The Word about the serpent hanged on the cross by Moses in the desert, and about the Divine Trinity

1. Yesterday we had a conversation against heretics and in defense of the glory of the Only Begotten, not with the goal of telling anything secret, but to glorify grace with gratitude. Truly, it is not Christ who is exalted by our speeches, but we, exalted by His gifts, gratefully proclaim His benefits. And it would truly be madness, having received benefits from Him, to repay them with silence, and even more so by heeding the call of David, who, as you just heard, says: “Let all the earth worship You and sing to You” (Ps. 65:4). By praising God, we do not honor Him, but honor ourselves. When we glorify God, we do not bestow glory on Him, but we clothe ourselves with immortal glory. “Those who glorify Me,” says God, “I will glorify, and those who humble Me will be humbled” (1 Samuel 2:30). To the best of our ability, we have taught that the limits of God’s glory cannot be surpassed by either the people living on earth, or the Heavenly Angels, or the Archangels, or the Principalities, or the Cherubim, or the Seraphim. And I know well that you, curious listeners, remember how our conversation about this ended. And since today, brethren, the King of glory himself foretold his Cross, and the apostle, following the royal voice of the Savior, philosophized about the Cross, [the Savior] specifically said to the disciples: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death” (Matthew 20:18); and Paul, condemning the Galatians, wrote: “Who deceived you not to submit to the truth, you, who had before your eyes Jesus Christ as being crucified among you?” (Gal.3:1), since, I say, both the royal voice of the Lord (announced the Cross), and the royal footsteps were followed by the teaching of the faithful servant, then we, I believe, to the best of our ability, need to say a decent word about the Cross of the Lord - not with the goal of explaining the subject according to its merits, but in order, to the best of our ability, to pay our debt. So what does the Savior say? “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed.” The conqueror of death predicts suffering; Destroying death with the cross foreshadows the Cross; foretells the struggle in order to preach victory. Try again here to understand the words of the Lord. Look with what authority He says: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is being given over to be crucified.” The One who foretells this, during the very feat, puts aside the dignity of power, renounces His Divine dignity, saying: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). Don't you see the disagreement? Keep in mind house building. But let's return to the subject. The Savior says to the disciples: “Behold, we are ascending to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is being betrayed.” Look how carefully He speaks. Where He announces suffering points to human nature. The Son of Man is betrayed. The visible body suffers, but the intelligible dignity of the Divine gives life. The physical image is destroyed by death, brothers; what is destroyed is erected by the power of the One who dwells in it. He was one and the same, He who is being destroyed in the flesh, and He who is raising up what is being destroyed in the Spirit. “Destroy,” He says, “this church, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem." Followers of Christ must never descend, but must always ascend. However, if we interpret it in a sensual sense, the road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a sunrise. If interpreted in a spiritual sense, then suffering was the sunrise to resurrection, since it called Adam, who had fallen into hell, to heaven, and raised to the heights the image (human) that lay below. "We are ascending to Jerusalem". Where God is, there is the rise of virtue; Where there is wickedness, there is the indulgence of iniquity. That is why David says about those who strive in virtue: “Blessed are those who dwell in Your house: forever and ever they will praise You. Blessed is the man for whom You have protection, who has set his ascent in his heart” (Ps. 84:5-6). "Ascents", i.e. pious and lofty thoughts that elevate those who think well about God to the heights of goodness. There is a path of chastity that leads to heights; the path of truth leading to heights; in a word, every path of piety elevates a loving God to that height about which the pagans spoke: “Come, and let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob” (Mic. 4:2). Where there is the word of piety, there is ascension **, and where there is wickedness, there is obvious condescension. And David the prophet testifies: “You saved me from those who go down to the grave” (Ps. 29:4), and again: “You who lift me up from the gates of death” (Ps. 9:14). Thus, “we ascend” was not said in vain. "Behold, we rise." But the Savior alone goes to suffer; why does He say in the plural: “we ascend”? Although suffering, He wants to say, is Mine, salvation is common to all people. That is why the divine Paul spoke, as you just heard, that lofty and wondrous word: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:19-20). Wanting then to show the fruit of the Cross, he immediately followed Him by adding: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree)” (Gal. 3:13; Deut. 21:23). 2. Now pay careful attention so that the understanding of the truth does not elude you. The Jews, “the enemies of the Cross of Christ, their end is destruction” (Phil. 3:18-19), as Paul says about them, will now perhaps object and say to the simpleton: “If he who hangs is cursed, how do you hope that a blessing will be given to you from him who is cursed? How can you expect life from someone who has been subjected to death?” What appears to the eye is indeed a curse, as our teacher Paul himself testified: “For it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Gal. 3:13). So, if it is written (in the law) and witnessed by Paul, then how can a blessing be given from the damned to those who worship the Cross? Such questions are always proposed by the Jew, the enemy of the Cross of Christ. So, when he says to you, “How can one who is cursed give a blessing?” - you answer him: “How is it that in the desert, when snakes were biting your ancestors, Moses, having made a copper image of a serpent, nailed it to the cross and said: “Make yourself a [copper] serpent and put it on a banner, and [if the serpent bites any person], the one who is bitten, looking at it, will remain alive” (Num. 21:8)? But what, he might say, does this have to do with the present subject? And very close. Have you not heard God say (to the serpent): “Cursed are you above all cattle and above all the beasts of the field” (Gen. 3:14)? How did the image of the damned bring life to your ancestors? I will repeat again to capture the thought more firmly. If you are perplexed how blessing can flow from a cursed person (and “cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), (then think) how did the image of a cursed serpent, who heard: “Cursed are you above all cattle,” brought deliverance to the people when they were in a difficult situation? Wouldn’t it be better to incite faith to say: if one of you is bitten, let him look at the sky, turn his gaze to the mountain, to God, and be saved? Even keeping silent about the appeal to heaven, could it not have been said: if anyone is bitten, let him look at the lamp of light and be saved? Or: let him look at the table of offering of the holy bread and be saved? Or on the altar, or on the veil, or on the ark, or on the image of the Cherubim, or on the atonement? Nevertheless, the great legislator did not indicate any of these objects, but erected only an image of a cross, and even then for the sake of the damned serpent. Why, O Jew, did Moses do this? Why does he, who says in the law: “Thou shalt not make... [an image] carved or sculptured” (Lev. 26:1), pour out the serpent? But why talk about this with an ungrateful person? I'll ask the legislator himself. Tell me, most faithful servant of God, why do you do what you forbid, why do you make what you condemn? When you say, “You shall not make [an image] carved or sculptured,” are you making an image of a serpent? “That,” he answers, “I legitimized in order to eliminate the occasion for wickedness, and to protect the people from all idolatry; now I am casting a serpent to outline the image of the economy of the godfather; I prepare the way for the apostles, I prepare the great and wondrous symbol of the Cross. That our interpretation is not forced, listen to how the Lord affirms this ancient image, referring it to Himself. Talking with Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders, as with a teacher of the people who could understand the plans of the economy, He says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Tell me, insensitive Jew, was it not copper? Dead matter, bearing the image of the cross, had the power to defeat death; and the truth of the Cross itself is not worthy of faith? And this after the conversion of the universe, after the piety that shone throughout the world, after the faith of the pagans, after the emergence of churches, after such exploits, after the manifestation of such virtues, after such a spread of angelic life? However, enough has been said for the enemies of the cross to stop reproaching us with the image of the damned. This is enough against them. We, the faithful, will examine and accurately explain the words of Scripture for ourselves. So, why did the Lord foreshadow the economy of salvation not through something else, but through a snake? To refute the enemies, it is enough to point to the example of the damned serpent; the sons of piety need to explain why the image of the damned serpent was the image of the worshiped Christ. Let us try to explain it carefully, and you will listen carefully. 3. The image of the serpent, brothers, served as an image of the economy of the godfather. Just as this image of a snake had the appearance and likeness of a snake, but did not have the poison or malice of the snake, so the Savior, according to the words of the divine Apostle, having appeared in the likeness of the flesh of sin, was alien to all sin. Blessed Isaiah, in agreement with blessed Peter, says about this: “He committed no sin, and no flattery was in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22; Is. 53:9). In the words of Isaiah one image is shown to you. Let's move on to another image. See how the truth shines through the images. The children of Israel were bitten by snakes, and the people were destroyed. Moses prays to God to give saving medicine. God shows His servant beneficial healing, saying: “Make yourself a [copper] serpent and set it up before the tabernacle of the meeting” (Num. 21:8). What does this sign mean? Some snakes bite, another is nailed to the cross for them? What does this riddle mean? What does this shadow of the sacrament indicate? Just as there, he says, in the type, although other snakes bite, a snake was nailed to the cross, neither biting nor striking, so here, although other people sin, the sinless Jesus must suffer for everyone. An innocent snake is crucified for biting snakes; For us, who are subject to death, He is nailed who is not subject to death. Isaiah, together with others, beautifully predicted this, saying: “He came to die for the sins of the people,” and: “The Lord laid on Him the sins of us all... He bore the sin of many and became an intercessor for the criminals” (Is. 53:12, 6). Let us repeat again what the meaning of the sacrament is. Just as there some snakes bite, and another is hanged on the cross, so here, everyone has sinned, and one is crucified for all. Here's your second image. Look at the third one too. “By the words of two witnesses, or by the words of three witnesses, [every] thing will take place” (Deut. 19:15). Why is a copper snake hung on a cross? To make snake bites harmless. So, one is crucified, and the other loses its effect. Do you see a glimmer of truth? Do you not see, as if through a veil, the power of house-building? A snake was nailed to the cross so that the bites of snakes would become ineffective; Christ was nailed to the cross so that the actions of demons would be abolished. One snake is erected, and the other snakes are deprived of strength; one - Christ - is nailed to the cross, and the others - demons - are abolished. And just as there the image of a visible snake made the bites of snakes harmless, so here the killing of Christ was the killing of death and the abolition of demons. That is why the Savior rightly applies this image to Himself, saying: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Blessed Moses drew you, my brother, a cross in another image. Speaking about the cross, it is necessary to point out other images where the spectacle of the sacrament is presented. How else did Moses draw the cross? Listen. Once upon a time, foreigners called the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the desert. Moses equips and sends against them the leader of his people and his successor Joshua, and he himself remains on the mountain with his hands raised. Moses, it is said, went up to the mountain and lifted up his hands. “And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hands,” overcome by the weight of his body, “Amalick prevailed” (Ex. 17:11). What does this image mean? The Jew, fearing that the glory of the Cross of Christ might not shine through the image, will immediately say: “There is nothing in this image that you are inventing. This image was a sign of prayer, and not a type, as you suggest.” But if so, if it is true that victory was the fruit of prayer, then why did Scripture attribute the victory not to prayer (after all, Scripture did not say: “when Moses prayed,” and this clearly means that victory was not the fruit of prayer), but to the image and position of the hands? In fact, when Moses gave up, the Israelites were defeated, but when he raised his hands, the Amalekites were defeated. If this were a matter of prayer, then it would be necessary to say: “And when Moses prayed, he conquered”... Meanwhile, Scripture, as I have already said, having remained silent about prayer, not because it was superfluous, but because it must give way to the image of the cross, attributes victory to the image and the external sign. When Moses stretched out his hands, Israel was victorious. What does outstretched hand mean? Imagine outstretched hands, and you will see the shining image of the venerated Cross. But Moses was tired, they say, and his hands, overcome by bodily weakness, refused to serve the image (of the cross). So what? So that with the cessation of the image the victory would not be lost, Aaron and Hur stood and supported his hands, so that the collapsing and vanished image would not destroy the victory. Why do Aaron and Hur support Moses' hands? Aaron, brothers, had priestly dignity; Or comes from the royal tribe. Thus the priesthood and the kingdom guard the image of the cross. And just as during the transfiguration of the Lord on the mountain Moses and Elijah appeared to the right and left to stand as guards to the royal image of Christ, so here the cross is guarded by Aaron, who holds the dignity of the priesthood, and Hor, who holds the royal dignity in embryo. I spoke about this, wanting to show how the image of piety was offered to the ancient fathers, and how they revered the image of salvation. If those who foretold it preached with such glory, depicted it with such reverence, then with what lips should we glorify the Cross of the Lord and the Divine economy? I know that it is highly desirable for you to listen to dogmatic teachings and sermons on theology; but what I have said now is identical in meaning, since it is the same thing to glorify the Cross and to praise the Only Begotten Word of God, so whether you praise the Divinity of the Only Begotten, whether you give honor to His economy, you will show the same piety. 4. When, however, you hear about the Cross, when you hear about the Incarnation, then raise your mind to the height of the power of the Only Begotten. Let the image that appeared for you not depress your mind, but let the philanthropy of the one who saved you elevate your thoughts. The cross is for your sake; the greatness of God depends only on Himself. The greatness of God is neither exalted by [human] words, nor humbled by words. Whoever humiliates Him only humiliates himself; whoever exalts Him elevates his own insignificance to the heights. We have just said that it is of equal importance whether someone glorifies the economy or (praises laudably) about theology. Since in yesterday’s conversation we were left with something unsaid regarding the words: “Let them know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (John 17:3), - it is precisely regarding the words: “The only true God” that prophecies and testimonies were given showing that the Son is the one true God - then I consider it necessary to explain the next thought of the saying (i.e., the thought about the embassy of the Son Father). “What can you say,” the heretic will say, “about the embassy (of the Son by the Father)? It is definitely written: “and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Can the Sender have the same dignity as the Sent? Of course, if, when reading these words, you slavishly follow the letter, then you will undoubtedly, as we have often said before, contradict us in many ways and recognize as inconsistent with reason what is beautifully written, but (only) poorly understood; if you grasp the thought in the correct way, then your mental eye, being directed to an accurate understanding by the Holy Spirit himself, will not notice a contradiction anywhere. In fact, the expressions “sent” and “sent,” being human words, express Divine thoughts. Neither the Sender, after all, sent from one place to another place, nor the Sent came from one place to another. But the Father, the heretic will say, sent the Son into the world as if he had not been in the world into which He was sent. How does Scripture say: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him” (John 1:10)? How, then, did the Present One come, the Hidden One appear? If you really understand the expression “sent” as you hear, then it is in every possible way necessary that the Sent One should appear in places where He was not yet present, and the Sender should send to places where He is not present!.. How did the Evangelist say: “Through Him all things began to be, and without Him nothing began to be that began to be. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him” (John 1:3, 10)? If, therefore, He was in the world, then how is He sent into the world? Have you not heard Him say: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord" (Jer. 23:24)? What does it mean: “sent”? This means: “appeared”, which means: “shone in the flesh.” Embassy does not signify a transition from place to place, but a transition from (the state of) the invisible Deity into the visible presence. Truly, the Son of God, when he came to earth, having assumed human nature according to the economy, did not deprive the heavens of His greatness, and now, having ascended in the flesh, he did not leave the earth alien to His rule. Let us explain the question in another way. If, brothers, in the literal sense the Father sent the Son into the world, then it is clear that the Sender is separated from the Sent by His abode. If the Sent One is with the Father, then “sent” is redundant; if the Father sent, then, according to the meaning of the expression, He is separated. There is no need to be a slave to the letter; but we must walk by faith. But who will give us proof that the Son of God, having appeared on earth, was in heaven? What word will certify that the one sent by the Father is not separated from the Father? If He is sent into the world in the sense of the letter of the saying, if the Sender is separated from the Sent, then how does Christ say: “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:11)? As, again, He said: “I am not alone, but I and the Father who sent Me. He who sent Me is with Me” (John 8:16, 29)? Do you see that nature is not divided, and the economy (incarnation) is only a type of embassy? What, again, does it mean: “I ascend to My Father” (John 20:17)? If the Father abides with Him, then why does He ascend? Ascension means dispensation, the elevation of the body, and not separation from the Divine. Do you want to know that the Son of God, having come to earth, did not leave heaven and was not separated from the Father, and having ascended to heaven, did not leave earth? Having said to His disciples: “I ascend to where I came from—to My Father,” He Himself again tells them: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). So, the words: “Let them know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” contain a double thought, representing a double sword; one is directed against idolatry, the other is against Jewish unbelief. They point to the one true God to put dead idols to shame; point to the sent Jesus Christ to shut the lips of those who deny the incarnation. So, understand these words in the indicated sense and do not offend the majesty (of God) for the sake of the letter. 5. So that you are fully aware that a messenger from God does not mean moving from place to place, but points to the incarnation (I will point out this to you). About John the Baptist, who was from the earth and appeared on earth, the Gospel says: “There was a man sent from God” (John 1:6). Was John sent from heaven? Did he come from heavenly heights? How did he come? If, therefore, the person sent did not move from one place to another, (if he was sent in the sense that) some ministry was entrusted to him, then is God the Word, who fills everything, derogating His nature and not pointing to the economy when He calls Himself sent? Look, my brother, how He fulfills the economy of the flesh and does not violate His Divine dignity and power. “I ascend,” He says, pointing to His high priestly ministry, “to My Father... I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter... the Spirit of truth” (John 20:17, 14:16–17). If You ascend to heaven, if You beg, if during prayer You stand humbly, if after prayer You send the Spirit (I beg, You say, and I send), then why do You reject the authority of the Father before ascending? If you do not act with authority in accordance with Divine dignity, but wait until you ascend to heaven to the Father, until you make requests and prayers, and, having thus received the grace of the Spirit, send it to the whole universe, then why do you show your own authority before you ascend, before you beg? Why did You, before the Ascension, having risen from the dead, blow into the faces of the apostles and say: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22)? What You ask from the Father, You give before You beg the Father. Are you, therefore, pretending when you talk about prayer? I don’t pretend, he says, because truth has no pretense; and one corresponds to (Divine) dignity, and the other befits economy. So, why did You blow in the faces of the apostles? It was fitting for me, says the Savior, having risen from the dead to give the world the firstfruits of life. Since Adam, at creation, received the breath of life (“and God breathed into his nostrils,” it says, “the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7), then I, he says, being here, return what he received and destroyed. I raise up the fallen, I renew the corrupt, I give life to the dead. The prophet also testifies to My economy, proclaiming My breath. Which prophet exactly foretold this holy breath? Listen to what one of the twelve prophets, named Nahum, says: “Celebrate, O Judah, your festivals, fulfill your vows, for the wicked will no longer pass through you: he is completely destroyed” (Nahum.1:15). The prophet preaches the good news of new grace, saying that the old has passed away and the new has appeared. “Celebrate... your holidays.” Why does he say "celebrate"? Because the resurrection was supposed to take place on Easter. “Celebrate,” he says, “Judaea, your holidays, fulfill your vows to God, for the wicked will no longer pass through you: he is completely destroyed” (i.e., the end is coming). Why does the former end? “Come up,” he says, “from the earth, breathe into your face and protect you from insult” (Nahum.2:1) ***. But let's go back to the beginning. “Celebrate your holidays, O Judah, fulfill your vows, for the wicked will no longer pass through you.” What holidays? Ancient holidays that were the image of new ones. The first day of unleavened bread, if anyone examines carefully, was an image of suffering. Behind it is the day of Pentecost, which was the image of the descent of the Holy and Worshipful Spirit. The Day of Tabernacles was a type of the tabernacles of heaven. That is why the Lord, wanting to show that these tabernacles, since they were temporary, are an image of future tabernacles, said to the rich of this world: “Make for yourselves friends with unrighteous wealth, so that when you become poor, they will receive you into eternal abodes” (Luke 16:9). Temporary tabernacles, therefore, were a type of eternal tabernacles. Since the economy of Christ fulfilled the ancient images and gave rise to new grace, the prophet foreshadows well, saying: “Celebrate, O Judea, your holidays, fulfill your vows”; indicates that “the wicked will no longer pass through you.” The ancient has been renewed by grace - “it is completely destroyed”, since it “rises up” from the earth, “breathes into your face”, and “takes away” you “from insult.” Prophet Nahum openly presented you with the Lord breathing in holy grace. Isaiah in another way foreshadows the one who rose from the dead and gave his (disciples) the Holy Spirit. “He remembered,” he says, “the days of old...where was He who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of His sheep,” and instead of: “breathed into his face,” he immediately further adds: “Who put His Holy Spirit into his heart” (Is. 63:11). Divine greatness, Divine designation, royal dignity, unattainable glory, incomprehensible power - glorified by the Father (Spirit), co-reigning with the Son, acting in everything and dividing the Divine gifts to everyone as he wants. I know well that what has been said affirms the sons of the Church, but it offends and causes extreme annoyance to the enemies, especially the enemies of piety who refuse to glorify the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. Oh, unfortunate ones! They do not want to honor the Holy Spirit even with what they themselves have received. The Apostle spoke about himself and those like him: “If only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). Paul is glorified with God, but the Holy Spirit is not glorified? Mortal nature is raised to such a height that it is glorified with Christ, but the worshiped Spirit does not even participate in the same gifts as us? The same apostle says about people: “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12), and the Holy Spirit does not reign with Christ? Oh, great ingratitude! Oh, great and unbearable madness! Oh, wicked thought, immeasurable blasphemy and incurable ulcer! We hope to co-reign with Christ, and we reduce the Holy Spirit to the position of a slave? 6. We say this, brethren, not in the sense that the Holy Spirit should be glorified with Christ like us, but to expose the wickedness of those who do not want to allow even this. Be merciful to us, Lord, for our words. If we repeat the speeches of the wicked, without extending beyond their simple letters, then, brothers, let no one think that such a repetition of their blasphemy is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We display them, we repeat them, not because we agree with wickedness, but in order to expose error to shame and protect the sons of piety from ungodly teachings. And the apostles, who loved the Lord and knew His Divine dignity, did not hesitate to introduce blasphemies of the Jews into the Holy Gospels. It is written there exactly how the latter dared to say about Christ that He was both a sinner and that He was not from God, and how they did not hesitate to say to His face: “You are a Samaritan and that you have a devil” (John 8:48). However, what is written does not serve to censure those who wrote, but those who uttered blasphemies. Listen to the action of the Spirit, listen to His glorification among the apostles; listen to their teachings, follow in the footsteps of the saints, do not wander in the footsteps of indecent people. Worship the Trinity, glorify the Trinity, confess the Trinity. This is how the prophets philosophize, this is how the apostles preach, this is how the martyrs believe. Listen to Paul preach the Trinity: “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; and the services are different, but the Lord is the same; and there are diversities of actions, but the same God works all things in all” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). Why doesn't he start with the Father? Why doesn’t he speak first about Him, then about the Son, and after Him about the Holy Spirit? Are you, Pavel, disturbing the order? Are you changing the sequence? If the Savior betrayed: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), then are you violating the rules of theology? But may we never think that way about Paul. This holy and wondrous preacher knew perfectly that if he mentioned the Spirit first, he would preserve theology intact, would not disparage the unfused nature, would not share the indivisible dignity. He mentions the Spirit first, to show that writing the Spirit last does not make Him last and at the end. Since the heretics poorly interpret (the order of persons), do not number (them), but number the Father as the Son, and the Son as the Holy Spirit (the first, they say, is the Father, the second is the Son, the third is the Holy Spirit, not thinking about the decent order of knowledge of the worshiped Trinity, but trying to tarnish the purity of theology with their corrupt soul), then Paul rightly puts the names in reverse order in order to show the truth and to overthrow the opinion of the wicked. But, the heretic will say, I know that the Apostle mentioned the Son and the Spirit only in passing, and presented the highest theology, moving only to the Father. Regarding the Spirit, he said: “The Spirit is one and the same,” regarding the Son: “The Lord is one and the same”; going over to the Father, he said: “Who produces all things in all.” So what? Does this expression: “producing all things in all people” indicate His power? Yes, he says. Indicates a superior advantage to others? Yes, he says. I also accept your confession, if you strictly comply with the known conditions. Let us see what the chosen vessel, Paul, who was guided by the Holy Spirit, says more clearly on this issue. “Everyone is given the manifestation of the Spirit for his 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 others gifts of healings by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:7-10). Listen carefully, notice the agreement of expressions and thoughts. Having said before: “And there is one and the same God, who works all things in all,” the apostle, having reached the point of speaking about the Spirit, testifies that the same power belongs to the Spirit. “But all these things,” he says, “are produced by one and the same Spirit, distributing to each one individually as He pleases” (1 Cor. 12:11). Thus, the correlation (unity) of the doxology is not violated whether any of the names of the Holy Trinity is placed first, or second, or third. The numbering: first, second, third - shows not the difference of nature, but the path of theology alien to fusion. Again, the same apostle, wanting to show that he everywhere uses one or another order of names indifferently, but decently and faithfully approaches the divine preaching, says in the Epistle to the Thessalonians: “But our Lord Jesus Christ himself is our God and Father” (2 Thess. 2:16). Do you, Paul, proclaim first about the Son and then about the Father? You, he says, brought the first one down to the (lower) rank; If I name the first and second, I mean an indivisible nature; It’s better to say, I don’t understand, but I firmly affirm. So, do not revile the Divine sayings and do not slander the heavenly teachings. You find a similarity to this in the Old Testament. Just as here Paul, beginning with the Spirit, passes to the Son, and from the Son, again, to the Father, and made the third in the order of names first - not with the aim of perverting the order of the sermon, but in order to show the indifference of the knowledge of theology - so in the Old Testament you find the same way of expression, shining as a kind of prototype. Who among us, brethren, does not know that Scripture places Abraham in first place, Isaac in second, and Jacob in third? “I am the God of your father,” it says, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” (Ex. 3:6). And Scripture rightly names first the one who gave birth, then the one who was born, and finally the one who came from this last one. But since nature was indivisible, although divided by temporal succession, God does not refuse to change the order in order to show their unity. In the book, namely, Leviticus, God says (I also indicate the place so that you do not falsely revile my words): “If the children of Israel sin, I will give them over to a strange people, and they will go there and serve a strange god.” Predicting the Babylonian captivity, God says: “And they will go there and serve strange gods.” “Then their uncircumcised heart will be subdued, and then they will suffer for their iniquities,” and a little further: “And I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham I will remember” (Lev. 26:41-42). 7. I will repeat the saying, since the noise (of applause) drowned out what was said. There, he says, “their uncircumcised heart will be subdued,” and they will turn to Me, and I will heal them. He has not yet fulfilled the threat and is already proclaiming reconciliation. And I will bring them back to the land of their fathers, “and I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham I will remember.” Do you see how God changes the order to show equality? He did not make Jacob the first, but wants to show equality through the indifferent use of names. But among the patriarchs, time separates the fruit from the root, since the nature of both those who are born and those who give birth is mortal; the nature of the Holy, Immortal and Worshiped Trinity does not cut apart by word, and does not divide time, and does not separate centuries; there is nothing dividing between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Only Begotten is the creator of centuries. Listen to what the divine and glorious preacher says about the Father: “God, who at times and in divers manners spoke of old to the fathers by the prophets, has spoken in these last days to us by the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1-2). So, nothing separates the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - no time, no extension of time. Before the ages the Father, before the ages the Son, just as He created the ages; before the ages the Holy Spirit. Nature is never divided, power is never divided. Listen carefully: the Father reigns, the Son reigns, the Holy Spirit reigns. I know that I have already proven this; but to say the same thing “is not painful to me, but edifying to you” (Phil. 3:1). The Father reigns, according to the words: “Our God is king forever” (Ps. 73:12). The Son reigns, because “the Lord God will give Him,” it is said, “the throne of His father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32–33). The Holy Spirit reigns, since Isaiah said: “And I saw with my eyes the King of the Lord of hosts, sitting on a throne, high and exalted... And He said: Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and with your eyes you will see and will not see,” etc. (Is. 6:1, 9), and the apostle interprets the words of the prophet in application to the Holy Spirit. Isaiah said: “I saw the king of the Lord of Hosts, He said to me: “Go and tell this people”; Paul, adding the words: “the king of the Lord of Hosts” to the Holy Spirit, said, talking in Rome with the Jews: “Well, the Holy Spirit said to our fathers through the prophet Isaiah: go to this people and say: you will hear with your ears, but you will not understand, and with your eyes you will see - and you will not see” and so on (Acts 28:25-26). Isaiah said: “I saw the King of Hosts, and He said: Go and tell this people”; and Paul in his words acquired the power of the Holy Spirit, and the King and Lord of Hosts is, therefore, the Holy Spirit, who said to Isaiah: “Go to this people and say: you will hear with your ears, and you will not understand with your eyes. you will not see”, etc. And: “He said: Go and tell this people: you will hear with your ears and you will not understand, and with your eyes you will look and you will not see.” because “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor. 3:17). Let no one think that the first and greater name is “God,” and the second (lesser) is “Lord.” In relation to the immortal nature, both “Lord” and “God” indicate the same dignity, although these words do not have the same meaning. Indeed, if “God” is the first name, and “Lord” is the second, then Moses would not have used the second as the first, saying: “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4). If he wanted to talk about the first name, then he should have, having first mentioned the first, said: “Your God is the Lord alone”; wanting to show the indifference of names, he said first “Lord”, then “God”. But let's return to our subject. "The Lord is the Spirit". So the Lord is the Father, the Son is the Lord, the Lord is the Holy Spirit. But Paul says: “There is only one Lord.” If there is one Lord, then how is the Lord and Lord? It is clear that (of course) unified dominance. So there is one God, says Paul: “But we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are to Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we through Him” (1 Cor. 8:6). So, the heretic will say, the Apostle called the Father God, and the Son Lord. Let's see, let's see, brothers, let's see - I ask: is the name "Lord" the second name of Divine dignity, and isn't it truly the first and completely corresponding (to this dignity) and attested by the Holy Scriptures? It is truly necessary for us to speak about this with care, and for you to listen willingly, and for heretics to learn the truth. What word will certify to us that “Lord” is both the first name and the one corresponding to the magnificent glory? Listen to the prophet David: “Let them be ashamed and troubled for ever and ever, and be put to shame and perish. And let them know that Your name is Lord, You alone are High above all the earth” (Ps. 82:18-19). Usually the enemy speaks about the Savior - the Word: the name of Christ is Lord, the name of the Father is God. Again I demand a definition of these concepts. Are you using the expressions of heretics? Do you comply with known conditions? I'm afraid of your deceit. When you are convicted of this truth, you will flee from it under the protection of another fiction; when you are struck here too, you will turn to the new foundation of your foolishness, whereas you should not run from the shining and enlightening truth, because while it enlightens, it does not persecute (anyone), but “the wicked flees when no one pursues him” (Proverbs 28:1). 8. We will return to what we planned. “And let them know that Your name is Lord.” If David mentions the Father, then know that the name of the Father is Lord. The name of the Father is Lord, and Paul says: “And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.” Therefore, the Lord is the Father, the Lord is the Son. As a sharer in the name, Christ is therefore also a sharer in dignity. But the Jew refuses to admit that David said this regarding the Father, so that, having adopted the name “Lord” to the Son, he would leave the name “God” to the Father. I agree with the definition and accept the terms. I do not divide the names of the worshiped Trinity according to their merit, as I have said many times before, because the Church preaches the indivisible glory; but I condescend to your difficult situation and say: let us assume (what is said about the Son): “And let them know that Your name is Lord”; What will you do with the further expression: “You alone are High above all the earth” (Ps. 83:19)? According to your wicked teaching, the Father, therefore, is not yet Supreme, because the only Supreme is the Son. Here, brothers, are not waves of the sea ready to strangle anyone, but waves of love that can sanctify. But, however, when Christ is spoken and preached, let this God-loving boat sail calmly. If the sea, seeing the feet of the Master and hearing: “Be silent, cease” (Mark 4:39), submitted to His command, then it is unreasonable for the Church not to obey her Bridegroom, who proclaims the words of life and truly has Divine grace in His mouth - “my heart has poured out good words” (Ps. 44:2). But let's return to our subject. “Let them know that Your name is Lord.” Choose what you wish; I don’t say this in the sense that the choice lies in your power. And Joshua, when he said to the people: “Choose now whom you will serve, the gods whom your fathers served, or the Lord our God” (Joshua 24:15), he did not, of course, leave the choice to the power of the people, but wanted to show that the will of those who love God is accompanied by piety. And in another place he says: “You are witnesses of yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord for yourself to serve Him” (Joshua 24:22). Just as election there did not humiliate the dignity of God, but showed the free will of pious people, so now, if I give the choice to free will, I do not insult the dignity of God, but experience freedom. So, “and let them know that your name is Lord” - is it said about the Father, or about the Son? If about the Father, and the name of the Father is Lord, then the name of the Son is Lord, because “and there is one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him”; therefore, dignity is as general as a name. But “Lord” is the name of the Son; therefore, there is only one Son, the Lord, because “You,” they say, “are the only Highest over all the earth.” If, therefore, there is only one Lord, the Son, then is the Father alien to dominion? It won't happen! And the Son, when the Father is called one and only God, is not deprived of divinity. “In the beginning,” it says, “there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Consequently, neither the expression: “God” the Father separates the Son from the Divinity, because “the Word was God,” nor the title of the Son “one Lord” indicates that the Father is alien to dominion, because “the Lord said,” it is said, “to my Lord: sit at my right hand” (Ps. 109:1). So, the Lord is the Father, the Lord is the Son, the Lord is the Holy Spirit, because “the Lord... is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17). But again, hearing that the Holy Spirit is Lord, the heretic becomes irritated and bursts with vexation. How, he says, is the Spirit the Lord, when He, speaking through the prophet David, glorifies the Son in the words: “The Lord said to my Lord”? Do you see, he objects, how the Spirit, speaking through the prophet, recognizes both the Father and the Son as his Lord? So, what, brothers? So that the above expression is not doubtful for the listeners, I will turn to the very explanation of this saying, I will reveal to you the meaning of these words. 9. The Savior, once talking with the assembled Jews and testing what judgment and opinion the majority had about Him, said to them: “What do you think about Christ? Whose son is he? They say to Him: “David” (Matthew 22:42). Then the Lord, refuting their opinion, said further: “How then does David, by inspiration, call Him Lord when he says: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit on My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Matthew 22:43-44)? The Savior added the expression “by inspiration” not with the purpose of showing that the Spirit is the servant of Christ, who is proclaimed here, but with the purpose of clearly indicating that the prophet, foreseeing the future by the Holy Spirit, confesses his son according to the flesh to be truly Lord. The question proposed by the Lord was not about the Holy Spirit, but about Himself, namely: is the Lord a son for David, or a ruler? So, the Lord himself, preventing the slander of heretics and protecting the inviolable dignity of the Holy Spirit, resolves the dispute with the given objection. What is he saying? “If David therefore calls Him Lord, how can He be his son” (Matthew 22:45)? He did not say: “So if the Holy Spirit calls him Lord,” but says: “if David calls Him Lord.” Why did He add: “by inspiration he calls Him Lord”? Before the coming of Christ, it was possible to speak about Christ not on the basis of bodily vision, but according to the foretelling of the Holy Spirit. David did not report what he saw, but proclaimed with his spiritual lyre what the Holy Spirit inspired. That is why the Lord said: “How then does David, by inspiration, call Him Lord”? And so that the heretic would not blaspheme the Holy Spirit, the Savior further, as we have already said, added: “if David calls Him Lord, how can He be his son”? Consequently, David, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls Christ Lord. Let us first note that every prophet speaks according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We all acknowledge that the prophets spoke by the Holy Spirit, as the apostle testifies to this, saying: “The Holy Spirit spoke well to our fathers through the prophet” (Acts 28:25); and God himself, when he says in general: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and they will prophesy” (Joel 2:28); Likewise Moses: “If all the Lord’s people were prophets, when would the Lord send His Spirit upon them” (Num. 11:29)? Here let us pay careful attention to how the deity of the Holy Spirit is indicated, how it is not exalted by us, but glorified by its own dignity. Allow me to reveal the real subject through questions and answers, because through such oppositions it becomes easier to resolve misunderstandings. So, let us ask: do the heretics agree that the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets, or do they still not believe and doubt? If in doubt, let us remember what was said above, namely, as God himself testifies: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and they will prophesy,” because the Spirit is the agent of prophetic power; Let us remember how the wondrous Moses, wanting to show that prophecy has its basis in the Holy Spirit, uttered great and wonderful words: “If all the Lord’s people were prophets, when would the Lord send His Spirit upon them”? If they truly recognize what truly is, namely, that the Holy Spirit spoke in the prophets, then listen to how the blessed and wondrous Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, calls God the Holy Spirit who spoke through the prophets: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, that He has visited His people and brought deliverance to them, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He proclaimed by the mouth of the saints who were from the beginning of time.” His prophets" (Luke 1:68–70). So, if he who spoke through the mouth of the prophets is God, and the Holy Spirit spoke in the prophets, as David says in the book of Kings: “The Spirit of the Lord speaks in me, and His word is on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2), then the Holy Spirit who spoke through the prophets is, therefore, God and Lord. And here is clear proof of what has been said. The Divine Apostle, wanting to point to the Holy Spirit in prophetic speech, says in the Epistle to the Corinthians: “But when everyone prophesies, and someone who does not believe or does not know comes in, he is convicted by everyone, judged by everyone. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed, and he falls on his face, worships God and says: “Truly God is with you” (1 Cor. 14:24-25). Do you see how definitely the teacher of piety declared that the Spirit who works in those who prophesy is God? 10. So, why are you, heretic, lying about the right faith? Why do you blaspheme the dignity of the Spirit? Why do you violate your confession of faith? Read your promises given when the sacraments were performed on you: “I believe,” you said, “in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” What have you believed in, have you rejected? What did you confess and pervert? What he openly declared, he again wickedly overthrew? Are you disturbing the peace? Are you breaking your contract? Do you deny faith? Are you asking questions? You were given a gift for your faith, for your confession, and after this gift, faith is expelled and disputes are introduced? Do not insult the dignity of grace, do not desecrate the vows given in that terrible and great hour of the sacrament! You confessed faith in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; in the same way you were baptized into the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Likewise, the blessing [is performed] in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We have been given gifts by grace, but on our part there is blasphemy against grace? The Holy Spirit gives us freedom, but we attribute slavery to the Spirit? Oh madness! Oh, ingratitude! Either reject the new grace, or be ashamed of the Old Testament, or recognize the equality of the entire Holy Trinity. We have proven this many times by the numerous testimonies of Scripture. I would like to add one more piece of evidence to what has been said. What was revealed in the New Testament, as I have said many times, was foreshadowed in the Old. So what? God gives Moses a command, saying: “Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus bless the children of Israel” (Numbers 6:23). Pay attention. So that someone in his simplicity would not think that everything is good, God added: “so.” He wants no one to teach blessings of their own free will, but that everything should be done according to the rules of Scripture. “So,” he says, “bless.” How "so"? “The Lord will bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24). And notice how God mysteriously shows the Trinity everywhere; for Her sake the blessings will triple. “May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord look upon you with His bright face and have mercy on you” (Numbers 6:24–25). Notice how clearly the Holy Trinity is glorified. What grace is not from the Holy Spirit? What gift is not given by Him? What good is achieved without Him? What superior gift can descend to people without the Holy Spirit? Examine the Scripture and see how, when it wants to mark or indicate something happening in a supernatural way, it attributes everything to the action of the Spirit. For example, when Scripture tells about Samson, this famous fighter, and about the great and wondrous deeds of his courage, it indicates in advance that these deeds were accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Countless numbers of foreigners came, it says, but Samson was the only one, and, what’s more, he was even tied up. What hope of liberation does a bound man have? What salvation is there for the captive? How can one defeat many? The Spirit of the Lord descended on Samson, and he rushed at the foreigners, and, finding a donkey’s jawbone, killed a thousand people. And notice the wisdom of Divine Scripture. Since for people who did not observe this, it would seem incredible that the bound one defeated the free and alone overcame many, the Scripture well notes in advance: “And the Spirit of the Lord came on Samson, and he took... the jawbone of a donkey and... killed... a thousand” (Judges 15:14-15) - so that if this seemed incredible, as impossible for human nature, they would believe it as the action of the power of the Spirit. Therefore, Moses said well: “How could one pursue a thousand and two drive away darkness, if their Protector had not betrayed them, and the Lord had not given them up” (Deut. 32:30)? Read the Scripture and you will see that with every exploit, the action of the Spirit is indicated in advance. Foreigners came, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson. The lion rushed, and He tore “the lion like a kid” (Judges 14:6). He was bound with iron ties; the wife says to him: “Foreigners are on... Samson,” and again the Scripture says: and the Spirit of the Lord descended on Samson, and the bonds were broken like a thread of tow that touched the fire (Judges 16:9). Scripture has nowhere indicated a single glorious deed without prefacing an indication of the work of the Spirit. Then pay careful attention to what Scripture says, which always notes about Samson, when he performed his exploits and won, that “...the Spirit of the Lord descended on Samson” (Judges 14:6). When he finally lost his strength, when he shaved his head and gave up the pledge of grace, Scripture immediately notes: “And the Lord departed from Samson” (Judges 16:20). When the foreigners came, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him,” but when he retreated, “the Lord,” he says, “departed from him” (Judges 16:20); and rightly so, because “the Lord...is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:17). And not only in the Old Testament you can see this, but also in the apostles. When Divine Scripture announces some great and extraordinary power, it everywhere indicates in advance the action of the Spirit. It speaks, for example, of how Paul in Cyprus punishes through words the unfortunate sorcerer Elimas, who opposed the truth, and since he narrates an extraordinary deed, namely, the blinding of the eyes, accomplished by the word, he says: “And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you: you will be blind and will not see the sun for a time” (Acts 13:11). Such an action as blinding the eyes with human words exceeded the nature of both Paul and all people in general. The human word does not change nature and does not blind the eye. Therefore, lest anyone, looking at human words, be struck by the extraordinary nature of the matter and consider what was said to be fiction, Scripture again firstly points to the power of the Spirit. “Then,” it says, “Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to him” (Acts 13:9-10). You also have an indication of the action of the Spirit; namely, when a simple person speaks better than his own strength allows, Scripture also assimilates the action of the Spirit. For example, Peter and John speak in the assembly of the Jews. And “then Peter,” it is said, “filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ... judge whether it is right before God to listen to you more than to listen to God?” (Acts 4:8, 19). Why “filled with the Holy Spirit”? Since the boldness exceeded what could be expected from a simple person, so that someone, looking at the fisherman, would not doubt the boldness of his holy preaching, Scripture first pointed out the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, so that you would not marvel at the boldness. Let us consider, if you like, another example to further confirm what has been said. The sky opens for the saints; but without the Holy Spirit it does not open; It is not through the eyes of the body that the heavens open are seen, but through the action of the Holy Spirit. Stephen saw the heavens open; but, as Scripture says, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:55–56). So, brothers, it is in no way possible to see heaven open without the Spirit, just as it is impossible, without the Holy and worshiped Spirit, to be invested with the power of teaching, or to demonstrate the power of working miracles. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He pleases” (1 Cor. 12:11). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” According to Cod. Reg. Place 1668 reads like this. Arr.: “Where the word of truth is, there is the rise of piety.” These words are not in Russian translation. You might be interested in: