith, contemplates God as much as possible, and also flows around the limits of the world; and before the end of this age he already sees judgment and reward according to the promises. Therefore, have faith in God, which is from yourself, in order to receive from Him that which is effective beyond human strength. 12. As for the faith you study and profess, acquire and maintain the one that is now handed over to you by the Church and is confirmed by all Scripture. Since not everyone can read the Scriptures, but simplicity prevents some, and some occupation prevents others from acquiring knowledge, so that no soul perishes from ignorance, we conclude the entire teaching of faith in a few verses. And I would like you to remember it word for word, and repeat it among yourself with all diligence, not writing it down on paper, but inscribing it in memory in your heart; Beware that while you are engaged in this teaching, none of the catechumens hears what is dedicated to you; It is also desirable that this confession of faith serve as a parting guide for you at all times in your life, and that you do not accept another confession besides it, even if we changed our thoughts and began to say the opposite of what we teach now, or if an opposing angel wanted to seduce you, transforming into a bright angel. For “even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1.8:9). And for now, remember the very words of this confession that you hear, and in due time listen to confirmation from the Holy Scriptures. Scripture, for every utterance contained in it. For the exposition of the faith was not compiled according to human reasoning, but the most essential was selected from all Scripture, and from this one doctrine of faith was compiled. Just as a mustard seed contains many branches in a small grain, so this statement of faith explains in a few words the whole knowledge of godliness contained in the Old and New Testaments. So, you see, brethren, “keep the traditions” (2 Thess. 2:15) which you now accept, and write them on the “tablet of your heart” (Prov. 7:3). 13. Observe with reverence, so that others, when they become lazy, are not plundered by the enemy, and so that some heretic does not corrupt the one who is devoted to you. For faith is the lending to the “merchants” of the silver that we have now acquired (Luke 19:32), and God will require an account of this pledge from you. “I will testify,” as the Apostle says, “before God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who bore witness before Pontius Pilate with the good confession, that you will keep” this faith delivered to you “not defileable, even until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (7 Tim. 5:21; 6:13:14). Now the treasure of life has been entrusted to you, and the Master will demand a pledge of this at His appearing, “which in due time will be revealed by the blessed and only King of kings and Lord of lords, the only one who has immortality, who dwells in the unapproachable light, which no man has seen or can see” (7 Tim. 6:5.16). To him be glory, honor and power forever and ever! Amen. 6th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, about the unity of God, on the words: “I believe in One God” and about heresies Reading from Isaiah: “Be still before Me, O islands. Israel will be saved with eternal salvation in the Lord; you will not be put to shame and put to shame forever and ever” (Is. 41:1; 45:17). 1. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Cor. 1:3). Blessed is His only begotten Son. Together with the idea of ​​God, unite the idea of ​​the Father, so that the glorification of the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit is accomplished inseparably, because there is no different glory with the Father, and no different with the Son, but one and the same with the Holy Spirit. Since the Father is the only begotten Son, when the Father is glorified, the Son also receives glory, because the glory of the son is the honor of his father; and reciprocally, when the Son is glorified, then the Father of such a close Son is honored. 2. Thought comprehends very quickly, but language requires utterances and a long explanation of intermediary concepts. The eye is suddenly enveloped by a great host of stars, but if someone wants to explain in detail what the morning star is, what the evening star is, and what each star is separately, then he will need a lot of words. Likewise, the earth, and the sea, and all the limits of the world in the shortest moment of time are comprehended by thought, but what it comprehends so instantly, it explains in many words. The example I have presented is great, but it is still weak and insufficient. For we say about God not everything that needs to be said (this is known to Him alone), but only what human nature can accommodate and what our weakness can endure. What God is, we cannot explain; We graciously confess that we do not have accurate knowledge of Him. In relation to God, it is a high knowledge for us to admit our ignorance. Therefore, “magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together” (Ps. 33:4). - all together, because one does not have sufficient strength to do this, it is better to say that if we all unite together, we will not fulfill this as we should. I am not saying this about you alone, who are present here, but if all the sheep of the entire Ecumenical Church, both present and future, gather, they will not be able to worthily sing to their Shepherd. 3. Abraham was great and honest, but great before people, and when he appeared before God, he consciously uttered the truth: “I am dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27). He did not stop, saying “dust”, so as not to call himself a great element, but added “and ashes” to depict his frailty and perishability. What, he says, is smaller and finer than ashes? Compare a speck of ashes with a house, a house with a city, a city with a region, a region with the Roman Empire, the Roman Empire with the whole earth, and the whole earth with the sky that embraces it (and the earth is the same in comparison with the sky as the center of a wheel in comparison with its entire circumference, for indeed this is the relation of the earth to the sky), and imagine also that this first visible sky is less than the second sky, the second is less than the third (for three only the sky was named for us by Scripture, not because there are actually so many of them, but because such a number of them is useful for us to know); and when you imagine all the heavens in your mind, then even the heavens themselves, even if they sounded louder than thunder, will not be able to praise God according to what He is in Himself. And if such an immensity of the heavens cannot worthily praise God, then earth and ashes, the smallest and last of creatures, will be able to give God worthy praise, or in a worthy way to say that about God, “He sits over the circle of the earth, and those who live on it are like locusts before Him” (Is. 40:22) 4. If anyone decides to say something about God, then let him first depict the boundaries of the earth. You live on earth and you don’t know the end of your home; How can you adequately imagine in your mind the One who prepared the earth? You see the stars, but you don’t see the Creator. The visible stars have disappeared, and then describe the Invisible One, counting “the many stars and naming names for them all” (Ps. 146:4). The drops of rapid rain that recently poured down on us almost destroyed us; count all the drops that fell on this one city; I’m not even talking about the city - count, if you can, how many drops fell in just one hour and on your house alone. But this is impossible. Know your weakness and from this understand God's power. For “He gathers up drops of water” (Job 36:27), not only those that are now poured out in the whole universe, but those that are always poured out. The creation of God, the sun, is great, but very small in comparison with the whole sky. First fix your gaze on the sun and then inquisitively inquire about the Lord. “Do not seek what is too difficult for you, and do not try what is beyond your strength. What is commanded to you, meditate on it” (Sir. 3. 21:22). 5. But someone will say: “If the being of God is incomprehensible, then why are you discussing this?” “Is it really because I can’t drink the whole river that I shouldn’t take from it as much as it’s useful for me?” Is it really because I cannot contain the sun in my eye, according to its structure, that I should not look at the sun, how much is this enough for my needs? Or because, having entered a large garden, I cannot eat all the fruits in it, do you want me to leave the garden completely hungry? I praise and glorify Him who created us. For there is a Divine command for this, which says: “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord” (Ps. 150:6). I will now undertake to glorify the Lord, and not to portray Him in words. Although I know that I will not have the strength to glorify Him according to his dignity, I nevertheless consider even one attempt at this to be a matter of piety. For the Lord Jesus comforts me in my weakness, saying: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). 6. Well, another will say, isn’t it written: “The angels” of the little ones “always see the face of My Heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10)? But the Angels see God not as He is in Himself, but as much as they contain. For Jesus Himself says: “It is not that anyone has seen the Father except He who is from God; He saw the Father” (John 6:46). Therefore, the Angels see as much as they can, and the Archangels as much as they can see; Thrones and Dominions see more in comparison with the first, but less in comparison with the dignity of God. Only the Holy Spirit can see how it should be with the Son, because He “tests all things,” knows, and knows the “depths” of God (7 Cor. 2:10); just as the only begotten Son, together with the Holy Spirit, knows the Father as much as he should. For it is said: “And no one knows the Father except the Son, and to whom the Son wants to reveal it” (Matthew 11:27). He sees God as much as he should, and together with the Spirit and through the Spirit reveals him to everyone, as much as anyone can contain, because the only begotten Son, like the Holy Spirit, have fellowship in the Divinity of the Father. Before the “eternal years” (2 Tim. 1:9), the Begotten dispassionately knows the Begotten, and the Begotten knows the Begotten. And therefore, since the Angels do not know (for, according to what has been said, the Only Begotten, together with the Spirit and through the Holy Spirit, reveals to everyone according to his strength); Let no man be ashamed to confess his ignorance. Now I speak, and everyone speaks in turn, but, as we say, we cannot explain this. How will I be able to portray the One who gave the gift of speech? Having a soul and not being able to express its distinctive properties, how can I describe in words the One who gave me the soul? 7. For piety, this one thing is enough for us - to know that there is God, the One God, the One God who is eternal, always similar to Himself, God, Whom no one else is the father of, Whom no one is more powerful, Whom no successor will deprive of the kingdom; God is many-named and omnipotent, having nothing heterogeneous in His being. For if he is called good, righteous, Almighty, Almighty, Sabaoth, then he is not therefore different and different, but, being one and the same, reveals the numerous powers of the Divine, not being abundant in one and not lacking in another, but in everything being similar to Himself, not only great in love for mankind, but small in wisdom, but has equal wisdom and love for mankind. Not only does he see in part, but in another part he is deprived of the ability to see, but the whole is an eye; all is hearing; all is mind. Not only in part does he comprehend, as we do, but in part he does not know. Such a concept is blasphemous and unworthy of the being of God. God is the forerunner of existence, He is Holy, He is Almighty, He surpasses everyone in goodness, He is greater than everyone, He is wiser than everyone. We are not able to depict either the beginning, or the image, or the appearance of Him. “But you have never heard His voice, nor seen His face” (John 5:37), says Scripture. Therefore, Moses says to the Israelites: “Hold firmly in your souls that you have not seen any image” (Deut. 4:15). If it is not possible to imagine similarities, then how can thought approach the being? 8. Many and many concepts about God were formed, and all were unsuccessful. Some thought that God is fire, others that He is winged and like a man, concluding from beautifully written but poorly understood words: “Hide me in the shadow of Your wings” (Ps. 16:8). They forgot that our only begotten Lord Jesus Christ says the same about Himself to Jerusalem: “How often have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want to!” (Matthew 23:17). Not understanding that under the wings is meant the protective power of God, they humbled themselves to the level of humanoids, and began to judge the Unsearchable in human terms. Others dared to say that God has seven eyes, since it is written: “those seven are the eyes of the Lord, with whose gaze he sweeps the whole earth” (Zech. 4:10). But if God has seven eyes separately in one part, then His vision will be partial, and not complete. To speak like this about God means to speak blasphemy. For we must believe that God is perfect in everything, according to the word of the Savior: “your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Perfect in sight, perfect in strength, perfect in greatness, perfect in foreknowledge, perfect in goodness, perfect in righteousness, perfect in philanthropy; He is not limited by place, but He is the Creator of the place itself: He is in everything and cannot be described by anything. His throne is heaven, but He who sits on the throne is above heaven. “The earth is a foundation” (Isa. 66:1), but the power extends to the underworld. 9. He alone is everywhere, sees everything, understands everything and arranges everything through Christ, for “all things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing began to be” (John 1:3). He is the most abundant and inexhaustible source of all good, a river of blessings, an eternal inexhaustibly shining light, an irresistible power applied to our weaknesses. It is difficult for us to even hear His name. “Can you find God by research?” - says Job, or “can you completely comprehend the Almighty?” ( Job 11:7 ). If even the last of creatures are incomprehensible, will He who created everything be comprehended? “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). If what God has prepared is incomprehensible to our understanding, then can we comprehend with our minds the One who prepared it? “O the depth of the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are His destinies and unsearchable His ways” (Rom. 11:33), says the Apostle. If destinies and paths are incomprehensible, then how will He Himself be comprehensible? 10. When such is the greatness of God (for if I turn my whole being into a tongue, and then I will not be able to say anything worthy of Him about Him; or, moreover, if all the Angels were gathered, then even they will not be able to utter anything worthy), when I say, such is the goodness and greatness of God: a man, having hewn a stone, dared to say to the stone: “Thou art my God” (Is. 44:17). What blindness - from such greatness to descend to such baseness! The tree that God planted, the rain made it grow, and subsequently burned by fire and reduced to ashes, is proclaimed to be God, but the true God is neglected! But evil idolatry had many forms: instead of God, they began to worship the cat, the dog, and the wolf; instead of the most humane God, they worshiped a lion devouring people; worship was given to the serpent and the dragon - these likenesses of him who cast us out of paradise, and the Planter of paradise was neglected. I am ashamed to say, but I will say: some even worshiped the onion. Wine is given to gladden the heart of man, and Dionysus was worshiped instead of God. God produced wheat, saying: “let the earth produce greenery, grass yielding seed according to its kind and likeness” (Gen. 1:11), so that bread would strengthen the human heart (Ps. 103:15). Where did the worship of Demeter come from? To this day, when a stone hits a stone, fire comes out; where did Hephaestus, the creator of fire, come from? 11. Where does this error of the Greeks come from - there is much of God? God is incorporeal. Why are adulteries attributed to their so-called gods? I’ll keep silent about Zeus’s transformation into a swan; I’m ashamed to talk about his transformation into an ox. It is unworthy of God to moo like an ox. The Greeks have found an adulterer god, and they are not ashamed. If he is an adulterer, then let him not be called a god. They talk about death, and about falls, and about the defeat of their gods by thunder. Do you see to what greatness and to what extent you have descended? It was not in vain that the Son of God descended from heaven to heal such an ulcer. It was not in vain that the Son came, that the Father might be known. Find out now what prompted the Only Begotten to descend from the throne to the right hand. The Father was neglected; The son had to correct such a mistake. He, “who had all things” (John 1:3), was to bring everything to the Lord of all. He had to heal the ulcer. For what is worse than this disease - to worship a stone instead of God? 12. It was not only the pagans who were defeated by the devil, but many of the false Christians, who unworthily bear the fragrant name of Christ, dared to wickedly alienate God from His own creatures. I mean malicious and godless heretics, pretending to be lovers of Christ and completely hating Christ. For whoever blasphemes the Father of Christ is an enemy also to the Son. These heretics dared to claim that there were two Deities: one good and the other evil. What great blindness! If Deity, then, without a doubt, good; if not good, then why is it called Divinity? God is characterized by goodness. And since love for mankind, beneficence, and omnipotence befits God, then one of two things remains: either let them name God, who has both a name and effective power. And if He is deprived of His effective powers, then let Him not even be given one name. 13. Heretics dared to name two gods, two sources of good and evil, and claim that both were unborn. If both are unborn, then, no doubt, because they are equal and both are powerful. So how does light destroy darkness? And are they sometimes combined or separated? In total they cannot be. For “what does light have in common with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14), says the Apostle. If they are separated from one another, then, of course, they have their own special places. And if they have special places, then, without a doubt, we are somewhere in the place of one god, and, of course, we worship one of them. And, thus, it is undeniable that even if we agree with their violent thought, then we must worship one God. Let us interrogate them, what do they say about the good God? Is He strong or powerless? If He is strong, then how did evil happen against His will? And how did the evil creature invade without His permission? For if he knows this and cannot prevent it, then the heretics accuse Him of powerlessness. If He can, but does not interfere, then He is accused of treason. And note the irrationality of the heretics: sometimes they say that the evil one in the creation of the world has nothing in common with the good God; sometimes they say that He has only a fourth part in His power. And they say about the good God that He is the Father of Christ, and this sun is called Christ. So, if the world, according to them, received its existence from the evil one, and the sun is in the world, then how can the Son of the good God serve against his will in what belongs to the evil one? We defile ourselves by saying this, but we say it so that any of those present, out of ignorance, will not fall into the heretical mire. I know that I defile both my lips and the ears of those who listen to me, but this is useful. It is much better to hear absurdity when denouncing others than to fall into it out of ignorance. It is much better for you to know uncleanness and hate it, than to fall into it without knowing it. But the teaching of heretical atheism is divided into many interpretations. No sooner has anyone turned away from the one straight path than he will repeatedly fall from the rapids. 14. The inventor of all heresies, Simon the Magus, is the Simon who, according to the Apostolic Acts, hoped to buy the unsold grace of the Spirit with silver, and to whom it was said: “You have no part or lot in this” (Acts 8:21). It is written about him: “They went out from us, but they were not ours, for if they had been ours, they would have remained with us” (John 2:19). It was he who, after being rejected by the apostles, having come to Rome, and leading some obscene Helen with him, was the first to dare to say about himself with his blasphemous lips that he appeared on Mount Sinai as the Father, and later among the Jews, not in the flesh, but in a ghost, he appeared as Christ Jesus, and after this he also appeared as the Holy Spirit, whom Christ promised to send Comforter. And Simon deceived Rome so much that Claudius gave him a name with an inscription in Latin: “To Simon the Holy God.” 15. As this error spreads, the good couple Peter and Paul, the leaders of the Church, who arrived in Rome correct this evil, and soon kill the arrogant imaginary god Simon. For when Simon promised to ascend to heaven, and was carried through the air on a demonic chariot, the servants of God, kneeling down and showing in themselves that unanimity about which Jesus said: “that if two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, then whatever they ask will be done for them” (Matthew 18:19), with the help of prayer they shoot an arrow of unanimity at the sorcerer, and cast him to the ground. And one should not be surprised at this, no matter how amazing this is, because Peter was here, having with him the keys of heaven; Do not be surprised at this, because Paul was here, caught up “to the third heaven, into paradise,” and hearing “unspeakable words, which it is impossible for man to utter” (2 Cor. 12:2.4). It was they who brought down an imaginary god from the heights of the air to the earth, so that he could be cast down to the underworld. This was the first serpent of evil, but after the truncation of one chapter, the root of evil again turned out to be many-headed. 16. For the Church was harmed by Corinth, Menander, Carpocrates, the Ebionites and Marcion - these godless lips, because, proclaiming various gods, one good, another righteous, they reproach the Son, who says: “Righteous Father” (John 17:25). And also, by naming another Father and another Creator of the world, they contradict the Son, Who says: “If the grass in the field, which is today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God so clothes” (Luke 12:28); and “for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). This Marcion was also a second inventor of another evil. For, convicted by the evidence presented in the New Testament from the Old, he was the first to dare to cut off this evidence and, leaving God, to leave the proclaimed word of faith without evidence and, as if destroying the preachers, wanted to make the faith of the Church unshakable. 17. His successor was another, evil-named Basilides, terrible in character, a proclaimer of obscenity. Valentine, the preacher of the thirty gods, also overcame anger. The pagans count a smaller number of gods, and the one who calls himself a Christian, or better yet, who was not a Christian at all, extended his error to the whole number thirty and says that Depth (for it is fitting for this true depth of malice to begin its teaching with depth) gave birth to Silence, and from Silence brought into being the Word, thus becoming worse than Zeus, an incestuous man with his sister, who is recognized by the pagans, because Silence is called the product of Depth. Do you see the absurdity clothed in the outward appearance of Christianity? Wait a little and you will hate wickedness. For Valentine says that from the Depth eight Aeons were born, and from eight ten, and from ten twelve other Aeons, male and female. And what is this based on? Do you see idle talk in the fictions themselves? Where does the proof of these thirty Aeons come from? It is written, he says, that Jesus was baptized when he was thirty years old. What kind of proof is this based on thirty years, if Jesus was baptized at thirty years of age? Why not five gods on the basis that He broke five loaves for five thousand? Or why not twelve gods on the grounds that He had twelve disciples? 18. And this is still small in comparison with the wickedness of the rest. Valentine says that the last of the gods is the wife-husband, as he dares to put it, and this is Wisdom. What godlessness! For Christ is God's Wisdom, the Only Begotten Son, and Valentine, in his teaching, reduces God's Wisdom to the female sex, to the thirtieth element, to the last of her inventions, and says that Wisdom undertook to see the first god and, unable to bear his radiance, fell from heaven and was excluded from the number of thirty, then, sighing, gave birth to the devil out of sighs and, shedding tears for her fall, she produced the sea. Do you see the wickedness? For just as the devil is born from Wisdom, vice is born from prudence; from light - darkness? Valentin also says that the devil gave birth to other devils, some of whom created the world, and that Christ came to convince people to deviate from the Creator of the Universe. 19. But hear who they say is Christ Jesus, so that you may hate them the more. They teach that after the fall of Wisdom, so that there would not be a shortage in the number of thirty, each of the twenty-nine Aeons gave something small from themselves and, thus, Christ was produced by them; and they also call Christ wife-husband. What is more wicked than this? What is more contemptible than this? I am describing to you the error so that you will hate them even more. Therefore, flee from this wickedness, do not “rejoice” in such things (2 John 11), lest you join “in the unfruitful works of darkness” (Eph. 5:11); do not be curious and do not want to enter into conversation with these heretics. 20. Have an aversion to all heretics, especially to those who are synonymous with demons and appeared recently under Tsar Provo, for this error is seventy years old, and to this day there are still those who have seen the heretic with their own eyes. But hate him, not because he was recently born, but for his evil dogmas, hate this doer of evil, this receptacle of all uncleanness, which has received into itself the mud of all heresies. For, blaming himself for the honor of prevailing in evil, he took the bad from everyone, and formed one heresy, full of blasphemy and all kinds of lawlessness, like a lion, walking and devouring, destroying the Church, or better yet, those who are outside the Church. Do not pay attention to their specious speeches, to their imaginary humility - these are snakes, “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7). Judas said: “Rejoice, Rabbi” (Matthew 26:49), and betrayed; do not look at their kisses, but beware of poison. 21. But lest it seem that we are accusing him in vain, let us say in passing who this Manes is and what he partly teaches. For a whole century will not be enough to describe, as it should, all this mud of his teaching. And you, in order to have an aid in this for yourself on occasion, keep in mind both what was said before and what will be said now as a teaching to those who do not know and as a reminder to those who know. Manes is not a Christian, so be it! Neither he himself nor those who taught before him were driven out of the Church, like Simon, because he is a kidnapper and appropriator of other people’s harmful teachings, and why and how, you should hear about this. 22. In Egypt there was a certain Scythian, a Saracen by birth, who had nothing in common with either Judaism or Christianity. He, living in Alexandria and imitating Aristotle's life, composed four books: one called the Gospel, not because it contains the deeds of Christ, but simply named so; and another under the name of the book of Glavisn, and a third book of the Sacraments, and a fourth, now in circulation, called the Treasure. He also had a student named Terebinth. But the Scythian mentioned above, when he came to Judea and began to corrupt this country, the Lord sent a disease to him and put him to death, thereby stopping this infection. 23. The disciple of evil Terebinth, having become the heir of gold, books and heresy, having come to Palestine and having been recognized and condemned in Judea, decided to retire to Persia, and so as not to be recognized there by name, he renamed himself Woodda. But there he also had opponents, the servants of Mithra, and after many debates and competitions he was exposed and, finally, expelled, finds refuge with a widow. Then, having ascended to the top of the house and summoned the air demons, whom the Manichaeans still call under their cursed fig tree, he was struck by God's wrath and thrown from the roof, and gave up his ghost. And thus the second beast was destroyed. 24. But the monuments of wickedness remained - books, and the widow was the heir to the books and money. Having neither a relative nor anyone else, she decided to buy a boy named Kuvrika with money, and adopting him as a son, taught him Persian sciences and sharpened this arrow, harmful to humanity. The evil householder Kuvrik grew up among the philosophers, and after the death of the widow he inherited books and property. Then, so that the name of slavery would not serve as a reproach to him, from Kuvrik he called himself Manes, which in Persian means conversation. Since he turned out to be strong in words, he called himself Manes, as if he were an excellent interlocutor. But he strove to acquire good fame for himself by the meaning of the name in the Persian language, but according to God’s will, this name, against his will, became his accuser and, thinking of honoring himself in Persia, among the Greeks he proclaimed himself the same name as demon. 25. He dared to say about himself that he is the Comforter. It is written: “But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven” (Mark 3:29), but he blasphemes Him, calling himself the Holy Spirit. Let anyone who communicates with them see with whom he includes himself on the same list. This slave shook the universe, because “the earth shakes because of three, but it cannot bear four: a slave when he becomes a king” (Proverbs 30:21.21). Having gone out on Wednesday, Manes promises to do something beyond human strength. The Persian king had a sick son; many doctors appeared. But Manes, as a pious man, promised to heal him with prayer. The doctors left, and life left the boy. Manes's wickedness was exposed, the philosopher was imprisoned and thrown into prison, not because he defended the truth, denounced the king, and not because he crushed idols, but because he promised to save the sick man and lied, and, moreover, if the truth is told, because he killed him. Whoever could have been saved by the care of the doctors, Manes, alienating the doctors, killed him, killing him through negligence. 26. Of the many bad things that I said to you about him, remember, firstly, his blasphemy, secondly, slavery (not because slavery is a shame, but because it is bad for a slave to falsely appropriate freedom to himself), thirdly, the falsity of a promise, fourthly, the murder of a youth, fifthly, the shame of imprisonment; Shame meant not only imprisonment, but also flight from it. For he who calls himself the Comforter and champion of the truth has given himself up to flight. He was not the successor of Jesus, who was ready to go to the cross; on the contrary, this fugitive was His opponent. Then the king of the Persians ordered the prison guards to be executed. And Manes, who through pride became guilty of the death of the youth, through his flight becomes guilty of the death of the prison guards. Is this culprit of the death of others really worthy of worship? Shouldn't he have imitated Jesus and said: “Therefore, if you seek Me, leave them alone and let them go” (John 18:8)? Shouldn't he have said like Jonah: “Take me and throw me into the sea, for I know that for my sake this great storm has come upon you” (John 1:12). 27. Manes escapes from prison and comes to Mesopotamia, but Bishop Archelaus meets him with the weapon of truth and, having denounced him before the philosopher judges, invites pagans to the assembly, so that if the judges are Christians, the court would not seem biased. And Archelaus says to Manes: “Tell me, what do you preach?” And he, having a mouth like “an open tomb” (Ps. 5:11), first of all begins his blasphemy against the Creator of all things, saying: “God is the Old Testament inventor of evil, because he says about Himself: “I am a consuming fire” (Deut. 4:24). But the wise Archelaus turned this blasphemy into nothing, saying: “If the God of the Old Testament, according to your words, calls Himself fire, then whose Son is He who says: “I have come to bring fire on the earth” (Luke 12:49)? If you blame the one who says: The Lord makes dead and gives life (1 Sam. 2:6), then why do you honor Peter, who raised Tabitha? and put Sapphira to death? If you blame for what fire has prepared, then why don’t you blame the one who says: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41) If you blame the One who says: “I am God who makes peace and brings about disasters” (Is. 45. 7), then explain in what sense Jesus says: “I came not to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34)? Since the One and the Other say the same thing, then one of two things is necessary: ​​either both, because of a similar way of speaking, are good, or, if Jesus, having said this, is not subject to accusation, why do you blame the one who said the same thing in the Old Testament? 28. Then Manes says to Archelaus: “What God blinds? For Paul says: “Whose minds the god of this world has blinded, so that the light of the gospel should not shine on them” (2 Cor. 4:4).” Archelaus, perfectly reflecting this, says: “read what is written a little higher: “if our gospel is closed, it is closed to those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 4:3). Do you see that it is closed only to those who are perishing? For we must not give “holy things to dogs” (Matthew 7:6). Moreover, was it only the Old Testament God who blinded the minds of the unbelievers? Didn’t Jesus Himself say: “Therefore I speak to them in parables, that when they see they see not” (Matthew 13:13)? Was it out of hatred towards them that he wanted them not to see? Or because of their unworthiness, because “they closed their eyes” (15)? For where there is spontaneous wickedness, there is the withdrawal of grace. “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29). 29. But it must also be said how some still interpret it, because the interpretation is not bad. If he blinded the mind, he blinded him with a good purpose, so that they would turn their gaze to the good. He did not say: he blinded their soul, but their mind. And what has been said has the following meaning: blind the fornicator from his lustful thoughts, and the person will be saved. Blind the robber's predatory and robber mind, and the person will be saved. But don’t you want to understand it that way? There is another interpretation. And the sun blinds those with weak eyesight, and those suffering from inflammation of the eyes become blind, suffering harm from the light, not because the sun is dazzling, but because the condition of the eyes does not allow them to look at the light. Likewise, unbelievers, sick in heart, cannot look at the rays of the Divine. The Apostle did not say “blind your mind” so as not to hear the gospel, but “so that the light of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ does not shine on them. For everyone is allowed to hear the Gospel, but the glory of the gospel is given only to those close to Christ. Therefore, the Lord spoke in parables to those unable to listen, but He explained the parables to the disciples in private. For the radiance of glory is for those who are enlightened, but blindness is for the unfaithful. These mysteries, which the Church now expounds to you, who are already coming out of the catechumens, are not in the custom of expounding to a pagan. For the mysterious teaching about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is not presented to the pagan, and we do not speak clearly about the mysteries to the catechumens, but we often express ourselves about many things in secret, so that those who know the faithful will understand, and those who do not know will not suffer harm from it.” 30. By this and many others we cast down the serpent. Archelaus defeated Manes in such competitions. And from here the prisoner escapes again and, hiding from the opponent, comes to one very insignificant village, becoming like the serpent, who in paradise, leaving Adam, approached Eve. But the good shepherd Archelaus, caring for the sheep, as soon as he heard about the flight, immediately, with all speed, hurried after this wolf to find him. Manes, accidentally seeing his opponent, quickly fled. But this was his last escape, because the fugitive was caught by the squires of the Persian king, who were inquiring about him everywhere. And what decision he had to make about himself from Archelaus, this is what the royal squires say about him. Manes, whom his disciples worship, was taken and brought to the king. The king reproached him for lying and running away, ridiculed his slavery, punished him for the murder of the youth, condemned him for the murder of the prison guards, and ordered, according to Persian law, to skin Manes and throw his body to be devoured by beasts. This skin, a container for evil thoughts, was hung like a sack at the city gates. He who called himself the Comforter and boasted that he knew the future, did not foreknow his flight and detention. 31. Manes had three students: Thomas, Valda and Erma. Let no one read the Gospel of Thomas. It was written not by one of the twelve apostles, but by one of the three evil disciples of Manes. Let no one enter into relations with the murderers of the Manichaeans, who feign the severity of fasting by drinking water with straw, slander the Creator of food, and devour the best food, teaching that if someone pulls out a blade of grass, he himself turns into it. But if someone pulls out a blade of grass or something from vegetables, he turns into this, how many blades of grass will farmers and gardeners turn into? the number of blades of grass on which, as we see, the gardener places his sickle is very large; Which of them will he turn into? These are truly teachings filled with laughter, worthy of condemnation and shame! The same shepherd sacrificed both a sheep and killed a wolf, which of them did he turn into? Many of the people caught fish with nets, went hunting for birds, what kind of people will they turn into? 32. Let these creatures of idleness answer - the Manichaeans, who themselves do nothing and devour the wealth of those who do. They receive those who bring them food with a smiling face and, instead of blessings, reward them with curses. For if some foolish person brings them something, the Manichaean says to him: “Stay outside the door a little, I will bless you.” Then, taking the bread in his hands (those who repented of them admitted this), he says to the bread: “I did not create you” and spews out curses at the Almighty, curses the Creator and then eats what was created. If you hate food, then why do you look at the person who brought it with a smiling face? If you are grateful to the one who brought it, then why do you spew blasphemy against God who prepared and created? And the Manichaean also says: “I did not sow you, let him who sowed you be scattered!” It was not I who shook you with the sickle, but he who shook you will reap. It was not I who baked you in the fire; May he who bakes you be baked!” A wonderful tribute! 33. Evil is great, but still small in comparison with other things. I do not dare describe their ablutions in front of husbands and wives. I don’t dare say what they dip the fig in and give it to miserable people. Let only a hint be given. One has only to imagine what happens to husbands during sleep and to wives during cleansing. Truly, we defile our lips by saying this. Are the Hellenes more hateful than them? Are their Samaritans paler? Are the Jews more wicked than them? Are the fornicators more unclean than them? The fornicator, out of lust, falls into fornication for one hour and, condemning his act, knows that he, as defiled, needs to be washed, and realizes the vileness of his act. And the Manichaean places this very thing among his imaginary altar and defiles his mouth and tongue. From such lips, O man, will you receive teaching? And having met a Manichaean, will you, of course, greet him with a kiss? Not to mention other wickedness, will you not run away from what is defiled - from people who are worse than any indecent thing, more vile than any harlot? 34. The Church informs you about this, and teaches you, and itself touches this mud so that you do not wallow in it, describes the ulcers so that you do not be wounded. It is enough for you to just know, but refrain from experiencing it. God sends thunder; We all tremble, and they blaspheme. God sends lightning; We all bow down to the ground, but they utter a slanderous tongue against the heavens. Jesus says about His Father: “He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45); They say that the rains come from lustful fury, they dare to say that in the sky there is some kind of handsome maiden with a handsome young man, that at the same time with camels or wolves they have shameful lust, and during winter the young man furiously chases the maiden; the maiden, as they say, runs, and the young man tries to catch up and, catching up, sheds sweat, and from this sweat comes rain. This is what is written in the Manichaean books. We ourselves read this, without believing the retelling - for your safety, we were curious to know this destruction of theirs. 35. But may the Lord deliver us from such misconception! And may he grant you enmity against the serpent, so that just as they watch your heel, so you too may trample on their head! Keep in mind what has been said: what agreement is there between our teaching and their teaching? What is the comparison between light and darkness? What is the comparison between the deanery of the Church and the disgrace of the Manichaeans? Here is order, here is knowledge of the matter, here is decorum, here is integrity, here is it reprehensible to look at a wife with lust, here is marriage honest, here is constant abstinence, here is the equal dignity of virginity, here is eating food with thanksgiving, here is gratitude to the Creator of all things, here they worship the Father of Christ, here they teach fear and trembling before the One who gives rain, here they send praise to the One who makes thunder and lightning. 36. Join the sheep and run from the wolves. Don't move away from the Church. Detest those who have ever been suspected of any such thing. If time does not show you their repentance, do not rashly trust them. The truth of the unity of God has been communicated to you. Recognize past teachings. Be a skilled bargainer, maintain what is good, “refrain from all kinds of evil” (Thess. 5:25). And if you were once such, then, having recognized the error, hate it. And there is a way of salvation for you, if you vomit what is worthy of vomiting, if you hate them from the heart, if you depart from them not with your lips, but with your soul, if you worship the Father of Christ, the God of the Law and the Prophets, if you know the good and righteous, the one and the same existing God, who will protect you all, keeping you unshakable, unblemished and established in the faith of Christ Jesus our Lord! Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 7th catechetical word to the enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “God the Father” Reading from the Epistle to the Ephesians: “For this purpose I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:14.15). 1. Yesterday enough was told to you about the unity of God. I say: it is sufficient not in relation to the dignity of what is said (because it is completely impossible for mortal nature to achieve this), but in relation to the extent to which this is accessible to our weakness. I also spoke about the many deviations of the divided error of the godless heretics. Now, having rejected what they have that is unclean and harmful to the soul, and having kept in mind their opinions, not in order to suffer harm, but in order to hate them more, let us return to ourselves and accept the saving teaching of the true faith, with the dignity of unity of command, combining in God and the fatherland, and believing “in one God the Father.” For not only must we believe in one God, but we also piously accept that this one God is the Father of our Only Begotten Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Through this, in our way of thinking we will become higher than the Jews, who, although they include among their dogmas that God is one (however, they deny this many times, falling into idolatry), nevertheless do not accept the fact that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thinking contrary to their own prophets, who say in the Divine Scriptures: “The Lord said to Me: You are My Son; Today I have given birth to You” (Ps. 2:7). The Jews to this day reel and gather “together against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Ps. 2:1), they think that it is possible to please the Father without pious faith in the Son, they do not know that “no one comes to the Father except by the Son” (John 14:6), Who says: “I am the door” (John 10:7), and “I am the way” ( John 14:6). Therefore, whoever renounces the path that leads to the Father and renounces the door, will he be worthy of entry into God? Contrary to what is written in Psalm 88: “He will call Me: You are my father, my God and the rock of my salvation, and I will make him my firstborn, above the kings of the earth” (Ps. 88:27. 28); “It will forever be firm as the moon” (38) And how can one not respect what is written: “from the womb before the morning star, your birth was like dew” (Ps. 109:3); and also: “until the sun and the moon remain, throughout all generations” (Ps. 71:5)? To relate this to a person is completely and extremely unwise. 3. But let the Jews, when it pleases them, in reasoning with these and similar sayings, suffer from the usual unbelief for them, and we accept the pious teaching of faith, worshiping one God, the Father of Christ (for it is wicked to deprive everyone of the power to give birth), and “we believe in one God the Father,” so that before we teach the doctrine of Christ, by the very same thing that is said about Father, faith in Christ was implanted in the soul of those listening, in no way separated from the teaching about the Father. 4. The name of the Father, together with the pronunciation of this naming, makes it possible to understand the Son, just as the one who names the Son immediately imagines the Father in thought. For if the Father, then, of course, the Father is to the Son; and if the Son, then, of course, the Father's Son. Therefore, so that when we say this: “in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible,” and then add: “and in one Lord Jesus Christ,” another would not make the impious assumption that the Only Begotten has a second place in order after heaven and earth, before naming heaven and earth, we called God Father, so that, together with the idea of the Father, we would also represent the Son in our thoughts, because between There is nothing separating them from the Father and the Son. 5. Therefore, God in an improper sense is the Father of many, but by nature and in reality he is the Father of only one Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not acquire this in time, that He might be a Father, but He is always the Father of the Only Begotten; Until now He was not childless, and without later inventing He became a Father; but before any Hypostasis, before any sensation, before time and all ages, the Father has paternal dignity, being adorned with it more than all other dignities, and he became the Father not because of old age, not because of copulation, not in ignorance; not because it suffered expiration, diminished, changed. For “every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The perfect Father begat the perfect Son; He handed over everything to the One who was born, for He says, “all things were handed over to Me by My Father” (Matthew 11:27). And the Only Begotten honors the Father: “I honor the Father,” says the Son (John 8:49) and again: “just as I have kept the commandments of My Father and abide in His love” (John 15:10). Therefore, we say, like the Apostle: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). And we bow “my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:14.15), glorifying Him together with the Only Begotten (for whoever rejects the Father, rejects the Son also), and again: “he who confesses the Son has the Father” (1 John 2:23), and knowing “that the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:11). 6. So, we worship the Father of Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in whose honor the former church here in front of us was built. For we will not tolerate heretics who cut off the Old Testament from the new, but we will believe in Christ, who says about the sanctuary: “Or did you not know that I must be in the things that belong to My Father?” (Luke 2:49); and again: “Take this from here, and do not make My Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16). And this most clearly confirms that the former temple in Jerusalem was the house of His Father. If anyone, out of unbelief, wants to have even greater proof that the Father of Christ is also the Creator of the world, then let him hear what Christ also says: “Are not two small birds sold for an assarium (small coin), and not one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father” (Matthew 10.29), Who is in heaven. Also: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26); and: “My Father works until now, and I work” (John 5:17). 7. But lest anyone, out of simplicity or cunning, assume that Christ is equal in honor to righteous people, because He Himself says: “I ascend to My Father and your Father” (John 20:17), it is best to explain in advance that although the name of the Father is one, the power of meaning of this name is different. And knowing that “I must be in the things that belong to My Father” (Luke 2:49) and “To your Father,” He does not say: to our Father, but first divides and names His Father: “to My Father,” i.e., to the Father by nature, then adds: “and to your Father,” i.e., to the Father by appropriation. For although we have been privileged to say in our prayers: “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9), this is a gift of love for mankind. Not as those born by nature from the heavenly Father, we call Him Father, but we are privileged to say this with ineffable love for mankind, as by the grace of the Father through the Son and the Holy Spirit brought from slavery to sonhood. 8. If anyone wants to find out in what sense we call God Father, then let him listen to the excellent teacher Moses, who says: “Is not this your Father, who adopted you, created you and formed you” (Deut. 3:26); and also the prophet Isaiah: “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are clay, and You are our teacher, and we are all the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). Prophetic grace very clearly depicted that we call God Father not by nature, but by the grace of God and by appropriation. 9. And in order to know more precisely that in the Divine Scriptures more than one is certainly called father by nature, listen to what Paul says: “For although you have thousands of instructors in Christ, but you have not many fathers, I have begotten you in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Paul was the father of the Corinthians, not because he begat them according to the flesh, but because he taught and regenerated them spiritually. Listen to Job, who says: “I was a father to the poor” (Job 29:16). He called himself a father not in the sense that he gave birth to everyone, but in the sense that he took care of them. And the Only Begotten Son of God Himself, during the suffering of the cross, nailed in the flesh to the tree, seeing Mary, His mother according to the flesh, and the most beloved of the disciples, John, said to the disciple: “Behold, thy Mother,” and to Mary: “Behold Thy son” (John 19:26.27), thereby teaching proper love, and indirectly resolving what was said in Luke: “Joseph.” and His Mother marveled at what was said about Him” (Luke 2:33), which is what the heretics seize upon, saying that Christ was born of a man and a wife. For just as Mary is the mother of John out of love, and not because she gave birth to him, so Joseph is called the father of Christ not because he gave birth to Him (for, according to the Gospel, “he did not know Her until She finally gave birth to Her firstborn son” (Matthew 1:25), but for his care in raising Him. 10. Let this now be said to you in passing, as if for memory. But let us add other evidence to prove that God is not called the father of men in the proper sense. When Isaiah addresses God: “You alone are our Father, for Abraham does not recognize us” (Isaiah 63:16) and Sarah did not give birth to us; Is it necessary to go into further research about this? And if the Psalmist says: “Let them be troubled at the presence of Him, the Father of the orphans and the Judge of widows” (Ps. 67:6), then is it not obvious to everyone that God, who is called the father of orphans who have recently lost their fathers, is so called not because He Himself gave birth to them, but because He cares for them and protects them? But, as it has been said, He is not the Father of men in the proper sense, but He is the Father of the one Christ by nature, and not by appropriation; and the Father of men is in time, and the Father to Christ before time, as He Himself says: “And now Thou, Father, glorify Me with Thyself, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was” (John 17:5). 11. So, we believe in one God the Father, unsearchable and inscrutable. None of the people saw him, but the Only Begotten confessed (John 1:18). “If anyone is of God, he has seen God” (John 6:46). His face is constantly seen by the Angels, but each one sees it according to his own rank; the fullness of contemplation of the Father is preserved in all clarity to the Son with the Holy Spirit. 12. Having prostrated myself to this point in words and bringing to mind what was said shortly before this, namely, that God was called the Father of men, I am greatly amazed at human ingratitude. Out of ineffable love for mankind, God deigned to be called the Father of men; Heavenly - earthly; Creator of centuries - existing in time; Encompassing the earth in a handful - similar to plows on the earth; but man, leaving the heavenly Father, said to the tree: “You are my father and to the stone: you gave birth to me” (Jer. 2:27). And it seems to me that this is why the Psalmist says to humanity: “And forget your people and your father’s house” (Ps. 44:11), whom you chose as your father, and you have obtained for yourself no destruction. 13. But not only trees and stones, others even chose Satan the murderer as their father; and the Lord said to them in reproof: “You are doing the works of your father” (John 8:41), your father to people, not by nature, but by deceit. For in the same sense that Paul called himself the father of the Corinthians because of the pious teaching he taught, in the same sense the devil is called the father of those who voluntarily agree with him. But we will not tolerate those who interpret poorly what is said, that from this we know “the children of God and the children of the devil” (John 3:10), namely, as if some of the people by nature are those who are saved and those who perish. Not out of necessity, but out of choice, we enter into this holy sonhood. And Judas, a traitor not by nature, was the son of the devil and destruction, otherwise he would not have cast out demons in the name of Christ at the very beginning, because Satan does not cast out Satan. Nor would Paul have become a preacher from a persecutor. On the contrary, sonship is a free matter, as John says: “And to those who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God” (John. 1:12); because they were honored to become children of God not before faith, but as a result of faith in freedom. 14. Therefore, knowing this, let us behave spiritually in order to be considered worthy of sonship with God, “for as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). There is no benefit for us to acquire the name Christians if this is not accompanied by deeds. Let it not be said to us: “If you were children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham” (John 8:39). For “if you call Father the One who impartially judges everyone according to their works, then spend the time of your pilgrimage with fear” (1 Peter 1:17), not loving the world, “nor the things that are in the world; whoever loves the world does not have the love of the Father” (1 John 2:15). Therefore, beloved children, let us give glory to the heavenly Father with our deeds, “so that they may see” our “good deeds and glorify our Father” “who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). “Let us cast all our sorrow upon Him” (1 Peter 5:7); “For your heavenly Father knows what you need” (Matthew 6:8). 15. But, honoring the heavenly Father, let us also honor our fathers according to the flesh, because in the Law and the Prophets, the Lord Himself clearly decreed, saying: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long on earth” (Ex. 20:12). Let those who are present who have fathers and mothers heed this commandment especially. “Children, listen to your parents” in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord (Eph. 6:1). The Lord did not simply say: “Whoever loves father or mother is worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37), so that out of ignorance he would not understand badly what is written well; but he added: “who loves me more than Me.” When earthly fathers think contrary to the heavenly Father, then we must conform to this saying of the Lord. When they do not in the least hinder us in piety, and we, out of ingratitude, not remembering their benefits, neglect them, then another saying will take place: “Whoever curses his father or mother, let him die” (Matthew 15:4). The first valiant act of Christian piety is to honor our parents, reward the labors of those who gave birth to us, and with all our might bring them peace. No matter how much we reward them, we cannot, however, repay birth for birth. And may they, reassured by us, strengthen us with blessings similar to the one that the reproacher Jacob prudently delighted: and the heavenly Father, having accepted our good will, will grant us, together with the righteous, “like the sun to shine in the kingdom of our Father” (Matthew 13:43). Glory to Him with the Only Begotten and Savior Jesus Christ and with the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and always and unto ages of ages! Amen. 8th catechetical word to the enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the word: “Almighty” Reading from Jeremiah: “Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of Hosts! Great in advice and strong in deeds” and so on. (Jer. 32, 18.19). 1. By the fact that we believe in one God, we cut off all the delusions of polytheism, acting with this weapon against the pagans and against every opposing heretical force, and when we add: “in one God the Father,” we thereby fight with the circumcision, who reject the only begotten Son of God. For, according to what was said yesterday, before a clear presentation of the teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ, by the very name “Father” we already express that He is Father to the Son, and therefore, as soon as we imagine in thought that there is a God, we imagine together that He has a Son. But let us also add to what has been said that God is PANTOCRANT. And we say this, both together against the pagans and Jews, and against all heretics. 2. Of the pagans, some called God the soul of the world, others said that His power is only in heaven, but does not extend to the earth; others, sharing the error of these latter and making bad use of the saying that says: “Thy truth reaches even to the clouds” (Ps. 107:5), dared to limit the providence of God to the clouds and the sky, and to represent what is on earth as alien to God. But they forgot about the psalm, which says: “If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I go down into the underworld, you will be there too” (Ps. 139:8). If there is nothing above heaven, and below the earth there is hell, then the one who owns the underworld also reaches the earth. 3. Also, heretics, as was said before, do not know the one God Almighty. For the Almighty, Who possesses everything, contains everything in His power. But those who claim that there is a ruler of the soul and another – the ruler of the body, do not recognize either of them as perfect, because each lacks what the other has. And whoever has power over the soul, but does not have it over the body, will he be the Almighty? Also, whoever has dominion over bodies, but does not have dominion over spirits, will he be the Almighty? But the Lord exposes them, saying in spite of them: “Fear Him more who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matthew 10:28). For if the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ does not have power over both, then how does he subject both to punishment? And how can he take a body that does not belong to him and throw him into Gehenna, “if he does not first bind the strong man and then plunder his house” (Matthew 12:29)? 4. Divine Scripture and the dogmas of truth know the One God, who contains everything by His power and endures many things by His will. He also supports idolaters in His power, but He tolerates them out of condescension. He also possesses the heretics who reject Him, but leaves them out of long-suffering, and not out of impotence, like one who is conquered. For the devil, “the beginning of the creation of the Lord, was created to be desecrated” not by God (this is not worthy of Him), but by “Angels” (Job 40:14), created by Him. God allowed the devil to live for two purposes: so that he, being defeated, would be more ashamed, and people would be crowned. All-wise, truly God's providence! Evil will turns It into a reason for the salvation of the faithful. Just as God turned the brotherly-hating will of Joseph’s brothers into a reason to show His own economy and, having allowed them to sell their brother out of hatred, took from this the convenience of making whomever He wanted king: so He allowed the devil to wage war so that those who overcome would be crowned, and, after the victory was accomplished, the devil was no longer put to shame, as if he had been defeated by the inferior, and people deserved great glory, as having defeated the one who once was Archangel. 5. Therefore nothing is excluded from the action of God's power. Scripture says about God: “Everything serves You” (Ps. 119:91). But if “all things serve Him,” then His one Son and His one Holy Spirit are outside of all this, and everything that “serves” Him serves the Master through the one Son in the Holy Spirit, therefore, God possesses everyone, and tolerates murderers, robbers, harlots, having long-suffering determined the term when He will reward each, so that those who are given the longest term, and who have an unrepentant heart, will be subject to greater condemnation. Human kings reign on earth, but not without power from above. Nebuchadnezzar once experienced this for himself, saying about God: “Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and whose kingdom endures throughout generations and generations” (Dan. 4:31). 6. Wealth, gold and silver are not the property of the devil, as some people think, for “the faithful have a whole world of wealth, but the unfaithful has not an obol” (small coin) (Prov. 17:6), and the devil is not more faithful than anyone. And God clearly says through the Prophet: “The gold is Mine and the silver is Mine” (Hag. 2:9), to whomever I want, I give it. Just use it well; silver is not reproachable. When you use something good badly, then, not wanting to hear reproach for your order, you impiously bring reproach to the Creator. A person can acquire justification for himself through property: “for I was hungry, and you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35), no doubt, from his property. “I was naked, and you clothed Me” (36) - also again from your property. And do you want to know that property can become a door to the heavenly Kingdom? It is said: “Sell what you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). 7. I said this for the sake of heretics, who curse the possession of property, property and slaves. I don’t want you to be a slave to your property, and I also don’t want you to look at what God has given you for your service as enemies. Therefore, say that property is the property of the devil. If he says: “I will give all this to you” (Matthew 4:9), “for it (the glory) has been given to me” (Luke 4:6), then a person can refute this word, because a liar should not be believed. But perhaps he told the truth, forced by inherent force. For he does not say: “I will give all this to you,” because it is mine, but: “because it has been delivered to me.” He did not arrogate dominion to himself, but admitted that he had been entrusted with it and was in charge of it temporarily. But let the interpreters, in time, enter into the investigation: whether he is lying or telling the truth. 8. Therefore, there is one God the Father, the Almighty, Whom the heretics dared to dishonor. For they dared to dishonor the Lord of hosts, “who sits on the Cherubim” (Ps. 79:2). They dared to blaspheme the Lord Adonai. They dared to blaspheme God, according to the prophets, the Almighty. But you worship the one God Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, flee the errors of polytheism, flee all heresies, and say with Job: “But I would turn to God, I would commend my work to God, who does great and unsearchable things, wonderful without number” (Job 5. 8:9). In all this is “the honor of the Almighty” (Job 37:22). Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 9th catechetical word to the enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, to the words: “Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible” Reading from the book of Job: “Who is this who darkens Providence with words without meaning” (Job 38:2). 1. It is impossible to see God with carnal eyes, because the incorporeal cannot be subject to carnal vision. And the Only Begotten Son of God Himself testified to this, saying: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18). If anyone concludes from what is written in Ezekiel that Ezekiel saw God, then what does Scripture say? He saw “the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek. 2:1), and not the Lord Himself; even the semblance of glory, and not the glory itself as it really is. And seeing only the likeness of glory, and not the glory itself, he fell to the ground in fear. If the visible semblance of glory brought fear and trembling to the prophets, then if anyone had attempted to see God Himself, without a doubt, he would have lost his life, according to what was said: “for man cannot see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20). That is why God, out of His very great love for mankind, stretched out the sky as a curtain hiding His Divinity, so that we would not perish. This is not my word, but the Prophet said: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down! the mountains would melt at Your presence” (Isaiah 64:1). And why are you surprised if Ezekiel, seeing the likeness of glory, fell on his face? When Gabriel, the servant of the Lord, appeared to Daniel, he was immediately horrified and fell on his face (Dan. 8:17); and until the Angel took upon himself “the likeness of the son of man,” the Prophet did not dare to answer him (10, 16. 17). If Gabriel, when he was seen, made the prophets tremble, then wouldn’t we all perish if God appeared as He is in Himself? 2. Therefore, it is impossible to see the nature of God with carnal eyes, but it is possible to go from the works of God to the representation of the power of God, according to Solomon, who says: “for from the greatness of the beauty of creatures the Author of their existence is comparatively known” (Wis. 13:5). He didn’t just say: “The Creator is known from creatures,” but added: “comparatively.” For the more majestic God appears to everyone, the higher the view of creatures acquired by man. And when, with a higher view, he is elevated in heart, then he receives a higher idea of ​​God. 3. And do you want to know that the nature of God is impossible to comprehend? The three youths, confessing God in the fiery furnace, say: “Blessed are You, who see the deep, who sits on the cherubim” (Dan. 3:54). Tell me, what is the nature of cherubim? The Prophet Ezekiel, if possible, gave them a description, saying that “everyone has four faces” (Ezek. 1:6): the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an eagle and the face of a calf (10), that one has six wings, and their eyes are everywhere, and everywhere, and under each of them is a four-part wheel; however, although the prophet made a description, we, reading, cannot yet comprehend it. If we cannot comprehend the throne depicted by him, then how can we comprehend the invisible and inscrutable God who sits on the throne? But, although the nature of God cannot be explored inquisitively, it is nevertheless possible to send praises to Him for His visible creations. 4. This is said to you in the order of the Creed, because we say: “We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible,” reminding ourselves that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and He created heaven and earth, and protecting ourselves from corruption with godless heretics who dared to speak ill of the All-Wise Artist this whole world, and although they see with carnal eyes, they are blinded with the eyes of the mind. 5. For what can they blame in God’s great creation? They should have been amazed, looking at the vault of heaven, they should have worshiped Him who made “the heavens like a thin fabric” (Is. 40:22), and from the fluid nature of the waters He created the unshakable composition of the sky. For “God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters” (Gen. 1:6). One day God spoke: the firmament has become and does not fall. The sky is water, with the sun, moon and fiery stars on it. How does fiery flow in water? If anyone doubts this, because the properties of fire and water are opposite, then let him bring to mind during the time of Moses in Egypt “and there was hail and fire between the hail” (Ex. 9:24), and look at this all-wise universe of God. Since there was an urgent need for water for the future cultivation of the land, God prepared an aquiferous sky above the earth, so that when any earthly country needed irrigation with rain, the sky would be ready for it by nature. 6. What then? Shouldn’t we also look with wonder at the structure of the sun? For, appearing in the form of a small vessel, it contains great power, appearing in the east and spreading light to the west. The psalmist, describing his morning ascent, said: “and he comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber” (Ps. 18:6). This Prophet depicts the luminosity and proportionality in the sun with which it first appears to people, because when it completes its mid-day course, then we often hide due to the heat, but when it rises, it is pleasant for everyone, like a groom appearing. And delve into his management, it is better to say not himself, but the One who, by His command, determined the course of the sun, namely in the fact that in the summer, having become higher, it produces longer days, giving people more time for business, and in the winter it shortens the course so that the time of cold does not continue, while the nights, becoming longer, contribute to people’s rest and contribute to the earth’s fertility of products. Look how decorously the days give way to one another, increasing in summer and decreasing in winter; in spring and autumn, granting each other equality in duration; The nights also do the same thing. Therefore, the Psalmist says about them: “Day gives speech to day, and night reveals knowledge to night” (Ps. 18:3). For they almost cry out to the heretics who have no hearing, and almost say in their harmonious order that there is no other God except the Creator, who set a limit to everything and brought everything into order. 7. Let no one allow some to assert that there is another Creator of light and another Creator of darkness. Let him remember what Isaiah says: “I form light and create darkness” (Isaiah 45:7). Why, man, are you indignant at the darkness? Why are you burdened with the time given for your repose? The slave would have no peace from his masters if darkness did not bring with it the necessary respite. How often, having labored during the day, we renew our strength at night. And whoever was tired yesterday, in the morning, after resting at night, becomes strong. And what is more beneficial than night for wisdom? For at night we often think about God; At night we read and consider Divine words. When is our mind better tuned to psalmody and prayer? Isn't it at night? When do we more often come to remember our sins? Not at night? Therefore, we will not allow that evil thought that someone else is the creator of darkness; for experience shows that darkness is also something good and very useful. 8. Heretics should be amazed and marveled not only at the structure of the sun and moon, but also at the well-ordered hosts of stars, the unhindered flow and well-timed ascent of each of them: how some serve as a sign of summer, and others of winter; how some show the time of sowing, while others signify the beginning of sailing; and a man, sitting on a ship and sailing on the endless waves, looks at the stars and guides the ship. Scripture speaks beautifully about this: “and for signs and times and days and years” (Gen. 1:14), and not for compiling astrological fables about birth. Look at how beautifully gradually God gave us daylight: we do not suddenly see the rising sun, but a small certain light precedes it, so that the apple of our eye, having become accustomed, can look at the brightest illumination of the ray. But how did God temper the darkness of the night with moonlight? 9. “Does rain have a father? or who gives birth to drops of dew? (Job 38:28). Who condensed the air into clouds and commanded them to carry rainwater? Who sometimes leads “clouds of gold from the north”? (Job 37:22), sometimes turns them into a solitary appearance, and again changes them into various circles and other shapes? Who in his wisdom can number the clouds? About whom it is said in Job: “Do you understand the balance of the clouds” (Job 37:16); “and who is able to sort out the clouds with his wisdom and hold the vessels of heaven” (38:37); “and the cloud is not torn apart under it” (26:8), that is, there is so much water on the clouds, and the water is not torn apart, but descends quite orderly to the earth? “Who brings out the wind from his storehouses” (Ps. 134:7)? Who, according to what we said above, “gives birth to drops of dew”? “From whose belly does ice come?” (Job 38:29). Its composition is water, and its action is like that of a stone. Water sometimes turns into snow like a wave, and sometimes it becomes a service to the One who sends darkness (frost), like ashes (Ps. 147:5); sometimes it turns into a rock-like composition because God gives the water the direction He pleases. And its nature is homogeneous, but its power of action is varied. The water in the grapes becomes wine, gladdening the heart of man, in the olives - oil, anointing the face of man; it turns into bread, which strengthens the human heart, and into all kinds of fruits. 10. What should one do in all this: should one blaspheme the Creator, or rather worship Him? And for now I am not yet speaking about the hidden works of His wisdom. Look at spring and at flowers of all kinds, different despite their very similarity; to the scarlet of a rose to the whiteness of a lily; all this from one rain and from one earth. Who gives them the difference? Who creates them? Look at how strict frugality is in everything: from one wood composition, one goes to the tree’s clothing, and the other goes to various fruits. There is only one artist. In one vine, some are suitable for burning, some go into sprouts, others into leaves, others into vines, and others into clusters. Marvel at these frequent contours of the knees on the reeds, which the Artist made. From the same earth come reptiles, animals, livestock, edible trees, gold, silver, copper, iron, and stone. One nature is aquatic, but from it is the composition of both swimming animals and birds, so that both they swim in the waters and birds fly in the air. 11. “This sea is great and spacious: there are reptiles there, of which there is no number” (Ps. 103:25). Who can depict the beauty of fish in the sea? Who can describe the size of whales and the composition of amphibian animals adapted to live on land and in the waters? Who can describe the depth and breadth of the sea, or the rush of the huge waves? But it stands within its limits, according to the word of the One Who Spoke: “Thus far you will come and not pass over, and here is the limit of your arrogant waves” (Job 38:11). It shows how terrible the word of command is for him, when at low tide it leaves a line clearly drawn by the waves on the shores, as if letting those see that he does not exceed the appointed limits. 12. Who can study the nature of birds flying in the air? Why do some have a musical language, while others have feathers covered with all kinds of paintings; others, having risen high, can stand motionless in the air, like a hawk? For according to God's command, “a hawk flies and directs its wings to the midday” (Job 39:26). Which person can see an eagle rising up? If the unreasonable bird that has risen in height is incomprehensible to you, then how do you want to comprehend the Creator of all things? 13. Which of the people even knows the names of all the animals? Or who is able to study the natural history of each beast? If we don’t even know the names of the animals, then how can we comprehend their Creator? One commandment from God said: “let the earth produce livestock and creeping things and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind” (Gen. 1:24, 25), and according to one commandment, different breeds arose from one source: both the meek sheep and the carnivorous lion. And the various movements of dumb animals have in themselves something similar to human wills: the fox shows human cunning in itself; snake - poisonous friends; neighing horse - voluptuous youths; an active ant serves to excite the lazy and careless one. For when a person spends his youth in idleness, then he is admonished by dumb animals, denounced by the Divine Scripture, which says: “Go to the ant, you sluggard, look at his actions, and be wise” (Proverbs 6:6). Watching how he prepares food for himself in advance, you too should imitate and gather for yourself the fruits of good deeds for future centuries. And again: “go to the bee and know how industrious she is” (Proverbs 6:8), and how she, flying around all kinds of flowers, makes honey for her own benefit, so that you, going through the Divine Scriptures, can gather the handles of your salvation and, having had enough, say: “How sweet are Your words to my throat! better than honey to my lips” (Ps. 119:103). 14. Therefore, is not the Artist more worthy of glorification? So what? If you do not know the composition of every thing, were they really created in vain? You are not able to comprehend the effectiveness of any past; you cannot know all the benefits provided by each animal. But antidotes have been extracted from the most poisonous echidnas to save people. You will say: the snake is terrible. But fear the Lord, and she will not be able to harm you. Scorpio is sarcastic. But fear the Lord, and he will not hurt you. The lion is bloodthirsty. But fear the Lord, and he will sit at your feet as at Daniel’s feet. One should truly be surprised at the activities of animals; why do some have their activity in their stings, like a scorpion; others have strength in their teeth; others overcome with their claws; The basilisk has power in its gaze. And from the diversity of creatures, understand the power of the Creator. 15. But perhaps you don’t know this: you don’t care about animals that are outside of you. Finally, enter into yourself and understand the Artist in your essence. What is it about your body that deserves censure? Control yourself, and of all the members, not one will turn out to be worthless. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were naked in paradise, but it was not because of their members that they were rejected. The cause of sin is not the members, but those who make bad use of the members. The Creator of members is wise. Who made a birthplace for childbearing? Who animated the inanimate? Who sewed us together with sinews and bones, “clothed us with skin and flesh” (Job 10:11), and together with the birth of a baby, brings forth fountains of milk from the breasts? How does a child grow into a youth, a youth into a young man, and then into a man, and the husband also changes into an old man? Meanwhile, no one notices the strict daily sequence of changes. How is it that some of the food turns into blood, some is separated into eruption, and some is transformed into flesh? Who sets the heart in constant motion? Who wisely protected the tender eye with the cover of eyelids? The polysyllabic and marvelous structure of the eye is barely explained by the somewhat lengthy books of doctors. Who put a single breath into a whole body? Do you see, man, the Artist? Do you see the all-wise Creator? 16. I have now expanded on this in word, without touching on many thousands of other creatures, especially the incorporeal and invisible, so that you would hate those who blaspheme the good and wise Artist, both for what has been said and read to you, and what you yourself are able to find or understand, that is, “from the greatness of the beauty of creatures, the Author of their existence is comparatively known” (Wis. 13, 5) and, piously kneeling before the Creator of all things, I mean the Creator of everything sensory and spiritual, visible and invisible, with a grateful and laudatory tongue, with incessant lips and heart, you praised God, saying: “How numerous are Your works, Lord! You have done everything wisely” (Ps. 103:24). Honor, glory and greatness are due to you, now and forever! Amen. 10th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “and in the One Lord Jesus Christ” Reading from the First Epistle to the Corinthians: “For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth, yet we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we through Him.” (1 Cor. 8, 5. 6). 1. Those who have learned to believe in one God the Father, the Almighty, must also believe in the Only Begotten Son. For “whoever denies the Son does not have the Father” (1 John 2:23). “I am the door,” says Jesus (John 10:9). “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). If you reject this door, then knowledge will be closed for you, leading you to the Father. No one “knows the Father but the Son,” and to whom the Son will reveal it (Matthew 11:27). If you reject the giver of revelation, you will remain in ignorance. The Gospel states the definition: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). For the Father is angry when the Only Begotten Son is humiliated. It is intolerable to the king if even a simple warrior is dishonored. And when one of his eminent bodyguards or friends is dishonored, then his anger increases even more. If someone insults the king’s only begotten son, who will plead with the father, angry at the insult to his only begotten son? 2. Therefore, if anyone wants to honor God piously, then let him worship the Son, otherwise the Father does not accept service. The Father cried from heaven, saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17); The Father favored the Son. If you do not show favor, you will not have life in you. Do not be carried away by what the Jews slyly say: “There is one God,” but, having come to know one God, that there is also the only begotten Son of God. I was not the first to say this, but the Psalmist says on behalf of the Son: “The Lord said to Me: You are My Son” (Ps. 2:7). Therefore, pay attention not to what the Jews say, but to what the prophets say. Why are you surprised if prophetic broadcasts make nothing of the stoning and killing of prophets? 3. Believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. We call one Lord Jesus Christ, and the sonship will be the only begotten. We call him one, so that you do not assume another son. We name the One, so that you do not wickedly squander your multi-name effectiveness on many sons. For He is called a door (John 10:7); with this naming, imagine not a door made of wood, but a reasonable, living door, distinguishing those who enter. It is called the path (John 14:6), but this is a path - not trampled under foot, but leading to the Heavenly Father. It is called a sheep (Acts 8:32), but this sheep is not dumb, but with His honest blood cleanses the universe from sins, is known before the watcher, and knows when to remain silent. This sheep is also called the Shepherd, who says: “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). He is a sheep according to humanity, and a Shepherd according to the love of mankind of the Divine. And do you want to know that there are verbal sheep? The Savior told the Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). Also called a lion (Gen. 49:9), but this is not a lion devouring people, but by this name, as it were, indicating that which is royal, firm and reliable in His hypostasis; is called a lion in contrast to the lion - the rival who roars and devours those who are seduced. For the Savior came without changing the meekness of His nature, but as a strong “lion from the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5), saving those who believe, and trampling down the enemy. Called a stone (1 Peter 2:4); but this is not a stone - inanimate, shaped by human hands, but “a corner stone... whoever believes in it will not be put to shame” (Is. 28:16). 4. He is called Christ (Acts 4:27), but is not anointed by human hands, but is eternally anointed by the Father to a high priesthood that surpasses man. He is called dead (Rev. 1:18), but he did not remain among the dead, like all those who are in hell, but one was “thrown among the dead” (Ps. 87:16). He is called the “Son of Man” (Matthew 16:13), but he does not come from the earth, like each of us, but comes on the clouds to judge the living and the dead. He is called Lord (Luke 2:11), but not in the inaccurate sense as those who are called masters among people, but as having natural and eternal dominion. He is called Jesus in the full meaning of the word, borrowing the name from saving healing. He is called the Son (Matthew 3:17) not as adopted by adoption, but as naturally born. And our Savior has many names. Therefore, lest the multitude of names make you think that there are many sons, and because of the error of the heretics who claim that one is Christ, another is Jesus, another is the door, etc., the Creed warns you, beautifully saying: “in one Lord Jesus Christ.” For although there are many names, the Named One is one. 5. The Savior is beneficial to everyone in a special way. To those who need joy He is a vine. For those who need to enter, He is the door. For those who need to offer prayers, He is the Intercessor and the Bishop. Also for those who have sins there is a sheep to be slain for them. He is everything to everyone, but He remains within Himself, as He is by nature. For, remaining as such and having the truly immutable dignity of sonship, as the best physician and compassionate mentor, He adapts to our infirmities, while He is in reality the Lord, who did not receive the right to rule because of success, but by nature has the dignity of dominion, and not in any improper sense, as we are called masters, but in truth itself is called Lord, because by at the behest of the Father he rules over His own creations. We rule over our equals and those subservient to us, and often over our elders, and often a young master rules over old servants, but this is not the rule of our Lord Jesus Christ; on the contrary, He is first the Creator, and then the Lord; first he created everything according to the Father’s will, and then he rules over what comes into existence from Him. 6. “Christ the Lord, born in the city of David” (Luke 2:11). And do you want to know that Christ, even before His incarnation, is Lord, like the Father? Do you want to not only accept what is said by faith, but have proof from the Old Testament Scripture? Turn to the first book - Genesis. God says: “Let us make man” not in My image, but “in Our image” (Gen. 1:26). And when man was created, it is said: “And the Lord created man, in the image of God created him” (27). In Scripture, the dignity of the Divine is not only limited by the Father, but the Son is also included, and this shows that man is a creature not only of God, but also of our Lord Jesus Christ, because He is the true God. This one, acting with the Father, the Lord acted with Him also at Sodom, according to the Scripture, which says: “And the Lord rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Gen. 19:24). This Lord also appeared to Moses, as far as he could see. For the Lord loves mankind and always applies to our weaknesses. 7. And in order to know that He appeared to Moses, accept the testimony of Paul, who says: “For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed, and the rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4); and again: “By faith Moses left Egypt” (Heb. 11:27); following this: “he considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:26). This Moses said to Him: “Open your way to me” (Ex. 33:13). You see that the prophets also saw Christ then, but insofar as each one could contain it. “Reveal to me Thy way, that I may know Thee” (Mech. 33:13). But He says: “No man can see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20). So, since no one living could see the Divinity, He perceived the face of humanity, so that by seeing it we would become alive. When he deigned to show this very face in small glory, when “His face shone like the sun” (Matthew 17:2), then the disciples, fearful, fell on their faces. But if the illuminated face of the flesh, not to the extent that He who did this could enlighten, but to the extent that the disciples could accommodate, frightened them, and they could not bear it, then could anyone raise their gaze to the dignity of the Divinity? You desire great things, says the Lord to Moses, but I do not reject your insatiable desire, “and what you spoke about, I will do” (Ex. 33:17), but as far as you can contain it; behold, “I will place you in a cleft of the rock” (22), for, like a small one, you remain in a small outline. 8. Confirm to yourself what will be said here in order to protect yourself from the Jews. But our goal is to show that the Lord Jesus Christ was with the Father. Therefore the Lord says to Moses: “I will make all my glory known before you, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before you” (19). He is the Lord, what kind of Lord does he call? Do we see how he secretly taught the pious teaching about the Father and the Son? Then, further, word for word it is written: “And the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there near him and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord God, loving and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and truth, preserving righteousness and showing mercy to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Ex. 34 5-7). Then, following this, Moses, leaning down and bowing before the Lord, who calls the Father, says: “Go, Lord, with them” (9). 9. You have this first proof; Here is another clear one: “The Lord said to my Lord: sit at My right hand” (Ps. 109:1). The Lord says this to the Lord, and not to the servant, the Lord of all, His Son, to whom “he has put all things in subjection.” “When it is said that all things are subject to Him, it is clear that except Him who put all things under Him,” and further: “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15, 27, 28). The Only Begotten Son is the Lord of all. The Son is submissive to the Father, did not seize dominion, but by nature received it from the Father who willed it. For the Son did not delight, and the Father did not lack in generosity to communicate. This is what the Son Himself says: “all things were handed over to Me by My Father” (Matthew 11:27). “Devoted to Me”, not as not having before; and I keep what I have given excellently, without depriving Him who gave it. 10. Therefore the Son of God is Lord; The Lord, born in Bethlehem of Judea, as the Angel said to the shepherds: “I bring you great joy, for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10 – 11). One of the Apostles says about Him in another place: “He sent the word, preaching peace through Jesus Christ; This is the Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). When he says “all”; takes nothing away from His dominion. And the Angels, and the Archangels, and the principalities, and the Powers, and anything created that is called by the Angels - everything is under the dominion of the Son. He is the Lord of Angels, as it is said in the Gospel: “Then the devil left Him, and behold, the Angels came and served Him” (Matthew 4:11). It is not said: they helped Him, but “served Him,” which is characteristic of slaves. When He was to be born of the Virgin, then Gabriel served Him, taking upon Himself His service as His own dignity. And when He was supposed to go to Egypt and destroy the “idols of Egypt” (Ps. 19:1), the Angel also appears to Joseph in a dream. When He was crucified and resurrected, the Angel preached the gospel and, like a good minister, says to us: “And go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going before you to Galilee. Behold, I have told you” (Matthew 28:7). And with this, as it were, he says: “I did not violate the command, I bear witness by saying this to you, so that if you are negligent, the reproach would not fall on me, but on those who were remiss.” Therefore, there is one Lord Jesus Christ. The current reading also speaks about Him: “For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth, we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:5.6). 11. Jesus Christ has two names: “Jesus” because he saves, and “Christ” because he priests. And, knowing this, the godly prophet Moses gave these two names to the two chosen from all the men, renaming the successor to his power Absiah Jesus (Num. 13:17), and calling his brother Aaron Christ (Leviticus 14:5), in order to represent the high priestly and royal dignity of the one coming Jesus Christ by the two chosen men. And Christ, like Aaron, is a high priest, because “it was not Himself who appropriated the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:5.6). Joshua bears His image in many ways. Having become the leader of the people, he began this from the Jordan, from where Christ, having been baptized, began to preach the gospel. The son of Nun appointed twelve men to divide the inheritance; and Jesus sends the twelve apostles into the whole universe as preachers of the truth. The forerunner Jesus saved the harlot Rahab who believed, and the true Jesus says: behold, “publicans and harlots go ahead of you into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 21:31). At the foreshadowing, the walls of Jericho fell at one exclamation; and since it was said by Jesus: “here there will not be left one stone upon another” (Matthew 24:2), this Jewish Church standing here before us fell, not because this definition was the cause of the fall, but because the sin of the lawless became the cause of the fall. 12. There is one Lord Christ: a wonderful name, not directly proclaimed by the prophets. For Isaiah the prophet says: “Your Savior is coming; His reward is with him” (Isaiah 62:11). The word “Savior” translates the Hebrew word “Jesus.” For prophetic grace, foreseeing that the Jews would be murderers of the Lord, covered up the naming, so that, having clearly foreseen, they would not immediately begin to commit evil. It was not men who called Him Jesus, but He was clearly named by an Angel, who came not by his own power, but was sent by God’s power, and said to Joseph: “Do not be afraid to receive Mary your wife, for that which is born in Her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:20.21)! And, explaining the reason for this name, after this he says: “for He will save His people from their sins” (21). Consider, then, how, not yet being born, has “His people” if he had not existed before birth? And this is what the prophet says on His behalf: “From My mother’s womb I called My name” (Is. 49:1), because it was foretold by the Angel that he would be called Jesus. The prophet also speaks about Herod’s malice: “He covered Me with the shadow of His hand” (2). 13. So, Jesus in Hebrew means Savior, and in Greek means healer. For He is the Physician of souls and bodies, and the Healer of spirits; heals the blind sensually, and enlightens the minds; heals the apparently lame, and shows sinners the path to repentance, saying to the paralytic: “Sin no more” (John 5:14), and: “Pick up your bed and walk” (8). Since the body is weakened by spiritual sin, he first healed the soul in order to give healing to the body. Therefore, whose soul suffers from sins has a Physician. And if anyone here is of little faith, let him say to Him: “Help my unbelief” (Matthew 9:24). If anyone is beset by bodily infirmities, let him not remain in unbelief, but let him come, and since Jesus heals them too, let him know that Jesus is the Christ. 14. The Jews acknowledge that He is Jesus, but do not recognize that He is the Christ. That is why the Apostle says: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ” (1 John 2:22). And Christ is the High Priest, having “an enduring priesthood” (Heb. 7:24); It was not in time that He began to serve as a priest, and He has no other successor in the high priesthood, as you heard during the Divine service on the weekday, when we offered a conversation on the words “according to the order of Melchizedek.” He did not receive the high priesthood by carnal succession and was anointed with oil not prepared, but before the ages from the Father, and in so far as He was distinguished from others, insofar as His priesthood was confirmed by an oath. “For these were priests without an oath, but this one was with an oath, because it was said of Him: The Lord has sworn and will not repent” (Heb. 5:21). It was enough for affirmation that only the Father willed, but this is a strict method of affirmation, when the will is followed by an oath, “so that in two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have sure consolation” (Heb. 6:18), who confess Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 15. The Jews rejected this Christ who came, and the demons confessed him. But He was not unknown to the forefather David, who says: “I will set up a lamp for My anointed” (Ps. 131:17). And some interpret that the lamp is the light of prophecy, and others that the lamp is flesh received from the Virgin, according to the words of the Apostle: “But we carry this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7). He was not unknown to the prophet, who says: “and declares His intentions to man” (Amos. 4:13). Moses knew Him, Isaiah knew Him, and Jeremiah knew Him. He was unknown to any of the prophets. The demons also knew Him, because He forbade them, and it is said, “that they know that He is the Christ” (Luke 4:41). The high priests did not know, but the demons confessed; The high priests did not know, but the Samaritan woman preached, saying: “Come, see a man who told me everything that I have done, is this not the Christ?” (John 4:29). 16. This Jesus Christ is the come “High Priest of the good things to come” (Heb. 9:11), but through the generosity of the Divine, He has communicated His name to all of us. Human kings have a royal title, not shared with other people; Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has vouchsafed us to be called Christians. But others will say: the name Christian is a new name, it was not in use before, and what is newly introduced is often disputed due to its very unusualness. The prophet protected us in this, saying: “But He will call His servants by another name, which will be blessed on earth” (Isa. 65: 15. 16). Let us interrogate the Jews: “Are you working for the Lord or not? Show me your new name. For you were called Jews and Israelites under Moses, and under other prophets, and after your return from Babylon, and so you are called to this day. Where is the new name? And we, because we work for the Lord, have a new name. This name is new, but it is such a new name, “which will be blessed on earth.” This name has embraced the universe, because the Jews are in one country only, and the Christians are to the ends of the universe. By them the name of the Only Begotten Son of God is proclaimed.” 17. Do you want to know that the Apostles knew and preached the name of Christ, or better yet, had Christ Himself in them? Paul says to those listening to him: “Are you looking for proof that Christ speaks in me?” (2 Cor. 13:3) Paul proclaims Christ, saying: “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and we are your servants for Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:5). Who is this Paul? The one who was formerly a persecutor. A great true miracle! Those who persecuted before proclaim Christ. And why does he proclaim? Aren't you inclined to do it with money? But no one worshiped him with this means. Or have you seen Christ face to face and been convinced by Him? But Christ had already ascended to heaven. He went to initiate persecution, and three days later this persecutor was already a preacher in Damascus. What kind of force is this? Others call their own as witnesses about their deeds, but I presented you as a witness who was formerly an enemy. Do you still doubt it? The testimony of Peter and John is important, but leaves room for suspicion, because they were their own. But if someone who was previously an enemy of Christ later dies for Him, who can still doubt the truth? 18. Having touched upon this word, I truly marveled at the economy of the Holy Spirit: why did I limit the epistles of others to a small number, but granted the former persecutor Paul to write fourteen epistles? This is not because Peter or John were less, and the Spirit withheld grace. Let this not happen! On the contrary, in order for the teaching to be undeniable, he was granted to write a greater number of epistles, who had previously been an enemy and persecutor, to certify this to everyone. “And all that heard were astonished” at Paul, “and said, Is not this the same” who was formerly a persecutor? “Yes, and for this I came here, to bind them and lead them” to Jerusalem (Acts 9:21). Do not be surprised, says Paul: “It is difficult for me to go against the pricks” (5); I know that “I am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9), however, “out of ignorance” (1 Tim. 1:13). I believed that preaching about Christ was a violation of the law, and did not know that Christ came “not to destroy, but to fulfill” the law (Matthew 5:17). “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to me richly” (1 Tim. 1:14). 19. There are many, beloved, true testimonies about Christ. The Father testifies from heaven about the Son; testifies to the Holy Spirit, who descended in a bodily form (Luke 3:22) in the form of a dove. Archangel Gabriel testifies, preaching the gospel to Mary. The Virgin Mary testifies. The blessed container of the manger bears witness. Egypt testifies, having received the Lord while still young in body. Symeon testifies, taking Him into his arms and saying: “Now you are releasing Your servant, O Master, according to Your word, in peace; for mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations” (Luke 2:29-31). Anna the prophetess, the most reverent abstinent and ascetic, also testifies of Him. John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, testifies, the beginning of the leader of the new testament, and in some way connecting both testaments, both old and new. Of the rivers the Jordan bears witness, and of the seas the Sea of ​​Tiberias bears witness. The blind testify; the lame testify; the resurrected dead testify; The demons testify, saying: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know You, who You are, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). The winds testify that they listen to His command and subside. The five loaves of bread multiplied to feed the five thousand testify. The holy tree of the Cross, which is still visible to us today, testifies, and has already filled almost the entire universe with itself through those who receive from it here with faith. The palm tree in the valley that gave its fronds to the youths who praised it then bears witness. Gethsemane bears witness to those who understand, as if to this day it still points to Judas. This towering holy Golgotha ​​testifies with its appearance; testifies to the coffin of the shrine, and the stone lying to this day. The sun testifies, shining now, but then, during the time of saving suffering, darkened. The darkness that was then from the sixth to the ninth hour testifies. The light that shone from the ninth hour until the evening testifies. The holy Mount of Olives, from which he ascended to the Father, testifies; The rain-bearing clouds that received the Lord also testify, about which the Psalmist said: “Lift up your heights, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will enter!” (Ps. 23:7). Those who were once enemies testify, including Blessed Paul, who did not quarrel for long, but served for a long time. The twelve apostles testify not only with words, but through their torment and death, preaching the truth. The shadow of Petrov testifies, healing the sick in the name of Christ; “The handkerchiefs and aprons from his body” testify (Acts 19:21), with the power of Christ they also healed through Paul. The Persians and Goths and all the pagans testify, dying for Him whom they have not seen with carnal eyes. The demons that have been cast out by the faithful to this day testify. 20. There are so many different witnesses, and there are even more of them! Is it possible that even after this no one will believe in the Lord about whom they testify? If anyone did not believe before, let him believe now. If he was faithful before, let him receive a greater increase in faith, continuing to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and let him know whose name he bears. You are called a Christian: take care of this name, so that for your sake our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, may not be blasphemed, but rather may your good deeds be enlightened before men, so that those who see about Jesus Christ, our Lord, glorify the Father who is in heaven. Glory to Him now and forever! Amen. The 11th catechetical word to the enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, to the words: “The only begotten Son of God, who was born of the Father before all ages, by whom all things were made.” Reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews: “God, who at times and in divers manners spoke of old to the fathers by the prophets, in these last days has spoken to us by the Son”... (Heb. 1:1 – 2). 1. The fact that we trust in Jesus Christ is sufficient, to the best of our ability, to be said by us in what was given to you yesterday. One must not simply believe in Christ Jesus, and one must accept this not as one of many who are improperly called Christ: for those were Christs representatively, but this is the true Christ; and He is not a man who through success has reached the priesthood, but always has priestly dignity from the Father. And therefore the Creed, warning us against the assumption that He is one of those who are called only Christ, adds to the confession of faith that we believe in ONE LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. 2. And again, when you hear the name SON, understand not a son by appropriation, but a son by nature, the Only Begotten Son, Who has no other brother. For he is called the Only Begotten, because in the dignity of the Divine and by birth from the Father, he has no brother. We call Him the Son of God not on our own, but because the Father Himself called this Christ Son. And the name that fathers give to their children is true. 3. Then our Lord Jesus Christ became man, but was unknown to many. Wanting to teach something unknown, he gathers his disciples and asks: “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13). He asks not out of vanity, but wanting to show them the truth, so that, while being with God, the Only Begotten Son of God, they would not neglect Him as if they were some simple person. When the disciples said: “Inii Elijah, and druzii - Jeremiah” (14); then he answered them: It is therefore excusable not to know, but you, the Apostles, who in My name cleanse lepers, cast out demons and raise the dead, should not not know the One by whom you perform miracles? When everyone was silent (for what was taught exceeded human understanding); then the foremost of the apostles and the supreme preacher of the Church, Peter, not resorting to refined words, and not being convinced by human reason, but having a mind enlightened by the Father, says to Him: “Thou art the Christ,” and not just Christ, but: “Son of the Living God” (16). And this saying (it was truly above human understanding) will be followed by satisfaction, and the seal of what was spoken is that the Father revealed it. For the Savior says: “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). Therefore, whoever confesses our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is a partaker of bliss, and whoever denies the Son of God is poor and pitiful. 4. And again, hearing the name SON, do not take what you hear in an improper sense, but understand the Son in reality, the Son by nature, without beginning, not from slavery gradually reaching sonship, but the Son from eternity, begotten by an unknown and incomprehensible birth. And like this, when you hear the name “firstborn” (Heb. 1:6), do not think that you are the firstborn of man; for among people the firstborn have other brothers, and nowhere is it written: “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Ex. 4:22). But Israel, like the firstborn Reuben, lost his birthright. But Reuben ascended to his father’s bed (Gen. 49:4), and Israel, having driven out of the vineyard (Matthew 21:39), crucified the Father’s Son. And to others the Scripture says: “You are the sons of the Lord your God” (Deut. 14:1). And in another place it is written: “I said: you are gods, and you are all sons of the Most High” (Ps. 81:6), “I said,” but did not give birth. They, according to the word of God, received sonship, which they did not have. This one was not other than what he was, and was made another, but from the beginning the Father’s Son was born, who is “above all authority” (Eph. 1:21) and the ages. The Son of the Father is in everything like the One who begot, the Eternal, begotten of the Eternal, Life from Life, Light from Light, Truth from Truth, Wisdom from Wisdom, King from King, God from God, Power from Power. 5. Therefore, when you hear what the Gospel says: “the book of the kinship of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), understand birth according to the flesh. For the Son of David is at the end of the ages, and the Son of God is before all ages, without beginning. And he received one thing, but did not have it before, but he has another, and has it forever, having been born of the Father. Has two fathers; David - according to the flesh, and God the Father - according to the Divinity. But the birth according to David is subject to time, and is sought and produced according to genealogy; birth according to the Divine is not subject to either time or place, and has no genealogy. “But who will explain His generation” (Is. 53:8) “The Spirit is God” (John 4:24). And since He is Spirit, He gave birth spiritually, like the Incorporeal One, by an unknown and incomprehensible birth. The Son Himself speaks of the Father: “The Lord said to Me: You are My Son; Today I have given birth to You” (Ps. 2:7). The word “now” does not mean instantaneous, but eternal “now”, pre-temporal - that which is before all ages. “From the womb, before the morning star, your birth was like dew” (Ps. 109:3). 6. Therefore, believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God and the Only Begotten Son, according to what is said in the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And also “he who believes in Him is not condemned” (18), “but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24); “But he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36); because he did not believe in the Only Begotten Son of God (18). Testifying about Him, John said: “And we have seen His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14). The trembling demons said: “Leave what you have to do with us, Jesus” (Luke 4:34), “Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7)? 7. Therefore, He who is born of the Father is the Son of God by nature, and not by appropriation. “Whoever loves Him who begat him also loves Him who is born of Him” (7 John 5:1); and he who humiliates the Born insults the Born. When you hear about God giving birth, do not lower yourself to carnal concepts, and do not imagine a bodily birth, lest you fall into wickedness. God is Spirit, and birth is spiritual. Bodies are always born from bodies, and the giving birth bodies need the mediation of time; In the birth of the Son from the Father, time does not mediate. Here what is born is born imperfect, but the Son of God was born perfect. That He is now, also in the beginning, having been born without beginning. We, born from infantile ignorance, pass into a state of intelligence. Your birth, man, is imperfect; as you progress, there is also gain. Do not imagine the birth of the Son of God in this way, and do not accuse the One who gave birth of weakness. For if you gave birth to an imperfect person, and the Son acquired perfection over time, then you accuse the Begotten of weakness. Just as time gave something later, then, according to your words, the Parent did not give it in the beginning. 8. Therefore do not suppose that the birth of the Son of God is human, and that the Father begat Him, as Abraham did Isaac. For Abraham gave birth to Isaac, but he did not give birth to him as he himself willed, but as someone else gave him. When God the Father gives birth, there is no room for either ignorance or reasoning. To say that He did not know the Born One is the greatest impiety; and to say that He reasoned for a long time and subsequently became the Father is equally impious. God was not previously childless, and not later, over time, became the Father, but always has a Son, having given birth to Him, not as man gives birth to man, but as He alone knows, Who gave birth to the true God before all ages. 9. For the Father, as the true God, begot a Son like Himself, the true God, not as teachers beget disciples, not as Paul says to some: “I have begotten you in Christ Jesus by the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:15). Here he who is not a son by nature has become a son by training, and there the natural Son, the true Son, is not like you who are enlightened, who are now becoming sons of God. For you also are made sons, but appropriately, by grace, as it is written: “And to those who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the power to become children of God, who were not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12:13). And we are born of water and the Spirit, but this is not how Christ was born from the Father. And the Father, during baptism, proclaiming and saying: “This is My Son” (Matthew 3:17), did not say: now He has become My Son, but says: “This is My Son,” letting those know that He was the Son even before the effectiveness of baptism. 10. The Father gave birth to the Son, not as with people the mind gives birth to a word, because with us the word, having been spoken and spread in the air, disappears. We know that the born Christ is not a spoken word, but a Hypostatic and living Word, not spoken through the mouth and scattered, but eternally ineffable and born in Hypostasis. For “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), sitting on the right hand, the Word, understanding the will of the Father, and at His command creating all things, the Word, descending and ascending (and the word spoken and spoken does not come out and does not ascend), - the Word speaking and uttering: “I say what I saw with My Father” ( John 8:38); – The Word is powerful and reigns over everything, because the Father gave everything to the Son (Matthew 11:17). 11. Therefore, the Father begat Him, not as any of the people could imagine, but as He alone knows. And we do not promise to say how he gave birth, but only claim that he gave birth wrong. And not only do we not know the birth of the Son from the Father, nor does every created nature know. “Talk with the earth and he will instruct you” (Job 12:8). If you interrogate everything that exists on earth, it will not be able to tell you, because the earth cannot tell about the being of its Sculptor and Sculptor. And not only the earth cannot, but also the sun, because the sun was created on the fourth day and did not know what happened three days before it, and, not knowing what happened in these three days before it, it will not be able to tell about the Creator Himself. Even heaven will not tell this: “for the heavens,” at the behest of the Father, by the power of Christ, “will disappear like smoke” (Isa. 51:6). “Even the heavens of heavens will not know,” and “the waters that are above the heavens” will not know this (Ps. 149:4). Why are you depressed, man, if you don’t know what heaven doesn’t know? And not only does heaven not know this birth, but the entire angelic nature does not know. For, if it were possible for someone to ascend to the first heaven and, having become acquainted with the state of the Angels there, approach and ask: “How did God beget His Son?” then they will equally say: “There are big, higher ones above us, their questions. Ascend to the second and third heaven, reach, if you can, to the Thrones, to the Dominions, to the Beginnings, to the Powers.” But if someone reached out to them, which is impossible, they would refuse to tell, because they don’t know. 12. And I have always marveled at the inquisitiveness of the daring, who, out of imaginary reverence, fall into impiety. For, not knowing the Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers, these creatures of Christ, they undertake to inquisitively inquire about their Creator Himself. Tell me first, most daring one, how does the Throne differ from Dominion? and then inquisitively inquire about Christ. Tell me what is the Beginning? what - Power? what is power, what is angel? And then inquisitively inquire about the Creator. For “all things came into being through Him” (John 1:3). But you do not want or cannot question Thrones and Dominions. Who else knows the depths of God (1 Cor. 11:10), except the one Holy Spirit, who spoke the Divine Scriptures? But the Holy Spirit Himself did not speak in the Scriptures about the birth of the Son from the Father. Why do you find out about things that the Holy Spirit did not write down in the Scriptures? Without knowing what is written, you inquisitively find out about the unwritten. There are many questions in the Divine Scriptures that we do not comprehend even what is written; Why bother asking about things that haven’t been written? It is enough for us to know that God begat one Son. 13. Don’t be ashamed to admit ignorance, because you don’t know along with the Angels. One who is born knows the one who is born, and one who is born by him knows the one who is born. The Begotten knows Whom He gave birth to, and the Holy Spirit of God testifies in the Scriptures that the Begotten is God without beginning. “For what man knows what is in a man except the spirit of man which dwells in him? Likewise, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11). “For just as the Father has life in himself, so he gave to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26). And: “so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father” (23). And: “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so the Son gives life to whomever he wants” (21). And the Begotten suffers no loss, and the Begotten lacks nothing. I know that I have told you this more than once, but I spoke about this often for your approval. And the Begotten has no Father, and the Begotten has no brother. And He who was begotten was not changed into the Son, and He who was begotten was not made Father. From one Father alone there is one Only Begotten Son. There are not two unbegotten, and not two Only Begotten, but one Father is unbegotten. For he who has no father is not born. And one Son was eternally begotten of the Father - not born in time, but begotten before the ages, not having continued to grow, but such was he born, as He is now. 14. Therefore we believe in the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, BORN OF THE FATHER, THE TRUE GOD. For the true God, as it is said, does not beget a false one. Without judging at first, he later gave birth, but he gave birth eternally, he gave birth much sooner than our word or our thought comes. For when we pronounce the word in time, we spend time on this, but for the Divine power birth is not temporary. And as it has been said many times, he did not bring into being from non-existence, and did not make one who was not previously a son, but, as the eternal Father, he eternally and ineffably begot the only Son, Who has no brother. Not two beginnings, but the head of the Son, the Father, is one beginning. For the Father begat a Son, the true God, who is called Emmanuel. And Emmanuel is interpreted: “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). 15. And do you want to know that He who was born of the Father and subsequently became man is God? Listen to what the Prophet says: “This is our God, and no one else can compare with Him, He found all the ways of wisdom and gave it to His servant Israel. After this He appeared on earth and spoke among people” (Bar. 3:36-38). Do you see God becoming human after the Mosaic legislation? You also have another testimony about the Divinity of Christ, now only read: “Your throne, O God, endures forever” (Ps. 44:7). So that, because of the appearance in the flesh that happened here, you do not think that Christ after this succeeded and achieved Divinity, the Prophet clearly says: “Therefore, O God, Your God has anointed You with the oil of joy more than Your companions” (Ps. 44:8). Do you see Christ God, anointed by His Father? 16. Do you want to have a third testimony about the Divinity of Christ? Listen to what Isaiah says: “The labors of the Egyptians and the trade of the Ethiopians”; and after a few words: “And they will beg You, saying: You have only God and there is no other God. Truly, You are the hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior” (Is. 43, 14. 15). Do you see God the Son, Who has God the Father in Himself, and says almost the same thing in the Gospels: “The Father is in Me, and I in the Father” (John 14:10)? He did not say: I am the Father, but “the Father is in Me.” He also did not say: I and the Father are one and the same, but: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), so that we would not alienate the Son from the Father, and would not create unity with the concept of sonship. The Father and the Son are one in Divine dignity, because God gave birth to God: “one” in royal power, because the Father does not reign over others, but over others the Son, like Absalom, who rebelled against his father; but over whom the Father reigns, over them the Son also reigns; “one” because there is no disagreement or division between Them; There are not other purposes of the Father, but others of the Son; “one” because there are not other creatures of Christ, but others of the Father, but one creation of all, the Father spoke everything through the Son. “For He spoke and they became; He commanded and they were created” (Ps. 149:5), says the Psalmist. And he who speaks speaks to him who hears, and he who commands commands what is present. 17. Therefore, the Son is true God, has the Father in Himself, and was not transformed into the Father. For it was not the Father who became man, but the Son. Let the truth be spoken freely. It was not the Father who suffered for us, but the Father who sent Him who suffered for us. We will not say: it happened when there was no Son, we will not accept sonship, but we will follow the royal path: “we will not turn to the right or to the left” (Num. 20:17). Just as, thinking to honor the Son, we do not call the Son Father, so thinking to honor the Father, let us not assume that the Son is one of the creatures. But let us worship one Father through one Son, and let there be no divisions in worship. Let the one Son be proclaimed, who before the ages sat at the right hand of the Father, and who did not accept this presence through suffering for success over time, but who has it forever. 18. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), because the Son is in all respects like Him who was begotten, being born Life from Life, Light from Light, Power from Power, God from God; and the distinctive properties of the Godhead are not interchangeable in the Son. He who is worthy to see the Divinity of the Son enjoys the contemplation of the One who gave birth. This is not my word, but that of the Only Begotten Son: “I have been with you so long, and you do not know Me, Philip; He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And I will say briefly; We will neither divide nor merge. Do not say that the Son is sometimes alien to the Father; do not agree with those who claim that the Father is sometimes the Father and sometimes the Son. Such teachings are alien, ungodly and do not belong to the Church. On the contrary, the Father, having given birth to the Son, remained the Father and does not change. He gave birth to Wisdom, but did not become unwise; having given birth to Strength, he did not faint; having given birth to God, He Himself did not lose the Divinity. And He has lost nothing by being diminished or changed, and the Begotten has no lack of anything. The One Who Begot is perfect, so is the Begotten: both the Begotten is God and the Begotten is God. He is the God of all, from the Father we call His God, for He is not ashamed to say: “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). 19. But lest you think that the Father and the Son are the same in creation, he further divides. For he did not say, “I ascend to our Father,” so that the creatures would not have anything in common with the Only Begotten, but he says, “To My Father and your Father”; otherwise He is My Father, by nature, and otherwise yours, by appropriation. And also: “to my God and your God.” Otherwise God is to me, as the most sincere and Only Begotten Son, and otherwise to you, as creatures. Therefore, the Son of God is the true God, inexplicably born before the ages. I tell you the same thing over and over again so that it will be imprinted on your mind. And that God has a Son, believe this, but how He has, do not try to find out; because if you search for this, you will not find it. “Do not exalt yourself, lest you fall” (Sir. 1:30). “Things you have been commanded to meditate on” (3:22). Tell me first who the Begotten is, and then inquire about the Begotten. If you cannot understand the nature of the One who was born, then do not be curious about the method of birth. 20. For piety, as we said, it is enough for you to know that God has one Son, the only one born naturally, who did not begin to be as he was born in Bethlehem, but who was before all ages. Listen to what the prophet Micah says: “And you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah? From you will come to me one who is to be a ruler in Israel and whose origin is from the beginning of eternal days” (Mux. 5, 2). Therefore, do not take into account Him who is from Bethlehem now, but worship Him from all eternity who was born of the Father. Do not agree with those who attribute a temporal beginning to the Son, but know the Father, a pre-temporal beginning, because the beginning of the Son is pre-temporal, incomprehensible, without beginning - the Father, the source of the river of righteousness - the Only Begotten, the Father who begot Him, as He alone knows. And do you want to know that our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal King? Listen again to what He Himself says: “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Then, when the Jews found it difficult to accept this, he says that it was more difficult for them: “Before Abraham was, I am” (58). And he also says to the Father: “And now glorify Me, O Father, with You, with the glory that I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). By this I clearly said: even before the world was, I had glory with You. And again, saying: “Because you loved Me before the foundation of the world” (24), he clearly expresses: I have eternal glory with You. 21. Therefore we believe IN ONE LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD, WHO IS BORN OF THE FATHER, THE TRUE GOD BEFORE ALL AGES, BY HIM ALL ALL THINGS WERE. “Whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers” ​​(Col. 1:16), “all things came into being through Him” (John 1:3), and nothing created was removed from His power. May all heresy that introduces different creators and creators of the universe be silenced. Let the tongue that blasphemes against Christ the Son of God be silenced. Let those who assert that the sun is Christ be silent, for He is the creator of the sun, and not the visible sun. Let those who claim that the world is the creation of Angels, and those who intend to steal dignity from the Only Begotten, be silent. For whether visible or invisible, whether Thrones, Dominions, or anything else that is named, everything was brought into being by Christ. He reigns over those created by Him, not alienating captivity, but reigning over His creatures, as the Evangelist John said: “all things came into being through Him,” because the Father works through the Son. 22. I intend to give you an example to explain what has been said, but I know that it is weak. For what visible thing can serve as an example of Divine and invisible power? However, by me, the weak, for you, the weak, let something weak be said. Imagine that a king, having a king’s son and intending to build a city, entrusts the construction of this city to his co-reigning son, and he, taking the design of the city, brings his plan to an end. So, when the Father wanted to arrange everything, at the behest of the Father the Son created everything, so that this behest would preserve the authority of the Father, and the Son would also have power over His own creations; and the Father was not a stranger to dominion over His creatures, and the Son reigned over what was created, not by anyone else, but by Himself, because, as it is said, this world was not created by Angels, but was created by the Only Begotten Son, born before all ages, according to what was said: BY HIM ALL THINGS WERE, so that His creativity extends to everyone without exception. And for now let this be said by us, by the grace of Christ. 23. Returning to the exposition of faith, let us stop speaking this time. Whether you call it Angels, or Archangels, or Dominions, or Thrones, Christ created everything, not because the Father was not able to create by Himself, but because He pleased that the Son should reign over what He had created, Himself giving Him the destinies of what was to be created. For the Only Begotten, honoring His Father, says: “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless he sees the Father doing, for whatever He does, the Son also does also” (John 5:19). And again: “My Father works until now, and I work” (11). And at the same time, there is no contradiction in what is being done, “for all that is mine is yours, and yours is mine” (17:10), says the Lord in the Gospel. This can be clearly learned from the Old and New Testaments. For He who said: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26) undoubtedly talked with someone Co-existing. The Psalmist said much more clearly: “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded and it appeared” (Ps. 32:9); since the Father commands and speaks, and the Son, at His behest, creates everything. And Job mysteriously expressed: “He alone spreads out the heavens and walks on the heights of the sea” (Job. 9:8), making it clear to those who understood that in the days of the appearance He who walked on the sea was even before this the Creator of the heavens. And the Lord also says: “Or did you create clay from the earth as an animal, and planted this verb on the earth” (Job 38:14)? Then, after this: “Did the gates of death open for you, and did you see the gates of the shadow of death” (17)? - giving this to understand that He who descended through love for mankind into hell and in the beginning created man from clay. 24. So, Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God and the Creator of the world. For “the world was in the world, and the world was made through Him.” And “he came to his own,” as the Gospel teaches us (John 1:10.11). Not only the visible, but also the invisible Creator, at the behest of the Father, is Christ. For, according to the words of the Apostle, “By Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers—all things were created by Him and for Him; and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1, 16:17). If you name the eyelids themselves, then these too, by the will of the Father, the Creator is Jesus Christ. For “in these last days he spoke to us through the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:2). To him be glory, honor and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever! Amen. 12th Catechetical Discourse to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words “who became incarnate and became man” Reading from Isaiah: “And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz and said: Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God,” and so on. “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” and so on. (Isa. 7, 10 – 14). 1. Fellow pupils of purity and disciples of chastity, with lips filled with chastity, let us glorify the God born of the Virgin. Those who have been deemed worthy to take away from the meat of the spiritual Sheep, let us devour the “head with the feet” (Ex. 12:9), by the name of the head I mean the Divinity, and by the name of the feet I mean humanity. Listeners of the Holy Gospels, let us believe John the Theologian. For, having said: “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), he added: “and the Word became flesh” (14). And to worship a simple person is not reverent, and to be called only God without humanity is not pious. If Christ is God (as indeed he is), but did not accept humanity, then we are strangers to salvation. Let us worship Him as God, and let us believe that He became man. To be called a man without the Divine is not useful; and not confessing humanity with the Divinity is not saving. We confess the coming of the Physician King. For King Jesus, beginning to heal, having girded himself with the lention of humanity, healed the sick. The Perfect Teacher of Babies Himself became an infant with babies in order to make wise the foolish. Heavenly Bread descended to earth to nourish those who were melting away with hunger. 2. But the Jews, disdaining the one who came, and expecting the one to come to their own destruction, rejected the true Christ, and in their error they accepted the false one. But in this too the Savior turns out to be true, Who said: “I came in the name of My Father, and you do not receive Me, but if another comes in his own name, you will receive him” (John 5:43). He asked the Jews a good question: is the prophet Isaiah, who says that Emmanuel will be born of a virgin, a true or false prophet? If they accuse him of being a liar, then this is not at all surprising, because it is their custom not only to accuse prophets of lying, but also to stone them. If Isaiah is a true prophet, then show Emmanuel. And the one who is waiting for you, is he born or not born of the Virgin? If he is not born of a virgin, then you accuse the prophet of lying. And if you expect that the future one will be born of the Virgin, but why do you reject the One who has already been born? 3. But let the Jews indulge in error because they themselves desire it; Let the Church of God be glorified. For he receives God - the Word, truly made man, not from the lust of husband and wife, as the heretics say, but, according to what is said in the Gospel, from the Virgin and the Holy Spirit, made man not dreamily, but really. And that you truly became man from the Virgin, listen to the evidence of this, patiently spending the time here now devoted to teaching. For the error of the heretics is complex. Some said that He was not born of a Virgin at all; others, that he was born, but not from a Virgin, but from a wife cohabiting with her husband; and others argue that Christ incarnate is not God, but a kind of deified man. For they dared to say that the living Word did not become man from eternity, but that a certain man, having succeeded, was then crowned. 4. But remember what was said yesterday about the Divinity and believe that He Himself, the Only Begotten Son of God, was born from the Virgin; believe the evangelist John, who says: “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Eternal Word was begotten of the Father before all ages, but He received flesh for our sake in recent times. But many object and say: what was such an important reason for God to descend to humanity? And is it in any way characteristic of the nature of God to live with people? Is it possible for a Virgo to give birth without a husband? With many such objections and diverse disputes, by the grace of Christ and through the prayers of those present, we will resolve each one. 5. And first, let the question be asked of us: why did Jesus condescend? Do not pay attention to my words, because you can fall into false thinking, but if you do not hear about every subject of the testimony of the Prophets, do not believe what I say. If you do not know from the Divine Scriptures about the Virgin, about the place, time and manner of birth, then do not accept human testimony. One who is before you and teaches can be suspected, but who has prophesied for thousands or more years, will any reasonable person suspect him? Therefore, if you are looking for the reason for the coming of Christ, turn to the first book of the Scriptures. God created the world in six days, but the world was created for the sake of man. The sun shines with bright rays, but it came into existence to shine on man. And all animals are created to serve us. Grasses and trees were created for our enjoyment. All creatures are beautiful, but not one of them is the image of God, except for man alone. The sun was produced by one command, and man by the hands of God. “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). The wooden image of the earthly king is honored, how much more venerable is the rational image of God? But even this most excellent of creatures, rejoicing in paradise, was then consumed by devilish envy. The enemy rejoiced when the one he envied fell. Would you really want your enemy to continue to rejoice? Not daring to approach the husband because of his strength, he approached the weakest, his wife, who was still a virgin. For after being expelled from paradise, “Adam knew Eve his wife” (Gen. 4:1). 6. The second successors of men were Cain and Abel. And Cain is the first murderer. Subsequently, due to the great deceit of people, a flood flooded the earth. Because of the iniquity of the Sodomites, fire came down from heaven. Over time, God chose the Israelites, but this people also became corrupt, and the chosen race was wounded. For Moses stood before God on the mountain, and the people worshiped a calf instead of God. Under the lawgiver Moses, who said: “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14), the Israelite in the “harlot” dared to be lascivious (Num. 25:8). After Moses, Prophets were sent to heal Israel, but the healers, not overcoming the illness, mourned this, so that one of them says: “There is no more mercy on earth, there are no righteous among people” (Mux. 7: 2)\ And again: “Everyone has turned aside, they have become equally indecent; there is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps. 13:3). And again: “Oathing and deceit, murder and theft, and adultery have become extremely widespread” (Hosea 4:2). “And they sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons” (Ps. 105:37), the birds performed magic, cast spells, and practiced sorcery. And again: “On the garments taken as a pledge they recline at every altar” (Amos 2:8). 7. The plague on humanity was very great; “from the feet even to the head” there was “no integrity in him”, it was impossible to “apply a plaster, lower than oil, lower than duty” (Is. 1:6). After this, the Prophets, lamenting and mourning, said: “Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion!” (Ps. 13:7) ?And again: “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the Son of man, whom You have strengthened for Yourself, and we will not depart from You” (Ps. 79, 18:19). And another of the Prophets begs, saying: “Lord, bow down Your heavens and come down” (Ps. 14:3:5); the ulcers of mankind exceed our medical allowance; “They have destroyed Your altars and killed Your prophets” (1 Kings 19:10). Evil is incorrigible in us; You need to be a fixer. 8. The Lord heard the prayer of the Prophets. The Father did not despise our dying race; He sent His Son, the Lord, as a doctor from heaven. And one of the Prophets says: “And suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, will come to His church” (Mal. 3:1). Where is He? The Lord is in His Church, where we threw stones at Him (John 8:59). Therefore, another Prophet, hearing this, said to him, proclaiming the salvation of God: why are you speaking quietly? In proclaiming the saving coming of God, why do you speak in a hidden place? “Come up to the high mountain, O preacher of Zion! tell the cities of Judah” (Isa. 40:9). What should I say to them? “Behold, the Lord God comes with power” (10). The Lord Himself also said: “For behold, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations will flee to the Lord” (Zech. 2, 10:11). The Israelites rejected the salvation that I had wrought, and behold, I am coming to gather all nations and languages” (Ex. 66:18). For “he came to his own, and his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). You are coming and what will you give to the nations? “I am coming to gather all the nations, and I will leave a sign for them.” As a result of My struggle on the cross, I give to each of My soldiers to have the royal sign on their foreheads. And another of the Prophets said: “He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under His feet” (Ps. 17:10). For the descent from heaven was unknown to man. 9. Then Solomon, hearing that this was said by David his father, and having created a wonderful house of God, and foreseeing Him coming into it, asked in surprise: “Truly, shall God live on earth?” (1 Kings 8:27). Yes, anticipating it, David answers in a psalm written about Solomon, which says: “He will come down like rain on a mown meadow” (Ps. 72:6); it says “rain” - for the sake of heaven, “on a mown meadow” - for the sake of humanity. For the rain falling on the mown meadow falls without noise, just as the wise men, out of ignorance of the secret of birth, ask: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). And the confused Herod inquires about the Begotten One and says: “Where should Christ be born” (4)? 10. Who is this one who descends? David says in the same connection of speech: “And they will fear You until the sun and the moon remain throughout all generations” (Ps. 71:5). And another Prophet also says: “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion, rejoice, daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving” (Zechariah 9:9). There are many kings, which one are you talking about, Prophet? Show us a sign that other kings do not have. If you say that the king is purple, then the dignity of such attire is anticipated by others. If you say that we are warriors, sitting on gold-wrought chariots, then this too is anticipated by others. Show us the special sign of the King whose coming you herald. And the prophet answers and says: “Behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, sitting” not on a chariot, but “on a donkey and the colt of a donkey.” Here is a one-of-a-kind sign of the coming King. One of the kings, Jesus, sat on a young donkey, which had not yet carried a burden, when the King entered Jerusalem amid praise. And what does this entering King do? “For the blood of your covenant I will free your prisoners from the pit where there is no water” (Zechariah 9:11). 11. But it was possible for someone else to sit on the young donkey. Better show us a sign where the entering King stopped: show the sign not far from the city, so that we do not remain in the dark; show us an obvious sign up close, so that even when we are in the city, we can see the place. And the Prophet again answers, saying: “And His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before the face of Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:4). Who, standing inside the city, does not see this place? 12. We have two signs, but we want to know the third one. Tell me, what does the coming Lord do? And another Prophet says: “This is your God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will jump up like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will sing” (Ps. 35: 4 – 6). Let us also have another testimony. You, Prophet, call the One who is coming, the Lord, who creates signs such as have never happened. What other clear sign can you say? “The Lord enters into judgment with the elders of His people and with the princes thereof” (Ps. 3:14). An exceptional sign - the Lord is judged by the slave elders, and tolerates it! 13. The Jews, reading this, do not listen, because they blocked the ears of their hearts so as not to hear. But we believe in Jesus Christ, who came in the flesh and became man, because otherwise he would have been inaccessible to us. Because we could not see and enjoy the fact that He was in Himself, that He became what we are, so that in this way we would be worthy to enjoy Him. For if we are not able to fully see the sun, created on the fourth day, then can we see its Creator God? The Lord descended on Mount Sinai in fire, and the people could not bear it, but said to Moses: “Speak to us, and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die” (Ex. 20:19). And again: “For is there any flesh that could hear the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire, as we do, and remain alive” (Deut. 5:26)? If this - hearing the voice of the speaking God - is the cause of death, then how can this not cause death - seeing God Himself? And why are you surprised? Moses himself said, “I am in fear and trembling” (Heb. 12:21). 14. So, what would you like? Is it so that He who came for salvation should become the cause of destruction, because His coming would be unbearable for people? Or, so that grace is proportionate? Daniel could not bear the appearance of the Angel, but can you endure the sight of the Lord of the Angels? Gabriel appeared and Daniel fell on his face. And what was the one who appeared, in what form did he appear? “His face was like the appearance of lightning,” and not like the sun; “His eyes are like burning lamps,” and not like a furnace of fire; “The voice of his speech is like the voice of many people” (Dan. 10:6), a. not like the voice of twelve legions of Angels. However, the Prophet fell to the ground, the Angel approached him and said: do not be afraid, Daniel, arise, be of good cheer: “your words have been heard” (10). And Daniel says, “I stood up trembling” (11). And with all this he did not answer anything until the likeness of a human hand touched him (10); and when the one who appeared changed himself “into human form” (18), then Daniel spoke. And what did he say? “My God! From this vision my insides turned upside down in me” (16); “for there is no strength in me, and the breath has died within me” (17). If the appearing Angel took away the Prophet’s voice and strength, will the appearance of God leave him breathless? And until, says Scripture, “the likeness of the image of man touched me,” Daniel did not dare to speak. So, since our weakness was proven by experience, the Lord took upon Himself what man demanded. And since man demanded to hear from those who were similar to him, the Savior took upon Himself what was servile to us, so that people could be taught with greater convenience. 15. Listen to another reason. Christ came to be baptized and consecrate baptism, came to perform miracles, walking on the waters of the sea, and since before His coming in the flesh: “the sea saw and ran, the Jordan turned back” (Ps. 113:3), the Lord took upon Himself the body, so that the sea, seeing it, would hold, and the Jordan would receive Him without fear. Here is one reason, but there is another. Death entered through the virgin Eve; it was necessary through the Virgin, or rather from the Virgin, to appear to Life, so that just as the serpent deceived her, so Gabriel preached the gospel. People, leaving God, made humanoid statues for themselves. Therefore, when they falsely began to worship the humanoid as God, God actually became man in order to destroy the lie. The devil has used the flesh as a weapon against us, and knowing this, Paul says: “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin,” and so on. (Rom. 7:23). Therefore, with what weapon the devil overcame us, with the same weapon we were saved. Like us, the Lord accepted from us in order to save humanity, He accepted something similar to us, in order to give greater grace to the impoverished, and so that sinful humanity entered into communion with God. “And when sin abounded, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). The Lord had to suffer for us, but the devil would not have dared to approach Him if he had known Him. “For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (7 Cor. 2:8). Therefore, the body became a bait of death, so that the serpent, hoping to devour, would vomit those already devoured. For “death will be swallowed up forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Ps. 25:8). 16. Did Christ become man in vain? Are these teachings really fiction and human speculation? Are not the Divine Scriptures, or the prophecies of the Prophets, our salvation? Therefore keep this sure pledge, and no one will shake you. Believe that God became man. But although it has been proven that the incarnation was possible, however, if the Jews still do not believe, then we will continue speaking to them. What strange thing are we proclaiming when we talk about God becoming man, when you also claim that Abraham received the Lord? What a strange thing we proclaim when Jacob says: “I have seen God face to face, and my soul is preserved” (Gen. 32:30). The Lord who ate from Abraham also ate from us. Therefore, what strange things are we proclaiming? But we present two witnesses standing before the Lord on Mount Sinai: Moses was “in the cleft of the rock” (Ex. 33:22), and Elijah was in the cleft of the rock. And they, when they were with the transfigured Lord on Mount Tabor, “they spoke about His exodus, which He had to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). But that the incarnation was possible, this, as I have already said, has been proven; let those who are diligent collect the rest of the evidence. 17. But the Word promised us to find both the time and place of the coming of the Lord. And we must not leave ourselves accused of lying, but rather let those new to the Church go away confirmed in the faith. Therefore, let us examine the time when the Lord came, because this coming was recent, and it is disputed, and because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). So, the Prophet Moses says: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers” (Acts 7:37). Let the words “like me” be left in their place for research for now. But when does this expected Prophet come? Turn, says Moses, to what I have written. Take a closer look at Jacob’s prophecy to Judas: “Judas! your brothers will praise you” and further (we will not repeat everything): “the scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the Lawgiver from between his feet, until he comes,” Who is entitled “and He is the hope” not of the Jews, but of the “nations” (Gen. 49, 8:10). So, the Prophet indicated a sign of the coming of Christ - the end of the government of the Jews. If the Jews are now not under the rule of the Romans, then Christ has not yet come. If they have a ruler from Judah and the Davidic family, then Chayamiy has not yet come. I am ashamed to repeat their recent paperwork about the so-called patriarchs they now call. What kind are they? Who is their mother? I leave this to those who know. But this Coming One, this Hope of the nations, what other sign does it have? It is further said: “He binds His colt to the vine” (11). Do you see that colt that Zechariah clearly announced (Zechariah 9:9)? 18. But do you also require another evidence of time? “The Lord said to Me: You are My Son; Today I have given birth to You” and a few words later: “You will strike them with a rod of iron” (Ps. 2, 7:9). It has been said a lot before that the Roman kingdom is called a rod of iron. Let us remember the rest of what Daniel said about him. For, describing and explaining to Nebuchadnezzar the image of the statue, he retells the whole vision about it, and says that the stone, cut off from the mountain without hands and prepared by inhuman hands, will prevail over the whole universe, and very clearly says this: “And in the days of those kingdoms, the God of Heaven will erect a kingdom that will never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not be transferred to another people” ( Dan. 2:44). 19. Let us look for an even clearer indication of the times of the advent, because a person has difficulty being sure, and unless the years themselves are clearly calculated, he does not believe what is told to him. Therefore, what time and what year is it when, after the lack of kings from the tribe of Judah, the foreigner Herod reigns? The angel talking with Daniel (and notice now the predicate) says: “Know therefore and understand: from the time the commandment goes out to restore Jerusalem until Christ the Ruler there are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” (Dan. 9:25). Sixty-nine weeks of years make four hundred and eighty-three years. Therefore, the Angel said that after four hundred and eighty-three years had passed from the conquest of Jerusalem, and after the princes had become impoverished, a certain foreign king would come, under whom Christ would be born. Darius the Mede built Jerusalem in the eighth year of his reign and in the first year of the sixty-sixth Olympiad among the Greeks. The Greeks call the Olympics a competition that takes place every four years, because after a four-year period, solar currents form a whole day out of the three remaining hours after each year. Herod reigned in the one hundred and eighty-sixth Olympiad, in its fourth year. And from the sixty-sixth to the one hundred and eighty-sixth Olympiad, inclusive, with a little something - one hundred and twenty Olympiads. And out of one hundred and twenty Olympiads there are four hundred and eighty years; the remaining three years lie precisely in the interval from the first to the fourth year. You now have an indication in Scripture that says: “Know this therefore and understand: from the time the commandment goes out to restore Jerusalem until Christ the Ruler there are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” (Dan. 9:25). 20. But since you still have this indication of the time, although there are other different interpretations about the weeks of years predicted by Daniel, listen, finally, about the place of the promise, what Micah says: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah? From you will come to me He who is to be Ruler in Israel and whose origin is from the beginning, from the days of eternity” (Mux. 5, 2). However, as for places, you, as a Jerusalemite, already know what is written in Psalm 131: “We heard about him in Ephrath, we found him in the fields of Jearim (forest)” (Ps. 132:6). For within a few years this place was covered with forest. Listen also to what Habakkuk says to the Lord: “When the summer approaches, you will be known; when the time comes, you will appear” (Hab. 3:2). What kind of ghost do you have, Prophet, of the coming Lord? And he immediately says: “In the midst of two living creatures you will be known,” clearly telling the Lord the following: “Having come in the flesh, you live and die, and after the resurrection from the dead you live again.” And from what country is it coming in relation to Jerusalem? From the east, or from the west, from the north, or from the south? tell us exactly. And he answers very clearly and says: “God will come from Teman” (3), and Teman is interpreted south; “and the Holy One from Mount Paran, the shaded thicket” (Hab. 3:3). Also, according to this, the Psalmist said: “they found him in the fields of Jearim.” 21. Let us finally examine, from whom does Christ come and how does he come? Isaiah tells us this: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23). The Jews, whose custom from ancient times has been to resist the truth, object to this and say, “It is written: not a virgin, but a young woman.” And I, delving into what has been said, reveal the truth in this naming. For the Jews must ask: when does a violated virgin cry out for help after her corruption or before her corruption? Therefore, if in another place the Scripture says: “although the damsel cried, there was no one to save her” (Deut. 22:21), then is it not talking about the virgin? But in order to understand more clearly that in Divine Scripture even a maiden is called a maiden, listen to what the book of Kings says about Abishag the Sumanite: “The maiden was very beautiful” (1 Kings 1:4). For everyone agrees that she was chosen and brought to David as a virgin. 22. But the Jews also say, This was spoken to Ahaz concerning Hezekiah. So, let's read the Scripture: “Ask for yourself a sign from the Lord your God: ask either in the depths or on the heights” (Is. 7:11). And this sign must be special, extraordinary. For these are the signs: waters from the rock, the divided sea, the returning sun, and the like. But what I intend to say will expose the Jews even more clearly. I know that my word is long, and the listeners are tired, but listen patiently to the long word, because this is said for the sake of Christ and not about any ordinary subject. So, since Isaiah spoke this in the reign of Ahaz; Ahaz reigned only sixteen years, and during these years a prophecy was spoken to him; then the objection of the Jews is refuted by the successor king Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, by the fact that he reigned when he was twenty-five years old. For, since the time of the utterance of the prophecy is concluded in 16 years, it follows that Hezekiah was born of Ahaz nine years before the prophecy. Therefore, what was the need to utter a prophecy about one who was already born and who was born even before the accession of Father Ahaz? And the Prophet did not say that the virgin conceived in her womb, but said according to foreknowledge: “she will receive.” 23. But since we clearly know that the Lord is born of a Virgin, this should show what kind of family the Virgin was from. “The Lord swore to David in the truth, and will not deny it: I will set the fruit of your womb on your throne” (Ps. 131:11). Again: “And I will continue his seed forever, and his throne, like the days of heaven” (Ps. 89:30) and after this: “Once I swore by My holiness: will I lie to David? His seed will endure forever, and his throne, like the sun, before Me will forever be firm as the moon” (Ps. 89:36-38). You see that the word is about Christ, and not about Solomon, because Solomon’s throne did not remain “like the sun.” If it is objected that Christ did not sit on the wooden throne of David, then we cite the following saying: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses” (Matthew 23:2). It is not a wooden seat that signifies what has been said, but the power of teaching, so seek also the throne of David, not a wooden throne, but the royal power itself, and take as witnesses the youths who exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9); “blessed is the king of Israel” (John 12:13). And the blind say: “Son of David, have mercy on us” (Matthew 9:27). And Gabriel clearly testifies to Mary: “And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32). And Paul says: “Remember the Lord Jesus Christ of the seed of David according to my gospel” (1 Tim. 2:8). Also at the beginning of Romans: “Who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3). Therefore, accept Him who is born of David, believing the prophecy that says: “And it will come to pass in that day that the Gentiles will return to the root of Jesse, which will be like a banner for the nations” (Isa. 11:10). 24. But the Jews are grieved by this, and Isaiah foresaw this, saying: “They will be given over to be burned as food in the fire, for to us a child is born,” and not to them, “a Son is given to us” (Is. 9:5:6). Notice that first the Son of God, and then “was given to us (given to us).” And after a few words the Prophet says: “and His peace has no end” (7). There is a limit to the Romans, but to the kingdom of the Son of God there is “no limit”; The Persians and Medes have limits, but the Son “has no limit.” Further on this, the Prophet says: “on the throne of David and in his kingdom, that He might establish it” (7). So, the Holy Virgin was from David. 25. It was fitting for the Most Pure Teacher of Purity to come from a pure palace. For if the priest, as he should, abstains from his wife before Jesus, then could Jesus Himself come from a husband and a wife? The psalms say: “But You brought Me out of the womb” (Ps. 21:10). Take a closer look at the words “brought Me out of the womb”; they mean that the Son was born without a husband, torn from the womb and flesh of the Virgin. For there is a different way of birth for those born according to the order of marriage. 26. The Creator of these members is not ashamed to receive flesh from such members. And who tells us this? The Lord speaks to Jeremiah: “Before I formed You in the womb, I knew You, and before You came out of the womb, I sanctified You” (Jer. 1:5). Therefore, Whoever, when creating men, touches their members and is not ashamed, would He really be ashamed to create holy flesh for His own sake, this veil of the Divine? God still dwells in the womb of babies, as it is written in Job: “Didn’t you pour me out like milk, and thicken me like curds, clothe me with skin and flesh, bind me with bones and sinews” (Job 10, 10 - 11). There is nothing bad in the human makeup unless we defile it with adultery and lasciviousness. He who created Adam also created Eve; both husband and wife were created by God's hands. Not a single member of the body as it was created in the beginning has any impurity in it. May all heretics who blame the body, rather than the Creator Himself, be silent. And let us remember what Paul says: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you” (1 Cor. 6:19)? And the Prophet also predicted on behalf of Jesus Himself: “My flesh is of them” (Hos. 9:12). And in another place it is written: “For this reason I will give until the time of giving birth” (Mux. 5, 3). What sign? The Prophet says to this: “He will give birth, and the rest of their brethren will convert.” And what is the betrothal of this Holy Virgin? “And I will betroth you to myself in fidelity” (Hos. 2:20). Similarly, Elizabeth says: “And blessed is she who believed, for what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled” (Luke 1:45). 27. But both the Greeks and the Jews do not give us room and say: it was impossible for Christ to be born of a Virgin. However, we will stop the Greeks’ mouths with their own fables. You say that the fallen stones turned into people, why do you say that it is impossible for a virgin to give birth? You say that a daughter was born from the brain, why do you call it impossible for a son to be born from a girl’s womb? You stand by your lie that Dionysus was born from the thigh of your Zeus, why do you reject our true teaching? I know that I am speaking unworthy of the hearing of this assembly, but this is proposed in order for you to reproach the Greeks in time, turning their own fables against them. 28. And those who are from circumcision, meet with the following question: what is more difficult - to give birth to a barren, elderly woman, after the end of the usual wife, or to give birth to a young virgin? Sarah was barren, and when “the custom of women ceased with Sarah” (Gen. 18:11), she gave birth supernaturally. Therefore, if it is supernatural to give birth to a barren woman, then it is supernatural to give birth to a virgin; and you either reject both, or admit both. For one God created and ordered this; and you will not dare to say that this is possible for God, but this is impossible. And one more thing: is it in the order of nature for a human hand to change in one hour into a different form, and again be restored to its former state? How did Moses’ hand become white as snow, and then suddenly take on its former appearance? You will say: God wanted and changed his hand. God, having desired, can do it there, but can’t he do it here? That miracle was only for the Egyptians, but this miracle was given to the universe. What is much more difficult, Jews: is it for a virgin to give birth, or for a rod to become a living being? You admit that Moses’ straight rod, having become serpentine, became terrible to him who overthrew him. Whoever previously held this rod “ran from it,” as from a serpent (Ex. 4:3), because the rod really became a serpent, and Moses ran away, not fearing what he had previously held, but fearing Him who had turned it into a serpent. The rod had teeth and snake eyes. Thus, from the rod are born eyes that see, but from a virgin’s womb will not a child be born when it pleases God? For I am silent about the fact that Aaron’s rod produced in one night what other trees produce over many years. Who doesn’t know that a rod from which the bark has been removed, even if you put it in a river, will never grow? But since God is not related to natural properties, but is Himself the Creator of natures, the barren, dry, barkless rod vegetated, blossomed and bore fruit - nuts (Num. 17:8). Therefore, the One who prenaturally bestowed fruit on the rod for the sake of the prototypic Hierarch could not have given it to the Virgin for the sake of the true Hierarch to give birth. 29. These monuments are beautiful, preserved in the Word of God. But the Jews still object and are not convinced by what is said about the rod unless they are convinced by examples of such an extraordinary and supernatural birth. Therefore, let us interrogate them this way: by whom was Eve born in the beginning? What mother conceived her motherless? Scripture says that she came from Adam's rib. So, Eve is born from a man’s rib without a mother, but from a virgin’s womb a baby cannot be born without a husband? The female race owed gratitude to their husbands, because Eve received her being from Adam, not being conceived by her mother, but as if born from one husband. Therefore, Mary repaid her debt of gratitude by giving birth, not from her husband, but alone, without spotlessness from the Holy Spirit by the power of God. 30. Let us take as an example something greater than this. That bodies are born from bodies, although this is extraordinary, is nevertheless possible. But that the dust of the earth was made by man - this is more wonderful, that the mixed clay takes on the appearance of membranes and the clarity of the eye - this is even more wonderful, that in the homogeneous dust there are hard bones, and the delicate composition of the lungs, and other various members - this is very wonderful; that clay, becoming animated, moves around the universe on its own, preparing dwellings for itself - this is wonderful; that clay learns, speaks, creates, reigns - this is wonderful. So, where did Adam come from, the ignorant Jews? Was it not God who took dust from the earth and created this wonderful creature? So what? Is clay put into the eye, and the virgin cannot give birth to a son? What is no longer possible for you happens, and what is not beyond possibility cannot happen? 31. Let us remember this, brethren, let us use these safety weapons. We will not tolerate heretics who teach about the coming of Christ in their own way. Let us reject with contempt those who claim that the birth of the Savior was from a man and a wife, and dare to say that He is from Joseph and Mary, as it is written: “and He took His wife” (Matthew 1:24). Let us remember that Jacob, before he took Rachel as his wife, said to Aavan: “Give me my wife” (Gen. 29:21). Just as Rachel, even before her marriage, was called Jacob’s wife by one promise, so Mary was called Joseph’s wife by one betrothal. And notice the precision with which the Gospel says: “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a husband named Joseph” (Luke 1:26-27). And again, when the census was taken, and Joseph went to Bethlehem to register, what does the Scripture say? - “Joseph also went from Galilee to enroll with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child” (Luke 2:4,5). Although She was pregnant, the Evangelist did not say: with his wife, but with his betrothed. For “God sent His Son,” says Paul, “not born of man and wife, but “born” only “of a woman” (Gal. 4:4), that is, of a Virgin. And we have already shown that a virgin is also called a wife. For from the Virgin was born the One who creates virgin souls. 32. But do you marvel at what has happened? The One who gave birth was surprised at this, for she said to Gabriel: “How will this be when I don’t know my husband?” And he narrates: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You, therefore the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:34:35). Birth is undefiled and most pure. For where the breath of the Holy Spirit is, there all uncleanness is taken away. The carnal birth of the Only Begotten from the Virgin is undefiled. Although heretics will object to this truth, the Holy Spirit will convict them; the power of the Most High, which has overshadowed the Virgin, will be indignant at them; Gabriel will confront them face to face on the day of judgment; their manger, which received the Lord into itself, will be put to shame; The shepherds who preached the gospel then and the army of Angels will testify, who praised, sang songs and said: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace: good will toward men” (Luke 2:14); The church to which Christ was brought on the fortieth day, and the two chicks of doves brought for Him, and Simeon, who held Him in his arms, and the prophetess Anna, who was at the same time, will testify. 33. So, since God bears witness, the Holy Spirit bears witness, and Christ says: “Why are you seeking to kill Me” (John 7:19), the Man who told you the truth” (8:40), then let the heretics who dispute His humanity be silent. They want to challenge the One who says: “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Let us worship the Lord born of the Virgin; and let the virgins know the crown of their life, and let the order of monastics know the glory of purity. And we are not deprived of the dignity of integrity. For the Savior’s stay in the womb of the Virgin lasted nine months, and the Lord was at the manhood of thirty-three years. Therefore, if Virgo is glorified for the nine-month extension of time, then we will be much more glorified for the many-year extension of time. 34. All of us, young men and virgins, and old and young, by the grace of God, let us run on the path of purity, not giving ourselves over to lewdness, but praising the name of Christ. The glory of purity is not unknown to us, for this is the angelic crown; above human merit we will preserve bodies that should be illuminated like the sun. Let us not defile the predestined body for such glory for the sake of little pleasure. For sin is something small and short-lived, but shame is long-term and eternal. Workers of purity are walking angels on earth. The virgins have a part with the Virgin Mary. Let every outfit, every harmful look, every careless step, every luxurious clothing and fragrance that serves as a bait for voluptuousness have no place with us. Let the prayer of fragrance and good deeds, and the holiness of the body, be a fragrant aroma in all. So that the Lord who was born of the Virgin would say about us, both men living in chastity and crowned wives: “I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (2 Cor. 6:16). Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 13th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “crucified and buried” Reading from Isaiah: “Lord! who believed what we heard, and to whom was the arm of the Lord revealed?” etc. “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter” (Is. 53:1.7). 1. Every act of Christ is the praise of the Universal Church, but the praise of praise is the cross. And Paul, knowing this, says: “But I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). It was also wonderful that a man blind from birth received his sight in Siloam, but what does this mean in comparison with all those who were blind in the universe? It is a great and supernatural thing that the four-day-old Lazarus was resurrected, but this grace extended only to one; what does this mean in comparison with all those who were dead in sins in the universe? It is also wonderful that the five loaves provided food for thousands, but what does this mean in comparison with those who languished in ignorance throughout the entire universe? It is also wonderful that the wife who was bound by Satan for eighteen years was allowed to go, but what does this mean in comparison with all of us who were bound captive by our sins? The crown of the cross enlightened those blind in ignorance, resolved all those possessed by sin and redeemed people in the whole world. 2. And do not be surprised that the whole world has been redeemed. For it was not an ordinary man who died for him, but the only begotten Son of God. The sin of one man, Adam, had so much power that it brought death to the world. If “through the crime of the One death reigned” (Rom. 5:17) in the world, then will not life reign through the righteousness of the One? And if then they were cast out of paradise because of the tree from which they ate, is it not now more convenient for believers to enter paradise through the tree of Jesus? If the first-created One from the earth brought universal death, then will not He who created man from the earth bring eternal life, when He Himself is life? If Phinehas, being jealous and killing the culprit, stopped God’s wrath, then Jesus, not putting another to death, but offering Himself as a redemptive price, will not quench the wrath against people? 3. Therefore, let us not be ashamed of the Savior’s cross, but rather boast about it. “For the word of the cross is a temptation to the Jews, madness to the pagans, but salvation to us; “For those who are perishing there is foolishness, but for us who are being saved the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18); because, as it is said, it was not an ordinary man who died for us, but the Son of God made man, God. Moreover, if under Moses the lamb removed the Destroyer (Isa. 12:23), then did not “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29) free from sins much more? The blood of a dumb lamb provided salvation; will not the blood of the Only Begotten save much more? If anyone does not believe in the power of the Crucified One, let him interrogate the demons; If anyone does not believe the words, let him believe what is seen. Many have been crucified in the universe, but not a single one is afraid of the demons, and Christ crucified for us, having seen only the sign of the cross, the demons are horrified; because they died for their own sins, and He died for the sins of others. For “He committed no sin and no flattery was found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22; Isa. 53:9). It was not Peter who said this, he could be suspected of being partial to the Teacher, but this is said by Isaiah, who was not in the flesh, but foresaw in spirit the coming in the flesh. And what now brings me as a witness is Pilate himself, who condemned Him and says: “I did not find this Man guilty of anything of which you accuse Him” (Luke 23:14). When he gives Jesus devoted to him, having washed his hands, he says: “I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One” (Matthew 27:24). There is another witness to the sinlessness of Jesus, the thief who was the first to enter heaven, who calms his neighbor and says: you and I were subject to judgment, “we received what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad” (Luke 23:41). 4. So, Jesus truly suffered for all people, for the cross is not a dream, otherwise redemption would be a dream, and death would be imaginary, otherwise salvation would be fabulous. If the death was imaginary, then those who said are correct: “We remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: After three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63). So, suffering is true, for Christ is truly crucified, and we are not ashamed of this; crucified, and we do not deny this, but rather I boast in saying this. And if I now deny, then this Golgotha, near which we are all located, will convict me, the tree of the cross, distributed from here to parts of the entire universe, will convict me. I confess the cross because I know the resurrection. If Christ had remained crucified, then perhaps I would not have confessed the cross, perhaps I would also have hidden about my Teacher. But since the cross was followed by resurrection, I am not ashamed to tell about the cross. 5. So, like everyone else, having flesh, but for sins similar to ours, Christ was crucified. For he was not brought to death for greed, because he was a teacher of non-covetousness, and condemned not for lust, because He Himself clearly says: “Whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28); Convicted not because he recklessly inflicted a wound or blow on someone, because he turned the other cheek to the one who struck him; condemned not for neglecting the law, because he was a doer of the law; condemned not for slandering the prophets, because He Himself was preached by the prophets; condemned not for withholding a bribe, because He Himself served freely and without charge; condemned without sinning in word, deed, or thought. “He committed no sin, and there was no flattery in His mouth: although He was slandered, He did not slander each other; while He suffered, He did not threaten” (1 Peter 2:22-23); He went into suffering not against his will, but voluntarily. If even now someone began to reject Him and say: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord,” he would say again: “Get away from Me, Satan” (Matthew 1:22.23). 6. And do you want to be convinced that Christ voluntarily went into suffering? Others, not knowing in advance about their death, die involuntarily. And He predicted about suffering: behold, “The Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). But do you know why the Lover of Humanity did not run away from death? So that the whole world does not perish in sins. Behold, we ascend “to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed” and crucified (Matthew 20:18). And again: “He wanted to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). And do you want to know clearly that the cross is glory to Jesus? Listen not to mine, but to His word. Judas betrayed Him, becoming ungrateful to the Lord of the House, and as soon as he left the meal, after drinking from the cup of blessing, he wished to shed righteous blood for the saving drink. “He who ate my bread lifted up his heel against me” (Ps. 40:10). As soon as his hands have received the blessing, he is already preparing death for the price of betrayal, and, convicted, having heard what was said to him: “Thou art an advert” (Matthew 26:25), he goes out again. And then Jesus said: “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified” (John 12:23). You see how the cross recognized its own glory! Moreover, Isaiah is not ashamed when he was cut with a saw; will Christ be ashamed when he dies for the world? “Now is the Son of Man glorified” (John 13:31), not because he had no glory before (for he was glorified with glory even before the foundation of the world), because he was always glorified as God; now he has become famous for having received the crown of patience. He did not leave life under compulsion, and he did not die violently, but freely. Listen to what he says: “I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18). By My own will I yield to my enemies, but if I had not wanted to, this would not have happened. So, of his own free will, he went into suffering, rejoicing at the accomplishment of the deed, smiling at the sight of the crown, rejoicing in the salvation of people, not ashamed of the cross, because he saved the universe. For it was not a man of little knowledge who suffered and struggled through the struggle of patience, but God made man. 7. The Jews object to this, always ready to contradict and inert in the faith, which is why the now-read Prophet says: “Lord! who believed what they heard from us” (Is. 53:1)? The Persians believe, but the Jews do not believe. “For they will see what was not told to them, and they will know what they have not heard” (Is. 52:15), and those who learn this will reject what they are teaching. They object to us and say: “Does the Lord really suffer? And human hands have overcome the Lord’s power?” Read “Lamentations,” because Jeremiah, mourning you, wrote in “Lamentations” something worthy of lamentation; He saw your death, was a spectator of your fall, and mourned the Jerusalem of that time. For the present one will not be mourned. The Jerusalem of that time crucified Christ, and the present one worships Him. So Jeremiah, lamenting, says: “The breath of our life, the Lord’s anointed, is caught in their pits.” I'm not making this up. Here the Prophet testifies that Christ the Lord was “caught” by men. What will happen from this? - say, Prophet. And he says: “He of whom we spoke: under His shadow we will live among the nations” (Lam. 4:20), i.e. makes it clear that the grace of life will not be established in Israel, but among the Gentiles. 8. Since there are many contradictions on the part of the Jews, during your prayers, by the grace of the Lord, as shortness of time allows, we will offer a few testimonies of suffering. For everything pertaining to Christ is in Scripture, and nothing is doubtful, because nothing is unattested. Everything is written on the prophetic pillars: not on tablets of stone, but clearly written by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when you hear what the Gospel says about Judas, shouldn’t you also listen to the evidence? You hear that you’ve been pierced in the rib by a spear, shouldn’t you find out if it’s written? You hear that they are crucified in the garden, shouldn’t you find out that this is also written? You hear that you were sold for thirty pieces of silver, shouldn’t you recognize the Prophet who said this? You hear that your father got drunk, find out where it was written. You hear that the body is laid in a stone coffin, and a stone is placed on top: shouldn’t you seek evidence of this from the Prophet? You hear that they were crucified with the robbers, shouldn’t you know this too? You hear that he is buried, shouldn’t you know where exactly it is written about the burial? You hear that you have risen, shouldn’t you realize that we are not teaching you this in jest? For our word and our preaching “are not in persuasive words of human wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:4), arguments are now presented without cleverness, which easily crumble, and words are overcome not by words, which also turn out to be weak, but “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23) after He had already been preached by the prophets. And you, having heard the testimony from me, imprint this on your heart. And since there are many of them, but there is little time left, now listen, as much as possible, to a few of the most important testimonies: having taken them as a reason for yourself, be hardworking and find the rest. Let your hand be not only stretched out to receive, but also ready to do. God gives everything. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God” (James 1:5) - and he will receive. Through your prayers, may He give the word to us who speak, and faith to you who listen! 9. Let us therefore seek evidence of the passion of Christ, because we have now gathered not for a speculative interpretation of the Scriptures, but more for the purpose of confirming what we have believed. Previously, you have already heard the testimony of the coming of Jesus, you heard that He walked on the sea: “Your way is in the sea” (Ps. 76:20); “and walks on the heights of the sea” (Job 9:8). And at another time I listened to testimony about various healings. Therefore, I begin with where the suffering began. The traitor Judas came and stood opposite, saying “peaceful” (Ps. 34:20), and preparing battle. Therefore, the Psalmist says about him: “My friends and my sincere ones have retreated from my plague” (Ps. 37:12); and again: “Their words are more tender than oil, but they are naked swords” (Ps. 54:22). “Rejoice, Rabbi” (Matthew 26:49), and betrayed the Teacher to death, he was not ashamed of the One who reminded him: “Judas! Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss” (Luke 22:48)? For he almost said to him: remember your name: Judas means confession, but you agreed, took the pieces of silver, confess quickly. “God of my praise! do not remain silent, for wicked lips and deceitful lips have been opened against me, they speak to me with a lying tongue, they surround me on every side with words of hatred” (Ps. 109:1-3). And that some of the bishops were present, and that bonds were imposed before the gates of the city, you heard about this recently, if you remember the explanation of the psalm, which indicates the time and place, it is said that they returned to the “evening”, were hungry “like dogs”, and went around the city (Ps. 59:7). 10. Listen about the thirty pieces of silver: “And I will say to them: if it pleases you, then give Me My wages, but if not, do not give,” and so on. (Zech. 11, 12). Another reward followed me from you for healing the blind and lame, and I receive another: instead of gratitude - dishonor; instead of worship - reproach. Look how Scripture foreknew this: “And they will weigh out thirty pieces of silver as payment to Me” (11:12). What accuracy in prophecy, what great, infallible understanding of the Holy Spirit! The Prophet did not say ten or twenty, but exactly thirty, exactly how many it was. Tell me, Prophet, where does this price go? Does the person who took it keep it or return it, and where does it go upon return? And the Prophet says: “And I took thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter” (13). Compare the prophecy with the Gospel; it is said: “Then Judas, repenting, threw down the pieces of silver in the church and went out” (Matthew 27:3.5). 11. But here I am required to examine the seeming bewilderment in detail. Those who reject the prophets object: The Prophet says: “And he threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter; and the Gospel: “and they gave them for the potter’s land” (Matthew 27:10). Hear therefore how true both testimonies are. The truly reverent Jews, the bishops of that time, seeing that Judas repented and said: “I sinned by betraying innocent blood,” reasoned: “What is that to us, see for yourself” (4). Does this really not concern you who crucify Him? But whoever took and returned the bribe for murder, let him “look”, and you, murderers, don’t look? Then they say to each other: “It is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood” (6). Condemnation comes from your own mouth. If the price is unclean, then the business is unclean. And if, by crucifying Christ, you fulfill the truth, then why don’t you accept the price? But the question is, how do the Gospel, when it said about “the potter’s earth,” and the prophet, when it said “for the potter” (into the crucible) not disagree with each other? Not only gold smelters have a crucible, not only smiths have a crucible, and potters need a kind of crucible for the earth. In order to clear the thin, fat and useful part of the earth from small stones and separate it from many weeds, the earth is first softened with water for the unhindered development of the prepared material. Why are you surprised if the Gospel says clearly: “the potter’s ground,” and the Prophet pronounced the prophecy mysteriously, since prophecies are mostly mysterious. 12. Jesus was tied up and taken into the bishop's courtyard. Do you want to know and see that this too is written? Isaiah says: “Woe to their soul, for they bring evil upon themselves, saying: Let us bind the Just One, for it is indecent for us to eat” (Isaiah 3:9-10). And truly woe to their soul. We see this: Isaiah was cut off with a saw, but after that the people received healing; Jeremiah was thrown into the mud, but the plague of the Jews was healed. The sin was less because it was committed against a person. When the Jews sinned not against man, but against God made man, then “woe to their soul.” “Let us bind the Righteous One.” Another will say: could not He who freed the four-day-old Lazarus from the bonds of death, and He who freed Peter in prison from the iron bonds, free Himself from the bonds of death? The Angels stood ready, saying: “Let us break their bonds” (Ps. 2:3), but they held back because the Master was pleased to endure this. Also: brought to trial before the elders. You already have evidence of this: “The Lord enters into judgment with the elders of His people and with their princes” (Is. 3:14). 13. But the bishop, having asked and heard the truth, becomes angry, and the evil servant of the wicked gives the blow, and the luminous face like the sun, strangled by lawless hands, endures it. And others, coming, spit on the face of the One who by spitting healed a man blind from birth. “Do you render this to the Lord, you foolish and foolish people?” (Deut. 32:6), and the Prophet, surprised, says: “Lord! whoever believed what was heard from us” (Isaiah 53:1). For it is an incredible thing if God, the Son of God, the Arm of the Lord, endures this. But so that those who are being saved do not remain in unbelief, the Holy Spirit prescribes on behalf of Christ Himself, Who (for He who spoke this then Himself came later) says: “I have given My back to the smiters” (Is. 50:6). For Pilate, having beaten Him, handed Him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15). “And My cheeks were smitten, I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting” (Is. 50:6); as if to say: “foreseeing that they would beat Me, I did not turn away My cheeks, for they could have made the disciples ready to die for the truth if I had been afraid of this myself.” I said: “He who loves his life will destroy it” (Is. 12:25). If I loved life, how could I teach without doing what I teach? Therefore, He, the real God, first Himself patiently suffered for this from people, so that after that we, people, would not be ashamed for His sake to endure such things from people. You see that the prophets clearly ordained this. But as I said before, many of the testimonies of the Scriptures, due to the shortness of time, are passed over. For if we look for everything in detail, then not a single one of Christ’s deeds will remain untested. 14. The bound Jesus went from Caiaphas to Pilate. Is this really written? “And having bound Him, He brought Him as a gift to King Jaarim” (Hos. 10:6). To this, some listener of a subtle mind will object: “Let’s not touch on anything much in the question for now, but Pilate was not a king, so how can it be that “having bound Him, taken Him as a gift to the king?” But let such a one read the Gospel: “Pilate heard” that He was from Galilee, “he sent His ambassador to Herod” (Luke 23:7). And Herod was then king and was in Jerusalem. And note the accuracy of the Prophet, for he says that he was sent as a gift: “And that day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for before they were at enmity with each other” (Luke 23:12). And it was fitting for Him who had to pacify earth and heaven to first of all reconcile those who condemned Him. For the Lord Himself was here, “taking away the minds of the heads of the people of the earth” (Job 12:24). So, here is the accuracy of the prophets and the true testimony. 15. Marvel at the judged Lord: He endures, led and drawn by the soldiers; Pilate sits and judges, but He who sits at the right hand of the Father stands and is judged. The people, delivered by Him from the land of Egypt and delivered many times on other occasions, cry out against Him: “Take, take, crucify Him” (John 19:15). Why crucify Him, Jews? Was it because he healed your blind, made your lame walk, and showed you other benefits? Therefore, the Prophet says with amazement: “Who are you mocking? Who are you widening your mouth against, sticking out your tongue?” ( Isa. 57:4 )? And the Lord Himself says in the prophets: “My destiny became for Me like a lion in the forest; it lifted up its voice against Me, therefore I hated it” (Jer. 12:8). It was not I who rejected them, but they who rejected Me. Therefore, I rightly say: “I will leave My house” (7). 16. The judge is silent, why does Pilate regret and say: “Do you not hear how many testify against you?” (Matthew 27:13). He regrets not because he knows the Judged One, but because he was put into fear by his wife’s dream, which she announced. And Jesus is silent. This is what the Psalmist says: “And I became like a man who does not hear and has no answer in his mouth” (Ps. 37:15). And again: “But I am like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth” (Ps. 37:14). You've heard about this before, if you remember. 17. But the soldiers surrounded him and mocked him. The Lord is a laughing stock for them, the Lord is desecrated by them. “When they see Me, they nod their heads” (Ps. 109:25). However, the image of the royal dignity is visible. They swear, but also kneel, the soldiers crucify, but first clothe Him in purple and place a crown on His head. For what does it matter if there is a crown of thorns? Every king is hailed as warriors; it was necessary for Jesus to be crowned in a representative manner by soldiers; That is why Scripture says in Songs: “Come and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him” (Song of Solomon 3:11). But the crown was also a mystery, because it served as a resolution of sins, a reversal of the sentence. 18. Adam was condemned: “Cursed is the earth because of you; It will bring forth thorns and thistles for you” (Gen. 3, 17:18). Therefore, Jesus takes thorns upon Himself to destroy condemnation. He was buried in the ground for this purpose, so that the cursed earth, instead of a curse, would receive a blessing. During the time of sin, they put on fig leaves, which is why Jesus gave the fig tree as the end of the signs. For, preparing to go to suffering, he curses the fig tree, but not every fig tree, but only that one (i.e., from the leaves of which the girdle in paradise is made), in its image, saying to it: “from now on let no one eat fruit from you forever” (Mark 11:14). Let condemnation not be destroyed! And since they were then clothed with fig leaves, it comes at a time when there was no food to eat. Who doesn’t know that in winter the fig tree does not bear fruit, but is only covered with leaves? Is it possible that what everyone knew, Jesus did not know? On the contrary, He knew, yet He comes, as if with the intention of finding the fruit, knowing very well that He will not find it, but showing that this fig tree serves as an image of a curse only by its leaves. 19. And since we touched on what was in paradise, the truth of the transformations truly surprises me. In paradise - fall; in Vertograd - salvation; From the tree is sin, and sin to the tree. At noon they hid from the walking Lord, and at midday the thief was brought into paradise by the Lord. But another will say to me: are you making it up yourself? Show me the tree of the cross among the prophets. If you do not provide prophetic testimony, I will not believe. Listen to what Jeremiah said and make sure. “I am like a gentle lamb, led to the slaughter, don’t you understand?” Read interrogatively, as I said. For how can the One who says: “You know that in two days the Passover will take place, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified” (Mark 26:2) not know? - “I am like a gentle lamb, led to the slaughter, don’t you understand?” What kind of lamb is this? John the Baptist interpreted for us, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “I thought an evil thought against Me, saying.” How can one who leads thoughts not know what will happen? And what did they say? “Come and let us put wood into His bread.” And if the Lord vouchsafes you, you will subsequently learn that His work, according to the words of the Gospel, was represented by the image of bread. “Let us put poisonous wood for His food and cut Him off from the land of the living.” Life is not destroyed, why do you labor in vain? “That His name may be mentioned no more” (Jer. 11:19). Your advice is vain, because “as long as the sun remains, His name will be transmitted” (Ps. 71:17) in the Church. And that Life was hung on the tree, Moses, lamenting this, says: “Your Life will hang before You and you will tremble night and day and you will not be confident in Your Life” (Deut. 28:66), and recently it was read: “Lord, who believed what was heard from us?” 20. This image was presented by Moses, crucifying the serpent, so that if bitten by a living serpent, looking at the copper serpent and believing, he would find salvation. If the crucified copper serpent saves, then how can the incarnate Son of God not save the crucified one? Life is always given by the tree. For the revival under Noah was by an ark of wood; Under Moses, the sea, seeing the image of the cross, was afraid of him who struck the waters. The rod of Moses had so much power, is the cross of the Savior really not strong? I am silent about many transformations for the proportionality of speech. Under Moses, the tree sweetened the waters; and from the side of Jesus water flowed out on the tree. 21. The beginning of the signs under Moses was blood and water; the same thing is the last of all the signs of Jesus. Moses first of all turned the river into blood, and Jesus finally poured out water with blood from his rib, perhaps because of what was said, both by those who judged and by those who cried out, or for the sake of believers and unbelievers. For Pilate said: “I am not guilty” (Matthew 27:24) and washed his hands with water; and those who cried said, “His blood be on us” (25). Therefore, both came out of the rib: water, perhaps, for the one who judged, and blood for those who cried out. One can also understand it another way: blood is for Jews, and water is for Christians. For for those who are malicious, there is condemnation for blood, but for you, who believe, now is salvation through water. For nothing was in vain. The interpreters, our fathers, presented another reason. Since, according to the Gospel, there is a certain double power of saving baptism - one given to those who are enlightened by water, and the other - during persecution to the holy martyrs with their own blood, then blood and water flowed from the saving rib, thereby confirming the grace of the confession of Christ during enlightenment and during the time of martyrdom. There is another reason for a perforated rib. Since the wife, created from a rib, became the first culprit of sin, Jesus, who came to grant forgiveness to husbands and wives together, had a rib pierced for the wives, so that they would be given permission from their sins. 22. And if someone goes into research, he will find other reasons. However, it was enough to say this both for the shortness of time and to avoid that the ears of those listening would not become satiated, although it is impossible to ever tire of hearing about the crowned Lord, especially on this holy Golgotha. For others only hear, but we see and touch. Let no one get tired! Arm yourself against your opponents for the very cross; erect faith in the cross as a victorious monument over those who contradict. For, as soon as you intend to compete with the infidels about the cross of Christ, first make the sign of the cross with your hand, and the one who disagrees will be speechless. Do not be ashamed to confess the cross, because the angels boast, saying: we know whom you are looking for, Jesus crucified (Matthew 28:5). Couldn't you say, Angel, I know who you are looking for, my Master? On the contrary, he boldly says: I know the Crucified One, because the cross is a crown, not dishonor. 23. Let us finally return to what has been said, that is, we will continue to prove it with the words of the prophets. The Lord was crucified, and you have evidence of this. You see the place of Golgotha. I praise the exclamations as one who agrees. Be careful not to ever deny during persecution. Not only in times of peace rejoice in the cross, but in times of persecution have the same faith. Do not be a friend of Jesus during peace, and an enemy during war. Now you accept the forgiveness of your sins and the bestowal of the spiritual royal gift. When the battle comes, fight courageously for your King. The sinless Jesus was crucified for you; and will you not be crucified for Him who was crucified for you? You are not showing mercy because you yourself received it first; on the contrary, you repay mercy by repaying the debt to Him who was crucified for you on Golgotha. And Golgotha ​​is interpreted: place of execution. Who prophetically named this place Golgotha, on which the true Head, Christ, suffered the cross? This is what the Apostle says: “Who is the image of the invisible God,” and after a few words: “And He is the head of the body of the Church” (Col. 1:15.18). And again: “The head of every man is Christ” (1 Cor. 11:3); and again: “Who is the Head of all principality and power” (Col. 2:10). The head suffered on the forehead. What a significant prophetic name! The name itself seems to remind you, saying this: not looking at the Crucified One as a simple person; this is the “Head of all principality and power”; the Head of all power, whose head is the Father, was crucified. For “the head of every man is Christ: and the head of Christ is God” (I Cor. 11:3). 24. So, Christ was crucified for us, Who was judged at night, when it was winter, and therefore the fire was kindled (John 18:18). He was crucified at the third hour: “from the sixth hour there was darkness until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45), and from the ninth hour there was light again. Isn't it written? Let's look. Zechariah says: “And in that day there will be no light, but winter and darkness: and there will be one day.” It was winter, which is why Peter was warming himself. “And we will know that day of the Lord” (Zechariah 14:6:7). Why does not the Lord know other days? There are many days, but “this is the day” of the Lord’s patience, “the Lord will make it” (Ps. 118:24). “And that day we know will be of the Lord, and not day and not night.” What a riddle the Prophet speaks! That day is neither day nor night. What should we call it? The Gospel explains this by telling the event. This was not the day; therefore, from the east to the west the sun did not shine anywhere, but from the sixth hour to the ninth hour there was darkness in the middle of the day. Therefore, darkness occupied the middle, and “God called the darkness night” (Gen. 1:5). Therefore it was neither day nor night, because not all the time there was light to call it day, and not all the time there was darkness to call it night. But after the ninth hour the sun rose. And this is what the Prophet predicts. For having said: “neither day nor night,” he added: “and in the evening there will be light” (Zech. 14: 6. 7). Do you see the accuracy of the prophets, do you see the truth of what is written? 25. But do you demand to say directly at what time the sun went dark? In the fifth, or the eighth, or the ninth? Tell me exactly, Prophet, to the disobedient Jews when the sun will set? The prophet Amos says: “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon (for it was dark from the sixth hour), and I will darken the earth in the midst of the bright day.” What time is it, Prophet, and what day? “And I will turn your feasts into mourning,” because this happened on the days of unleavened bread, the Feast of Passover. And behind this the Prophet says: “And I will make mourning in the country, as for an only son, and its end will be like a bitter day” (Am. 8, 9. 10); because on the Day of Unleavened Bread and on the Feast of Unleavened Bread their wives beat themselves and wept, and the apostles hid themselves and were sick. A truly amazing prophecy! 26. But another will say: show me another sign. What other exact sign is there of what has happened? Jesus is crucified; He wore one tunic and one robe. The warriors divided the outer clothing, tearing it into four parts, but the tunic was not torn, because a torn one would not be good for anything. And the soldiers cast lots for him. Clothes are divided, and lots are cast for the tunic. Is this written? The zealous church psalmists know this, imitating the angelic armies, and always praising God, and being honored to sing and say on this Calvary: “They divide My garments among themselves and cast lots for My clothing” (Ps. 21:19). 27. Also, condemned by Pilate, he wore a purple robe; for there “His robe was clothed with scarlet” (Matthew 27:28). Is this really written? Isaiah says: “Who is this coming from Edom in scarlet robes from Bozrah” (Isaiah 63:1)? Who is this who wears scarlet to reproach? For Bozhar among the Jews has a similar meaning to this. “Why is Your robe red and Your vestments like those of one who has trodden in a winepress?” (2)? And He answers and says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands to a rebellious and contrary people” (Isaiah 65:2). 28. He stretched out his arms on the cross to embrace the ends of the universe; because this Golgotha ​​is the very middle of the earth. This is not my word, the Prophet said this: “he who arranges salvation in the midst of the earth” (Ps. 73:12). He who established the sky with His contemplative hands stretched out human hands. And these hands are nailed, so that after humanity is nailed to the tree, when it bears the sins of men in heaven and dies, sin will die along with it, and we will rise to the truth. For by one man is death, and by one man is life, and by one man, the Savior, who dies of his own free will. Remember what was said: “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:18). 29. He endured this, coming to save everyone, but the people repaid Him with evil retribution. Jesus says, “I thirst.” He brought them water from a rocky rock and asked for fruit from the grapes He had planted. What about grapes? By nature he comes from the holy fathers, and by will - from the Sodomites. For “their grapes are from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah” (Deut. 32:32). In a lip filled and placed on a reed, he brings the ocet to the thirsty Lord. “And they gave me gall for food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Ps. 68:22). Do you see the clarity of the prophetic prediction? And what kind of bile is in My mouth? It is said: “They gave Him wine with myrrh to drink” (Mark 15:23), and myrrh tastes gall and is bitter. “Do you repay the Lord with this?” (Deut. 32:6). Is this what you bring, grapes, to the Lord? Isaiah justly mourns you in advance, saying: “My Beloved had a vineyard on the top of a fat mountain...” and we will not repeat the whole passage: and he expected that he would bring good grapes... he thirsted to give Me wine, “but he brought wild berries” (Is. 5, 1. 2). Look at the crown that is placed on Me. What definition will I give after this? “And I will command the clouds not to rain on him” (6). For the clouds of the prophets have been taken away from them, and the prophets are already in the Church, as Paul says: “And let two or three prophets speak, and let the rest reason” (7 Cor. 14:29); and again: “And He appointed some apostles, others prophets” (Eph. 4:11); Agabus was also a prophet, and he bound his feet and hands. 30. About the thieves crucified with Him it is said: “and he is numbered among the evildoers” (Is. 53:12). Both of them were previously lawless, and then one was no longer lawless. The lawless is completely inaccessible to salvation. His hands are nailed down, but his tongue strikes with blasphemy. Passing Jews nodded their heads, mocking the Crucified One and fulfilling what was written: “When they see Me, they nod their heads” (Ps. 106:25). Together with them, this crucified one blasphemed. Another reproached the one who blasphemed, and the end of his life was for him the beginning of correction; betraying his soul, he accepts salvation and, having reproached the other one who blasphemed, says: “Remember me, Lord” (Luke 23:42). My word to You: leave him a blasphemer, the eyes of his mind are darkened, remember me. I do not say: remember my deeds; I'm afraid of this. Every person is kind to his companion, but I am going with You to death. Remember me, Your companion. I do not say, remember me now, but “when you come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). 31. What power has illuminated you, robber? Who taught you to worship the One who was neglected and crucified with you? O eternal light, illuminating the darkened! Therefore, it is rightly said to you to hope without doubt, not because you can have firm hope through your deeds, but because the generously gifted King is with you. Although the request was for something that takes a long time to acquire, this grace fulfills it very quickly: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43), because, having now heard My voice, you did not harden your heart (Ps. 94, 7:8). Soon I pronounced the sentence on Adam, soon I will love you. He was told: “In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Today you became obedient to faith, today you receive salvation. He fell through the tree, and you will be brought into paradise through the tree. Do not be afraid of the serpent, he will not destroy you, because he fell from heaven. I don’t tell you: today you will go to heaven, but “today you will be with Me.” Hope boldly that you will not be torn to pieces; do not be afraid of the flaming sword: it honors the Lord. What great and inscrutable grace! Faithful Abraham had not yet entered, and the robber entered. Neither Moses nor the prophets entered, and the lawless thief entered. And Paul was amazed at this before you, saying: “But when sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20). Those who had suffered the heat of the day had not yet entered, and he who came entered at the tenth hour. Let no one grumble against the Householder; for he says: “Friend, I do not offend you” (Matthew 20:13). Don’t I have the power “to do in my own way what I want” (15)? The robber wants to do the truth, but his death precedes him. But I don’t just wait for works, but I also accept faith. Came “to the fragrant flower beds”; “he came to feed the gardens” (Song of Songs 6, 1:2). I have found the lost sheep, I lift it up on My shoulder; for he believes, since he himself said: “I am lost like a lost sheep” (Ps. 119:176); “Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). 32. In a Song I foretold this garden to My bride, and I told her this. “I have come into My garden, My sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 5, /). “In the place where He was crucified there was a garden” (John 19:41). Что же приемлет там? “I have gathered my myrrh” (Song of Canticle 5, /), “drinking the wine of the myrrh” (wine mixed with myrrh, bitter), and he took it, and having received it, said: “It is finished” (John 19:30). The sacrament is performed, what is written is fulfilled, sins are resolved. For “Christ, the High Priest of future good things, came with a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not made like this, and not with the blood of goats and bulls, but with His own blood He once entered into the sanctuary and acquired eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer through sprinkling sanctify the defiled, so that the body may be clean, how much more is the blood of Christ” (Heb. 9:11-14). And again: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter into the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus Christ, a new and living way, which He again revealed to us through the veil, that is, His flesh” (Heb. 10: 19 - 20). And since the flesh - the veil of Him - was desecrated, therefore the representative veil of the church was torn, as it is written: “And behold, the veil of the church was torn in two, from the highest part to the lower part” (Matthew 27:51), so that not even a small part was left untouched. Since the Lord said: “Behold, your house is left to you empty” (Matthew 23:38), the house was destroyed. 33. The Savior endured this, “making peace through Him, by the blood of His cross, both earthly and heavenly” (Col. 1:20). For we were enemies of God because of sin, and God determined that whoever sins should die. Therefore, one of two things had to be done: either God, who is immutable in truth, would put everyone to death, or God, who loves mankind, would cancel the sentence. Take note of the wisdom of God. He observed both truth in judgment and efficiency in love for mankind. Christ “took up our sins, He Himself bore in His body on the tree,” and through His death, “so that we might be freed from sins and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). He who died for us was not small, not a sensual sheep, not a simple man, not only an Angel, but God made man. Such was not the iniquity of sinners, such was the righteousness of Him who died for them. It was not so much that we sinned, but rather the one who laid down his life for us, who laid down his life for us, who laid down when he wanted, and who again accepted when he wanted, committed righteousness. And do you want to know that He did not put aside his life forcibly and did not give up his spirit against his will? He cried out to the Father, saying: “Father, in Your hands I commend My spirit” (Luke 23:46), I commend it in order to receive it again. And having said this, “give up the ghost” (Matthew 27:50); but not for a long time, because he soon rose from the dead. 34. The sun was darkened for the sake of the Sun of righteousness; the stones fell apart for the sake of the mental stone; The graves were opened and the dead rose for the sake of Him who was “thrown among the dead” (Ps. 87:6). “I will release your prisoners from the pit where there is no water” (Zechariah 9:11). Therefore, do not be ashamed of the Crucified One, but say boldly yourself: “But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses, and by His stripes we were all healed” (Isa. 53:4.5); Let us not be ungrateful to the Benefactor. And again: “For the crime of My people, He suffered execution, He was assigned a grave with the villains, but He was buried with a rich man” (Is. 53:8.9). Therefore, Paul clearly says: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3.4). 35.We would like to know clearly where he is buried? Рукотворенный ли гроб? Does it rise above the earth in the likeness of royal tombs? Is the monument made of stacked stones? И что возложено на оный? Tell us, prophets, details about the tomb, where it is laid, and where should we look for Him? And they say: “Look at the rock from which you were hewn” (Is. 51:1). “Look and see” (Sir. 2:10). We read in the Gospel: “in a tomb hewn in the rock” (Mark 15:46). And what else? Какая дверь в гробницу? Another prophet says: “They cast My life into a pit and threw stones at Me” (Lamentations 3:53). I am “the cornerstone, the chosen, the precious” (1 Peter 2:6), a stone of stumbling for the Jews and a stone of salvation for those who believe, for a little while I lie inside the stone. So, the tree of life was planted in the ground so that the cursed earth would enjoy blessings and the dead would be loosed. 36. Therefore we are not ashamed to confess the Crucified One; Let the seal, that is, the cross, be placed with boldness on the forehead and on everything, on the bread eaten, on the cups of drink, on goings in and out, before going to bed, when we go to bed and when we get up, when we are on the road and when we are at rest. This is a great protection, given to the poor as a gift, to the weak without labor, because this grace is from God, a sign of the faithful, fear of demons. On the cross he defeated them, “with power he put them to shame” (Col. 2:15). As soon as they see the cross, they remember the Crucified One; They fear the One who crushed the heads of the serpent. Do not despise this seal, for it is given freely; on the contrary, for this more than almost a Benefactor. 37. And if you enter into a contest and cannot find words to prove it, then let your faith be unshakable. Moreover, having become a lover of love, stop the mouths of the Jews with prophets, and the Greeks with their fables. They worship those killed by lightning, and lightning, when it descends from heaven, does not descend without judgment. If they are not ashamed to worship God-haters killed by lightning, then are you ashamed to worship the God-lover and Son of God crucified for you? I am ashamed to talk about their so-called gods, and I leave it for the brevity of time. Let those who know say this. May the lips of all heretics be stopped. If anyone says that the cross is a ghost, then turn away from him. Hate those who claim that Christ was crucified dreamily. If one is crucified dreamily, and salvation is from the Cross, then salvation is a dream. If the cross is a dream, then the resurrection is also a dream. “And if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). If the cross is a dream, then the ascension is a dream. And if the ascension is a dream, then the second coming is a dream; и все уже не состоятельно. 38. So, first accept the indestructible foundation - the Cross and build everything else in faith. Не отрицайся Распятого. If you renounce, you will have many accusers. Judas the traitor will be the first to expose you, for the betrayer knew that Christ was condemned to death by the bishops and elders. Thirty pieces of silver testify, Gethsemane testifies, where the betrayal took place. I’m not talking about the Mount of Olives, on which those who were there prayed at night. The moon that shone at night testifies; the day and the darkened sun bear witness, because he had no patience to see the iniquity of those who plot evil. The fire by which Peter stood and warmed himself will convict you. If you renounce the Cross, eternal fire awaits you. The word I pronounce is cruel, but I say it so that you don’t experience cruelty. Remember the weapons with which they stepped on Him in Gethsemane, so that you do not test the eternal sword. The house of Caiaphas will expose you, proving by its present desolation the power of the Condemned One then upon it; Caiaphas himself will oppose you on the day of judgment. Противостанут тебе и слуга, заушивший Иисуса, и связавшие и отведшие Его. Both Herod and Pilate will oppose you, as if to say: why do you deny before us the One slandered by the Jews, about whom we knew that he had not sinned in anything? Ибо я – Пилат умыл руки тогда. You will be opposed by false witnesses and soldiers who clothed Him in scarlet clothing and placed a crown of thorns on Him, who crucified Him on Calvary and cast lots for the tunic. Обличит тебя Симон Киринейский, который нес крест за Иисусом. 39. The darkened sun will reprove you from the face of the stars, from the earth - the wine of myrrh (wine mixed with myrrh, bitter), from the reeds - the reed, from the old - hyssop, from the sea products - the sponge, from the trees - the Tree of the Cross; they will denounce, as it is said, the soldiers who nailed and cast lots for clothing, and that warrior who pierced His side with a spear, and the wives who were then at the Cross, and the church curtain that was torn then, and the praetor of Pilate, who was now desolate by the power of the Crucified One, and this Holy Golgotha, towering and visible to this day, showing to this day how the stones then fell apart for the sake of Christ; and the nearby coffin, where it was laid, and the stone attached to the door, and to this day lying at the tomb, and the Angels who were then at the tomb, and the women who bowed down after the Resurrection, and Peter and John, who came to the tomb, and Thomas, who put his hand into His side and his fingers into the nail wounds. For he touched with such care for us, and what you would have sought if you were not present at the time, then, according to the economy, he, who was present, would have found out. 40. As witnesses of the Cross you have the twelve apostles, and the universe, and the world of believers in Him crucified for men. То самое, что здесь ты – ныне, да убедит тебя в силе Распятого. Ибо кто ныне привел тебя? Воины ли какие? Узами ли какими привлечен ты? Is there any condemnation that has compelled you now? On the contrary, the saving, victorious monument of Jesus - the cross - gathered everyone. Он и персов поработил и скифов укротил; He gave the Egyptians, instead of cats and dogs and various errors, knowledge of God. To this day he heals illnesses, to this day he drives away demons, overthrows sorcery and the charm of magic. 41. He will again appear with Jesus from heaven, because this victorious monument will precede the King, so that, seeing who is pierced by him, and recognizing the one who was mocked by the cross, the repentant Jews will weep. И они «восплачутся каждое племя особо» ( Зах. 12:12 ); ибо тогда покаются, когда не будет уже времени для покаяния. And we, triumphant, will boast in the Cross, worshiping the Lord who was sent and crucified for us, and worshiping God the Father who sent with the Holy Spirit. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. The 14th catechetical word to those who are enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “And he rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father.” Reading from 1 Corinthians: “I remind you, brethren, of the gospel which I preached to you” and further – “that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15, 1:4). 1. “Rejoice in Jerusalem, and rejoice in her, all ye that love” Jesus, because he rose. “Rejoice with Him, all who mourned because of Him” (Is. 66:10), having heard about the insolence and iniquities of the Jews. For the one who was mocked by them here rose again. And just as it was sad to hear about the cross, so may the gospel of the resurrection bring joy to all those who are coming. May crying be turned into joy and lamentation into joy; May our lips be filled with joy and gladness for the sake of Him who said after the resurrection: “Rejoice” (Matthew 28:9). For I knew the sorrow of the lovers of Christ in days past, when, since the word stopped at death and burial, and did not touch the gospel of the resurrection; the mind waited and could not wait to hear what it wanted. So, the Dead Man, “thrown among the dead” (Ps. 87:6), and the Liberator of the dead was resurrected. Whoever was crowned with a crown of thorns in reproach, according to His patience, was resurrected and crowned with the diadem of victory over death. 2. But as we have offered the testimony of His cross; So now let us present evidence confirming the resurrection. Since the Apostle now read says: “He was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4), then when the Apostle himself refers us to the evidence from the Scriptures, it will be a wonderful thing for us to know the hope of our salvation, and, firstly, to find out whether the Divine Scriptures tell us the time of His resurrection? Is it in summer, or autumn, or after winter? In what place is the Savior resurrected? And by what name did the wonderful prophets proclaim the place of resurrection? Do the women who sought Him and did not find Him, but then found Him, really rejoice? It will be good to find out this, so that when reading the Gospel, the stories of the holy Gospels are revered not as fables or poetic works. 3. So, the Savior was buried, you clearly heard in the previous conversation, since Isaiah says: “His burial will be in peace” (Is. 57:2); because by His burial He pacified heaven and earth, bringing sinners to God. And: “The righteous delights from evil” (Is. 57:1); and: “He departs to the world; they assigned him a grave with the evildoers” (Is. 53:9; 57:2). And there is a prophecy of Jacob in the Scriptures: “He bowed down, lay down like a lion and like a lioness: who will lift Him up?” (Gen. 49:9). And similar to this is the place in the book of Numbers: “he bowed down, lying down like a lion and like a lioness” (Num. 24:9). You have repeatedly heard what was said in the psalm: “And You brought Me to the dust of the earth” (Ps. 21:16). We also noted the place of burial in what was said: “Look at the rock from which you were hewn” (Is. 51:1). Finally, we will have evidence of His resurrection itself. 4. So, firstly, in the eleventh psalm the Prophet says: “Because of the suffering of the poor and the groaning of the poor, I will now rise, says the Lord” (Ps. 11:6). But this seems doubtful to some, because the Lord often rises up in anger to take vengeance on his enemies. Therefore, go to Psalm fifteen, which clearly says: “Keep me, O God, for I trust in You” (Ps. 15:1); and after this: “I will not pour out their bloody drink offerings, neither will I remember their names with My mouth” (Ps. 15:4); because, having rejected Me, they proclaimed Caesar to be their king. And further: “I have always seen the Lord before me, for He is at my right hand; I will not be shaken" (Ps. 15:8); and: “Even at night my inner being teaches me” (7). And after this he says very clearly: “For You will not leave my soul in hell, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption” (10). He did not say: “and you will not allow your holy one to see” death; Then I would not have died, but he says, I will not see incorruption; I will not remain in death. “You showed me the path of life” (11). Behold, life after death is clearly preached! Turn to Psalm 29: “I will exalt You, O Lord, because You raised me up and did not allow my enemies to triumph over me” (Ps. 29:2). What happened? Did you escape from your enemies, or did you free yourself from the threatening blows? He himself answers this very clearly: “Lord! You brought my soul out of hell” (4). There he says prophetically: “You will not leave me,” but here he speaks about the future as if it had come true: “He brought me out so that I would not go to the grave” (4). What time will this be? “Weeping may endure for an evening, but joy comes in the morning” (6). For in the evening there was weeping among the disciples, but in the morning there was joy about the resurrection. 5. Do you want to know the place? He also says in Songs: “I went down into the nut orchard” (Song. Songs 6:11). For “in the place where He was crucified there was a garden” (John 19:4). And if now this place is especially decorated with royal gifts, then before there was a vertograd (garden) on it; there are still signs and traces of this. “A closed garden, a sealed fountain” (Song of Songs 4:12) by the Jews, who said: “We remembered that that deceiver, while still alive, said: After three days I will rise again; So, give orders that the tomb be guarded” (Matthew 27:63.64). And then: “They went and set a guard at the tomb and put a seal on the stone” (66). Someone beautifully said to them in reproach: “and in their chambers the imashi will judge them” (Job 7:18). Who is the “sealed source”? Or who is meant by the source of the “well of living waters” (Song of Solomon 4:15)? The Savior Himself, about Whom it is written: “For with you is the fountain of life” (Ps. 35:10). 6. But what does Zephaniah say to the disciples on behalf of Christ? “Get ready, make morning, and all their leaves will decay” (Zeph. 3:7), that is, the Jews will not only have the grape of salvation, but also the leaves, because their vineyard will be cut off. Do you see what he says to the disciples: “Get ready, morning.” In the morning, expect the Resurrection, and after this, in the same connection of speech, he continues: “Therefore, wait for Me, says the Lord, until the day when I arise for desolation” (8) (as a testimony). You see, the prophet foresaw that the place of the Resurrection is also called a testimony. For on what basis is this place of Golgotha ​​and the Resurrection called not a church, like other churches, but martyrion? Of course, because the prophet said: “on the day of My Resurrection as a testimony” (martirion). 7. Who is this Risen One, and what is His sign? This is clearly stated further in the same connection by the Prophet: “then I will again give clean lips to the nations” (9); because after the Resurrection, by the sending of the Holy Spirit, the grace of tongues was given to “serve” the Lord “with one accord” (9). And to the fact that they will work for the Lord “with one accord,” what other sign is attached to the same Prophet? “From the countries beyond the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring Me gifts” (10). You know what is written in Acts, when Murin the eunuch came “from the countries beyond the river of Ethiopia.” Therefore, when both the time and the nature of the place, when the signs after the resurrection are spoken by the Scriptures, then finally recognize the Resurrection as certain, and let no one shake you in your confession that Christ has risen from the dead. 8. Listen to another testimony in the 87th Psalm, since Christ speaks in the prophets, and the one who spoke then came later Himself: “O Lord, God of my salvation! I cry by day and by night before You” (Ps. 87:2); and a few words later: “I became like a man without strength, thrown among the dead” (Ps. 87:5.6). He did not say: “became a man without help,” but “like a man without help.” For he was crucified not through weakness, but voluntarily, and death was not due to involuntary weakness. “I have become equal to those who go down to the grave” (5). And what is the symbol? “You have removed my acquaintances from me” (9), because the disciples fled. “Will You work a miracle on the dead?” (11). And soon afterwards: “But I cry to You, and early in the morning my prayer precedes You” (14). You see how the time of the hour and suffering and resurrection are shown. 9. And where did the Savior arise from? In the Song of Songs he says: “Arise, come, my neighbor” (Song of Solomon 2:10), and in the following verses: “in the cover of the stone” (in the gorge of the rock) (14). The stone cover is the name given to the cover that was then in front of the door of the saving coffin, carved, as is usually the case here with coffins, from the same stone. Nowadays it is not visible, because this vestibule was then cleared away for real splendor. And before the coffin was built with royal generosity, this cover was in front of the stone. But where is this stone that has a cover? Does it lie in the middle of the city, or near the walls, and at the end of the city? And was it inside the ancient walls, or in the antechambers built later? To this he speaks in the Song: “in the cover of the stone, near the entrance (in the gorge of the rock under the cover of the cliff)” (14). 10. At what time of year does the Savior rise? Is it during summer or something else? In the same Songs, a little above what has been said, he directly says: “Winter has passed, the rain has gone, gone away. The flowers have appeared on the earth, the time for circumcision has come” (Now the winter has already passed, the rain has passed; it has stopped, the flowers have appeared on the earth, the time for singing has come) (11, 12). Is not the earth now full of flowers, and are the vines not pruned? You see, I also mentioned that winter has already passed, because with the advent of this month of Xanthik, spring already begins. And this time is the first month among the Jews, in which the holiday of Passover, the former transformative one, and the current true one. This is the time of the creation of the world. For God said then: “Let the earth bring forth the former grass, sowing seed according to its kind and likeness” (Gen. 1:11). And now, as you see, everything that was past is inseminated. And just as God then, having created the sun and the moon, gave them equinoctial currents, so a few days before this there was the time of the equinox. Then God said: “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). And this: “in the image” man kept, and the other: “in the likeness” he darkened in himself with disobedience. Therefore, at the same time in which it was destroyed, correction was also made. When the newly created man, having disobeyed, was expelled from paradise, then the believing man, having become obedient, was introduced into paradise. Therefore, salvation was accomplished at the same time when the falling away also occurred. “When the blossom has appeared, the pruning has come.” 11. Vertograd (garden) was a burial place, and the grapevine planted in it said: “I am the vine” (John 15:1). Therefore, it was planted in the earth, so that the oath imposed on Adam would be eradicated. The earth was condemned to grow thorns and thistles, but the true vine sprang up from the earth, so that what was said would be fulfilled: “Truth will arise from the earth, and righteousness will come from heaven” (Ps. 84:12). What will the one buried in the helicopter say? “I gathered my myrrh with my spices” (Song of Solomon 5:1). And again: “Myrrh and scarlet with all the best spices” (4:14). But these are signs of burial, and the Gospels say: “the woman came to the tomb, wearing the same spices that she had prepared” (Luke 24:1), and “Nicodemus brought a composition of myrrh and aloes” (John 19:39). Then it is written: “I ate my honeycomb with my honey” (Song of Songs 5:1), that is, bitter before suffering and sweet after the Resurrection. Then, having risen, he entered “by the closed door” (John 20:19); The disciples did not believe because “they thought they saw a spirit” (Luke 24:37). But He says: “Handle Me and look at Me” (39); “Put your fingers into the wounds of the nails,” as Thomas demanded (John 20:25). And “while they still did not believe for joy and were amazed, He said to them: Do you have any food here? They gave Him some of the baked fish and honeycomb” (Luke 24:41,42). You see how what was said was fulfilled: “I ate my honeycomb with my honey.” 12. But before this Bridegroom and Physician of souls entered through the “closed door,” those valiant, courageous women sought Him. The blessed ones came to the tomb and looked for the Risen One, tears were still dripping from their eyes when they should have rejoiced and rejoiced again in the Risen One. According to the Gospel, Mary came, searched and did not find; then I heard from the angels, and subsequently I saw Christ. Is this really written? In the Song of Songs he says: “On my bed I sought him whom my soul loves” (Song of Solomon 3:1). What time? “On my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loved.” And “Mary, it is said, comes to the tomb early, while it was still dark” (John 20:1). “I sought Him on my bed at night and did not find Him.” And Mary says in the Gospel: “They have taken my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:13). Then the approaching angels heal from ignorance, saying: “Why are you seeking the living with the dead” (Luke 24:5)? He not only rose again, but rose again, raising the dead with Himself. But Mary did not know, and on her behalf the Song of Songs said to the angels: “Have you not seen him whom my soul loves? But as soon as I left them, I found Him whom my soul loves, I grabbed hold of Him and did not let Him go” (Song of Songs 3.3:4). 13. After the appearance of the angels, Jesus Himself came as a messenger about Himself, and the Gospel says: “And behold, Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they came and grabbed His feet” (Matthew 28:9). They hold on to Him so that what is said will be fulfilled: “I will hold Him and not leave Him.” The wife's body is weak, but her thoughts are courageous. “Big waters cannot extinguish love and rivers cannot drown it.” (Song of Songs 8:7). They were looking for the dead, but the hope of the Resurrection did not fade away. And the angel says to them: “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:5): not to the soldiers, but to you I say: “Do not be afraid.” Let them be afraid, so that when they find out by experience, they will testify and say: “Truly there was a Son of God” (Matthew 27:24). But you should not be afraid, because “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). “Go quickly, tell His disciples that He has risen,” etc. (Matthew 28:7), and they left with joy, filled with fear. Is this really written? The second psalm, announcing the suffering of Christ, says: “Work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:1). “Rejoice” for the sake of the Risen Lord, but “with trembling,” because of the earthquake, and for the sake of the Angel who appeared like lightning. 14. Although the bishops and Pharisees, with the help of Pilate, sealed the tomb, the wives nevertheless saw the Risen One. And Isaiah, knowing the cowardice of the bishops and the firmness of faith in the wives, says: “Women who come from disgrace, come: for men are not people who have meaning” (Is. 27:11). The bishops do not understand, but the wives see with their own eyes. And when the soldiers came to the city and announced to the bishops (high priests) about everything that had happened, they said, “Say that His disciples came at night and stole Him while we were sleeping” (Matthew 28:11:13). Isaiah, as if on their behalf, predicted this too: “Tell us flattering things, predict pleasant things” (Is. 30:10). The Risen One has risen, and with the donation of silver they convince the soldiers, but they will not convince the current kings. Then the soldiers betrayed the truth for silver, and now the kings, out of piety, erected this holy church of the Resurrection of God the Word, forged in silver and gold, in which we are now, and decorated it with jewelry made of silver and gold and expensive stones. “And if word of this reaches the ruler, we will convince him” (Matthew 28:14). But even if you convinced them, you cannot convince the universe. Why were those who followed Jesus Christ not condemned, just as the guards of the prison from which Peter came were condemned? Those were condemned by Herod, because, out of ignorance of the matter, they did not find an excuse for themselves, but these, knowing the truth and hiding it for silver, were saved by the bishops. But few of the Jews were convinced of this then, and the world submitted to the truth. Those who hid the truth hid themselves, but those who accepted it appeared, endued with the power of the Savior, Who not only Himself rose from the dead, but also raised the dead with Him. And on behalf of these resurrected ones the prophet Hosea clearly speaks: “He will revive us in two days, and on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before Him” (Hos. 6:2). 15. Since the Divine Scriptures do not convince the rebellious Jews, but, having consigned to oblivion everything that is written, they dispute the Resurrection of Jesus, it would be good to object to them this way: on what basis, claiming that Elisha and Elijah raised the dead, do you dispute the Resurrection of our Savior? Is it because now we do not have such witnesses to what is asserted who would have lived then? Therefore, present such witnesses to what happened then. But this is written, and so is this. Why do you accept one and reject the other? That's what the Jews wrote. And the apostles were all Jews. So, why don't you believe the Jews? Matthew, who wrote the Gospel, wrote it in Hebrew. And the preacher Paul is “a Jew of Jew” (Phil. 3:5); and the twelve apostles were Jewish. Then fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were successively appointed from among the Jews. Therefore, on what basis do you accept yours and reject ours, even though this was written by your own Jews? 16. But someone will say: raising the dead is impossible. However, Elisha resurrected twice - both during his life and after his death. Moreover, we believe that the fallen dead man touched the dead Elisha and was resurrected; Why doesn’t Christ rise from the dead? But there the dead man who touched Elisha was resurrected, and the one who resurrected himself remained dead, as before; here our Dead was resurrected, and also many dead who had not touched Him were resurrected. For “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected and, coming out of their tombs after His Resurrection, entered the holy city,” obviously this one, in which we are now. “And they appeared to many” (Matthew 27.52:53). So, Elisha raised the dead man, but did not take possession of the universe; Elijah raised a dead man, but demons are not cast out in the name of Elijah. We do not speak as blasphemy to the prophets, but to magnify their Master more; Without condemning what is Old Testament, we praise what is ours, because it is also ours; On the contrary, we confirm our own by what is in the Old Testament. 17. But we also say: there a dead man, who recently ended his life, is resurrected alive; show us that it is possible for a dead man who is three days old to rise again, and it is possible for a buried person to rise again after three days. If we look for evidence of this, the Lord Jesus Himself gives in the Gospel, saying: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40). And if we examine the legend of Jonah, a strong similarity will emerge. Jesus was sent to preach repentance; Jonah was also sent for the same purpose. But he fled, not knowing the future, and Jesus voluntarily came to preach saving repentance. Jonah fell asleep on the ship, and “slept soundly while the sea was stormy” (Jonah 1:5); and at the time of Jesus’ sleep, according to the economy, the sea rose up, so that it could later know the power of the One who had fallen asleep. They said to him: “Why are you sleeping, get up, call on your God, maybe God will remember us and we will not perish” (6); here they say to the Master: “Lord, save us” (Matthew 8:25). There they said: “pray to your God,” and here: “save.” But Jonah says: “Take me and throw me into the sea, and the sea will be calm for you” (Jonah 1:12); and here He Himself “rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great silence” (Matthew 8:26). And Jonah was cast into the belly of the whale, and Jesus voluntarily descended to where the mental whale of death descended voluntarily, so that death would vomit those swallowed up by it, according to what is written: “I will redeem them from the power of hell, I will deliver them from death” (Hos. 13:14). 18. Since the word has led us to this, let us consider what is more difficult: should a buried man rise from the earth, or should a man not bend in the belly of a whale, having entered the inside of the animal, where there is so much heat? Who among the people does not know that there is such heat inside the womb that the bones that are consumed also rot? How did Jonah not rot in the belly of the whale, being there for three days and three nights? And when is the property of all people such that without this breathing of air we cannot live, as he was alive for three days without breathing this air? The Jews respond to this and say: God’s power descended on Jonah, languishing in hell. What of this? By sending down strength to His servant, the Lord grants him life, but He cannot grant it to Himself? If one thing is certain, then the other is also true. If that is not reliable, this is also unreliable. But for me, both are equally reliable. For I believe that Jonah was also saved, because “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). I believe that Christ also rose from the dead, for I have many testimonies to this in the Divine Scriptures, and in the activity of the Risen One, visible to this day, who alone descended into hell, but came out in a host of many. He descended into death, “and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep rose up” (Matthew 27:52). 19. Death was horrified when it saw that a new Someone had descended into hell, uncontained by the bonds there. Why, when you saw Him, were you afraid, “the gates of hell” (Job 38:17)? What unusual fear has taken hold of you? Death fled, and flight exposed fear. The holy prophets flocked together, and the lawgiver Moses, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and David, and Samuel, and Isaiah, and the Baptist John, who preaches and testifies: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another” (Matthew 11:3)? All the righteous who were consumed by death were redeemed, because the preached King was to become the Redeemer of good preachers. And after that, each of the preachers said: “Death! where is your sting? hell! where is your victory? (1 Cor. 15:55). We were redeemed by the Victorious One. 20. The prophet Jonah represented this Savior of ours, praying from the belly of the whale and saying: “I cried to the Lord in my affliction” and further: “from the belly of the grave” (Jonah 2:3). And although he was in the whale, he said about himself, who was in the whale, that he was in hell, because he was the image of Christ, who had to descend into hell. And after a few words, very clearly prophesying, he continues speaking on behalf of Christ: “My head (sank) into the clefts of the mountains” (6), while he was in the belly of the whale. What mountains contain you? I know, he says, that I am a prototype of the One who will be laid in a tomb hewn out of stone. And being at sea, Jonah says: “he descended into the earth” (7), because he bore on himself the image of Christ, who descended into the heart of the earth. And seeing how the Jews convince the soldiers to lie and say: “Say that you stole Him” (Matthew 28:13), the Prophet continues: “those who worship vain and false gods have forsaken their Merciful” (Jonah 2:9). For He who had mercy on them came, was crucified, and rose again, giving His venerable blood for the Jews and for the Gentiles. And they say: “Cry out that you have stolen Him, the one who keeps him is vain and false!” Isaiah also speaks about His Resurrection: “He will raise up from the dead a great Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20); and added “great” so that He would not be considered equal to the shepherds who preceded him. 21. Therefore, since we have prophecies, let us also have faith. Let those who fall in unbelief fall, because they themselves wish to do so. And you stood on the rock of faith in the Resurrection, and let not a single heretic convince you to speak blasphemously about the Resurrection. For the Manichaeans to this day maintain that the Resurrection of the Savior is dreamy, and do not listen to Paul, who writes: “who was of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3), and further says “from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead” (4). And he continues speaking to them again and says: “And do not say in your heart: who will ascend to heaven? or who will descend into the abyss, that is, to raise Christ from the dead” (Rom. 10, 6. 7)? And like this, warning, he also wrote in another place: “Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8). And again: “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and our faith is in vain. Moreover, we would also turn out to be false witnesses about God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise” (1 Cor. 15:14.15). And then he says: “But Christ rose from the dead, the firstborn of those who died (20) and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (5). For if you do not believe one witness, you have twelve witnesses. “Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time” (6). If the twelve do not believe, then let them accept the five hundred. “Then he appeared to Jacob” (1 Cor. 15:7), his brother, the first bishop here. Therefore, if such a bishop saw the Risen Christ Jesus in His former image, then do not you, His disciple, be an unbeliever. But you will say that Brother Jacob testified out of goodwill. “And last of all he appeared to me” (8), to Paul, to the enemy. What evidence of a preaching enemy is doubtful? Before I was a persecutor, but now I preach the Resurrection. 22. There are many witnesses to the Resurrection of the Savior. Night and the light of the full moon, because it was the sixteenth night from the new moon; and the stone of the tomb, which received Christ into itself, and this stone will confront the Jews, because it has seen the Lord; and the stone, then rolled away, and it, lying to this day, testifies to the Resurrection. And the angels of God who appeared testify to the Resurrection of the Only Begotten. Witnesses - Peter, and John, and Thomas and all the other apostles, some of whom came to the tomb and saw the grave clothes with which he was previously wrapped, lying there after the Resurrection, others touched His hands and feet, saw “ulcers of the nails”; nevertheless, collectively they received the saving breath and were granted the power to forgive sins by the power of the Holy Spirit; the wives who “grabbed” their feet and saw the great earthquake and the splendor of the Angel who was there, and the shrouds with which he was entwined and which he left behind when resurrected; and the soldiers and the silver given to them; and the most visible place, and this building of the holy church, built by the Christ-loving will of the blessed memory of Tsar Constantine and, as you can see, decorated. 23. Tabitha, raised from the dead in His name, testifies to the Resurrection of Jesus. How can one not believe that Christ has risen, when His name also raised the dead? The sea and the Resurrection of Jesus testify, as you heard before; the fishing of fish, and the “fire lying”, and the fish lying on it testify (John 21:9). Peter testifies, although he had previously denied three times, he also confessed three times and accepted the commandment to feed the spiritual sheep. To this day the Mount of Olives stands, and to this day, to the eyes of the faithful, it seems to point to the One who ascended on the cloud and to the heavenly gates of ascension. For he descended from heaven to Bethlehem, and from the Mount of Olives he ascended to heaven, there beginning his exploits for the sake of men, and here being crowned for his exploits. So you have many witnesses; before you is the place of the Resurrection; in front of you and lying to the east of us is the place of the Ascension; the angels who testified there were witnesses for you, and the cloud on which you ascended, and the disciples who came down from the mountain. 24. According to the order of the teachings of faith, it was necessary to speak about the Ascension, but the grace of God arranged that on yesterday Sunday you heard about this completely, as expected from our weakness. For, according to the vision of God's grace, the readings laid down at God's service contained the legend of the ascension of our Savior into heaven. What we said was said primarily for everyone and for the aggregate multitude of believers, but primarily for you. The only question is, did you listen carefully to what was said? For you know that the pursuit of faith teaches you to believe in HIM RISEN ON THE THIRD DAY AND ASSUCTED INTO HEAVEN AND SAT AT THE right hand of THE FATHER. Therefore, I think more that you remember the explanation, however, even now I will briefly remind you of what was said. Remember what is clearly written in the psalms: “God arose with shouts” (Ps. 47:6). Remember what the Divine Powers said to each other: “Lift up your heights, O gates” (Ps. 23:7). Remember what the psalm says: “He entered on high, he brought captivity captive” (Ps. 67:19). Remember what the Prophet said: “He has built His palaces on high in the heavens” (Am. 9:6), and everything else that was said yesterday in response to the objection of the Jews. 25. For when the Ascension of the Savior is disputed as something impossible, remember what was said about the transfer of Habakkuk. For if Habakkuk was carried by an angel, lifted up by the hair of his head, then much more than the Lord of the prophets and angels, having ascended on a cloud from the Mount of Olives, could by His own power ascend to heaven. Remember miracles similar to these, and respect the superiority of the miraculous Lord. For they were carried, but He carries everything. Remember that Enoch was transposed and Jesus ascended. Remember what was said yesterday about Elijah, that Elijah was taken on a chariot of fire; “The chariots of God are thousands of thousands” (Ps. 67:18). Elijah was taken to the east of the Jordan, but Christ was taken to the east of the brook of Cedar; and he is “as to heaven” (2 Samuel 2:11), and Jesus is to heaven; he said that the disciple would be given extra grace by the Holy Spirit, and Christ would impart to His disciples such an abundance of the grace of the Holy Spirit that they not only have Him within themselves, but by the laying on of their hands the communion of the Spirit is transmitted to believers. 26. And when you enter into such debates with the Jews, and when you overcome them by presenting the similarities, then proceed to the superiority of the glory of the Savior, namely, that they are servants, and He is the Son of God. So you will be reminded of superiority, reasoning that the servant of Christ “was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). For if Elijah reached to the first, and Paul to the third heaven, then, of course, the latter received a more preferable dignity. Do not be ashamed of your apostles, they are no worse than Moses, no lower than the prophets, they are high along with the high, even more perfect than the perfect. For Elijah was taken into heaven, and Peter has the keys of the heavenly kingdom, after it was said to him: “Whatever you have loosed on earth, it will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Elijah was taken only to heaven, and Paul (since it was fitting for Jesus’ disciples to receive abundant grace many times over) was caught up both into heaven and into paradise, “hearing unspeakable words, which it is impossible for a man to utter” (2 Cor. 12:4). But Paul descended again from the highlands, not because he was unworthy to remain in the third heaven, but so that, having enjoyed himself above human blessings and having descended with glory, he could preach Christ and, having suffered death for Him, receive the crown of martyrdom. I leave the rest of what was said yesterday as proof at the Sunday service, because one reminder is enough to teach intelligent listeners. 27. Remember also what I have repeatedly said about the Son being seated at the right hand of the Father, since in the exposition of faith the order follows: BOTH ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN AND SIT AT THE right hand of THE FATHER. Let us not go into inquisitive research about the quality of the Throne, because this is incomprehensible. We will not tolerate those who speak evil, as if the Son only sat at the right hand of the Father after the cross, resurrection and ascension into heaven, because he does not have the throne for success, but from birth (and begotten from eternity) sits with the Father. And before the Savior’s coming in the flesh, Isaiah, seeing this Throne, says: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted” (Isaiah 6:1) and so on. For no one had ever seen the Father, and who then appeared to the prophet was the Son. And the Psalmist says: “Thy throne is established from time immemorial: Thou art from everlasting” (Ps. 92:2). There is a lot of evidence about this, but since there is already a lot of time, we will be content with these. 28. Now, of the many things that have been said about the Son’s sitting at the right hand of the Father, little should remind you. Psalm 109 clearly says: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 109:1). The Savior in the Gospel, confirming what was said, says that David did not say this on his own, but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “How is it that David, by inspiration, calls Him Lord, when he says: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,” and so on. (Matthew 22, 43. 44) ?And the Acts of the Apostles says that per day. At Pentecost, “Peter stood with one ten” (Acts 2:14), and speaking with the Israelites, he mentioned this testimony in the 109th Psalm, citing his original words. 29. Similarly, the few other testimonies to which the Son is seated at the right hand of the Father should be recalled. In the Gospel of Matthew it is written: “Even I say to you: from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power,” and so on. (Matthew 26:64). In accordance with this, Peter also says in the epistle: “By the Resurrection Jesus Christ, who entered into heaven, is at the right hand of God” (1 Peter 3:21.22), and the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Romans says: “Christ Jesus died, but also rose again, He is also at the right hand of God” (Rom. 8:34), and in the Epistle to the Ephesians he said: “According to the action His sovereign power, which He exercised in Christ, raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand,” and so on. (Eph. 1, 19. 20); and the Colossians taught this: “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, then seek those things that are above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1); and subsequently to the Jews he says: “having made atonement for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3); and again: “To which of the angels did God say: Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (13)? And again: He, having made one sacrifice for all forever, always “sat down forever at the right hand of God, waiting then until His enemies are made His footstool” (10, 12:13); and again: “Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (12:2). 30. Although there are other testimonies about the sitting of the Only Begotten at the right hand of the Father, these are sufficient for us at the present time. Let us just remind ourselves again of the same reminder that it was not after coming in the flesh that he received this dignity of sitting, but always before all ages, the Only Begotten Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has the throne at the right hand of the Father. May the God of all Fathers of Christ and our Lord Jesus Christ, who descended and ascended and sits with the Father, preserve your souls and keep your trust in the Risen One unshakable and immutable; May He resurrect you, dead in your sins, for His heavenly gift; may he make you worthy to be caught up “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:17) at the time of need. And until that time of His glorious second coming comes, let him write the names of you all in the Book of the living, and having written them, let him not blot them out any more (as the names of many who fall away are blotted out); may he give you all the strength to believe in the Risen One and the Coming One again (but the coming one is not from the earth, be careful in this, man, because deceivers will come); who sits on the mountain and is present with us here, who sees both the measure and the firmness of faith in everyone. From the fact that He is no longer with us in the flesh, do not conclude that He is not with us in spirit. For he stands here in the midst of us, hears what we say about Him, sees the thoughts in you, tests the hearts and wombs and is now ready for those who are approaching baptism, and all of you, in the Holy Spirit, to lift up to the Father and say: “Here am I and the children whom God has given me” (Is. 8:18). Glory to him forever! Amen. 15th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “And He who comes with glory will be judged living and dead, of whose Kingdom there will be no end,” and about the Antichrist Reading from Daniel: “I saw at last that thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days sat down (Dan. 7:9). I saw in my visions at night, behold, with the clouds of heaven there came as it were the Son of Man” (13). 1. We proclaim the coming of Christ and not only; We also announce the second coming, which is in many ways superior to the first. This was proof of patience, and this bears the crown of the Kingdom of God. For with our Lord Jesus Christ everything, for the most part, is purely: and two births - one from God before the ages and the other from the Virgin at the end of the ages; and two condescensions - one not obvious, like rain (Ps. 71:6), and the other obvious, the future. At the first coming the priest was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger; in the second, he dresses “in light, like a robe” (Ps. 103:2). In the first, “he endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2); in the second, the one brought before him will come, glorified by the army of angels. Therefore, we do not stop at the first coming only, but we also expect the second. And just as in the first we exclaimed: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9), so we will also say in the second, because together with the angels, having gone to meet the Lord and worshiped Him, we exclaim: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9)\ The Savior comes not to be condemned again, but to judge those who condemned He who was previously silent during the trial (Matt. 26:63) as a reminder to the lawless who acted boldly at the cross will say: “You did this and I was silent” (Ps. 49:21). Then He came according to the economy, convincingly teaching people, and at the second coming, even if they did not wish, they would submit to His kingdom out of necessity. 2. And the prophet Malachi speaks about these two comings. “And suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, will come to His church” (Mal. 3:1) - this is the first coming. And he continues about the second coming: “And the angel of the covenant whom you desire, behold, he comes, says the Lord of hosts. And who will endure the day of His coming, and who will stand when He appears. For He is like a refiner’s fire and like a refiner’s lye, and He sits down to refine and purify” (Mal. 3:1-3). Soon after this the Savior Himself speaks from the Prophet: “And I will come to you for judgment and will be a speedy accuser of sorcerers and adulterers and those who swear falsely” (5), etc. Therefore, warning us, Paul says: “Whether anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, everyone’s work will be revealed, for the day will show it, because in the fire opens" (I Cor. 3:12.13). Finally, Paul also means two comings when he writes and says to Titus: “For the saving grace of God has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present age, waiting for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). You see that he named both the first thing for which we give thanks, and the second thing we expect. Therefore, in the confession of faith that we now proclaim, it is taught to believe in this way: IN HIM ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN, AND IN HIM SATCHED ON THE RIGHT HAND, AND IN HIM COMING WITH GLORY, SHALL BE JUDGED, ALIVE AND DEAD, HIS KINGDOM WILL HAVE NO END. 3. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ is coming from heaven, and will come with glory at the end of this world, on the last day, because this world will end, and this created world will be renewed again. Since corruption, theft, adultery and all kinds of sins “spread over the earth,” and blood with blood were mixed in the world (Hos. IV, 2), then so that this wonderful monastery does not remain filled with lawlessness, this world will pass away and be better. And if you want to have proof of what has been said, then listen to what Isaiah says: “And the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll of a book, and all their army will fall, like a leaf falling from a vine, and like a withered leaf from a fig tree” (Is. 34:4). And the Gospel says: “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven” (Matthew 24:29). Let us not mourn that we are the only ones dying. And the stars will die, but they will probably rise again. The Lord is shining the heavens, but not in order to destroy them, but to build them up again in a better form. Listen to what the prophet David says: “In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands; they will perish, but You will remain” (Ps. 101:26.27). Another will say: behold, he clearly says that the heavens will perish. But listen in what sense the Prophet said “they will perish.” This is also clear from what follows: “And they all will wear out like a robe, and You will change them like a garment, and they will be changed” (27). How destruction is attributed to a person according to what is said: “the righteous die and no one takes it to heart” (Is. 57:1), and meanwhile the resurrection is expected; so we wait, as it were, for the resurrection and heaven. “The sun will turn into darkness and the moon into blood” (Poil. 2:31). Let those who have converted from the Manichaeans come to their senses and no longer idolize the luminaries, and let them abandon the evil opinion that this sun that will be darkened is Christ. And also listen to what the Lord says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35), because creatures are not of the same dignity as the Master’s word. 4. Therefore what is seen will pass away and what is hoped for will come, something better than what is seen. But no one is curious about time. For it is said: “It is not your business to know the times or seasons which the Father has appointed in His authority” (Acts 1:7). Don’t you dare say decisively: it will happen then and don’t indulge in careless sleep. For it is said: “Watch, for at an hour when you do not think, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:42.44). But since it was necessary for us to know the signs of death and since we are waiting for Christ, so that we do not die in deception and so that the lying Antichrist does not mislead us, the apostles, moved by Divine will according to the economy, come to the true Teacher and say: “Tell us when this will be and what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age” (Matthew 24:3)? We expect that You will come again, but Satan is transformed into an angel of light, so protect us from worshiping someone else instead of You. And the Lord, having opened His divine and blessed lips, says: “Beware lest anyone deceive you” (4). And you, the listeners, as if seeing Him now with intelligent eyes, hear, and He says the same thing to you: “Beware lest anyone deceive you.” The word calls all of you to listen to what is said. For this is not a story about the past, but a prophecy about the future, about what will undoubtedly happen. And we do not prophesy on our own (because we are unworthy), but we carry out on Wednesday the spoken and written signs. Observe for yourself what has already been fulfilled and what still remains to be fulfilled and protect yourself. 5. “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name and say, I am the Christ, and they will deceive many” (5). This was partially fulfilled. For Simon the Magus and Menander and some other godless heresy leaders have already said this; others will say in our time or after us. 6. The second sign: “you will also hear about wars and rumors of war” (6). So what? Is there now a war going on between the Persians and the Romans in Mesopotamia? Will people rise up against people and kingdom against kingdom or not? “And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in places” (7). This has already happened. And again: “horrible sights and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11). “Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). 7. But we, the church people, will look for our church sign of the coming. The Savior says: “And then many will be offended, and they will betray each other and hate each other” (10). If you hear that bishops are going against bishops, and clergy against clergy, and laity against laity, and it even comes to blood, do not be embarrassed, because this was written in advance. Pay attention not to what is currently being done, but to what is written. If I, who teach you, perish, then do not perish with me. It is possible for the listener to be better than the teacher, and for the one who came last to become the first; because the Lord also accepts those who come at the eleventh hour. If treachery was found in the apostles, then why be surprised if brother-hatred is found in the bishops? But this sign applies not only to the leaders, but also to the people. For it is said: “and because iniquity abounds, the love of many will grow cold” (12). Will any of those present boast that they have unfeigned love for their neighbor? Doesn’t it often happen that the lips kiss, the face smiles, the eyes are joyful, but the heart plots and, uttering peace, prepares evil? 8. You also have the following sign: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (14). And as we see, almost the entire world is filled with the teaching of Christ. 9. What will happen after this? It is further said: “When you see the abomination that makes desolate, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the one who reads understand” (15). And again: “then if anyone tells you: here is Christ or there, do not believe it” (23). Fraternal hatred already gives room to the Antichrist. The devil is preparing schisms in people so that he can be accepted more conveniently when he comes. But let none of the servants of Christ, both here and everywhere, come to the enemy. The Apostle Paul gave a clear sign of him below when he said: “Until the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the church of God as God, showing himself to be God. Don’t you remember that while I was still with you, I told you this? And now you know what prevents you from revealing yourself to him in due time. For the mystery of iniquity is already in action, but it will not be completed until the one who now restrains is taken out of the midst. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the spirit of His mouth and destroy with the revelation of His coming, the one whose coming, according to the work of Satan, will be with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception of those who perish” (2 Thess. 2:3-10). Thus says Paul; now there is a retreat, because people have apostatized from the right faith, and some proclaim the Fatherland, while others dare to say that Christ was brought into being from those who do not. And before there were open heretics, but now the Church is filled with hidden heretics, because people have departed from the truth and have itching ears (2 Tim. 4:3.4). If the word indulges them, they listen with pleasure. And if there is a word about conversion, everyone turns away. The majority have retreated from right-wing teachings; they choose the bad rather than prefer the good. This is a “retreat”, therefore the enemy must expect it, and he has already begun to partially send his predecessors and is ready to come for the booty. Therefore, watch yourself, man, and guard your soul. The Church testifies to you now before the living God and speaks in advance about the Antichrist before his coming. Whether it will be with you, we don’t know, or after you, we also don’t know. But it is good for you to know this and be careful. 10. The true Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, will not come from the earth. If anyone comes creating ghosts in the desert, don’t come out. If they say: “Here is Christ or there,” do not believe it. Don't look down or at the ground anymore. The Lord will descend from heaven and not alone, as before, but in a numerous accompaniment, carried by darkness of angels, and not hidden, like rain on a fleece, but clearly, illuminating like lightning. For He Himself said: “For as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). And again: “And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and He will send His angels with a loud trumpet,” etc. (30.31). 11. But as before, when He was about to become man and when they expected His birth from the Virgin, the devil scattered his slander in advance, maliciously composing fables in idolatry about false gods giving birth and being born from women, so that, as he thought, because of the previous lie, the truth would also become incredible; so, when the time comes for the true Christ to come another time, the opponent, taking advantage of the expectation of simple-minded people and especially those who have been circumcised, will bring out a certain man, a sorcerer, very experienced in the art of deceiving with magical compounds and sorcery, who will take over the Roman kingdom, falsely call himself Christ and with this name will deceive the Jews awaiting the Anointed One, and those who are pagans will be attracted by magical dreams. 12. This Antichrist mentioned above will come when the times of the Roman kingdom are fulfilled and the end of the world is approaching. Suddenly ten Roman kings will rise up, reigning, perhaps, in different places, but at the same time, and after them the eleventh will be the Antichrist, who, with the help of magical art, will seize the Roman state for himself, destroy the three who reigned before him, already having the remaining seven under his power. At first, as a learned and intelligent man, he will feign modesty, chastity and philanthropy; signs and wonders, falsely performed with the help of magical charm, deceiving the Jews, as if the expected Christ, will subsequently seal this with all kinds of inglorious and lawless atrocities, so that he will surpass all the former unrighteous and wicked people before him, to everyone, especially to us Christians, having a bloodthirsty, cruel, merciless heart, filled with all deceit. But after three years and six months of indulging in such insolence, he will be destroyed at the second glorious coming from heaven of the Only Begotten Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus, the true Christ, who, having killed the Antichrist with the spirit of His mouth, will deliver him to the fire of Gehenna. 13. Let us teach this, not by inventing it with our own minds, but by learning it from the Divine and Church Scriptures, especially from the recently read Daniel prophecy, as Archangel Gabriel interpreted it, saying: “The fourth beast - the fourth kingdom will be on earth, different from all the kingdoms” (Dan. 7:23). This is the kingdom of Rome, as the church interpreters have betrayed to us. Since the first famous kingdom was Assyrian, and the second kingdom of the Medes and Persians together, and the third Macedonian, the fourth kingdom is the current Roman one. Then Gabriel, interpreting further, says: “Ten horns mean that ten kings will rise from this kingdom and after them another will rise, different from the previous ones,” that is, he will surpass not only ten kings, but also all of them, no matter how many there were before. “And he will destroy three kings” (Dan. 7:24). Obviously, from among the previous ten. Having humbled three of these ten, of course, the eighth will reign. “And he will raise words against the Most High” (25.), like a blasphemous and lawless man, who did not receive the kingdom from his fathers, but who delighted the power with magic. 14. Who is this? And by what force does it act? Interpret for us, Paul. And he says: “the one whose coming will be according to the work of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). And by this the apostle makes it clear that Satan will use the instrument, acting through it personally. For knowing that there will be no forgiveness for him at the trial, not through his servants, but he himself will finally openly raise a fight. In all kinds of “false signs and wonders,” because the father of lies performs deceitful deeds, so that the people think they see a dead man risen when he is not resurrected, and the lame walking when healing has not been completed. 15. And Paul also says: “The enemy exalts himself more than the spoken God or the sanctuary. “More than any god,” that is, the Antichrist will hate idols. “How should he sit in the church of God.” In what church? This means the devastated Jewish church. May it not be that this church in which we are understood will understand! But why are we saying this? Let them not think that we are speaking out of self-flattery. If the Antichrist comes to the Jews, like Christ, and wants worship from the Jews, then, in order to further seduce them, he will show great zeal for the church, instilling in himself the idea that he is from the line of David and that he should create a church built by Solomon. He will come when there is not one stone left on another in the Jewish church, as determined by the Savior (Matthew 24:2). When the fall from decay and destruction, which followed either under the pretext of creation again, or for other reasons, destroys all the stones, I mean not the outer walls, but also the inside of the church, where the cherubim were, then the Antichrist will come in all sorts of “false signs and wonders,” exalting himself above all idols, at first showing feigned love for mankind, and later revealing cruelty, especially towards the saints of God. For it is said: “I saw how this horn made war with the saints” (Dan. 7:21); and in another place: “And a time of trouble will come, such as never happened since men existed until this time” (Dan. 12:1). It will be a fierce beast, a great serpent, insurmountable for people, ready to devour them; We can say a lot about him from the Divine Scriptures, but for now we will be content with this for the sake of proportionality with the rest. 16. Therefore, the Lord, knowing the great strength of the enemy and condescending to the pious, says: “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:16). But if anyone recognizes in himself that he is truly strong and can resist Satan, then (I do not lose hope in the strength of the Church) let him become such and say: “Who will separate us from the love” of Christ? (Rom. 8:35) and so on. Let us bring ourselves to safety for the fearful, and let us stand firm for the courageous, “for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will ever be” (Matthew 24:21). But thanks be to God, Who will limit the greatness of sorrow to a few days! For he says: “but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (22). The Antichrist will reign for only three and a half years. We borrow this not from the apocryphal books, but from Daniel. For it is said: “And they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time” (Dan. 7:25). “Time” is one year in which it comes until its appearance; “times” - the remaining two years of lawlessness, included in three years, “and half a time” - six months. And in another place Daniel says the same thing: “And he swore by him that liveth forever, that unto the end of time, and times, and half a time” (12:7). In the same sense, others perhaps accepted the following: “one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (11); and: “Blessed is he who waits and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (12). Therefore, he must hide and run. For perhaps “you will not have time to go around the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:23). 17. Who is this blessed one who, out of piety, will then be a martyr for Christ? For above all the martyrs I place the martyrs of that time. The former martyrs fought against the same people. Under the Antichrist, they will wage war personally with Satan himself. And the former persecuting kings only killed, and did not imagine themselves raising the dead, did not dreamily show signs and wonders; here the motive for evil will be fear and deception, “so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Let it not occur to anyone of those times to ask: “What greater did Christ do?” by what power does this one create? If it had not pleased God, I would not have allowed this.” The apostle warns you and predicts “and for this reason God will send them strong delusion” (2 Thess. 2:11). He says “he will send” instead of allowing it to happen, and “he will send” not so that they will be justified, but “so that they will receive judgment.” For what? Because they did not believe in “the truth,” i.e., the true Christ, but favored “untruth” (12), i.e., in the Antichrist. This God also allows other persecutions, and then He will allow it not because it is impossible to prevent, but wanting, according to custom, to crown His ascetics like His prophets and apostles, so that, having labored for a short time, they would inherit the kingdom of heaven, as Daniel says: “But at this time all of Your people who are found written in the book (obviously, in the book of life) will be saved. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life, others to everlasting reproach and disgrace. And those who are wise will shine like the lights in the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever” (Dan. 12:1-3). 18. So be careful, man. You know the signs of the Antichrist, do not remember them yourself, but share them generously with everyone. If you have a child according to the flesh, instruct him, and if you gave birth to someone by announcement, warn him also so that he does not accept the false for the true. “For the mystery of iniquity is already at work” (2 Thess. 2:7). People's wars frighten me, church schisms frighten me; The mutual hatred of the brethren frightens me. Oh, if only this had been said, but God would grant that this would not happen to us! At least we'll be careful. And that's enough about the Antichrist. 19. Let us wait and prepare for the meeting of the Lord coming from heaven on the clouds. Then the angelic trumpets will sound. First, the dead in Christ will rise, the reverent of the living will then be caught up in the clouds, having received as a reward for their labors an honor that is higher than man, because they labored beyond human strength, as the Apostle Paul says in his epistle: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain will be caught up with them. We will be in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (7 Thess. 4:16.17). 20. Ecclesiastes knew about this coming of the Lord and about the end of the world and says: “Rejoice, young man, in your youth” (Eccl. 11:9); and then: “And remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your body” (10). “And remember your Creator, before difficult days came, before the sun and the light, and the moon and the stars were darkened, and those who look out of the window were darkened” (meaning the power of vision), “before the silver chain was broken” (indicates the combination of stars, because they are silver-shaped) “and the golden band was torn” (this means the golden-shaped sun, because the band is called from a famous flower, which has many ray-shaped leafy shoots all around). “And a man will rise at the crow of a rooster, and the heights will be scary to them, and horrors will be on the road” (Eccl. 12:1-6). What will they see? Then “they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 24:30), and “every tribe separately” will mourn (Zech. 12:12). And what will happen at the coming of the Lord? “And the almond tree will blossom, and the grasshopper will grow heavy, and the cypress tree will crumble” (Eccl. 12:5). But, as interpreters say, blooming almonds mean the end of winter. For then our bodies after this winter will give off a heavenly color. “And the grasshopper will grow heavy” is a winged soul clothed with a body. “And the cypress will crumble” - the wicked will be scattered like thorns. 21. You see how everyone predicts the coming of the Lord. You see how “the voice and the birds” know. What voice is this? Let's see. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a command, in the voice of the Archangels, and with the trumpet of God.” The Archangel will shout and say to everyone: “Arise to meet the Lord.” And the coming of the Lord is terrible. David says: “Our God comes, and not in silence: before Him is a consuming fire, and around Him is a mighty storm” (Ps. 49:3). According to the Scripture recently read, he will come to the Father “like the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13), and a river of fire will flow to test people. Those who have golden deeds will become brighter. But if anyone's work is like a reed and weak, it will be burned with fire. The Father will sit down, having on Himself “a robe as white as snow, and the hair of His head as pure wool” (9). This is said humanely. In what sense? The fact that He is the King of those undefiled by sins. For he says: “I will make your sins as white as snow and wool” (Isaiah 1:18). A. this is a sign of forgiveness of sins, or sinlessness. The Lord will come from heaven on the clouds, just as He ascended on the clouds. For He Himself said: “And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). 22. But what is the sign of His coming that the opposing force will not dare to imitate? It is said: “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (30). The true distinctive sign of Christ is the CROSS. The light-like sign of the cross precedes the King, who was previously crucified, of course, so that the Jews who were malicious and pierced Him before, when they saw Him, would cry “each tribe separately,” saying: “Behold, the one who was strangled, the One in whose face they spat; He Who was subjected to chains; The One Who, having been crucified, was first imputed to nothing! Where shall we flee from the face of Your wrath? - they will say. But surrounded by angelic armies, they will not be able to escape anywhere. Fear to enemies is the sign of the cross, and joy to friends who believe in Christ, or His preachers, or those who suffered for Him. Who then will be so blessed that he will turn out to be a friend of Christ? This glorious King, carried by the angels, co-throne with the Father, will not despise His servants; and, so that His chosen ones would not mingle with their enemies, “He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and gather His chosen ones from the four winds” (31). And He did not despise Lot alone; will He despise many righteous people? “Come, ye blessed, to my Father” (Matthew 25:34), He will say to those whom the cloud chariots will carry and the angels will gather. 23. But one of those present will say: “I am poor and perhaps I will then find myself weak on my bed; Or will I and I, the wife, be fed from the millstone (Luke 17:34.35), and will we not be despised?” Take heart, man. The judge is impartial “and will not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide matters by the hearing of His ears” (Isaiah 11:3). He will not prefer the learned to the ignorant or the rich to the poor. Although you are on the field, the angels will take you. Don’t think that he will only take landowners and leave you, the farmer. Although you are a slave, although you are poor, do not lament at all. He who has taken on the “form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7) will not despise slaves. If you are lying sick on a bed, it is written: “There will be two on one bed: one will be taken, and the other will be left” (Luke 17:34). If you, husband or wife, are put to the millstone out of need; If you have children and do not leave the millstone, then the “chained by courage” will not despise you. Whoever brought Joseph out of slavery and from prison to the kingdom will deliver you from sorrows, bringing you into the Kingdom of Heaven. Just be trustworthy, do only, strive only diligently. Nothing will perish. Every prayer, every psalmody is written down; every alms is written down; every post is written down; It is also written down if the marriage was maintained honestly; abstinence observed for God is also recorded; The very first crowns in this entry are given to virginity and purity: and you will shine like an angel. But just as you listened with pleasure to the good, so also listen with patience to the opposite. All your covetousness is written down, and all your fornication is written down; all your perjury, all blasphemy, all sorcery, theft, murder are recorded. All this will be written down, finally, if now after baptism you begin to do the same, because the former will be blotted out. 24. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31), look, O man, with how many witnesses will you enter the judgment seat. Then the entire human race will appear. Consider how numerous the Roman race is; count how many barbarians who are now still alive, and how many of them have died in a hundred years, count everyone from Adam to this day. This is a great number, but it is still small, because there are even more angels. They are ninety-nine sheep, and humanity is one hundredth sheep. The multitude of inhabitants should be inferred from the vastness of the place. The inhabited earth is like a point in the middle of this single sky. And the sky that embraces the earth has as many inhabitants as its breadth. The heavens of heavens are inhabited by an incomparably greater number. And if it is written: “thousands of thousands served Him, and ten thousand ten thousand stood before Him” (Dan. 7:10), then not because this is exactly the number, but because the prophet could not say a greater number. So, at the judgment then the Father of all is God with the co-seated Jesus Christ and the co-present Holy Spirit. The angel's trumpet will call all of us, carrying our deeds with us. And shouldn’t this alone make us shudder? In addition to considerable torment, man, consider it a punishment to be condemned in front of so many witnesses. Wouldn't it be better if we agreed to die more than once rather than fall under the condemnation of our friends? 25. Let us therefore be afraid, brethren, lest God condemn us, Who needs neither examination nor reproof to condemn us. Do not say: “At night I fell into fornication, or practiced magic, or did anything else, and not a single person was there.” You will be judged by your conscience. “And their thoughts are now accusing, now justifying one another, in the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret affairs of men” (Rom. 2:15.16). The terrible face of the Judge will force you to tell the truth, or rather, it will convict you if you do not speak, because you will rise up, clothed either with sins or with your righteous deeds. And the Judge Himself announced this. For Christ will judge. “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22), given, not depriving Himself of power, but Himself carrying out judgment through the Son. For the Son judges by the Father’s beckoning, because there is nothing else but one and the same thing – both the Father’s beckons and the Son’s beckons. So, what does the Judge say about whether you will or will not carry your deeds with you? “And all nations will be gathered before Him” (Matt. 25:32), because Christ must “worship every tribe of those in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth” (Phil. 2:10). “And he will separate them from each other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” How does a shepherd separate? Is it possible to consult a book, what is a sheep and what is a goat? Or does it separate by one type? Isn't a sheep revealed by a wave, and a goat isn't revealed by shaggy and coarse hair? So, if you are already clean from sins, then your deeds will subsequently become like a pure wave, and your robe will remain undefiled, and you will always say: “I have taken off my tunic, how can I put it on again” (Cant. Cant. 5, 3)? By your clothing it will be known that you are a sheep. And if you turn out to be hairy, like Esau, who was shaggy in hair and thin in heart, lost his birthright for food and sold his dignity, then you will be made hairy. But let it never happen that any of those present will lose grace and find themselves placed on the same side as sinners for bad deeds! 26. Judgment is truly terrible; what is proclaimed brings fear. The Kingdom of Heaven is coming and eternal fire is prepared. Therefore, another will ask: how can we avoid fire? And how to enter the Kingdom? It is said: “I was hungry, and you gave Me food” (Matthew 25:35). Remember this path. Now there is no need for allegory, let us just finish what has been said: “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35-36). If you do this, then you will reign with Christ. And if you don’t, you will be condemned. Therefore, begin to do this and remain in faith, so that when you are going to buy oil, you, like the foolish virgins, will not be left outside the closed doors. Do not rely on the fact that you have a lamp, but keep it burning. “Let your light shine”—the light of good deeds—“before men” (Matthew 5:16), and let not Christ be blasphemed for your sake. Put on incorruptible clothing, adorning yourself with good deeds. And what, according to God’s will, you have taken at your disposal, dispose of it for your benefit. Have you been entrusted with property? Manage it well. Have you been entrusted with a teaching word? Teach it the way it should be taught. Are you able to add the souls of those listening? Do it judiciously. There are many doors to good stewardship. If only none of us were condemned and rejected, if only we could boldly meet the eternal King Christ, reigning forever. For He who judges the living and the dead reigns forever, having Himself died for the living and for the dead. And as Paul says, “For to this end Christ both died and lived, that he might be Lord over the dead and over the living” (Rom. 14:9). 27. And if you hear anyone claiming that the kingdom of Christ has an end, then hate this heresy. This is the new head of the serpent that recently arose in Galatia. Someone dared to say that Christ will not reign after the end of the world; dared to say that the Word that came from the Father, having been resolved again into the Father, will no longer exist. He spewed such blasphemy to his own destruction, for he did not heed what the Lord says: “The Son abides forever” (John 8:35); did not heed what Gabriel said: “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:33). Consider what has been said: heretics today teach contrary to Christ. And Gabriel the Archangel taught about the eternal presence of the Savior. Therefore, who do you trust more? Isn't it Gabriel? Listen to the testimony of Daniel now offered: “I saw in the night visions, behold, like the Son of Man walked with the clouds of heaven, came to the Ancient One and was brought to Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all nations, nations, and languages ​​should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away and His kingdom will not be destroyed” (Dan. 7, 13, 14). Hold on to this, believe in this; Reject heretical teachings, because you have heard the clearest testimonies about the endless kingdom of Christ. 28. You have a similar testimony to this in the interpretation of that Stone, which was cut off from the mountain without hands, and is Christ according to the flesh. “And this kingdom will not be given to another nation” (Dan. 2:44). And David in one place says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever” (Ps. 44:7), and in another: “In the beginning You (Lord) founded the earth” (Ps. 101:26); and then: “they will perish, but You will remain” (27); and further: “but You are the same, and Your years will not end” (Ps. 101:28). Paul interprets these words about the Son. 29. And do you want to know what drove those who teach otherwise to such madness? They poorly read what was beautifully written by the Apostle: “For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet” (I Cor. 15:25). And so they say, when enemies are placed under His feet, He will no longer reign. But they say this is bad and senseless. For he who reigns has not yet overcome his enemies, will he not reign much more after he has overcome his enemies? 30. They also dared to say this: it is written that “when he puts all things under him, then the Son himself will be subject to him who put all things under him” (28). And this seems to show that the Son will be resolved into the Father. Therefore (oh, most wicked of all!) you, Christ’s creatures, will remain, but Christ, by whom you and all things were brought into being, will lose being? What blasphemous speech! How then will all things submit to Him? As something perishing, or as something abiding? Moreover, everything else that has submitted to the Son remains, but the Son, who has submitted to the Father, does not remain? But the Son will submit not in the sense that then he will only begin to obey the Father (He always does in everything “pleasing to Him” (John 8:29), but in the sense that even then he will be obedient, having unconstrained obedience, but spontaneous submission; because He is not a slave who would submit out of need, but a Son who submits out of will and out of love. 31. Let us interrogate them: what is the meaning of the words: “until (until)”, or: “even until”? For, having entered into competition with heretics, I will try to overthrow error with this very word. Since they dared to say that what was said: “until he put all his enemies under his feet” means His end, they dared to limit the eternal kingdom of Christ, and with their word to end the unceasing power, then we read a similar place from the Apostle: “however, death reigned from Adam to Moses” (Rom. 5:14). Did they really only die before Moses? Didn’t others die after Moses? Or did people no longer have death after the law? On the contrary, you see that the word “even” (however) does not define time; By this Paul further expressed that although Moses was a righteous and wonderful man, nevertheless, even though they did not sin like Adam by disobedience in eating from the tree, the death sentence pronounced on Adam was extended to him and to those who lived after him. 32. Here is another similar saying: “until now, when they read Moses, a veil lies over their hearts” (2 Cor. 3:15). Does the expression “until now” only mean until Paul? Doesn’t it mean both until today and until the end of time? Or Paul says to the Corinthians: (“Even to you) because we have reached even you with the gospel of Christ... we hope for your faith to increase... and further to preach the Gospel to you” (2 Cor. 10, 14 - 16), then you clearly see that the word “even” does not mean the end, but also implies something subsequent to that. Therefore, how should you understand this: “Dondezhe (how long) will he lay down his enemies”? As the same Paul says in another place: “But teach one another every day, as long as you can speak now” (Heb. 3:13), that is, always. Just as you should not make the beginning “the day of Christ” (Heb. 7:3), so do not allow anyone to talk about the end of the kingdom of Christ. For it is written “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom” (Dan. 3:100). 33. Having many other testimonies from the Divine Scriptures about the eternal kingdom of Christ, I will be content with what has been said for now, due to the late time of the day. You, listener, just worship this King, avoiding any heretical delusion. If the grace of God helps, then over time the rest of the teachings of faith will be offered to you. May the God of all keep you all mindful of the signs of the end of the world and always invincible against the Antichrist. The signs of the coming deception have been told to you, the signs of the true Christ, clearly descending from heaven, have been indicated. Flee from the false and wait for the true. The way has been shown to you, how to stand at the right hand during the judgment. Keep the tradition of Christ, adorning yourself with good deeds, so that you may boldly present yourself at judgment and inherit the kingdom of heaven. Through Christ and with Christ, glory to God with the Holy Spirit forever and ever! Amen. 16th catechetical word to those who are enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “and in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who spoke the prophets” Reading from the Epistle to the Corinthians: “I do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant about spiritual gifts” (I Cor. 12:1). There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit..." (4). 1. We truly need spiritual grace to talk about the Holy Spirit, and not only to say on our own something worthy of the Spirit (this is impossible), but even to comfortably repeat and convey what was said in the Divine Scriptures. For truly great fear is inspired by what is written in the Gospel, where Christ clearly said: “If anyone speaks a word against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the next” (Matthew 12:32). And one must often be afraid that, out of ignorance or out of imaginary reverence, by saying something inappropriate about the Spirit, one will receive condemnation. The judge of the living and the dead, Jesus Christ, said that there would be no abandonment. Therefore, if someone falls, what hope does he have left? 2. Therefore, may it be the work of the very grace of Jesus Christ to give strength both to us to speak without omission, and to you to listen with understanding, because understanding is needed not only by those who offer the word, but also by those who listen to it, so that when hearing one thing, they do not imagine something else in their minds. So, let us say only what is written about the Holy Spirit. If something is not written, let’s not be curious about it. The Holy Spirit Himself spoke the Scriptures, He spoke about Himself, whatever was pleasing to Him, or whatever we could accommodate. Therefore, let it be said that He spoke, but what He did not speak, we will not dare to talk about. 3. There is only one Holy Spirit, the Comforter, just as there is one God the Father, and there is no other Father, and just as there is one Only Begotten Son - the Word of God, and He has no brother; so there is only one Holy Spirit, and there is no Spirit equal to Him. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the greatest Power, He is Divine and unsearchable, because He is alive, intelligent, and sanctifies everything that God does through Christ. He enlightens the souls of the righteous; He is in the prophets, He is also in the apostles in the New Testament. May those who dare to separate the power of the Holy Spirit remain hated! One God the Father, Lord of the Old and New Testaments; there is one Lord Jesus Christ, prophesied by the prophets in the Old Testament and come in the New Testament; one Holy Spirit, who through the prophets preached about Christ, and after the coming of Christ descended and showed Christ. 4. Therefore, let no one separate the Old Testament from the New; Let no one say that another Spirit is there, and another is here, otherwise he will offend the Holy Spirit Himself, honored with the Father and the Son, and co-received during holy baptism in the Holy Trinity. For God’s only begotten Son clearly spoke to the apostles: “Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Our hope is in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We proclaim not three Gods, let the Marcionites be silent! On the contrary, together with the Holy Spirit, through the one Son, we proclaim one God. Faith is inseparable, piety is indivisible. We do not introduce division into the Holy Trinity, as others do, we do not allow fusion, as Sabellius did. But we piously know the one Father, Who sent us the Son as Savior, we know the one Son, Who promised from the Father to send the Comforter; we know the Holy Spirit Who spoke in the prophets, and in the form of tongues of fire descended on the apostles at Pentecost here in Jerusalem, in the high Apostolic Church. Because we have all the advantages. Here Christ descended from heaven; here the Holy Spirit descended from heaven. And indeed, it would be most fitting for us to speak both about Christ and Calvary on this Calvary, and to speak about the Holy Spirit in the Church above. But since the One who Descended there participates in the glory of the Crucified One, we will speak here about the One who Descended there, because piety is indivisible. 5. We intend to say, finally, something about the Holy Spirit and not to describe His hypostasis exactly (this is impossible), but only to show the various deviations of some in the teaching about Him, so that we ourselves, out of ignorance, do not get carried away by them. We intend to survey the paths of error so that we ourselves can follow the one royal path. If we now offer as a warning anything said by heretics, then it will be directed at their head and may we, who offer the word, and you, who listen, remain unharmed. 6. The heretics who encroach upon everything sharpened their tongues against the Holy Spirit and dared to speak blasphemous things, as Irenaeus wrote in his books about heresies. Some dared to call themselves the Holy Spirit himself, of whom the first Simon, the sorcerer mentioned in the Apostolic Acts, when he was rejected, dared to adopt such a teaching. But the wicked, the so-called Gnostics, spoke differently about the Spirit, and the lawless Valentians claimed something else. The wicked Manes dared to say that he himself was the Comforter sent by Christ. And others argued that there is another Spirit in the prophets and another in the New Testament. Great is their error, or better yet, great is their blasphemy. Therefore, hate such people, avoid those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit and for whom there is no remission of sins. What kind of fellowship with the hopeless are you, who will now be baptized into the Holy Spirit? If those who are in close relations and walk with a thief are subject to punishment, then what hope can one have for one who offends the Holy Spirit? 7. Let the Marcionites be hated, who excluded all Old Testament sayings from the New Testament. For Marcion, that atheist, who was the first to teach about three gods, knowing that the New Testament contains the testimonies of the prophets about Christ, was the first to cut off these testimonies taken from the Old Testament, so that the King would be left without witnesses. Let the above-mentioned Gnostics (scientists) be hateful only in name, but in reality they are filled with ignorance and dare to assert about the Holy Spirit what I do not dare to say. 8. Let the Catafriges and the culprit of evil Montanus and his two prophetesses, Maximilla and Priscilla, be hated. For this truly insane and frantic Montanus (and if he had not been frantic, he would not have said anything like that) dared to assert about himself that he, so pitiful, a man filled with all uncleanness and all lewdness, was the Holy Spirit. Sparing the chastity of the wives present, it will be enough to speak about this only in hints. Having occupied the smallest village in Phrygia, Pepuzu, and falsely calling it Jerusalem, Montanus killed the poor little children of his wives, crushing them into lawless food under the guise of the so-called sacraments. That is why the Montanists, although falsely, were called Christians in the same way as us, and we were suspected of the same during the persecution. And this one, full of all ungodliness and inhumanity, unrequitedly subject to condemnation, dared to call himself the Holy Spirit! 9. And the place of Montanovo, as mentioned above, was taken by the evil Manes, who from all the heresies gathered together all the bad ones and, having become the final ditch of destruction, having aggregated all the heretics instead of teaching, he composed and spread a new error and dared to claim that he was the Comforter whom Christ promised to send. But the Savior, uttering the promise, said to the apostles: “But remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). What now? Did the dead apostles really wait two hundred years for Manes so that they could then be clothed with power? And will anyone dare to assert that the apostles at that time were not filled with the Holy Spirit? It is written that “then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:17). Wasn’t this before Manes, wasn’t it many years before him? For the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. 10. Why was Simon the Magus condemned? Is it because he came to the apostles and said: “Give me this power, so that whoever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit” (19). He said “give me also” not the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, but “power” to sell to others what is unsaleable, and what he himself has not acquired. And he brought pieces of silver to the non-covetous, he brought it because he saw how they brought the price of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the apostles, but did not consider that those who trampled under foot the wealth brought to feed the poor were not giving the power of the Holy Spirit for a bribe. What do the apostles say to Simon? “Let your silver perish with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God with money” (20). You are the second Judas, because you hoped to buy the grace of the Spirit with pieces of silver. Therefore, if Simon, who wanted to accept power for a bribe, goes “to destruction,” then what is the wickedness of Manes, who says about himself that he is the Holy Spirit? Let us hate those worthy of hatred, let us turn away from those from whom God turns away. And with all boldness we will say to God about all heretics: “Should I not hate those who hate You, O Lord, and not be disgusted by those who rebel against You” (Ps. 139:21)? For there is also good enmity, as it is written: “And I will put enmity between you and her seed” (Gen. 3:15), because enmity with the serpent produces enmity against God and death. 11. So, let this be said by us about the rejected, finally, let us turn to the Divine Scriptures, drinking “water from our vessels” - the holy fathers “and from our wells of the spring” (Prov. 5:15), drinking “living water” (John 7:38), “flowing into eternal life” (John 4:14): “this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him would receive” (John 7:39). For look at what he says: “whoever believes in Me,” not simply, but “as it is said in the Scripture” (referring you to the Old Testament), “out of his belly will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38), not sensual rivers that fill only the earth, which produces thorns and trees, but rivers that enlighten souls. And in another place he says: “But the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (4:14). This is new water, living and flowing for the worthy. 12. And why did he call spiritual grace water? Because everything is made up of water, because water has plant and life-giving power in itself, because rainwater descends from heaven, because although it descends in one form, it produces various actions. One source waters the whole garden, the same rain in the whole world, but it becomes white in the lily, scarlet in the rose, purple in violets and hyacinths, different and multi-colored in all kinds of plants. He is different in the date, different in the bunch of grapes, and he is all in all, yet he is one in himself, and not different from himself. The rain does not change and does not fall one way or another, but when applied to the structure of those who receive it, it is useful to every thing. So the Holy Spirit, one, unique and indivisible, shares grace with everyone “as He wills” (I Cor. 12:11). And just as a dry tree, having received water into itself, bears shoots, so a sinful soul, through repentance having been granted the Holy Spirit, bears grapes of righteousness. The One Spirit, by the beck of God and in the name of Christ, produces many virtues. One's tongue uses the word of wisdom; another enlightens the soul with prophecy; to others he gives the power to drive away demons, and to others he gives the gift of interpretation of the Divine Scriptures. In others it strengthens chastity, in others it teaches almsgiving; teaches one to fast and strive, teaches another to neglect the physical, and prepares another for martyrdom; in others he produces something else, but He Himself is not different, as it is written: “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the benefit. To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another, gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diversities of tongues. Yet all these things are done by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He pleases” (I Cor. 12:7-11). 13. But since in the Divine Scriptures much and various things are written simply about the spirit, and there is a danger that others, out of ignorance, will not confuse the passages of Scripture, not knowing about which spirit what is written, it is good to now say, as a precaution, what Scripture calls the Holy Spirit. When Aaron is called Christ, David, Saul and others are also called Christs, but there is only one true Christ; So insofar as the name of spirit is given to different things, it is good to know who is actually called the Holy Spirit. Many things are called spirit. For an Angel is also called spirit; our soul is called spirit; and great virtue is called spirit; and an unclean act is called spirit; and the opposing demon is called a spirit. Therefore, hearing this, by the sameness of the name, it is not almost one for the other. Scripture says about our soul: “His spirit goes out, and he returns to his land” (Ps. 146:4). And about the same soul he also says: “He who formed the spirit of man within him” (Zech. 12:1). About the angels it is said in the psalms: “You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire” (Ps. 103:4). And about the wind it is said: “With the east wind You destroyed the Persian ships” (Ps. 47:8); and “as the trees of the forest shake with the wind” (Isa. 7:2); and “fire and hail, snow and fog, stormy wind” (Ps. 149:8). The Lord Himself speaks about good teaching: “The words that I speak to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63), that is, they are spiritual. But the Holy Spirit does not speak with the tongue, but has life in itself, and gives the power to speak wisely, and Himself speaks and converses. 14. And do you want to know what he talks and talks about? Philip, by revelation from an angel, took the path leading to Gaza, along which the eunuch was walking, and “The Spirit said to Philip: Come and dock with this chariot” (Acts 8:29). You see, the Spirit speaks aloud to Philip. And Ezekiel says this: “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and said to me: Say, thus says the Lord” (Ezekiel 11:5). And again: “The Holy Spirit said” to the apostles who were in Antioch: “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Do you see that the Spirit has life, separates, calls with authority? And Paul said: “Only the Holy Spirit bears witness in all cities, saying that bonds and tribulations await me” (Acts 20:23). For this is the good Sanctifier of the Church, the Helper, the Teacher, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, about whom the Savior said: “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have said to you” (John 14:26); because they are not different, but the same teachings of Christ and the Holy Spirit. He also testified to Paul in advance about what would happen to him, so that, having foreknowledge, he would be all the more complacent. This was noticed to you because of what was said: “The verbs that I spoke to you are spirit,” so that you understand what was said not about the speaking of the mouth, but about good teaching. 15. In Scripture, as we said, sin is also called spirit, but in a different and opposite sense, as for example when it is said: “the spirit of fornication led them astray” (Hos. 4:12). An unclean spirit, a demon, is also called a spirit, but with the addition of the word “unclean,” because in each case a name is attached to show the distinctive property of the spirit. If Scripture uses the word “spirit” about the human soul, it says with the addition: “the spirit of man.” If he calls the wind spirit, he says: “the spirit is stormy”; if he names sin, he says, “the spirit of fornication,” or, if he names a demon, he says, “unclean spirit,” so that in each case we know about whom the word is coming. Don’t suddenly conclude that what is being said is about the Holy Spirit. Let this not happen! The naming of this “spirit” is in itself vague; everything in general that does not have a gross body is called spirit. Since demons do not have such bodies, they too are called spirits. But there is a great difference. When an unclean demon attacks a human soul (may the Lord deliver from this every soul, both those listening and those not present here!), it attacks everything like a bloodthirsty wolf ready to devour a sheep. His coming is the most ferocious, suppresses feelings, darkens thoughts. His attack is lawless, it is the theft of someone else's property, because the demon is strengthened by someone else's body and wields someone else's weapon as if it were his own. He throws to the ground the one possessed by him, as if he belonged to one fallen from heaven, perverts the tongue, twists the lips: instead of words, a person has foam, he is darkened; His eye is open, but his soul does not see; the poor man suffers mortal convulsions before death. Demons are truly the enemies of humans, treating them vilely and mercilessly. 16. The Holy Spirit is not like that. Let this not happen! On the contrary, everything is directed by Him to the good and saving. And, firstly, His coming is gentle, the sensation is fragrant, the burden is very light. His coming is illuminated by rays of light and knowledge. He comes with the compassion of a sincere caregiver, because He comes to save, heal, teach, enlighten, strengthen, console, enlighten the mind, first in those who receive Him, and then through Him in others. And just as a person who was previously in darkness, and then suddenly saw the sun, his bodily gaze is enlightened, and what he did not see, he sees clearly, so the soul of one who has been honored to receive the Holy Spirit is enlightened, and he sees what he did not know and what is higher than man. His body is on earth, and his soul contemplates heaven, like Isaiah he sees the Lord, “sitting on a throne, high and exalted” (Isaiah 6:1); like Ezekiel he sees Jehovah on the Cherubim (Ezek. 10:1); like Daniel he sees “thousands of thousands and tens of them” (Dan. 7:10). A small man sees the beginning of the world and the end of the world, and the entire continuation of time in the middle, he recognizes the succession of kings, which he has not studied, because the true enlightener is with him. A person is confined within walls, but his power of knowledge extends far, and he sees what others are doing. 17. Peter was not with Ananias and Sapphira, who sold their property, but he was present with them in spirit and said: “Why did you allow Satan to put into your heart the thought of lying to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3) There was no accuser, there were no witnesses! How did Peter know what had been done? “What you owned was not yours, and what you acquired by sale was not in your power? Why have you put this in your heart?” (4). The unscripted Peter, by the grace of the Spirit, learned what the Hellenic sages did not know. You will see something similar to this in Eliseev. He healed Naaman’s leprosy for free, and Gehazi took the reward. He appropriated the award for the merits of others to himself. Gehazi takes the money and puts it in a dark place. But “darkness will not be darkened” (Ps. 139:12) from the saints. Elisha questions him upon his return. And as Peter asked: “Tell me, how much did you sell the land for?” (Acts 5:8), so he also asks: “Where does Gehazi come from?” (2 Kings 5:25). He is being questioned not because he did not know where he came from, but because he grieved about this “where he came from.” You came from darkness, and into darkness you will go. You sold the healing of a leper and you inherit leprosy. I fulfilled the command of Him who said to me: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8), but you sold grace. Take for yourself what brought about this sale. But what else does Elisha tell him? “Did not my heart work for you (2 Kings 5:26)” Here I was imprisoned in body, but the Spirit given to me from God saw also distant things; He showed me clearly what he had done elsewhere. You see how the Holy Spirit not only takes away ignorance, but also imparts knowledge. See how He enlightens souls. 18. Isaiah lived almost a thousand years and saw Zion like a tabernacle. The city was still standing, adorned with marketplaces, and clothed with glory, but the prophet says about it: “Zion will be plowed up like a field” (Mux. 3:12), which he predicted has now come true in our time. And then the accuracy of the prophecy; it is said: “and the daughter of Zion remained like a tent in a vineyard, like a hut in a vegetable garden” (Is. 1:8). And now the whole place is occupied by rows of vegetables. You see how the Holy Spirit enlightens the saints. Therefore, because of this naming, do not be carried away by anything else, but be precise. 19. If you sit and the thought of purity and virginity comes to you, this is the teaching of the Spirit. Doesn’t it often happen that a virgin runs away from the bridal chamber because the Spirit taught her virginity? Doesn’t it often happen that a famous person at the royal court despises wealth and rank, having been taught this by the Holy Spirit? Doesn’t it often happen that a young man, having seen beauty, closes his gaze, avoids seeing her again, flees from desecration? Why does this happen? you ask. From the fact that the Holy Spirit taught the soul of the young man. There is a lot of covetousness in the world, but Christians are not covetous. Why? According to the guidance of the Spirit. A truly precious gift is the Holy and Good Spirit. We are rightly baptized into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Man, while still wearing his body, fights many fierce demons. And often that demon, which many do not restrain with iron bonds, he alone subjugates to power with his prayerful words through the power of the Holy Spirit abiding in him. And a simple breath of the caster becomes fire for the invisible. This means that we have from God a great Supporter and Patron, a great teacher of the Church, a great Intercessor for us. We will not fear either demons or the devil. Because our Protector is greater than he; Let us only open the doors to this Defender. He walks around looking for those worthy, looking for someone to give gifts to. 20. He is called the Comforter, because He consoles, encourages, and helps our weakness. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed” (Rom. 8:26). Often someone is offended, unjustly scolded for Christ; he faces martyrdom; torture, fire, sword, beasts, the abyss threaten from everywhere, but the Holy Spirit inspires him, saying: “Trust,” man, “in the Lord” (Ps. 27:14): what befalls you is unimportant, but what is given to you is great; labor for a short time, and you will be with the angels forever. “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). The Spirit depicts to man the heavenly kingdom and also shows the “paradise of sweetness” (Gen. 2:15). And the martyrs, although their bodies, of necessity, stand before the judges, but by the strength of their spirit they are already in paradise and despise visible cruelties. 21. And do you want to know that the martyrs accomplish their feat by the power of the Holy Spirit? The Savior says to the disciples: “When they bring you into the synagogues before the rulers and powers, do not worry about how or what to answer or what to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that hour what you should say” (Luke 12:11.12). It is impossible to become a witness for Christ unless someone witnesses with the Holy Spirit. For if “no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12:3), then will anyone give his life for Jesus unless he is strengthened by the Holy Spirit? 22. Great, omnipotent and wonderful in gifts is the Holy Spirit. Count how many of you there are now, what number of souls there are here. He acts for the benefit of everyone, and, being in the midst of us, He sees the disposition of everyone, He sees the thoughts and advice, and what we say and what we think. What we have truly said is great, but even this is still not enough. For you, whose mind is already enlightened by the Spirit, consider how many Christians there are in this whole flock, how many there are in all of Palestine, and from this region stretch your thoughts to the entire Roman kingdom, and from it turn your gaze to the whole world, to the tribes of the Persians, to the Indian peoples, to the Goths, to the Sauromatians, Gauls, Spaniards; Moors, Libyans, Ethiopians, and so on. tribes unknown to us by name, because many of them remain with us without a name. And in every nation, pay attention to bishops, presbyters, deacons, monastics, virgins and other laity. And imagine the great Provider of gifts, Who in the whole world gives to someone pure, to someone eternal virginity, to someone mercy, to someone non-covetousness, to someone the power to drive out resistant spirits. How light illuminates everything with one ray; so the Holy Spirit enlightens those who have eyes. For if someone who is blind is not worthy of grace, then let him not blame the Spirit for this, but his own unbelief. 23. You have seen the power of the Spirit in the whole world; do not remain on earth any longer, but enter into what is above. Ascend to the first heaven and look there at such innumerable myriads of angels. And if possible, raise your thoughts higher. Look at the Archangels, look at the Spirits, look at the Powers, look at the Principalities, look at the Powers, look at the Thrones, look at the Dominions. The beginning is the leader given to them by God, the Teacher and Sanctifier of them all - the Comforter. Among men, Elijah, Elisha, and Isaiah have need of Him. Among the angels, both Michael and Gabriel have need of Him. Nothing created is equal to Him. All the generations of angels, all their armies, taken together, cannot be compared with the Holy Spirit. The all-good power of the Comforter overshadows all this. Angels are sent to serve, and the Spirit tests the depths of God, as the apostle says: “The Spirit penetrates all things, even the depths of God, for who among men knows what is in a man except the spirit of man that dwells in him. Likewise, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:10.11). 24. He preached about Christ in the prophets; He acted in the apostles; He seals souls in baptism to this day. And the Father gives to the Son, and the Son gives to the Holy Spirit. It is not I who say this, but the Lord Himself who says: “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father” (Matthew 11:27). And He also says about the Holy Spirit: “When He comes, the Spirit of truth,” and so on. “He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you” (John 16:13.14). The Father bestows all things through the Son and the Holy Spirit. Not other gifts of the Father, but others of the Son, and others of the Holy Spirit. For there is one salvation, one strength, one faith. There is one God the Father, one Lord, His only begotten Son, one Holy Spirit, the Comforter. And it is enough for us to know this; do not be curious about nature or hypostasis. If it were written, we would say, but what is not written, we do not dare to talk about it. For our salvation it is enough for us to know that there is a Father and a Son and a Holy Spirit. 25. This Spirit descended on the seventy elders under Moses. May the length of the word not be a burden to you, beloved. May He Himself, about whom we have a word, give strength to everyone, both to us, who offer the word, and to you, who listen. This Spirit, as I said, descended on the seventy elders under Moses. I tell you this with the intention of presenting you with proof that the Spirit knows everything and acts as He pleases. Seventy elders were chosen, “and the Lord descended in a cloud... and took of the Spirit that was on him (Moses) and gave it to seventy elders” (Num. 11:25). It is not the Spirit that is divided, but grace that is divided according to the acceptability and power of those who receive it. But sixty-eight elders gathered and they began to prophesy; Eldad and Modad did not come to the meeting. Therefore, in order to make it clear that it is not Moses who is the dispenser, but that the Spirit Himself is at work, and those who were called but did not come, and Eldad and Modad, also prophesy. Joshua, the successor of Moses, was amazed, and, having come, said to Moses: Have you heard that Eldad and Modad prophesied, who were called, and who did not come? “My lord, Moses, rebuke them” (28). I cannot forbid them, Moses answers, because grace is a heavenly gift. Moreover, I cannot forbid them, since I myself have a gift by grace. But I don’t think you said that out of envy. “Are you not jealous for me” (29), because they began to prophesy, but you still do not prophesy? Wait for time. “Oh, if all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would send His Spirit upon them” (29)? He also says this prophetically: “If the Lord would send,” that means now he has not yet sent, therefore you also do not have it yet. But did not Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph? Did not all who lived before this have? It is obvious that the words: “if the Lord would send” mean: he will give for everyone. Now grace is given in part, but then there will be an abundant giving of grace. And by this Moses made it clear what happened among us on the day of Pentecost. And before the Spirit came upon many. For it is written: “And Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, because Moses laid his hands on him” (Deut. 34:9). You see, everywhere, both in the Old and in the New Testament, the same way - under Moses, through the laying on of hands, the Spirit was given, and Peter, through the laying on of hands, gives the Spirit. And when you are baptized, grace will descend upon you. But I won’t say when it comes, because I don’t warn the time. 27. This Spirit descended on all the righteous and prophets, I mean Enos, Enoch, Noah and others, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. And the fact that Joseph had the Spirit of God in him was already clear to Pharaoh. You have heard many times about Moses and his miraculous actions performed by the Spirit. The most courageous Job also had this Spirit. All the saints had it, although not all the names are listed by us. He was sent at the construction of the tabernacle, and fulfilled the wisdom of the wise Bezaleel and others with him. 28. By the power of this Spirit, as we see in the book of Judges, Othniel judged, Gideon was strong, Jephaah defeated, Deborah’s wife fought, and Sampson, as long as he acted righteously and did not offend the Spirit, did what was higher than man. We have clear testimony about Samuel and David in the books of Kings, namely, that they prophesied by the Holy Spirit and were leaders of the prophets. And Samuel was called a “seer.” And David clearly says: “The Spirit of the Lord is in me” (2 Sam. 23:2), and in the Psalms: “And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 50:13); and again: “Let Your good Spirit lead me to the land of righteousness” (Ps. 142:10). And as we read in Chronicles, Azariah was partaker of the Holy Spirit under King Asaph (i.e. Asa) (2 Chron. 15:1); Jeziel under King Joasaphat (20:14), and another Azariah, stoned (24, 20. 21). Ezra says: “And You gave them Your good Spirit to guide them” (Neh. 9:20). And about Elijah, who was taken into heaven, and about Elisha - these spiritual men and miracle workers, if we do not say clearly, that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 29. And if anyone reads all the books of the twelve and other prophets, he will find many testimonies about the Holy Spirit. For Micah, on behalf of God, says: “But I am filled with the power of the Spirit of the Lord” (Mux. 3:8); Joel cries: “And it shall come to pass after this,” says the Lord, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh,” and so on. (Joel 2:28); and Haggai says: “And My Spirit dwelleth among you: fear not! For thus says the Lord of hosts” (Ag. 2, 5. 6); and similarly Zechariah: “But my words and my decrees, which I commanded (in Dus) to my servants the prophets” (Zech. 1:6), etc. 30. And the most powerful Isaiah says: “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of light and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and piety; and he will be filled with the fear of the Lord” (Is. 11: 2 – 3), and this shows that the Spirit is one and indivisible, but His actions are different. And again: “Behold the Child... I will put the Spirit on Him” (Is. 41:2); and also: “I will put My Spirit on Your descendants” (44:3); and again: “And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent me” (48:16); and again: “And this is My covenant with them, says the Lord My Spirit who is upon you” (59:21); and again: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, for the Lord has anointed Me” (61:1) and so on; and also in the sermon against the Jews: “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (63:10); and: “Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in his heart” (11)? And in Ezekiel, if you are not yet tired of listening to me, you have what was said before: “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and said to me: say, thus says the Lord” (Ezek. 11:5). The words: “attack me” (descended on me) should be taken in a good way as an expression of love, like Jacob, having found Joseph, “attacked his neck” (fell on his neck) (Gen. 46:29), and as in the Gospel, a loving father, seeing his son returning from a journey, took pity on him, “and ran, fell on his neck and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). And also from Ezekiel: “and he carried me away into Chaldea among the exiles, by the knowledge of the Spirit of God” (Ezek. 11:24). And you heard something else before in what was said about baptism: “And I will sprinkle you with clean water” (36:25) and so on. “And I will give you a new heart and a new Spirit (26); I will put My Spirit within you” (27); and again: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and the Lord brought me out by the Spirit” (37:1). 31. This Spirit made Daniel's soul wise, so that the young man could become a judge of the elders. The chaste Susanna is condemned as indecent, but there is no defender. Who would have stolen her from the elders? They lead Susanna to her death, and she is already in the hands of the executioners. But a helper appeared: the Comforter, the Spirit who sanctifies every rational being. Go, He says to Daniel, go, young man, reprove the elders who are sick with the sins of their youth. For it is written: “God stirred up the Holy Spirit of the young youth” (Dan 13:45); and let’s put it briefly: according to Daniel’s sentence, the chaste woman is saved. We present this for testimony, because now is not the time for interpretation. Nebuchadnezzar also knew that Daniel had the Holy Spirit. For he says: “Belteshazzar, chief of the wise men! I know that the Holy Spirit of God is in you” (Dan. 4:6). One thing Nebuchadnezzar said was true, and the other was false. That Daniel had the Holy Spirit is true. But he was not a prince of charms, because he was not a sorcerer, but the Spirit made him wise. So before this, Daniel interpreted to him a vision of an image, which the one who saw himself did not understand. For he says: tell me the vision which I, who have seen, do not understand. Do you understand the power of the Holy Spirit? He who sees does not understand, but those who have not seen know and interpret. 32. And indeed, very much could have been collected from the Old Testament and more extensively interpreted what was said about the Holy Spirit, but the time was short; Care must also be taken to ensure that what is offered is proportionate to the strengths of the listeners. Therefore, having been content for the time being with what has been presented this time from the Old Testament, let us turn, if God so deigns, to the remaining evidence from the New Testament in the next public discourse. May the God of peace, “through our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of the Spirit” (Rom. 15:20), vouchsafe all of you with spiritual and heavenly gifts. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. 17th Catechetical Discourse to those who are Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, in addition to the teaching about the Holy Spirit Reading from First Corinthians: “To one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit...” (1 Cor. 12:8). 1. In the previous public discourse, to the best of our ability, we offered to the ears of your love a small certain part of the testimonies about the Holy Spirit; in the present word, according to the will of God, as much as we are able, we will touch upon the remaining testimonies of the New Testament. Just as then, in proportion to the strength of those listening, we restrained the zeal that was not satisfied with the word about the Holy Spirit, so now we will say again a small part of what remains. For even now we sincerely admit that our weakness is overshadowed by many passages of Scripture, because even today we will not use human speculation in action, which is useless, but let us remember only the passages of the Divine Scriptures, which is safest of all, according to the word of the blessed Apostle, who says: “Which we proclaim not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Holy Spirit, comparing spiritual with spiritual” (1 Cor. 2:13). Let us act like travelers or swimmers who, having one goal on a long journey, although they hasten with zeal, however, due to human weakness, are accustomed to stop at various cities or marinas. 2. But although the conversations about the Holy Spirit are separate, He Himself is undivided, because He is one and the same. As in the words about the Father, the subject was unity of command, then they reasoned why he was called the Father or the Almighty, then they proved that He is the Creator of all things and the separateness of the catechetical words did not produce division in faith, because the goal of piety was and is one; and how, in words about the Only Begotten Son of God, we expounded the teaching, now about the Divine, now about man, dividing into many conversations what was taught about our Lord Jesus Christ, while proclaiming our undivided faith in Him; so now, having shared the catechumens about the Holy Spirit, we proclaim undivided faith in Him, because there is one and the same Spirit who divides the gifts “to each one individually, as He pleases” (1 Cor. 12:1). He himself remains inseparable. For there is not another Comforter, but another the Holy Spirit, but one and the same accepts different names, one living, independent, speaking and acting, one Sanctifier of all rational beings created by God through Christ, both Angels and men. 3. And so that from the various names of the Holy Spirit no one, out of ignorance, concludes that different spirits are named, and not one and the same, and, moreover, the only one, as a warning to you, the Universal Church, in confession of faith, committed you to believe in the one Holy Spirit who spoke in the prophets, from which you can know that although there are many names, there is only one Holy Spirit. And now we will talk about these names, having considered a few of many. 4. He is called the Spirit according to what was recently read: “to one is given the word of wisdom by the Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:8); is also called the Spirit of truth, as the Savior says: “When He comes, the Spirit of truth” (John 16:13); is also called the Comforter, as the Lord said: “If I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you” (7). And that one and the same thing is called by these different names is clearly proven by the following: the fact that one and the same thing is the Holy Spirit and the Comforter is said like this: “The Comforter is the Holy Spirit” (John 14:26). and about the fact that the Comforter and the Spirit of truth are one and the same, it is also said: “And another Comforter he will give you, that the Spirit of truth may be with you forever” (16); and again: “When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26). It is called the Spirit of God, as it is written: “and I saw the Spirit of God which descended” (Matthew 3:16); and again: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). It is also called the Spirit of the Father, as the Savior says: “for it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak in you” (Matthew 10:20); and also Paul: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father”; and further: “may He grant you to be strengthened by His Spirit” (Eph. 3:14 – 16). It is also called the Spirit of the Lord, as Peter said: “Why is it that you agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts 5:9)? It is called both the Spirit of God and Christ, as Paul writes: “But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Rom. 8:9). It is also called the Spirit of the Son of God, as it is said: “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son” (Gal. 4:6). It is also called the Spirit of the Lord, as Peter said, “searching to what and to what time the Spirit of Christ who is in them points” (1 Peter 1:11); and again: “through your prayer and the assistance of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:19). 5. Besides these names of the Holy Spirit you will find many others, for it is called the Spirit of Holiness, as it is written: “according to the Spirit of Holiness” (Rom. 1:4). It is also called the Spirit of sonship, as Paul says: “You did not receive the spirit of slavery to live again in fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, who calls: Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15). It is also called the Spirit of revelation, as it is written: “He gave you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him” (Eph. 1:17). It is also called the Spirit of promise, as the same Paul says: “In Him, having believed in Him, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (13). It is also called the Spirit of grace, when, for example, it also says: “and it offends the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29). It is also called by many other similar names. You clearly heard in the catechumen word that preceded this that in the Psalms it is sometimes called “good” (Ps. 143:10), sometimes “master” (50:14), and in Isaiah it is called the Spirit of “wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, knowledge and piety, and the fear of God” (Is. 11: 2 - 3). And all this, both before and now said, confirms that although the names are different, there is one and the same Holy Spirit, living and independent, always co-present with the Father and the Son; not spoken through the mouth and throat of the Father or the Son, or exhaled and spread in the air, but hypostatic, Himself speaking, and acting, and building, and illuminating, so that continuously, and accordingly, and onely there is a saving economy for us of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as we said about this before. For it is desirable for Me that you keep in mind what was said to you recently, and clearly know that it was not another Spirit who spoke in the Law and the Prophets, but another in the Gospels and the Apostles, but that one and the same Holy Spirit spoke the Divine Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. 6. This Holy Spirit descended on the Holy Virgin Mary. But since the one being born was the Only Begotten Christ, the power of the Most High overshadowed her, and the Holy Spirit descended on Her and sanctified Her, so that She could receive Him into Herself, “In Him all things were.” I don’t need to teach you in many words that this birth is undefiled and pure, because you have already been taught this. Gabriel tells Her: I am a herald, and not a contributor to what should be. Although I am an Archangel, I know my rank. The joy that is good news to You, but how You will give birth is not from my grace: “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” (Luke 1:35). 7. This Holy Spirit acted on Elizabeth. For He not only knows virgins, but He also knows those living in marriage, if only the marriage is according to the law. “And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:41), and this good servant prophesied and spoke about her Lord: “And where is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord came to me” (43)? This is how Elizabeth pleased herself! Having been filled with the same Holy Spirit, Zechariah, the father of John, prophesied, speaking about the many good things that the Only Begotten was preparing, and about the fact that John, through baptism, was His Forerunner. From this Holy Spirit, righteous Simeon, having the promise “not to see death until he sees Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:26), “receiving Him in his hand,” clearly testified about Him in the church. 8. And John, “from his mother’s womb” filled with the “Holy Spirit” (Luke 1:15), was sanctified for this purpose, to baptize the Lord, and not to be the Giver of the Spirit, but to preach the gospel about the Giver of the Spirit. For he says: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Why fire? Because in tongues of fire there was a descent of the Holy Spirit. About this, rejoicing, the Lord says: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish that it would already be kindled” (Luke 12:49). 9. This Holy Spirit descended when the Lord was baptized, so that the dignity of the baptized would not remain hidden, as John says: “But he who sent me to baptize in water said to me: on whomever you see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, he is the one who baptized with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). But look what the Gospel says: “the heavens were opened” (Matthew 3:16); “opened up” because of the high dignity of the Descendant. “And behold, it is said, the heavens were opened to Him, and John saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and descending upon Him” (Matthew 3:16), apparently by a self-propelled descent. For, according to the explanation of some, the firstfruits and privileged gifts of the Holy Spirit, imparted to those who are baptized, were to be communicated to humanity by the Savior, who bestows such grace. The Spirit descended in the form of a dove, as others say, perhaps in order to avoid Christ’s humanity, pure, gentle, truly promoting prayers for children being born and for the remission of sins; and this, as it were, predictably predicts that Christ will appear so clearly to everyone. For Scripture declares and says in Songs about the Bridegroom: “His eyes are like doves by the springs of water” (Song of Songs 5:12). 10. According to some, the dove of Noah partly represented the same image. For just as with him, through wood and water, there was salvation for people and the beginning of a new existence: “The dove returned to him in the evening, and behold, a fresh olive leaf was in his mouth” (Gen. 8:11), so, they say, the Holy Spirit descended on the true Noah, this Creator of the second being, into the unity of bringing will of every kind, the image of which was represented by the various properties of the animals that were in the ark. At His coming, mental wolves graze along with the lambs. His Church has among its flocks a bull, an ox, and a lion, just as to this day we see that worldly rulers are guided and taught by church teachers. Therefore, as some explain, the intelligent dove descended during baptism to mean that the same one is both the one who saves the faithful with the wood of the cross and the one who grants salvation through His death in the evening. 11. This, perhaps, should have been explained differently, but now let us listen to the sayings of the Savior Himself about the Holy Spirit. And he says: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). About the fact that this grace is from the Father, he says: “How much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13). And about the fact that God should be worshiped in spirit, he says: “But the time is coming and has already come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is looking for such worshipers for Himself. God is Spirit: and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23.24). And again: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God... and soon after this: therefore I say to you: every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven to men, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven to men; if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; But if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the next” (Matthew 12:28.31.32). And he also says: “And I will pray the Father and give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:16.17). And he also says: “I spoke these things to you while I was with you, but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I told you” (John 14:25.26). And he also says: “When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me” (John 15:26). And the Savior also says: “For if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you, and when He comes, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment” (John 16:7.8). And also further: “And I have much more to say to you, but now you cannot bear it. When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but He will speak what He hears, and He will tell you the future. He will glorify Me, because He will take of Mine and proclaim it to you. Everything that the Father has is Mine, therefore I said that he will take of Mine and tell it to you” (John 16:12-15). Now I have read to you the saying of the Only Begotten Himself, so that you do not listen to the words of men. 12. The Lord gave the communication of this Holy Spirit to the Apostles. For it is written: “Having said this, he breathed and said to them: Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; on whomever you leave it, it will remain on him” (John 20, 22, 23). This is a secondary blow, because the original one was no longer effective due to voluntary sins. And with this the Scripture was fulfilled: “the destroyer will rise up against you; guard the strongholds” (Nahum. 2:1). Where will it “rise” from? From hell, for this is what the Gospel tells us, that it blew then after the resurrection. But although he now gives grace, he nevertheless promises to give even more generously and says to the disciples: “I am ready to give now, but the vessel does not yet contain it. Therefore, accept as much grace as you can handle for now, but expect great grace as well. But remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Now accept it in part, and then you will carry everything completely on yourself. For the one who receives often retains only part of what is given, but the one who puts on it is enveloped everywhere in the robe. Do not be afraid, he says, of the weapons and arrows of the devil, for you will bear on you the power of the Holy Spirit.” Remember what was said recently, that it is not the Spirit that is divided, but the grace given by the Spirit. 13. So Jesus ascended into heaven and fulfilled the promise, for he said to the disciples: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper” (John 14:16). They stayed in Jerusalem, awaiting the descent of the Holy Spirit, “and when the days of Pentecost had come” (Acts 2:1), here in this city of Jerusalem is our advantage, we are talking about benefits that were not revealed to others, but given to us. So, on Pentecost “he sat” (2), and the Comforter and Sanctifier of the Church descended from heaven, the ruler of souls, the helmsman of the overwhelmed, the enlightener of the lost, the hero of those who struggle, and the dispenser of crowns to the victorious. 14. He descended in order to invest with power and baptize the Apostles. For the Lord says: “A few days after this you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). This is not a partial grace, but an all-perfect power, for just as one who is immersed and baptized in waters is surrounded by waters everywhere, so they were completely baptized by the Spirit. But water washes the outside, and the Spirit, without excluding anything, baptizes everything to the inside of the soul itself. And why are you surprised? Take a sensory example, which in itself is small and unimportant, but useful for simple people. If fire, entering into rough iron, makes its entire composition fire, and the cold heats up, the black begins to glow; and if fire, being a substance and penetrating the substance of iron, acts so unhindered, then why are you surprised if the Holy Spirit enters the interior of the soul itself? 15. But so that the greatness of such descending grace would not remain unknown, it sounded like a heavenly trumpet. For “suddenly there was a noise, as if from a rushing strong wind” (Acts 2:2), signifying the coming of the gift to people to take the kingdom of God by force (Matthew 11:12). And the eyes saw the tongues of fire, and the ears heard the noise. “And the whole house where they were was filled” (2). This house has become a receptacle for spiritual water; the disciples sat inside it, and the whole house was filled. Therefore, they were completely baptized, according to the promise, with soul and body they put on the divine and saving robe. “And cloven tongues as of fire appeared to them, and one rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (2.3.4). They accepted fire into themselves, not a burning fire, but a saving fire, destroying the thorns of sins, but enlightening the soul. This fire will now come upon you, burn and destroy the thorns of your sins, but the precious treasure of your soul will again enlighten and give you grace, because even then it was given to the Apostles. And in the form of tongues of fire they “rested on them,” so that with these tongues of fire new spiritual crowns would be placed on their heads. Previously, a flaming sword blocked the entrances to the gates of heaven, but grace was restored with saving tongues of fire. 16. “And they began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (2:4). Peter and Andrew, Galileans, speak Persian and Median; John and the other apostles speak in every language with those who came from the pagans, for not only now did foreigners begin to gather to us from everywhere in great numbers, but they gathered even then. What kind of teacher is there who would teach those who suddenly did not study? It takes so many years, with the help of grammar and other sciences, to learn to speak well only in Hellenic, and not everyone speaks the same way, but a rhetorician may have time to speak well, but a grammarian sometimes will not speak well, and whoever has learned grammar does not yet know wisdom. But the Holy Spirit teaches many languages, which those taught by Him did not know at all. Truly, this is great wisdom! This is Divine power! What a comparison between their long-term ignorance and between this comprehensive, multilateral, extraordinary, sudden power to speak in all languages! 17. Confusion occurred in the multitude of those listening, a second confusion instead of the first, which served to the detriment of Babylon! For in that confusion of tongues there was a division of wills, because the thoughts were contrary to God, but here there is restoration and unification in thoughts, because what was sought was pious; what was the cause of the falling away became the cause of the return. That is why they marveled, saying: “How can we each hear our own language in which we were born” (Acts 2:8)? It’s not at all surprising if you don’t know this. For Nicodemus did not know the coming of the Spirit, and it was said to him: “The Spirit breathes where it wills, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8). Even if I hear His voice, I don’t know where it comes from, can I explain what He is in His hypostasis? 18. “But others mocked and said, “They are drunk on sweet wine” (Acts 2:13). Although they spoke the truth, they spoke it in desecration. For, indeed, this was new wine, the grace of the New Testament, but this new wine was from spiritual grapes, which had already bore fruit many times in the prophets and had vegetated in the New Testament. Just as in a sensual grape the vine always remains the same, but from time to time it bears new fruits, so the same Spirit, remaining what He is, and having repeatedly acted in the prophets, has now revealed something new and wonderful. Grace extended to the fathers, but here it is in abundance; there they partook of the Holy Spirit, and here they were completely baptized by Him. 19. But Peter, who received the Holy Spirit and knew Whom he received, says: “Men of Israel, you who read Joel but do not know what is written! “They are not drunk as you think” (15). They are definitely drunk, but not as you assume, but as it is written: “They are satisfied from the fatness of Your house, from the stream of Your sweets You will give them drink” (Ps. 35:9). They are intoxicated with a sober intoxication, which mortifies sin and gives life to the heart with an intoxication opposite to bodily intoxication. For this produces oblivion of the known, and this gives knowledge of the unknown. They are drunken, having drunk wine from the spiritual Vine, which says: “I am the vine, and you are the branches” (John 15:5). If you do not believe me, then understand from the time itself that I say to you, “for it is now the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:15). For He who, according to Mark, was crucified at the third hour, and now at the third hour sent down grace, and the grace of the Crucified One is not different and the grace of the One Who Sent It Down, but then the Crucified One and the Promised One has now fulfilled what he promised. And if you want to have a testimony, then listen: Peter says: “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit” (16:17). The word “pour out” meant abundant giving. “For God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand” (John 3.34.35). He gave Him the power to bestow upon whom He will the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and they will prophesy” (Acts 2.17.18). The Holy Spirit has no partiality, because it does not seek merit, but spiritual reverence, and let not the rich be puffed up, and let not the poor be humbled; May everyone prepare only themselves to receive heavenly grace. 20. Much has been said today, and perhaps our ears are already tired, but there is much more that remains to be said. And indeed, in order to teach the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, a new, third, and more than one catechetical word was needed. But excuse me on both counts. Since the holy holiday of Easter is approaching, our word lasted today and did not allow us to present those testimonies from the New Testament that were necessary. For about how the grace of the Holy Spirit acted in Peter and in all the Apostles, much remains with us in the book of the Apostolic Acts, much also remains in the conciliar and 14 Pauline epistles. From all this we will now try, as if from a great meadow, to collect a few flowers, for the sake of a single reminder. 21. By the power of the Holy Spirit, according to the will of the Father and the Son, “Peter stood with the eleven, lifting up his voice” (Acts 2:14), according to what was said: “Lift up your voice with power, you who bring good news to Jerusalem!” (Isa. 40:9), the spiritual nets of words caught “about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41). So great was the grace that acted in all the Apostles together that many of the Jews themselves who crucified Christ believed and were baptized in the name of Christ. “And they continued constantly in the teaching of the apostles and in prayer” (42). By the power of the same Holy Spirit again, Peter and John, ascending into the sanctuary to pray at the ninth hour, and in the name of Jesus, in fulfillment of what was said: “then the lame will leap like a deer” (Isa. 35:6), having healed at the red gate forty years from the womb of their mother the lame man (Acts 3; 1:2), the spiritual depth of the teaching was suddenly caught by five thousand who believed, and those who remained in They exposed the errors of the national princes and bishops and did this not with their own wisdom, because they were unlearned and unlearned people, but with the action of the Spirit. For it is written: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke to them” (Acts 4:8). And such great grace of the Holy Spirit through the twelve Apostles acted in those who believed that they “had one heart and one soul” (32), and their property served for the common benefit, because the owners reverently offered the price of their property, “and there was no one needy among them” (34). Ananias and Sapphira, who decided to “lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3), suffered a worthy punishment. 22. “By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were performed among the people” (Acts 5:12). And such abundant spiritual grace was poured out on the Apostles that, despite all their meekness, they were terrible. “No one from outside dared to approach them, but the people glorified them, and more and more believers joined the Lord, many men and women” (13:14). And the stacks were filled with sick people “on beds and beds, so that at least the shadow of Peter passing would overshadow any of them. Many from the surrounding cities also came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, who were healed” (15:16) by this power of the Holy Spirit. 23. The Twelve Apostles are thrown into prison by the bishops for preaching Christ; at night, an Angel miraculously frees them from there, and they, brought from the church to the judgment seat before the bishops, make a strict reproof for them when they speak to them about Christ and add to this that “God has given the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him” (32). And although the Apostles are beaten, “they go rejoicing” (41), and do not cease “to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ” (42). 24. But the grace of the Holy Spirit acted not only in the twelve Apostles, but also in the firstborn children of this once barren Church - I mean the seven deacons. For, according to what is written, they were chosen as “filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (6:3). Of these, the first fruit of the martyrs and corresponding to his name, Stephen, a man “full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people” (8), and also overcame the competitors, for “they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (10). Even slandered and brought to trial, he shone with rays of angelic light. For “all those sitting in the Sanhedreon, looking at him, saw his face like the face of an angel” (15). When, in his reasonable defensive speech, he denounced the “hard-headed Jews with uncircumcised hearts and ears,” who “always resist the Holy Spirit,” then he saw “the heavens opened,” saw “the Son of man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:51:55), and saw not with his own strength, but, as the Divine Scripture says, “he saw the glory of God and Jesus, standing at the right hand of God" (55). 25. By this power of the Holy Spirit, Philip once, in the city of Samara, in the name of Christ, cast out unclean spirits who were crying out “with a great cry” (Acts 8:7), healed the paralytic and lame, and brought to Christ a great multitude of believers, to whom Peter and John, having come to them, taught the communion of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands. And only Simon the Magus rightly turned out to be alien to this communication. Philip, once called on the path by the Angel of the Lord for the sake of the reverent Murin Eunuch, and having clearly heard the command of the Spirit Himself: “Come and dock with this chariot” (29), teaches this Murin, baptizes him and sends a preacher of Christ to Ethiopia, according to what is written: “Ethiopia will stretch out its hands to God” (Ps. 67:32), and he himself, raptured An angel, preaching the gospel in the following cities along the way. 26. Paul was also filled with this Holy Spirit when he was called by our Lord Jesus Christ. Let the reverent Ananias stand as a witness to what we have said, who in Damascus said: “The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the way you walked, sent me so that you could receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). And the Spirit immediately acted in Paul, replaced the blindness of his eyes with sight, and bestowed the seal of grace on his soul, made him a vessel and, having chosen the name of the Lord who appeared to him, “to proclaim before the kings and the sons of Israel” (15), and who was once a persecutor, he created a preacher and a good servant, who “from Jerusalem, even to Illyricum” fulfilled the gospel (Rom. 15:19), announced With the teaching of royal Rome, he extended his zealous preaching to Spain, performed thousands of feats, performed miracles and signs. But enough of this about him. 27. By the power of this Holy Spirit, the supreme Apostle, who has the keys of the heavenly kingdom, Peter, in Lydda, or present-day Diospolis, in the name of Christ healed the paralytic Aeneas, and in Joppa he raised the virtuous Tabitha from the dead. When in the upper room, being in horror, he saw “the heavens being opened” (Acts 10:11), then a vessel descending like a shroud, full of every kind and kind of animal, was clearly taught not to call a single person, even if he was a Greek, unclean or unclean. And when those sent by Cornelius were looking for him, they clearly heard from the Holy Spirit Himself: “Behold, three men are looking for you, get up, get down and go with them, not doubting in the least, for I sent them” (Acts 10:19.20). For an obvious indication that even Gentile believers are made partakers of the grace of the Holy Spirit, Scripture says about Cornelius and those who were with him that when Peter came to Caesarea and began to teach about Christ, “while Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit descended on all who heard the word” (44). Why did those who came with Peter from circumcision in surprise and horror say “that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles” (45). 28. Since the preaching of Christ began to have an effect in Antioch, the most famous city in Syria, Barnabas, “a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24), was sent from here to Antioch as an accomplice in a good deed. And he, seeing the many harvest of believers in Christ, brought with him to Antioch from Tarsus his associate Paul. And since the number of those gathered and taught by them in the Church became large, then “the disciples in Antioch for the first time began to be called Christians” (26). And I think that the Holy Spirit has placed on the believers this “new name” foretold by the Lord (Isa. 65:15). And after the most abundant spiritual grace poured out from God in Antioch, prophets and teachers appeared there, among them was Agabus. “As they served the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). And when hands were laid on them, “they were sent forth by the Holy Spirit” (4). It is obvious that the Spirit who speaks and sends, as we said, is alive, independent, and active. 29. This Holy Spirit, in agreement with the Father and the Son, decreed a new covenant for the universal Church, freeing us from the unbearable burdens of the law, I mean the regulations regarding the unclean and unclean, about foodstuffs, about Sabbaths and new moons, about circumcision, about sprinkling and sacrifices, which, having been given for a time, had a “shadow of future good things” (Heb. 10:1); upon the onset of reality itself, it is rightly reduced. For on the occasion of the question in Antioch, whether one should be circumcised and observe the custom of Moses, Paul and Barnabas were sent; and the Apostles, who were here in Jerusalem, freed the whole universe from everything legal and transformative by a written message. However, they did not assign themselves the authority in such a matter, but they confessed in writing in their letter: “For it pleased the Holy Spirit and us not to lay on you any burden other than this necessary: ​​to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and blood, and things strangled, and fornication” (Acts 15; 28:29). And by writing this, they clearly showed that although it was written by human Apostles, it is nevertheless a universal decree of the Holy Spirit, which Barnabas and Paul, having accepted, established in the whole universe. 30. Since the word has reached this far, I ask your love, or better yet, the Spirit who dwells in Paul, to apologize if, due to my weakness and your, listeners, fatigue, I could not express everything. For will I ever depict, as I should, the wonderful acts of Paul, through the action of the Holy Spirit, performed by Paul in the name of Christ in Cyprus over the sorcerer Elim, in Phrygia during the healing of the lame, and in Cilicia, in Phrygia, in Galatia, in Mysia, in Macedonia? Or - accomplished in Philippi, I mean the sermon, the expulsion in the name of Christ of the inquisitive spirit, and at night, after an earthquake, salvation was granted to the prison guard with his entire house in baptism? Or – Paul’s deeds in Thessalonica and preaching among Athens in the Areopagus? Or - teachings in Corinth and throughout Achaia? Or, how shall I properly describe what Paul accomplished in Ephesus through the action of the Holy Spirit, Whom those who lived there, not knowing before, knew through the teaching of Paul, and when Paul’s hands were laid on them and the Holy Spirit descended, “and they began to speak in other tongues and prophesy” (Acts 19:6)? So great was the spiritual grace in Paul that not only were they healed by his touch, but even “the handkerchiefs and aprons from his body” (12) healed illnesses and cast out evil spirits. And finally, “of those who practiced sorcery, quite a few, having collected their books, burned them in front of everyone” (19). 31. I pass in silence what happened in Troas with Eutychus, how he, “staggering sleepily, fell down from the third dwelling and was raised up dead” (Acts 20:9). I also pass in silence that prophecy to the elders of Ephesus, called to Miletus, in which Paul clearly said: “The Holy Spirit bears witness in all cities, saying that bonds and tribulations await me” (23), and by saying “in all cities,” he expressed that the miracles he performed in each city were performed by the action of the Holy Spirit at the beck of God in the name of Christ speaking in Paul. Urged by the power of this Holy Spirit, the same Paul hurried to this holy city of Jerusalem. Although Agabus prophesied by the Spirit about everything that would happen to him, he nevertheless preached with hope the conversation about Christ. Brought to Caesarea, in court hearings first before Felix, then before Hegemon Festus and before King Agrippa, Paul had so much grace of the Holy Spirit, all-conquering wisdom, that the King of the Jews Agrippa himself finally said: “You are not a little convincing me to become a Christian” (Acts 26:28). This Holy Spirit granted Paul also on the island of Melita that, having been bitten by a snake, he did not suffer harm and performed various healings of the sick. This Holy Spirit even led this preacher of Christ, who was once a persecutor, even to royal Rome, and there he convinced many Jews to believe in Christ, and clearly said to those who disagreed: “The Holy Spirit spoke well to our fathers through the prophet Isaiah” (Acts 28:25). 32. And that Paul and all the Apostles like him were filled with the Holy Spirit, and after them those who believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of one essence, listen to this: Paul clearly writes in his Epistles: “And my word and my preaching are not in convincing words of human wisdom, but in the manifestation of the Spirit and power” (1 Cor. 2:4) and again: “Who also sealed us” ( 1 Cor. 2:22); “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11); and also to Timothy he writes: “Keep a good deposit through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us” (1 Tim. 1:14). 33. And that the Holy Spirit is independent, and alive, and speaks, and predicts, we have spoken about this many times before, and Paul clearly writes to Timothy: “The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith” (7 Tim. 4:1). This is what we see in the schisms that not only existed before us, but also appeared in our time, since the error of heretics is varied and multiform. And he also says: “Which was not made known to the former generations of the sons of men, as it is now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 3:5); and also: “why, as the Holy Spirit saith” (Heb. 3:7); and again: “The Holy Spirit also testifies to you of this” (Heb. 10:15). And he also appeals to the champions of truth, saying: “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, through all prayer and petition” (Eph. 6:17.18); and again: “And do not get drunk with wine, from which comes debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:18:19); and again: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:13). 34. By all this and by an even greater number of passages that we have omitted, the independent, illuminating and effective power of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated to those who understand. For I will not have enough time to expound if I intend to cite the remaining testimonies about the Holy Spirit from the fourteen Pauline epistles, in which Paul taught us such a multifaceted, complete and pious teaching. May it be the work of the power of the Holy Spirit Himself to grant us forgiveness for what we have omitted due to the small number of days, and to impart to you, the listeners, the most perfect knowledge of what has been omitted, when the diligent among you learn this through frequent reading of the Divine Scriptures and from these present catechetical words and from those spoken by us before, having acquired firm faith in the one God the Father Almighty, and in the one Lord Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, and in Spirit of the Holy Comforter. This word and name “Spirit” is used in general in the Divine Scriptures: for it is said of the Father: “Spirit is God,” as it is written in the Gospel of John (4:24); and about the Son: “The breath of our life, the Anointed of the Lord” (Lamentations Jer. 4:20), as the prophet Jeremiah says; and about the Holy Spirit, as it is said: “The Holy Spirit is the Comforter” (John 14:24). But one must piously observe in one’s mind the order of the teachings of the faith and reject the error of Sabelli. Let us now return in a word to what is more necessary and what is more useful for you. 35. Be careful not to come to those who baptize, like Simon, hypocritically, while your heart does not seek the truth. Our job is to bear witness, and yours is to be careful. If you stand in faith, you are blessed. And if you fall into unbelief, from this very day, cast off unbelief and be convinced. During baptism, when you come to bishops, or to presbyters, or to deacons (grace is everywhere: in villages, and in cities, and in simple, and in learned, and in slaves, and in free, because the grace of God is not from people, but God's giving through people), come to the baptizer, but come, not paying attention to the face of the person you see, on the contrary, keep in mind this Saint The Spirit, about which the word is now. For He is ready to seal your soul and gives a seal with which the demons tremble, a heavenly and divine seal, as it is written: “And having believed in Him, they were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13). 36. But He tests the soul, “does not cast pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). If you are a hypocrite, then people will baptize you now, but the Spirit will not baptize. But if you have come by faith, then people serve in the visible, but the Holy Spirit gives the invisible. You come to a great test, so that in this single hour you will be included in the glorious army. If you ruin this hour, then the evil is incorrigible. If you are worthy of grace, your soul will be enlightened, you will receive strength that you did not have, you will receive weapons terrible for demons. And if you do not throw away your weapon, but keep a seal on your soul, then the demon will not approach, because he is afraid and, of course, “Demons are cast out by the Spirit of God” (Matthew 12:28). 37. If you believe, you will not only receive remission of sins, but you will do what is above man. But I would like you to be worthy of prophetic talent. For you receive as much grace as you can contain, and not as much as I say. You can tell me little and you can accept more, because faith is a vast purchase. The Comforter will always be your guardian, just as he will take care of you as his warrior, observing your comings and goings and those who plot evil. And He will give you all kinds of gifts, if you do not offend Him with your sins; for it is written: “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). Therefore, beloved, what does it mean to maintain grace? Be ready to receive grace and, having accepted, do not reject it. 38. May the God of all, who spoke by the Holy Spirit through the prophets, who sent Him here on the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Himself send Him now on you, by Him may He also protect us, showing common good to us all, so that we may always bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5; 22:23), about Christ Jesus our Lord. To them and with Him, and together with the Holy Spirit, glory to the Father, now and always and unto ages of ages! Amen. 18th Catechetical Word to the Enlightened, spoken without preparation in Jerusalem, on the words: “and into one, holy, catholic church, and into the resurrection of the flesh, and into eternal life.” Reading from Ezekiel: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and the Lord brought me out by the Spirit and set me in the midst of a field, and it was full of bones...” (Ezek. 37, I). 1. The hope of resurrection is the root of every good deed, because the hope of reward strengthens the soul for good deeds. Every worker is ready to endure labor if he foresees a reward for his labor, but for those who work without compensation, along with their body, their soul also loses strength. A warrior expecting rewards is ready to go to war, but none of those fighting under an unreasonable king who does not reward his work will be ready to die for him. Likewise, every soul, believing in the resurrection, rightly protects itself, but the one who does not believe in the resurrection betrays itself to destruction. He who believes that the body awaits the resurrection takes care of this robe and does not defile it with fornication, but he who does not believe in the resurrection indulges in fornication, using his body for evil, as if it were alien. Therefore, faith in the resurrection of the dead is a great message and teaching of the holy catholic Church; it is great and very necessary, it is disputed by many, but the truth confirms it. The Greeks dispute it, the Samaritans do not believe it, and heretics distort it. The objections are manifold, but the truth is uniform. 2. The Greeks, and together the Samaritans, tell us the following: a deceased person is bent and rotted, completely decomposed into worms, and the worms die. Such rottenness and destruction befell his body, so how can it rise? Those who were shipwrecked in the sea were devoured by fish, and they themselves were devoured. Bears and lions crushed and destroyed the very bones of those who fought the beasts. The flesh of the dead, cast down on the ground, was eaten by crows and kites and scattered throughout the world. Where will the body come from? Birds that ate flesh could die, some in India, some in Persia, others in Gothia. Others were burned in fire, and their very ashes were scattered by rain or wind; where will the body come from? 3. For you, a very small and weak person, India is far from Gothia and Spain from Persia, but for God, “who contains the whole earth in a handful” (Isa. 40:12), everything is close. Therefore, do not blame God for powerlessness, due to your weakness, but pay more attention to His power. Moreover, the sun, being a small work of God, warms the whole world with one burst of rays; and the air created by God embraces everything in the world; Is it possible that God, the Creator of both the sun and the air, is far removed from the world? Suppose that various seeds from fruits are mixed (for you who are weak in faith, I present weak examples), and that these various seeds are contained in one handful; Will it be difficult or easy for you as a person to discern what is in your handful, and to divide the seeds of each fruit according to its properties and put it aside for its own kind? Are you really able to discern what is in your hand, but the Lord cannot discern and restore what is within His hand? Consider what has been said; is it not wicked to deny it? 4. Pay attention to the very law of truth and enter into yourself. You have various servants, some are good and others are bad; You respect the good ones and beat the bad ones. And if you are a judge, then you praise the good and punish the wicked. Is it possible that justice is observed with you, a mortal man, but with God, the unsuccessive King of all, there is no righteous reward? To deny this is impious. For consider what I tell you: many murderers have died unpunished on their beds, where is the truth of God? It is not uncommon for a murderer who has committed fifty murders to have his head cut off one day; where will he be punished for forty-nine murders? If there is no judgment and retribution not in this world, then you accuse God of injustice. But do not be surprised that the trial is postponed for a long time. Every ascetic is crowned or put to shame at the end of the feat, and the ascetic never crowns those who are still ascetic, but waits until all the ascetics have finished their work, so that, having judged after this, he can assign rewards and crowns. Likewise, God, since the feat continues in this world, while He helps the righteous in part, will completely reward them later. 5. If, according to you, there is no resurrection of the dead, why do you condemn the grave diggers? If the body is lost and there is no hope of resurrection, why is the coffin digger punished? You see, although you deny with your lips, the consciousness of the resurrection remains unshakable in you. 6. A tree that has been cut will flourish again, but will a person who has been cut not flourish? What is sown and reaped remains on the threshing floor, but a man who is reaped in the fields of this world will not remain on the threshing floor? The branches of the vine and other trees, completely cut off and replanted, come to life and bear fruit, but the person for whom all this was created, having fallen into the ground, does not rise? Compared to the work, what is more important: to make again an idol that never existed, or to cast a broken one again as before? Is it possible that God, who created us from non-existence, cannot raise us up again when we already exist and are broken? Do you not believe what is written about the resurrection, like a pagan? Consider this in the very nature of things and judge by what has been seen to this day. Wheat or another type of seed is sown on occasion; the grain, falling into the ground, dies, rots and becomes unfit for food. But what is rotten rises up green, what falls small rises up beautiful. Wheat was created for us; for wheat and other seeds arose for our use, and not for themselves. Is it really possible that what was created comes to life for us after death, but we, for whom it was created, will not rise again when we die? 7. Now, as we see, it is winter time; the trees stand as if dead. For where are the leaves of the fig tree, where are the clusters of the grapes? But this, which is dead in winter, will turn green in spring, and when the time comes, as if the deadness itself will be restored to life. God, knowing your unbelief, in this, apparently, performs an annual resurrection so that, looking at the inanimate, you will be convinced of animate, rational beings. Moreover, often flies and bees, having suffocated in the water, come to life in time, and there are breeds of rats that, being motionless in the winter, rise up again in the summer. Since your concepts are low, I present you with the same examples. And He Who supernaturally gives life to unreasonable and despicable creatures, will He not give it to us, for whose sake He created those creatures? 8. But the Greeks also demand a clear resurrection of the dead and say: “if these creatures come to life, then they have not completely rotted.” The Greeks want to clearly see such an animal that would completely rot and be resurrected. God knew human unbelief and therefore created a bird called the phoenix. She, as Clement writes and as many narrate, being the only one of her kind and flying to the Egyptian country every five hundred years, indicates a resurrection that takes place not in desert places, where the secret would remain unknown, but in an open city, so that what is not believed becomes tangible. For, having made a nest for itself out of incense, myrrh and other fragrant substances, and after reaching certain years, having entered it, the phoenix clearly dies and rots. Then, from the rotted flesh of the dead phoenix, a certain worm is born, which, when grown, transforms into a bird. Do not consider this incredible, for you see that the offspring of bees are formed from worms, and you have also seen that feathers, bones and veins in birds come from eggs filled with moisture. Then, the above-mentioned phoenix, having fledged and become the perfect phoenix that it was before, ascends into the air in the same way as it died, showing people in the clearest way the visible resurrection of the dead. Although this phoenix is ​​a wonderful bird, it is still a foolish bird, and it never sang to God. He flies through the air, but does not know who is the only begotten Son of God. Is it really possible that an unreasonable animal, who does not know the Creator, has been granted resurrection from the dead, but we, who glorify God and keep His commandments, have not been given resurrection? 9. But since the sign of the resurrection, represented by the phoenix, is distant from us and rare, and the Greeks still do not believe, here is another proof for you from what is visible every day. In a hundred or two hundred years, where were all of us who speak and listen? Do you not know the first principle of our bodily composition? Don’t you know that we are born from something weak, without an image, monotonous? And from this one-type, weak thing, a person is formed; the weak, having become flesh, changes into the strength of the veins, into the clarity of the eyes, into the smell of the nose, into the hearing of the ears, into a spoken tongue, into a beating heart, into the activity of the hands, into the quickness of the legs, and into every kind of member. And this weak person becomes a shipbuilder, a builder of houses, an architect, an artist in every art, a warrior, a prince, a legislator, a king. Is it possible that God, having created us from imperfect substances, cannot restore us when we fall? Is it really impossible that someone who has formed a body from substances of the least value can again restore a dead body? Is it possible that the one who brought into being the non-existent will not restore the existing, but the fallen? 10. But here is clear proof of the resurrection of the dead, which is witnessed every month by the sky and the luminaries. The body of the moon, having reached the point of complete damage, so that not a small part of it is visible, is again replenished and restored to its previous form. And to complete the proof, the moon, after certain years, having eclipsed and clearly turned into blood, will again take on its light-like body, because God arranged this so that you, a man made of blood, would not remain an unbeliever in the resurrection of the dead, but what you see in the moon, you would believe it about yourself. Use these arguments against the Greeks. For fight those who do not accept the Scriptures with weapons borrowed not from the Scriptures, but only from conclusions and examples, because they do not know who Moses is, who Isaiah is, what the Gospel is, who Paul is. 11. Let us finally move on to the Samaritans, who, accepting only the law, do not accept the prophets. The present reading from Ezekiel will seem unworthy to them, because, as I said, they do not accept the prophets. Therefore, how can we convince the Samaritans? Let us turn to what is written in the Law. So, God says to Moses: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6), - and, of course, the God of those who have existence and independence. For if Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ended existence, it means that God does not exist. Did the king ever say that he is the king of warriors that he does not have? Have you ever pointed out wealth that you don’t have? Therefore Abraham, Isaac and Jacob must exist for God to be the God of existing. For he did not say: I was their God, but “I am God.” And that there is also judgment, Abraham speaks to the Lord about this: “Will the judge of all the earth act unjustly?” (Gen. 18:25). 12. But the still foolish Samaritans object to this and say: “It is possible for the souls of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to exist, but it is impossible for bodies to be resurrected.” But is it really possible for the rod of the righteous Moses to become a serpent, but it is impossible for the bodies of the righteous to come to life and be resurrected? Although this was supernatural, it happened, but this, although in accordance with nature, will not be restored? And Aaron’s rod, cut off, dead, without water (Job 14:29) vegetated, being under the roof, brought forth vegetation in the fields, lying in a dry place, produced in one night what grows in places irrigated for many years, and even gave fruit. Aaron's rod rose as if from the dead, but Aaron himself will not rise? God performed a miracle on the tree so that Aaron could maintain the high priesthood, but did not grant Aaron himself the resurrection? The woman is supernaturally made salt, and the flesh is turned into salt, but the flesh is not restored to flesh? Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, but Abraham's wife will not rise again? By what power did the hand of Moses change, which in one hour became like snow and again returned to its former state? Of course, this happened by God's command. Could it be that the command was strong then, but now it is not strong? 13. From what was man created at the very beginning, the Samaritans, the most foolish of all people? Turn to the first book of Scripture, which you also accept: “And God formed man from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7). Dust is transformed into flesh, but the flesh is not restored to flesh again? We may ask you: what are the heavens and the earth and the seas made of? What are the sun, moon, stars made of? How are the birds and fish out of the waters? How are all the animals from the earth? How many themes of creatures are brought from non-existence into existence? Can it be that we, humans, who have the image of God within us, will not be resurrected? Truly this is the fullness of unbelief, and great is the condemnation of the unbelievers! Abraham says to the Lord: “Judge of all the earth” (Gen. 18:25), but those who study the law do not believe. It is written that man is from the earth, but those who read it do not believe? 14. So this is for those who disbelieve, but we who believe have testimonies from the prophets. But since others, even using the prophets, do not believe what is written, because they use badly what is written well, and present to us what was said: “The wicked will not rise again for judgment” and: “So he who descends into the pit will not come out” (Job 7:9); and: “They will not praise Thee, the Lord, when they are dead” (Ps. 113:25), then it will be fitting for them, briefly and as much as possible now, to give such an answer. If it is said that the wicked will not rise for judgment, this means that they will rise not for judgment, but for condemnation, because God does not need a long investigation, but immediately after the resurrection of the wicked, their punishment will follow. And if Scripture says: “The dead will not praise You, Lord,” it means that since the period for repentance and remission of sins is given only in this life, then during this life those who have repented and accepted remission will praise You. And it is impossible for those who died in sins to be praised after death, as if they had been blessed, but they will complain, because it is natural for those who bring thanksgiving to praise, and for those who are tormented to complain. Therefore, the righteous will then praise, and those who have died in sins will no longer have time to confess. 15. As for what was said: “So he who descended into the underworld will not come out,” then consider the connection of speech. For it is written: “He will no longer return to his house” (Job 7:9:10), because the whole world has passed away, and every house is destroyed. How can he return to his home when the earth has become new and different? And those who objected should have heard what Job said: “There is hope for a tree that, even if it is cut down, it will live again, and branches will not stop coming out of it. Even if its root has grown old in the ground, and its stump has frozen in the dust, but as soon as it senses water, it gives off shoots and puts out branches, as if newly planted. And man dies and disintegrates; went away and where is he? (Job 14, 7 – 10) Job seems to be shaming, as if he is reproaching with these words, because it should be read interrogatively: “where is he”? Is it really possible, he says, that when a tree falls and is raised again, man himself, for whose sake the trees were created, will not be restored? And so as not to think that I am doing violence to speech, read the following. Having said interrogatively: “man dies and disintegrates; went away and where is he? continues: “When a person dies, will he live again?” and after this he adds: “On all the days of the time appointed for me, I would wait for my replacement to come” (14). And in another place he says: “And on the last day He will raise this decaying skin of mine from the dust” (Job 19:25). And the prophet Isaiah says: “Your dead will live, your dead bodies will arise” (Is. 26:19). The prophet Ezekiel, now read, says in the clearest way: “I will open your graves and bring you, My people, out of your graves” (Ezekiel 37:12). And Daniel says: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life; others to everlasting reproach and shame” (Dan. 12:2). 16. And many books of Scripture testify to the resurrection of the dead. For there are many other sayings about this. Now, as if for one reminder, let’s briefly talk about the four-day resurrection of Lazarus; We will also briefly say, due to lack of time, about the resurrected son of a widow. For one reminder, let it now be pointed out to the daughter of the arch-synagogue; let it be said that “the stones were scattered, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:51:52), after “the tombs were opened,” and most of all let it be mentioned that Christ rose from the dead. I passed in silence Elijah and the widow’s son whom he resurrected, as well as Elisha, who was resurrected twice both during his life and after his death. During his life, he performed the miracle of resurrection with his soul. But so that not only the souls of the righteous were honored, it became undeniable that power was also invested in the bodies of the righteous - the dead man, thrown onto the tomb of Elisha, touching the dead prophetic body, became alive: and the dead body of the prophet performed a deed befitting the soul. The deceased and the lying one imparted life to the deceased and, having imparted life, itself remained dead as before. For what? So that the miracle, if Elisha were resurrected, would not be attributed to one soul, and so that it would be obvious that in the body of the saints, when there is no soul in it, a certain power is invested for the sake of that righteous soul that lived in it for many years, which it served. And we will accept this with disbelief, and will not give room to the stupid thought that this did not happen. For if handkerchiefs and belts that were outside the body, touching the bodies of the sick, raised the sick, how much more could the very body of the prophet raise the dead? 17. And much could be said about this, explaining separately all the wonderful things in these events. But, due to your previous fatigue, and from the duration of the fast on Friday, and from the vigil, let this be said briefly and sown in a small measure, so that you, like the good earth itself, having received the seeds, will bear fruit to a greater extent. Let us remember that the apostles also raised the dead: Peter in Joppa to Tabitha; Paul in Troas - Eutyches, and all the other apostles, although not all the miracles performed by each of them have been written. Bring to mind everything that was said in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, which Paul wrote precisely in response to those who said: “how will the dead be raised and in what body will they come” (1 Cor. 15:35)? And also this: “If the dead are not raised, then Christ is not risen” (16); and also that he called the unbelievers crazy (36), finally, and all the teaching about the resurrection of the dead set forth in this place, and that he wrote to the Thessalonians: “I do not want you, brethren, to be ignorant about the dead, so that you do not grieve like others who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13), and everything that follows, especially this: “and the dead in Christ will rise first” (16). 18. Notice especially that Paul, almost pointing with his finger, says: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53). For this body will rise, and although it will not remain as weak, it will nevertheless rise and, clothed with incorruption, will be transformed like iron, having been in fire for a long time, it itself becomes fire, or better to say, as the resurrecting Lord knows this. Therefore, this body will rise, but will not remain the same, but will remain eternal. It will have no need for such food to support life, nor for ladders to climb, because it will become spiritual (44), something wonderful, such that we are not able to express it as it should. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun” (Matthew 13:43), “the moon and like the brightness of the firmament” (Dan. 12:3). And God, foreseeing human unbelief, gave to the smallest worms that their bodies shine with bright rays in the summer, so that what is visible assures us of what is expected. For whoever gives a part can give the whole. He who made the worm shine with light will make the righteous man even more luminous. 19. Therefore we will rise, and everyone will have eternal bodies, but not everyone will have the same ones. On the contrary, if someone is righteous, he will receive a heavenly body so that he can worthily dwell with the Angels. If anyone is a sinner, he will receive an eternal body, condemned to suffer punishment for sins, so that, burning forever in fire, it will never be destroyed. And God justly gives this to both, because nothing can be done by us without the body. We blaspheme with our lips and pray with our lips; we commit fornication with our bodies and keep our bodies pure; we steal with our hands and give alms with our hands, and likewise everything else. And therefore, since the body served us in everything, it will share the same fate with us in the future. 20. Therefore, brethren, let us take care of the body, and let us not abuse it, as if it were foreign to us. Let us not say, like the heretics: “this bodily tunic is alien to me.” On the contrary, let us take care of the body as property, because we must give an account to the Lord of everything “that we did while we lived on earth” (2 Cor. 5:10). Don’t say: “no one sees me,” don’t think that there is no witness to what is happening. Although often there is no person present; however, the Creator, the infallible witness, remains “faithful in heaven” (Ps. 89:38) and sees what is being done. Yes, and sinful defilements remain in the body. Just as after a deep wound on the body, although it may be healed, a scar still remains, so sin ulcerates the soul and body, and traces of the ulcers remain on both, but disappear only in those who take a water bath. Thus, God heals the previous ulcers of the soul and body with baptism, and from future ones, we will all be warned, so that by keeping this bodily tunic clean, we will not destroy our heavenly salvation through little fornication and voluptuousness, or some other sinful deed, but will inherit the eternal kingdom of God, which may God vouchsafe to all of you in His goodness! 21. And let this be said as proof of the resurrection of the dead. Let the statement of faith, again repeated by us, be pronounced by you with all care and imprinted in your memory from word to word. 22. And as the stated confession of faith, in order, contains the following: AND INTO ONE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE FOR THE RESTRICTION OF SINS: AND INTO ONE, HOLY, CATHLORIC CHURCH: AND INTO THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH AND INTO ETERNAL LIFE; We spoke about baptism and repentance in the previous catechumen words, and what was said now about the resurrection of the dead was spoken in the words: AND INTO THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH; then let it be said about other things, and for now about the words: AND INTO ONE, HOLY COLLECTIVE CHURCH. And although a lot can be said about the Church, we will express ourselves in a few words. 23. The Church is called conciliar because it is in the whole universe, from the ends of the earth to the ends of it, and because in generality and without any omission it teaches everything that should be part of human knowledge, dogmas about the visible and the invisible, about the heavenly and earthly; also because it subjugates the entire human race to piety, both superiors and subordinates, learned and unlearned, and finally, because how it universally heals and heals all kinds of sins committed by soul and body, how in it everything that is called virtue, of any kind, is acquired - both in deeds, and in words, and in every spiritual gift. 24. Church (Church in Greek “assembly”) is called in the true meaning of this word, because it gathers and unites everyone, as the Lord says in the book of Leviticus: “And gather the whole congregation to the entrance of the tabernacle of meeting” (Lev. 8:3). It is remarkable that the word “gather” is used for the first time in Scripture in this present case, when the Lord appoints Aaron to the high priesthood. And in Deuteronomy God says to Moses: “Gather the people to Me, and I will proclaim My words to them, from which they will learn to fear Me” (Deut. 4:10). The Church also mentions the name when it speaks of the tablets: “And on them are all the words that the Lord spoke to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of assembly” (Deut. 9:10), more clearly, on the day on which you, called by God, gathered together. And the Psalmist says: “I will glorify You in a great congregation, among a multitude of people I will praise You” (Ps. 34:18). 25. As the Psalmist sang before: “In your assemblies bless God the Lord, you are of the seed of Israel” (Ps. 67:27). But after the Jews were rejected from grace for malicious intent against the Savior, the Savior created from the pagans a second, our Christian, holy Church, about which he said to Peter: “And on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Prophesying about both of these Churches, David clearly said, both about the first, rejected: “I hated the congregation of the evil-minded” (Ps. 25:5), and about the second, the one being created, in the same psalm he says: “Lord! I have loved the habitation of Your house” (8); and soon after this: “In the assemblies I will bless the Lord” (12), for as soon as the one Church in Judea is rejected, the churches of Christ are multiplying throughout the entire universe, about which they are spoken of in the psalms: “Sing a new song to the Lord, His praise will be in the assembly of the saints” (Ps. 149:1). And according to this, the Prophet said to the Jews: “I have no favor with you, says the Lord Almighty” (Mal. 1:10); and soon after this: “For from the east of the sun to the west my name will be great among the nations” (11). Paul writes to Timothy about this holy catholic Church: “so that, knowing how we ought to act in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). 26. Since the name church (assembly) is used differently, just as it is written about the multitude at the Ephesian spectacle: “Having said this, he dismissed the assembly” (Acts 19:40); and the gatherings of heretics Marcionites, Manichaeans and others can in their own and true sense be called to everyone the church of the wicked, then therefore the very confession of faith carefully teaches us today: INTO ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC CHURCH, so that you run away from nasty heretical gatherings, and always abide in the holy catholic Church, in which you were reborn. And when you come to a city, don’t just ask: where is the house of the Lord? For even wicked heretics dare to call their dens houses of the Lord, and not simply: where is the Church?, but: where is the collective Church? For this is the distinctive name of this holy mother, common to us all, who is the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, for it is written: “Just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25); has the image and likeness of the Jerusalem above, “which is free: she is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26). She was previously barren, but now she has many children. 27. After the rejection of the first Church, in another Catholic Church, as Paul says, “God appointed, first, apostles, secondly, prophets, thirdly, teachers, then to others he gave miraculous powers, also gifts of healing, help, government, diversities of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:28) and every virtue of every kind, I mean wisdom and understanding, chastity and truth, alms and philanthropy, and insurmountable patience in persecution. She “with the weapon of righteousness in her right and left hand, in honor and dishonor” (2 Cor. 6:7), formerly in times of persecution and tribulation, she adorned the holy martyrs with speckled crowns of patience, and now in times of peace, by the grace of God, she receives due honor from kings, from rulers and from people of every rank and kind. And the kings of individual nations have limits of power, one holy catholic Church has unlimited power in the whole universe, because, according to what is written, “he establishes peace within your borders” (Ps. 147:3). If I intended to say everything about her, it would take more than hours to talk about it. 28. In this holy, catholic Church, both by studying and leading a good life, we acquire the Kingdom of Heaven and inherit eternal life, for the sake of which we undertake all our labor in order to be granted it by the Lord. For our goal is not unimportant, but we seek eternal life. Why, in the confession of faith after the words: AND IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH, that is, the resurrection of the dead, which we have already discussed, we learn to believe IN ETERNAL LIFE, for which we Christians strive. 29. Life in the true and true sense is the Father, who through the Son in the Holy Spirit exudes heavenly gifts to all. But according to His love for mankind, the promises of eternal life are not falsely proclaimed to us. And we should not doubt the possibility of this, because we must believe, looking not at our weakness, but at His power. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). And that this is also possible, that we expect eternal life, Daniel says: “And those who turn many to righteousness are like the stars forever and ever” (Dan. 12:3). Paul also says: “And so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17). And to always be with the Lord means eternal life. But the Savior says most clearly in the Gospel: “And these will go away into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). 30. There are many proofs of eternal life; For us who desire to acquire this eternal life, the Divine Scriptures also offer ways to acquire it. And about them, according to the length of the word, we will now offer a few testimonies, leaving others to be sought by the zealous. Sometimes it is said that eternal life is acquired by faith: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36); and the Lord Himself says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life” (John 5:24). Sometimes, what is gained by preaching the Gospel. For the Lord says: “Whoever reaps receives his reward and gathers fruit for eternal life” (John 4:36). Sometimes, what is acquired through martyrdom and confession of faith in Christ. For it is said: “He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life” (John 12:25). And one more thing that is acquired by Christ’s preference for property and relatives: “And whoever leaves brothers or sisters... will inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29); and keeping the commandments: “Do not kill, do not commit adultery” (18), and everything else, as the Lord answered the one who came and said: “Good Teacher, what should I do to have eternal life?” (16) and it is also said that eternal life is acquired by avoiding evil deeds and, finally, by serving God. For Paul says: “But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, your fruit is holiness, and the end is eternal life” (Rom. 6:22). 31. And there are many more ways to acquire eternal life, which we have not mentioned in abundance. For the Lord, the lover of mankind, opened not just one or two, but many doors for us to enter into eternal life, so that as much as this depends on Him, everyone could enjoy it without hindrance. For now, we have briefly said this about eternal life, which is the subject of the last and final teaching in the confession of faith. And, oh, if only, by the grace of God, we could all taste it, both those who teach and those who listen! 32. Finally, beloved brethren, the teaching calls on all of you to prepare your souls to receive heavenly gifts. About the holy and apostolic faith handed over to you in confession, in these past days of Lent, by the grace of God, we said as many censorious words as possible. I don’t claim that this is the only thing we had to say, because we have omitted a lot and, perhaps, understood it much more highly by more advanced teachers. But as the day of Holy Pascha arrives, on which your love will be enlightened in Christ by the washing of rebirth, then, if God wills, you will still be taught what is appropriate for you to know, namely: with what piety and with what decency those who are called should enter; why each of the holy sacramental acts of baptism is performed; with what reverence and with what order should you approach God’s holy altar after baptism and enjoy the spiritual, heavenly mysteries performed there, so that after your soul is enlightened by the word of teaching, you will know in detail the greatness of the gifts given to you by God. 33. After the holy and saving day of Easter, and precisely from Monday in the following days of the week, every day after the end of the service of God, coming to this holy place, if God wills, you will listen to other catechetical words and in them the reasons for each action performed will be explained to you again, evidence for this from the Old Testament will be presented. It will be said first about what happens just before baptism, and after that, how the Lord cleansed you “with the washing of water through the word” (Eph. 5:26), how you sacredly became fellow members in the name of Christ, and how the seal of fellowship of the Holy Spirit was given to you. And about the mysteries of the New Testament performed on the altar, which began here, you will hear what the Divine Scriptures convey about them, what their power is, and how to approach them, when and how to accept them. And at the end of all, if God deigns, it will be said how in the future you should behave worthy of grace, so that you can all enjoy eternal life. 34. “Nevertheless, brethren, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice” (Phil. 3:1; 4:4), “for your redemption is at hand” (Luke 21:28), and the heavenly angelic army awaits your salvation. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness is already heard: prepare the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). And the Prophet calls out: “Thirsty ones! Go, all of you, to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1); and after this: “Listen to Me attentively and eat what is good, and let your soul enjoy itself” (2). And soon you will hear a reading in which the good news is spoken: “Arise, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come” (Isaiah 60:1). About this Jerusalem the Prophet said: “Then they will say about you: a city of righteousness, a faithful capital” (Is. 1:26), because “from Zion will come the law and the glory of the Lord from Jerusalem” (2:3); from here it rained the whole universe. To this Jerusalem the Prophet says about you: “Lift up your eyes and look around, they are all gathering, coming to you” (Is. 60:4). And he answers, saying: “Who are these that fly like clouds and like doves to their dovecotes” (8)? They are “clouds” because they are spiritual; pigeons - because they are simple-hearted. And again: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen anything like this? Did the country arise in one day? Has a people been born at one time, like Zion, as soon as she began to suffer from childbirth, she gave birth to her sons” (66:8). Everything will be filled with unspeakable joy, because the Lord said: “For behold, I make Jerusalem joyful and her people joyful” (65:18). 35. But even now I would like to say about you: “Rejoice, O heavens, and be glad, O earth... for the Lord has comforted His people and had mercy on His sufferers” (Is. 49:13). This will be according to the love of God, who says to you: “Behold, the cloud of your iniquity is taken away, and your sins are darkened” (29:22). But you, about whom it is written: “And He will call His servants by another name (he will be blessed on earth), with which whoever blesses himself on earth will be blessed by the God of truth” (Isa. 65:15.16), having been worthy of the name of the faithful, say with joy: “Blessed is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3), “in By which we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He abundantly bestowed upon us” (7:8), etc. And again: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ” (2, 4:5). And likewise, let us praise the Lord of good things, saying: “When the grace and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not by works of righteousness which we had done, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the eternal hope. life" (Tit. 3, 4 – 7). “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him, and will enlighten the eyes of your heart” (Eph. 1, 17:18), and will always protect you in good deeds, words and thoughts. To him be glory, honor and power through our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, now and all the endless ages of ages! Amen. 1st secret word to the newly enlightened Reading from 1 Peter's conciliar epistle, beginning with the words: “be sober, be vigilant,” etc. until the end of the epistle (1 Peter 5; 8–14). 1. And first of all, I wanted to talk with you, sincere and longed-for children of the Church, about these spiritual and heavenly mysteries. But since he knew well that sight is much more accurate than hearing, he waited for the present time, so that after this experience, having found you more prepared for what would be said, he would bring you to the bright and fragrant meadow of this garden. Moreover, having been granted Divine and life-giving baptism, you have acquired greater acceptance of the Divine mysteries. Therefore, when we should already offer a meal of the most perfect teachings, we will teach you exactly this, so that you know what action took place on you on that evening of baptism. 2. First you entered the vestibule, the vestibule, where baptism is performed, and, facing the west, you heard and received the command to stretch out your hand, and you denied Satan as if he were before you. You need to know that this is prefigured in Old Testament history. For when Pharaoh, this fierce and cruel tormentor, oppressed the free and noble Jewish people, then God sent Moses to lead the Jews out of the bitter slavery of Egypt. And the thresholds were anointed with the blood of the lamb, so that the Destroyer would flee from the houses that had the sign of blood on them, and the Jewish people would be miraculously freed. But since the enemy pursued the liberated ones, and although he saw that the sea had miraculously divided for them, he nevertheless moved forward, following their very tracks, and he suddenly became bogged down and drowned in the Red Sea. 3. Now move from the Old Testament to the New Testament, from transformation to reality. There God sent Moses to Egypt; here Christ is sent down from the Father into the world. Moses is there to lead the oppressed people out of Egypt; Christ is here to deliver those who are burdened with sin in the world. There the blood of the lamb served as protection from the destroyer; here the blood of the “blameless Lamb Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:19) became a driving away of demons. That tormentor was chasing after that ancient people all the way to the sea, and this arrogant, shameless and evil demon was pursuing you even to these saving waters. This one is mired in the sea, and this one disappears into the saving water. 4. However, you hear the command with an outstretched hand, as if present, to say to him: “I deny you, Satan.” I want to explain to you why you stood facing west. This is necessary. Since the West is a place of visible darkness, and Satan is darkness, and has power in darkness, then as a sign of this, looking to the West, you deny him, the dark and gloomy prince. Therefore, what did each of you say as you stood facing the west? “I deny you, Satan, a fierce and cruel tormentor, that is, I am no longer afraid of your power, because Christ crushed it, having partaken of my flesh and blood, so that in them he would “abolish death by death,” and I would not be forever “guilty of work” (Heb. 2:15.16). I deny you, treacherous and cunning serpent; I deny you, slanderer, who, under feigned friendship, committed all kinds of lawlessness and instilled apostasy in our forefathers. I deny you, Satan, the author and accomplice of every vice. 5. Then the second saying teaches you to say: “and all your works.” And the works of Satan are every sin, which you need to beware of, just as someone who has escaped a tormentor, without a doubt, avoids his weapons. Therefore, every sin, according to its kind, is considered to be the work of the devil. Moreover, know that everything you said, especially in this terrible hour, is written down in the books of God. Why, as soon as you do something contrary to this, you will be condemned as a criminal. So, renounce the works of Satan, that is, all illegal acts and thoughts. 6. Then you say: “and all your pride.” And the pride of the devil is a passion for spectacles, horse races, hound hunting and all such vanity, for liberation from which the Saint says to God: “Turn away my eyes, so as not to see vanity” (Ps. 119:37). Do not be a passionate lover of spectacles, where you will see the lewdness of the actors, performed with insult and all sorts of shamelessness, and the frantic dancing of effeminate men. Do not become addicted to those who, on a dog hunt, give themselves up to animals to please their wretched belly, in order to serve their belly with dishes; they themselves, in the true sense, become the food of indomitable animals, and, to tell the truth, for their own god, that is, for the belly, they enter into single combat, endangering their lives. Run through the horse races, this crazy spectacle that plunges even souls into the abyss. For all this is the pride of the devil. 7. But even those exhibited at idol festivals, such as meat or bread, or anything else similar and defiled by the invocation of all-filthy demons, are counted among the pride of the devil. For just as the bread and wine of the Eucharist, before the holy invocation of the venerable Trinity, were simple bread and simple wine, and after the invocation, the bread becomes the body of Christ, and the wine the blood of Christ, so in like manner such dishes of satanic pride, being by their nature simple dishes, are desecrated by the invocation of demons. 8. After this you say: “and all your service.” And service to the devil is prayer in idol churches and everything done in honor of soulless idols: lighting lamps, or burning incense at springs, by rivers, as others, being deceived by dreams or demons, came to them, thinking to find healing from bodily suffering, or something like that. Don't interfere with this. Bird fortune-telling, divination, divination, or safety pendants, or inscriptions on tablets, magic or other evil tricks, and all the like constitute service to the devil. So run away from it. For if you fall into this after renouncing Satan and uniting with Christ, then you will know in the devil a fierce tormentor, who, perhaps, previously cared for you as his neighbor, and relaxed you in bitter slavery, but is now greatly upset by you. And you will lose Christ, and you will experience the malice of Satan. Have you not heard the Old Testament story that tells us about Lot and his daughters? Was he not saved with his daughters because he reached the mountain? And his wife “became a pillar of glory” (Gen. 19:26), as an eternal monument testifying to her evil will and reversal. Therefore, be attentive to yourself and do not turn back, putting your “hand on the forehead”, and then returning again to the glorious deeds of life, but run up the mountain, to Jesus Christ, to this stone, which was cut off without hands and filled the universe with Himself. 9. Therefore, as soon as you deny Satan, completely terminating every agreement with him and the ancient covenants with hell, the paradise of God opens up for you, which “the Lord God planted in the east” (Gen. 2:8), and from which our forefather was expelled for his crime. And as a sign of this, they turn you from the west to the east, to the land of the world. Then they command you to say: I believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and in one baptism of repentance, which was told to you at length in the previous catechumen words, as bestowed by the grace of God. 10. So, protected by these words, be sober, “for your adversary is the devil,” as recently read, “he walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). In the times preceding this, “death will be swallowed up forever”; but at the holy bath of rebirth, “the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces” (Isa. 25:8). For you will no longer mourn, having put off the old man, but will triumph, having put on the robe of salvation, Jesus Christ. 11. And this took place in the outer porch. When, by the will of God, in the following mysteries we enter the Holy of Holies, then we will recognize the significant actions being performed there. To God the Father be glory, power, and majesty with the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. 2nd secrecy word on baptism A reading from the Epistle to the Romans, beginning with the words: “Do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?... for you are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:3–14). 1. Daily secret teachings and new teachings that proclaim new things are useful to us, and even more useful to each of you, renewed from the old man into the new man. Therefore, I will offer you, if necessary, a continuation of yesterday’s secret teaching, in order to find out for you what was the sign of what you accomplished in the inner vestibule. 2. As soon as you entered, you took off your tunic, and this was an image of the fact that “you have put off the old man with his deeds” (Col. 3:9). And having taken off your tunic, you became naked, imitating the naked Christ on the cross and with this nakedness he stripped off the powers of the principalities and powers, and powerfully put them to shame, having triumphed over them in Himself (Col. 2:15). Since opposing forces were nesting in your members, it was no longer permissible for you to wear this old tunic, I mean, of course, not this sensual tunic, but “the old man, who is decaying in the lusts of deceitful desires,” in which let the soul that has once put off it no longer clothe itself, but let it say in the words of the bride of Christ in the Song of Songs: “My robe has been stripped off, as if Shall I dress in nude?” Truly a wonderful thing! You were naked before the eyes of everyone and were not ashamed, because you truly became like the primordial Adam, who was naked in paradise and was not ashamed. 3. Then, after taking off the tunic, you were anointed with conjuring oil from the upper hair of your head to your feet and became partakers of the good olive tree - Jesus Christ, because those who were cut off from the wild olive tree were accepted into the good olive tree and became partakers of the fat of the true olive tree. Therefore, the exorcism oil was a sign of the communion of the fat of Christ, the destruction of every trace of resistive force. For just as the breath of the saints and the calling of the name of God, like the most powerful flame, burns and drives away demons, so this exorcism oil, by invoking God and prayer, acquires such power that not only, by burning, erases the traces of sin, but also drives out all the invisible forces of the evil one. 4. After this you were brought to the holy font of Divine baptism, just as Christ was carried from the cross to the tomb laid before him. And everyone was asked: does he believe in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit? You made a saving confession and immersed yourself in water three times and emerged from the water again, thereby signifying and making clear the three-day burial of Christ. For just as our Savior completed “three days and three nights” in the womb of the earth (Matthew 12:40), so you depicted the first day by the first emergence from the water, and the first night of Christ’s sojourn in the earth by immersion. And just as he who is in the night sees nothing, and he who is in the days remains in the light, so you, in immersion, as in the night, saw nothing, but when you emerged from the water, you again seemed to be in the days. At the same time, you died and were born, and this saving water became both a coffin and a mother for you. And what Solomon said otherwise is fitting for you. For there he said: “A time to give birth, and a time to die” (Eccl. 3:2); about you it should be said the other way around: a time to die and a time to be born. At one time, both happened, and your birth became an accompaniment of death. 5. New and unusual thing! We die not in reality itself, and we are not buried in reality itself, and, having been crucified, we are not resurrected by the very act, but likeness occurs only in the image, and salvation in the thing itself. Christ was truly crucified, truly buried, and truly resurrected, and he gave us all this, so that, having partaken of His sufferings through His likeness, we might actually acquire salvation. What overwhelming love for humanity! Christ accepted the nails on His most pure hands and feet and endured the illness, but painlessly and effortlessly He grants salvation to me for fellowship in illness. 6. Let no one think that baptism is the grace of remission of sins only. On the contrary, we know for sure that just as it serves as a cleansing of sins and imparts the gift of the Holy Spirit, it also happens to be a faithful depiction of Christ’s suffering. That is why Paul, recently crying out, said: “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? So we were buried with Him through baptism into death” (Rom. 6:3.4). He said this to those who believed that although baptism imparts to us the remission of sins and the birth of sons, it does not yet have fellowship in the true sufferings of Christ through likeness. 7. Therefore, let us understand that everything that Christ endured, He suffered for us and for our salvation in reality, and not in appearance, and we become partakers of His suffering. Paul very clearly exclaimed: “For if we are united to Him in the likeness of His death, we must also be united in the likeness of His resurrection” (Rom. 6:5). It is beautifully said “planted” (united), for here the true Vine is planted, and by the communion of baptism of death we have become planted with Her. Turn your mind with all attention to the words of the Apostle. He did not say “united by death,” but “in the likeness of death.” For in Christ there was true death, His soul was truly separated from the body, and the burial was true, because His body was wrapped in a clean shroud, and everything that happened to Him was true. But in us there is one similarity to death and suffering; salvation is not a likeness, but the very reality. Having learned this enough, I ask you, keep this in mind, so that I can say about you, the unworthy: I love you, “that you remember everything that is mine and keep the traditions as I handed them down to you” (1 Cor. 11:2). But God is powerful, who presented you as living from the dead, so that you too may “walk in newness of life.” To him be glory and power now and forever! Amen! 3rd secret word about anointing Reading from the 1st Catholic Epistle of John, beginning with the words: “Nevertheless, you have the anointing of the Holy One and know everything... and you will not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (John 2:20-28). 1. Having been baptized into Christ and having put on Christ (Gal. 3:27), you have become “conformed” to the Son of God (Rom. 8:29), because God, who predestinated us “as sons” (Eph. 1:5), made us “conformed to the body of glory” of Christ (Phil. 3:21). Therefore, having become partakers of Christ (Heb. 3:14), you are rightly called anointed, and God said about you: “Touch not my anointed” (Ps. 104:15). You became anointed by receiving the image of the Holy Spirit. And everything about you is perfected in an image, because you are the image of Christ. Just as Christ, having washed himself in the Jordan River and imparted to the waters the fragrance of the Divine, came out of the waters, and there was a significant influx of the Holy Spirit on Him, because like rests on like, so it is necessary for you, who came from the font of sacred waters, to be given anointing, which represents the very thing with which Christ was anointed. And this is the Holy Spirit, about whom blessed Isaiah, in prophecy about Him, said on behalf of the Lord: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me” (Is. 61:1). 2. For Christ was not anointed by man, nor was he anointed with oil or bodily ointment, but the Father, who predestined Him to be the Savior of the whole world, anointed Him with the Holy Spirit, as Peter says: “God anointed Jesus, who was of Nazareth, with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:38). And the prophet David cried out, saying: “Your throne, O God, endures forever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore, O God, Your God anointed You with the oil of joy more than all Your companions” (Ps. 44; 7:8). And just as Christ was truly crucified, and buried, and resurrected, and you were honored in baptism to be likewise crucified and buried with him and to rise again, so in the discussion of anointing: He is anointed with the spiritual oil of joy, that is, with the Holy Spirit, which is called the oil of joy, because there is the wine of spiritual joy, and you, having communed with Christ and become partakers of Him, are anointed with myrrh. 3. But be careful not to think that this is the simple world. Just as the bread of the Eucharist, by the calling of the Holy Spirit, is no longer simple bread, but the body of Christ, so this holy ointment, by calling, is no longer simple, or, as another would say, ordinary myrrh, but the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit, made effective by the presence of His Divinity. The forehead and other instruments of the senses are anointed with it. And the body is anointed with the visible world, and the soul is sanctified by the Holy and Life-giving Spirit. 4. First, your forehead is anointed in order to free you from the shame that the first man who broke the law carried with him everywhere, and so that with “open face” you can look at the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). Then your ears are anointed to give you ears capable of listening to Divine mysteries, ears about which Isaiah said: “And the Lord give me an ear to hear” (Is. 50:4), and the Lord Jesus said in the Gospel: “Have ears to hear, that he may hear” (Matthew 11:15). Then the nostrils are anointed with myrrh, so that, having received the Divine ointment, I can say to you: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved” (2 Cor. 2:15). After this, the Persians were anointed so that, “having put on the armor of righteousness, you could stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6; 11:14). For just as Christ, having come forth through baptism and the influx of the Holy Spirit, overcame the opponent, so you, through sacred baptism and sacramental anointing, having put on the full armor of the Holy Spirit, resist the opposing force and overcome it, saying: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). 5. Having been granted this holy anointing, you are called Christians, justifying your name by rebirth. For before you were granted this grace, you were not in the true sense worthy of this name, but were only approaching the point of becoming Christians. 6. You need to know that in the Old Testament Scripture there is a sign of this anointing. For Moses, when he informed his brother of God’s command, appointing him high priest, then, having washed him with water, anointed him with oil (Lev. 8:6-12). And from this very representative anointing the high priest was called the anointed one. So the high priest, elevating Solomon to the kingdom, anointed him, having first washed him in Gihon (1 Kings 1; 38:39). But this happened to them symbolically, but to you it is not done symbolically, but in reality itself, because you are truly anointed with the Holy Spirit. The beginning of your salvation is Christ, because He is truly the “firstfruits” and you are the “mixture” (the whole). But if the “firstfruits” is holy, then holiness will come to the “mixture” (Rom. 11:16). 7. Keep this anointing undefiled, for if it remains in you, it will teach you everything, as you recently heard said by blessed John, who talks a lot about this anointing. It is holy and is spiritual protection for the body and salvation for the soul. Prophesying about him, since ancient times, blessed Isaiah said: “And the Lord will do with all his tongue: on this mountain (the Church also calls it a mountain in other places, as for example when he says (Is. 2:2): “And in the last days the mountain of the Lord will be revealed) - they will drink wine, they will drink joy, they will be anointed with myrrh" (Is. 25:6). And listen to what he says about this world as a mysterious one for your confirmation: “And he will destroy on this mountain the veil that covers all nations, the veil that lies on all nations” (Is. 25:7). Therefore, being anointed with this holy ointment, keep it undefiled and blameless in yourselves, abounding in good works and pleasing the Author of your salvation, Christ Jesus. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. 4th secrecy word about the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ Reading from Paul's letter to the Corinthians: “For I received from the Lord Himself what I also delivered to you...” (1 Cor. 11:23). 1. This teaching of Blessed Paul is sufficient to confirm your understanding of the Divine mysteries, which, having been vouchsafed, you have become stewards and half-blooded with Christ. For Paul himself recently cried out: “For in the night in which” our Lord Jesus Christ was betrayed, “he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it,” and gave it to His disciples, saying: “Take, eat, this is My body.” And having accepted the cup and giving thanks, he said: Take, drink, this is My blood (1 Cor. 11; 23-25). Therefore, if the Lord Himself definitely said about bread: “This is My body,” who will dare to doubt it after that? And if He Himself confirmed and said: “This is My blood,” who will doubt and say - this is not His blood? 2. He once in Cana of Galilee transformed water into wine resembling blood: is it not also plausible that he turns wine into blood? He, called to a carnal marriage, performed such an extraordinary miracle; will it not be considered beyond doubt that He grants the sons of marriage to eat His body and His blood? 3. Therefore, with all confidence, let us partake of this, both as the body of Christ and as the blood of Christ, because under the type of bread the body is given to you, and under the type of wine the blood is given to you, so that by partaking of the body of Christ and the blood of Christ, you may become a steward and one-blooded with Christ. This is how we become Christ-bearers, because the body and blood of Christ are communicated to our members. Thus, in the words of Blessed Paul, we are “divine partakers of nature.” 4. Once Christ, talking with the Jews, said: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you” (John 6:53). They, having not listened to what was said with spiritual understanding, were tempted and “went away from him” (66), thinking that eating the flesh was offering them in the true sense. 5. And in the Old Testament there were showbread, but they, like those of the Old Testament, met the end. In the New Testament there is the bread of heaven and the “cup of salvation” (Ps. 115:4), illuminating the soul and body. For just as bread becomes the body, so the Word becomes the soul. 6. Therefore, do not simply look at bread and wine, because, according to the Master’s saying, they are the body and blood of Christ. Although feeling presents you with bread and wine, let faith strengthen you. Do not judge a thing by taste, but by faith make sure that you have been made worthy of the body and blood of Christ. 7. Blessed David explains the power of the sacrament to you, saying: “You have prepared a table before me in the sight of my enemies” (Ps. 23:5). What he said has the following meaning: before Your coming, the demons prepared a meal for people, defiled, unclean, full of devilish power, but after Your coming, Master, “You prepared a meal for me.” When a person says to God, “He has prepared a table before me,” what else does it mean but the mysterious and spiritual meal that God has prepared for us “in opposition,” that is, in spite of and contrary to the demons? And quite rightly so. For in that meal there was communication with demons, and in this meal there was communication with God. “He anointed my head with oil” (Ps. 23:5). I anointed your head with oil on your forehead with the seal that you have from God, so that you might become an image of the seal, an sanctuary of God (Isaiah 8:36). “And Your cup makes me drunken, as if it were mighty” (my cup overflows) (Ps. 22:5). You see, this refers to the cup about which Jesus, taking it in his hands and giving thanks, said: “This is my blood, which was shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). 8. Therefore, Solomon, giving this grace to be understood, says in Ecclesiastes: “Come, eat Your bread with joy,” spiritual bread. The word “come” means a saving and blessed calling. “And drink thy wine with gladness of heart”—spiritual wine. “And the oil on your head shall not fail.” You see, he also makes clear the mysterious anointing. “And let your garments always be white, for your creation is pleasing to God” (Eccl. 9; 7:8). Before you began to embrace grace, “your creations were vanity of vanities” (Eccl. 1:2). Having taken off your old garments and put on spiritual, white ones, you must always be clothed in white. And without a doubt we mean not that you should always put on white clothes, but that you need to be clothed in what is truly white, light and spiritual, so that you can say like the blessed Isaiah: “Let my soul rejoice in the Lord: for you have clothed Me with the robe of salvation, and clothed Me with the robe of joy” (Is. 61:10). 9. Having learned this and having made sure that visible bread is not bread, although it is perceptible to the taste, but the body of Christ, and that visible wine is not wine, although the taste confirms that, but the blood of Christ, and what David said about this in ancient times when he sang psalms: “And bread strengthens a man’s heart; anoint his face with oil” (Ps. 103:15) - strengthen the heart by partaking of it as bread. spiritual, and anointing the face of your soul. Oh that you, having this unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord in a clear conscience, would ascend from glory to glory in Christ Jesus our Lord! To him is honor and power and glory forever and ever! Amen. 5th secret word Reading from Peter’s conciliar epistle: “putting aside all uncleanness, and all flattery, and slander, etc.” (1 Peter 2:3). 1. During the previous services of God, according to God’s love for mankind, you heard enough about baptism, about anointing and about the communion of the body and blood of Christ. Now it is necessary to move on to the next, placing the crown today on the spiritual building erected for your benefit. 2. So, you saw that the deacon gives water for washing to the priest and elders surrounding God’s altar. Without a doubt, he does not give for the sake of bodily uncleanness, because having bodily uncleanness, we would not even enter the Church. On the contrary, washing serves as a sign that you must be clean from all sins and iniquities. Since hands signify activity, through washing we let one understand the purity and blamelessness of actions. Have you not heard how blessed David secretly works towards this very thing and says: “I will wash my hands in innocence and walk around Your altar, O Lord” (Ps. 25:6). Therefore, washing one’s hands serves as a sign of innocence of sins. 3. Then the deacon calls out: “Receive each other, and let us kiss each other.” Do not think that kissing is ordinary, the kind that occurs among ordinary friends at market places. This is not what this kiss is like: it unites souls together and demands from them all unforgettable malice. Therefore, kissing is a sign of the unification of souls and driving away all memory of malice. Therefore, Christ said: “So if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5: 23 - 24). So, a kiss is reconciliation and therefore it is holy, as blessed Paul exclaimed somewhere, saying: “kiss one another with a holy kiss” (1 Cor. 16:20); and Peter said: “with the kiss of love” (1 Peter 5:14). 4. After this the priest calls out: “Woe of the heart!” For indeed, in that terrible hour, one must have a heart directed towards God, and not down, clinging to the earth and to earthly things. Therefore, the priest commands everyone at this hour to leave worldly worries, household chores, and have a heart in heaven, directed toward God, the lover of mankind. Then you answer: IMAMS TO THE LORD, by confessing this you agree with the priestly command. Let no one be such as to say with his lips “Imams to the Lord,” but mentally have a mind that is not attached to God; If this is impossible, due to human weakness, then all the more efforts should be made about this at that hour. 5. Then the priest says: WE THANK THE LORD. For we truly must thank the Lord, that he called us unworthy into so much grace, that he reconciled us, who were enemies, to himself and made us worthy of the Spirit of sonhood. Then say: WORTHY AND RIGHTEOUS. For, by giving thanks, we are doing a worthy and righteous deed, and He has done not only what is righteous, but what is higher than righteousness, and has blessed us and made us worthy of so many blessings. 6. After this, we remember the sky, and the earth, and the sea, about the sun and the moon, about the stars, about all rational and irrational, visible and invisible creatures, about Angels, Archangels, Powers, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Thrones, many-faced Cherubim, speaking mentally in David’s words: “Magnify the Lord with me” (Ps. 33:4). We also remember the Seraphim, who, as Isaiah contemplated by the Holy Spirit, stand around the throne of God and cover their face with two wings, their legs with two, and fly with two and say: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the LORD OF SABAOTH” (Is. 6, 2:3). For this is why we repeat this theology handed down to us by the Seraphim, so that in this hymn we may have communion with the worldly hosts. 7. Then, having sanctified ourselves with these spiritual songs, we beg God, the lover of mankind, to send the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are presented, so that He may make bread the body of Christ, and wine the blood of Christ. For without a doubt, whatever the Holy Spirit touches is sanctified and transformed. 8. Then, after completing the spiritual sacrifice, the bloodless service, over this propitiatory sacrifice we beg God for the common peace of the Churches, for the well-being of the world, for kings, for warriors, for supporters, for those who are infirm, for those who labor and, in a word, for everyone who requires help, we all pray and offer this sacrifice. 9. Then we remember the previously deceased holy fathers and bishops, in a word, about all of us who have previously fallen asleep, believing that great benefit will be to the souls for whom prayer is offered when the holy and terrible Sacrifice is offered. 10. And I intend to convince you with an example, for I know that many argue: what is the benefit of a soul departing from this world with sins or not with sins, if commemoration is made for it in prayer? If a king sends those who insulted him into exile, and then those who take part in them weave a crown and present it to the king for those who have been punished, will he not ease the punishment of those condemned? In the same way, when we offer prayers to God for the departed, even though they are sinners, we are not weaving a crown, but we are offering Christ who was slain for our sins, propitiating the philanthropic God for them and for ourselves. 11. Finally, after this, we repeat the prayer that the Savior conveyed to his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13), with a clear conscience calling God Father, and saying: OUR FATHER, WHO IS IN HEAVEN. What great love of God for mankind! Those who have fallen away from Him, who have reached the extreme of evil, are given such oblivion of all evil and the participation of grace that they call Him Father! OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. And heaven can also be those who carry within themselves the “image of the Heavenly,” to whom God promised: “I will dwell in you and resemble you.” 12. Hallowed be your name. The name of God is holy by nature, whether we say it or not. But since sometimes it occurs in those who sin and is desecrated, according to what has been said: “For your sake my name is blasphemed among the nations” (Is. 52:5), then we pray that the name of God will be sanctified in us, not because it is made holy from unholy, but because it becomes holy in us when we are sanctified and do what is worthy of what is holy. 13. THY KINGDOM COME. It is characteristic of a pure soul to say with boldness: THY KINGDOM COME. For whoever listened to Paul, who said: “Let not sin reign in your mortal body” (Rom. 6:12), and purified himself in deed, and in thought, and in word, he will say to God: THY KINGDOM COME. 14. THY WILL BE DONE IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. The divine and blessed Angels of God do the will of God, as the psalmist David said: “Bless the Lord, all His Angels, who are mighty in strength, who do His will” (Ps. 102:20). Therefore, when praying, mentally say: just as Your will is done in the Angels, Master, so may it be done in me on earth. 15. GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD THIS DAY. Ordinary bread is not daily bread, but this holy bread is daily bread, that is, it has an effect on the essence of the soul. This bread does not fit into the belly and comes out through the aphedrone (Matthew 15:17), but is communicated to your entire composition for the benefit of body and soul. And the word “today” is used instead of “daily,” just as Paul said: “as long as we can speak today” (Heb. 3:13). 16. AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBT, JUST AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBT. For we have many sins; We fall in word and thought, and we do a lot of things worthy of condemnation. “If we say that we have no sin,” we will lie, as John says (1 John 1:8). And we enter into an agreement with God, begging Him to forgive our sins, just as we forgive the debts of our neighbors. Therefore, imagining in our minds what we receive in return, we will not wait and hesitate to mutually forgive each other. The actions committed against us are small, unimportant, and easily atoned for, but the sins we have committed against God are great and require the love of mankind characteristic of the only God. Therefore, be careful, and because of unimportant and small sins against you, do not block your opportunity to receive forgiveness from God for the most serious sins. 17. AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, O Lord. Is the Lord really teaching us to pray so that we will not be tempted at all? As it is said elsewhere: a man who is not experienced is not skilled (Sir. 34:10); and again: “Have all joy, my brethren, whenever you fall into various temptations” (James 1:2)? But perhaps entering into temptation means wallowing in temptation? For temptation is, as it were, like a kind of stream through which it is difficult to cross. Therefore, some, without getting bogged down in temptations, bypass them, as if becoming some kind of skilled swimmers, and not in the least carried away by them. But others are not like that, they come in and get bogged down. Like, for example, Judas, having entered into the temptation of the love of money, did not swim across the abyss, but was mired and perished physically and spiritually. Peter entered into the temptation of renunciation, but, having entered, he did not get bogged down, but courageously swam across the abyss and got rid of the temptation. Listen also to how in another place the face of the saints who have reached perfection gives thanks for deliverance from temptation: “You have tested us, O God, you have refined us, as silver is refined. You have brought us into a net, you have put fetters on our loins, you have placed a man on our head. We entered fire and water, and You brought us out to freedom” (Ps. 65: 10 – 12). Do you see with what boldness they say that they have passed through temptation and have not fainted? It is said: “You brought us to freedom” (you brought us into peace), but to enter into peace means to get rid of temptation. 18. BUT DELIVER US FROM THE Evil One. If the words DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION meant the desire not to be tempted at all, then I would not have said, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE Evil One. The evil one is the enemy demon, for whose deliverance we pray. Then, after completing the prayer, you say: AMEN. The word AMEN, which means LET IT BE, sealing what is spoken in God-devoted prayer. 19. After this the priest says: HOLY OF HOLIES. The holy are the gifts that are presented, those who have received the influx of the Holy Spirit, and the saints are you who have been granted the Holy Spirit. Therefore, a saint becomes a saint. Then you say: ONE HOLY, ONE LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST. For, indeed, He alone is holy, holy by nature, and we, although holy, are not by nature, but by communion, deeds and prayer. 20. After this, you hear the psalmist, who with divine sweet singing invites you to partake of the holy mysteries and says: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9). Leave judgment not to the bodily larynx, no, not to it, but to unwavering faith. For those who eat are commanded to taste not bread and wine, but what represents the body and blood of Christ. 21. Therefore, approaching not with unclenched hands, not with outstretched fingers, approach, but make the shuitsu a throne for the right hand, as one who has the power to take over the king, and bending your hand, accept the body of Christ, and say at the same time: AMEN. Therefore, having carefully sanctified your eyes with the touch of the holy body, partake, observing carefully so as not to lose anything from it. For if you lose anything, you will lose, as it were, your own member. And tell me, if someone gives you gold filings, will you not hold them with all care, being careful not to lose anything from them or suffer damage? Therefore, will you not be all the more careful that even a grain of that which is more precious than gold and costly stones does not fall from you? 22. After you have partaken of the body of Christ, approach the cup of blood, not with outstretched hands, but in a bent position with worship and honor, saying: AMEN, sanctify yourself by partaking of the blood of Christ. And while there is still moisture on your lips, touching with your hands, sanctify your eyes, your forehead, and other instruments of the senses. Then, after waiting for prayer, thank God, Who has vouchsafed you so many secrets. 23. Keep these traditions undistorted and keep yourselves without stumbling. Do not reject yourself from communion, do not deprive yourself of these sacred and spiritual secrets for the sake of sinful defilement. MAY THE GOD OF PEACE SANCTIFY YOU ALL PERFECT: MAY YOUR BODY AND SOUL AND SPIRIT BE PERFECTLY PRESERVED AT THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST. To him be glory, honor and power, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever! Amen.