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1. Noah was a good man, a true lover of the highest piety and preferred glory in this to everything (cf. Gen. 6:9). Since he was famous, attracted general attention, was very famous and famous, being crowned with the highest praise, he was rightly the subject of surprise. So, our speech turns to him, and we, believing in what happened regarding him as some kind of image and prototype of salvation through Christ, I think, will bring a lot of benefit to the readers. Let us explain, as far as possible, separately everything that concerns it, reducing the crudeness of the historical meaning and skillfully elevating what actually happened to spiritual contemplation. 2. From Adam, after the murder of Abel, Seth was born, and from Seth Enos, who “began to call on the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4:26): for Enos was called god by his contemporaries. Surprised by the greatness of his inherent righteousness, they called him god, thinking that such a name was most befitting of the virtue of this man. From Enos, who was called god, others came, after whom came Lamech, the father of Noah, who turned out to be a prophet at the birth of his son, just as Zechariah was at the birth of the blessed Baptist. For Lamech named his son Noah, which means “calm,” if we translate this word into our language. As if presenting the reason for this name, Lamech says: “he will comfort us in our work and in the labor of our hands in cultivating the land that the Lord has cursed” (Gen. 5:29). With such bright and very brilliant hopes, the birth of Noah was foretold by the ancients. And he was the tenth from Adam, if the genealogy is traced through Seth, and he reached the point that those who came from Enos, who was called god, were called gods from all of them. But “Noah was,” it is said, “five hundred years old, and Noah begat... Shem, Ham, and Japheth” (Gen. 5:32). And Shem, if you translate this word from Hebrew into Greek, means “perfection” or “plant,” Ham means “warmth,” and Japheth means “breadth.” Then the Holy Scripture says: “When people began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, then the sons of God They saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and took them as wives of their choice. And the Lord said...: My Spirit shall not be despised of men forever...; let their days be one hundred and twenty years. At that time there were giants on the earth, especially from the time when the sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men, and they began to give birth to them: these are mighty men of old" (Gen. 6, 1-4). After the human race expanded to a great multitude, “the sons of God,” it is said, “fell into the most unreasonable lust for women and took them as wives as anyone chose.” We know that some of the Bible copies clearly have the following reading: “having seen... the angels of God were the daughters of men” (Gen. 6:2). Then some reject the accusation of carnality (from the angels) and lay the blame for such vile lust on the fallen angels, “who did not keep their rulership,” as it is written (Jude 1:6). I affirm and agree that every spiritual illness befits them; but it seems to me that it would be most reckless and completely inconsistent with common sense to attach faith to this in relation to the matter itself. Our goal is to see the truth in everything written, but in any case not to understand the ailments of the crowd of demons. We see that lusts always and most of all follow the impulses existing in ourselves and innate to us: for we either love carnal passions, or we are in the habit of considering as very important that by which the works of the flesh are accomplished. And pleasures do not distance us from natural laws, as it seems to me to be good and true. For example, eating and drinking, as well as natural communication with women, are carnal affairs and passions. And the desires of wealth and glory serve as the pleasure of the flesh, and almost all passions in the world occur through this, according to what was said by the wise disciple of Christ: “all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). These kinds of sorrowful and dangerous lusts easily ensnare us into thinking and doing the works of the flesh. But no word will convince us to love what is outside the body and not natural. Then would it not be almost madness to say that spirits who are above the flesh and free from it love the things of the flesh? What natural impulse would they have to do this, or what law would prompt them, just as we ourselves are prompted to crave such and other similar passions? We, of course, do not absolve the demonic crowd from guilt in this: for it is wicked and nasty, and receptive to everything vile. Let it suffer along with other, if you like, unnatural pleasures. But when the Divine Scripture says that they had intercourse with women, and the women gave birth to the so-called giants, that is, huge monsters, however, still reasonable people: then how should one reason about this? After all, it is not from spirits completely free from the flesh that the birth of man can occur in a woman. Some people talk idle talk and philosophize over these, probable, as they think, conclusions, covering up the impossible: for they consider the evil that happened among people to be demonic and through them they believe that the injection of the seed was accomplished. But we will find their opinion very absurd and full of ignorance: for what the Divine Scripture has not spoken, how can we accept and consider it true? We will read rather: “they saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took them as wives as they chose.” The translation of other interpreters also confirms the correctness of this reading. For example, Aquila says: “the sons of the gods, having seen the daughters of men.” Symmachus, instead of: “sons of the gods,” translated: “sons of the rulers.” They called those descended from Seth and Enos the sons of the gods, as well as the rulers, because of their inherent holiness and love of God and because they were able to defeat all those who opposed them, and, as is right, God helped them and clearly showed this race to be the most sacred and holy. This family did not mix with another, that is, with those descended from Cain and Lamech, who, following in the footsteps of his father, was even a murderer; for he admits, “I killed a man for my wound, and a young man for my sore” (Gen. 4:23). As long as the sacred race remained on its own and did not mix with the worst, the beauty of piety before God shone in them pure and genuine and made them admirable. When they fell into carnivory and, carried away by female beauty, deviated towards apostasy: “they took,” it is said, “whichever one chose” from the daughters of men, that is, those descended from Cain: then, although they were called gods and sons of the gods who ruled, they finally deviated towards their morals and to a shameful and nasty life and life. And wives began to give birth to monsters, since God disfigured the very beauty of human bodies because of the intemperance of the people of that time in fornication. Those born were giants, that is, wild and strong in strength, suffering from great disgrace and surpassing others in body size. You should know that those who have very strong power are usually called giants by the word of inspired Scripture. So, for example, about the Persians and Medes through the mouth of the prophet it is said: “giants are coming to fulfill My wrath, rejoicing, together and reproaching” (Is. 13: 3). But we will not at all listen to the false talk of the Hellenes: for their chosen writers, especially poets, have the habit, according to their own considerations and arbitrariness, to interpret and transform the nature of things, to raise high the insignificant and rejected, and to think that a story is embellished with excessive false talk, even if in itself it was far from the truth. One of them says that the whole of Sicily was thrown into heaven by one of the giants. Another invents even more incongruous things about another. The giants, as I said, were terrible to look at, possessed exorbitant strength, were cruel and unapproachable, surpassed others in body size, but did not touch the clouds with their heads, as the poets say about them. 3. When in this way the generations mixed one with another and all deviated towards unbridled sin, then “the Lord saw... that the wickedness of men was great on earth, and that every thought and intent of their hearts was evil at all times,” or repented, according to another translation, I mean Aquila, “that he created man on earth, and was grieved in His heart. And the Lord said: I will destroy from the face of the earth man whom I have created, from man to beast, and the creeping thing, and the birds of the air, I will destroy, for I have repented that I created them. Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord” (Gen. 6:5-8). Do you understand that God decided to destroy every person? Since Noah was adorned with deeds of piety, God spared him alone and did not destroy him with the others, but saved him with the whole house. And he says to him: “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with evil deeds from them; and behold, I will destroy them from the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make compartments in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and outside. And make it this way: the length of the ark is three hundred cubits; its breadth is fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. And thou shalt make a hole in the ark, and thou shalt make it a cubit at the top, and thou shalt make a door into the ark at the side thereof; build in it a lower, second and third [dwelling]” (Gen. 6:13–16). And a little later: “And you shall enter into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Bring also into the ark... of every living thing, and of every flesh, two by one, so that they may remain alive with you; let them be male and female. Of... birds according to their kinds, and of... livestock according to their kinds, and of every thing that creeps on the earth according to their kind, of all of them, two by one, will come to you, so that you may live. And of every clean animal you shall take in sevens, male and female, and from unclean cattle in twos, male and female” (Gen. 6:18-20; Gen. 7:2). So, when all this was fulfilled, as the God of all people commanded, all flesh was destroyed, since all under heaven was flooded with rains and downpours and swift streams of waters sent from above and from heaven. The ark floated on the surface, carrying as its cargo the souls of the righteous. And when the waters subsided a little, “the ark stood still... , - it is said, - after forty days Noah opened the window of the ark he had made and released a raven... which, flying out, flew away and flew back until the earth was dried up from the water. Then he sent out a dove from him to see if the water had disappeared from the face of the earth, but the dove did not find a resting place for its feet and returned to him in the ark, for the water was still on the surface of the whole earth; and he stretched out his hand, and took him, and took him into the ark. And he delayed another seven days and again sent the dove out of the ark. The dove returned to him in the evening, and, behold, a fresh olive leaf was in his mouth, and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. He delayed another seven days and... released a dove; and he never returned to him” (Gen. 8:4, 6–12). Thus, he finally realized that all the water had dried up on the earth, and that the earth had again become dry, as well as what was on it. When he, together with his children and everyone gathered in the ark, came out of it and saw the land freed from the waters, he immediately erected an altar and tried to offer clean and undefiled animals and birds as burnt offerings, offering, as I think, thanksgiving sacrifices to God who saved him. When this was done, it is said, “And the Lord smelled a pleasant aroma, and the Lord said... in His heart: I will no longer curse the earth for man, because the thought of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will no longer smite every living thing, as I have done: henceforth, all the days of the earth, sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease” (Genesis 8:21-22). And besides, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. Let all the beasts of the earth fear and tremble at you, and all the birds of the air, everything that moves on the earth, and all the fish of the sea: they have been given into your hands” (Gen. 9:1-2). 4. When in this way our word has achieved this, consisting of a presentation of the literal meaning and history, then on this side, as I think, absolutely nothing is omitted. Now, following in the footsteps of what has been said, carrying out the speculation hidden within him, we will examine the mystery of Christ and show - as an image of the salvation accomplished through Him - Noah himself and the wise and ineffable economy related to the ark. So, Noah was born of Lamech, not the one who killed the husband and the youth, but the one of the same name, descended from Seth. And our Lord Jesus Christ came from Israel, holy for the sake of the fathers, but from a people like-minded with Lamech and like-minded with the murderer, and even with the same name as the murderer. In one place it is said to the Jews: “Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute?” (Acts 7:52.) And from Christ: “Complete the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:32). And also through the mouth of Isaiah it is said: “And when you stretch out your hands, I will close My eyes from you; and when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood” (Is. 1:15). Then Noah is the eleventh from Adam. In turn, Christ was born according to the flesh, as if at the last and eleventh time, and began the economy of our salvation. That all this was so and true, you can be convinced of this from the Holy Scriptures. He who hired laborers in the vineyard for wages at the eleventh hour cried out to some, and these were pagans: “Why are you standing here all day idly?” When they openly said: “no one hired us,” for before the coming of our Savior no one called the pagans to the knowledge of God, He graciously and mercifully says to them: “Go you too into my vineyard, and you will receive whatever follows” (Matthew 20:6-7). And the law given through Moses commanded that the lamb be slaughtered in the evening and by lamps (Ex. 29, 39, 41; Num. 28, 4, etc.): for when the time had already come, as it were, to the very west and the present age was almost shortened, the Only Begotten - the Word of God - became man and endured the slaughter for everyone, freeing them from punishment and condemnation and making those who believed very far from any fear for this. He Himself is the true Noah, that is, truth and peace: this is how this name is interpreted; for we are justified, according to the Scriptures, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy” (Tit. 3:5; Rom. 3:24). So, Christ became righteousness and peace for those who believed, if what was said is true: “He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities; the punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed...and the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all,” according to the word of the prophet (Is. 53:5-6). Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, we are blessed and worthy of competition. What then? Is this not what we are called to? Do we really not enjoy heavenly gifts and are not enriched by their participation, and, having overthrown the unbearable burden of sin, do we not finally rest in spiritual well-being? He Himself called us to this, saying: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). That Christ had to give us rest, Archangel Gabriel foreshadowed this to the Holy Virgin, saying: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace from God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus: for He will save His people from their sins” (Luke 1:30-31; Matt. 1:21). And also the divine prophets accurately foretold the peace that would come through Him. So one of them said: “Do not be afraid,” and to Zion: “Let not your hands weaken!” The Lord your God is in your midst, He is able to save you; He will rejoice in you with joy, He will be merciful in His love” (Zeph. 3:16-17). Isaiah almost vividly presents the matter when he says: “Strengthen the weak hands and strengthen the trembling knees; say to the timid in soul: be strong, do not be afraid; Behold your God, vengeance will come, God’s recompense; He will come and save you. As a shepherd He will feed His flock; He will take the lambs in His arms and carry them on His bosom” (Isa. 35:3-4; Isa. 40:11). So, Christ became righteousness and peace for us; He also saved us from the land that the Lord God cursed: for Lamech prophesied this to us about Noah (Gen. 5:29). There is no doubt that the guilt of Adam’s crime is resolved again in Christ; for He was “a curse for us,” according to what is written (Gal. 3:13), redeeming the earth from the ancient curse. Through Him, we say, the Father and God restored everything to its ancient state; and “old things have passed away... but if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation... now all things are new” (2 Cor. 5:17). He is the second Adam, who by obedience overthrows the guilt of the primordial, I mean the guilt that was in the beginning, disobedience. The divine Paul was pleased to think this way, for he writes: “For just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). And Christ “obedient... was obedient to the Father even to death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8) Just as the earth was cursed for Adam’s transgression at the beginning, so it became blessed for the obedience of Christ. But He redeemed us in another way from the land that had become cursed; for “the heavens are new and the earth is new according to His promises,” as the wise disciple of the Savior said (2 Pet. 3:13; Apoc. 21:1). He also renewed our ascent to the heights and to heaven (Heb. 10, 20); and as the forerunner of “us” (Heb. 6:20) he entered the holy land, which, according to Him, the “meek” (Matthew 5:5) have to inherit, that is, those who are led to meekness by the teachings of the Gospel. The law commanded offenders to repay “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and... a plague for a plague” (Ex. 21:24–25). Christ says to us: “Offer the other to the one who slaps you on the cheek” (Luke 6:29; Matt. 5:39). So, Noah was the eleventh from Adam through Seth and Enos, who “began to call on the name of the Lord” (Gen. 4:26) because of their greatest piety and God-loving life. And our Lord Jesus Christ, as the holy Evangelists convey, traces his genealogy from Adam to Joseph himself, in everything, so to speak, a saint, since the genealogy reaches to him. 5. But let’s now talk about the former mixture and mutual merging of genera, holy, I say, and not so, that is, nasty and most vile. Just as those who descended from Enos, by the name of God, were inflamed with love for the daughters of men, as a result of which they immediately became alien and, having decided to live according to their morals and laws, began to suffer from falling away to the worst: so those who descended from the seed of Israel while they lived a holy life and were the most zealous imitators of their ancestral piety, removed from themselves every form of depravity and kept within themselves the praise of a good life, completely intact. When they entered into communication with neighboring (pagan) tribes, although the law condemned this, they were soon filled with their inherent abomination, became accommodating and easily seduced to evil, and what was the worst thing they could not be convicted of? And here’s what’s most strange: the pagans, although they served creatures besides the Creator and Creator and deviated into the error of polytheism, nevertheless, with complete sincerity they honored the demonic crowds; Israel, holy by descent from above and from the fathers, considered apostasy completely unimportant. Therefore, God, through the mouth of the saints, says to him: “For go to the islands of Hittim and look, and send to Kidar and scout diligently, and consider: was there anything like this there? Has any people changed their gods, although they are not gods? but My people exchanged their glory for something that does not help. Marvel at this, O heavens, and tremble and be horrified, says the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed out for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (Jer. 2:10-13). And again: “As many cities as you have, so many gods do you have, Judas. Why should you compete with Me? “You have all sinned against Me, says the Lord” (Jer. 2:28–29). They reached such a degree of corruption of thoughts, or better of actions, that they had communication with women living fornication. When they gave birth, and when it was necessary to immediately mark the babies with signs of Jewish service, namely, circumcision on the eighth day and sacrifices with this: then they carried them away from the sanctified people as a gift to unclean demons. And in this sense, as I think, it is said about them through the mouth of the prophet: “the sons of strangers” are born by him (Ps. 17:46). Therefore, since the holy race was finally damaged through contact with the worst and, as for the quality and differences in opinion, way of life, and morals, all this was reduced to one thing in it, then the Creator of all, in justice, decided to destroy Israel and all the nations existing on earth. But overcome by innate goodness, He brought anger that was not equivalent to their sins. So that the earthly race would not completely perish, He foretold through Noah, as it were, justification in faith and remission through water. That is why the Only Begotten, according to what is written (Bar. 3:38), became man “and lived with men”—the truest Noah, who, in the prototype of that ancient and glorious ark, built the Church. Those who enter it avoid the destruction that threatens the world. This is how the divine Paul interprets the sacrament of the ark, saying: “By faith Noah... reverently prepared an ark for the salvation of his house” (Heb. 11:7), “by which He..., as Peter says, a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. So we are now baptized in a manner similar to this image, not the washing of fleshly uncleanness, but the promise to God of a good conscience” ( 1 Pet. 3, 19–21). How was the ark built? Three hundred cubits, it is said, “the length of the ark is three hundred cubits; its breadth is fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. And thou shalt make a hole in the ark, and bring it up into a cubit” (Gen. 6:15-16). And that such a structure pointed to the mystery of Christ, although very unclear, this can be obvious and very easy for anyone, from the fact that the divine Paul writes to those justified in faith that he makes continuous prayer for them: “they were able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:18-19). 6. What is the significance of the size of the ark? They represent a direct and distinct indication of the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, and of the One Godhead, who has integrity and perfection in everything. Anyone can see this indicated in the numbers present, paying attention to the fact that it is customary for inspired Scripture to make symbols of perfection those numbers that have a circulation within themselves. So, for example, the septenary number, starting from the first, ends on the seventh day on Saturday. Then again we count the days in order, starting from the first and leading again to the seventh. In the same way, having reached the tenth number, we go again, starting from the first in the next ten. In exactly the same way and on the same basis, the perfect number of perfect numbers is composed, that is, one hundred, consisting of ten tens and having a circulation and return again to one. As I said, a symbol of perfection in the Divine Scripture is every number, as if returning back upon reaching its appropriate and appointed limit. So, see the all-perfection of the Holy Trinity as if it were three hundred cubits: for such is the length of the ark. And that the perfection of perfections, so to speak, is the Divinity in one, this is very well indicated by the breadth reaching fifty cubits, that is, as a number consisting of seven weeks, with the addition of one, because the nature of the Divinity is one. And the height itself gives rise to no other thought in us than this. It reaches three dozen cubits, but is reduced again in one of the uppermost and highest, for “thirty,” it is said, “the height of its cubits, and bring it down to one cubit above” (Gen. 6:15–16). And the Holy Trinity, as if expanding into three distinctions of Hypostases and its own Persons, is, so to speak, contracted in the single nature of the Divinity. The Greeks honor the path of error. polytheism. We, numbering and positing Them truly in our own Hypostases, are accustomed to crown them with the unity of nature, and in the identity of being we almost gather everything to the top, completing in one cubit a long and wide and high ark. So, Christ saves us by faith and, as if into an ark, brings us into the Church, in which, staying, we will be delivered from the fear of death and will escape condemnation along with the world: for the righteous Noah, that is, Christ, is with us. 7. I think it also deserves careful and subtle study who should be understood by those who entered the ark with Noah and received salvation through faith and water. It is written that “And Noah, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, went into the ark” (Gen. 7:7). Together with them he brought in there also of all the animals and birds, the clean ones in seven, and the unclean ones in two. It pleased God to decree so. The names of his sons were: Shem, Ham, Japheth. Shem means “plant and perfect,” Ham means “warmth,” and Japheth means “breadth.” for we are saved in Christ through faith, from an imperfect, as it were, living according to the law, like some tender branches, transplanted into the perfection of the gospel instruction. Therefore, the divine David reproached the Jewish people, who did not accept justification in Christ, saying: “You love evil more than good, lies more than telling the truth; you love all kinds of destructive speech, a deceitful tongue” (Ps. 51:5-6): for they uncontrollably slandered the Son. “For this...,” he says, “God will completely crush you, tear you up and uproot you from [your] home and your root from the land of the living” (Ps. 51:7). About those who love justification and life in Christ: “Planted in the house of the Lord, they bloom in the courts of our God” (Ps. 91:14). And that it was not without the Divine and mental fire and not without the warmth of the Spirit that Emmanuel produced in us the grace sent from Him, the divine Paul will also assure us of this, who desires that those called to sanctification be “fiery with the Spirit” (Rom. 12:11). By no means less than this, the wise John affirms us, saying: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who comes after me is mightier than I; I am not worthy to carry His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). For the love of the Jews grew cold for the reason that their iniquity increased, as it is written (Ps. 15:4). We are also very warm. Therefore we say: “Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?” (Rom. 8:35.) So, Ham, whose name means warmth, can serve as a very clear example of those who are burning in spirit. And that we are also brought to broadness of heart, avoiding the sorrow of the legal life, this is indicated to us by the third, Japheth, whose name means “broadness,” for God called to the Jews through the mouth of Isaiah: “Hear the word of the Lord, you blasphemers, the rulers of this people who are in Jerusalem” (Is. 28:14). And one more thing: you who are oppressed will hear (Isa. 66:5). Having emerged from this narrowness in the law, Paul appeals to some who have already believed: “Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians, our heart is enlarged. You are not cramped in us; but your hearts are tight. In equal retribution, I say, as to children, spread yourself too. Do not be unequally yoked with the unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:11-14), for they still followed the rules of the Jews and useless empty advice. David also sings in one place to Christ the Savior of all, as if on behalf of a new, Christian people: “I will flow in the way of Your commandments when You enlarge my heart” (Ps. 119:32); for our mind has been enlarged for wisdom, since Emmanuel has entered and dwells in the souls of all through the Spirit. Such are they who are in Christ through faith. 8. That the pure society of those justified by faith is very numerous, and the Jewish society is much smaller, anyone can easily learn from the following. Noah brought into the ark seven each of the clean animals, but two each of the unclean ones, that is, the killers of the Lord of the Jews: for the “remnant” was saved, according to the word of the prophet (Is. 10:22; cf. Rom. 9:27). But it was again foreshadowed that some of the tribe of Israel for a time had to retreat and deviate from the faith; for “he sent out,” it is said, “from the ark the crow to see, even if the waters gave way: but he did not return” (Gen. 8:7). He drowned, I think, in the waters, not finding support and a place to stand. Therefore, falling away and moving away from the faith of Christ in any case causes destruction. So Blessed Paul says to those who, after accepting the faith, are perfected or think to be perfect in law: “those who justify themselves by the law are left without Christ and have fallen from grace, but we in spirit expect and hope for righteousness from faith” (Gal. 5:4-5). See how the raven of the unclean birds was an apostate: for there were some of the Jews who, after receiving justification in Christ, turned back to the shadows of the law. And about them, I think, the wise John also writes: “They went out from us, but they were not ours: for if they had been ours, they would have remained with us; but they went out, and through this it was revealed that they were not all ours” (1 John 2:19). And the Spirit clearly says that “in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits” (1 Tim. 4:1). See from this a clear image of what happened through Noah. He sent the first and second doves with the intention of seeing if the flood had begun to subside. They returned to the ark, as if into a cage, and one had a certain branch in her mouth, as it is written (Gen. 8:11); and this was an olive branch. Saints are also sent from Christ in order to see the world and those who are in it. But they return, as if proclaiming peace: for this, I think, is indirectly indicated by the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, since this plant always serves as a symbol of peace. So, those who love God are purified by faith and, as it were, in the meekness of the gospel life, chosen by God. But that some of them will fall away in the last times, as I said recently, this is also indicated in the type. It is the third and last dove that is sent and no longer cares about returning, but remains. When the flood ended, “the ark stopped... on the mountains of Ararat” (Gen. 8:4), the name of which is interpreted as evidence of the descent: for high and, as it were, on the mountains, because of the sublimity of the gospel life, those who are in Christ through faith, from above and from heaven descended God, preaching the Word everywhere, to whom God Himself called through the mouth of the prophet: “My witnesses, says the Lord, you and My servant whom I have chosen” (Isa. 43:10). So the praises of those who are in Christ are above worldly things. 9. And that Emmanuel became for us a Bishop, through whom we “have access to the Father” and God (Eph. 2:18) and were renewed into the original state, with the resolution of the curse - I mean, placed on the first-created - see about this in what is written below. After the earth dried up, “Noah… came out of the ark and all who were with him. And Noah built an altar to the Lord; and he took from every clean animal and from every clean bird and offered them as burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a pleasant aroma, and the Lord said… in His heart: I will no longer curse the earth for man’s sake” (Gen. 8:18-21). And after a few words again: and “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth... Let all the beasts of the earth fear and tremble at you..., and all the birds of the air, everything that moves on the earth, and all the fish of the sea: they have been given into your hands” (Gen. 9, 1-2). So, when Christ became our Bishop, and we were brought by Him mentally into the stench of fragrance to God and the Father; then we were richly rewarded with His favor and have a firm promise that death will no longer have power over us. The consequences of anger have also ceased, and the consequences of this ancient curse have also been eliminated. We are blessed in Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to God the Father with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. 1. After everything was done regarding the ark and the flood passed, when Noah began to cultivate the land, then let our word explore further what was done to him by Ham. It, of course, will convince those who have chosen a legal life not to put anything above respect for their parents and to avoid, as the most dangerous thing in all respects, ridicule of them, even if they, carried away by the weakness of nature, easily shirk towards the indecent. That we owe constant respect to our parents, the Divine Law instructs us about this. Having commanded in advance to love the one and by nature God with all your soul and with all your heart, he says: “Honor your father and your mother... so that your days on earth may be long” (Ex. 20:12): for parents, as it were, imitate God and imitate Him. “Remember,” it is said, “that you were born of them” (Sir. 7:30). Therefore, it is also said: “The eye that mocks the father and neglects obedience to the mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, and the eagle’s chicks will be devoured!” (Proverbs 30:17). So, that the thought that one should not honor one’s parents and show them all respect is followed by a curse and condemnation, anyone can very easily learn about this from the example of Ham. It is said: “The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was peopled. Noah began to cultivate the land and planted a vineyard; and he drank wine and became drunk, and lay naked in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness, and went out and told his two brothers. Shem and Japheth took the robe and, putting it on their shoulders, went backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned back, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, and said: Cursed is Canaan; He will be a servant of servants to his brothers. Then he said: Blessed is the Lord God of Shem; Canaan will be his slave; May God spread Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; Canaan will be his slave” (Genesis 9:18–27). Noah, having planted grapes, finished his labors and fell into an unusual state of intoxication. Due to unexpected intoxication, he involuntarily exposed himself and in this position was at home, invisible to many. Hama, who was not firm in his thoughts, made the indecency of this spectacle a reason for criminal ridicule, when he should have clothed and even protected the parent, overcome by intoxication and subjected to the bad consequences of excessive drinking of wine. But leaving this and neglecting respect for the parent, he strives to make others witnesses of this spectacle and, having made the old man into a kind of theatrical stage, he convinces his brothers to laugh. They were above his bad advice and, condemning what had happened and hiding the ugliness of the spectacle with their clothes, they walked “their faces were turned back.” They preferred to be pious and respect the loins of their father, through which they received existence. When the father, having awakened, found out the matter, he now cursed the one who recklessly violated the laws of decency and respect for him, and justly imposed a yoke of slavery on him, calling him Canaan for the sake of the Canaanites who descended from him, who had to be involved in his punishment: for he was punished with all his family. But those who honored Noah were blessed by him. 2. Another sacrament concerning the Jews was also pointed out. There were all three nations: the former at first, like Shem; the former in middle times, corresponding to the cursed Ham, and finally the third, implied in the latter - Japheth, whose name is interpreted as latitude. When God and the Father revealed to us His Son, who is signified by the loins and, as far as one can say in relation to the mental beauty of the Divinity, is ugly and unattractive because of humanity: for “in Him there is neither form nor greatness,” according to the word of the prophet (Is. 53:2), - then, and only then, as the very event of things could testify, the first and the last people, that is, as in the beginning and among the first those who believed, and those who were called to the latter, were ashamed of Emmanuel. They are also blessed through Him from God the Father. And the one among the two who, as it were, mocked Christ because of the ugliness of humanity and who dishonored the Son who appeared from God in many ways, fell into a state of slavery and lost the freedom of his fathers. But that those who believed in recent times from among the Jews had to be fellow members and almost household members of the first, as well as gathered into one city or courtyard, or house, that is, into the Church, he indicated this by saying: “May God spread Japheth” (Gen. 9:27), that is, the third and last, since Japheth is the third; “and let him dwell in the tents of Shem” (Gen. 9:27), that is, the first, and “Canaan will be his servant” (ibid.). This, I think, means the same thing that Christ said to the Jewish people: “Truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. But the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So, if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free” (John 8:34-36). For the unfortunate Jews, who laughed at the economy of our Savior and did not honor His revelation, which came to us from God the Father, remained in the spirit of slavery. About the pillar and its structure Nothing was lacking for human nature to be good and prosperous: for the Creator of all things made it complete and filled with every good. But having previously been great, in a short time it diminished as a result of damage, losing that which made it venerable and beautifully created for great glory. How? – Through the change of incorruption in Adam into corruption, for it was said to him: “You are dust and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19). Then she was deprived of the spirit: because when God saw that those living on earth wanted to think only about the wicked and vile passions of the flesh, he said: “My Spirit will not forever be despised by men...; because they are flesh” (Gen. 6:3). But she also experiences something else. Some, condemned for wicked intentions and reckless empty advice, begin to speak in a different and discordant language. It is said: “The whole earth had one language and one dialect. Moving from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to each other: Let us make bricks and burn them with fire. And they used bricks instead of stones, and earthen resin instead of lime. And they said, “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower, its height reaching to heaven, and we will make a name for ourselves, before we are scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Then God comes down, as the Holy Scripture says, and confuses their languages ​​and scatters them throughout the whole earth (Gen. 11:1-4). The God of all did not approve of their undertakings and did not allow them to be carried out; but since they conceived something arrogant, He, guided by innate goodness, stops their enterprises by confusing languages, meaning that He does not leave intentions that exceed human possibility and are unfulfillable unpunished. He confuses the very languages ​​that need only the art and power of the Creator, and can relate to no one else but Him Alone. Everyone will rightly and truly attribute the transformation of language and the division of speech into different sounds only to the One and by nature Creator. And in fairness, what they did fully deserves ridicule: for they assumed - I don’t know how - that they, in any case, could certainly build a pillar from brick and earth with a height reaching to the very heavens. They may also be, I think, an image of the foolishness of the Jews, who assumed that they would find their kinship with God, but not in approaching heaven, not in the desire to do what is pleasing and dear to Him, not in faith in Christ, but as if by the restoration of some pillar - in ignorant exaltation of the empty glory of the fathers alone. They were constantly accused of displaying the name of Abraham everywhere and, as it were, building their glory on earthly praises. But God put a ban on those who built the pillar and divided them into many languages. We consider what happened to them then as a kind of foreshadowing of what happened to the Jews: for God scattered them, too, who thought very highly of themselves and sought the way to heaven not through what they should, into many languages, that is, into all nations. Having been expelled from the country, city and their homes, they were scattered and became “wanderers among the nations,” according to the word of the prophet (Hos. 9:17). But in Christ, multilingualism was a good sign: for when the disciples were gathered on the day of Pentecost into one house, “there came,” it is said, “suddenly a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were. And cloven tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, and sat on each of them, one. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, like The Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:2-4). What did they say? With the help of the Spirit, they spoke about the procession to heaven, about the ascension to heaven in Christ through faith and about the coming together of all the languages of the universe, or peoples, or tribes to unity in the Spirit: for every tongue of mortals confessed to Christ and spoke His secrets. So, the multilingualism of the crowd was a sign of dispersion and exile among all nations. Christ - a sign of the descent to unity through the Spirit and the procession to heights: for Christ has become for us a pillar of “fortress,” according to the word of the Psalmist (Ps. 60:4), leading those on earth to the highest city and uniting them with the faces of the holy Angels. 1. God of all has given the law to help: for so it is written (Gal. 3:24). But the fact that the law gives birth and perfects the sacrament of Christ is not difficult for us to see from the Holy Scriptures themselves, if we carefully seek evidence of this and collect the true. It is enough, I think, what the divine Paul says about the two covenants: “The abolition of a former commandment occurs because of its weakness and uselessness, for the law did not bring anything to perfection; but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God” (Heb. 7:18-19). So, anyone can enter, and very easily, into closeness to God not through the first, Mosaic, commandment, but through the introduction, as it is said, of hope, which the secret guide, looking at the truth, was pleased to crown with the highest approval. He clearly speaks of putting aside what is in the law, and, determining that the former commandment cannot perfect anything, he writes to the Hebrews: “For if the first covenant had been without lack, there would have been no need to look for a place for another. But the prophet, rebuking them, says: Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not such a covenant as I made with their fathers at the time when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in that covenant of mine, and I despised them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And every man shall not teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because everyone, from the least of them to the greatest, will know Me, because I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 8:7-12). And to this he immediately adds: “By saying “new,” he showed the dilapidation of the first; but that which grows old and grows old is about to be destroyed” (Heb. 8:13). So, the law is weak and seems to be very ineffective in order, I say, to be able to perfect it for sanctification. And that justification in Christ and service are better, about this you can hear God clearly calling through the mouth of the prophets to those who honored legal service and, as it were, were relentlessly attached to the ancient commandment, in one case: “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean” (Isa. 1:16), and in the other: “I want mercy, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos. 6:6; sn.: Matthew 12:7). For we have received mercy in Christ and in Him we mentally contemplate the Father and know Him who is God by nature. 2. It would be very easy to add to what has been said countless more similar things, and to this add the words of the holy prophets, from which everyone can see, and it is very clear, that serving according to the law is unpleasant to God. But in order not to distract the word from its intended purpose and not to make the speech long, transferring it to another path, as it were, we will move on to the divine Abraham himself. When he learned that his brother’s son Lot was unexpectedly in danger (and he lived in Sodom and had already fallen into slavery, having been captured in the war), he armed his household and some other of his allies - Eshol, Anna and Mamre, led them against the victors, not without courage, and freed the man from their power. And together with him he saves a great many others, offended and endangered just like him. When he returned home and carried the glorious signs of the war courageously waged against the enemies, those who had benefited from his labors naturally came to meet him. It is written about this: “When he was returning after the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh” (Gen. 14:17). This was the king's field. He adds that “And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine - he was the priest of the Most High God - and blessed him, and said: Blessed is Abram of the Most High God, Lord of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thy enemies into thy hand. [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything” (Gen. 14:18–20). Notice how clearly the images of the perfection that is in Christ shine in Melchizedek, and how much lower is the measure of service under the law. There is no doubt that in every way and in every case, “the lesser is blessed by the greater,” according to what is written (Heb. 7:7). Meanwhile, as if the root of those who came from Israel, the divine Abraham, as well as the predominant and chosen in himself, Levi is crowned with the glory of the Divine priesthood. But “for he was still in the loins of his father” (Heb. 7:10): because blessed Abraham was able to be the father of those who had in time to descend from him. And this, I think, means what was wisely said about Levi: “for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him” (ibid.). Thus, righteousness under the law is blessed by service in Christ, typified by Melchizedek. And that this blessing is incomparably more excellent than a blessing devoid of the power of blessing, can anyone doubt this? But we will not dwell on this for long with a more subtle and distinct consideration. 3. Perhaps someone who desires Christian teaching before others will be curious about who Melchizedek was. Various opinions about him are invented by some who foolishly fall into empty chatter and are not very attentive to the customs of the inspired Scripture. Thus, some say that the victorious Abraham met and appeared to him alone in a vision and only in human form, the Holy Spirit. Others don't think so. Fearing, as I think, the deviation into absurdity in this opinion, they affirm that it was a glorious and excellent power from the multitude of Angels. But they were led to such an opinion by their seemingly inactive and despicable mind. Because, they say, Salim means “peace” (cf. Heb. 7:2); and Melchizedek is called the king of Salem, then by him should be understood not a man, but a Spirit. Peace is characteristic of God, and He Himself alone is the head of the world. They add to this: if he has “neither the beginning of days nor the end of life” (Heb. 7:3): then wouldn’t it be a reason to be accused of recklessness if a person assimilates beginninglessness and infinity? So by it must be understood the Spirit. Although he is likened, they say, to the Son of the Most High, he remains a priest forever. How can we not consider Melchizedek to be in all respects not a man? Then, adding to these other considerations, they think to assert the truth, I don’t know on what basis. We must necessarily say what comes to mind, contrasting their assumptions with the best and correct opinion. First of all, if they want to think correctly, the city, as they themselves admit, is Salem, in which, however, Melchizedek was not the first and only king, but in any case there were many more, some before, some after him. If anyone thinks that we are telling a lie, let him go and show Melchizedek who still reigns in Salem, since there is also one city in Judea, in all likelihood renamed Jerusalem. (This name also means “vision of the world.”) But no one can prove this. So, it would be unreasonable, based on the interpretation of names, to dare to destroy what is clear and recognized. And that this is unreasonable and talking about it would be full of recklessness, we can easily see, taking into account the following. Jerusalem, as I recently said, means “the vision of the world or rises above death,” Israel means “the mind that sees God”; and Judas - “praise and glorification.” But how many wicked and nasty kings there were in Jerusalem over Israel and Judah, the Holy Scripture clearly speaks about this. So, the earthly king could not be the king of the vision of the world, of praise and chanting, or of the mind of the one who sees God. But it is not even proper for a person, based on the interpretation of names, to say that those who reigned in time are shadows and images, and not even people at all, but rather a Spirit, as is said about Melchizedek. And that the power of names or interpretations in no way forces one to recognize the very nature of things in them, you can learn about this from the following. Wouldn’t anyone think, even more than that, wouldn’t they consider it true in any case and in every possible way that if Jerusalem is a vision of the world, then one cannot help but understand Christ by it? “For He is our peace,” according to Scripture (Eph. 2:14). But he did not see with the eyes of the mind the One through whom the imams are brought and cleave in spiritual unity “to the Father” (Eph. 2:18), - the One who created both one and two peoples into “one new man” (Eph. 2:14-15). How then is he a vision of the world if he has not seen Christ? And if he is elevated above death, that is, most excellent and highest of it, then how did he, the unfortunate one, perish for unbelief in Christ? Christ himself appealed to the Jews, saying: “Truly I say to you, you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that it is I, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24,34). And if Israel means “the mind that sees God,” why did it not see the glory of Christ, through whom and in whom we knew the Father? Why is he obsessed with darkness? or why is it said about him and his leaders: “Leave them: the leaders are blind to the blind” (Matthew 15:14)? What blindness can be implied in the mind that sees God? So, a sign of complete ignorance would be, on the basis of the qualities of names, in every way and in every case to assimilate the power of the things themselves. Thus, absolutely nothing, I think, can prevent us from correctly and properly considering Melchizedek as a person who reigned at a certain time in Salem, even if this name meant “peace.” 4. In addition to what has been said, we should pay attention to the following: We barely “see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12); Having nothing existing that would be completely likened to the Divine and ineffable nature, from the countless number of examples we will collect a moderate number, so that it will be possible to think or express something about it, as far as it is comprehensible to us. The mystery of Christ is far from very clear and the idea of ​​becoming man is not comprehensible to everyone: for the Only Begotten, being God and of God by nature, became man and “and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He was also called our “Messenger and Holy Hierarch” (Heb. 3:1) and delivered us from the tongue-tied law and translated us into the euphony of the teachings of the Gospel. But he not only did this one thing, but also freed us captives, deposing the prince of this age, freed the departed from the dens of hell, founded the Church, made him a Prince over us, translated us in faith across the Jordan, gave circumcision in the spirit and brought us into the Kingdom of Heaven. That He became like us, for this I think the words of the divine Evangelist will be sufficient: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). And that He was anointed as both a priest and a messenger, this is very clearly indicated by the image in Aaron: for this one was anointed with consecrated oil, was made a prince and leader of the priests and people, and also on the top of his forehead had a golden shield or plate on which was written the name of the Lord. This was a clear sign of the king of our Savior and, as it were, a brilliant and visible diadem to everyone. And that service through Christ is higher than legal service, everyone can see this in Aaron, just as undoubtedly in Melchizedek. The Levites, according to the laws, accepted tithes from the children of Israel. But God commanded the Levites to separate tithes from the tithes, as to the leader, Aaron, who was endowed with the highest honors by the office of the priesthood. So, do you understand how in the person of Aaron, Levi, who received tithes, was made ten? Aaron represents the face of Christ. And all the other Levites and priests performed the sacrifices according to the law, standing at the first tabernacle. But only one of all, the divine Aaron, “only in the summer..., - according to what is written, - entered the Holy of Holies, moreover... not without shelter,” according to the law (Heb. 9, 7; sn.: Lev. 16:15; Lev. 17 and Heb. 9, 22). And this can serve as an image of Christ, who “died for our sins,” according to the Scriptures (1 Pet. 3:18; sn.: Heb. 9:26, 28), and entered into the highest and most sacred tabernacle (Heb. 9:11–12). He renewed this path for us, sanctifying the Church with His Blood (Heb. 10:19-20). And the divine Moses, pre-elected to the embassy, ​​prayed to God, saying: “Oh, Lord! I am not a man of speech, and I was like that both yesterday and the day before, and when You began to speak to Your servant: I speak hard and am tongue-tied” (Ex. 4:10). And to this he added: “Send another whom you can send” (Ex. 4:13). Then the God of all answered him: “Have you not a brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak..., and behold, he will come out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart; You will speak to him and put words...in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you should do; and he will speak for you to the people; so he will be your mouth” (Ex. 4:14–16). So undeniably the old law was tongue-tied and not well-spoken, barely after a long period, I mean the letter of Scripture, and even then it vaguely proclaimed to us the will of God. The most gracious mouth of Moses is Christ, who transforms images into truth and offers ready knowledge of what is necessary to those everywhere. That is why it is said in the forty-eighth Psalm: “Hear this, all you nations; take heed to this, all you who live in the universe” (Ps. 48:2). Christ was prefigured as if in Aaron. But there is something even stranger. You will not be surprised if you hear that in those who knew Him and were versed in the law, He wrote in hay the greatness of His superiority, even when He appeared in a foreign man who freed Israel from captivity, gave the foundation of a holy and sacred city and had an insurmountable power for all. I will explain the story, trying to be as brief as possible in my speech. 5. Judah was once taken captive and the Israelites spent a long time in Babylon, oppressed by cruel and barbaric slavery. When Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, having gained power over the Medes and Persians, raised a war against the Assyrians, who were his neighbors and neighbors, then, taking Babylon itself by force, he freed the Jews, who mourned the rule of the Assyrians and ran to it with tears. The Jews even claimed that it was predicted by God through the mouth of the saints that he would come in due time, defeat his opponents and himself free the oppressed from their bonds, and that he himself would again erect the temple in Jerusalem, which the Assyrians burned, dishonoring God. And we will not find that the Israelites lied in this if we carefully examine the Scriptures of the holy prophets. God spoke through the mouth of Isaiah like this: “Thus says the Lord, who redeemed you and formed you from your mother’s womb: I am the Lord, who created all things, who alone stretched out the heavens and spread out the earth with His power, who makes the signs of false prophets null and void and reveals the madness of magicians, who drives away the wise men and makes their knowledge foolish, who confirms the word of His servant and brings to pass the saying. His messengers, who says to Jerusalem: “you will be inhabited,” and to the cities of Judah: “you will be built, and I will restore its ruins,” who says to the deep, “be dry!” Thus says the Lord to His anointed Cyrus: I hold you by the right hand, so that you may subdue the nations, and I will remove the belts from the loins of kings, so that the doors will be opened for you, and the gates will not be shut; I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the bronze doors and break the iron bars; And I will give you the treasures kept in darkness and the hidden riches, so that you may know that I am the Lord, who calls you by name, the God of Israel. For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I called you by name, I honored you, although you did not know Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me; I girded you, although you did not know Me” (Is. 44:24-28; Is. 45:1-5). Do you hear how clearly he says: “You did not know Me,” even though you did not deign to place one so glorious among those who knew God, whom He Himself placed above kings and ruler of countless nations: for what was related to him was a type of the deeds accomplished through Christ. He predicted that he would “destroy” the false prophecies of the Babylonians and the “signs of the false prophets.” The advice and predictions of his prophets, whom He called messengers, are not false. He also predicted that he would recreate the cities of Judea and make an empty abyss and dry up all its rivers. I think Babylon is called an abyss because of the multitude of people who inhabit it; along its rivers are peoples flocking to his aid from everywhere. But let us speak more clearly about Cyrus, skillfully transferring what he did to the sacrament of Christ. 6. Cyrus was born from his mother Mandana, daughter of Astyages, the ruler of the Medes, and from his father Cambyses, a Persian by birth, but very meek in disposition. Hence, some of the ancients called Cyrus a mule and a foreigner, due, as I think, to the difference between his father and mother by race: for the Persians are a different people than the Medes. You can see something similar in relation to Christ. On his mother’s side, he was in the flesh from the Holy Virgin, who was similar to us and human by nature; His father was not at all similar to us, but, so to speak, completely foreign, exceeding nature and surpassing everything that has been produced. That is why He said to the Jews, who thought that He was like us and became like us: “You are from below, I am from above” (John 8:23). And Cyrus possessed countless nations, and every city received him. He also received dark, hidden, invisible treasures and delivered Israel from long slavery. Emmanuel also reigned over the heavens, and every city receives Him as every Savior and Redeemer; He also frees from slavery and the greed of the devil the entire race, which suffered violence from the devil and was forced to act according to his command. Having descended into hell, he emptied the dark, hidden, invisible treasures. “He broke the gates of brass and broke the ropes of iron” (Ps. 106:16; cf.: Is. 45:2); He said to the prisoners: “Come out”, and to those in darkness: “Show yourself” (Isa. 49:9). Therefore, of old, he said to Job, the most patient and invincible fighter: “Have you descended into the depths of the sea and entered into the exploration of the abyss? Have the gates of death been opened for you, and have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? (Job 38:16-17.) We will read this as posed in questions, and our speech will show the deeds of Christ, accomplished by Him in the very recesses of hell: for for this purpose Christ both died and came to life, so that he might possess both the dead and the living. Then Cyrus in ancient times, giving money, ordered the church to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Emmanuel founded the Church, a truly holy and most glorious city, completely overthrowing, as it were, a certain Babylon, arrogant and impudent idolatry. God says about Cyrus that he “will do all my will” (Is. 44:28). The Savior also called out to all of us to the Jewish people, who humiliated Him: “Ye judge according to the flesh” (John 8:15). And in another place: and if I “judge, then My judgment is true, for I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). God said to Cyrus: I have called you by My name. Emmanuel is truly Lord, although he appeared as a man. And that what is told about Cyrus serves as a prototype of the glory of Christ, this will be fully understood by what was further said through the mouth of the prophet: “I created the earth and I created man in it; I, My hands, stretched out the heavens, and I gave the law to all their host. I have raised it up in righteousness, and I will level all its ways. He will build My captives, not for ransom or for gifts, says the Lord of hosts. Thus says the Lord: The labors of the Egyptians and the trade of the Ethiopians, and the Shebeans, a tall people, will come to you and will be yours; they will follow you, they will come in chains and prostrate themselves before you, and they will beg you, saying: you have only God, and there is no other God. Truly You are the hidden God, the God of Israel, the Savior. They will all be put to shame and put to shame; they will go with them in shame” (Isa. 45:12-16). He who created the earth and man on it, who adorned the sky with stars, raised up the truth for us - Jesus, the redeeming tuna - for we are justified by “faith” (Rom. 5:1), - freeing us from the bonds of captivity, spiritually creating the mental Jerusalem, and founding the Church, which the very gates of hell will not shake and the enemies will not defeat. Knowing this, God by nature, the ancients, erring, said: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11). Some of the children of Israel dared to oppose this. But they were ashamed and fell and went back, according to the word of the prophet. So Cyrus, son of Cambyses, founded the house of God in Jerusalem as a type of Christ. And that Emmanuel Himself intended to complete this work spiritually and mentally, anyone can immediately learn this from another image. After Cyrus freed Israel from Babylonian slavery, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, from the tribe of Judah, and Joshua the son of Jozedek, the great priest, immediately appeared as leaders and, as it were, princes of the people. When they reached Jerusalem, God, speaking through the mouth of the prophet Haggai, entrusted them with the care of His house. It is written about it this way: “In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the ruler of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jozedek, the high priest: Thus said the Lord of hosts: This people says: “The time has not yet come, the time has not come to build the house of the Lord.” And the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: “Is it time for you yourselves to live in your adorned houses, while this house is desolate?” (Agg. 1, 1–4.) And after a few more words: “And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, the ruler of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jozedek, the great priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people, and they came and began to work in the house of the Lord of hosts their God” (Hag. 1, 14). Notice how Emmanuel is represented in a pre-image and double image: as a King - in Zerubbabel, who was from the tribe of Judah, which then had power in Israel, and as a Bishop - in Jesus, the great bishop of the same name with Him; but also as a leader - on the way to the holy city from the land of foreigners, I mean the land of the Babylonians. See in Him also an artistic builder who takes care of the holy church. Following by faith the leader Christ as King and Bishop, we leave the region of the devil and, as it were, from the land of foreigners, from worldly flattery and enter the holy city, the Church of the firstborn, which Christ Himself will erect as if on mental stones. And Paul will testify to this, writing to those redeemed by faith and determined to follow in the footsteps of Christ: “in whom you also are being built into a dwelling place of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). And that the glory of the Church is superior to the first and ancient one, that is, the church built of stones, God indicated this by speaking again through the mouth of Haggai: “Who is left among you, who saw this house in its former glory, and how you see it now?” (Hag. 2, 3.) And a little later: “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. The glory of this last church will be greater than the first, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give peace” (Hag. 2:8-9). And anyone could easily collect many of the features with which Christ was portrayed to us in the ancients. But so that by many examples our word does not seem to be distracted from what is proper, we, omitting everything else, will say the following: in any case, we will have to choose one of two things: either to completely destroy those through whom it was accomplished, considering the prototypes not very flawless, if they are understood as having originated from people similar to us, or, asserting that the Spirit is always transformed into our species, it is necessary to admit that He was not transformed at any time into Cyrus, who did not know God; for it was said to him: “Although you did not know Me” (Isa. 45.5). If we destroy the reality of the prototypes, then Aaron will, perhaps, be only a shadow, and Zerubbabel of Shealtiel, and Jesus of Jozadek, the great priest, will represent nothing but empty names. 7. But I think that those convinced by common sense will rather agree with the justice of the thought that Melchizedek was a man who reigned in the city of Salem. Paul, who had a subtle mind for spiritual contemplation, made him the image of Christ (Heb. 7:1 et al.). Those who rebelled against this later nevertheless say that Melchizedek was not a man, but that on the contrary there was the Holy Spirit, or some other power from the highest and heavenly, having an official rank. Some would like to think so, but we must say that they sin doubly: on the one hand, the Divine and ineffable nature of the Spirit is reduced to an image inappropriate for it, and on the other, the born and created creature is foolishly elevated to a glory that exceeds it. How? – I’ll tell you about this now. It is written about Melchizedek that he “was a priest of the Most High God” (Gen. 14:18). If Melchizedek is the Holy Spirit, then the Spirit is already relegated to the number of priests and has an official position. Thus, He, too, together with the holy Angels, will sing praises to the highest God, for it is written: “Bless the Lord, [all] His Angels,... His servants, who do His will” (Ps. 102:20-21). There can be no doubt at all that in any case, whoever performs sacred acts for another, he performs sacred acts not for himself, but for God, as the highest being. So, if we say that the Spirit is priestly, then in any case we place Him below the Divine nature; even more, - in this case He is placed among the created beings and will worship together with us. And in any case he will not sanctify himself, since what is sanctified is, of course, sanctified by a being higher in nature than itself. And then He will be sanctified together with us. How then will that which is sanctified by God be by nature? Isn’t every priest sanctified and thus begins to fulfill the duty of sacred rites? for “no one accepts this honor of his own accord, but he who is called by God, like Aaron” (Heb. 5:4). Paul added that “Christ did not assign to himself the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him: You are My Son, today I have begotten You; as in another place he says: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:5-6; sn.: Ps. 2:7; Ps. 109:4). It is necessary to know that the Son Himself, the Word descended from God the Father, could not, as it is said, hold the priesthood and be in the official rank, if we had not represented Him as having become like us and how He was called a “prophet” (Acts 3:22; sn.: Deut. 18:15) and “messenger” (Heb. 3:1) according to humanity, as well as “priest” (Heb. 5:6; Ps. 109:4). The form of slavery, servility, befits him. And this is exhaustion: for He is in the image of the Father and in equality with Him, being the One Who stands before the highest Seraphim, Whom are served by “thousands of thousands” of Angels (Dan. 7:10), when He humbled Himself (Phil. 2:6-7), then and only then did “the priest of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle” appear, as it is said ( Heb. 8:2). Then he was sanctified along with us, being above every creature. “For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from One; therefore He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: I will proclaim Your name to My brethren” (Heb. 2:11-12; Ps. 21:23). So, sanctifying as God, when He became man “and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) and was called brother according to humanity, and is sanctified together with us, as it is said. Thus, both the duty of the priesthood and His sanctification together with us belong to the economy of God regarding the flesh. This is what we will attribute to the measure of exhaustion if we decide to think correctly and impeccably. If we say that the Holy Spirit, who has by no means suffered exhaustion, holds the priesthood, then we will deprive Him of His divine glory and classify Him among those subordinate to God, attributing to Him the significance of a created being. Or let them show us that the Spirit became man and suffered a derogation determined by the economy, as is undoubtedly true in relation to the Son: for on the basis of the fact that the Holy and worshiped Trinity is consubstantial, it is impossible to attribute the work of incarnation to any of Her Persons arbitrarily. It was not the Father himself, nor the Holy Spirit, who became man, but only the Son. This is how the Divine Scriptures secretly guide us. Therefore, why do they do violence to the truth and attribute exhaustion to the Holy Spirit, Who cannot even be exhausted, by those who rank Him among the sacred? for Melchizedek was a priest. But they say that in honor of the Son and in the type of His priesthood that was to take place in time, the Spirit was transformed by Himself. So, I will say, the Holy Spirit neglected honor and love for the Son and considers concern for this matter to be unimportant. But how would it not be idle talk to think or say so? for the Comforter, that is, the Spirit, will glorify the Son. And the Son says about Him: “He will glorify Me” (John 16:14). So He, who wanted to honor and, moreover, continuously, why didn’t he rather become Aaron? or Cyrus, king of Persia and Media? or by Joshua of Jozedek, Zerubbabel of Shealtiel, from the tribe of Judah, or Moses, to whom, as having demonstrated the mediation of Christ, it was said: “I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brethren, like you, and will put My words in His mouth, and He will speak to them everything that I command Him” (Deut. 18:18, cf.: Acts 3, 22.)? Why didn’t He become Joshua, the leader after Moses who led the children of Israel across the Jordan, performed circumcision with stone knives and led them into the land of promise? Are we not in Christ baptized and circumcised with a circumcision made without hands through the Spirit (Col. 2:11) and made heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven? Isn't all this clear? So, either we will imagine the Spirit constantly transforming, moreover, as if into each of those named above, in order to honor the Son, or the word will be true that He is convicted of little care for what is appropriate: for He entered into some of the most ancient ones in order to present through this the image and likeness of the Son. Away with such reckless thoughts! So, Melchizedek is a man, and not the Holy Spirit. 8. And that it should not be represented as a holy, ministerial power, as some have liked to think, we will now say about this, collecting the right considerations to prove the truth. In their own opinion, their word is composed wisely. Since, they say, it is written about Melchizedek that he was “without father, without mother, without genealogy” (Heb. 7:3), and yet he blessed Abraham, who had such great significance, “without any contradiction the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:7): then he should not be represented as similar to us, but be by nature an Angel or one of the higher and auxiliary powers, venerable and illustrious. But I, beloved, am very surprised that reverence for the divine Abraham distracted them from the pursuit of what is useful and decent and removed them from the reasoning necessary to find the truth. In presenting Melchizedek as the likeness and image of Immanuel, they do not look at the quality of things and do not experience the image of the priesthood, but, on the contrary, examine the nature of the persons to whom this office belongs. But anyone can rightly object to them: what prevents Abraham from receiving a blessing from Melchizedek, even as from a man, even if we do not imagine the latter as superior to him? for it is not the nature of each of them, but the meaning of their actions that is tested, and the words of truth appear as superior to the fortune-telling contained in the shadows. That it would be very foolish not to contrast with the shadows what they signify, but rather to examine the nature of the persons related here, this can be seen from the following: Aaron was the chosen primate and leader of the holy tabernacle, crowned with the highest honors of the priesthood. But how was he initiated? We slaughtered the ram, and with its blood we anointed the edge of the right ear, as well as the hands and feet: and thus he was ordained to the priesthood. But if it is good to dwell on the nature of those who sanctify and those who are sanctified, then I would say to these people: isn’t it better to move on from the image and the canopy to the beauty of truth, to precisely how the lesser is blessed by the greater? What's more? - let them say. Shall we also place Aaron below the ram? A verbal creature is dedicated to dumb animals. The blood of a sheep, say, is sanctified by those chosen for the priesthood, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling those who partake of it, sanctify them in carnal purity. What does all this mean? What is the depth of meaning of this? All these actions were types and images, and, so to speak, foreshadowing of sanctification in Christ. The type is seen in works, and not in the nature of those who sanctify or are sanctified: since, as I said recently, the greater is blessed from the less, if only the nature of man is higher than the nature of the heifer and the ram. Therefore, let them not be ashamed that the much higher Melchizedek Abraham is blessed, as it is said, from him. The winner was the type, not the nature of the one who blessed. I am also surprised that, presenting him as the likeness and image of the Son, they nevertheless consider him an Angel, as having no mother and father, although Christ in some way had both a Father and a Mother. He had a Mother on earth, the Holy Virgin. There was also and is in heaven the Father, God. But I think that images should be drawn from prototypes. Since the divine Paul said about Melchizedek that he “has neither the beginning of days nor the end of life” (Heb. 7:3), then they strive to assert and say that he is an intelligent power and a priest, not understanding that they lose sight of what is necessary: ​​nothing created can be without beginning in time; but whatever is brought into existence in general has a beginning both of life and of days. So what was the purpose of Blessed Paul’s speech? or how does he represent Melchizedek in the image and likeness of Christ? (Heb. 7:3.) So, having removed the mind from this folly of thoughts, let us now consider this and say that it is possible. 9. Being trained in the law, Paul speaks with the Jews not on the basis of simple considerations, but on the basis of the Mosaic writings, to which they, accustomed to fighting against the truth, even involuntarily had to yield. So, he takes Melchizedek to be the likeness and pre-image of Christ, calling him the king of “righteousness and peace” (Heb. 7:2): for this can only befit the One who in the mysterious sense is Immanuel. He was the author and distributor of truth and peace for those on earth. In Him we are justified (Rom. 5:1; 1Cor. 6:11), having rejected the burden of sin. We also have peace with the Father and God, having washed ourselves from the impurity of morals that stood between Him and us and separated us from Him, and as if united with Him through the spirit: for “he who is united with the Lord,” it is said, “is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17). So, translated into Greek, “Melchi” means king, and “Zedek” means truth. And everyone can see that Melchizedek, by his own name and by the strength of the meaning of this name, is the “king of righteousness”; and by the name of the “king of Salem” there is “king of the world” (Heb. 7:2). Thus, on the basis of the clear and obvious likening of Melchizedek, the divine Paul applied the same to Christ. But he also takes on the image of a higher than legal priesthood in blessing Abraham and in offering him wine and bread: for we are blessed in no other way by Christ, the great and true priest. We are blessed by the blessing of the divine Abraham, fighting most courageously with the princes of this age, being the strongest of the enemy's hands and not needing anything worldly, but on the contrary, considering as mental wealth that which comes from God, and the glorious and unfading division of the highest gifts. Pay attention to the fact that Abraham, who defeated his enemies and returned “from the kings,” as it is written (Gen. 14:17), but did not deign to take anything from the prince of Sodom as his own, was blessed by Melchizedek (Gen. 14:19). The leader of the Sodomites said to Abraham, as the winner: “Give me the people, and take the property for yourself” (Gen. 14, 21); he, not wanting to appropriate to himself anything that belongs to him, says to him: “I lift up my hand to the Lord God Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, that I will not even take a thread and a shoe strap from all yours, lest you say: I have enriched Abram” (Gen. 14:22-23): for saints do not have the custom of rejoicing in worldly wealth. So, by defeating visible and invisible enemies and accepting nothing from the world, but on the contrary, honoring the highest riches, we receive blessings through Christ, the King of the world. We receive a blessing by accepting the mysterious, as if a gift from heaven and parting words of life. Let it be kept silent about this for now, if you like. We are blessed by Christ and through His intercession for us before God. Melchizedek blessed Abraham, saying: “Blessed is God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hands” (Gen. 14:20). Our Lord Jesus Christ, purification for all of us, says: “Holy Father! keep them in Thy truth (John 17:11, 17). And from the very interpretation of the names, the Apostle extracts what is useful for the pre-image of Christ. And the very image of the priesthood makes a clear indication of the same thing. “Melchizedek... brought out bread and wine” (Gen. 14:18). But for him to be “without a father or without a mother, or without a genealogy, or having neither the beginning of days nor the end of life (Heb. 7:3), the Holy Scriptures did not indicate this anywhere. So what, perhaps someone will say, therefore the divine Paul deceived us? We do not say this. Let it not be! He speaks the truth. Even more than that: the skillful guide accepts the narrative about this established by the economy, raising him to the prototype of the glory of Immanuel. For that Melchizedek was only a priest, the inspired Scripture announced to us, without naming his family, or from which father or mother he came; but we do not find a story about how many years he lived, or what successions of the priesthood he appears to have. I mean originlessness in relation to quantity, that is, in time: for He Himself is the Creator of the ages. He also points to the continuity of the priesthood. Therefore, says blessed Paul about Melchizedek, “having neither beginning of days nor end of life, being likened to the Son of God, he remains a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3). But it would seem that something else wise could be suggested; and what it is, I will try to speak out about it as best I can. 10. The Jews opposed the preaching of Christ and dared to almost mock the efforts of the apostles, opposing the following two objections: first, that it is impossible to leave without fulfillment the commandment given to the fathers by the mouth of the wise Moses and to reject the law, contrary to expectation, introducing other rules of life, unknown to any of the ancients; the second is that, as they argued, the glory of the priesthood should not go beyond the chosen tribe, that is, Levi, since everywhere God removes from serving in the church those who are not from this tribe, and directly determines the extreme punishment for them for daring to begin this service. So, Paul, trained in the law, fights against this and tries to prove, both from considerations of sound reason and from the inspired Scripture itself, that both the renewal of the law and the change of the priesthood itself were foreshadowed in it, and that an indication of both was foreshadowed in types. So he makes it clear that Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi. Then he shows that he is a priest of the Most High God, who brought bread and wine, and said this about him: “See how great is he, to whom Abraham the patriarch gave tithes from his best spoils. Those who receive the priesthood from the sons of Levi have a commandment to take tithes according to the law from the people, that is, from their brothers, although these also came from the loins of Abraham. But this one, who was not descended from their lineage, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Without any contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:4-7). But we do not place his advantage in the nature of Melchizedek, but in the image of the priesthood, which the forefather Abraham did not reject; on the contrary, he even seemed to attribute to him the advantage by showing him honor and bringing tithes. They receive tithes from the people, even from the brethren who come from the tribe of Levi; and meanwhile, one who was not considered to be one of them, that is, Melchizedek (for he was not from the tribe of Levi), made ten tenths of Abraham and blessed him. And this is what the image consists of. Christ, in turn, depicted in the shadows, not included in the genealogy of those who were appointed to the priesthood according to the law (for He rose from the tribe of Judah), “about whom Moses said nothing concerning the priesthood” (Heb. 7:14), made ten the sons of Levi, that is, the legal priesthood. He became tenth of old in Melchizedek, and later in Aaron, since this latter also became tenth of the sons of Levi, bearing within himself the image of the priesthood of Christ, as we have already said before. 11. So, at Melchizedek it was proven that the title of priesthood will one day be taken away from the tribe that was priestly according to the law, and that a different image and law of priesthood will shine forth. For it was necessary that, along with the change and abolition of the sacred rite, the law itself should be changed and abolished. Therefore, the divine Paul also philosophizes about this and says: “If perfection were achieved through the Levitical priesthood, for the law of the people is associated with it, then what further need would there be for another priest to rise up in the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? Because with the change of the priesthood there must be a change of the law” (Heb. 7:11-12). And again: “And this is even more clearly seen from the fact that in the likeness of Melchizedek another Priest arises, who is such not according to the law of the carnal commandment, but according to the power of unceasing life. For it is testified: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:15-17). You see how the legal priesthood condemns how it could not lead to any perfection, showing all the benefits of introducing a better commandment. For if there was a need for this, he says, then why wouldn’t it be better to appear to another priest according to the order of Aaron, and not according to the order of Melchizedek, who was the likeness and image of Christ, no longer priestly according to the flesh, but rather “according to the power of unceasing life.” He educates us for unfading life through mysterious sacred rites, although Aaron was also a priest in the flesh. Through Aaron, the sacrifice of oxen and the slaughter of sheep were performed, and the ashes of heifers were sprinkled on those who partook of him for the purity of the flesh, and everything else besides this, which did not lead the servants to perfection in conscience. “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). So, when a different method of sacred rites is introduced to us, moving away from the first and most ancient customs, then, of course, the priest must be different. And God promised a New Testament, since the first had become obsolete, then the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, whom it would be fitting to represent and exist forever, can be none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to God and the Father with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: