Interpretation of the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul by St. Theophan the Recluse

Saint Theophan the Recluse prepared interpretations for all 14 letters of the Apostle Paul. The interpretations of the 13 Epistles were completed during Theophan's lifetime and contain both private introductions and interpretations of the text, and the 14th (on the Epistle to the Hebrews) contains only an introductory part; this interpretation was published after the death of the saint. Since the saint considered the main task of the life of every Christian, as well as his own literary activity, to be the salvation of man, he used the Word of God as support and the highest authority in resolving this issue. In clarifying the meaning of individual fragments of the Bible, the author of the interpretations primarily wanted the living and active Word of God to penetrate the heart of the reader. As Saint Theophan himself notes, exclusively ancient interpreters served as guidance in his interpretation: St. John Chrysostom, blessed. Theodoret, Augustine, Ambrosiastes, St. John of Damascus, Ecumenius, Theophylact of Bulgaria. The opinions of these interpreters are given in the form of quotations, but without reference to sources of printed text or manuscript. Quotations are given in order of the historical sequence of the lives of the saints: Ecumenium is always quoted after Chrysostom or Augustine. Often the interpretation of one or another passage of the Epistle of St. Paul is composed entirely of lengthy quotations from the saints. In some cases, after quoting one saint, such as Isaac the Syrian, St. Theophan limits himself to only a brief remark: “the same is the blessed Theodoret”, “Theophylact adhered to the same opinion”, etc. The most widely quoted St. John Chrysostom. St. Theophanes adopts not only his basic exegetical ideas, but also the very plan of conducting interpretation. Thus, in one of the comments, Chrysostom writes: the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Romans “often moves on to moralizing words differently than in the other epistles, which he divides into two parts and assigns the first to dogmatic teaching, and the second to the care of morals; but this is not the case here, but he does this alternately throughout the entire epistle, so that his word may be well received” (Conversation 11 on Rom. 6:5) 1. Saint Theophan sets for himself exactly the same approach: he divides the messages of St. Paul into two parts – dogmatic and moral. He can call this duality differently: “doctrinal” and “moral” parts (on Rom., Gal., Col.), “theoretical” and “practical” (on 2 Cor.), “religious” and “moral” (on 2 Thess.), but this duality is present in almost all interpretations. Depending on the messages, the parts “notification about oneself” (Apostle Paul), “historical”, “protective”, “rules for guidance”, “instructions” and “inspiration” may also be added. Inside each of the messages, Theophanes sees the connection of each subsequent verse with the previous one. Despite the fact that dogmatic and moralizing ideas are interspersed in places, each of Paul’s Epistles for the saint is seen as integral, having a central doctrinal idea and moral application. Theophan interprets all of Paul's epistles according to the same scheme. After information about the place, date and reason for writing a particular epistle (in the introduction), the saint proceeds to explain the text itself. He divides the Message into sections and subsections and examines each of them in detail. In places of interpretation that are “difficult” and controversial, Saint Theophan cites the variability of the opinions of the saints and justifies his choice in favor of one interpretation or another. One gets the impression that the saint, in parallel with the Slavic, uses the Greek text of the New Testament and dictionaries of Greek terms unknown to us. For example, when deciphering the Slavic word “unapologetic” (Rom. 1:31), in the Russian text - treacherous, the saint follows this sequence. First, he gives a term from the Greek text - ἀσυνθέτοι, then his commentary, possibly a translation from the Greek dictionary - “those with whom one cannot get along and who themselves do not want to live in harmony with others, are absurd and perky,” and after that - quotes from patristic interpretations: unapologetic - “those who have loved an uncommunicative and wicked life” (Blessed Theodoret) or “unstable in contracts” (Blessed Theophylact). It should be noted that in modern foreign lexicons the word “ἀσύνθετος” has a similar explanation - “not keeping a promise or agreement” (Friberg Lexicon), “not showing goodwill” (Louw-Nida Lexicon), “fickle, treacherous” (BDAG Lexicon, Liddell-Scott Greek Lexicon). Here is another example of the apparent use of dictionaries of Greek terms. In the commentary on Rom. 1:29 Sat. Theophan gives such an interpretation of the concepts of St. ap. Pavla: Untruth is unrighteousness or violation of the rights of one’s neighbor, due relations towards him; Fornication, πορνεία – violation of marital relations; Cunning, πονηρία - malice, deceit against one's neighbor; Self-interest, πλεονεξία - the passion to have more and more, incl. through wrongful growth and theft, theft of unbelonging; Malice, κακία - the inclination of the soul towards the worse and a thought directed towards the harm of one’s neighbor, rancor and revenge; Envy, φθόνος – torment of the heart over the welfare and success of one’s neighbor; Murder, φόνος - extreme hostility, which does not tolerate an unloved person living; Strife, ἔρις - competition in which a person strives with all his might to keep up with others and not allow anyone to get ahead of him; Deception, δόλος - flattering speeches with the aim of fooling a neighbor and setting him up so that he causes harm to himself; flattery of a guy with slyness; Malice, κακοήθεια - anger and malice, which causes incessant outbursts of anger, abuse and quarrels; or malice means secret malice, malice. In only one interpretation, on the Epistle to the Romans, St. Feofan uses more than 100 Greek words, which he presents not in Russian transliteration, but in Greek script in Greek. It can be assumed that when compiling interpretations, Theophan examined the interpretations of foreign commentators on the Holy Scriptures. He gives their thoughts, but nowhere does he provide references to names or publications. References to foreign literature are discernible in the constant contrast between “our interpreters” and “other interpreters.” By “ours” we apparently mean the holy fathers, by “others” we probably mean foreign writers of the 19th century. This can be seen, for example, in the commentary on the words of Ap. Paul: “For this reason, as one man sin came into the world, and death came into the world by sin, and so death came to all men, in whom thou hast sinned” (Rom. 5:12). What does it mean: you have sinned in this? St. Feofan cites the opinions of the blessed one. Theophylact and Ecumenia: in which you have sinned means that everyone sinned in Adam. “As soon as he fell, through him those who did not eat from the forbidden tree became mortal, as if they themselves had fallen because he had fallen.” And after that, apparently, the opinions of foreign scientists: “Some interpreters connect other thoughts with this expression, based on the fact that in Greek it is not: in it, ἐν ᾧ, - but: ἐφ᾽ ᾧ, - which should be translated: since, since. But the thought will be the same, that is, that they sinned in him. And in vain they think to take away from this place the power of proof of original sin, saying that the exact translation of this place should be this: since all have sinned.” Defending the “thought of the Apostle,” Theophan insists on the use of the expression in it. This reference, even if it is not in the Greek manuscripts, is important because, according to the saint, it proves a fundamental idea: sin enters the world not because “all have sinned,” but because “all have sinned in Adam,” and through Adam sin passed on to all humanity. The complexity of Feofan's works lies in the fact that it is difficult to determine where the actual interpretation ends and where lengthy reasoning begins. The author of interpretations often gets fixated on the same thought, chewing it over and over again in different places. The interpretation of a particular verse often begins with a repetition or paraphrase of the Apostle’s thought. For example, “he did not faint in faith; he did not allow his faith to become weak and weak” (Rom. 4:19). “Giving glory to God...Giving glory to God means: to render what is due to God, according to the concepts that we have about His boundless perfections” (Rom. 4:20). In some cases, Theophan introduces his commentary, supporting it with the following words: “the apostle seems to be speaking,” “the apostle is inspiring,” “the apostle wanted to prove with the words of the prophet,” etc. A characteristic stylistic device of His Grace Theophan is rhetorical questions. His speech is emotionally charged; in almost every paragraph you can find exclamation and question marks. So, for example, interpreting Paul’s defense in relation to a certain Jew, Theophan writes: “Now we have the opportunity to bear fruit to God; what happened before? Previously we bore fruit of death. Why is this so? Because then sinful passions ruled over us and, forcing us to do lawless deeds, killed us through sin. This is what it was like when we were under the law!” (On Rom. 7:5). In this example, as in the entire extended interpretation of the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, there is no criticism of Judaism. The saint compares the Old and New Testaments, life under law and life under grace with the human condition, transferring the plane of interpretation from apologetics to asceticism. By “subordinate ministry” he means the ministry of the flesh, which does not cleanse and correct the soul and heart. And by “renewal of the spirit” is the presence in us of the principles of spiritual life, which are taught in baptism through the grace of God. Theophanes' interpretations are not divorced from the life of his contemporaries. Often the Right Reverend moves from distant discussions about Abraham or other Old Testament righteous people to a conversation about the practical application of faith, addresses the reader with instructions and even unites himself with a possible interlocutor. In one of the places you can see such an interesting transition: Abraham - we - Abraham - we - conclusions. A. What did Abraham believe? The fact that God, who raises the dead and calls things that do not exist as though they exist, is able to revive the deadness of his and Sarah’s flesh and give them living fruit. B. What do we believe in? And we believe in the same God who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. A. What did Abraham receive for his faith? - Verova, and impute to him the truth. B. How can you doubt that we, believers, are credited with our faith in the truth? S. God said this about Abraham in order to foretell in his person what he wanted to do to us and what he is now doing - namely: whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, his faith is credited to him in righteousness... (Interpretation of Rom. 4:24). Throughout the interpretation, the Right Reverend tries to explain Paul’s complex theological ideas on a conceptual level accessible to people of the 19th century. To this end, he writes in a language that is simple, clear, although somewhat outdated for 21st century readers. In terms of the genre of presentation, Feofan’s comments are not abstract reasoning. For the most part, they represent a lively edifying conversation between an author who is wise in spiritual life and the reader. In these conversations there are many images and comparisons; the writer often turns to the human soul, refers to the exploits of the ancient fathers and teachers of the Church, and sometimes to his own experiences of spiritual life. In order to determine the place of the works of St. Theophan in Russian biblical studies, one should pay attention to the topics that worried other Russian writers of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Feofan's interpretations were published as they were written. The first to be published was the interpretation of the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (1872), the last was the interpretation of the Pastoral Epistles of Paul (1882). By the time the last interpretation was compiled, the works of Archimandrites had already been published. Theodora (Bukharev A.M.), P. Vinogradova, archim. Mikhail (Luzin). Bukharev in his articles examined the teachings of St. Paul on justification by faith active in Christ, the mystery of the calling of the Gentiles, the structure and eschatology of the Church. Vinogradov viewed Paul as an exposer of Judaism. Started by archim. Mikhail (Luzin)’s work on compiling the “Explanatory Apostle”, apparently, was not completed or did not satisfy Bishop Theophan. A complete systematic interpretation of all the epistles of St. Paul in Russian literature by the middle of the 19th century. didn't exist yet. Therefore, we can say that Saint Theophan was the first Russian writer to compose a comprehensive interpretation of the corpus of Paul's epistles. After the publication of Feofanov’s interpretations, before the revolution and immediately after it, the works of the priest were published. M. Troitsky, A. Klitin, N. Rozanov, A. Nekrasov, I. Nazarevsky, V. Myshtsin, priest. F. Tirova, A. P. Lopukhina, Metropolitan. Peter (Polyansky), bishop. Nikanor (Kamensky), N.N. Glubokovsky, E. A. Vorontsov, prot. M. Kheraskova, V. Strakhova, priest. I. Gumilevsky, M. S. Zarina, S. A. Zhebelev. Most of the publications of this host of scientists contain polemics with the ideas of German criticism. Due to the apologetic orientation of such studies, the volume of their text is growing, numerous names and hypotheses are heard on the pages of monographs, and less and less is the practical application of Paul’s ideas about the salvation of man by faith. Priest Mikhail Troitsky compiled an analysis of only the Epistles of St. Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus. In an extensive monograph, he touched on the history of the origin of these messages, the biographies of the addressees, and examined in detail the Epistle to Titus. Klitin in his historical and isagogical essay “The Authenticity of the Epistles of St. ap. Paul to Timothy and Titus” emphasized polemics against negative biblical criticism represented by Holtzman and others, defending the apostolic origin of the presbytery and episcopal offices. Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) also at one time in his interpretation of the “First Epistle of St. ap. Paul to Timothy” examined the question of the three degrees of the priesthood, emphasizing in the exegesis of the Epistle the characteristics of shepherds, pastoral activity and the flock. Rozanov's seminary textbook consistently analyzes all of Paul's epistles, actively uses Greek terms, but very rarely refers to the holy fathers. Nekrasov's commentary also examines only the Greek text of the Apostolic Epistles. Myshtsin, analyzing Paul's teaching about the law of works and the law of faith, often does not even bother to give a Russian translation of the Greek quotations he cites. Ep. Nikanor (Kamensky) in his exegetical-critical study of the Epistle to the Hebrews uses not only Greek, but also Jewish terminology. In his historical and exegetical study of the Epistle to the Philippians, Nazarevsky sets himself the task of presenting in a scientific form the Orthodox understanding of the Epistle, criticizing His Eminence Theophan for writing “for simple readers” 2 . Tirov also compiles an extensive monograph with claims to be scientific, but also only on one epistle - on First Thessalonians. In the analysis of the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians Strakhov examines the hypotheses of Spitta, Zahn, and Jülicher, defending the authenticity of Paul's authorship of the Epistle. Strakhov also makes theological generalizations of the “eschatological teaching” of the second chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, comparing the ideas about the Antichrist in Paul, Irenaeus of Lyons, Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, and other church writers, as well as in Wyclef, Luther, analyzes the hypothesis of the historical-critical school about “Nero the Antichrist”, the hypothesis of the mythological school of German criticism. The priest I. Gumilevsky completely goes into the field of biblical theology, who in the book “Teaching of St. Apostle Paul on the mental and spiritual man” does not concern the exegesis of the Epistles at all, but proceeds to the analysis of such topics as: “conditions for the emergence of mental life”, “the human body”, “gnosis of the flesh”, “heart life”, “sympathetic feelings”, “the state of the transformed mind”, “metamorphosis of life”. It is clear that such works are designed at least for the level of a seminary graduate. In the pursuit of “fundamentality”, Glubokovsky surpassed everyone in this regard. His major three-volume work “The Good News of St. the Apostle Paul according to his origin and essence” contains more than 2,300 pages of text, which even modern professors do not grasp at first glance. Much more restrained in its “scientificness” is the seminar textbook of Rev. Mikhail Kheraskov. Kheraskov's textbook provides a condensed retelling of all the Epistles of St. Paul with quotes from Blessed. Jerome, John Chrysostom, Ekumenia and including from the works of Bishop Theophan (Govorov). The place of Bishop Theophan’s interpretations in Russian biblical studies is quite clear - a consistent interpretation of all Paul’s epistles for the common people. Genre – ascetic reasoning in the spirit of Chrysostom and the blessed one. Theophylact. Despite the outdated nature of St. Theophan’s speech, his interpretations are still relevant today. Theophan's reasoning is not a defensive article against the attacks of Western criticism (which is constantly becoming outdated), but a positive disclosure of what every person needs for life in Christ (what is eternal). In style, the Right Reverend’s interpretations are similar to a conversation between a confessor and his beloved child. In one of the places, St. Theophan writes the following: “Of all spiritual blessings, the Apostle wishes the Romans only joy and peace (Rom. 15:13). Apart from the condition of the Romans, joy and peace are indicated more than other blessings because they are inseparable companions of faith, allowing themselves to be more tangibly felt by the believer. A believer's sins are forgiven. Take this into your senses, you will feel as if a mountain has been lifted from your shoulders. How can you not be happy about this? The believer is accepted into the mercy of God, into sonship with God and is embraced by the warmth of God’s Fatherly love. Whoever has realized this, how can he not rejoice? So joy is inseparable from faith; and with joy the world is inseparable..." 3. Faith, trust in God, hatred of sin and love of virtue - these are, perhaps, the main features of all interpretations of St. Theophan on the Epistles of the Apostle. Pavel. 1. Bukharev A. M. (Archim. Theodore). "Several articles about the Holy Apostle Paul." – St. Petersburg, 1860 2. Vinogradov P. “Holy Apostle Paul, as an exposer of Judaism” \\ Christian Reading. 1874. No. 8–9. pp. 591–831 3. Vorontsov E. A. “Language and style in the Epistle to the Hebrews” \\ Christian Reading. 1907. No. 1. P. 3–23. 4. Glubokovsky N.N. "The Good News of St. Apostle Paul according to his origin and essence." T. 1–3. – St. Petersburg: Type. Montvida, 1905–1912. 5. Gumilevsky I., priest. "Teaching of St. Apostle Paul about the natural and spiritual man." – Sergiev Posad, 1913 6. Zhebelev S. A. “The Apostle Paul and his messages.” – Pg., 1922. 7. Zarin M. S. “The meaning of some names by which St. ap. Paul characterizes the pastoral ministry" \\ Christian Reading. 1913. No. 1. pp. 101–117. 8. Klitin A. “The Authenticity of the Epistles of St. ap. Paul to Timothy and Titus." – Kiev, 1887. 9. Kurtsius E. Ap. Paul in Athens and traces of Greek influence in his language and worldview \\ Christian Reading. 1894. No. 7–8. pp. 3–26. 10. Lopukhin A.P. “Shipwreck of the Ap. Paul on the Mediterranean Sea in the light of the latest archaeological discoveries" \\ Christian reading. 1893. No. 11–12. pp. 478–504. 11. Lopukhin A.P. “St. The Apostle Paul in the centers of the classical world" \\ Christian reading. 1896. No. 9–10. pp. 209–237. 12. Lopukhin A.P. “St. The Apostle Paul in the centers of the classical world" \\ Christian reading. 1896. No. 11–12. pp. 417–443. 13. Lopukhin A.P. “St. The Apostle Paul in the centers of the classical world" \\ Christian Reading, 1896, part 2. pp. 209–237. 14. Mikhail (Luzin), archimandrite. "Acts and Epistles of the Holy Apostles." Book 1. – M., 1876. 15. Myshtsyn V. “The teaching of the Holy Apostle Paul on the law of works and the law of faith.” – Sergiev Posad, 1894. 16. Nazarevsky I. “The Message of St. Apostle. Paul to the Philippians." – Sergiev Posad, 1893 17. Nekrasov A. “Reading the Greek text of the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles.” – Kazan, 1892 18. Nikanor (Kamensky), bishop. “An exegetical-critical study of the message of St. ap. Paul to the Jews." – Kazan, 1903. 19. Peter (Polyansky), Metropolitan. "The first letter of St. ap. Paul to Timothy." – Sergiev Posad. 1897 20. Rozanov N. “Review of the Epistles of St. apostles." T. 3. – M., 1886. 21. Saint Theophan the Recluse. "An Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans." Ch. 1–8. – M.: “Rule of Faith”, 2006 (First publication – M., 1879) 22. Saint Theophan the Recluse. "An Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans." Ch. 9–16. – M.: “Rule of Faith”, 2006 (First publication – M., 1879). 23. Simon F. “Psychology of the Apostle Paul.” – M., 1907. 24. Strakhov V. “Second Epistle of St. Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians." Isagogical-exegetical study - Sergiev Posad, 1911. 25. Tirov F., priest. "The First Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians." – M., 1892. 26. Troitsky M., priest. "Epistle of St. Apostle Paul to Timothy and Titus." – Kazan, 1884. 27. Kheraskov M., prot. "Apostolic Scriptures and the Apocalypse." – Vladimir on Klyazma, 1907. The text is given according to the edition: Among the saints of our father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, selected works. Conversations on the Epistle to the Romans. – M.: Publishing department of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1994. Reprint reproduction of the publication: Works of our holy father John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople in Russian translation. In 12 volumes. T. 9. Book. 2. – St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg Theological Academy, 1903. Nazarevsky I. Epistle of the Holy Apostle. Paul to the Philippians. – page 1. Saint Theophan the Recluse. "An Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's Epistle to the Romans." Ch. 9–16 – pp. 472–473.