Предисловие

Let it be known to those who have to look closely at this wretched chronicle work of mine, that everything stated here was not written for the purpose of publishing it in a separate edition and for the knowledge of book people to offer what is well known to everyone, partly from the Holy Bible, and partly from various chronographs; for there are enough printed chronographs in foreign languages, and handwritten chronographs in our Slavic with lengthy historical narratives. And I should not have added some small grains to the filled granaries, poured a handful of water into the flooded rivers, or added a short calendar to the spacious chronographs. There was also no need for me to tell the knowledgeable and admonish the prudent. With God’s help, I undertook to write this book for the sake of my own knowledge and private reading and did not deliberately compose it for others on the basis of my own knowledge, but only collected for myself all the best from many books for teaching. If this book falls into the hands of other readers and if it pleases anyone, then in this may the name of the Lord be glorified. Let it not be surprising to the reader that what is written here is not presented in the order that is usually kept in chronographs and historical descriptions telling about the past deeds of certain kingdoms and peoples; Here, between the acts, in some places, on occasion, there are many other conversations, either interpretative, or thoughtful, or moralizing spiritual content. This is because the book, as I said, was written only for myself, and if anywhere in the interpretations of public Scripture something extraordinary or useful to my soul seemed to me, then I wrote it here. Just as some put gold, silver, pearls and other precious things into one reliquary, so I, collecting from various places, summarized in this one book everything that I could collect and as far as time allowed me to do this, in view of the other affairs entrusted to me and the administration of the Church. In order to make the difference between the history and other narratives clear, the history itself is written in larger letters (font), and what is attached to the stories is written in smaller letters (those sections that contain biblical history and which in the manuscript St. Demetrius highlights in a larger font, begin in bold font and end where new sections without bold font begin - from the editor). God will give those who read and listen zeal for reading and listening in order to gain spiritual benefit. Question . Why is it necessary for everyone to read and know the Divine Scripture and the history contained in it, as well as other educational and historical books? Answer . For three reasons: first, for the knowledge of God; secondly, for self-government and, thirdly, for instruction. Where does this knowledge of the true God come from for a person, if not from the Holy Scriptures? That is why Christ, wanting to be known by His disciples and through their preaching to appear known to the whole world, first of all opened their minds to understand the Scriptures: He chose simple and unlearned people for the apostleship, and sent them to preach as bookish and wise (Luke 9:1-2). First, to know God. Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Gospel says: “Test the Scriptures, because in them you think that you have eternal life, and that is what testifies about Me” (John 5:39). Through the knowledge of Divine books, eternal life is achieved. And where can there be eternal life if not in the knowledge of the true eternal God? Christ Himself speaks about this: “This is the eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God, and whom Thou didst send, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). Secondly, to manage yourself. St. Paul in his letter to Timothy writes the following: “From childhood you knew the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15). From here it is clear that it is the knowledge of Divine Scripture that controls, instructs and leads a person to salvation. In view of this, Saint John Chrysostom admonishes us, saying: “If you take the holy books in your hands, then with great zeal you will accept the benefits contained in them. For from them many gains are obtained: first of all, through reading the tongue becomes accustomed to good speech, and also the soul receives spiritual wings and the mountain rises, enlightened by the radiance of the Sun of Truth. Then, just as sensual bread increases bodily strength, so reading gives strength to the soul, for it is spiritual food, which makes the soul strong, constant and wise, preventing it from being captured by sinful passions; on the contrary, making it winged, it lifts the soul to heaven.” Another teacher, Saint John of Damascus, touching on the same spiritual benefits arising from reading books, says the following: “Like a tree planted by the springs of the waters” (Ps. 1:3), so the soul, watered by the Divine Scriptures, becomes fat, bears ripe fruit, that is, the Orthodox faith, and is constantly decorated with green leaves, that is, godly deeds; in clear vision and in undisturbed thoughts of God, it is affirmed through the Holy Scriptures, for in it we find a calling to all virtue and aversion from all malice” (John of Damascus. An accurate statement of the Orthodox faith. Book 4, chapter XVII). The same teacher, exhorting us to be diligent in reading books, also says the following: “Let us knock on the kindest paradise of the Scriptures, a fragrant paradise, sweetest, most red, delighting our ears with the songs of all kinds of intelligent God-bearing birds, touching our hearts, comforting us in sorrow, calming us in rage and filling us with lasting joy.” What kind of loss comes from not reading and not knowing books, Saint Anastasius of Nicaea explains this, saying: “Just as it is impossible for a land that is not watered by rain to grow ears of grain, even if it is sown a thousand times, in the same way a mind that is not watered with Divine Scripture cannot bear any spiritual fruit, even if someone tells it a thousand words. It is a great evil to not know the Scriptures and to be like senseless cattle, for countless evils are generated due to this ignorance of the Scriptures. From here are born the great disasters of heresy, from here a careless life, useless exploits, spiritual blindness, and the deception of the devil. Just as those who are blind with their bodily eyes cannot walk in the true path, so those who do not know the Divine Scripture and do not look at its light very often stumble and are constantly prompted to commit sin.” A person learns a good and godly life from the examples of those who previously spent their lives virtuously; he can find them in no other place than in the histories of Divine Scripture, both civil and ecclesiastical. That is why the pious Greek king Basil the Macedonian, exhorting his son Leo the Wise, says: “Do not be lazy to always read the descriptions of Ancient deeds, for in them you will easily find what others found through long efforts, and from them you will understand the good deeds of the good and the evil deeds of the evil. In the same way, you will experience the diverse changes in human life, changes in events, the impermanence of this world and the easy fall of kingdoms. I will say briefly: you will recognize the punishment that befalls evil deeds and the reward for good deeds. You will avoid evil deeds, so that God’s fierce vengeance does not befall you, and you will love good ones. In this way, you will be able to correct everything in yourself in order to be worthy of receiving a good reward.” This is Macedonia's will to his son. Thirdly, for the instruction of one's neighbor. The Holy Apostle Paul writes to Saint Timothy, saying: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for punishment” (2 Tim. 3:16). A Christian person, according to God's commandment, must love his neighbor as himself. If he must love him as himself, then he must seek and desire salvation for him in the same way as for himself. For the well-known sign of true love consists in striving most of all not to show benefits to the body, but to teach the ignorant, correct the sinner and take care of the soul of the perishing, in order to lead to salvation. He who does not care about the salvation of his neighbor does not love him as himself and does not have true love for God. Perhaps someone will say: it is enough for me to look after myself, and not others; It is enough for me to be attentive to my own salvation, and not also worry about the salvation of others. This is how Saint Chrysostom answers the thinker, saying: “You cannot, however, achieve salvation when you are too lazy to take care of your brother.” And again: “If we keep everything, but do not bring benefit to our neighbor, we will not enter the Kingdom.” And again: “No correction can be great if it does not teach its gains to others, that is, for a virtuous husband, his correction is not enough for salvation if he does not correct others and does not benefit them.” In view of this, he says: “Let everyone seek the salvation of his neighbors; to seek the salvation of our neighbors means to benefit each other, as the holy Apostle Paul teaches: “Build up everyone’s neighbor” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), that is, benefit. There is benefit both from a virtuous life and from words, when a person not only lives himself in a manner pleasing to God, but also instructs others with useful words, teaching, admonishing, instructing and advising them to evade evil and do good.” (Chrysostom. On the Epistles First to the Corinthians, conversation 25 and to the Ephesians, conversation 4). Someone else can say: I am not a teacher, not a priest, not a confessor or a shepherd of souls, and therefore I should not teach anyone. Theophylact answers such a person: “Do not say: I am not a teacher or mentor and should not teach and instruct others in useful things; you are lying, for teachers do not have the opportunity to instruct everyone one by one, but God wants this, that each one instruct and build up the other.” And in the Old Testament, Saint David, being a king, didn’t he have concern for the benefit of his neighbors? “I will teach,” he says, “the wicked in Your way, and wickedness will turn to You” (Ps. 50:15). Moreover, we, the sons of new grace, must do this. If it is the duty of a Christian to teach one another and instruct one to salvation, then how can anyone teach another when he himself is not skilled in the Holy Scriptures and knowledgeable of ancient deeds? How can such a person guide another on the right path when he does not know his own path, where he is going? This is how the Gospel parable comes true: “Even if a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14). In view of these three reasons, it is necessary for everyone to read and keep the Divine Scripture, as well as other useful books. Another question: why did God deign to create all creation, “what is in heaven and what is below on earth” (Ex. 20:4)? Answer . For God, the beginningless and infinite, the King of all ages, immortal, strong, wise, perfect in His Divine power and dominion, not having any lack and not needing to add anything to His perfection, but content with everything in Himself, complete, abundant, great, most praiseworthy and glorious, of course, for Him there was no need or need to create this visible and invisible world, above and below, heavenly and earthly, angels and people, and every creature in general; but He deigned to create all this, out of His abundant goodness and wisdom and strength, manifesting in this His omnipotent power, incomprehensible wisdom and inexhaustible goodness, being filled with it, like an overflowing cup, like a flooded river coming out of its banks and watering the lowlands of the earth: so He, the most good God, poured out from His abundant fullness to create, but He Himself did not diminish at all. St. Basil the Great says: “Just as a potter, having created countless vessels with his art, lost neither art nor strength, so the Creator brought into existence all the greatness of the visible, having the power to create not just one world, but a power that in one momentary desire infinitely surpasses this.” He created everything not for the sake of anything else, but only in order to have someone to continually do good, devoting His goodness to others and giving to His creation gifts from the inexhaustible and inexhaustible treasures of Divine benevolence. Good cannot be recognized as good unless it is given to others; to the extent that it is given to others, the better it is known as Good. The Lord, making known His endless kindness, mercy and goodness, created a rational creature, so that His benefits would be given to it too. Reasoning about the same thing, Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “For the goodness of God it was not enough for it to be revealed only in the vision of itself, but it was fitting for this prosperity to be poured out and penetrate outward in order to benefit many” (Gregory the Theologian. Homily for the Nativity of Christ). Let His rational, angelic creation, I say, and human nature, constantly enjoying His ineffable benefits, know Him, its Creator and benefactor, love Him and glorify and thank Him, and worship Him, and serve Him faithfully. But most of all, let mortal human nature, onto which the Creator’s goodness was poured out through the incarnation of the Word, more than on the angels, know its Creator and believe in Him, and cleave to Him with all love. Being grateful for such great and ineffable His mercies, let man please Him all the days of his life, hoping to receive from His goodness eternal bliss and communion in the Kingdom of His Divine glory with the holy angels. 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