Часть 2. О Боге в общем отношении его к миру и человеку.

“For all things are from Him, by Him, and to Him” (Rom. 11:36). § 51. The concept of this relationship and the teaching of the Church about it. The One Trinitarian God, possessing all the highest perfections, and therefore enjoying the most perfect glory and bliss, although he did not need anyone or anything, but, being infinitely good, wanted other beings to appear and become partakers of His goodness: He called the universe out of oblivion, and since then has been incessantly providing for it. In these two actions of God: creation and providence, lies the general relationship that God has equally with the whole world and in particular with man, and on which the primitive religion of the human race was based. 1004 It is called general in contrast to another, special, supernatural relationship that God has directly to fallen man alone - a relationship known under the name of economy (οίκονομία) or the sacrament of our redemption, and which constitutes the basis and essence of the religion proper Christian, restored. 1005 The teaching of the Orthodox Church about God in His general relationship to the world and man is briefly expressed in the words of the Niko-Constantinograd symbol: “I believe in one God... Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible,” - and consists of two parts: the teaching about God as Creator, and the teaching about God as Almighty 1006 or Provider. Chapter 1. About God as Creator. § 52. The teaching of the Church and the composition of this teaching. The Orthodox Church teaches us about God as the Creator as follows: "without any doubt, God is the Creator of all visible and invisible creatures. First of all, He created with His thought all the heavenly Powers, as excellent singers of His glory, and created this intelligent world, which, by the grace given to it, knows God and is always devoted to His will in everything. After that, God created this visible and material world out of nothing. Finally, God created a person who is composed of an immaterial rational soul and a material body, so that from one, thus composed person, it can already be seen that He is the Creator of both worlds, the immaterial and the material. For this reason, man is called the small world: for he bears on himself the image of the entire great world” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 18). This teaching is obviously composed of two parts: I) from general thoughts about God’s creation and II) from private thoughts about the main types of God’s creations: the invisible or spiritual world, the visible or material world, and the small world, man. 1. About God's creation in general. § 53. The concept of God's creation and a brief history of dogma. The name creation, in the strict sense, means the creation of something out of nothing. And therefore, when we say that God created the world, we express the idea that everything that exists outside of God was created by Him from nothingness, or from complete non-existence into existence. 1007 This truth belongs to the distinctive truths of Divine revelation, which not only the simple pagans, but even their sages themselves did not know: for some of them recognized that the world is eternal; 1008 others allowed it to flow out of God; 1009 still others taught that the world was formed by itself, by chance, from eternal chaos, or atoms; 1010 fourth, that God formed it from matter coeternal with himself, 1011 and no one could rise to the concept of creating the world out of nothing by the omnipotent power of God. The Christian Church, having accepted this incomprehensible truth from God from God, and wishing to more firmly imprint it on its children, from the very beginning constantly taught it in public models of faith. 1012 The pastors and teachers of the Church also included it in their confessions, 1013 and tried to instill it in their flock, as one of the most important. 1014 Unfortunately, soon there were also people among Christians who not only renewed almost all the ancient errors regarding the beginning of the world, but also introduced new ones to them. Namely: a) Hermogenes and many other heretics assumed the eternity of matter from which the world was formed; 1015 b) Simon the Magus, Menander, Basilides, Carpocrates and others taught that the world was formed from eternal matter by angels; 1016 c) Kerinth - that the world was formed by some lower force without the knowledge of the Supreme God; 1017 d) Ophites, Manichaeans and Priscillians - that the world was formed by an evil principle, the devil; 1018 e) Origen looked at the world as a necessary consequence of the omnipotence of God, and therefore recognized the world as created from eternity. 1019 All these errors were condemned by the ancient Church and refuted by many teachers of the faith, in particular: Irenaeus, Tertullian, Methodius and Augustine; 1020 although for all that they did not disappear completely. In the Middle Ages, the Pavlikians and Bogomilovs believed that the world was created by the devil or Satanail. 1021 Some of the newest, so-called philosophers, have renewed the doctrine of eternal matter from which the world came, 1022 and of the flow or development of the world from God (emanatism and pantheism), 1023 and that God produced the world out of absolute necessity, and therefore produced from eternity. 1024 All of the listed opinions, in fairness, should be called heretical, since they directly contradict the teaching of the Word of God and the Orthodox Church about the origin of the world. “God is the Creator of visible and invisible creatures,” teaches the Orthodox Church (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 18), and here is the indisputable testimony of God-inspired men about this: a) the prophet Moses: in the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1); b) the prophet David: blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who created heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them (Psalm 146:5–6); c) the prophet Isaiah: The Lord who created the heavens, He is the God who formed the earth and created it; He established it, He did not create it in vain; He formed it for a habitation (Isaiah 45:18; cf. 42:5); d) the prophet Jeremiah: He created the earth by His power, established the world with His wisdom and spread out the heavens with His understanding (Jer. 10:12); e) Ezra: You, Lord, are one, You created the heavens, the heavens of the heavens and all their hosts, the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them, and You live all these things, and the heavenly hosts worship You (Neh. 9:6); f) The Apostles, who, when Peter and John were released as Jewish bishops, began their unanimous prayer to God: Sovereign God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them (Acts 4:24); g) in particular, the Apostle Paul, who proclaimed in the Athenian Areopagus: God, who created the world and everything in it, He, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in churches made with hands (Acts 17:24), and, by the way, wrote to the Hebrews: every house is built by someone; and he who ordered all things is God (Heb. 3:4); h) finally, the Apostle John the Theologian, who heard the Angel swear by the One who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything that is in it, the earth and everything that is on it, and the sea and everything (Rev. 10:6; cf. 14:7). a) that in all of Holy Scripture one God is called eternal, and the world is nowhere presented as co-eternal with Him: the eternal Lord God, who created the ends of the earth, does not grow weary or faint (Isa. 40:28), or: you provoked Him who created you by sacrificing sacrifices to demons, and not to God (Baruch 4:7; cf. Psalm 92:2); and one more thing: everything was created by Him and for Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist ( Col. 1:16–17 ); b) is called the first, the alpha, the beginning of everything: I am the first and I am the last. My hand founded the earth, and My right hand stretched out the heavens (Isa. 48:12–13); I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8); for all things are from Him, by Him and to Him (Rom. 11:36); c) and that the creation of the world is considered one of the distinctive signs of the true God: men! “Why are you doing this,” Paul and Barnabas exclaimed, when the pagans in Lystra, mistaking them for their gods who had descended to earth, wanted to make sacrifices to them, “and we are people like you, and we preach to you that you should turn from these false ones to the Living God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them (Acts 14:15; cf. Isa. 45:18). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, in addition to dogmatically preaching this truth to believers on the basis of the Word of God, sometimes tried to reveal it in the light of natural reason. On the one hand, they positively argued that the world was created by God. "All beings, says, for example, St. John of Damascus, are either created or not created. If they are created, then without a doubt they are also changeable: for what began their existence with change, then it is necessary and will be subject to change, that is, either corruption, or voluntary change. If they are not created, then by natural consequence they must also be unchangeable, for beings that are opposite in existence also have an opposite way of being, then there are, and properties that are opposite. But who will not agree that all beings, not only those who are subject to our feelings, but also the angels themselves, are subject to change, become different and have various movements? Spiritual beings, that is, angels, souls, demons, change according to their will, when their success in good and deviation from good increases or decreases. Everything else changes through bodily birth and destruction, increase and decrease, through changes in quality and local movement. But what is changeable is necessary and created; if it was created, then it was created by someone. But the Creator must no longer be created, for if He was created, then he was certainly created by someone else, and this by another, and so on, until we reach something uncreated. So the Creator must be uncreated, and therefore unchangeable. But what is unchangeable other than God?” 1025 On the other hand, the ancient shepherds refuted all opposing opinions. a) The opinion that the world exists from eternity, noting: “if God is not alone eternal and everything else did not come from Him, then He is not God; and if the world is co-eternal with God, therefore equal to Him in being, then it is equal to God in immutability, and in infinity, and in everything, and that means there is another God. But two eternal and joint principles cannot be admitted according to the ideas of common sense.” 1026 b) The opinion that the world was created by angels or some other lower force. "If angels, or someone else, created the world against the will of God, then it follows that they are more powerful than God; and if - according to His will, this would mean that He needed their assistance. But God has no need of anyone or anything. 1027 Moreover, no angel is able to create the world, any more than he can create himself. 1028 Angels, being created beings, cannot be creators." 1029 c) The opinion that the world happened by chance. "If everything had happened by chance, without a reasonable reason, then everything would have formed haphazardly, without a plan, without order. But in reality we see something else: in the world, an amazing order and the wisest structure can be seen everywhere. And this necessarily forces us to assume that the world is organized by a supremely intelligent Being, i.e. God."1030 § 55. God created the world out of nothing. “God created the world out of nothing,” teaches the Orthodox Church (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 8. 18), - and this truth is visible: 1) From the words of the sacred Writer of Genesis: in the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1). Although the Hebrew verb bara (אּרּבּ) – created has a double meaning, expressing both the creation of something from nothing, and the formation from finished matter (Gen. 1:27); 1031 but here it is used precisely in the first sense: because Moses immediately continues that the created Earth was formless and empty (v. 2), and that from this unstructured earth only later God gradually formed everything visible (v. 6 et seq.). 1032 And the very expression: in the beginning create - involuntarily awakens the thought: he created when there was nothing yet. 1033 2) From the fact that in the Old Testament Church, there really was a belief in the origin of the world from nothing. So one pious Jewish woman, during the persecution of Antiochus, convincing her son to taste death for the faith of the Fathers, said to him among other things: I beg you, my child, look at heaven and earth and, seeing everything that is on them, know that God created everything from nothing and that this is how the human race came into being (2 Mac. 7:28), - from those who bear, that is, from nothing. 1034 3) From those places in the New Testament where it is said that the Lord created all things (Col. 1:16; Eph. 3:9; Heb. 3:4; Rev. 4:11), that all things are from Him, by Him and to Him (Rom. 11:36), that all things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing began to be (John 1:3). All these expressions would not be entirely fair if matter had existed from eternity by itself, and if God had created the world from ready-made matter. 4) Finally, from the direct evidence of St. Apostle Paul, that by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that from what is invisible came what is visible (Heb. 11:3), that God calls the things that do not exist as though they exist (- τά μή όντα, ώς όντα Rom. 4:17). Holy Fathers and writers of the Church - 1) They constantly professed and preached the creation of the world from nothing, such as: Hermas, 1035 Tatian, 1036 Athenagoras, 1037 Irenaeus, 1038 Tertullian, 1039 Ephraim the Syrian, 1040 John Chrysostom, 1041 Gregory the Theologian, 1042 Gregory of Nyssa, 1043 Augustine 1044 and others. "What would be great, asks, for example, Theophilus of Antioch, if God created the world from ready-made matter? And with us, an artist, having received a substance from someone, forms from it whatever he wants. But the power of God is seen in this, that He produced from nothing everything that He wanted." 1045 “So, notes another teacher of the Church, let no one ask from what substance God made such great and amazing creatures; He made everything from nothing.” 1046 2) They refuted the doctrine that God created the world from eternal matter. To admit this thought, said the defenders of truth, means to subordinate God to matter, which He supposedly needed for creation; 1047 means recognizing God as weak. 1048 On the other hand, if matter were eternal, then it would also be unchangeable, and therefore the world could never be formed from it. 1049 If she were co-eternal with God, and therefore as original as He, then she would be completely independent of Him. How then could He form a world out of it? 1050 “Let them answer us how the active power of God and the passive nature of matter met with each other, and matter, which supplies matter without an image, and God, who has the knowledge of images without matter, met each other in such a way that what is lacking in one is given to the other; the Creator is given something to show art over, and matter is given something to put aside its ugliness and lack of form”? 1051 3) They rejected the idea that God created the world from himself. “God does not create with his bodily hands, writes Saint Basil the Great, but he creates, not producing creatures from himself, but through his activity bringing them into being, just as a person who does something with his hands does not produce his work from himself.” 1052 Likewise, Blessed. Augustine notes: “out of nothing God created everything; but from Himself He did not create, but begat one equal to Himself, whom we call the Son of God, and often by God’s power and God’s wisdom - through it He created everything that was created from nothing.” 1053 And in another place: "the universe was created, and God did not give birth to it from Himself, so that it could be the same as He Himself. On the contrary, He created it out of nothing, so that it would not be equal either to Him by whom it was created, or to His Son through whom it was created." 1054 As for the saying of the ancients, which they so often repeated: “out of nothing comes nothing,” this saying is in a certain sense completely true: i.e. Of course, nothing can ever come from nothing. But we do not say that the universe arose from nothingness by itself, but we believe that the infinite omnipotence of God brought it from nothingness into existence, and therefore we indicate the power that was able to do this, although in a manner incomprehensible to us. 1055 § 56. God created the world not from eternity, but in time, or together with time. If the world is created out of nothing, then it never existed; This means that he had a beginning, and was created not from eternity, but in time, or more precisely, along with time. For time is nothing more than the continuity of things, as a necessary form of existence of limited beings and objects subject to change. Therefore, it could not have taken place before these beings, but could only appear with them - so that the beginning of the world is at the same time the beginning of time, and when the first was created, then the last was created. 1056 The Orthodox Church actually teaches that God is “the Creator not only of things, but also of the very time and age in which things came into being” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 33), that “foreknowledge and predestination were in God before the existence of all things” (ibid., answer to question 30), and He “knew everything before the creation of the world” (ibid., answer to question 30). question 26). Scripture also confirms: a) that the world once did not exist. This thought is expressed in the words of the Psalmist addressed to God: before the mountains were born, You formed the earth and the universe, and from everlasting to everlasting You are God (Psalm 89:3); in the words of God himself: and now glorify me, O Father, with you, with the glory which I had with you before the world was (John 17:5), and in the words of the Apostle Paul: blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..., since he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love (Eph. 1:3–4. See also Col. 1:17 ; Sir. 23:29 ; b) that the world had its beginning. At the beginning of creation, God created them male and female (Mark 10:6). The same thing can be seen in the texts: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1); 1057 in the beginning You, [Lord,] founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands (Psalm 101:26), although sometimes the expression: in the beginning has another meaning in the Holy Scriptures, and precisely means: first of all, before the existence of the world, from eternity (John 1:1; Proverbs 8:23). c) finally, that time itself, like the world, never existed and was created by God. From eternity I have been anointed, says the Hypostatic Wisdom of God, from the beginning, before the existence of the earth. I was born when there were no deeps yet, when there were no springs abundant with water. I was born before the mountains were built up, before the hills (Proverbs 8:23–25). And the holy Apostle adds that with this Hypostatic Wisdom God the Father created the eyelids (Heb. 1:2). In revealing and defending this truth, the Holy Fathers and teachers mainly used the following reasoning: a) if the world was created by God, then it was not created from eternity, for the producing cause must exist before what comes from it; 1058 b) if the world was created from nothing, then it was not created from eternity, for it never existed; 1059 c) the world is subject to change and exists in time, therefore, it was not created from eternity, because changeability and time, no matter how far we extend them to the beginning, cannot be represented without a beginning. 1060 At the same time, the defenders of the truth did not leave without resolution the perplexities that were proposed regarding it at that time. To assert that the world was created by God not from eternity, but in time, some said, means to assert that the very thought of the world, the very intention to create the world in God is not eternal, but arose only from a certain time, and therefore means to admit changeability in God. Against this blessed. Augustine noted that God’s eternal intention to create the world and the creation of the world only in time are not in contradiction; God from eternity had the idea of ​​the world, from eternity he determined to create it, but to create it from a certain time; therefore there is no reason to suppose that God changed in any way when he actually produced the world. 1061 Others dwelled on the concept of God as a supremely active being and asked: what did God do before the creation of the world, if the world was not created from eternity? “Only God himself could answer this,” said Saint Irenaeus, but the Holy Scriptures did not reveal anything about this to us.” 1062 “I will not say, wrote Blessed Augustine, as someone said, resolving this issue, that God was then preparing Gehenna for those who attempted to comprehend the incomprehensible, but rather I will say: I don’t know, I don’t know.” And a little further: "since before the creation of heaven and earth there was no time yet, then why ask what God did then? There was no time, where there was no time." 1063 From Saint Gregory the Theologian we read the following regarding this subject: “I ask: if inactivity and imperfection cannot be attributed to God, then what was God’s thought occupied with before the Most High, reigning in the emptiness of centuries, created the universe and adorned it with forms? – She contemplated the longed-for luminosity of Her goodness, the equal and equally perfect luminosity of the triscendent Divinity, as this is known to the only Divinity, and to whom God has revealed it. The world-born mind also considered in His great mental ideas the images He himself composed of the world, which was produced later, but for God even then was real. God has everything before his eyes, what will happen, what was, and what is now. For me, such a division is established by time, that one is ahead, the other is behind; but for God everything merges into one, and everything is held in the muscles of the great Divinity.” 1064 Some also said that since God is Lord and Master from eternity, then from eternity the world over which He rules must also exist; or they reasoned that if God has been omnipotent from eternity, then it was necessary for Him to create the world from eternity. Tertullian responded to the first opinion, initially expressed by Hermogenes, that the names Lord and Master (Dominus) express in God not His essence and not any of His internal properties, but only an external relationship to the world, because He became Lord and Master only in time, from the time the world appeared. 1065 The groundlessness of the second speculation, which belongs to Origen, was clearly demonstrated by Saint Methodius, noting that this speculation assumes that God would not be omnipotent if He had not created the universe, and therefore that He is omnipotent and generally omniperfect not in itself, not according to its nature, but depending on the things He created. 1066 § 57. Participation of all Persons of the Holy Trinity in the work of creation. Confessing that God created the world, the Orthodox Church attributes this great deed not to any one person of the Most Holy Trinity, but to all together. Thus, in the very Creed, she calls God the Father the Creator, speaks of the Son: In Him were all things, and calls the Holy Spirit the life-giving one. This is expressed even more clearly in the message of the Eastern patriarchs about the Orthodox faith: “we believe that the Trinitarian God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the Creator of everything visible and invisible” (Part 4) 1067 In the Holy Scriptures we find clear grounds for such a teaching. For, besides many places where creation is assimilated to God in general (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 45:7; Jer. 10:12; Psalm 113:23; 133:3; Acts 14:15; 17:24; 1 Cor. 11:12; Heb. 3:4), there are also those where it is assimilated in particular: a) God the Father. For example: there is one God the Father, from whom are all things (1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 2:10). And the words of the apostolic prayer: Master God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them, are actually addressed to the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity; because further we read: You, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said by the Holy Spirit: Why are the pagans troubled, and the nations plotting vain things? The kings of the earth rose up, and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. For truly Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered in this city against Your Holy Son Jesus, whom You anointed, to do what Your hand and Your counsel had predestined to happen (Acts 4:24-28). b) God the Son. For example: through Him all things came into being, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being (John 1:3); or: By Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth... all things were created by Him and for Him (Col. 1:16; cf. Heb. 1:3). c) God the Holy Spirit. The righteous Job says about Him: The Spirit of God created me (Job 33:4), and the Psalmist: by the word of the Lord the heavens were created, and by the spirit of His mouth all their host (Psalm 32:6; cf. Psalm 103:30); 1068 and the sacred Genesis writer depicts the Spirit of God hovering over the waters during the creation of the world, and as if pouring life into the newly created substance (Gen. 1:2). 1069 The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church also attributed the creation of the world to God in general, 1070 and in particular to God the Father, 1071 to God the Son or Word, 1072 and to God the Holy Spirit, 1073 noting that not each separately, but all together They produced the universe. 1074 And in order to indicate what exactly was the participation of each of the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity in the work of creation, the holy teachers expressed that “the Father created the world through the Son in the Holy Spirit;” or: “all things are from the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit,” 1075, however, not in the sense that the Son and the Holy Spirit played any role as an instrument and servile service in creation, but in the fact that They creatively accomplished the Father’s will. 1076 And such a teaching has a basis in the Holy Scripture itself, where it is precisely said that all things are from the Father (1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 5:18) through the Son (John 1:3; Heb. 1, etc.) in the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18), that all things are from Him, by Him and to Him - εξ αύτοϋ , καί δι᾿ αύτώ, καϊ έν αύτώ τά πάντα (Rom. 11:36). 1077 More specifically, this thought is presented by Saint Gregory the Theologian, when, depicting the order of creation, he says: “God (the Father) invents, firstly, angelic and heavenly powers, and the thought became a deed that was filled with the Word and accomplished by the Spirit.” 1078 Saint Basil the Great is even clearer and more detailed in the following words: “in the creation of them (angels), imagine the original cause (προκαταρκτική αίτία) of what was created - the Father, and the creative cause ( The essence of the angels is holiness and abiding. in the holy place. And let no one think that I affirm that the three principal hypostases and the activity of the Son are imperfect. For the one principle of beings, which creates through the Son and accomplishes in the Spirit, and in the Father, who acts in all, is not imperfect, and in the Son the creation is not insufficient, if it is not accomplished by the Spirit. For neither the Father, who creates by one will, would have need of the Son, but wills through the Son; neither the Son, acting like the Father, would have any need for assistance, but He also wants to work through the Spirit. By the word of the Lord the heavens were created, and by the spirit of his mouth all their host (Psalm 32:6). The Word is not a significant modification in the air produced by verbal instruments, and the Spirit is not the vapor of the mouth expelled by the respiratory members; but the Word, which is in the beginning with God, is both God (John 1:1), and the Spirit of the mouth of God - the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). Therefore imagine the Three - the commanding Lord, the creating Word and the affirming Spirit." 1079 Finally, Saint John of Damascus calls the Father the source and cause (πηγή γεννητική καί π ροβλητική) not only in relation to the Divine Persons, but, of course, - in another sense, and in relation to everything that exists, the Son is the power of the Father, pre-arranging (δύναμις προκαταρκτική) the creation of all things, and the Holy Spirit is the finisher (τελεσιουργός) of all creation. 1080 a) the doctrine of the participation of all Persons of the Holy Trinity in the work of creation is a necessary consequence of the doctrine of Their unity and perfect inseparability by nature and all Divine properties, and - b) the very order and extent of participation of each of them in this matter are fully consistent with their personal order and relationship with each other. Regarding the way God created the universe, the Orthodox Church sometimes expresses that He created everything with thought (Rev. Confession, part 1, answer to question 18), sometimes by desire (ibid. answer to question 14), sometimes by word or command (ibid. answer to question 22). And in this she will follow the Word of God, which testifies that God created the world - 1) By reason and wisdom: the Lord founded the earth with wisdom, established the heavens with reason (Prov. 3:19; cf. Psalm 136:5; Jer. 10:12), i.e. created in accordance with those most sublimely wise mental conceptions (ideas) of his, in which from eternity He contemplated all His future creations: all His works are known to God from eternity (Acts 15:18; cf. Dan. 13:42; Sirach. 23:29; 39:26). I have been anointed from everlasting, says the very Wisdom of God from the beginning, before the existence of the earth... When He prepared the heavens, I was there... when He gave the sea a charter so that the waters would not cross its borders... when He laid the foundations of the earth, then I was with Him (Prov. 8:23,27,29). The reality of these eternal ideas of God, in which the world existed even before it received genuine (real) existence, was unanimously recognized by the Fathers and teachers of the Church, 1081 and called them prototypes (πρωτότυπα) of all things, plans (παραδείγματα), predestination ( προορισμοί), etc. 1082 “God saw everything before it began to exist, writes, for example, St. John of Damascus, imagining it in his mind from eternity; and each thing receives its existence at a certain time, as a result of His eternal thought, united with will, which is predestination, image and destiny.” 1083 And in another place: "God's concepts of each of those things that are destined to receive their existence from Him are their images, drawings, or, as Saint Dionysius calls them, predestination. For in His council there are predestined images for all things that are predestined to be and that will certainly be." 1084 2) By will, desire, i.e. completely freely, and not due to any necessity. That is why it is said: Our God is in heaven [and on earth]; does whatever he wants (Psalm 113:11); The Lord does whatever He wants, in heaven and on earth, on the seas and in all the abysses (Psalm 134:6); You are worthy, Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You created everything, and everything exists and was created according to Your will (Rev. 4:11). Therefore, the ancient teachers of the Church confessed that God created the world not out of any need or compulsion, but solely according to his will; 1085 that He created everything that He wanted and how He wanted; 1086 that His will is the foundation, and the beginning, and the measure of all things, 1087 is even the very thing that we call the world. 1088 3) In a word. And God said: Let there be light. And there was light, the sacred Genesis writer narrates, - And God said: let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it separate water from water... And God said: let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it separate water from water, etc. (Gen. 1: 3,6,9 et seq.). He [said, and they became,] commanded, and they were created, exclaims the Inspired Psalmist (Psalm 149:5). But by the word of God, the Holy Fathers of the Church note, here we should not understand any articulate sound or word like ours; no, this creative word signifies only a wave or expression of the omnipotent will of God, which produced the universe from nothingness (Rev. 4:11; Jer. 32:17). “The Creator of the universe, says Saint Basil the Great, having a creative power, not sufficient for the world alone, but infinitely more excellent, brought into being all the greatness of the visible with one wave of the will... When we attribute to God a voice, speech and command, then by God’s word we do not mean the sound emitted by the verbal organs, and the air brought into concussion by means of the tongue, but, for greater clarity students, we want to depict the very wave of will in the form of a command.” 1089 Saint Ambrose, 1090 Saint John of Damascus and others argue in a similar way. 1091 Therefore, if we briefly express how the Holy Scripture teaches about the method of creation of the universe, then this teaching will be the following: "God created the world according to his eternal ideas about it, completely freely, with a single wave of the will. In the ideas from the ages, the plan of the universe was predetermined; free will determined to carry out this plan; a wave of the will really carried it out." But how one wave of the omnipotent will, one creative word could call the universe out of nothingness - the Holy Scripture calls this a mystery, which is understood only by faith: by faith we understand, says the holy Apostle, that the worlds were built by the word of God, so that out of the invisible came the visible (Heb. 11:3). § 59. The motivation for creation and its purpose. Since God created the world not out of necessity, but completely freely, it means that he created it out of some impulse - for he might not have created it. And since he created with wisdom and reason, it means that he created for some purpose, because wisdom cannot act without a purpose. The Orthodox Church teaches us the following about this subject: “we must believe that God..., being good and most kind, although in Himself most perfect and glorified, created the world out of nothing for the purpose that other beings, glorifying Him, would participate in His blessedness” (Orthodox. Confess. part 1, answer to question 8; cf. Space Cath. p. 35, M. 1845). Consequently, the Church considers the only infinite goodness of the Creator to be the motivation for creation, and the goal of creation, on the one hand, is the glory of the Creator, and on the other, the bliss of creatures. And delving into the Word of God, we are easily convinced that it is impossible to imagine another motive that could dispose the Almighty to create the universe, except for his kindness alone. The Holy Scripture leads us to this thought - a) partly already in those places where he teaches that God is an all-perfect being (Psalm 114:3; Mat. 5:45), and therefore, all-glorious (Ps. 23:10; 28:3) and most kind (1 Tim. 1:11; Ps. 15:11), that He does not need anyone or anything (Acts 17:25,26), that He is from for centuries there was one without the world (Ps. 89:3; Eph. 1:3–4), and therefore, could have also existed forever and ever, if it had not deigned to produce other beings; But - b) even more in those places where, raising our gaze to the very creations of God, he exclaims: the Lord is good to everyone, and His bounty is in all His works (Ps. 144:9; cf. Wisdom 11:25–27); or calls us to confess His mercies revealed in the work of creation: Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Praise the God of gods, for His mercy endures forever. Praise the Lord of lords, for His mercy endures forever; The One who alone works great wonders, for His mercy endures forever; Who created the heavens in wisdom, for His mercy endures forever; He established the earth on the waters, for His mercy endures forever; He created great lights, for His mercy endures forever; the sun is to rule the day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars - to rule the night, for His mercy endures forever (Ps. 136:1-9). The fathers and teachers of the Church unanimously called the goodness of the Creator the reason for creation. Here, for example, are the words - a) St. Gregory the Theologian: “since for Kindness it was not enough to exercise only in contemplation of Oneself, but it was necessary that kindness spread, go further and further, so that the number of those benefited was as large as possible (for this is characteristic of the highest Kindness), then God invents, firstly, angelic and heavenly powers - and thought became action;” 1092 b) Saint Athanasius the Great: “God is good, or better, the very source of goodness; and since the Good does not tend to hate anything, He, having no hatred for anything, created everything out of nothing with His Word, our Lord Jesus Christ”; 1093 c) Blessed Theodoret: “The Lord God has no need for those praising, but out of his sole kindness he gave existence to angels, archangels and every creature,” and further: “God does not need anything; but He, being an abyss of kindness, deigned to grant existence to non-existents;” 1094 d) Saint John of Damascus: “the good and all-kind God was not content with contemplating Himself, but out of (the excess of) His kindness He deigned that beings should come into existence who would benefit from His benefits and share in His goodness.” 1095 In the same way, the purpose of creation, both the Holy Scriptures and after it, and the holy teachers of the Church, set first of all the glory of God. The first expresses this idea - a) in general terms, when he says that the Lord did everything for his own sake (Prov. 16:4), and from whom are all things (Heb. 2:10); b) much more clearly and directly when he testifies that His invisible, His eternal power and Divinity, have been visible from the creation of the world through viewing creation (Rom. 1:20) - and in this revelation of the highest perfections the external glory of God consists - and that indeed the heavens preach the glory of God (Ps. 18:2), and the whole earth is filled with the glory of the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:3); c) finally, with all clarity, when he commands us: glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God’s (1 Cor. 6:20); Whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), and when in general he calls upon heaven and earth to praise the Creator: Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His armies. Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all stars of light. Praise Him, heavens of heavens and waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He [said, and they were made,] commanded, and they were made; set them for ever and ever; gave a statute that will not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, great fish and all the deeps, fire and hail, snow and fog, the stormy wind that fulfills His word, mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars, beasts and all livestock, reptiles and winged birds, kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all the judges of the earth, young men and maidens, old men and youths, let them praise the name of the Lord, for His is the only name exalted, His glory is on earth and in heaven (Ps. 149:1-13). Among the holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, this thought is expressed by: the holy martyr Justin, saying that God created the world “for the manifestation of his Divine power;” 1096 Theophilus of Antioch: “God brought everything from non-being into being, so that His greatness could be known and understood from creation;” 1097 Tertullian: “out of nothing (God created the world) to glorify his greatness;” 1098 also Athenagoras, Athanasius the Great, Lactantius, Augustine, Jerome and others. 1099 As for the second goal of the world, the bliss of created beings, it is 1) reveals itself from the motive by which God was pleased to create the world. If God created the universe solely out of His infinite kindness, wanting other beings to taste the sweetness of existence and become partakers of His kindness, then, obviously, this is one of the goals of the world. For this purpose, God does not cease to do good (Acts 10:38) to his creatures, Himself giving to everything life and breath (Acts 17:25), and moreover, giving us everything abundantly for enjoyment (1 Tim. 6:17), fulfilling all things with good (Ps. 103:28) and everything that lives with good will (Ps. 145:16). In this sense, the ancient teachers of the Church often expressed that God did not create everything for Himself, for He does not need anything, but for us, for His creations. 1100 2) there is a necessary consequence of achieving the first goal. Moral beings (since they alone can themselves, that is, freely, strive for this goal and achieve it, and all other beings are only filled with the glory of their Creator, they only tell it to rational creatures, and they themselves cannot consciously glorify Him), - moral beings, truly glorifying their Creator, thereby already achieve their bliss. For they can truly glorify God, as the Savior commanded us, only with good deeds and a pious life (Matthew 5:16), and the consequence of good deeds is beatitude, according to His teaching about the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), and godliness, as the Apostle says, godliness is useful for everything, having the promise of the present and future life (1 Tim. 4:8). From here it is revealed that, recognizing the goal of the world as the glory of God and the bliss of created beings, so closely connected with each other, we do not at all reject the opinion that the world was created for the moral development of rational creatures and their gradual improvement in goodness. Without gradual improvement in goodness, they can neither truly glorify God nor achieve bliss; therefore, in a certain sense, this improvement can also be called the goal of the world, but not the main and final goal, but, so to speak, preliminary and intermediate in relation to the main ones. We were created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10), in order to glorify the Lord through these works and achieve bliss. § 60. The perfection of creation and where evil comes from in the world. "Reason about the creature in this way, teaches the Orthodox Church, that since it was created by the Good, it itself is good, with the difference that a rational and free creature, when it deviates from God, becomes evil, not because it was created that way, but because of this, its actions are contrary to reason. An unreasonable creature, since it does not have freedom, is completely good by nature" (Right. Confess. Part 1, answer to the question. 31). And in another place: "since the Creator, in essence, is good, therefore everything that He created, He created beautiful, and can never be the Creator of evil. If there is in a person or a demon (for we simply do not know evil in nature) some kind of evil, that is, sin contrary to the will of God, then this evil comes either from man or from the devil. For this is absolutely true and is not subject to any doubt, that God cannot be the author of evil, and that therefore perfect justice requires not to attribute it to God” (Epistle of the Eastern Patriarch on the Right Faith, member 4). Holy Scripture indeed confirms - a) on the one hand, that everything created by God was created perfect. Thus, the sacred Genesis writer, narrating about the days of creation, repeatedly makes the remark: And God saw that it (what He had created) was good (Gen. 1:4; 10:12,18,21,25), and in conclusion he says: and God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good (31). Subsequent writers repeat the same idea in different expressions; for example, the Psalmist: How numerous are Your works, O Lord! You have done everything wisely (Psalm 103:24); Ecclesiastes: He made everything beautiful in its time (Eccl. 3:11; cf. Wis. 11:25); the wise son of Sirach: all the works of the Lord are very beneficial (Sirach. 39:21); Holy Apostle Paul: every creation of God is good (1 Tim. 4:4). b) on the other hand, that if there is evil in some rational creatures, namely in demons and humans, then this evil is not from God, but from them themselves. He was a murderer from the beginning, the Savior said about the devil, did not stand in the truth: for there is no truth in him: when he speaks a lie, he speaks his own, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). By one man sin entered into the world, the Apostle also says, and through sin death, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned in him (Rom. 5:12); or: whoever commits sin is of the devil, because the devil sinned first (1 John 3:8). As a result of this, we are commanded: turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15); wash yourself, cleanse yourself; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil (Isa. 1:15), etc. The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church revealed all these thoughts about the perfection of creation and the beginning of evil in the world especially in two cases: firstly, when they refuted the false teaching of the Gnostics, Marcionites, Manichaeans and other heretics that the world is not perfect and is full of evil, and that the culprit of this evil is God himself, or a special, evil principle opposite to the good; and secondly, when they wrote interpretations on the Sixth Day. In the first case, their main considerations were as follows: "evil is not any entity that has real existence, like other creatures created by God, but is only the deviation of creatures from their natural state, in which the Creator placed them, into a state opposite. Therefore, God is not the culprit of evil, but it comes from the very creatures that deviate from their natural state and destiny. And since only moral beings can deviate from their natural state by themselves, then evil, in the strictest sense in a sense, there is one thing - moral. Physical evil must be looked at partly as a consequence of moral evil, partly as a punishment sent by God for sins, and as a means for the correction of sinners.” 1101 And in their interpretations on the Sixth Day, the holy teachers examined in order each class of God’s creatures that appeared on one day or another, and showed in detail the traces of the amazing wisdom of God in their most perfect structure. 1102 Sound reason, based on one idea about God, willingly agrees with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers about the perfection of creation and the beginning of evil in the world. God is a supremely wise and omnipotent being, therefore, He could not create an imperfect world, could not create a single thing in it that would be insufficient for its purpose and would not serve the perfection of the whole. God is the most holy and all-kind being; therefore, He could not be the author of evil, either moral or physical. And if He created an imperfect world, it would be either because He was unable to create a more perfect one, or because He did not want to. But both of these assumptions are equally incompatible with the true concept of the highest Being. § 61. Moral application of dogma. Delving into the meaning of the dogma about God's creation, we can learn a lot both in relation to God and in relation to His creatures. 1) God created the universe, and with it us, solely out of his infinite kindness and love, having no need for anyone or anything; So, the first feeling that each of us should be filled with when looking at the nature around us and when realizing our own existence is a feeling of deepest gratitude to the Creator. 2) In the creation of the universe from nothing, in its amazing enormity, in its wise structure both as a whole and in parts, down to the smallest detail, in the amazing variety of creatures inhabiting it, and the properties with which these creatures are endowed, God showed His infinite omnipotence, greatness and wisdom, so that in general the world is a mirror of Divine perfections; Let us look into this mirror as often as possible, so that, seeing the image of our Lord before us, we walk in His presence and imitate His perfections. 3) The main purpose of the creation of the universe is the glory of the Creator. And the world around us, reflecting so clearly the perfections of God, is truly a majestic church, in which everything incessantly praises and glorifies its Creator; Let us also learn to add our voice of praise to the voice of all nature, we will learn to glorify God both in bodies... and in souls... which are God's (1 Cor. 6:20), and to do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). 4) All of God’s creatures are perfect, and their perfection lies in the fact that each of them is completely sufficient for the purpose for which it is intended; Let us respect this perfection of creatures, never allowing ourselves to abuse any thing or being contrary to its nature and purpose. 5) All God’s creations are beautiful: let us learn to love this beauty as the work of our Lord’s hands; but to love in such a way that because of creatures we do not forget the Creator, but, on the contrary, so that through viewing visible beauty we only rise more and more to the contemplation of the invisible, uncreated, highest beauty of God, and become attached to it with our whole soul, in it to seek true bliss for ourselves. 2. About the main types of God's creations. § 62. The teaching of the Church and a brief overview of false opinions about dogma. The teaching of the Orthodox Church about the invisible or spiritual world, in fact, as the creation of God, can be presented in the following brief terms: “Angels are disembodied spirits, endowed with mind, will and power... They were created before the visible world and man...; they are divided into nine faces..., and the evil angels themselves were created good by God, but became evil of their own free will” (Space. Chron. Catechism. about the first. member; Orthodox. part 1, rep. This dogmatic teaching, which, as we will see, in all its parts constantly existed in the Church, in all its parts was also subject to various private opinions, or was even rejected. Thus, there were and are people who rejected and reject the very existence of angels, good and evil, based mainly on the idea that the passages of Holy Scripture about angels must be understood in a figurative sense. 1103 There were also those who had their own private opinions regarding the nature of angels - many attributed bodies to angels, both good and evil, although, for the most part, the most subtle, fiery or ethereal; 1104 some considered angels lower in the dignity of nature, compared with the human soul. 1105 Still others were mistaken regarding the origin of angels, and firstly, regarding the method of origin, claiming that angels were not created by God, but flowed out of His being; 1106 secondly, they were mistaken regarding the time of origin, believing that the angels were created either suddenly after the creation of matter before the formation of the visible world from it, 1107 or on the first day together with light, 1108 or after the creation of the entire material world and man. 1109 Some still taught that fallen spirits were evil by their very nature and from the beginning, and did not become evil of their own free will. 1110 Quite a few private opinions existed regarding the number and degrees of good and evil angels, regarding how and why the angels fell, what their first sin was, etc. The dignity of all these opinions, stated and not stated, will be revealed by itself with the most detailed disclosure of the Orthodox teaching about good and evil spirits, as creations of God. 1.1. About good spirits or angels. § 63. The concept of angels and the certainty of their existence. The name Angel ('A γγελος, ךּאּלּמּ) messenger, messenger), according to the expression of the ancient teachers of the Church, is the name of a position, not a nature. 1111 Therefore, it is not surprising if in the Holy Scriptures it is assimilated by various messengers of the Most High, who proclaimed or are proclaiming His will. So, in the Old Testament it is attributed to: the Messiah himself, who, however, is called not just an Angel, but the Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1), Moses (Num. 20:16) and other prophets (Hag. 1:3; Isa. 33:7), priests (Mal. 2:7), even soulless things that create the word of the Lord (Ps. 77:49); and in the New Testament - the Forerunner of the Savior (Matthew 11:10), His disciples (Luke 9:52), the disciples of the Forerunner (Luke 7:18–24) and the heads of churches (Rev. 1:20; 2:1). But in the strict and proper sense, angels are called in the Holy Scriptures beings of a special kind, different from God and from man, spiritual beings, real, and not imaginary; and this is in countless places in both the Old and New Testaments, which cannot be explained figuratively, without extreme violence, to the meaning of speech. Here are some examples from the Old Testament: a) It is told about Jacob the Patriarch: And I saw in a dream: behold, a ladder stands on the earth, and its top touches the sky; and behold, the angels of God ascend and descend on it. And behold, the Lord stands on it and says: I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; [don't be afraid]. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants (Gen. 28:12–13). Here the angels are clearly distinguished from God and from man, and, although this vision followed in a dream, they must just as certainly be recognized as real beings, like God, who appeared with them, especially since Jacob’s dream itself happened according to God’s dispensation. b) In the book of Job we read: is man more righteous than God? and is a husband purer than his Creator? Behold, He does not trust His servants and sees shortcomings in His Angels (Job 4:17–18). Here, too, angels differ from both God and man, and appear to be superior in nature to man; but would it be possible to make this comparison if angels did not really exist? c) The Psalmist makes a similar comparison between man and angels, only in stronger words: What is man that You remember him, and the son of man that You visit him? You made him a little lower than the Angels: You crowned him with glory and honor (Ps. 8:5-6). d) Although the name of angels, as we have noticed, is sometimes adopted by prophets, in the proper sense angels are clearly different from prophets: because they appear to them on behalf of the Most High and proclaim His will. This is how the angel appeared to Elijah (2 Kings 1:3,15), Daniel (Dan. 3:49; 6:22), Zechariah (Zech. 1:14). We find even clearer and more decisive evidence of the revealed truth in the New Testament: in the sayings of both the Savior himself and the Apostles. The Savior, for example, says: a) He answered and said to them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.” the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels (Matthew 13:37–39). In this saying, angels appear to exist in exactly the same way as the Son of Man and the world and the sons of the kingdom. b) See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10). Here the angels are depicted not only as real and personal beings, but also as placed in the closest relationship to God. c) I say to you: everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess it before the angels of God; and whoever denies Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God (Luke 12:8–9). This means that angels constitute a special, definite class of beings, distinct from the human race. d) About that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32). Angels here are represented as inhabitants of heaven, possessing the most perfect knowledge compared to people and existing as undoubtedly as the Father and the Son exist. e) When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory (Matt. 25:31; cf. 16:27; Luke 9:26). The Son of Man will come to judgment, no doubt accompanied by real beings. f) In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but remain like the Angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30). These words, in which angels are so indisputably recognized as real beings, are all the more remarkable because the Savior spoke them before the Sadducees, who rejected the existence of angels (Acts 23:8), and thus testified that He proposed the doctrine of angels not by any means to adapt to the false concepts of his listeners, as freethinkers dare to assume, 1112 but solely because the immutable truth of this teaching. From among the holy Apostles, it is enough to listen to the testimonies of the two supreme ones: a) Saint Peter says: it was revealed to them (the Prophets) that it was not they themselves, but us, who served that which has now been preached to you by those who preached the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, into which the angels desire to penetrate (1 Peter 1:12). Here angels are clearly distinguished from other messengers and messengers of God, prophets and apostles, and are presented as beings of a special kind, higher, rationally free. b) Saint Paul writes to his beloved disciple Timothy: I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the chosen angels to keep this without prejudice (1 Tim. 5:21). If, therefore, the Apostle calls angels as witnesses, together with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, then, obviously, he attributes to them an undoubted existence. c) And in the Epistle to the Hebrews the same Apostle, comparing the Savior with the angels, says: being so much more excellent than the Angels, he inherited a name more glorious than them. For when did God say to any of the Angels: You are My Son, today I have begotten You..., Also, when He introduces the Firstborn into the universe, He says: And let all the Angels of God worship Him (Heb. 1:4-6). From here it is also obvious that the Apostle recognized angels as real beings, and, moreover, superior among other beings. The evidence that the Holy Church of Christ from its very beginning believed in the existence of angels is countless. These are all the ancient symbols in which God is called, among other things, the Creator of the invisible, i.e. spiritual world. 1113 These are, in particular, the testimonies of the teachers of the Church: Justin the Martyr, Athenagoras, Eusebius, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Augustine and many others, 1114 which we consider unnecessary to cite here, since no one has ever doubted the Church’s beliefs regarding the existence of angels. Having received from Divine Revelation the idea that there is also a spiritual world, in addition to the visible world, there are angels, the sound human mind can, in its own way, approach, to some extent, this truth. History tells us that belief in the existence of angels has existed at all times and among all peoples, with all the differences in their religions, that it is almost as universal in the human race as belief in the existence of God. 1115 How to look at this phenomenon? How can we explain it? The most natural and easy explanation is that the doctrine of angels passed into all religious systems of different peoples from the primitive religion, and is one of the remnants, although quite distorted, of that original Revelation, which was given by God to the forefathers of the human race in paradise, and then spread from them among all their descendants. In the material world we see an extraordinary multitude and variety of beings, we notice among them various degrees and classes, some higher than others, some more perfect than others; Can we not conclude by analogy that something similar must exist in the spiritual world - that, in addition to the human soul, which alone is known to us as spirit, there must exist other countless spirits and classes of spirits, which also rise one above the other in the degree of perfection and, as it were, form a continuous ladder, starting with the human soul and ascending to God? At the very least, it is completely incredible that the entire spiritual world is limited only to human souls, when the material world is so amazingly large and diverse. If the goal of the world and sound reason cannot help but recognize, on the one hand, the glory of the Creator, and on the other, the happiness and bliss of creatures (§ 59), then in this regard the existence of spirits seems necessary. No matter how many of His perfections the Lord demonstrated in the creation of material creatures, these creatures themselves are incapable of understanding the perfections of God manifested in them and glorifying their Creator. No matter how abundantly He poured out the blessings of life on them, the majority of beings in the material world do not even have the ability to feel their own existence, while others, although capable of feeling existence, are not able to recognize it rationally and enjoy it consciously. Some spiritually intelligent beings are capable of understanding the perfections of their Creator, manifested both in themselves and in the creation of the material world; They alone can glorify Him with intelligent words and pious life; They alone are capable of not only feeling, but also separately recognizing all the sweetness of existence and enjoying true happiness and bliss. § 64. The origin of angels from God and the time of their origin. It is known that the sacred Writer of Genesis, depicting the creation of the world, did not clearly speak about the origin of angels. And this, as the Holy Fathers of the Church believed, for two reasons: firstly, because, due to the inability of the Jews of that time to rise to supernatural objects, Moses had in mind to outline before his fellow tribesmen the history of only the visible world, in order to teach them, at least through a number of objects available to them, to cognize the true Cause of everything that exists; 1116 and secondly, because it was not safe to speak clearly about the existence of higher, spiritual beings to people who were not yet sufficiently established in the truth of the unity of God, and were inclined to fall into polytheism and idolatry. 1117 Despite, however, Moses’ silence about God’s creation of angels, this truth is undoubtedly preached in the Word of God. It is expressed: a) In those places where it is said that everything that exists outside of God received existence from Him. For example: All things came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that was made (John 1:3); For all things are from Him, by Him and to Him (Rom. 11:36); every house is built by someone; and the one who arranged everything is God (Heb. 3:4; cf. Eph. 3:9; Rev. 4:11). b) More directly and clearly - in the words of Ezra: You, Lord, are one, You created the heavens, the heavens of the heavens and all their hosts, the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them, and You live all these things, and the heavenly hosts worship You (Neh. 9:6). Here, by the name of all the host of them (heaven), created by God, are meant the angels, who, indeed, are called by this name in the Holy Scriptures (Luke 2:13), and are depicted surrounding the throne of the Most High and worshiping Him (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 7:11; Ps. 97:7). c) Finally, with all clarity - in the words of the Apostle: By Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - all things were created by Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). The invisible here means the spiritual world, in contrast to the visible, material world, and thrones, dominions, principalities and powers are the names of the orders of angels, as can be seen from other similar places (1 Peter 3:22; Eph. 1:20-21). The Church's belief that God is the Creator of the invisible, i.e. The Creator of the spiritual world, known from her symbols, was clearly confessed by her various teachers in their writings. For example – a) Irenaeus: “God created everything as he wanted, giving everyone a decent structure, order and beginning of being: spiritual beings - spiritual and invisible nature, heavenly - heavenly, angels - angelic, animals - animal..., and everything that he produced, he produced with the omnipotent word;” 1118 b) Eusebius: “When God wanted to share the treasures of his riches with many, and intended to give birth to every rational creature, he produced various incorporeal, thinking and divine forces, angels and archangels, spirits not involved in matter and completely pure;” 1119 c) Ambrose: “We easily recognize the Creator of angels, dominions and powers in the One who, with the wave of his power, created out of nothing such a beautiful world, which did not exist before;” 1120 d) Theodoret: “that angels were created by God the All-Creator, we believe this on the basis of the testimony of Scripture;” 1121 e) Augustine: “That angels were created by God, Divine revelation told us very clearly.” 1122 But Divine revelation is not so clear about when exactly God created the angels. Of all the opinions regarding this subject that existed among Christians, only one has a basis in the Word of God - an opinion that was therefore held by the majority of the Fathers and teachers of the Church, and is recognized as true by the Orthodox Church itself. It consists of the following: “angels were created by God first of all, and in general the spiritual world before the material world.” 1123 The basis for this teaching is found: a) On the one hand, in the first words of the sacred Genesis writer: in the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1)... Here, by the name of heaven one cannot mean the firmament or, in general, what is usually called heaven, for the visible sky with all its spaces and luminaries was created after (Gen. 1:6; 8:14-17). And just as by earth we must understand not only the earth itself, but also the substance in general, from which then, over the course of six days, God formed the material world 1124 - so by heaven, by contrast, it is natural to understand the spirits themselves, which are usually represented in Scripture as inhabiting the sky (Col. 1:16). 1125 The conjecture is all the more probable since Moses does not at all attribute to the sky the disorganization that he attributes to the earth or primeval matter, and thus clearly distinguishes and contrasts them with each other. If this is true, then the angels were created first of all, when nothing else existed except God, and they served as the beginning of the entire creation of God. 1126 b) And on the other hand - in the words of God himself to Job: with the general rejoicing of the morning stars, when all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7). Angels, or (according to the Hebrew text) sons of God in this place are undoubtedly called angels in the proper sense, disembodied spirits, because by this name they were called twice before in the same book of Job (1:6; 2:1). Meanwhile, they are recognized here as already existing and praising God on the fourth day, when the stars were created; This means that they are supposed to have been created before. 1127 Of the Holy Fathers and teachers, the Church undoubtedly recognized angels as created before the material world: Saint Basil the Great: "Even before the existence of the world, there was a certain state, befitting the supermundane powers, transcending time, eternal, ever-lasting. In it, the Creator and Founder of all things created creations - mental light, befitting the bliss of those who love the Lord, rational and invisible natures and all the decoration of intelligible creatures that surpass our understanding, so that it is impossible to invent for them and names, they fill with themselves the essence of the invisible world, as Paul teaches us, saying: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers (Col. 1:16), and the angelic hosts, and the archangelic rulers, and when it became necessary to add this world to the existing one - mainly the school and place of formation of human souls, and then in general. the location of everything that is subject to birth and destruction, then a continuity of time akin to the world and the animals and plants found in it is produced, always hastening and flowing, and never interrupting its flow.” 1128 Saint Gregory the Theologian. “Since for Goodness it was not enough to exercise only in contemplation of Itself, but it was necessary for goodness to be poured out, to go further and further, so that the number of those benefited would be as large as possible (for this is the property of the highest kindness), then God invents first of all (πρώτον) angelic and heavenly powers, and thought became a deed that is filled with the Word and accomplished by the Spirit... Since But the first creatures were pleasing to Him, then He invents another world - material and visible; and this is the harmonious composition of heaven, earth and what is between them.” 1129 St. John Chrysostom: “(God) created angels, archangels and other incorporeal natures, and he created them not for any other reason, but out of kindness alone... After creating them, he also created man and this entire (i.e., visible) world for the same reason.’ 1130 Saint Ambrose: “Angels, dominions and powers, although they once took their beginning, nevertheless already existed when this world was created.” And in another place: “The cherubim and seraphim, before the very beginning of the world, cried with a sweet voice: holy, holy, holy...”. 1131 Blazh. Jerome: “Our world was not yet six thousand years old (of course, before the time when Blessed Jerome lived). And how many eternities must have passed before him (aeternitates), how many times, how many uncountable centuries, during which angels, thrones, authorities and other powers served the Lord and existed according to His will, without any measurement or change of times." 1132 The same thoughts were shared by: Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Origen, Caesarius, Hilary, Saint Gregory the Great, Anastasius of Sinaite, Saint John of Damascus, Photius, Saint Demetrius of Rostov and others. 1133 All other opinions regarding the time of origin of angels are unfounded and arbitrary. So - a) The opinion that angels suddenly arose after the creation of primeval matter even before the formation of the visible world from it is as follows: “in the beginning God created heaven, earth and water out of nothing, and when darkness still covered the water, and water the earth, the angels and all the heavenly powers were created so that the goodness of the Creator would not remain idle, but would have someone to manifest itself on for many times (spatia): and then this visible world was created and adorned from matter, created by God." 1134 That is This opinion is based on: aa) on the idea that a lot of time passed between the initial creation of heaven and earth and the subsequent six-day creation of the visible world, and - bb) on the assumption that if God had not created angels during this period of time, His kindness would have remained idle. But how can you confirm the first thought? How is it known whether the primordial substance was in a chaotic state for a long time or not? And if it is long, what does this long time mean before that eternity that preceded the existence of the world, and when God existed alone? Should it really be said that His kindness then remained idle? Or, to eliminate this thought, assume that the world was created by God from eternity? b) The opinion that angels came into being on the first day is based on the fact that on the first day God created light, and angels are represented with a fiery or light-like nature. 1135 But this primordial light was sensual, because then it produced day; and to imagine angels with a fiery nature or clothed in any, even the most subtle, body, as we will see, is unfair. c) Finally, the opinion that angels received existence after the creation of the whole world and man is thought to be derived from the gradualness with which, according to the description of Moses, God ascended during creation, from less perfect to more perfect beings. 1136 But who gave us the right to extend this law of gradualness from the visible world to the spiritual world, when, on the contrary, the sacred Writer of Genesis clearly says that God, after creating man, the king of nature, rested on the seventh day from all His works (Gen. 2:2), and therefore did not create anyone else? By their nature, angels are disembodied spirits, more perfect than the human soul, but limited in space and power. 1) Angels are spirits. This is what the Holy Scripture teaches - a) when he speaks of angels in general: are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve for those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14); b) when, in particular, he attributes to them essential properties of the spirit: mind and will, mentioning their desire to penetrate into the mystery of our redemption (1 Peter 1:12), their ignorance of the last day of the world (Mark 13:32) and their holiness (Matthew 25:31); c) when he depicts them as contemplating (Matthew 18:10) and praising God (Isaiah 6:3), doing His will (Psalm 103:20), rejoicing over the salvation of sinners (Luke 15:10), and generally living and acting as only rationally free beings can act (Gal. 1:8; 1 Tim. 5:21). The ancient teachers of the Church taught the same thing about angels. "Do you want to know, says, for example, Blessed Augustine, the name of his (angel) nature? This is a spirit. Do you want to know his position? This is an angel. In essence he is a spirit, and in activity he is an angel." 1137 However, the teaching of the Fathers on this subject is so undeniable that it would be unnecessary to prove it. 2) Angels are disembodied spirits. And this idea, if not directly expressed in the Holy Scriptures, is at least revealed from a comparison of its different places. In one place it testifies that angels are spirits - πνεύματα (Heb. 1:14), just as it says about God: God is Spirit - πνεύμα (John 4:24). In another - he explains that the spirit - πνεύμα does not have bones and flesh (Luke 24:39), - not even the kind of flesh that was the flesh of Christ the Savior after the resurrection, the glorified flesh in which He could enter to His disciples with locked doors (John 20:19). In the third, he notes specifically regarding angels that they, in contrast to people clothed with flesh, neither marry nor are given in marriage (Matthew 22:30), that they cannot even die (Luke 20:35–36). And if the angels were clothed with some kind of flesh, as people are clothed, then why, one wonders, does the Word of God nowhere directly mention the body of angels, but call them spirits, while nowhere does it directly call people spirits, but, attributing to them a spirit or a soul, at the same time ascribes a body? True, there are legends in the Bible that angels often appeared to people in sensual forms; but God himself, according to the Bible, sometimes appeared in sensual form. This only means that both God and the angels, by His will, can from time to time take on some image visible to man. But to infer from this that angels or God are constantly clothed with a body would be unfounded. 1138 The Holy Scriptures also mention the language of angels, with which they glorify God, surrounding His throne (Isa. 8:1–3; 1 Cor. 13:1). But just as the name of the throne of God, without a doubt, cannot be understood as a material throne, on which God would supposedly sit, like the kings of the earth, so, of course, the language of angels and their praise should not be understood in a sensual sense - all this is only a figurative representation of spiritual objects, which otherwise cannot be accessible to human concepts. That is why we sing together with the Holy Church: “with disembodied lips and intelligent lips the angels bring unceasing singing to your unapproachable Divinity, Lord.” 1139 The thought of the incorporeality of angels was the most dominant thought among the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church. We meet her: a) from Saint Athanasius: “an angel is a rational, immaterial being (άϋλον), hymn-speaking, immortal;” 1140 b) from Saint Gregory of Nyssa: “all rational creation is divided into an incorporeal (άσώματον) nature and one clothed with flesh - the incorporeal is the angelic nature; the other type is us, people;” 1141 c) from Saint John Chrysostom: “God created angels, archangels and other incorporeal natures”; 1142 d) at the blessed Theodoret: “if the image of God consisted in the invisibility of the soul, then angels, archangels and all incorporeal and holy natures would rather be called images of God, since they do not have bodies at all and have complete invisibility;” 1143 e) from Saint John of Damascus: “an angel is a rational, free, incorporeal being, serving God... Being minds (νόες), angels exist in mental places (νοητοϊς), not limited to the body, for by nature they are not clothed with flesh and have no extension, but are spiritually (νοητώς) present and they act where they are commanded.” 1144 We also meet this thought - in Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Lactantius, Eusebius, Didymus, Leo the Great, Fulgentius, Gregory the Great and others. 1145 Regarding those sayings of the fathers in which some kind of materiality is attributed to the angels, the following should be noted: a) Some of the ancient Christian teachers, assigning corporeality to angels, only wanted to say that angels have an actual (real) existence: body (σώμα, corpus) for these teachers meant essence or being (ούσία, substantia), and therefore they sometimes called even God corporeal, as the blessed one noted. Augustine on Tertullian. 1146 Here, therefore, the thought is correct, but the inaccuracy is only in the word. b) Others called angels corporeal in the sense that although they are not clothed with any flesh, the very spirituality of their nature has its own boundaries and, in comparison with the nature of God, the highest Being, is, as it were, plump and material. Thus, Saint John of Damascus, having determined that an angel is an incorporeal being, adds: "however, an angel is called incorporeal and immaterial only in comparison with us. For in comparison with God, the only incomparable one, everything turns out to be crude and material; one Divinity is entirely (όντως), immaterial and incorporeal." 1147 A private thought, but a pious one, obviously stemming from the concept of the most perfect spirituality of God, and in no way excluding the dogmatic teaching of the Church that angels are spirits not clothed with flesh. c) Still others attributed physicality to angels in the sense that they, as limited beings, are necessarily determined by place and cannot be everywhere at the same time. “Therefore, says St. Augustine, we call rational natures corporeal, because they are described by place, like the human soul enclosed in a body.” 1148 This means that this thought, which assigns corporeality to angels only in a figurative sense, does not exclude the correctness of the doctrine of the incorporeality of angels. After the above remarks, there remains a very limited number of ancient teachers who, apparently, attributed to the angels a body in the proper sense, albeit the most subtle, ethereal or fiery, namely: Justin Martyr, Origen, Methodius, Theognostus. 1149 But this opinion of them should be considered only the private opinion of a few. 3) Angels are spirits more perfect than the human soul, but limited. Most perfect, but limited: a) By nature in general. This idea is directly and clearly expressed in the words of the Psalmist that man is not much lower than the Angels (Ps. 8:6), who, therefore, although higher than man, are only a little... It is necessarily assumed by the Apostle Paul in two cases: firstly, when the Apostle proves the Divine greatness of the only begotten Son of God, by the way, by the fact that He is better than the angels themselves (Heb. 1:4-14); and secondly, when, depicting the glory of the Redeemer of man, into which He entered after the days of His flesh, after His ascension into heaven, He says that the Angels and the Authorities and the Powers were subject to Him (1 Peter 3:22), that God the Father seated Him at His right hand in the heavens, above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the future (Eph. 1:21). In both cases, the Apostle obviously recognizes angels as the highest in the ranks of God’s creatures, closest to God, but nevertheless inferior to God himself. b) According to your mind. The Savior said to the Apostles when they asked Him about the last day of the world: about that day or hour, no one knows, not the angels of heaven, not the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32). From this it is clear that greater knowledge is available to angels than to man, and that this knowledge has its limits. From other places of Holy Scripture we can conclude, in particular, that angels are aa) do not fully know the essence of God: because no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:11); bb) do not penetrate the secrets of the human heart: for You alone know the heart of all the sons of men (1 Kings 8:39; Jeremiah 17:9); c) they do not know and cannot on their own predict the random future, because the Lord God Himself takes this advantage to Himself alone (Is. 44:7); d) did not fully know the great mystery of our redemption (Eph. 2:10), and are still trying to delve into it (1 Peter 1:12). c) By its strength and power. The Word of God directly testifies that the Angels surpass us in strength and power (2 Peter 2:11; cf. Ps. 102:20), and testifies to various experiences of their amazing power, such as, for example, the beating by an angel in one night of all the firstborn of the Egyptians, or the beating of 185 thousand Assyrian troops in one night (2 Kings 19:35; cf. Acts 5:19; 12:7,11). However, this power of angels has its limits and does not extend to the point that they can work miracles on their own: Blessed is the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works miracles (Ps. 71:18). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, with the exception of one or two, 1150 unanimously recognized angels as beings higher than man, and ascribed to them greater knowledge and greater power. 1151 But following the Holy Scriptures, they argued that both the knowledge and power of angels are limited, that angels do not fully know either God, or the human heart, or the contingent future, or the mystery of our redemption, that they themselves are not able to perform miracles. 1152 Finally, we cannot pass over in silence the peculiarities found in the paternal teaching about the nature of angels. Angels, as some teachers of the Church put it, are created in the image of God: 1153 - a thought not clearly stated in Holy Scripture, but nevertheless fair. It follows from the entire biblical teaching that angels, by nature, are spirits, just as God, their Creator, is the highest Spirit; that they are endowed with intelligence and freedom, just as their Creator has the most perfect intelligence and the highest freedom, and that, therefore, they reflect in their nature the image of their Creator. § 66. Number of angels and degrees: heavenly hierarchy. 1. The angelic world appears to be unusually great in the Holy Scriptures. One of the seers of the Old Testament saw a dream and prophetic visions that when thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days sat down, thousands of thousands served Him and darkness stood before Him (Dan. 7:1,9-10). Another seer, the New Testament one, also saw and heard the voice of many Angels around the throne... and their number was ten thousand thousand and thousands (Rev. 5:11). The numerous army of heaven praised the coming to earth of the Son of God for the redemption of the human race (Luke 2:13). Christ Himself mentioned more than twelve legions of Angels before His disciples when He was taken by the bishop's servants in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:53). Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousand of His holy angels - to execute judgment on everyone and to expose all the wicked among them (Jude 14; cf. Matt. 16:27; 24:31; 25:31). Every person who truly believes in Christ the Savior enters into fellowship with the mother of angels (Heb. 12:22). To explain such a large number of angels, many teachers of the Church used the Savior’s parable about the man who, having a hundred sheep and having lost one of them, leaves ninety-nine in the desert and follows the lost one until he finds it (Luke 15:4; Matt. 18:12). “This one lost sheep, they said, means the entire human race, and the ninety-nine who are not lost are the multitude of heavenly angels.” 1154 Others generally asserted that “the blessed army of premium minds is innumerable,” that “it exceeds the small and insufficient count of the numbers we use;” 1155 that there are “tens of thousands of myriads of angels, tens of hundreds of thousands of archangels, as many thrones, dominions, principalities and powers, and an infinite number of ethereal forces.” 1156 “Imagine,” says Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. how numerous are the Roman people; imagine how numerous other rude peoples currently exist, and how many of them have died in a hundred years; imagine how many are buried in a thousand years; Imagine people, starting from Adam to the present day: their multitude is great, but it is still small in comparison with the angels, who are more numerous. There are ninety-nine sheep; and the human race is only a sheep; The vastness of the place should also judge the number of inhabitants. The earth we inhabit is, as it were, a certain point located in the center of the sky: therefore the sky surrounding it has as many inhabitants as the space is larger; and the heavens of heavens contain an immense number of them. If it is written: thousands upon thousands served Him, and ten thousand thousand stood before Him (Dan. 7:10); this is not because this was the exact number of angels, but because the Prophet could not speak of a greater number.”1157 2. With such a large number of angels, it is natural to assume mutual differences between them and to think that just as in the material world, wisely arranged by God, there are special classes of beings, although homogeneous in nature, but differing in the degree of perfection, so there must also be their own classes, their own degrees of beings in the angelic world. spiritual: and the holy Apostle Paul leaves no doubt about that. Saying that angels were created by the Son of God, this teacher of languages ​​expresses himself: for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - all things were created by Him and for Him (Col. 1:16). The very tone of speech, and together the dividing particle: whether, or, ε ’ ίτε, always showing difference and not similarity, indicate that different classes of heavenly powers are being calculated here. In another place, depicting the glory of the Savior upon His ascension into heaven, he notes that the Father seated Him at His right hand in the heavens, above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the future (Eph. 1:20-21; cf. 3:10; 1 Peter 3:22). In the third, he testifies about true Christians: for I am confident that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor the present, nor the future, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39). To assume that in all these cases the different names given by the Apostle to the angels are only repetitions of the same name, and do not mean different degrees of angels, would be contrary to the tone of speech and unworthy of the Apostle. Moreover, from the very names that the Word of God assigns to the angelic powers, one can conclude that they differ in dignity. Some of them, for example, are called angels (1 Peter 3:22), while others are called archangels (1 Thess. 4:15; Jude. 9): the latter are obviously higher than the former and have an advantage over them - otherwise, why would such a name be given to them? The Orthodox Church has always recognized the difference between angels and their division into classes or degrees, based on the difference in their natural powers and perfections. She solemnly expressed this belief at the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), when she condemned Origen, among other things, because he taught that angels were completely equal in essence and in strength, and that initially they were not divided into classes, but were divided later, when some of them fell. 1158 Of the private teachers of the Church, the difference between the ranks of angels was clearly confessed in their writings: Ignatius the God-Bearer, 1159 Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and others. 1160 3. How many exactly are these ranks of angels, or, what is the same, how many degrees of the heavenly hierarchy? The Orthodox Church, pointing to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, who discussed this subject in detail, says that "the angels are divided into nine faces, and these nine into three ranks. In the first rank are those who are closer to God, such as thrones, cherubim and seraphim. In the second rank: powers, dominions and powers. In the third: angels, archangels, principles" (Rev. Confession part 1, answer to question 20). This division: a) Partly based on the Holy Scriptures, at least in the sense that in the sacred books the names of all the orders of angels listed here are found, such as: cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Psalm 79:2; 98:1; Ezek. 1:5–14; 10:15–20), seraphim (Isa. 6:1–8), silami ( Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38), thrones, principalities, dominions, powers (Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:21; 3:10), archangels (1 Thess. 4:19; Jude 9) and angels (1 Peter 3:22; Rom. 8:38), and more than these nine names of angelic orders are not mentioned. 1161 And on the other hand, in the sense that some of the designated ranks of angels, as we have already seen, are actually distinguished by the Apostle and are recognized as separate from each other. b) But it is mainly based on Holy Tradition. And Saint Dionysius the Areopagite produces this tradition precisely from the lips of his divine mentor, the holy Apostle Paul, saying: “The Word of God called all the powers (ranks) of heaven nine by separate names, and our divine Holy Mentor divided them into three triple degrees.” 1162 Then, the same division of angels into nine ranks, or at least the calculation of precisely nine ranks of angels, we find in the Apostolic decrees, in Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, 1163 in Saint Gregory the Theologian, 1164 in Saint John Chrysostom, 1165 even more clearly in Saint Gregory the Dvoeslovos, Saint John of Damascus and others. 1166 The words of Saint Gregory the Two-Speaker are as follows: “We accept the nine ranks of angels, because from the testimony of the Word of God we know about angels, archangels, powers, authorities, principalities, dominions, thrones, cherubim and seraphim. Thus, almost all pages of Holy Scripture testify to the existence of angels and archangels; As you know, prophetic books often speak about cherubim and seraphim; the names of four more ranks are counted by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, saying: above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion; and he writes in his letter to the Colossians: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. So, when to those four of which he speaks to the Ephesians, i.e. to the principles, authorities, powers and dominions, we will add thrones, five ranks will be separately designated; and when angels, archangels, cherubim and seraphim are added to them, then, without a doubt, there will be nine ranks of angels." If some ancient teachers of the Church mention in their writings about a smaller number of ranks of angels and sometimes even under other names, it is only because these teachers spoke about the ranks of angels in passing, and did not have the intention of listing them all and with particular accuracy in the names themselves. 1167 In general, the ancient shepherds considered the doctrine of the heavenly hierarchy mysterious and incomprehensible to reason. "How many ranks of heavenly beings, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite discusses, what they are and how the secrets of their hierarchy are carried out - only God, the Author of their hierarchy, knows exactly; they themselves also know their own powers, their light, their sacred and worldly ranks. And we can be told about this as much as God revealed to us through them themselves, as those who know themselves." 1168 “What there are, St. Augustine also says, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers in the heavenly abodes, I unshakably believe and that they differ from each other, I undoubtedly maintain; but what they are and in what exactly they differ from each other, I do not know.” 1169 Of private opinions, the most remarkable thing is that the division of angels into nine ranks includes only their names and ranks that are revealed to us in the Word of God, but does not include many other names and faces of angels that are not revealed to us in the present life, but will become known in the future. In part, this idea can be seen in Dionysius the Areopagite himself, who, having previously said that God alone knows exactly how many orders of heavenly beings, and we can only say about them what is revealed to us, then actually lists and divides into nine faces the names of angels known to us from Revelation. But this idea is developed with particular force by: Origen, Saint John Chrysostom, Blessed. Theodorit and Theophylact. 1170 “There are, says Chrysostom, truly there are other powers, whose names we do not even know... Not only angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principalities and powers are the inhabitants of heaven, but also countless other genera and unimaginably many classes, which no word can depict. How can we see that there are more forces than those mentioned above, and that there are forces whose names we do not know? The Apostle Paul, having spoken of one thing, mentions another when he testifies of Christ: He (the Father) seated Him at His right hand in the heavens, above all Principality, and Authority, and Power, and Dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the future (Eph. 1:21). Do you see that there are some names that will be known there but are now unknown? That’s why he said: every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the future.’” One should not, however, forget that the opinion presented is a private opinion. § 67. Different names of evil spirits and the certainty of their existence. The same Word of God that speaks about good spirits also speaks about evil spirits (Luke 7:21), also calling them unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1), spirits of evil (Eph. 6:12), demons or demons (Luke 8:30,33,35). In particular, it distinguishes between them one main one, whom he most often calls the devil (1 Peter 5:8), the tempter (Matthew 4:3), Satan (Rev. 20:2,7), sometimes Beelzebub (Luke 11:15), Belial (2 Cor. 6:15), the prince of this world (John 12:31), the prince who lords in the air (Eph. 2:2), the prince of demons (Matt. 9:34), etc.; and other evil spirits, in relation to him, he calls the angels of the devil (Matt. 25:41), the angels of Satan (Rev. 12:7, 9). The fact that this devil and his angels are accepted in Holy Scripture as personal and real beings, and not as imaginary beings, is clear - 1) From the books of the Old Testament. Here it is narrated that more than once, when the angels of God appeared before the face of God, the devil also appeared with them, and then the many different disasters with which the devil tempted the righteous Job, according to the permission of the Almighty, are described in detail (Job 1:6; 2ff.). It is also narrated that the evil spirit of Saul was outraged when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Sam. 16:14), that Satan rose up against Israel, and incited David to number the Israelites (1 Chron. 21:1). Zechariah's prophetic vision depicts the high priest Jesus standing before the angel of the Lord, and at the right hand of Jesus is the devil as his accuser (Zechariah 3:1). Finally, the Wise One testifies: through the envy of the devil, death entered the world (Wis. 2:24). In all these cases, especially in the first and in the last two, not to represent the devil as a personal and real being would mean completely perverting the meaning of speech. 2) Even more - from the books of the New Testament. To prove it, it is enough to point out some examples: a) The Savior, explaining the parable of the seed and the tares, says: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels (Matthew 13:37–39). Here the devil is presented as a real and personal being, like the Son of Man, like the angels, like the sons of the kingdom and the sons of enemies. b) When the Pharisees accused the Savior that he cast out demons only by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24): the Savior not only did not say that Beelzebub and his demons were not real beings, which would have been the best way to refute the absurd thought of the Pharisees, but on the contrary, he answered with words that clearly testified to the authenticity of the existence of Satan and his kingdom. And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided with himself: how can his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then of course the Kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can anyone enter the house of a strong man and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house (26–29). c) When the Apostles once asked the Savior in private why they could not cast out an unclean spirit from a person, the Lord also not only did not tell them that it was not an unclean spirit at all, and that unclean spirits in general do not really exist, on the contrary, he taught the rule on how to cast out evil spirits: this kind cannot come out except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). d) In that terrible sentence that the righteous Judge will pronounce on sinners: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), the devil and his angels are clearly distinguished from evil people and appear to be real beings who are destined for eternal punishment. e) The Apostle James says: even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). This means they are intelligent, thinking beings. f) The Apostle John testifies that whoever commits sin is of the devil, because the devil first sinned. For this reason the Son of God appeared, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Is it possible to agree that here the name “devil” does not mean a real being, but only an imaginary one? g) The Apostle Paul writes: so that Satan does not harm us, for we are not unaware of his plans (2 Cor. 2:11), and, therefore, portrays the devil as a thinking being; and in another place he expresses the desire that those who oppose the truth should be freed from the snare of the devil, who has ensnared them in his will (2 Tim. 2:26), and thus teaches that the devil is a personal being, having his own will. The Christian Church has always and undoubtedly recognized the existence of the devil and his angels, as is known - a) from the writings of her teachers: Justin the Martyr, Tatian, Irenaeus, Athenagoras, Origen, Ambrose and all others; 1171 b) from the ancient rite, hitherto used in the Church at baptism, where those who approach the sacrament, among other things, are required to renounce the devil and all his works; c) from the entire history of the holy ascetics who, leaving the world, went into the desert, and all their lives there waged a fierce battle with the spirits of evil in heaven, which often appeared to them even in a sensual form. It is worthy of note that belief in the existence of evil spirits has always been universal in the human race, just like belief in the existence of good angels, as belief in the existence of God himself. 1172 Therefore, it can rightly be considered one of the traditions of the original, revealed religion, which later spread from the patriarchs, along with the spread of the human race, between all peoples, although little by little they underwent various changes and distortions. § 68. Evil spirits were created good by God, but they themselves became evil. This truth, which the common mind cannot but accept on the basis of the already innate concept of God as a most perfect being, was clearly testified by Christ the Savior himself, and the holy Apostles also testified. Christ the Savior, denouncing the Jews for their wickedness, among other things, said to them: your father is the devil; and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth - έν τή άληθεία ούχ έστηκεν (John 8:44). If the devil did not stand in the truth, then it means that he was placed in the truth and it depended on him to stand or not to stand in it. The Apostle Peter says that God did not spare the angels who sinned (άμαρτησάντων), but, having bound them in the bonds of hellish darkness, handed them over to be kept in judgment for punishment (2 Peter 2:4) - a direct expression of the thought that fallen spirits were created sinless, but they themselves sinned, for which they were condemned. The Apostle Jude also writes that God keeps the angels who did not preserve their dignity, but left their home, in eternal bonds, under darkness (Jude 6), - the angels who did not preserve their dignity - τούς μή τηρήσαντας τήν έαυτών έρχήν: i.e. those who have not retained their origin, their original appearance, their original state; but those who left their home - οίκητήριον, i.e. a dwelling that corresponded to their original condition. The Orthodox Church, through the mouths of its pastors and teachers, has always preached as an indisputable truth that fallen spirits were created good, and have themselves already become evil. 1173 Let us point out, for example, the words: a) Saint Irenaeus: “since everything was created by God, and the devil himself became the cause of the falling away (from God) both for himself and for others, then Scripture rightly calls those who are in falling away the sons of the devil and the angels of the evil one.” 1174 b) Tatian: “the first-born (of the angels), through transgression of the law and ignorance, began to be a demon, and those who followed his vain example became armies of demons, and of their own volition gave themselves over to their madness;” 1175 c) St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “No one sinned before the devil; he sinned not because from nature he received the necessary inclination to sin (otherwise the cause of sin would have fallen on the one who created him as such) - but, being created good, from his own will he became the devil;” 1176 d) Saint Basil the Great: “evil spirits, not by their very essence, received opposition to good as their inheritance (for in this case the reproach would fall on the Creator), but of their own volition, through the deprivation of good, they deviated into sin;” 1177 d) blessed Augustine: “the devil is an unclean spirit; there is good, like a spirit, and there is evil, like an unclean one; he is a spirit by nature, and unclean by sin; of these two properties, the first is from God, the last is from the devil himself;” 1178 e) blessed Theodoret: “We do not say that the spirits of evil were created evil from the beginning by the Lord of all, and that such a nature was given to them; but that they themselves, through a perversion of the will, rushed from the best to the worst.” 1179 Thus expounding the truth about the fall of angels as a dogma of faith, Christian teachers tried at the same time, to clarify it, to resolve some related questions regarding the circumstances of the fall, although they presented their answers only in the form of private opinions. These questions are: 1) Did the angels fall soon after they received their existence from God? Those who held thoughts about the creation of angels shortly before the creation of man naturally had to argue that demons fell very quickly after their creation, 1180 and even as if suddenly, as soon as they were created, 1181 because, after a little, the devil is already the tempter of man. But those writers who followed the doctrine of the origin of angels long before the visible world, admitted that fallen spirits remained for quite a long time in a state of grace. 1182 In support of this thought, some pointed to the words of the prophet Ezekiel addressed to the prince of Tire: you were in Eden, in the garden of God; your clothes were decorated with all kinds of precious stones...; You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you (Ezek. 28:13,15), noting that in the fate of the prince of Tyre, the fate of the fallen star was mysteriously depicted and repeated. 1183 2) How did the evil spirits fall: were they all at the same time? No, the teachers of the Church usually answered. First, the main one fell, and then he took everyone else with him. 1184 This chief was, before his fall, according to some, the very first and most perfect of all created spirits, 1185 superior to all the armies of the angels; 1186 and according to others, he belonged, at least, to the number of the first-supreme spirits (ταξιάρχων), to whose leadership the lower angelic orders are subordinated, 1187 and precisely to the number of those. among whom the Lord distributed the government of the parts of the world. 1188 The others who were carried away by the fallen star after him were angels subordinate to him, under his power, who could therefore be carried away by his example, or by his convictions, or by deception. 1189 Those passages of Scripture that speak of the devil. as the father of lies (John 8:44), that first the devil sinned (1 John 3:8), as well as about his angels (Matthew 25:41; Rev. 12:7,9), can serve as the basis for such an opinion. 3) By what sin did the fallen spirits fall? There were three main opinions about this: Some believed that the sin of the angels consisted in their unnatural relations with the daughters of men, pointing to the words of the sacred Writer of Genesis: then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and took them as wives, whichever one chose (Gen. 6:2). 1190 But – a) the subsequent words of God himself: My Spirit will not forever be despised by men [these], because they are flesh; let their days be a hundred and twenty years (3) - show that they were people; b) the event that Moses talks about happened before the flood, and the angels fell much earlier, because the devil is the tempter of the first man; c) angels, according to the word of the Savior, neither marry nor are given in marriage (Matthew 22:30) and in general, as disembodied spirits, are not capable of being carried away by the lust of the flesh; d) In the Holy Scriptures, not only angels are called the Sons of God, but often also pious people, worshipers of the true God (Deut. 14:1; Prov. 14:26; John 1:12). Therefore, the descendants of the pious Seth could be called sons of God, who began to call on the name of the Lord [God] (Gen. 4:26), in contrast to the Sons and daughters of men, i.e. the descendants of the wicked Cain, who, forgetting God, walked only in the lusts of the human heart. The mixing of these sons of God with the daughters of men produced general wickedness on earth before the flood, which attracted heavenly execution to it. 1191 According to the second opinion, the sin of the fallen spirits consisted of envy: through the envy of the devil, says the Wise One, death entered the world (Wis. 2:24). 1192 But here we mean the actual earthly, human world, as can be seen from the course of speech of the Wise One: God created man for incorruptibility and made him the image of His eternal existence; but through the envy of the devil death entered the world (Wis. 2:23–24). “Through the envy of the devil, notes Saint Gregory the Great, death entered the earthly world: when the evil spirit, our adversary, himself lost heaven, he envied man created for heaven.” 1193 Finally, the third opinion is that the devil, having carried away all other evil spirits with him, fell with pride - an opinion that has a real basis in the Word of God. The Apostle Paul, giving the law that no one should be ordained as a bishop from the newly baptized, adds: lest he should become proud and fall into condemnation (είς κρϊμα) with the devil (1 Tim. 3:2-6), that is, lest, having become proud, he would not be subjected to the same condemnation to which the devil was subjected. If equal condemnation according to the law of righteousness presupposes equal guilt, then it is natural to conclude from the words of the Apostle that the devil fell with pride. 1194 And the wise son of Sirach speaks generally about sin: the beginning of sin is pride (Sir. 10:15); therefore, this can be attributed to the first sin in the world, which was the beginning of all subsequent ones, i.e. to the sin of the devil. 1195 Of the Holy Fathers held this opinion: a) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “the very first light-bearer, having exalted himself highly, when, distinguished by superior glory, he dreamed of the royal honor of the great God, destroyed his luminosity, fell here with dishonor, and, wanting to be a god, all became darkness;” 1196 b) Saint Athanasius the Great: “Satan was cast out of heaven not for fornication or adultery, or a secret unauthorized relationship, but pride plunged into the very depths of the abyss the one to whom the words belonged: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will be like the Most High” (Is. 14:13–14); 1197 c) Saint Ambrose: “pride took its origin from the devil, who, deceived by his power and dignity given to him by the Creator, and imagining to be equal in glory to his Creator, was cast down from the heights of heaven along with those angels whom he enticed into his wickedness;” 1198 d) Saint Leo, Pope of Rome: “The devil first became proud in order to fall, then envious in order to harm us.” 1199 In general, this opinion was almost generally accepted among the ancient teachers of the Church, and is found in Origen, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret, Jerome, Augustine. John of Damascus and others. 1200 What exactly was the pride of the fallen spirit, which was his first sin, they thought differently. Some, based on the words of Isaiah 14:13-14, believed that it was that the devil imagined to be equal to God in his nature and to sit with Him on the same throne, 1201 or even dreamed of being higher than God, which is why he became opposed and exalted himself above everything called God or that is holy (2 Thess. 2:4). 1202 And others - that the fallen star did not want to worship the Son of God, envying His advantages, 1203 or, seeing by revelation that this Son of God would one day suffer, doubted His Divinity and did not want to recognize Him as God. 1204 4) How deep have the evil spirits fallen? So deep that they will never rise again,” the teachers of the Church usually answered. 1205 And the Word of God testifies that the fallen angels are kept in eternal bonds, under darkness, for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6) and that eternal fire is prepared for them (Matthew 25:41). Why can’t they repent? From the fact that, as pure spirits, being free from any material shell and, therefore, from all temptations of the flesh, if they fell, they fell solely by the deliberate determination of their own will and by pure attraction to evil; 1206 and besides, they fell precisely by a daring rebellion against God himself, a stubborn and fierce rebellion. 1207 “The angels who have fallen away,” our Russian Saint also notes, have invested themselves in such bitterness, as if it was never possible for them to come to repentance.” 1208 5) Did God give them time to repent, or did He condemn them immediately as soon as they fell? Some expressed the idea that - he gave, 1209 and then, as proud spirits did not want to take advantage of the kindness of God, they were cast out of heaven by Him and actually fell or fell: the fall (έκπτωσις) is for them complete death, after which there is no room for them to repent, just like for us - after our bodily death. 1210 But "before they fell (i.e. from heaven), writes Nemesius, they, as people during life, were given the opportunity of forgiveness. And since they did not take advantage of it, they were rightly subjected to worthy, eternal and immutable condemnation." 1211 Saint Basil the Great suggested that even after the fall of the angels, repentance and purification were still possible for them until the devil tempted man. “Perhaps, the Holy Father reasons, that before the creation of man there was still some room for repentance left for the devil. And this pride, no matter how old the illness was, could nevertheless restore itself to its primitive state, taking care to heal the illness within itself through repentance. But just as soon as the order of the world appeared, and the planting of paradise, and man in paradise, and the commandment of God, and the envy of the devil, and the murder of the exalted, from then on there was a place for repentance for the devil. For if Esau, having sold his birthright, found no place for repentance, then is there any place left for repentance for the one who killed the first-created man and through him brought death? They say that a stain made on clothing by human blood from a wound cannot be washed off in any way, but the color change produced by the blood ages along with the clothing. Therefore, it is impossible for the devil to blot out the bloody stain from himself and become clean.” 1212 § 69. The nature of evil spirits, their number and degrees. 1) Since the fallen spirits were angels before their fall, it naturally follows that by their nature they, like angels, are disembodied spirits, the highest of the human soul, but limited. Holy Scripture, indeed, and - a) Calls them spirits; or unclean spirits. Later, says the Evangelist, many demon-possessed were brought to Him (Jesus Christ), and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick (Matthew 8:16). And further: and having called His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out (10:1). Likewise, the seventy disciples who joyfully returned said to Him: Lord! and the demons obey us in Your name, He noted: however, do not rejoice that the spirits obey you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:17,20; cf. Matt. 12:43-45; Mark 9:20; Luke 11:24; Eph. 2:2). b) Attributes to them intelligence and will. The Apostle Paul in one place warns Orthodox Christians: so that Satan does not harm us, for we are not unaware of his plans (νοήματα) (2 Cor. 2:11); and in the other he expresses the good wish that those who have betrayed the truth of Christ be freed from the snare of the devil, who has ensnared them in his will (θέλημα) (2 Tim. 2:26; cf. John 8:44; James 2:19; 3:15). c) Gives grounds to conclude that they are alien to all materiality and corporeality. This basis is: aa) partly the very name of them as spirits and the general concept of the spirit, which we find in the Word of God, that the spirit does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39); bb) cases mentioned in the Gospel, showing that one person can be possessed by many demons at once; for example, the Savior cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9); in another man there was a whole legion of them, so that when they were driven out of this man and entered into the swine, the whole herd rushed into the lake (Luke 8:30,33); c) finally, the clear words of the holy Apostle Paul: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). d) Represents them as creatures exceeding man in strength, and yet limited. This is evident, firstly, from the actions of the devil, when, by God’s permission, he tempted the righteous Job (Job ch. 1.2), and then Christ the Savior himself (Matthew 4:1–11); secondly, from the instructions that the Apostle gives to Christians regarding spiritual warfare: my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:10–13; cf. 1 Peter 5:8). Finally, it can be seen from the story of the same Apostle about the Antichrist, whose coming, through the work of Satan, will be with all power and signs and lying wonders (2 Thess. 2:9), whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the spirit of His mouth and destroy with the appearance of His coming (8). Of the ancient teachers of the Church, although some attributed subtle bodies to demons, like angels, 1213 the majority recognized evil spirits, like good ones, as incorporeal spirits. For example - a) Saint Basil the Great writes: “the nature of the devil is incorporeal, according to the Apostle, who said: our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but ... against the spirits of wickedness in high places;” 1214 b) Saint Epiphanius mentions the demon as “an unclean and incorporeal spirit;” 1215 c) Saint John Chrysostom calls demons “bodiless forces;” 1216 d) Eusebius – “enemies invisible and mental;” 1217 e) Saint Gregory the Great, deciding the question put to him, whether fallen spirits are corporeal or incorporeal, asks himself: “What sane person would say that spirits should be corporeal,” 1218 and in another place he calls angels and demons “spiritual nature, which is not composed of two parts, soul and body;” 1219 e) blessed Theodoret gives instructions: “when we hear in the Holy Scriptures that the sons of God saw the daughters of men and took them as wives (Gen. 6:2), we should not blame the angels (fallen) for this, who do not have any bodies;” 1220 g) Saint John of Damascus says: “That demons are incorporeal, this is known to everyone, even to those whose intellectual eyes are darkened,” i.e. to the pagans. 1221 And the idea of ​​the superiority of evil spirits in terms of natural powers over the human soul, and at the same time of their limitations, follows naturally from the teaching of the Fathers that demons before their fall belonged to the ranks of the angels, and their leader the devil was even one of the supreme spirits, and also that evil spirits cannot do anything in the world except by the permission of God. 1222 2) The Holy Scripture does not define the number of fallen spirits, but makes it clear that this number is large when it speaks of demons and unclean spirits - in the plural (Luke 10:17,20; Eph. 6, etc.) testifies that in the country of the Gadarenes the Savior cast out many demons from one man, a legion (Luke 8:30), and represents the saying of the Savior: if Satan is divided against himself, then how will his kingdom stand (Luke 11:18). This means that unclean spirits constitute a whole kingdom. Some of the teachers of the Church, based on the words of the Apocalypse: his tail carried away a third of the stars from heaven (Rev. 12:4), guessed that the devil carried away with him a third of the angelic world. 1223 But others, the greatest part, adhered to the idea that “what was rejected by him, he was followed and with him fell an innumerable number of spirits subordinate to him,” 1224 without determining exactly how many. 3) Is there any difference and subordination between fallen spirits? You have to think that there is. For the Savior also mentions the unclean spirit, which, coming out of a person, then brings into him seven others more evil than himself (Luke 11:26), about Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:2; Luke 11:15,18), about the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41); and the holy Apostle distinguishes between them the principles, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age (Col. 2:15; Eph. 6:12), i.e., he calls them, by the way, by the very names that designate the different degrees of the angelic world. What is the basis for this difference between evil spirits in degrees and dignities? One of the teachers of the Church believes that it is either a remnant of the difference and subordination in which the fallen spirits were to each other before their fall, or is based on the relatively different success of each of them in evil. 1225 § 70. Moral application of the stated dogma. 1) There is an invisible world created by God, a world of pure spirits, not clothed with any flesh, which means that it is possible for a spirit to exist without a corporeal shell, and it is possible for it to exist outside the material world. May this thought serve as reinforcement for our faith in the immortality of our soul! The human soul, as a spirit, can continue its existence even after separation from the body, passing into another world. 2) Incorporeal spirits created by God are higher than us by their very nature, adorned with greater perfections and advantages than our soul, and for this alone we are obliged to honor the angels of God, since perfection naturally arouses respect for itself, and even among people we involuntarily show respect to those who exceed us in their talents and powers. 3) The Angels of God are all equal in nature, but they differ in strength and perfection, and as a result, there are lower and higher among them; there are subordinates and superiors; there is an unchanging hierarchy established by God Himself. This is exactly how it should be between us: with all the unity of our nature, we, by the will of the Creator, differ from each other in different abilities and advantages; and among us there naturally must be lower and higher, subordinate and superior, and in our societies God Himself creates order and hierarchy, elevates His Anointed Ones to thrones (Prov. 8:15), gives all lower powers (Rom. 13:1) and assigns to each Person his own ministry and place. 4) One of the highest and most perfect spirits created by God, could not resist his rank, rebelled against his Creator, dreamed of being equal to Him, and carried many with him into the abyss of destruction - a lesson for all rational beings how dangerous it is to resist the will of the Almighty, to rebel against the rank and order that He Himself arranges both in heaven and on earth, ruling the world! 5) The sin by which the fallen spirits fell was pride - let us learn to guard ourselves from this terrible sin, the founder of all other iniquities; let us learn to attribute all our advantages, if any, not to ourselves, but to God - our Creator, from whom every perfect gift descends upon us (James 1:17), and firmly remember that, without His gracious assistance, we can neither think nor do anything truly good and perfect. § 71. The teaching of the Church and a brief overview of false opinions about dogma. The Orthodox Church teaches about the origin of the material world from God as follows: "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth out of nothing. The earth was formless and empty. Then God gradually created: on the first day of the world - light; on the second day - the firmament or visible sky; on the third - containers of water on the earth, dry land and plants; on the fourth - the sun, moon and stars; on the fifth - fish and birds; on the sixth - four-legged animals living on land.." (Space. Catich. Chronicle about the first member). There were and especially today there are three false views on this teaching, which was entirely borrowed from the sacred writer of everyday life, Moses. Some do not accept Moses’ tale of the six-day creation as history, but think to understand it in a figurative, mysterious sense. 1226 Others, taking this legend as history, arbitrarily interpret it, or are perplexed about what Moses is talking about here: is it about the creation of the whole world, or only about the creation of the earth, and, moreover, about the original origin of the earth, or only about its transformation, etc. 1227 Still others, finally, although they also accept this legend as history, claim that it contains many inconsistencies and contradicts the testimony of the natural sciences, and therefore does not deserve to be believed. 1228 These false opinions directly indicate the sides from which the revealed teaching about the origin of the material world, supported by the Orthodox Church, should be considered. § 72. The Mosaic legend about the origin of the material world is history. We undertake to recognize as history the Mosaic legend about the origin of the material world because - 1. Moses himself took it for history. He placed this legend at the very beginning, as the basis of his historical book, in which he proposed to communicate to the Israelites true and accurate concepts about God as the Creator of the world and man; therefore, he would have acted against his own intention if he had hidden here any mysterious meaning, incomprehensible to anyone. And most importantly, on this legend Moses based the law on the Sabbath given to the Israelites, during the presentation of which he clearly revealed his thoughts about the six-day creation. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work and do all thy work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day;... therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it (Ex. 20:8-11). And in another place: and let the children of Israel keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant;... for in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed (Exodus 31:16–17). This motivation alone to see history in the tale of Moses is completely sufficient for the purpose, even if there were no other motivations, because there is no doubt that the words of every writer must be understood in the exact sense in which he himself understood them. 2. Other sacred writers accepted the Mosaic legend as history. Moses, for example, narrates in his legend that God created the world with a word, and that over the primordial, still unorganized matter, the Spirit of God hovered (Gen. 1:2), and the Psalmist exclaims: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were created, and by the spirit of His mouth all their host (Psalm 32:6), and further: He spoke, and it was made; He commanded, and it appeared (9). Moses tells that darkness covered all creation in the beginning, and that God said: let there be light. And there was light (3) - and the holy Apostle Paul expresses himself in one place: God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has illuminated our hearts to enlighten us with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6)... Moses says that he separated the water that was under the firmament from the water that was above the firmament (7): the Psalmist also mentions this water above the firmament when, calling on different God's creations to the praise of their Creator, says: Praise Him (the Lord), heavens of heavens and waters that are above the heavens (Ps. 149:4). Moses tells us that God created the heavenly lights, the sun, the moon and the stars, so that there would be lights in the firmament of the heavens [to illuminate the earth and] to separate the day from the night, and for signs, and seasons, and days, and years (14) - and the same Psalmist cries: He created the moon to indicate the times (Ps. 103:19). Moses narrates that God created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh day from all His works that He had done (Gen. 2:2) - and St. Paul writes: But we who have believed enter into rest, since He said: “I swore in My wrath that they should not enter My rest,” although His works were completed at the beginning of the world. For nowhere is it said about the seventh day like this: and God rested on the seventh day from all His work (Heb. 4:3–4). 3. The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church accepted the Mosaic legend as history, namely: Theophilus of Antioch, Hippolytus, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Athanasius the Great, Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, Epiphanius, Theodoret and others. 1229 “All nature, says, for example, Saint Athanasius the Great, was created in six days: on the first day God created the light; on the second - the firmament; on the third, having gathered together the waters, he formed dry land; on the fourth - he created the sun, the moon and the face of other stars; on the fifth - he created animals living in the water and flying through the air; on the sixth - four-legged animals on the earth, and finally he created man.” 4. There is no reason to deviate from the historical meaning of the Mosaic legend, because in this sense, as we will see, it does not contain anything contrary to the truth, and therefore, inconsistent with the dignity of the inspired writer. § 73. The meaning of the Mosaic legend about the six-day creation. Looking more closely at the meaning of the Mosaic legend about the origin of the material world, we cannot help but notice that - 1. Moses distinguishes two main types of creation, which followed one after the other. The first creation in the proper sense, which was at the very beginning, when the Creator produced everything from nothing: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), produced the very substance of the world, which contained the beginnings or germs for all its creatures. In this sense, the wise son of Sirach also said: everything in general was created by the One who lives forever (Sir. 18:1), - the teachers of the Church also said: “it is known that not one of the created things existed before another, but at the same time all kinds of creatures were produced 1230 and, wanting precisely to say that God created everything together (άθρόως πάντα) said (the writer of everyday life): in the beginning or in the totality (έν κεώαλαίω) God created the heavens and the earth. For the meaning of both words is the same: the beginning and the totality are expressed - together." (Wis. 11:18), also the holy martyr Justin, when he repeated the words of Solomon: “we accepted that God in the beginning created everything from an ugly substance, έξ άμόρφου ύλης.” 1232 Both of these types of creation were distinguished by the ancient teachers of the Church: a) Hippolytus: “on the first day, whatever God created, he created from nothing; and on other days he no longer created from nothing, but created from what he created on the first day;” 1233 b) Tatian (before his fall from the Church): “it is known that the whole machine of the world, and everything in it, is formed from matter, but matter itself was created by God;” 1234 c) Augustine: "First, a mixed and unstructured substance was created, from which everything came into existence that later appeared divided and organized. This substance, I think, the Greeks call chaos, as we read elsewhere: You created the world from unimaginable substance (Wis. 11:18), or, according to other codes, from invisible substance. This substance, without form, which God created out of nothing, is called heaven and earth; and it is said: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, not because they really happened then, but because they could happen; just as if we, looking at the seed of a tree, said that there are roots, and strength, and a trunk, and fruits, and leaves, then we would say not because, of course, all this already exists, but because all this is about to happen." 1235 St. John Chrysostom, Hilary, Epiphanius, 1236 Ambrose, 1237 Severian, Gregory the Great and others reasoned in a similar way. 1238 2. Moses depicts the origin of the entire material world (cosmogony), and not just the earth (not geogony). For he says, firstly, that God created the heavens and the earth, i.e. the whole world; Then he mentions the creation of light, the creation of the firmament of heaven, the creation of the luminaries, the sun, the moon and the stars. But on the other hand, it is obvious that Moses mainly and with particular detail describes the origin of the earth with its various inhabitants, and touches the sky and heavenly things as if in passing, to the extent that they relate to the earth. Therefore, when describing the third, fifth and sixth days of creation, he only says what God created on earth, and is silent about what God created at the same time in heaven or on the heavenly bodies, although, in all likelihood, even on these days the actions of creative power were not limited to the earth alone. 1239 For the same reason, when narrating the creation of the heavenly bodies, he mentions only their particular purpose, which they have in relation to the earth, gives them names, ascribes properties such that can be given and attributed to them only from the earth. 3. Moses tells about the original origin of the world and the earth, and not about their transformation. For he writes: in the beginning God created heaven and earth, i.e. created when there was nothing yet. Further: and God said: Let there be light. And there became light..., let there be a firmament..., let there be lights in the firmament of heaven...: all such expressions that clearly presuppose a previous non-existence. Finally, he concludes his description with the words: Thus are the heavens and the earth and all their hosts perfect (Gen. 2:1); This means that they have been completed, completed only now, but did not exist before. It should be added that both the Jews and all Christians of the first centuries unanimously accepted that Moses here describes God’s creation of the world and earth, and not the transformation. 4. Moses testifies that God acted Himself, directly by His own power, not only at the first creation, when He produced everything from nothing, but also over the course of six days, when He produced various parts and beings of the world from ready-made matter. And God said: Let there be light. And the light became...; And God said: let there be a firmament in the midst of the water... And it became so...; And God said: Let the water that is under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it became so;... And God said: let the earth produce greenery... And it became so...; And God said: let there be lights in the firmament of heaven... And it became so...; And God said: Let the water bring forth living things; and let the birds fly over the earth, across the firmament of heaven. [And it became so.] ...; And God said: Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kind... And it was so. Consequently, it is unfair to explain the initial formation of the world and earth according to the forces and laws of nature; these forces and laws began to operate in the world since the world received perfect existence and they were given by God to the world. But God himself did not at all submit to them when he created heaven and earth and produced different classes of beings with his omnipotent power. Thus, He created the first people (and all earthly animals) right at a mature age, while according to the forces and laws of nature it would have taken many years of life before the first people could reach adulthood. In the same way, the Almighty could, in one day, in one even moment, produce the entire internal structure of the earth, which we now notice, form its mountains with all their heterogeneous layers, organize seas, rivers and other parts, whereas if all this had been accomplished according to the forces and laws currently operating in nature, it would have required, perhaps, not only centuries, but also millennia. 5. By the name of the six days of creation, Moses means ordinary days. For each of them defines evening and morning: and there was evening, and there was morning, one day...; and there was evening, and there was morning, the second day..., etc. And besides, as we have already noticed, according to these six days, in which God did all his works, and at the end of which he rested and sanctified the seventh day, He could command the Israelites that they also should do six days of the week, and sacred the seventh day the Sabbath to the Lord their God (Ex. 20:8-11, 31:16-17). 6. Moses describes the six-day creation of the world in such a way as to be understandable to everyone - he describes it not as a natural scientist, but as a wise and God-enlightened teacher of faith. Therefore, although it communicates only true concepts about everything, it is expressed in relation to the general human meaning: it speaks about the high actions of the Creator, if possible, in accordance with their dignity, but sensually and humanly, and presents various objects of the physical world as they appear to the simple eye of an observer, and not as they are known to a scientist. Having made the above remarks regarding the meaning of the Mosaic story of the six-day creation, it is convenient to resolve the objections that are made against it. § 74. Decision of objections made against the Mosaic legend. These objections are as follows: 1. “Moses speaks of the creation of light on the first day, and the sun on the fourth day, while the light flows out of the sun: therefore.” But - a) let us agree that light is indeed matter emanating from the sun and other heavenly bodies: why could it not be that God first created this luminous matter, and then, on the fourth day, concentrated it forever into certain containers, i.e., the heavenly bodies, just as water was created before its containers, and already on the third day it was separated from the dry land that it had hitherto covered? b) In modern times, another opinion has emerged, almost generally accepted by scientists, that light is not an outflow from the sun at all, but a very thin liquid, diffused in space, completely independent of the sun and other celestial bodies, which are gifted only with the ability to set it into shaking motion and through this make it visible. If so, then it is unnecessary to ask whether light could have been created before the heavenly bodies? 2. “Moses says that plants were created before the sun, whereas without the sun they cannot exist”... But - a) Moses says precisely that plants were created by God, and did not arise according to the forces and laws of nature. Consequently, if it is true that plants today cannot exist without the light of the sun, then it does not at all follow that in the beginning they could not appear before the sun according to the omnipotent word of God. Nowadays, according to the laws of nature, plants are conceived in a seed and grow gradually, and from the legend of Moses we can conclude that in the beginning God created them straight grown (Gen. 1:12). b) We must not forget that plants were created, according to Moses, before the sun, but not before the light, which existed from the first day. Consequently, if light was required during the very creation of plants, it was there. 3. “Moses mentions three days before the creation of the sun, while everyone knows that without the sun there cannot be days.” Nowadays, indeed, there cannot be a day without the sun, but then it could. This required only two conditions: a) so that the earth rotates around its own axis, and – b) so that the luminiferous matter, which already existed then, was brought into concussive motion. But we cannot deny that the earth began to rotate around its own axis from the first day of creation; nor the fact that in the first three days the Creator could bring luminiferous matter into concussive motion by his direct force. how now, starting from the fourth day, the heavenly bodies, having received the ability to do this from God, set it in motion. 1240 4. “Talking about the creation of the heavenly bodies, Moses makes a double mistake: a) expresses the idea that the sun, moon and stars were created specifically for the earth, in order to illuminate it and serve it in signs and times; b) names. the sun and the moon are great luminaries, while the moon is not only incomparably smaller than the sun and stars, but also the earth.” There is no error in the words of the Writer of Life. a) He does not say that the sun, moon and stars were created only for the earth, and if he mentions one particular purpose of them in relation to the earth, keeping silent about other purposes, this is because, as we have already noticed, that, having assumed mainly to describe the origin of the earth, he concerns other celestial bodies only to the extent that they relate to our planet. b) Likewise, he calls the sun and moon great luminaries, not because of their relative size, but because of how they appear from the earth; however, in this regard, he calls the moon a great luminary only in comparison with the stars during the night, and in comparison with the sun he calls it a lesser luminary. 5) "Moses says that the world and in particular our planet received existence and complete formation in the course of six days. But the science that studies the structure of the earth (geology) finds, both on the surface and especially in its interior, many things that could only have received formation over the course of centuries or even millennia, and not six days." Without going into the details of this objection, we will limit ourselves to general remarks: a) Moses, as has already been said, writes that the world and earth received existence and formation in the course of six days, not according to the forces and laws now operating in nature, but according to the direct word of God. But the Almighty, without any doubt, could in the shortest time, or even instantly, produce what, according to the forces and laws of nature, would have been formed only over centuries or millennia. These forces and laws began to operate in nature only since she herself, along with being, received full education from God - and to extend their action to the previous time, to subordinate to them the omnipotence of the Creator Himself during the initial structure of heaven and earth is unfair. b) The mentioned science, which studies the structure of our planet, has very little data so that, on the basis of it, it can say anything reliable and irrefutable regarding the initial formation of the earth. And therefore he limits himself only to fortune-telling, assumptions, builds various theories and systems, which are forgotten almost as quickly as they quickly arise. There were dozens of similar systems that are now recognized as false, 1241 and a true geological system, according to the most impartial representatives of this science (Cuvier), is not even possible. Is it fair to contrast the testimony of such a science with the narration of the sacred Writer of Genesis and to be the first to believe the latter? c) However, without denying the merits of this science, the defenders of Revelation presented several ways to reconcile the Mosaic narrative with the testimony of it, and methods that were more or less satisfactory in the judgment of impartial connoisseurs. 1242 d) Among the geologists themselves, many, and very learned ones, 1243 testify that the Mosaic legend about the six-day creation is completely in agreement with the most reliable provisions of their science, although some of these scientists take the days of creation as ordinary days, and others as entire periods. e) With the progress of geology, many things that were previously considered to contradict the narrative of Moses now turn out to be false and therefore not worth any attention. 1244 And from this we can conclude that with the further success of this science, all other objections to the Mosaic legend, borrowed from it, will dissipate by themselves. § 75. Moral application of dogma. The moral application of the dogma about the six-day creation of God was demonstrated by Moses himself when he commanded the Israelites: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God... In six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it (Ex. 20:8-11). This commandment contains two other, more specific ones. 1. God Himself did for six days, and His works that He did (Gen. 2:2), although He could have produced the world in an instant: so we must, according to the high example of our Creator, do and work for six days of each week, we must develop and strengthen the strengths and abilities given to us from Him, use the time given from Him for the good of ourselves and our neighbors, and thus complete all our deeds in six days. 2. The Most High Himself rested on the seventh day from the works of His creation, And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (Gen. 2:3); so we, after six days of labor, must calm down from our labors and sanctify, i.e. to devote exclusively to the service of our Lord, the seventh day of each week, which in the Old Testament was Saturday, and now, after the restoration of the world by the resurrected Life-Giver, Sunday has become; We must at the same time, following this example, sanctify and dedicate to the service of God all other days, which He Himself sanctified with His special benefits to the human race, and which, according to the power given to Him, the Holy Church separated from other days and dedicated to serving Him and His saints. 3. About the small world - man. § 76. Connection with the previous one. The teaching of the Church and the composition of this teaching. Having produced from insignificance the spiritual world and then the material world, the Lord God, at the conclusion of creation, produced a man who equally belongs to the spiritual world in his soul, and to the material world in his body, and therefore is, as it were, a reduction of two worlds, 1245 and is rightly called the small world. 1246 The main features of the Orthodox teaching about this crown of God's creation are as follows: “And God said: Let us make man in Our image [and] in Our likeness (Gen. 1:26). And God created the body of the first man Adam from the earth, breathed into his face the breath of life; brought Adam into paradise; gave him food, in addition to other fruits of paradise, the fruits of the tree of life; finally, he took a rib from Adam during sleep, from which he created the first woman Eve... God created man so that he would know God and the universe created by Him, love and glorify Him, and through this he would be eternally blissful... But since man did not keep the commandments of God in paradise, when he was innocent, but took from the forbidden fruit and tasted, then for this he lost his dignity and the state that he had in his innocence... And since all people were in a state of innocence in Adam, then how quickly he sinned, everyone sinned in it, and became in a sinful state. And therefore they are not only subject to sin, but also to punishment for sins. Thus, the teaching of the Orthodox Church about man as a creation of God is composed, in particular, from the teaching: 1) about the origin of human nature; 2) about the purpose and innocent state of a person; 3) about an unauthorized fall and the consequences of a person’s fall. 3.1. Origin and nature of man. § 77. The essence and meaning of the Mosaic legend about the origin of the first people, Adam and Eve. The Holy Writer of Genesis testifies that God created the first people, Adam and Eve, in a special way, different from the way in which he first produced all his other creatures, and, moreover, created man differently and woman differently. About the creation of man, in particular, the Genesis writer says the following: and God said: Let us create man in our image and likeness... - and God created man, in the image of God he created him; God created them husband and wife (Gen. 1:26–27). In particular, about the creation of man: and the Lord God created man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). About the creation of the woman: and the Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep; and when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs and covered that place with flesh. And the Lord God created a woman from a rib taken from a man, and brought her to Adam (21-22). This Mosaic narrative must be understood in the sense of history, and not as fiction or myth, 1247 because it was understood in the historical sense: 1. Moses himself, as one can generally conclude from the nature of his entire book, purely historical, and in particular from those words that, according to his testimony, Adam uttered when Eve was brought to him: this is bone of my bones and flesh and of my flesh; she will be called a woman, for she was taken from her husband (Gen. 2:23), and then from the words that God spoke to the fallen Adam: in the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground from which you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return (Gen. 3:19). 2. Subsequent Old Testament writers. For example, in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon we read: God created man for incorruptibility and made him the image of His eternal existence (2:23); also in the book of Jesus, son of Sirach: The Lord created man from the earth, and again brings him back to it. He gave them a certain number of days and a certain time, and gave them authority over everything in it. According to their nature, He clothed them with power and created them in His image (17:1–3: Eccl. 12:7; Ps. 8:5–10; Tobit. 8:8). 3. Christ the Savior. Proving the indissolubility of marriage, He said to the Pharisees: At the beginning of creation, God created them male and female. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh; so that they are no longer two, but one flesh (Mark 10:6–8; Matt. 19:4–6). With these words, the Lord clearly confirmed the authenticity of everything that Moses tells about the origin of the primordial human couple (Gen. 2:18–24). 4. Holy Apostle Paul. He testifies that first man was created, then woman: first Adam was created, and then Eve (1 Tim. 2:13). About the creation of man he says: the first man Adam became a living soul... the first man from the earthy earth (1 Cor. 15:45...47); about the creation of woman: not husband from wife, but wife from husband; and the man was not created for the wife, but the woman for the man (1 Cor. 11:8–9; cf. 6:16; Eph. 5:31). 5. Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church. For example a) Theophilus of Antioch: “God considered only one thing worthy of his own hands - the creation of man..”. and further: “God created a wife for Adam from his rib.” 1248 b) Saint Basil the Great: “the origin of man is superior to the origin of all things, for it is said that God took dust from the earth and created man (Gen. 2:6); He deigns to create our body with His own hand; an Angel was not used to create, nor the earth produced us by itself, like grasshoppers; He did not command the auxiliary forces to do this or that, but, taking dust from the earth, He creates with His own hand.” 1249 c) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “God, taking the body from already created matter, and putting life from Himself (which in the word of God is called under the name of the soul or image of God), creates, as it were, a kind of second world, in a small one - a great one; places on earth another angel, a spectator of visible nature, the secret place of the intuited creation”; 1250 d) Saint Ambrose: “it is not in vain that the wife was created not from the same dust from which Adam was formed, but from the rib of Adam himself: let us know that in husband and wife there is one bodily nature, that there is one source of the human race, and therefore not two were created from the beginning - husband and wife, and not two wives, but first the husband, and then from him the wife”; 1251 e) Saint John of Damascus: “from visible and invisible nature, God with His own hands created man in His image and likeness; from the earth He formed a body, and He communicated to man the verbal and rational soul (λογικήν καί νοεράν) to man by His inspiration.” 1252 But, on the other hand, we must remember that both in his legend about the origin of the world in general, and in the legend about the creation of the first people, the sacred Writer of Genesis, wanting to be understandable to everyone, often expresses himself about God in a sensual and human-like manner, in relation to the general meaning, therefore, although everything in this legend should be understood in the sense of history, but not everything in the literal sense. “Some,” says St. John Chrysostom, hearing the reading that reads: “Vdunu,” claim that the soul comes from the being (έκ τής ούσίας) of God... what could be worse than such unreason? If, based on the words of Scripture: I will blow into his face, they want to attribute a mouth to God, then it is necessary to attribute hands to Him when it is said: He created (έπλασε) man. So, when you hear the words of Scripture: God created man, then imagine a similar power: let it be (τήν άυτήν νόει δύναμιν τώ γνηθήτω); and when you hear: he breathed into his face the breath of life, imagine that just as He created incorporeal powers, it was also His will that this body, created from dust, should have a rational soul that could use the members of the body.” 1253 Blessed One reasoned in a similar way. Theodoret: "When we hear in the story of Moses that God took dust from the earth and formed man (Gen. 2:7), and we look for the meaning of this saying, we find in this a special disposition of God towards the human race. For, describing creation, the great Prophet notices that God created all kinds of other creatures with a word, and formed man with His own hands. But by word we mean not a command, but one will, so here in the formation of the body we mean not the action of the hands, but the greatest attentiveness to this matter. For just as now, by His will, the fetus is born in the mother’s womb, and nature follows the laws that He prescribed for it from the very beginning, so then the human body, by His own will, was formed from earth and dust became flesh.” And a little later: “the divine Moses says that first the body of Adam was formed, and then a soul was breathed in from God: and the Lord God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). The name of breath does not mean here any part of the Divine being, as Kidron and Marcion thought, but the word denotes the property of the soul as a rational being. 1254 In another place he makes a general remark: “we do not say that the Deity has hands or needs any advice and preliminary reflection in order to arrange creation according to an already invented idea, as Plato fabled; but we affirm that each of such expressions (in which the creation of man is described and is mentioned, for example, about the preliminary advice of God, etc.) show only God’s care for man, which is greater than for other creatures. 1255 § 78. Descent from Adam and Eve of the entire human race. This truth has two kinds of enemies: firstly, those who claim that before Adam there were people on earth (pre-Adamites), and therefore Adam is not the forefather of the human race; secondly, those who admit that together with Adam there were several ancestors of the human race (Coadamites), and therefore people do not come from one root. 1256 Therefore, for a thorough disclosure of this truth, let us pay attention not only to its positive evidence, but also to opinions opposite to it. 1. The truth about the origin of the entire human race from Adam and Eve is very clearly stated in the Word of God. So - a) The Holy Writer of Genesis tells that, before the origin of Adam on earth, there was no man to cultivate the land (Gen. 2:5), and, before the creation of Eve, there was no helper for man like him (20); that Adam called the name of his wife Eve, for she became the mother of all living (Gen. 3:20). Following this, Moses begins the genealogical book of human existence precisely from this primordial couple (Gen. 5:1-2), blessed by God, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). b) From the subsequent Old Testament writers, Tobit in his prayer to God says: You created Adam, and gave him Eve as his helper, his wife to support him. From them came the human race (Tov. 8:6); and the Wise One calls Adam the primeval father of the world (Wis. 10:1). c) The Holy Evangelist Luke traces the genealogy of Christ the Savior through humanity no further than to Adam, and then calls Jesus God (Luke 3:38). d) Finally, the holy Apostle Paul clearly testifies that the Lord from one blood produced the entire human race to inhabit the entire face of the earth (Acts 17:26), and on this truth he bases another, the most important Christian truth about the spread of original sin from the fallen forefathers to the entire human race (Rom. 5:12). In accordance with the Word of God, the Church of Christ has constantly believed in the origin of the entire human race from one primordial couple: as proof, it is enough to point out that it has always contained the dogma of ancestral sin and its spread from Adam and Eve to all humanity. 1257 It is very remarkable that in the legends of all peoples, both ancient, 1258 and modern, 1259 the human race is descended from one couple, and the ancestors are often called by almost the same names as those used by the sacred Writer of Genesis. 2. Those who admit the existence of the Pre-Adamites, and therefore do not recognize Adam as the forefather of the human race, present the following evidence to support their opinion: a) “Moses himself, in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, depicts the origin of the primordial human couple differently than later in the second - the origin of Adam and Eve: in the first chapter he narrates that husband and wife were created together, and created in the image of God; and in the second he writes that first Adam alone was created from the earth, and after a few times Eve was created from his rib, without attributing to them the image of God.” But Moses is not talking about two creations, but about one and the same thing: only in the first chapter does he say in general that God created man in his own image, husband and wife, without at all determining whether they were together or not together; and in the second he tells in detail exactly how God created husband and wife. This is how Saint Basil the Great explained these two legends: "sometimes it is told to us in general, and sometimes it is told in detail exactly how something happened. And so above, in the 1st chapter, it is said only about what God created, but about the image it is completely silent, and here, in the 2nd chapter, it is shown how he created it. For if it had only been said simply: he created (man), then one would think that he created like animals, like grass. Therefore, in order to avoid such a generalization with animals, the Word conveyed how God wanted to create you: God took dust from the earth. There it is said that he just created, and here - and how he created: he took dust from the earth and created with his own hands." 1260 For the complete obviousness that the first chapter speaks of the creation of Adam and Eve, and not anyone else, it is enough to carry with this legend the first words of the fifth chapter of Genesis: This is the genealogy of Adam: when God created man, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them. b) "It is written about Cain and Abel that the first was a farmer, and the last was a shepherd of sheep (Gen. 4:2). But in order to cultivate the land, different tools are needed, which, therefore, were already invented then...; who, if not the people who lived before? And Abel could protect his flocks only from thieves: from which ones, if besides his father, mother and brother, there were no other people then, the Pre-Adamites?" Adam himself or even Cain could have invented agricultural tools, especially since cultivating the still virgin soil of the earth, especially in the east, at that time did not require such artificial and complex tools as are used today. And the purpose of herding sheep is not only to protect them from human kidnappers, but also to drive sheep from one pasture to another - the best ones, to ensure that one or another sheep does not get lost, to protect them from predatory animals, etc. c) "The subsequent story of Abel and Cain presents several cases to conclude that at that time there were already quite a few other people besides Adam and Eve with their two sons. So, having decided to kill his brother, Cain says to him: let's go to the field (Gen. 4:8). Here the word field is obviously opposed to a village, or generally a place inhabited by people. Having committed fratricide, Cain, by the way, says: and whoever meets me, will he kill me (14). Who was he afraid of? Father or mother? And God Himself puts a sign on Cain so that no one, having met him, will kill him (15). Then Cain goes to the land of Nod, takes a wife and builds a city (16-17). From all these cases it really follows that at that time there were already many people on earth; but it does not follow that these were pre-Adamites, and not the descendants of Adam. Cain committed fratricide after about 129, or according to the chronology of 70, about 229 years (cf. Gen. 4:25; 5:3) since the origin of Adam and Eve; and in such a period they could already have not only many sons and daughters, but also many grandchildren, especially if we remember the commandment given by God to our first parents suddenly after their creation: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). From the fact that Moses does not mention these descendants of Adam, it is unfair to conclude that they did not exist, when it is known that Moses generally speaks very briefly and little about the original times, the antediluvian. If so: then a) in the days of Cain, when he committed fratricide, there could already be places inhabited by people, or at least one such place; b) Cain had someone to fear: he could fear revenge for the blood of his brother both from his brothers and from their descendants; c) there was someone from whom Cain could find a wife, 1261 and someone to populate his city, which, without a doubt, was not like modern cities, but consisted of several tents or other similar buildings, fenced with a wall or rampart. d) "Since the origin of Adam, about six or 70 about seven thousand years have passed. Meanwhile, the ancient Egyptians counted tens of thousands of years of their political existence, and the Indians and Chinese numbered millions. In addition, the Chaldeans, even in the days of Alexander the Great, had astronomical observations going back 472,000 years, and the Indians and Chinese have astronomical observations spanning millions of years.” 1262 But according to the latest research, all these numbers turned out to be false and not worthy of any trust. a) the tens of thousands of years that the Egyptians and Chaldeans boasted about were rightly rejected by the ancient writers, seeing it as mere vain self-praise and fabulousness; 1263 b) millions of years of Indian and Chinese history are also fabulous: the most ancient historical era of political education in India dates back to the time of Abraham; and the reliability of the history of China goes back no further than two thousand years before the birth of Christ; 1264 c) astronomical observations of the Chaldeans and Egyptians go back barely eight hundred years before the birth of Christ, and the astronomical tables of the Indians and Chinese are even newer. 1265 In general, all those historical monuments, to which some attributed amazing authenticity, now turn out to be not so ancient at all, and date back to the post-Flood time. 1266 3. Those who claim that people do not come from one root, but had several ancestors, borrow their evidence: a) From Physiology, or the science that studies the properties of the human body, and mainly points to the sharp difference between people in skin color, which, for example, is white for Europeans, and completely black for Negroes; and an equally sharp difference in the structure of the facial angle, extending in some to 85 degrees, and in others descending to 60. But, to explain these and all other differences noticed between human tribes, it is not at all necessary to assume a difference in their origin - according to the best researchers of nature, these differences arise from random causes, such as: differences in climates and especially different degrees of temperature, evaporation of forests and swamps, elevation of the soil above sea level, the number, height, and location of mountains, the movement of winds; also differences in food, drink, lifestyle and occupation; illnesses of parents passing on to distant offspring, mixing of tribes, etc. In particular, differences in skin color depend mainly on differences in climate and mainly in temperature. Thus, the same Jews, scattered throughout different countries of the world, represent all the colors on themselves, from the whitest, which many of them have in Africa. The difference in facial angles depends on the different development of mental abilities in different human generations: as mental abilities develop and rise in a person and a people, they act on the development of the brain, which is the direct organ of thought; and the development of the brain influences the different formation of skulls and there is a difference in facial angles. This is confirmed by numerous experiments on blacks, whose mental faculties are lulled and whose facial angle has the smallest number of degrees. When some of these savages are accepted into educated society and begin, with the assistance of others, little by little to use their cognitive abilities, to reveal and improve them, then little by little the structure of their heads changes and their facial angle increases. If this is still little noticeable on them themselves, then on their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren it becomes completely obvious. In the United States and the Antilles, similar examples occur quite often. In addition, it is known that many savages in America, inhabitants of the island of Sumatra and other East Indian islands, Caribs, Antillean Negroes and others have long been in the habit of giving the skull of their children an arbitrary, favorite shape, distorting the baby’s head even in the cradle by various artificial means. 1267 b) From Linguistics, the science that deals with the comparative study of languages. “It cannot be, they say, that such a large number and such a difference of languages ​​and dialects known to us from history and statistics could have been formed from the language of one person, one forefather of the human race.” But now the best linguists, after long-term labors, have reached the conclusion that all languages ​​and all human dialects belong to three main classes: Indo-European, Semitic and Malay, and go back to one root, which they find in the Hebrew language, but do not determine the others. 1268 And how different dialects could have arisen at the beginning between people descended from one ancestor, this is explained by the sacred Writer of Genesis with his story about the wonderful confusion of languages ​​(Gen. 11:1-10). c) From Geography. "It is known, they say, that America is completely separated from the old world by seas, and until the 15th century remained unknown to the inhabitants of this world. Meanwhile, when in the 15th century it was discovered by Columbus, it was found to be quite populated. Where did the Native Americans come from if they did not have a special ancestor, one of many?" But now there is no longer any doubt that the ancients also knew about the existence of America, as can be seen from the testimonies of Plato, Diodorus Siculus, Plutarch, Josephus, Virgil, Pliny, Seneca, St. Clement of Rome and others. 1269 It has also been proven that many centuries before Columbus, America was not only known, but also visited by the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Carthaginians, Chinese, Tatars, Kamchadals, Koryaks, Kalmyks, Scandinavians, and often founded colonies in it. They even designate the routes themselves along which the inhabitants of the old world could very easily communicate with America, pointing then to the narrow straits, such as: Kukov, Bering, which are still easily crossed and swam by the Chukchi when they go to war (and this happens almost every year) with the inhabitants of the north-eastern shores of America; then - to a chain of islands that extends continuously from Kamchatka to the Alaska Peninsula in northwestern America, etc. A clear proof that the inhabitants of America are not aborigines, but migrated from it from the Old World, is provided by many of the beliefs and customs of the peoples of Asia and Europe that have survived to this day, for example: the legend of the global flood, the salvation of only one family during it, the circumcision of infants, the observance of the Sabbath, the celebration of an anniversary in every fiftieth year; also churches and towers of Babylonian architecture, signs of the Tatar zodiac, Kalmyk physiognomies, Norman runes, Koryak dialects, etc. 1270 To the credit of modern science, it should generally be noted that now it, in the person of its best representatives, 1271 willingly recognizes the unity of origin of the entire human race. § 79. The origin of each person and in particular the origin of souls. Although all people thus descend from their first parents by natural birth: nevertheless, nevertheless, God is the Creator of every person. The only difference is that He created Adam and Eve directly, and creates all their descendants indirectly - by the power of His blessing, which He bestowed on our forefathers immediately after their creation, saying: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28), and which, having been spoken once, as the word of the Almighty, will not lose its effectiveness until the end of time. Therefore, the Holy Scripture says that God not only created our first parents, but also - a) From one blood He brought forth the whole human race to dwell on all the face of the earth (Acts 17:26), He Himself gave to all life and breath and everything (25). b) Creates every person. Thy hands worked on me and formed all of me, exclaims Job and the Psalmist (Job 10:8; Psalm 119:73) and in other places: The Spirit of God created me (Job 33:4); Behind and before You embrace me (Ps. 139:5). God Himself speaks to Jeremiah: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you came out of the womb, I sanctified you: I made you a prophet to the nations (Jer. 1:5). c) Creates the human body: He clothed me with skin and flesh, He fastened me with bones and sinews (Job 10:11); My bones were not hidden from You when I was being created in secret (Ps. 139:15; cf. Ps. 33:15), - the same sacred writers cry before God. d) Creates the human soul. This thought is expressed: Ecclesiastes and the dust will return to the earth, as it was; and the spirit will return to God, who gave it (Eccl. 12:7); Prophet Isaiah: Thus says the Lord God, who created the heavens and their space, who spread out the earth with its products, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it (Isa. 42:5, cf. 57:16); Prophet Zechariah: says the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, who founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within it (Zech. 12:1). With all the clarity this belief of the Old Testament Church was expressed by the pious Jewish wife, when during the days of the persecution of Antiochus, convincing his children to taste death for the sake of the law of God, he said to them: “I do not know how you came into being in my womb: I did not give you breath and life; it was not me that formed the composition of each. So, the Creator of the world, who formed the nature of man and arranged the origin of all, will again give you breath and life with mercy, so how now you do not spare yourselves because of His laws” (2 Macc. 7:22-23). Regarding, in particular, the question of the origin of human souls, the Orthodox Church, on the basis of the aforementioned texts, has always held, as it still does (Right. Confession, Part 1, answer to Question 28), the idea that they are created by God. This was indisputably evidenced by the 5th Ecumenical Council, when, condemning Origen’s opinion on the pre-existence of human souls in 1272, it expressed itself: “The Church, following the Divine words, affirms that the soul is created together with the body, and not so that one was created before and the other after, according to the false teaching of Origen.” 1273 Testified, at least regarding the Church of the Eastern Blessed. Theodoret: “The Holy Church, believing the Divine Scripture, teaches that the soul is created together with the body, but not in such a way that with the very seed from which the body is formed, and it received being, but that, according to the will of the Creator, it immediately appears in the body after its formation.” 1274 This was witnessed from the side of the Western Church by Saint Leo, the Pope, and Blessed. Jerome. “The Catholic faith,” says the first, confesses that each person, according to his body and soul, is formed and animated in the womb of his mother by the Creator of all things, so, however, that the infection of sin and death remains, passing from the progenitor to the offspring.” 1275 A blessed Jerome asks: "Where do all people have souls? Is it from parents (ex traduce) like irrational animals, so that just as the body is born from the body, so the soul is from the soul? Or are rational creatures, having fallen to earth out of passion for bodies, united with human bodies? Or, indeed, as the Church teaches on the basis of the words of the Savior: My Father works hitherto, and I work (John 5:17); and the words of Zechariah: The Lord, who formed the spirit man within him (Zech. 12:1); and the Psalmist: He creates the hearts of them all (Ps. 32:15), God creates souls daily, whose will is already a work, and who does not cease to be the Creator? 1276 Let us not even mention the private teachers of the Church: Lactantius, 1277 Ambrose, Ephraim the Syrian, Cyril of Alexandria, Gennady 1278 and others, who clearly preach in their writings that human souls are created by God. How can we understand this creation of souls? The Church itself does not determine with precision; but, on the basis of the presented evidence of the fifth ecumenical council, blessed. Theodoret and especially Saint Leo, and in accordance with other dogmas of the Church, one must believe that what is meant here is not the direct creation of God, but indirect - that God creates human souls, as well as bodies, by the power of that very blessing - be fruitful and multiply, which He bestowed on our forefathers at the beginning - does not create from nothing, and from the souls of parents. For, according to the teaching of the Church, although human souls receive existence through creation, it is in such a way that the infection of ancestral sin passes on to them from their parents - and this could not have happened if God had created them from nothing. Will they say that such a creation of souls from the souls of parents is completely inexplicable for us, when the human soul is a simple being? Is it true. But for us it is completely inexplicable that God, the purest Spirit, could give birth from his being to his Son and bring forth the Holy Spirit, without undergoing any division... That is why the ancient teachers of the Church repeated that the mystery of the creation of our souls is understandable to God alone. 1279 By accepting the opinion about the creation of human souls from the souls of parents, we naturally thereby reject: a) the opinion that souls come from the seed of parents, from which bodies also come, is an obvious opinion that allows for the materiality of the human soul and its mortality along with the body; 1280 b) the opinion that souls arise by themselves from the souls of their parents, like bodies from bodies, invariably allowing for the divisibility of the soul, and therefore also its materiality and mortality, because a completely immaterial being can never, without special creative omnipotence, produce from itself any other being; 1281 c) finally, the opinion that human souls are created by God out of nothing and sent by God into bodies, which is inconveniently reconciled with the dogma of the Orthodox Church about the spread of original sin from parents to children through natural birth. 1282 When exactly are human souls created and united with bodies? The formation of the body as a material one occurs gradually in the womb; and the soul, a simple being, can only be created instantly, and is actually created and given from God, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, “at the time when the body is already formed and becomes capable of receiving it” (Right Confession Part 1, answer to question 28). This is what the ancient teachers of the Church taught: Cyril of Alexandria, Augustine, Theodoret, Gennadius and others, 1283 and, to prove their words, they pointed to the words of the prophet Moses: Ex. 21:22–24. This is how, for example, he reveals his thought. Blazh. Theodoret: “The same prophet (Moses) teaches even more clearly in his laws that first the body is formed, and then the soul is poured in. For, speaking about the one who strikes a pregnant woman, he gives the following law: if someone strikes a pregnant woman, and her baby comes out undepicted: then take the price from the culprit, let it be lost in vanity. And if he is depicted, let him give a soul for a soul, an eye for an eye, and so on ( Ex. 21:22–24). By this, he makes it clear that an undepicted or unformed baby does not yet have a soul, but a formed one has a soul." 1284 On the other hand, one can point to other places of Holy Scripture, from which it is clear that babies still in the womb, before their birth, have souls. For example, about Rebecca it is noted: the sons in her womb began to beat (Gen. 25:22); Saint Elizabeth speaks of to myself before the Most Holy Virgin Mary: when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped joyfully in my womb (Luke 1:44 cf. Jer. 1:5); According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, man “consists of an immaterial and rational soul and a material body” (Right. confession, part 1, answer to question 18); therefore, it consists of two parts. And this teaching is the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, Moses, describing the origin of man, clearly distinguishes two parts in him: one that is created from the earth, and the other that is breathed into him from God: And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen. 2:7). Job, turning to his friends who consoled him, says among other things: Be silent before me, and I will speak, no matter what befalls me. Why should I tear my body with my teeth and put my soul in my hand? ( Job 13:13–14 ). The psalmist cries before God: my flesh will rest in hope, for You will not leave my soul in hell, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption (Ps. 15:9–10). Ecclesiastes, in accordance with what the sacred Writer of Genesis says about the origin of man, expresses himself about his death: and the dust will return to the earth, which is what it was; and the spirit will return to God, who gave it (Eccl. 12:7). a) the words of Christ himself to the Apostles: do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28); where with complete certainty man appears to consist only of body and soul; b) the saying of the Apostle James: the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead (2:26); c) in the saying of the Apostle Paul: glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's (1 Cor. 6:20); another thing: the unmarried woman cares about the Lord, how to please the Lord, in order to be holy in both body and spirit, and the married woman cares about the worldly, how to please her husband (7:34); third: But I, being absent in body, but present with you in spirit, have already decided, as if I were with you, to deliver him who has done this deed in your congregation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Satan in the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (5:3-5). From the presented passages of Scripture it is clear that a person is sometimes attributed body and soul (ή ψυχή), sometimes body and spirit (τό πνεϋμα). This means that soul and spirit are only different names for one and the same part. In confirmation of this, we can point to other examples. The Savior, predicting the separation of his human soul from his body at the time of death for the human race, said: As the Father knows Me, so I know the Father: and I lay down my soul (ή ψυχή μοϋ) for the sheep;... therefore the Father loves Me, because I lay down My soul in order to receive it again (John 10:15,17), and before the onset of the sufferings of the cross He told His disciples in the garden Gethsemane: my soul (ή ψυχή μοϋ) is sorrowful unto death (Matthew 26:38). And at the moment of his death on the cross, Jesus, exclaiming with a loud voice, said: Father! Into Your hands I commend My spirit (τό πνευμοϋ, Luke 23:46), and the Evangelists, describing this moment, express themselves: Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, gave up his spirit (τό πνεϋμα, Matt. 27:50), or: having bowed his head, he gave up his spirit ( τό πνεϋμα, John 19:30). Saint Paul, having resurrected the young man Eutychus, said to those present: do not worry, for his soul is in him (Acts. 20:10); and Saint Luke, describing the resurrection of the young woman by the Savior, says: and her spirit returned, she immediately stood up (Luke 8:55). True, Saint Paul has two sayings in which the soul is clearly distinguished from the spirit and the spirit, soul and body are counted in man. The first saying is found in Hebrews: The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (4:12); another is in the letter to the Thessalonians: may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved completely without blemish at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23). But if the Word of God cannot contradict itself; if it so repeatedly and so clearly speaks of only two parts in a person; if the Apostle Paul himself with such separateness depicts a person as consisting of only two parts (1 Cor. 5:3-5; 6:20; 7:34)): then it cannot be that in the two designated places the soul and spirit were distinguished in a person as special independent parts, and not in another sense. And indeed, in the first place, they differ only as two sides or powers of the same spiritual nature of man: because the Apostle says, the Word of God in the same way penetrates to the division of soul and spirit, as of joints and marrow; but the compounds and brains are only parts of the same human body, and not separate parts of a person. Based on this same passage, we can conclude that in his second saying, Saint Paul distinguishes the spirit and soul in a person only as two sides of one and the same spiritual nature, or specifically designates the spirit in the soul as its highest ability. Or maybe, as some of the ancients believed, by the name of the spirit the Apostle here means the actual grace of the Holy Spirit that dwells in all believers, about which he himself had just previously expressed: do not quench the spirit (1 Thess. 5:19; cf. 23). 1285 Of the fathers and teachers of the Church, they clearly confessed the two-part nature of human nature - a) Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: “Know yourself, what you are; know that you are a man of two parts, soul and body, and that the same God is the Creator of soul and body”; 1286 b) Saint Basil the Great: “man is made up of soul and body; flesh is taken from the earth, but the soul is heavenly”; 1287 c) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “I have a dual nature; the body is created from earth, therefore it is inclined to the dust characteristic of it; and the soul is God’s breath, and always desires to have the best fate of those in heaven”; 1288 d) Saint John Chrysostom: “This is a dual animal, I’m talking about a person who consists of two natures, a soul, feeling and thinking, and a body”; 1289 blessed Augustine: “man is not one body, or one soul, but consists of soul and body”; 1290 Saint John of Damascus: “Out of the visible and invisible natures, God with His own hands created man.... He created man mixed from two natures, a contemplator of the visible creation, a mystery of the intelligible creation...; He created the spirit and together the flesh, the spirit to receive grace, the flesh to prevent pride.” 1291 Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Blessed, taught the same thing. Jerome, and in general all the Fathers and teachers of the Church, when they said that human life is nothing more than the union of the soul with the body, and death is the separation of the soul from the body. 1292 If some of the ancient teachers of the Church distinguished spirit, soul and body in man, this is by no means in the sense that soul and spirit constitute special, independent parts. On the contrary - a) Some, without any doubt, accepted in this case the soul and spirit as only two sides or forces of the same spiritual nature of man, lower and higher: because in other places of their writings they themselves clearly say that man consists of two parts, and not of three. Thus, Saint Justin in one place expresses the idea that “the body is the dwelling place of the soul, and the soul the dwelling place of the spirit,” 1293 and in another he recognizes only two parts in a person, soul and body. 1294 Likewise, Tertullian in one place apparently distinguishes spirit, soul and body in man, 1295 and in another he teaches that there are two natures in man, that soul and spirit are not in the least different from each other and mean only two functions of the same invisible essence, which thinks and animates the human body. 1296 Clement of Alexandria also in one place contrasts the soul, as the beginning of bodily life, and the spirit, as a thinking and free principle, 1297 and in others he asserts that only the body and soul are the constituent parts of man, that the soul is the beginning in man, both thinking and free, that soul and spirit are two names of the same invisible essence of man, and if they sometimes differ, then only to designate different functions and states of this essence. 1298 b) Others, under the name of spirit in man, understood the Spirit of God or Divine grace that revives man. Saint Irenaeus, for example, says that man, as a person, consists of soul and body, 1299 but that his soul receives the Spirit of God upon itself, as the beginning for the highest perfection, 1300 and that therefore the spirit (πνεϋμα) exists only in pious people, while the wicked are deprived of it and have two parts, soul and body. 1301 In the same sense, Tatian also attributed the spirit to the pious alone. 1302 c) Still some distinguished between the soul and the spirit in the spiritual nature of man, and took the spirit to be the third part of man (of course, not in the strict sense) for the purpose of seeing in man the image of the Divine Trinity. For example, Saint Ephraim says that through the threefold invocation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are sanctified in body, soul and spirit, so that our trinity becomes perfect; 1303 and in another place he teaches with all clarity that the same soul in us both animates the body and thinks. 1304 In general, it should be noted that although the ancient teachers often mention spirit, soul and body in man, however, without strict precision, without determining whether they distinguish soul and spirit as two separate parts in us, or only as two sides of the same spiritual nature; and if some even clearly expressed the idea of ​​three parts in a person, they expressed it as a private opinion, which they themselves changed in other places in their writings. Especially since the Apollinarians and Manichaeans appeared, who, by the way, preached the tripartite nature of man, allowing two souls in him, 1305 in the Church they began to express even more clearly the doctrine that man consists of only two parts. "According to the teachings of Apollinaris, writes Blessed Theodoret, man has three components: the body, the animal soul and the rational soul, which he calls the mind. But the Divine Scripture recognizes only one soul, not two. This is clearly shown by the history of the creation of the first man." 1306 And in another place: “He (Jesus Christ) took together both body and soul, endowed with reason. For the Holy Scripture does not divide man into three parts, but says that this animal consists of soul and body. God, having formed a body from dust and blown a soul into it, showed that in man there are two natures, and not three. But the Lord himself says in the Gospel: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28), and much like this can be found in Scripture." 1307 "We say, Gennady also testifies in his presentation of church dogmas, that in one person there are two souls, as Jacob and other Syrian co-questioners write, one the spiritual one, which animates the body and is mixed with blood, and the other is spiritual, which controls the mind. But we say that there is only one soul in man, which animates the body by its union with it, and disposes itself according to its own mind, having within itself the free will to choose with thought what it wants." And further: "man consists of only two parts, soul and body... The spirit is not the third part in the composition of man, as Didymus thinks; but the spirit is the very soul according to its spiritual nature.” 1308 § 81. Properties of the human soul. The soul, the highest and most excellent part of man, is - 1. An independent being, different from the body. This truth is visible from many places of Scripture (Gen. 2:7; Ps. 15:9-10; Wis. 9:15; Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:3-5), especially - a) from the words of Ecclesiastes: and the dust will return to the earth, as it was; and the spirit will return to God, who gave it (Eccl. 12:7), and b) from the words of the Savior: do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in fiery hell (Matthew 10:28); The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). The independence of the soul has been confessed in the Church from its very beginning, 1309 and is clearly preached in all the writings on the soul written by the ancient teachers of the faith. 1310 In particular, Eusebius proved this truth, 1311 and defended the blessed one. Theodoret and Nemesius are against some pagans who claim that the soul is only a form or harmony of the constituent parts of the body, or its accessory. 1312 2. An immaterial being, simple. This is what the Word of God teaches when it calls the soul spirit, and calls it very often: in addition to the examples we gave before (Eccl. 12:7; John 10:15; Matt. 26:36; cf. Luke 23:46; Matt. 27:50; John 19:30; Acts 7:59), let us also point out the name of the Apostle Paul: This very spirit bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16); Who among men knows what is in a man, except the human spirit that lives in him? (1 Cor. 2:11), and on the testimony of the Apostle Paul about the Savior, that He also came down in spirit to those in prison, who was once disobedient to the long-suffering of God that awaited them, in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:19–20). The ancient famous shepherds of the Church also taught about the nature of the soul: Gregory of Nyssa, 1313 John Chrysostom, 1314 Basil the Great, 1315 Augustine, 1316 Theodoret, 1317 John of Damascus, 1318 and others. 1319 If some attributed to the soul some kind of plumpness, materiality: then in the same sense in which they attributed it to the angels. 1320 3. The creature is free. The idea of ​​freedom of the human soul is either directly expressed or implied in countless places of Holy Scripture, and - firstly, in all those where commandments are given to man, and obedience to the Law of God is required of him; secondly, where a person is offered various rewards and especially eternal bliss for fulfilling the commandments; finally, where for violating the commandments various punishments, temporary and eternal, are predicted for the guilty. In particular, this idea is expressed by: a) Moses, speaking to the Israelites: I call heaven and earth today as a witness to you: I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you and your descendants may live (Deut. 30:19); compare Verse 15-18); b) Joshua: if it does not please you to serve the Lord, choose for yourself now whom you will serve (24:15); c) prophet Isaiah: if you are willing and obedient, you will eat the blessings of the land, but if you deny and persist, the sword will devour you: for the mouth of the Lord speaks (1:19–20); d) the wise son of Sirach: He created man from the beginning and left him in his hand according to his will. If you want, you will keep the commandments and maintain acceptable moderation (15:14–15); e) the Savior Himself: if you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17; cf. 23:37; John 7:17); f) Apostle Paul: whoever is unshakably firm in his heart and, not being constrained by need, not being in control of his own will, has decided in his heart to keep his virgin, he does well (1 Cor. 7:37; cf. Rom. 1:21; 1 Thess. 5:21; Eph. 5:10. 15-17). The fathers and teachers of the Church proved the freedom of the human soul, against the pagans, Gnostics and Manichaeans, such as: Justin, 1321 Theophilus of Antioch, 1322 Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, 1323 Cyril of Jerusalem, John of Damascus 1324 and many others. 1325 They proved that we have consciousness of our freedom; 1326 that freedom is an integral property of a rational being 1327 and distinguishes man from lower animals, 1328 that only through free obedience and service can we please God; 1329 and without freedom there is no religion, no morality, 1330 no merit. 1331 Also, by the fact that God gives us commandments, arouses us to piety, as he once gave to our forefather Adam, 1332 and that those who deny freedom in man refute themselves by their actions, when, for example, they exact from their subordinates for their crimes. 1333 4. An immortal creature. Belief in the immortality of the soul was known in the Old Testament. She was confessed: a) Ecclesiastes: and the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it (12:7); For God will bring every deed into judgment, even every secret thing, whether it is good or evil (-14); b) Psalmist: but God will deliver my soul from the power of the grave when He receives me (48:16; cf. 16:15); c) Wise: the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God and torment will not touch them (3:1); the righteous live forever; their reward is in the Lord and their care is in the Most High (5:15; cf. 4:7. 10:14); d) all the Old Testament righteous people confessed when they looked at earthly life as a journey to the heavenly fatherland (Gen. 47:9; Heb. 11:13–16), and at death as a migration to their fathers (Gen. 25:8; 35:29; 49:29). This truth is set out even more clearly in the New Testament. The Savior says: do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but fear Him more who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28); He who loves his life will destroy it, and he who hates his life in this world will preserve it to eternal life (John 12:25); and in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: the beggar died and was carried by the Angels to Abraham’s bosom, the rich man also died and they buried him; and in hell, being in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his bosom (Luke 16:22–23, cf. 23:43). The Apostle Paul writes: we know that when our earthly house, this hut, is destroyed, we have a dwelling from God in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal (2 Cor. 5:1); We do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for the future (Heb. 13:14); Our residence is in heaven, from where we await the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church preached the immortality of the soul all unanimously, 1334 with the only difference that some recognized it as immortal by nature, 1335 and others by the grace of God. 1336 § 82. Образ и подобие Божие в человеке. 1. The most important advantage among other creatures of God is that the Creator deigned to decorate it with His image and likeness. And God said, the sacred Genesis writer narrates: Let us create man in Our image, and in our likeness... And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; мужчину и женщину сотворил их ( Быт. 1:26–27 ; срав. 5:1). God himself later testifies to this advantage, saying to Noah: whoever sheds the blood of man, his blood will be shed by the hand of man: for man was created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6). And in the New Testament the Apostle James testifies, noting about our language: With it we bless God the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God (3:9). The reality of the image of God in man has always been recognized by the Holy Church, following such a clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures. 1337 To some extent this truth was known even to the pagans. 1338 2. What is the image of God in us? “Church teaching,” answers Saint Epiphanius, “believes that man is generally created in the image of God, but it does not determine in what part exactly that which is in the image is located.” 1339 Because the Fathers and teachers of the Church themselves resolved the proposed question differently, although their thoughts do not exclude one another, touching only on different aspects of the subject. On the contrary, if we take these thoughts together and place them in the light of the correct concept of God, our prototype, then it will be fully determined what the image of God is in us. a) God, by his nature, is the purest Spirit, not clothed with any body and not involved in any substance. So, the image of God must be placed not in the body of a person, but in his immaterial soul: a thought that Clement of Alexandria, Origen, 1340 tried to reveal and then against the anphropomorphites Epiphanius, Eusebius, Gregory of Nyssa, 1341 Ambrose, Augustine, 1342 Theodoret and others. 1343 b) God, as a Spirit, also has the essential properties of the spirit - mind, freedom, and by his very nature is immortal: therefore, in particular, one can place the image of God, together with some teachers of the Church, in the mind of man; 1344 together with others - in his free will; 1345 together with others - in the indestructibility of his soul and immortality. 1346 c) God, the purest Spirit, is one in essence, but threefold in Persons; and in this regard, we can find some weak image of God, following the teachers of the Church, in the singularity of our soul with the trinity of its essential powers, no matter what anyone calls them, memory, reason and will, or mind, word and spirit, or mind, will and feeling. “God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit,” says, for example, Saint Ambrose, “but not three Gods, but one God who has three Persons: just like the soul is the mind, the soul is the will, the soul is the memory; but not three souls in one body, but one soul having three powers (dignitates), and in these three powers our inner man by nature amazingly reflects the image of God.” 1347 "As God is in three persons," argues Saint Demetrius of Rostov, "so is the human soul in three powers - mind, word and spirit. And as the word is from the mind, and as the spirit is from the mind: so is the Son and the Holy Spirit from the Father. Just as the mind cannot be without word and spirit, so the Father has never been and cannot be without the Son and the Holy Spirit. And just as the mind, the word and the spirit are three different spiritual powers, but there is one soul, not three souls, so the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three Persons of God, and not three Gods, but one God.” 1348 d) God in relation to all other beings is their Lord, King and Master; in this sense, together with Saints John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa and others, one can posit the image of God in the gift to man, at creation, of royal power and dominion over all earthly creatures - especially since such a thought agrees with the course of words of the Creator himself, who just said: let us create man in our image and likeness, directly added: and let him have the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and beasts, and livestock, and all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Gen. 1:26). 1349 But it is obvious that man’s dominion over earthly creatures is only a consequence and external expression of the image of God, located in the very soul of man, in its reason, in its freedom, which alone give us complete advantage over all irrational animals. And in a similar sense, following the example of some teachers of the Church, the reflection of the image of God can be found even in the human body, because in its noblest structure and majestic appearance, facing the mountain, the properties of the rationally free soul and the royal dignity of man among all earthly beings are very clearly expressed. 1350 Therefore, it can be said that not in any part, or strength, or ability, but in the whole man, more or less, the image of God is reflected. 3. Is there a difference between the image and likeness of God in man or not? The majority of the Fathers and teachers of the Church answered that there is, and said that the image of God is in the very nature of our soul, in its mind, in its freedom; and the likeness lies in the proper development and improvement of these powers by man, 1351 in particular in the perfection of his reason 1352 and free will, 1353 or both together, 1354 in virtue and holiness, 1355 in the acquisition of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1356 Consequently, we receive the image of God from God along with being, and we must acquire the likeness ourselves, having received only the opportunity from God to do so. This opinion about the difference between the image and likeness of God in man has a basis in the Holy Scriptures. So - a) Depicting the Trinitarian council on the creation of man, Moses testifies: and God said: Let us make man in our image and likeness (Gen. 1:26); and then speaking about the creation itself, it is expressed: and God created man, in the image of God he created him (27). "Why, asks Saint Gregory of Nyssa, was not done what was in the intention? Why is it not said: and God created man in the image of God and in the likeness? Was the Creator weakened? But it is wicked to say so. Did the One who deliberated change his intention? But it is wicked to think so. Said and changed his intention? - No. Neither Scripture says this, nor the Creator was weakened, nor the intention was left unfulfilled. What is the reason default? Let us create man in our image and likeness. The first (κατ ’ είκόνα) we have by creation; and the last ( καθ ’ όμοίωσιν) we ourselves do by will. our will. And this, depending on our will, exists in us only in possibility; is actually acquired by us through our activities. If the Lord, intending to create us, had not previously said: let us create man in the likeness, and if he had not given us the opportunity to be in the likeness, then we could not by our own power be in the likeness of God. Now, in creation, we have the opportunity to be like God. But, having given us this opportunity, God allowed us ourselves to be workers of our likeness with God, in order to honor us with a pleasant reward for our activity; so that we are not like the soulless images made by painters.” 1357 b) in some places of Scripture it is assumed that the image of God is also in fallen man, such as, for example, the saying of God to Noah after the flood: whoever sheds the blood of man, his blood will be shed by the hand of man, for man was created in the image of God (Gen. 9:6; James 3:9) - and meanwhile, Christians are commanded to put on the new man, created according to God, in the righteousness and holiness of the truth ( Eph. 4:24). What does this mean, if not that in the first case we mean the actual image of God, posited in our very nature, not separate from it and, like it, unchangeable; and in the latter - does it mean only the likeness of God or likeness to God, depending on our will, which, therefore, we can acquire, but we can also lose through our falls? "The image of God, says Saint Demetrius of Rostov, is in the soul of an unfaithful person, but the likeness is only in a virtuous Christian; and when a Christian sins mortally, then the likeness is only deprived of God, and not the image. And even if he is condemned to eternal torment, the image of God is the same in him forever, but there can no longer be a likeness." 1358 "In my very creation, argues Saint Gregory of Nyssa, I received - in the image, and by my own will I am - in the likeness... One is given, and the other is left incomplete, so that you, having perfected yourself, become worthy of reward from God. How are we made - in the likeness? Through the Gospel. What is Christianity? Assimilation to God, to the extent possible for human nature. If you decide to be a Christian, then try to become like God, to put on Christ.” 1359 3.2. About the purpose and primitive state of man. § 83. Appointment of a person. Having exalted man above all earthly creatures, giving him reason and freedom, adorning him with his image, the Creator thereby predicted a special, high purpose for him. AND - 1. In relation to God, this purpose of man is that he invariably remain faithful to that high covenant or union with God (religion), to which the All-Good One called him at the very creation, imprinting his image in him, so that, as a result of such a calling, he constantly strives for his Prototype with all the forces of his rationally free soul, i.e. so that he knows his Creator and glorifies him, lives for Him and in moral unity with Him. He filled them with insight of the mind, says the wise son of Sirach about God and the first people, he put His eye on their hearts to show them the greatness of His deeds, so that they would glorify His holy name and proclaim the greatness of His deeds. He imparted knowledge to them and gave them the law of life as an inheritance; He established an everlasting covenant with them and showed them His judgments (Sir. 17:6–10). Accordingly, the Savior commanded us: let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). The holy Apostles also commanded: glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's (1 Cor. 6:20); Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (-10:31). The ancient famous teachers and writers of the Church also pointed to this goal of man as the most important: Lactantius: "with this condition we are born, to show just and due obedience to the Lord who gives birth to us, to know Him alone, to follow Him. Being bound by this union of piety, we are in union with God, from which religion itself received its name... Thus, the name of religion comes from the union of piety, with which God united man with Himself and bound him through piety: for to serve Him as the Lord, and to obey as Father, it is necessary for us.” 1360 Basil the Great: "You are a well-ordered vessel, having received being from God: glorify your Creator. For this alone you were created, to be a worthy instrument of the glory of God; and this whole world is for you, as it were, a living book that preaches the glory of God, and proclaims to you, who have reason, about the hidden and invisible greatness of God, so that you may know the God of truth. Keep firmly in my memory what was said.” 1361 Gregory the Theologian: “It was necessary that the worship of God should not be limited to those on high, but there should also be some worshipers below, and everything would be filled with the glory of God (because everything is God): for this purpose man is created, honored by the creation of hands and the image of God.” 1362 John Chrysostom: “God gave us sight, lips and hearing so that all our members would serve Him, so that we would say and do what was pleasing to Him, sing unceasing songs to Him, and send thanksgiving to Him.” 1363 Ambrose: “Someone rightly said: “We are His generation” (Acts 17:28). For the Creator gave us from His affinity, that is, a rational nature, so that we would seek that Divine, which is not far from each of us (27), and about which we live, and move, and have our being (28).” 1364 Macarius the Great: “The Lord created the soul in such a way that it could be His bride and companion, with whom He could be united, so that it could be one spirit with Him, as the Apostle says: he who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17). 1365 2. In relation to man’s relationship to himself, his purpose is that he, as created in the image of God with moral powers, should constantly try to develop and improve these powers through exercising them in good deeds, and thus become more and more like his Prototype. Therefore, in the Old Testament, the Lord commanded people more than once: be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy (Lev. 11:44; 19:2; 20:7), and now in the new Testament we hear from our Savior: be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). However, this human goal is significantly different from the first; on the contrary, it lies within it and serves as a necessary condition for achieving it: because we can honor and glorify God primarily with good deeds (Matthew 5:16), and without good deeds, any other worship of God is unpleasant to Him (Isaiah 1:11, 20). The Holy Fathers and writers of the Church clearly speak about this goal of man: a) Gregory the Theologian: “we were created for good deeds, to glorify and praise the Creator and, as much as possible, to imitate God”; 1366 b) Lactantius: “if someone asks a sane person why he was born, he will boldly and immediately give the answer: I was born in order to honor God, who created us for this purpose, so that we could serve Him; and serving God means nothing more than observing the truth and preserving it with good deeds”; 1367 c) Basil the Great: “the structure of your body is for you a school about the purpose for which you were created: you were created straight so that you would not drag out your life on earth, but would look at heaven and the God who exists there, and so that you would not pursue bestial pleasures, but, in accordance with the reason given to you, would live a heavenly life”; 1368 d) Titus of Bostria: “it must be said that man is called to life by the Creator so that he does not care about anything else but piety and virtue: for having acquired this, he will truly acquire life”; 1369 e) John Chrysostom: “we were not born to eat and drink, and to put on clothes, but so that, having accepted divine wisdom, we should avoid evil and strive for virtue...; for when creating man, God said: Let us make man in our image and likeness, - and we do not become like God when we eat, drink, and put on clothes (because God does not eat, does not drink, does not put on clothes), but when we observe the truth, show love for mankind, are forgiving and meek, have mercy on our neighbors and adorn ourselves with every virtue.” 1370 But since, as a person succeeds in virtue, he achieves bliss, which is the consequence of good deeds and the reward for them, according to the teaching of the Savior himself about the beatitudes (Matthew 5:16); since godliness, by its nature, is useful for everything, having the promise of present and future life (1 Tim. 4:8): then it can be expressed that man, created for good works (Eph. 2:10), is at the same time created for blessedness, and that, therefore, blessedness is one of the goals of man, considered in relation to himself. And the Holy Fathers sometimes pointed to this goal - a) Gregory the Theologian: “we received being in order to prosper: and we prospered after we received being; we were entrusted with paradise to enjoy; we were given a commandment so that, by keeping it, we would earn glory”; 1371 b) Gregory of Nyssa: “It was necessary that man, created for the enjoyment of divine blessings, should have in his nature something akin to what he would enjoy; therefore he is endowed with life, and reason, and wisdom, and all God-like properties”; 1372 c) John of Damascus: “As good, God created us not to punish, but so that we could be partakers of his goodness.” 1373 3. Finally, the purpose of man in relation to all the nature surrounding him is clearly defined in the words of the Trinitarian Creator himself: let us make man in our image and likeness, and let him have the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts, and the livestock, and all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Gen. 1:26). As the image of God, as a son and heir in the house of the heavenly Father, man is placed, as it were, as a mediator between the Creator and earthly creatures; in particular, he is intended to be, as it were, her prophet, in order to proclaim the will of God in her in word and deed; high priest, to offer on behalf of all earthly creatures a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God and to bring down heavenly blessings to earth; head and king, so that, concentrating in himself the goals of existence of all visible creatures, he could connect through himself everything with God, and thus contain the entire chain of earthly creations in harmonious order and union. The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church spoke about this purpose of man - to be the king and ruler of the nature around him - very often, especially when they were deciding the question of why man was created last. Here, for example, are the words - a) Saint Ambrose: “according to his dignity, man appeared last, as the goal of nature, created for truth, to be the arbiter of truth among other animals..., rightly, he appeared last, as the crown of all creation, as the cause of the world, for which everything was created; 1374 b) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “if the last person in the world to appear was a man honored by God’s handiwork and image, then this is not at all surprising: for for him, as for a king, it was necessary to prepare a royal monastery, and then bring the king into it, accompanied by all creatures”; 1375 c) blessed. Theodoret: “The God of all things, after creating visible and invisible creatures, finally produced man, placing him, as it were, as some kind of his own image, among inanimate and animate, visible and invisible creatures, so that inanimate and animate creatures would bring him benefit, as a kind of tribute, and invisible natures, having care for man, would testify to their love for the Creator.” 1376 § 84. The ability of the primordial man to fulfill his purpose, or perfection. Having destined man for such a high goal, the Lord God created him fully capable of achieving this goal, i.e. perfect. This thought - a) follows from the testimony of Moses, who, as soon as he spoke about the creation of man, suddenly makes a general remark: and God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good (Gen. 1:31); b) is necessarily allowed by common sense on the basis of one idea about God as an infinitely wise being who could not create anyone imperfect, i.e. insufficient for the purpose. In particular - 1. Man came out of the hands of his Creator perfect in his soul, both mentally and morally (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 23). As proof of Adam's wisdom, it is fair to point to the names he gave to the animals: and man gave names to all the livestock and to the birds of the air and to all the beasts of the field (Gen. 2:20). It is noteworthy here, firstly, that God himself brought animals to Adam to see what he would call them: and brought them to man to see what he would call them (19); secondly, the fact that whatever names Adam gave to animals, the same ones God approved for them without any change, and therefore recognized them as good and corresponding to the nature of different animals, or at least to their main properties: whatever a person calls every living soul, that was its name (19); finally, that Adam invented these names, corresponding to the nature of various animals, suddenly, at one glance at those whom he named, and not as a result of a long-term study of their properties. "Reflect, beloved, says St. John Chrysostom, about the free will and abundance of wisdom of Adam, and do not say that he did not know what is good and what is evil. He who could give decent names to cattle, birds of the air and animals, and at the same time did not mix up the order, did not call the meek animals with names characteristic of the fierce, and the fierce ones corresponding to the nature of the meek, on the contrary, he gave his names to everyone, was he not fulfilled all wisdom and knowledge?... God Himself approved of these names so much that He did not change them at all and did not want to abolish them, if Adam had made a mistake in anything.” 1377 However, the wisdom of Adam should not be presented as some kind of all-perfect, which belongs only to God - the mind of the primordial man, without a doubt, was a pure, bright, sane mind, free from prejudices and errors, and could know things with the greatest ease, but at the same time, it was limited, which could not embrace everything at once, and penetrate everything, which was soon confirmed during the fall of our parents (Gen. 3: 1-7). The mind of primordial man had to develop and improve more and more, just as the minds of the angels themselves were improved - a thought often found in the writings of the fathers. 1378 The proof that the primordial man was completely pure and innocent in moral terms is, on the one hand, the remark of the sacred Writer of Genesis: both were naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed (Gen. 2:25). “This,” says Saint John of Damascus, is the height of dispassion.” 1379 And on the other hand, the direct testimony of Ecclesiastes: only this I found, that God created man upright (Eccl. 7:29). However, the rightness of the first people, which the Holy Church constantly professed, 1380 should not be understood as if from the very beginning they already possessed all the virtues and they had nothing to improve; no, Adam and Eve, although they came out of the hands of the Creator completely pure and sinless, they still had to be confirmed in goodness and improved with the help of God, through their own activity. "Man, created and constituted by God, argues Saint Irenaeus, was made in the image and likeness of the uncreated God, according to the good will and command of the Father, according to the action and creativity of the Son, with nourishment and strengthening from the Spirit, at the same time as he himself prospered little by little and ascended to perfection. It was necessary that man should first of all receive being, having received growth, growing in manhood, strengthening perfected; by improving one was glorified; by being glorified one was worthy to see God.” 1381 2. Man came out of the hands of his Creator perfect in body. As the creation of the Infinitely Wise, he, with his amazing structure, which he retains to this day, without a doubt, did not receive from the Creator any shortcomings, either internal or external, and, being endowed with strength (Sir. 17:3), he possessed fresh and unspoiled forces, did not have the slightest disorder in himself, and therefore was completely free from all illnesses and suffering - that is why illnesses and suffering seem to Moses to be a consequence of our fall. first parents and punishments for sin (Gen. 3:16). Saint John Chrysostom imagines God speaking to Adam like this: “By bringing you into the world, I wanted you to spend your life without illness, labor, infirmities and sorrows, in happiness and prosperity; so that you would not be subject to bodily needs, on the contrary, rising above all of them, to remain in complete freedom”; and also saying to Eve: “I wanted you to have a painless and comfortable life, alien to all grief and sorrow, and filled with all pleasure.” 1382 “If we still lived in the paradise of sweetness, writes another holy Father of the Church, then we would not have the need for agricultural inventions and labors; and if we were not subject to suffering according to the gift that was given to us at creation and was preserved by us until the fall, then we would not need the benefits of the medical art for our relief.” 1383 With such natural powers received from God, with such a state of mind and will and even the body itself, the primordial man, without any doubt, could be capable of his destiny, i.e. to know God and glorify him, to do good deeds and be blessed, and to be the ruler of the nature subject to him. But no matter how perfect the natural powers of man were, he, being a limited being and not having life in himself, needed even then, like all created beings, constant reinforcement from God, who alone is the source of life for his creatures, physical and spiritual. And the infinitely kind Creator then really showed his special providence for the primordial man, and then showed him his direct assistance in achieving his goals. § 85. God’s special assistance to the primordial man in achieving his destiny. This assistance consisted in the following: 1. The Lord God planted a paradise in Eden in the east as a dwelling for man, and placed there the man whom he created (Gen. 2:8). "It was, in the words of St. John of Damascus, like a royal house, where, dwelling, a person would spend a happy and blissful life...; it was the repository of all joys and pleasures: for Eden meant pleasure... There was perfect well-being in it. It was surrounded by light air, the most subtle and pure; decorated with ever-blooming plants, filled with incense and light, and surpassed any sensual idea of beauty and goodness, This was true a divine country, a dwelling worthy of one created in the image of God.” 1384 Since ancient times, there have been many opinions about the meaning of paradise, but there were three main ones. 1385 Some understood it in a sensual sense and looked for it on earth; 1386 others in the spiritual sense, and often sought in the highest regions of the world, or in the heart of man; 1387 others, finally, understood it in the sense of both sensual and spiritual together: the latter opinion was held by the majority of the ancient teachers of the Church, 1388 - and among others, Saint John of Damascus, who expresses his thoughts very clearly and thoroughly. "Paradise," he says, is represented by some as sensual, and others as spiritual; but it seems to me that since man was created sensual and at the same time spiritual, so his most perfect church was both sensual and at the same time spiritual, and thus had a twofold appearance. With his body, man settled in a divine and beautiful country, and with his soul he lived in an incomparably higher and most beautiful place, where he had God as his home and bright robe; he was clothed with His grace, enjoyed one the sweetest contemplation of God, like another angel... So, I think that the divine paradise was twofold; and therefore the teaching taught by the God-bearing Fathers, of whom some represented paradise as sensual, and others as spiritual, is justified.” 1389 2. To reveal the mental abilities of man, and especially to instruct him in the truths of the Faith, God honored him with his direct revelations, and for this purpose he himself appeared to our ancestors, talked with them, revealed His will to them, as can be seen from the legend of the sacred Genesis writer (Gen. Ch. 2), and as the wise son of Sirach testifies: he filled them with insight of reason and showed them good and evil... He imparted knowledge and gave them the law of life as an inheritance; He established the eternal law with them and showed them His judgments (Sir. 17:6, 9-10). Thus, God himself was the first mentor and teacher for our first parents. Our forefather was even awarded by God the gift of prophecy, which is proved by St. John Chrysostom by the words that Adam uttered as soon as the wife created by God, Eve, was brought to him: behold, this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she will be called woman, for she was taken from her husband. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; and the two will become one flesh (Gen. 2:23–24). Here Adam clearly defined how and from what Eve was created, although she was created during his deep sleep, and predicted that the human race would multiply on earth, that families would be formed in it, and that a man would leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife. It was, without any doubt, impossible for Adam to unravel and explain all this based on natural considerations alone, and so suddenly. 1390 3. To confirm the will of the primordial man in goodness and in general for his success in spiritual life, God from the very beginning gave him his grace, and this grace constantly dwelt in our first parents, served as a kind of heavenly clothing for them, according to the expression of the Holy Fathers, 1391 and through it Adam and Eve were in constant communion with God (see Space. Christ. Catech. on part 1, answer to the question: was the paradise in which the first people lived material or spiritual?). “The Creator, having created man, says Saint John of Damascus, bestowed upon him his divine grace, and through it brought him into communion with himself.” 1392 Without the likeness (sine adjutorio) of God, the blessed one also argues. Augustine, man could not live piously even in paradise”; 1393 and in another place: “God gave man good will, for he created him upright; but he also gave him the opportunity, without which he could not remain in it, even if he wanted to; he left his desire to his own arbitrariness. So, a person could remain in goodness if he wanted, because he had the opportunity in which this was accomplished.” 1394 The ancient teachers deduced the necessity of grace for primordial man, and in general for all rational creatures, on the one hand, from the very nature of these creatures, which, due to its limitations, cannot support itself, but must receive everything it needs from God; and on the other hand, from the property of their limited freedom, which is equally capable of choosing good and evil, and in order to choose and do good, needs the assistance of grace. Saint Macarius the Great: “God, having created the body, did not ordain it to receive life, food, drink, clothing and shoes from its own nature, but determined for it to borrow everything necessary to support life from outside, so that the body, created naked, by itself without external assistance, i.e., cannot live without food, drink and clothing, and if it were left to itself, without any external reinforcement, it would soon collapse and in the same way the soul, not having divine light in itself, but being created in the image of God, does not borrow from its own being spiritual food and drink, and heavenly clothing, that is, its true life, but from God, from His Spirit and from His light. John 4:10; Ps. 103:15), and the oil of joy, and the varied spiritual food, and the heavenly clothing of light, from God himself. This is the eternal life of the soul when it is left to its own being: it is destroyed and dies. Woe to the soul if it remains only to itself, trusts only in its own deeds, and has no communication with the Spirit of God: it dies, deprived of eternal, divine life. 1395 Saint Gregory the Theologian: "Virtue is not only a gift of the great God, who honored his image; because you also need your own desire. It is not the product of your heart alone, because the most excellent strength is required. Although my vision is very sharp, it does not see visible objects by itself and not without a great luminary, which illuminates my eyes and is itself visible to the eyes. And for my success I need not only two shares from the great God, namely: the first and the last, but only one share and from me. God created me receptive to good, God gives me strength, and in my heart I am flowing in the field.” 1396 Saint Basil the Great: "The creation is maintained, lives and exists, of course, not by the creature, which itself needs to be supported by the power of the Creator; of course, it is not by the action of the creature that God is glorified, when it is said of Him that in Him we live, and move, and exist; but indeed the Divine Spirit supports everything that is from God and through the Son in being. Therefore, to those who partake of Him He grants continuation of being. And in Him we live again we who formerly became corrupt through separation from Him.” 1397 "Holiness is not possible without the Spirit. And the heavenly powers are not holy by nature - otherwise they would not have any difference with the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, in proportion to the superiority of one over the other, they have from the Spirit a certain measure of holiness." 1398 Blazh. Augustine: “If an angel or a man had not been suddenly given, as soon as they were created, God’s help: then they (since their nature was not created in such a way that they could remain in goodness without God’s help, even if they wanted to) would have fallen through no fault of their own: because they would not have had the help, without which it is impossible for them to remain in goodness.” 1399 We meet the last thought: a) from Saint Basil the Great: “invisible forces are free, therefore equally inclined towards virtue and vice, and therefore have a need for the help of the Spirit”; 1400 b) from Saint John of Damascus: "God created man sinless by nature, and free by will; sinless, I say, not because he was inaccessible to sin - for the Divine alone cannot sin; but because he had the opportunity to sin not in his nature, but in his free will. Namely, with the assistance of God's grace, he could remain and succeed in goodness; and equally, in his own freedom, with God’s permission, he could turn away from good and be in evil.” 1401 4. For the constant reinforcement and refreshment of the bodily strength of the primordial man, to maintain his life forever, God planted the tree of life in the middle of paradise (Gen. 2:9), the fruits of which, feeding on the fruits, man and body would be painless and immortal (Space Chron. Catech. about part 1, answer to the question: what is the tree of life?). Therefore, the Holy Scripture testifies that God did not create death (Wis. 1:13), that He created man in incorruption (- 3:23), and that through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned in him (Rom. 5:12). Likewise, the Holy Fathers unanimously teach that man was created immortal or for immortality; 1402 and the Orthodox Church at the Council of Carthage determined: “if anyone says that Adam, the first-created man, was created mortal, so that even if he sinned or did not sin, he would die in the body, that is, he would leave the body, not as punishment for sin, but by necessity of nature: let him be anathema” (Right. 123). But, on the other hand, it is clear from Scripture that this immortality of man, even in the body, depended not on the properties of his body itself, created from the earth, but on divine grace, and the instrument of this grace was the tree of life planted in paradise: and now, the Lord said after the fall of our forefather, lest he stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life, and taste, and begin to live forever (Gen. 3:22). The ancient teachers of the Church also understood by the immortality of Adam, even in the body, not that he could not die by the very property of his bodily nature, but that he was only destined for immortality, 1403 that he could not die by the special grace of God, if he had remained faithful to God, as a reward for his obedience, 1404 and that the tree of life served as a conductor of this gracious power of God in paradise. "If we, says Saint Gregory the Theologian, had remained what we were and kept the commandment, we would have become what we were not, and would have come to the tree of life from the tree of knowledge. What have we become? Immortal and close to God." 1405 "The human body, according to St. Augustine, before sin could be called both mortal in one respect and immortal in another: - mortal, because it could die; immortal, because it could not die. It is another matter if someone cannot die, as God created some immortal beings, and another if someone can not die: in this sense the first man was created immortal. This was communicated to him from the tree of life, and not from the structure of his nature, therefore, as soon as he sinned and was cut off from the tree of life, so that he could die; then, if he had not sinned, he could not have died. So, he was mortal by the nature of his spiritual body, and immortal by the grace (beneficio) of the Creator.” 1406 5. In addition, for the exercise and development of bodily strength, God commanded Adam to cultivate and maintain paradise (Gen. 2:15); to exercise and develop mental powers and the gift of speech, he himself brought all the animals to man to see what he would call them (Gen. 2:19); to exercise and strengthen moral powers in goodness, he taught Adam the well-known commandment - not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: And the Lord God commanded man, saying: You shall eat from every tree of the garden, but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die (Gen. 2:16–17). § 86. The commandment given by God to the first man, its necessity and meaning. In order to have a correct understanding of this first commandment of God in the human race, you need to pay attention: 1. For the person to whom it is given. Primordial man - a) Necessarily he needed a commandment, and a specific commandment. He received moral powers from God and was created good by nature; but he himself still had to develop and strengthen these powers with the help of God; he had to become good of his own free will. And human freedom is strengthened and affirmed in nothing other than by acting for a very long time according to one specific rule, until it acquires deep skill in its chosen type of activity. From this side, the idea of ​​​​the necessity for the first man of the commandments is revealed in detail: Tertullian in his writings against the heretic Marcion and Didymus of Alexandria against the Manichaeans. 1407 b) had a need for an external, positive commandment. Although the entire moral law was in the conscience of man, it is known that in our lives we can fulfill it in no other way except when frequent cases are presented and certain objects are indicated to which the general requirement of this law can be applied. This is the case and subject that was indicated to our ancestors in the commandment given to them by God. “God gave man, says Saint Gregory the Theologian, a law as an object for his free will (υτώ αύτεξουσίω) - the law was a commandment: what plants should he use and what should he not touch.” 1408 c) He needed a commandment from God - and in order to, through its free fulfillment, in some way earn those benefits that he had enjoyed and still had to enjoy, and so that, possessing so many benefits without any merit, he would not dream highly of himself and would not fall with pride. “It would not be beneficial for man (St. John of Damascus) to receive immortality before temptation and trial; in this case, he could become proud and fall under the same condemnation with the devil (1 Tim. 3:6), who, by arbitrary fall, because of his immortality, was inflexibly and unrepentantly established in evil, while the angels, by arbitrary election of virtue, were unshakably established in good by grace. Therefore, it was important that a person be tested first, for an untested and inexperienced man does not deserve attention (Sir. 34:10); 1409 The same idea was expressed even earlier by St. John Chrysostom: "Our Lord, when he entrusted everything visible to man, settled him in paradise and provided him with the use of everything in paradise, then he commanded him not to eat from one tree, defining a great punishment for violating the commandment. This is so that a person, gradually ascending in thought, would not think that everything visible exists by itself, and would not dream highly of his dignity, but so that, on the contrary, he remembered that he also has a Lord, by whose goodness he enjoys all benefits.” 1410 2. To the commandment itself. The commandment given to the first man was private, i.e. concerned a particular case; and therefore at first glance it does not seem very important. But - a) it actually expresses the entire law that determines our relationship to God and requires us to obey our Lord completely: “with this small commandment God wanted to show man his dominion over him (St. John Chrysostom).” 1411 b) In some way, it contained the entire moral law, which is nothing other than the will of God, and in a broader sense requires from us only obedience to God. “In the law given to Adam we find included all the commandments that were later revealed through Moses, which are: love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul (Deut. 6:5); love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:18); do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exod. 20:13–14); honor your father and mother (12), do not covet the things of others (Deut. 5:20), so that the first law given in paradise to Adam and Eve is, as it were, the mother of all the other commandments of God. the serpent, and after that they would not have committed murder against themselves, having lost immortality through breaking the commandment; they would not have committed theft by eating secretly from the fruit of the tree and trying to hide under the tree from the face of God; they would not have become partakers of the false witness of the devil, believing him that they would be like gods (Gen. 3:8) and, thus, would not have offended their Father - God, who brought them forth from the dust of the earth, as if from a mother’s womb; finally, if they had not coveted what was foreign to them, they would not have tasted the forbidden fruit. So, in this general and original law of God were contained in particular all the commandments of the subsequent law, which in their time were revealed and had force (Tertullian).” 1412 3. On God, who gave this commandment to the first man. It shows both the goodness of the Lawgiver and wisdom. Suddenly, after the creation of man, the Lord - A) He himself gives him a certain commandment for exercise and strengthening him in goodness, and thus he himself is his educator. B) Gives a positive Commandment in order to teach a person from the first days the most necessary and useful things in his entire subsequent life, i.e. complete and unconditional submission to your Creator, which (Blessed Augustine) “in people and in every rational creature is the beginning and top of piety.” 1413 C) Gives a very easy commandment: firstly, adaptive to the will of man, which, naturally, first had to learn to fulfill the easier ones, and then gradually move on to the more difficult ones; secondly, and for the purpose that a person could more easily resist during the temptation that the Lord foresaw, and so that after the fall he would not have the right to apologize for the difficulty of the commandment and complain about the Lawgiver. D) Protects the commandment with a terrible threat for its violation: this is for the purpose that if in moments of temptation a person’s love and gratitude to the Creator are shaken, at least fear would keep him from violating God’s commandment and serve as his salvation. As for, finally, the very tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which the first man was forbidden to eat, then - a) Although some of the ancients sometimes understood this tree in a spiritual sense, like the tree of life, like the whole of paradise, 1414 but the majority of the teachers of the Church understood it in a sensual sense, because Moses clearly says that from the earth God made every tree pleasant to look at and good for food to grow, and the tree of life in the midst of paradise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9), and therefore defines the very position of paradise on earth, naming the rivers, which flowed from it (10–14). 1415 "The Divine Scripture said (Blessed Theodoret) that both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil grew from the earth; therefore, they are similar in nature to other plants. Just as the tree of the cross is an ordinary tree, but because of the salvation received through faith in Him Crucified on it, it is called saving, so these two trees are ordinary plants grown from the earth; but, according to Divine definition, one of they were called the tree of life, and the other, since it served as a tool for the knowledge of sin, was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The latter was offered to Adam as an opportunity for feat, and the tree of life as some reward for keeping the commandment.” 1416 b) This tree is called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not because it had the power to impart to our ancestors the knowledge of good and evil, which they did not have before, but because through eating from the forbidden tree they had the experience of knowing and knowing the whole difference between good, notes the blessed one. Augustine, from whom they fell, and the evil into which they fell” 1417 - a thought unanimously preached by the ancient teachers of the Church. 1418 c) This tree, according to some teachers of the Church, was by no means destructive and poisonous by its very nature, 1419 on the contrary, it was useful, like all other creatures of God. But it was chosen by God only as an instrument for testing man and was prohibited, perhaps because it was still premature for the primordial man to eat from its fruit. Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “The tree of knowledge was planted in the beginning not maliciously, and was not forbidden out of envy (let the atheists not open their mouths and imitate the serpent); on the contrary, it was good for those who use it at the right time (because this tree, in my opinion, was contemplation, which can only be approached safely by those who have experienced improvement), but not good for the simple and also for the immoderate in their desire, just as perfect food is not useful for the weak and those who require milk.” 1420 "The tree is good, says Blessed Augustine on behalf of God. He understood the already forbidden tree in a sensual sense, - but do not touch it. Why? Because I am the Lord, and you are a slave: that is the whole reason. If you consider it small, then you do not want to be a servant of God. And what is more useful for you, how to be under the authority of the Lord? How will you be under the authority of the Lord if you are not under His commandment?" 1421 § 87. Bliss of the primordial man. Based on what has been said about the primitive state of our first parents, it can be judged that it was the most blissful state. Adam and Eve were perfect in soul and body. Their body knew neither illness nor fatigue; on the contrary, it bloomed with constant strength and health. The soul was pure and innocent, with fresh and active strength, and they enjoyed an undisturbed peace of conscience. External nature with all its kingdoms, animal, plant and fossil, was submissive to man, served him as its king and ruler, and being beautiful both in general and in parts, its very beauties gave him high pleasure. In man's home, a paradise of sweetness was provided (Gen. 2:15), the best place on earth, filled with all kinds of plants, pleasant to look at and good for food (Gen. 2:9), and containing everything that could satisfy the needs of a sensual-intelligent being, pour out and constantly maintain in him a feeling of perfect bliss. But the first and most important source of bliss for our first parents was the Lord God, there was unity with Him. 1422 He constantly dwelt in them by His grace; He often appeared to them and spoke in a visible way, like a Father to his beloved children, talked with them, guided them, with extreme love and tenderness tried to educate them for spiritual life, and surrounded them with everything that could only contribute to the completeness of their happiness. And there is no doubt that this bliss of the first people not only would not have diminished over time, but would have increased more and more as they further improved, if they had stood in the commandment that the Lord gave them at the beginning. Unfortunately for both our first parents and all their descendants, they violated this commandment and thereby destroyed their bliss. 3.3. About an unauthorized fall and the consequences of a person’s fall. § 88. Image of the fall of our first parents. Moses describes how the fall of our first parents happened. Having spoken about the blessed dwelling of the first man, about the commandment given to him by God in paradise, about Adam’s naming of animals, about God’s creation of a helper for him and about their innocent state, the sacred Genesis writer continues: The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts of the field that the Lord God created. And the serpent said to the woman: Did God truly say: You shall not eat from any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent: We can eat fruit from the trees, only from the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of paradise, God said, do not eat them, do not touch them, lest you die. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you will not die; but God knows that on the day you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and desirable because it gave knowledge; and she took of its fruit and ate, and gave it also to her husband, and he ate (Gen. 3:1-6). From this description it is clear that - 1. The first cause of the fall of our first parents, or the reason for their fall, was the serpent. Who is meant here by the name of the serpent? Moses calls him the wisest of all the beasts that exist on earth; therefore, it is classified among the terrestrial animals. But judging by what this serpent says, reasons, slanderes God, tries to entice Eve to evil, we see that here in the natural serpent hides a spiritual serpent, the devil, the enemy of God. And the Holy Scripture leaves no doubt about that. The Wise One says that through the envy of the devil, death (and sin) entered the human world (Wis. 2:24); The Savior Himself calls the devil a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies, and all sinners sons of the devil (John 8:44); finally, Saint John the Theologian testifies twice and with all clarity that the great serpent, the ancient serpent, is precisely the devil and Satan, who deceives the entire universe (Apoc. 12:9; 20:2). This is how the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church constantly looked at the tempter serpent, for example: a) Irenaeus: “the devil, being a fallen angel, can only do what he did in the beginning, that is, to disturb and entice a person’s mind to transgress God’s commandments and little by little darken his heart”; 1423 b) John Chrysostom: “those who follow scripture should know that the words (of the serpent tempter) are the words of the devil, excited to such deception by his own envy, and he used this animal only as a suitable tool (‘ οργάνω)”; 1424 c) Gregory the Theologian: “through the envy of the devil and through the seduction of the wife, to which she herself was subjected as the weakest, and which she produced as skillful in persuasion (oh my weakness! For the weakness of the forefather is also my own), the man forgot the commandment given to him and was overcome by bitter taste”; 1425 d) Augustine: “the serpent was called so (the most cunning) because of the cunning of the devil, who carried out his deceit in him and through him”; 1426 e) John of Damascus: “man is overcome by the envy of the devil; for the envious hater of good - the demon, cast down to the ground for his exaltation, could not tolerate that we should be worthy of heavenly blessings,” 1427 and others. 1428 2. The second reason for the fall of our first parents, the reason in the proper sense, was themselves. The tempter turns to the wife (perhaps because she heard the commandment not from God directly, but from her husband, and therefore could more easily hesitate), and begins his speech by slandering God: what God said: do not eat from any tree in the garden (Gen. 3:1). According to this principle alone (John Chrysostom), the wife should have already realized that there is wickedness here, she should have turned away from the serpent, who says the opposite of what God commanded, and turn with a question to the husband for whom she was created. But, due to extreme inattention (άπροσεξίαν), Eve not only did not turn away from the serpent, but also revealed to him the very commandment of God, to her own destruction. And the woman said to the serpent: We will eat from every tree of paradise, but from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of paradise, God said, do not eat them or touch them, lest you die (2:3). Then the tempter, with even greater impudence, began to assert the complete opposite of what God said, and tried to make God himself seem like an envious and ill-wisher to people. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you will not die; but God knows that on the day you eat them, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil (4:5). The more easily the wife could now recognize the evil one and the more strongly she could not believe his words. But she believed the serpent more than her Creator and Master, was carried away by the dream of becoming equal to God, and after that a threefold lust was born in her, the root of all iniquity (1 John 2:16): And the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes) and desirable because it gives knowledge (the pride of life): and she took of the fruit she ate it (6). 1429 This means that although Eve fell through the seduction of the devil, she fell not out of necessity, but completely freely: the seducer’s words were not such that they could involuntarily entice her to sin; on the contrary, they contained much that should have brought her to her senses and kept her from crime. How then did Adam fall? Moses is silent about this; but from the words of God the judge to the fallen Adam: because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, saying: “You shall not eat from it” (17), we can conclude that Adam fell as a result of his wife’s convictions and addiction to her, which means that he also fell not out of necessity, but of his own will. Whatever the beliefs of his wife and Adam’s love for her, he had to remember the commandment of God, had the mind to decide who to obey more, his wife or God, and he himself was guilty of listening to the voice of his wife. 1430 And from this it follows that the blame for the fall of our first parents in no way falls on God. Having created man free, God gave him a commandment, and the easiest one at that, expressed it with all clarity, protected it with terrible threats, gave man all the means to fulfill it (for in addition to the perfection of the natural powers of primordial man, the grace of God constantly dwelt in him) - but man did not want to fulfill the will of his Creator and Benefactor - he listened to the first voice of the tempter... But “why, they ask, did God give Adam this commandment when he foresaw that he would break it?” Because this or that commandment (and it is impossible to think of a simpler one than this one), only a specific commandment, as we have already seen, was necessary for primordial man to exercise and strengthen his will in goodness, and so that he himself could earn glory for himself and acquire the highest bliss. 1431 “Why did God not prevent Adam from falling, and the devil tempting him, when he foresaw both?” Because for this He had to restrict their freedom, or even take it away from them; but God, infinitely wise and unchangeable in His determinations, having once granted freedom to any of His creatures, can neither constrain nor take it away again. 1432 "Why did not God inform man in the very structure of his sinlessness, so that he could not fall, even if he wanted to, in the midst of all temptations? Therefore, let's say with Basil the Great, why do you not recognize servants as good when you keep them tied, but when you see that they are voluntarily fulfilling their duties. Therefore, God is pleased not with what is forced, but with what is done virtuously. Virtue comes from will, and not from necessity; and will depends from what is in us; that is, freely. Therefore, whoever blames the Creator for not making us sinless by nature does nothing more than prefer the unreasonable nature to a rational nature, a nature endowed with will and self-activity, motionless and without any aspirations.” 1433 "Why did God create us when He knew in advance that we would fall and perish? Wouldn't it be better if He gave us neither existence nor freedom at all?" But who will dare to unravel the plans of the Infinitely Wise? Who will explain to us that the creation of man, as a sensory-spiritual being, was not necessary in the composition of the universe? And besides, if God foresaw our fall, then He also foresaw our redemption. And at the same time, just as He determined to create man who had a mouth, He also determined to restore the fallen through His only begotten Son. "Not only did God foresee (John Chrysostom) that Adam would sin, but also that He would restore the fallen through the economy. And not before did he know about the fall, as he foresaw the uprising. He knew that he would fall, but he also prepared a cure for the uprising, and allowed man to experience death in order to teach him what he could achieve on his own, and what he could use by the goodness of the Creator. He knew that Adam would fall; but he saw that from him will come Abel, Enos, Enoch, Noah, Elijah, prophets, wondrous Apostles - the adornment of nature, and God-bearing clouds of martyrs, exuding piety. 1434 § 89. The severity of the sin of our first parents. The sin of Adam and Eve, which consisted in eating from the fruit of a tree forbidden by God, 1435 may seem unimportant. But we will understand its importance and magnitude if we pay attention: a) Not on appearance, but on the very spirit of the commandment violated by our ancestors. What did this commandment require of them? It was an artificial commandment, not a natural one, i.e. Our ancestors could not, by the voice of the natural law inscribed in their conscience, come to the conclusion that they should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and explain to themselves why they should not - but they accepted this commandment externally from God and were obliged to fulfill it only because God commanded so. Consequently, in its spirit, it demanded from them unconditional obedience to God; it was given to test their obedience. 1436 This means that by violating it, they fell into the sin of disobedience to God or disobedience, as the Apostle expresses it (Rom. 5:19), and thus violated at its foundation the entire moral law, which in general is nothing other than the will of God, and requires from a person only obedience to this will. That's why the blessed one said. Augustine: “Let no one think that the sin (of the first people) was small and light because it consisted in eating from a tree, and, moreover, not evil and harmful, but only forbidden - the commandment required obedience, such a virtue, which in a rational creature is, as it were, the mother and guardian of all virtues.” 1437 b) The ease of this commandment. "What could be easier than it? Asks St. John Chrysostom. God allowed man to live in paradise, enjoy the beauty of everything visible, enjoy the fruits of all the trees of paradise, and forbade him to eat from only one: and man did not even want to do this... For this reason, the Divine Scripture says: the Lord God (in paradise) made from the earth every tree that was pleasant to look at and good for food (Gen. 2:9), so that we could know taking advantage of such abundance, the man violated, through great intemperance and negligence, the commandment given to him.” 1438 c) On incentives to fulfill this commandment. On the one hand, such motives served and should have served for man as the greatest, special benefits to him of the Creator, who made him with his own hands, adorned him with his image, made him king over all earthly creatures, placed sweets in paradise, called him to communion with Himself, endowed him with immortality in soul and body, destined him for eternal bliss - and for all these mercies he demanded from the recipient only one obedience. And on the other hand, there are terrible threats for violating the commandment: on the day on which you eat of it, God added, giving it to our forefathers, you will die (Gen. 2:17). Is it possible to think of stronger motives, and, moreover, for the fulfillment of such an easy commandment? 1439 d) For the means to carry it out. We must remember that Adam and Eve were still completely pure and innocent, with fresh, strong strength, undamaged by sin, and that, in addition, the omnipotent grace of God constantly dwelt in our first parents. Consequently, they only had to want to resist the seducer and stand in goodness, and they would have stood: everything depended on their will alone, and they had plenty of strength. e) The number of private sins contained in the sin of the ancestors. Here were: 1. Pride: because the first parents were carried away by the promise of the serpent: you will be like gods; 1440 2. Unbelief: because they did not believe the words of God: you will die; 3. Apostasy from God and going over to the side of His enemy, the devil: because they did not obey God, they obeyed the seducer, but believed his daring slander, as if God, out of envy or ill will, forbade them to eat from a certain tree; 4. The greatest ingratitude to God for all His extraordinary mercies and bounties. Or let's say in the words blessed. Augustine: “Here is pride: because man wanted to be in the power of his own rather than God’s; and desecration of the sacred: because he did not believe God; and murder: because he subjected himself to death; and spiritual fornication: because the integrity of the human soul was violated by the conviction of the serpent; and theft: because he took advantage of a forbidden tree; and covetousness: because he desired more than he should have been content with.” 1441 And Tertullian saw the violation of the first commandment by our ancestors as a violation of the entire ten-word system. 1442 E) Finally, on the consequences that occurred from the sin of our first parents. If this sin had not been great, it would not have produced the terrible consequences that arose from it; and God, the righteous judge, would not have subjected our first parents to such punishment. “The commandment of God, says St. Augustine, was only forbidden to eat from the tree, and therefore the sin seems light, but how great He who cannot make mistakes considered it, is quite clear from the severity of the punishment. 1443 § 90. Consequences of the fall of our first parents. These consequences were first of all revealed in the soul of the ancestors, then they spread to the body and to their entire external well-being. 1) Dissolution of union with God (religion), loss of grace, spiritual death. As soon as Adam and Eve fell and were darkened by sin, their communication with God was immediately inevitably interrupted and the grace of the Holy Spirit that dwelt in their hearts left them: for light does not and cannot have anything in common with darkness, even for one minute (2 Cor. 6:14). And after that, the threat of God the Lawgiver was immediately fulfilled over them: on the day that you eat from him, you will die (Gen. 2:17). They died then as a soul that cannot live in alienation from God, the source of life, cannot live without grace, like a body without air and food. 1444 The teachers of the Church unanimously pointed out this consequence of Adam’s fall, 1445 for example: a) Tatian (before his fall): “when people followed the most cunning deceiver and, although he opposed the commandment of God, considered him to be God, then God, by the power of his word, deprived of communication with Him both the culprit of such recklessness and his followers, and man, created in the image of God, upon the removal of the omnipotent Spirit from him, became dead”; 1446 b) Basil the Great: “As Adam sinned because of bad will, so he died because of sin: the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23); to the extent that he removed himself from life, to that extent he approached death: because God is life, and the deprivation of life is death; therefore Adam prepared death for himself by moving away from God, according to what is written: those who remove themselves from You perish (Ps. 72:27 )”; 1447 c) Gregory of Nyssa: “after his fall, the first man lived for many hundreds of years; but God did not lie when he said: on the day you eat of it, you will die (Gen. 2:17) - for due to the fact that man was alienated from true life, the sentence of death was carried out on him on the same day, and after some time physical death befell Adam”; 1448 d) Augustine: “as soon as the commandment was violated, the grace of God immediately left the forefathers, and they were ashamed of the nakedness of their bodies.” 1449 2) Darkening of the mind (right. Confession, part 1, answer to questions 23, 27). This was revealed immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve, when they, hearing the voice of God walking in paradise, thought to hide from him between the trees of paradise (Gen. 3:8). "There is nothing worse than sin, (John Chrysostom); having entered into us, sin not only fills us with shame, but also makes people mad, who were previously wise and distinguished by great wisdom. Look how unreasonably he now acts, who was previously distinguished by so much wisdom, who in fact showed wisdom to the one who gave him, and even prophesied... How much madness is there in the fact that they are trying to hide from the omnipresent God, from the Creator, Who brought everything out of nothing, Who knows the hidden, created the hearts of all people and delves into all their affairs (Ps. 32:15), tests hearts and wombs (Ps. 7:10), knows the most secret movements of the heart 1450! 3) Loss of innocence, perversion of the will and its inclination more towards evil than towards good (right Confession, part 1, answer to questions 23, 27). This is visible: a) from the fact that as soon as the first parents sinned, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they learned that they were naked (Gen. 3:7), which they had not noticed before; b) from the fact that, instead of the former filial love, they suddenly felt slavish fear towards God, their Father, their Benefactor: And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him: Adam, where are you? And he said to him: I heard Your voice in paradise and was afraid, because I was naked and hid myself (9:10); c) finally, because, while giving an account to God of their sin, they decided to bring a crafty excuse instead of repentance. Adam laid the blame on the wife and even on God, who gave her: Adam said: the woman whom You gave to me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate (12); and the wife laid the blame on the serpent: the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate (13). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church expressed that Adam, through the fall, lost the robe of holiness, became evil, deviated into other thoughts, and that the devil established the law of sin in his nature. We see such expressions for example: a) in Irenaeus: “And Adam said: through disobedience I lost the robe of holiness, which I had from the Holy Spirit”; 1451 b) from Basil the Great: “Adam soon became outside of paradise, outside of this blessed life, becoming evil not out of necessity, but out of recklessness”; 1452 c) from Athanasius the Great: “having transgressed the commandment of God, Adam fell into sinful thoughts, not because God created these thoughts that ensnared us, but because the devil sowed them with deception in the rational nature of man, which fell into crime and moved away from God, so that the devil established in human nature both the law of sin and the death that reigns through sin.” 1453 4) Distortion of the image of God. If the image of God is inscribed in the human soul and primarily in its powers, mind and free will, and these powers have lost a lot of perfection and were distorted through the sin of Adam, then the image of God in man has been distorted along with them. This idea is stated by: a) Basil the Great: “man was created in the image and likeness of God; but sin distorted (ήχρείωσεν) the beauty of the image, drawing the soul into passionate desires”; 1454 b) Macarius the Great: “if a coin containing the image of kings is damaged, then the gold loses its value, and the image is of no use: Adam also experienced this”; 1455 c) Theodoret: “Adam, desiring to be God, also destroyed the fact that he wanted to be the image of God.” 1456 1) Illness, sorrow, exhaustion (last Eastern Patr. On the Orthodox Faith, part 6). Having damaged all the powers of the soul, the sin of the forefathers, as an unnatural action, inevitably produced a similar disorder in their body, introducing into it the seeds of all kinds of diseases, fatigue in labor, relaxation and suffering. He said to his wife, “By multiplying I will multiply your sorrow, you will bear children in pain” (Gen. 3:16). And he said to Adam: Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying: You shall not eat from it; cursed is the ground because of you; You will eat from it in sorrow all the days of your life (Gen. 3:17). By the sweat of your face you will eat bread (19). All this was recognized as a consequence of ancestral sin and the teachers of the Church, 1457 for example: a) Theophilus of Antioch: “out of sin, as if from a source, illness, sorrow, suffering poured out on man; 1458 b) Irenaeus: “in condemnation for sin, the husband accepted sorrows and earthly labor, and to eat bread by the sweat of his brow...; equally, the wife accepted sorrows and labors, and sighings, and the pains of birth...”. 1459 2. Death (Space Chr. catech., about part 3, p. 43). By the sweat of your brow, God said to Adam, you will eat bread until you return to the land from which you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19). Physical death became a necessary consequence of the Fall of our ancestors, on the one hand, because sin brought into their bodies the destructive principle of illness and exhaustion; and on the other hand, because God removed them from the tree of life after the fall forever: and the Lord God said: behold, Adam has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, as if he had not stretched out his hand, and also taken from the tree of life, and tasted, and would not have lived forever (22). This is how the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church looked at death, 1460 in particular: a) Ambrose: “the cause of death was disobedience, and therefore man himself is to blame for his death, and not God, as the culprit of his death”; 1461 b) John Chrysostom: “although the forefathers lived for many years, but as soon as they heard: you are dust and to dust you will return, they accepted the sentence of death - they became mortal, and from then on, one could say that they died; to indicate this, it is said in Scripture: “on the day you eat of it, you will die, i.e., you will hear the sentence that from now on you are already mortal”; 1462 c) Blessed Augustine: “among Christians who hold the true Catholic faith, it is recognized beyond doubt that even bodily death itself befell us not according to the law of nature: because God did not create death for man, but as a result of sin.” 1463 Consequences in relation to the external state of a person: 1. Expulsion from paradise. Paradise was a blessed abode for innocent man, and was prepared for him solely by the infinite goodness of the Creator; Now, when man sinned and angered his Lord and Benefactor, the guilty one became unworthy of such a dwelling and was rightly expelled from paradise: and the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken (Gen. 3:23), a thought that was very often repeated by the teachers of the Church. 1464 2. Loss or reduction of power over animals (Reg. Ex. Part 1, answer to question 22). This power was based on the fact that man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26); Consequently, as soon as the image of God became darkened in man through sin, his power over animals was bound to weaken. “Look,” says Saint John Chrysostom, while Adam had not yet sinned, the animals were slaves to him and submissive, and he, like slaves, gave them names; but when he desecrated his appearance with sin, then the animals did not recognize him, and the slaves became his enemies... While Adam kept his appearance pure, created in the image of God, the animals obeyed him as servants; but when he darkened this appearance disobedience, they, not recognizing their master, hated him as a stranger.” 1465 “However, he adds, although Adam violated the entire commandment and transgressed the entire law, God did not deprive him of all honor and did not take away all power from him, but removed from his command only those animals that were not very suitable for him for the needs of life; and those that are necessary and useful and can serve us a lot in life, he left them all in our service.” 1466 3. The curse of the earth in the affairs of man: the earth is cursed for your sake... it will bring forth thorns and thistles for you (Gen. 2:17–18). “And this curse is just (John Chrysostom), for just as the earth was created for man so that he could enjoy everything that comes from it, so now for the sake of man who has sinned it is given over to a curse, so that its curse would harm the well-being and peace of man.” 1467 From the words of the Genesis Writer we can conclude that this curse primarily concerns the fruitfulness of the earth: it will produce thorns and thistles for you; but the Apostle extends his curse much further: the creation was subjected to vanity not voluntarily, but by the will of the one who subjected it, we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together to this day (Rom. 8:20-22). We cannot determine with precision what the vanity to which creation obeyed as a result of the fall of man consists of. 1468 § 91. The transfer of the sin of the forefathers to the human race: preliminary remarks. The sin committed by our forefathers in paradise, with all its consequences, passed from them to all their offspring, and is known in the language of the Church under the name of original or ancestral sin (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 24). 1. The doctrine of original sin, which spread from Adam and Eve to the entire human race, is extremely important in Christianity. If there is no original sin in people and their nature is not damaged, if they are born pure and innocent before God, as the first man came from the hands of the Creator, then redemption is not necessary for them; The Son of God came to earth in vain and tasted death, and the Christian Faith is undermined at its very foundations. That’s why the blessed one proved it. Augustine, that the sin of Adam and the redemption accomplished by Christ the Savior are, as it were, two centers around which all Christian teaching revolves. 1469 2. In its teaching on original sin, the Orthodox Church distinguishes, firstly, from sin itself, and secondly, from its consequences in us. By the name of original sin, she actually means that crime of God’s commandment, that deviation of human nature from God’s law, and therefore from its goals, which was committed by our forefathers in paradise and from them passed on to us all. "Original sin, we read in the Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East, is a crime of the law of God given in paradise to the progenitor Adam. This progenitor sin passed from Adam into all human nature, since we were all then in Adam, and thus through one Adam sin spread to all of us. Therefore, we are conceived and born with this sin" (Part 3, rep. on question 20). The only difference is that in Adam this deviation from the law of God and from its destiny was free, voluntary, but in us it is hereditary, necessary - with a nature that has deviated from the law of God we are born; in Adam it was personal sin, sin in the strict sense of the word - in us it is not personal sin, it is not actually sin, but is only the sinfulness of nature that we receive from our parents; Adam sinned, i.e. freely violated the commandment of God, and thereby became a sinner, i.e. He turned his entire nature away from the law of God - but we personally did not sin with Adam, but became sinners in him and through him (through the disobedience of one man many became sinners, Rom. 5:19), receiving from him a sinful nature, and we are born into the world by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). In short, under the name of ancestral sin in the ancestors themselves we mean their sin, and at the same time the sinful state of nature with which and in which we are born. This concept is inspired by the Orthodox Church when it says in its confession: “since all people were in a state of innocence in Adam, then as soon as he sinned, everyone sinned in him and became in a state of sin” (Part 1, answer to question 24). By the consequences of original sin, the Church understands the very consequences that sin produced directly in them, and which pass from them to us, such as: darkness of the mind, perversion of the will and its inclination towards evil, bodily illnesses, death and others. “And the burden and consequence of the fall, say the Eastern Patriarchs in their message about the Orthodox faith, we call not sin itself..., but the inclination to sin, and those disasters with which Divine justice punished a person for his disobedience, such as: exhausting labor, sorrow, bodily infirmities, birth illnesses, a difficult life for some time on the earth of wandering, and finally, physical death” (Part 6). “Although the will of man, as is also said in the Orthodox Confession, is damaged by original sin, yet even now it is in the will of every person to be either a good child of God, or an evil one and the son of the devil” (Part 1, answer to Question 27); and here there is damage to the will, i.e. its inclination towards evil differs from original sin and is recognized as its consequence in us. This distinction between original sin and its consequences must be firmly remembered, especially in certain cases, in order to correctly understand the teaching of the Orthodox Church. For example, the Church teaches that baptism blots out and destroys original sin in us: this means that it cleanses the actual sinfulness of our nature, which we inherited from our forefathers; that through baptism we come out of a sinful state, we cease to be by nature children of the wrath of God, i.e. guilty before God, we become completely pure and innocent before Him, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, as a result of the merits of our Redeemer; but it does not mean that baptism destroys in us the very consequences of original sin: inclination to evil more than to good, illness, death and others - because all these designated consequences remain, as experience and the Word of God testify (Rom. 7:23), and in regenerated people. 3. However, sometimes original sin is taken in a broad sense, when, for example, the doctrine of the reality of this sin, its universality, is expounded. And it is precisely under the name of original sin that we mean both sin itself and its consequences in us: the damage to all our powers, our inclination more towards evil than towards good, and so on. 1470 This is because in Holy Scripture itself the doctrine of original sin and its consequences is set forth, for the most part, inseparably; and on the other hand, because when the reality of original sin, or its universality, is proven, then at the same time the reality or universality of its consequences is also proven. 4. There are two known false teachings regarding original sin. One is those who completely reject the reality of this sin, saying that everyone is born as pure and innocent as Adam was created, and that illness and death are natural consequences of human nature, and not consequences of original sin - this is what the Pelagians taught in ancient times, 1471 and in modern times the Socians and rationalists in general teach. 1472 Another teaching is that of the reformers, who go to the opposite extreme, too exaggerating in us the consequences of original sin: according to this teaching, ancestral sin completely destroyed freedom, the image of God and all spiritual powers in man, so that the very nature of man became sin, everything that a person desires, that a person does is sin, his very virtues are sins, and he is absolutely incapable of anything good. 1473 The Orthodox Church rejects the first of these false opinions with its teaching about the reality of original sin in us with all its consequences (i.e., original sin understood in a broad sense); the latter is rejected by its doctrine of consequences. § 92. The reality of original sin, its universality and method of distribution. Parental sin, the Orthodox Church teaches, with its consequences spread from Adam and Eve to all their descendants through their natural birth, and therefore undoubtedly exists. 1). This doctrine has solid foundations in Holy Scripture. The passages of Scripture related here can be divided into two classes: some express primarily the idea of ​​​​the reality and universality of original sin in people; and others are predominantly the thought of reality and the method of its distribution. 1 .1. The most important and clear thing is in the fifth chapter of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans. Making a comparison here between Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ in relation to the human race, the Apostle writes among other things: just as by one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, so death spread to all men, because all sinned in him (12). For if the transgression of one brought many to death, how much more will the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man Jesus Christ abound for many (15). For if through the crime of one death reigned through one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. Therefore, just as by one crime there is condemnation for all men, so by one righteousness there is justification for life for all men. For just as through one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so through one man’s obedience many were made righteous (17-19). a) that sin entered the world, and through sin death entered, as its consequence through the one man Adam: by one (δι ’ ένός) man sin entered the world and through sin (διά τής άμαρτίας) death; b) that it was through the sin of one that death entered all people, and not through their own sins: so (οϋτως) death passed on to all people; because in it all have sinned...; through the crime of one, many were subjected to death... through the crime of one, death reigned through one (διά τοϋ ένός); c) that along with death, which is a consequence of sin, one sin entered into all people, and that it was through this sin, before their own, that people became sinners: in it everyone sinned; by disobedience (διά τής παρακοής) of one person many became sinners (κατεστάθησαν - became, became); d) finally, that it was through the sin of one that entered into all people before they began to sin themselves, and another consequence of sin is condemnation: through the crime of one (δι ’ ένός) condemnation for all people. Consequently, those who reject the spread of original sin from the first parents to the entire human race are unfair when they say that such a meaning lies in the words of the Apostle in question. “Adam sinned first and therefore died; all other people sin according to his example, and therefore die as a result of their own sins - and, therefore, Adam’s sin entered the world only through imitation, and is not communicated to people through birth.” In addition to the comments we have presented, which clearly refute such an interpretation, we will make a few more: a) The Apostle, as if to protect against this interpretation, deliberately said in that very chapter of the Epistle to the Romans: death reigned from Adam even to Moses and over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s crime (14); b) according to the word of the Apostle, through sin death spread to all people, and indeed all people die, even infants; but infants have no sins of their own, and cannot sin like Adam; c) “if the Apostle (Blessed Augustine) had the intention of speaking about the sin of imitation, he would rather say, following the Savior (John 8:41–44), that through an angel sin entered the world, because the angel sinned first”; 1474 d) “many sin by deed, without even thinking about Adam’s sin: how then does Adam’s sin serve to their detriment by its example?”; 1475 e) The Apostle expresses that through one, i.e. man, sin entered the world (έισήλθεν), i.e. that this sin did not remain in its source, but spread, passed from it to all people, that the first sinner gave birth to sinners subject to death. 1476 The same thought that in the passage considered was contained in the words of the Apostle: just as in Adam (έν τώ A δάμ) everyone dies, so in Christ everyone will come to life (1 Cor. 15:22). If all people die in Adam, it means they die the same death with him, which occurred as a result of sin. 1 .2. Another, less clear one is found in the book of Job. Depicting the misfortunes of human life, the holy man says among other things: Who will be born clean from an unclean? Not one, if his days are determined by Job. 14:4–5). Here, obviously, we are talking about some kind of defilement, from which no one is free, and, moreover, from birth. What kind of filth is this? Since, according to Job, it is the cause of the disasters of human life (vv. 1-2), and makes a person guilty of the judgment of God (3), then we must assume that what is meant here is moral defilement, and not physical, which is already a consequence of moral, and cannot in itself make a person guilty before God - the sinfulness of our nature is understood, passing on to everyone from our forefathers. Places of the second type include: 1. The words of the Savior in His conversation with Nicodemus: truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:5–6). The meaning of these words is that a person born naturally, no matter who he is, Jew or pagan, cannot in any way enter the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of grace and then the kingdom of glory, unless he is reborn from above in the sacrament of baptism. So - a) all people, by their very nature, are now subject to some kind of impurity, and specifically moral impurity, because it serves as an obstacle for them to enter the moral kingdom of Christ; and – b) this uncleanness spreads to all people through their natural birth. To explain this passage, we can recall the words of the Apostle that we are by nature children of the wrath of God (Eph. 2:3). 2. The saying of the Psalmist in his penitential psalm: Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sin (Ps. 50:7). Here one cannot understand the personal sin of the prophet king, because in this sin, he says, I was conceived and born; this sin, therefore, was inherent in him from a time when he did not yet have personal activity. It is also impossible to understand the sin of David’s parents as if he was conceived lawlessly - it is known that David was not the fruit of a crime, that Jesse, his father led the life of a righteous man, and his mother was the legal wife of Jesse. Therefore, under the name of lawlessness in which David was born, we must understand something else - that sin, which, born from the first disobedience of Adam, passes from him to all his descendants. The natural law of conception and birth is the same for all people; therefore, it is impossible to give reasons why only one king of Israel should be conceived and born in ancestral sin, and all other people would be free from it. 2). Having such solid foundations in the Holy Scriptures, the dogma of original sin has no less solid foundations in the Holy Tradition. Evidence of this legend is: 2.1. The custom of the Church to baptize infants has existed in it since the time of the Apostles themselves, as testified by ancient teachers: Irenaeus, Origen, Cyprian and many others. 1477 And she always performed this baptism according to the testimony of the same teachers and her symbols: for the remission of sins. What kind of sins are there when babies cannot yet sin on their own? Origen says: "infants are baptized for the remission of sins. What sins? Or when did they sin? And how can the font of baptism be necessary for them, if not in the sense of which we have just said: no one will be clean from filth even if he lives one day on earth? And since through this sacrament of baptism the filth of birth is cleansed, then infants are also baptized." 1478 That is why blessed. Augustine boldly points the Pelagians to infant baptism in support of the idea that the Church has always recognized the reality of ancestral sin in people. 1479 It must be added that during the baptism of infants, as well as adults, the Church from ancient times used spells to drive away from the newly baptized “every evil and unclean spirit hidden and nesting in his heart.” 1480 What would these spells mean if the Church considered babies pure and not involved in ancestral sin? In ancient times, these spells were not rejected by the Pelagians themselves. 1481 2.2. Councils that took place in the fifth century on the occasion of the Pelagian heresy. It is known that from 412 to 431 in different places of the Christian world, both in the east and especially in the west, there were more than twenty councils that considered the said heresy, and all unanimously anathematized it. 1482 How can such a unanimous rebellion against the Pelagian error be explained if the doctrine of original sin had not been widespread and deeply rooted in the Church of Christ since the time of the Apostles themselves? It would be superfluous to cite the definitions of all these councils against the Pelagians; it is enough to cite the words of the most important of them, Carthaginian (418), accepted by the Orthodox Church among the nine local ones. “Whoever rejects the need for the baptism of small children and newborns from the mother’s womb, or says that although they are baptized for the remission of sins, they do not borrow anything from Adam’s ancestral sin that should be washed in the bath of rebirth (from which it would follow that the image of baptism for the remission of sins is used over them not in the true, but in a false meaning), let him be anathema. For what has been said The Apostle: just as by one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, so death spread to all people, because all sinned in him (Rom. 5:12), it should be understood no differently, as the Catholic Church, spread and widespread everywhere, has always understood. For according to this rule of faith, even infants, who cannot commit any sins on their own, are truly baptized for the remission of sins, and again through birth. what they occupied from the old birth will be cleansed in them.” 2 .3. Sayings of private teachers of the Church who lived before the advent of the Pelagian heresy, such as: a) Justina: “Christ blessed to be born and taste death, not because He Himself needed it, but for the sake of the human race, which through Adam (άπό τοϋ A δαμ) was subjected to death and the temptation of the serpent”; 1483 b) Irenaeus: “in the first Adam we offended God by not fulfilling His commandments; in the second Adam we were reconciled to Him, becoming submissive even to death; we were not debtors to anyone else, but to the one whose commandment we violated from the beginning”; 1484 c) Tertullian: “man was deceived from the beginning by the devil in order to violate the commandment of God, and therefore put to death; after that the entire human race, descending from his seed, became involved (traducem) in his condemnation”; 1485 d) Cyprian: “if great sinners who have previously sinned greatly against God, when they believe, are granted remission of sins and baptism and grace are not forbidden to anyone, much less should this be forbidden to the baby, who, having barely been born, sinned in nothing, except that, having descended from the flesh of Adam, he received (contraxit) the infection of ancient death through birth itself and who thereby it is more convenient to begin to accept absolution, that he is absolved not of his own, but of other people’s sins 1486; e) Hilaria: “In the error of one Adam, the entire human race was lost..., from one the sentence of death and the work of life spread to everyone”; 1487 f) Basil the Great: “resolve the original sin by giving food - for just as Adam passed on sin to us through evil eating, so we will blot out this evil eating if we satisfy our brother’s need and hunger”; 1488 g) Gregory the Theologian: “this newly implanted sin came to unfortunate people from the progenitor... all of us who participated in the same Adam were deceived by the serpent, and killed by sin, and saved by heavenly Adam”; 1489 h) Ambrose: “we all sinned in the first man, and through the succession of nature the succession spread from one to all in sin...; so Adam is in each of us: human nature sinned in him, because through one sin passed into all.” 1490 i) John Chrysostom: "how did death enter and reign? Through the sin of one: for what else does it mean: all have sinned in it? After the fall of Adam, even those who did not eat of the tree all became mortal from that time on... this sin caused common death." 1491 We do not cite similar sayings of many other teachers of the Church who lived during the same period; 1492 and those cited are absolutely enough to see all the recklessness of the Pelagians, ancient and new, who claim that Augustine invented the doctrine of original sin, and in order, on the other hand, to realize all the justice of the words of the blessed. Augustine to one of the Pelagians: “I did not invent original sin, in which the Catholic faith has believed from ancient times; but you, who reject this dogma, are without a doubt a new heretic.” 1493 3). Finally, we can be convinced of the reality of original sin, which is passed on to all of us from our forefathers, in the light of sound reason, on the basis of undoubted experience. 3.1. Whoever enters with full attention and goes deep into himself cannot help but say with the holy Apostle Paul: “I know that no good lives in me, that is, in my flesh, because the desire for good is in me, but I do not find it to do it. the law that when I want to do good, evil is present to me. For I delight in the law of God in my members; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members (Rom. 7:18-23). In particular, those who carefully observe themselves and their neighbors cannot fail to recognize the following truths: a) in us there is a constant struggle between spirit and flesh, reason and passions, desires for good and attractions for evil; b) in this struggle, victory almost always remains on the side of the latter: the flesh prevails in us over the spirit, passions dominate reason, attractions to evil overpower desires for good; We love goodness by nature, we desire it, we enjoy it, but in order to do good we do not find the strength within ourselves; We do not love evil by nature, and yet we are drawn to it uncontrollably; c) the habit of everything good and holy is acquired by us with great effort and very slowly; and the habit of evil is acquired without the slightest effort and extremely quickly - and vice versa - d) it is extremely difficult for us to wean ourselves from any vice, to overcome any passion in ourselves, sometimes the most insignificant; and in order to change the virtues that we have acquired through many exploits, some unimportant temptation is enough for this. The same predominance of evil over good in the human race, which we now notice, has been noticed at all times in others. Moses writes about the antediluvian people: all the thoughts and thoughts of their hearts were evil at all times (Gen. 6:5), and then about the people after the flood: the thoughts of the human heart were evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21). David testifies that everyone has turned away and has become equally obscene; There is no one who does good, there is not one (Ps. 13:3; cf. 25:4). Solomon says that there is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin (Eccl. 7:20); that the righteous also fall sevenfold in a day (Proverbs 24:16). The writings of the Prophets are generally filled with complaints and reproaches against the iniquities of the people of their time. The apostles preached that the world lies in evil (1 John 5:19); that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The pagan sages themselves complained that the entire human race was corrupted, and that some irresistible inclination innate to man was drawing him to evil. 1494 Where does this disorder in human nature come from? Where does this unnatural struggle of forces and aspirations come from, this unnatural predominance of flesh over spirit, passions over reason, this unnatural inclination towards evil, overpowering the natural inclination towards good? 3.2. All the explanations that people have come up with for this are unfounded, or even unreasonable; the only explanation that is completely satisfactory is that which Revelation offers with its teaching about the hereditary sin of the first parents. AND - a) It is impossible to accept the opinion of the ancients that the source of all the evil that exists in a person lies in his body, as if the substance in which the spirit of a person is clothed, by its very nature opposes all his spiritual aspirations, darkens his mind, produces disorder in his will and heart, and from errors inevitably leads to vices. This opinion, firstly, leads to the most disastrous consequences, contrary to common sense. If matter is the source of sin, then the author of sin is God; because He is the Creator of matter, He created our body, as well as our soul, and connected them together. This means that we are not subject to any responsibility, we are innocent when we do evil, because we act in accordance with the nature that God gave us. This means there is no difference between good and evil, and the moral law should not have any meaning for us. Secondly, this opinion contradicts experience, without explaining anything. If indeed the spirit and the flesh in us are at war with each other by their very nature; if then, just as the spirit naturally attracts us to good, the flesh also naturally attracts us to evil, then why is it not the spirit in us that is stronger than the flesh, but rather the flesh that is stronger than the spirit, while it would be natural to expect the opposite? Why, according to the general consciousness, does the attraction to evil prevail in us over the attraction to good, so that I do not do the good that I want, and the evil that I do not want, I do (Rom. 7:19)? Why, at least, are the attraction to good and the attraction to evil unequal in us? On the other hand, although it is true that some passions and vices have a basis in our bodily organization, for example, anger, to which people of choleric temperament are especially susceptible, and the like: for that there are other passions and vices, such as self-love, pride, envy, ambition, which cannot be produced from temperament, which originate and develop directly in the soul, and therefore, find their root in it, and not at all in the body. b) The opinion of some of the newest thinkers is unfair that evil in man is an inevitable consequence of his limitations. “Man, they say, is by nature limited, and a limited being is necessarily imperfect; from imperfection in all the abilities of man his errors arise, and from errors naturally evil is born.” True, every limited being is imperfect in comparison with another less limited being, and all limited beings are imperfect in comparison with the infinite Being; but this does not mean that every limited being is imperfect in itself, that it is not sufficient for its purpose, that it is incapable of fulfilling the laws to which its nature is subject. Thus, both angels are limited and imperfect in comparison with God, however, nevertheless, they are perfect in their own rank, each in their own place, they are sinless, because they fulfill their destiny, fulfill the moral law to the extent that they can fulfill it according to their limitations; because they love their Creator with all the power of love given to them. In the same way, man, although even more limited and more imperfect in comparison with God than the angels, could remain perfect in his own order in relation to his destiny, could fulfill moral commandments to the extent of his limitations, could love God with all his human being; could occupy a lower degree of holiness compared to the angels, but despite this, remain innocent before God and sinless. To be imperfect means to have qualities less high than another being placed higher on the ladder of existence; but to be a sinner means, through the abuse of freedom, to violate those relationships that should exist between the Creator and a rational creature, it means to arbitrarily deviate from the path of the Divine commandments and go against one’s own purpose. God does not require from us such virtues that would be beyond our strength; does not oblige us to holiness, which is inaccessible to our nature; It requires only what is completely natural to us and what we can do in our own strength. And if so, then the violation of God’s law by man can no longer be considered a simple consequence of his limitations and relative imperfection: no, this is a real evil, testifying to the depravity of his nature. c) Also unfair is the opinion that has appeared in modern times of those who claim that the source of human evil lies not in the nature of man, but in the shortcomings of his upbringing, that every person is born pure and innocent, as Adam was created, and becomes evil and vicious as a result of bad upbringing, bad examples, etc. If this were true: then - aa) one cannot help but be surprised how, over the course of seven thousand years, constantly working on its education, humanity has not yet learned to preserve the primitive purity and innocence with which everyone is supposedly born; It is not clear why this is a bitter necessity that all people themselves receive and pass on to others precisely this bad upbringing. On the contrary, it is known that - bb) in modern times, in many educated states, all possible measures have been taken to improve public institutions where youth are educated; the most effective means are used to protect pupils from vices and teach them virtue - and yet the power of evil does not cease; the attraction to vices apparently prevails in people, as has always been the case, over the attractions to virtue, and often even new crimes appear that were never known before. All this remains an insoluble mystery if we assume that a person is born good, and that during our upbringing, we must not worry about correcting the shortcomings that already exist in us with which we were born, but only about preserving our hereditary innocence. Finally, it must be said that - c) although a bad upbringing can indeed increase evil in us and accelerate its development, just as a good upbringing usually weakens strength and can partially suppress it at the very beginning, but evil exists in us even before any upbringing. To be convinced of this, just one simple observation of an infant who has not yet been subjected to the influence of any system of education, and on whom the advantages or disadvantages of the method chosen for the development and correction of his abilities could not yet be reflected. The most superficial observer cannot fail to notice that the infant already clearly reveals dispositions towards anger and pretense, lies, disobedience - not because he saw all these shortcomings in his parents and internalized them through imitation, but because he is attracted to them by an innate inclination. The same must be said regarding the influence of bad examples on a corrupt person. If a person is born good, without any predisposition or inclination towards evil, then why does he allow himself to be carried away by bad examples and not find enough strength in himself to resist them? Why do bad examples have a stronger effect on us than good ones? Why is it so much easier for us to do evil than to do good? Why do the offspring of evil appear in infants who have not yet achieved self-awareness and cannot imitate others? d) The most satisfactory solution for reason to all these questions, the most fair explanation of the evil that exists in the human race, is offered by Divine Revelation when it says that the first man was indeed created good and innocent, but that he sinned before God, and thus damaged his entire nature, and after that, all people descending from him are naturally already born with ancestral sin, with a damaged nature and with an inclination towards evil. There is nothing incomprehensible or incredible here. We see from experience that children inherit the illnesses of their parents, and often these illnesses take hold for a long time and pass from generation to generation in well-known families. We know from experience and from simple considerations that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 7:18), that from a contaminated source naturally flows a contaminated stream, that when the root of a tree is spoiled, then its trunk cannot remain uncorrupted. Consequently, humanity, corrupted at its roots, must inevitably appear corrupted in its branches. And if the first man became a sinner and damaged his entire nature, then his descendants cannot help but inherit this same sinful and damaged nature. § 93. Consequences of ancestral sin in us. Passing in this way from the ancestors to the entire human race, original sin inevitably transfers with it to us all the consequences that it produced in the ancestors themselves. The most important of these consequences: 1. Darkness of the mind and especially its inability to understand spiritual objects related to the field of faith. The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness; and cannot understand because this must be judged spiritually (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, as one of the first blessings they wish for newly converted Christians, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him (Eph. 1:17). But one should not imagine this darkening of the mind in an exaggerated form and think that people, as a result of ancestral sin, have become completely incapable of understanding spiritual things; on the contrary, the same Apostle testifies about the pagans themselves, that what can be known about God is obvious to them, because God showed it to them. For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world through the consideration of creation, and that is why they are unrequited: because they, having known God, did not glorify Him (Rom. 1:19-20). And if fallen man had no ability at all to understand the objects of faith, then it would be impossible for him to communicate the Divine Revelation, which he could neither recognize nor assimilate. This consequence of our ancestral sin was also recognized by the teachers of the Church. 1495 2. Perversion of free will and its inclination more towards evil than towards good. The Holy Apostle depicts in detail this sad state of our active ability when he says: "I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my flesh, because the desire for good is in me, but I do not find it to do it. The good that I want, I do not do, but the evil that I do not want, I do. If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that lives in me. So I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present to me. For according to the inward man I delight in the law of God; but in my members I see another law, warring against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin, which is in my members (Rom. 7:18-23). But on the other hand, it is unfair to say that our ancestral sin has completely destroyed freedom in us, so that we cannot desire anything good, and our whole nature has become evil (Rev. Confession, part 1, answer to question 27; a) the just quoted words of the holy Apostle, where it is said that at least it is our duty to want good, even if we hate it (Rom. 7:17), and that we still have a remnant of good in the inner man, which delights in the law of God. Disgusting – b) all those very many places in which commandments, advice, convictions, promises, threats are spoken to fallen man, such as, for example, the entire Decalogue (Exodus 20:3 et seq.) and all the promises and threats to the people of Israel set out in the last chapters of Deuteronomy (28–32), these places would have no meaning if a remnant of freedom were not assumed in man. Disgusting – c) almost as many numerous places of Scripture, where it is not only assumed, but directly stated that fallen man has free will and specifically in relation to spiritual life; that he is the master of his actions, and can either obey or resist the will of God. For example: if anyone wants to come after Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow Me (Matthew 16:24); if you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17); if you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor... and follow Mine (21); whoever wants to do His will will know about this teaching, whether it is from God, or whether I am speaking on my own behalf (John 7:17); Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers its chicks under its wings, and you did not want (Matthew 23:37); Whoever is unshakably firm in his heart and, not being constrained by need, but being powerful in his own will, decides in his heart to keep his virgin, he does well (1 Cor. 7:37). Disgusting – d) the unanimous teaching of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, who, although weak represented freedom in fallen man, but at the same time affirmed that ancestral sin did not destroy it in us, 1496 and now it is in the will of each of us to choose good or evil, despite all the temptations surrounding us, 1497 and therefore filled their writings with countless instructions and admonitions to Christians that they tried and for our part, with the help of God’s grace, to fight against sin and succeed in virtue. 1498 Finally, disgusting - e) the consciousness of every person and the conviction of all peoples. We all feel that we often make a choice from different actions possible for us, and if we decide on one, we decide without any coercion, and of our own free will; that it is up to us to carry out the chosen action one way or another, that we can leave it unfinished and choose something else instead, etc. Therefore, all peoples have always had some kind of laws that governed their actions; everyone had an understanding of the difference between good and bad actions, and both of them were imputed to people. 3. Darkening, but not destruction of the image of God. It is inevitable to allow darkness to occur due to the darkness of the mind and the perversion of freedom in man. But destruction is impossible, because neither reason nor freedom, with their natural aspirations for the true and good, were destroyed in man from ancestral sin. And the Holy Scriptures, indeed, testify that the image of God remains in us even after the fall. Thus, God Himself, blessing Noah and his sons after the flood, among other things, affirms for him dominion over all animals (Gen. 9:1–2), which, as we have seen, served as one of the essential features of the image of God in man; and further, prohibiting the shedding of human blood, he expresses his will in the following words: whoever sheds human blood, his blood will be shed by the hand of man (6). The teachers of the Church also always admitted the remnants of the image of God in fallen man, 1499 and reproached the Origenists for their false teaching, as if ancestral sin had completely blotted out this image in us. 1500 And if the image of God, which serves in us as the only basis for union (religion) with God - our Prototype, were completely destroyed in us, then in that case we would be incapable of reunification with Him - and Christianity would have no meaning. 4. Death with all its precursors: illness and suffering. The Holy Apostle testifies to this when he says: by one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death, and so death spread to all men (Rom. 5:12), and in another place: as death was through man, so through man was the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor. 15:21). The ancient teachers of the Church unanimously testify: a) Tatian: “we are not created for death, but we die through ourselves; we were destroyed by our own will”; 1501 b) Theophilus: “man through disobedience was subjected to illness, sorrow, suffering, and finally fell to death”; 1502 c) Basil the Great: “Adam prepared death for himself by moving away from God...; so it was not God who created death, but we ourselves brought it upon ourselves by evil decree”; 1503 d) Gregory the Theologian: “how many misfortunes I have seen, and misfortunes that were not delightful in anything, so I have not seen a single good that would have been completely taken away from sorrow, since the harmful taste and envy of the enemy branded me with bitter disgrace”; 1504 e) Ambrose: “through the crime of Adam we suffered death,” 1505 and others. 1506 § 94. Moral application of dogma. Reflecting on the origin and nature of man, on his purpose and primitive state, on his fall and the consequences of the fall, we can learn a lot. 1) The Lord was pleased to distinguish man at his very creation - before the creation of man He held council in the sacrament of the Holy Trinity; therefore he created the human body with his own hands, and directly breathed into his face the breath of life, while He created everything else in the visible world with one word and command. This teaches us, on the one hand, to appreciate our superiority over all earthly creatures, 1507 and on the other hand, to thank our Creator, who, even before we came into being, already loves us so much, due to his infinite goodness. 2) The first woman was created from the rib of her husband. From here - a) a lesson for husband and wife - to be in mutual love and harmony with each other: because both have exactly the same nature; b) a lesson, in particular, for a wife - to be submissive to her husband: for man is not from wife, but woman is from man, notes the Apostle (1 Cor. 11:8). 3) The entire human race comes from one primordial couple, Adam and Eve. So, despite all the large number and variety of human tribes inhabiting the earth, we are all brothers with each other, all of the same nature. How clearly after this the words of the Lord should be clear to the heart of each of us: love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)! 4) In addition to the fact that the Lord God created our first parents directly at the beginning, He also creates each of us indirectly - He not only forms our body in the womb, He gives us a soul. Therefore, if, by the inclination of nature itself, we honor and love our parents, father and mother, shouldn’t we even more honor and love our Creator, who in an even more strict sense is our father and mother. 1508 5) The Lord wanted us, in our essence, to consist of two parts, soul and body. The Holy Apostle commands us: glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God's (1 Cor. 6:20). 6) The soul is the most excellent part of our being; she is completely spiritual, endowed with reason, freedom, immortality, while the body is taken from dust and can always turn into dust. The soul, therefore, must be the dominant principle in us, and the body must be subordinate to it; We should primarily take care of the soul, and then about the body. 7) The Creator deigned to create us in His image and likeness: be you perfect, the Savior says to us, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48); live in such a way that the image of God truly shines in you. 8) The purpose of man is high: he is called to be in a religious union with God, to live for God and to please Him; called upon to gradually reveal and continually improve one’s spiritual powers, and through this achieve different degrees of bliss; called to be the king and ruler of all nature subordinate to him - may this lofty goal, to which we must strive, always be before our eyes, and may it illuminate for us, like guiding stars, the entire dark path of life. 9) The Lord created man perfect in soul and body, and created for him the most blessed dwelling on earth, paradise; He himself contributed to the revelation and strengthening of his spiritual powers, honored him with his direct revelations, dwelt in him with his grace, gave him the tree of life and immortality even in the body, and in order to open before him the field for exploits and merits, he spoke his commandment to him. But man violated God’s commandment, angered his Creator, and lost his primary glory, became imperfect and corrupt throughout his entire being, and was subjected to illness, disaster, and death. The most striking proof of how dangerous it is to violate the will of God, how pernicious and destructive sin itself is, how terrible it is to fall into the hands of the living God - the just! 10) The sin of the first parents, with all its consequences, passed on to the entire human race, so that we are all conceived and born in lawlessness, weak in soul and body and guilty before God. May this serve as a living, never-ending lesson for us in humility and awareness of our own weaknesses and shortcomings, and at the same time may it teach us to ask ourselves for gracious help from the Lord God, and to gratefully use the means of salvation given to us in Christianity. Chapter 2. About God as a Provider. § 95. The teaching of the Church and the composition of this chapter. The teaching of the Orthodox Church about God as a Provider, in the message of the Eastern Patriarchs about the Orthodox faith, is expressed as follows: “we believe that everything that exists, visible and invisible, is governed by Divine providence; however, evil, like evil, God only foresees and allows, but does not provide for it, since He did not create it. And the evil that has already occurred is directed towards something useful by the Supreme Goodness, which itself does not create evil, but only directs it to the best, as much as possible” (Part 5). And in the Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East, “from small to great God knows (γνωρίζει) everything exactly, and provides for every creation in particular” (Part 1, answer to question 29). In accordance with the order in which we have presented the teaching of the Church about God as the Creator of the world, we will now present the teaching about God as a Provider, i.e. First, let's talk about God's Providence in general, and then about God's Providence in particular in relation to the main types of God's creations: the spiritual world, the material world and the small world - man. 1. About the Providence of God in general. § 96. The concept of Divine Providence, its actions and types, and a review of false opinions about dogma. From ancient times, the name of God's providence was understood as the care that God has for all creatures of the world; 1509 or, as this thought is more thoroughly expressed in the lengthy Christian Catechism: “The providence of God is the constant action of the omnipotence, wisdom and kindness of God, by which God preserves the existence and strength of creatures, directs them to good goals, helps every good, and the evil that arises, through moving away from good, stops, or corrects and turns to good consequences” (about Part 1, p. 36, M. 1840). Thus, in the general concept of God’s Providence, three particular His actions are distinguished: preserving creatures, promoting or assisting them and managing them. The preservation of creatures is an act of God by which the Almighty maintains in existence both the whole world and all the private beings found in it, with their powers, laws and activities. Assisting or assisting creatures is an action of God by which the Most Kind, allowing them to use their own powers and laws, at the same time provides them with his help and reinforcement during their activities. This is especially noticeable in relation to rationally free creatures, who constantly need the grace of God to succeed in spiritual life. However, in relation to moral beings, God’s real assistance occurs only when they freely choose and do good; in all those cases when they, of their own free will, choose and do evil, there is only God’s permission, and not at all assistance, because God cannot do evil, and does not want to deprive moral beings of the freedom that He himself gave them. Finally, the control of creatures is such an action of God by which the Infinitely Wise directs them, with all their lives and activities, towards their intended goals, correcting and turning, if possible, their worst deeds to good consequences. From this it is clear that all the indicated actions of God’s providence are different from each other. Conservation embraces the existence of creatures, their powers, and activities; assistance refers to the forces themselves; control - to the forces and actions of creatures. God preserves all the creatures of the world; promotes some good ones, and only allows evil ones to do their evil activities; also controls everyone. And neither of these actions lies in the other - one can preserve any being without promoting it or controlling it; one can contribute to a being without preserving it or managing it; one can control a being without preserving it or contributing to it. But, on the other hand, it should be noted that all three actions of God’s providence differ and are shared only by us, according to its different detection in the limited and diverse creatures of the world and due to the limitations of our mind; and in themselves they are inseparable, and constitute one boundless action of God: because God, as “he sees everything together and each one in particular at once,” 1510 so also accomplishes everything with one simple, uncomplicated action. He inseparably preserves all His creatures, and promotes them, and controls them. God's Providence is usually divided into two types: general Providence and private Providence. General Providence is the one that embraces the whole world in general, all genera and types of creatures; private - one that extends to the most particular beings of the world and to each of the indivisibles, no matter how small they may seem. And the Orthodox Church, believing that God “knows everything exactly from the smallest to the greatest, and provides especially for every creation” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 29), obviously allows both of these types of providence. The stated concepts about the Providence of God completely exclude - a) the false teaching of the Gnostics, Manichaeans and other heretics, who, subordinating everything to fate, or recognizing the world as the work of an evil principle, or recognizing God’s care for it as unnecessary for the world, completely rejected the Providence of God with all its actions; 1511 b) the false teaching of the Pelagians, who rejected the actual assistance of God to irrational and rational creatures, considering this incompatible with their perfection and freedom; 1512 c) the opposite false teaching of various sectarians who, believing in the unconditional predestination of God (praedestinationismus), so exaggerate God’s assistance to rational creatures that they almost destroy their freedom, and consider God to be the true cause of all their actions, good and evil; 1513 d) finally, the false teaching of some speculators, ancient and modern, who allow only general Providence and reject private Providence, recognizing it as unworthy of God. 1514 § 97. The reality of God's Providence. That God really provides for the world and cares for all his creatures is preached in countless places in Holy Scripture. For example: a) in the book of Job: Himself (God) for He looks to the ends of the earth and sees under the whole heaven (28:24), or: in His hand is the soul of all living things and the spirit of all human flesh (12:10); b) in the book of Psalms: You set up the earth, and it stands. According to Your decrees, everything stands to this day, for everything serves You (118:90–91); the eyes of all trust in You, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with Your good pleasure (144:15-16); c) in the book of Proverbs: the eyes of the Lord are in every place: they see the evil and the good (15:3); d) in the book of Nehemiah: [And Ezra said:] You, Lord, are one, You made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens and all their hosts, the earth and everything that is on it, the seas and everything that is in them, and You live all these, and the hosts of the heavens worship You (9:6); e) in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon: He created both the small and the great and equally provides for everyone (6:7); for besides You there is no God who takes care of everyone (12:13); f) in the Gospel of Matthew: that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (5:45); g) in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: (God) did not cease to testify of Himself with good deeds, giving us from heaven rain and fruitful seasons and filling our hearts with food and joy (14:17). 1515 The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, defending the Christian teaching about the Providence of God against pagan philosophers 1516 and heretics, 1517 proved the existence of providence from common reason on the basis of concepts on the one hand about God as the Creator of the world, and on the other about the world, God's creation. In the first case they indicated: 1) To the infinite kindness of the Creator, according to which He cannot leave His own creatures, created by Him solely out of kindness, without His providence. "What kind of worker, asks Saint Ambrose, will neglect his work? Who will leave and reject what he himself wanted to create? If it is incongruous to provide for something, is it not more incongruous to create, when not to create something there is no injustice, and not to take care of what he has created is extreme unmercifulness." 1518 “How, asks another teacher of the Church, can He who created it out of the abundance of His kindness not take care of His creation?” 1519 "One God, we read from St. John of Damascus, is by nature Good and Wise. As the Good One, He provides, for the one who does not provide is not good; (both people and dumb animals naturally care about their children, and whoever does not care is subject to censure); and like the All Wise, He cares about what is best for creatures." 1520 2) To the omnipresent Creator. Filling with Himself everything that exists, He is directly inherent in every creature, every thing, every being, directly sees their condition and needs; and therefore, only then could he not provide for peace if he either was not kind, or was given over to inactivity and idleness. 1521 "God, filling the world, says Blessed Augustine, does, and does not go anywhere, does not, as it were, move from the outside this bulk that He arranges; by the presence of His greatness He does what He does; by His presence He controls what He has done." 1522 3) The omnipotence of the Creator, according to which He does not have to make the slightest effort to provide for the world. “Even if tens of thousands of such worlds and even an infinite number of them were required,” says St. John Chrysostom, God would be equally sufficient for everyone not only to create them, but also to provide for them after creation.” 1523 “He wanted to create everything, writes another Father of the Church, and it was created; He wants the world to continue its existence, and it continues, and everything happens according to His will.” 1524 In general, the teachers of the Church noted, to reject the Providence of God means to reject the very existence of God - for if there is a God, a most perfect Being, then He certainly provides for the world, and if He does not provide, then He does not exist. 1525 When addressing the world, teachers and writers of the Church primarily focused on: 1) That without the providence of God the world could not exist on its own, being called into existence from nothingness and constantly being above the same nothingness. This idea is expressed by: a) Lactantius: “nature, if the providence and power of the Creator is removed from it, is complete nothingness;” 1526 b) Athanasius the Great: “the nature of creatures, as produced from nothingness, is in itself changeable, fragile, mortal...; therefore, so that everything created, changeable and destructible in its state, does not really collapse, and the world does not turn into the former insignificance, He who created everything with His eternal Word and gave nature to creatures does not leave them to themselves, so that they do not turn into the former insignificance, but out of his kindness, he preserves them and governs them with his Word, which itself is God;” 1527 c) Cyril of Alexandria: “The Creator of all things animates everything, being life by its very nature, and in an incomprehensible way pouring His power into everything, for otherwise creatures that took their beginning from nothing cannot be preserved and kept in existence; otherwise they would suddenly turn into their nature, that is, into nothingness;” 1528 d) Augustine: "the power of the Creator and the power of the All-Powerful and All-Containing is the reason for the existence of every creature; and if this power ever ceased to control creatures, then their species would suddenly cease to exist, and all nature would perish. For although we have an erected building on earth that stands even after the builder, having completed his work, leaves it and moves away, the world could not stand even for the blink of an eye if God took it away from he has his own industry.” 1529 2) That without God’s providence in the world the amazing order that is observed could not be maintained; on the contrary, everything would move beyond its limits and fall into disorder and chaos. This is how they reason: Saint Gregory the Theologian, blessed. Augustine, blessed Theodoret and others. The first says: “we must believe that there is a providence that contains everything and connects everything in the world - for for those beings for whom a Creator is necessary, a Provider is also necessary; otherwise the world, carried by chance, like a ship in a whirlwind, should, due to the disordered movements of matter, instantly collapse, crumble and return to the original chaos and disorder.” 1530 The second writes: "Not for one day does God cease from the work of governing creatures, so that they do not immediately deviate from their natural paths, which are led and directed in order to achieve the fullness of their development, and each remain in its own kind what it is. And they, truly, would cease to be anything if that movement of God's wisdom, which the Lord controls for good, was taken away from them (Wis. 8:1)." 1531 Finally, blessed. Theodoret argues as follows: “those who do not believe in the existence of providence and insanely assert that the world, consisting of heaven and earth, rushes along in such harmony and order without a helmsman, it seems to me, are also doing the same thing as if someone, sitting on a ship, and crossing the sea, and seeing how the helmsman controls the oars and properly rules the helm, began to assert an obvious lie, as if there is no helmsman at the stern, the ship does not have oars, is not guided by the movement of the helm, but rushes by itself, overcomes the impulse of the waves by itself, defeats the attack of the winds, does not need the help of shipmen or a helmsman who would give the necessary orders to all the rowers, who clearly and undoubtedly see the Lord of the universe, who controls the creation created by Him, and everything leads and moves in accordance with the order..., arbitrarily blind or act shamelessly, and at the same time receiving the gifts of Providence. they dishonor them, and what they enjoy, thereby arm themselves against the Provider.” 1532 § 98. The reality of each of the actions of God's Providence. Attributing to God in general providence for the world, the Holy Scriptures and, following it, the teachers of the Church attribute to Him, in particular, each of the acts of providence, such as: 1) Conservation of creatures. This is what they preach in the Holy Scriptures: a) The Psalmist throughout Psalm 103, and especially in the following verses: they all expect You to give them their food in due season (27); If you give to them, they accept; if you open your hand, they are satisfied with good (28); if you hide your face, they are troubled; if you take away their spirit, they die and return to their dust; (29); You send forth Your spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth (30); 6) Prophet Isaiah: lift your eyes to the heights of heaven and see who created them? Who brings out the army by counting them? He calls them all by name: because of the multitude of His might and great strength, nothing fails from Him (Isa. 40:26); c) Apostle Paul: God does not require the service of human hands, as if He needed anything, He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25); He (the Son of God) is before all things, and in Him all things depend (Colossians 1:17). Teachers and writers of the Church repeat the same thing, for example: a) Athenagoras: “It is necessary that those who recognize God as the Creator of everything, attribute to His wisdom and truth the preservation (φυλακήν) of everything that exists, if they wish to remain faithful to their own principles;” 1533 b) Basil the Great: “every created nature, both visible and intelligible, needs God’s care for its maintenance;” 1534 c) Athanasius the Great: “the omnipotent and most holy Word of the Father, flowing around everything, and everywhere manifesting its powers, and illuminating everything visible and invisible, contains and embraces everything in itself, so that it leaves nothing untouched by its power, but revives and preserves everything and through everything, each being separately, and all beings together;” 1535 d) Jerome: “we will know that we are nothing, if God himself did not preserve in us what he has given us, as the Apostle says: not from him who wills, nor from him who runs, but from God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:16).” 1536 2) Assisting or allowing the creatures. The idea of ​​God's assistance to creatures, especially moral creatures, is expressed by the Holy Scripture when it says that God upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3), giving life to all things (1 Tim. 6:13); that although the actions among created beings are different, God is one and the same, producing all things in all (1 Cor. 12:6); that God works in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13), we live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28). The idea of ​​God's permission is expressed, for example, by St. Apostle Paul, when he writes about the pagans: then God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness (Rom. 1:24), and further: therefore God gave them up to shameful passions (26), and again: And since they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a corrupt mind - to do lewd things (28); or, when he speaks of the Jews: God gave them a spirit of slumber, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear (Rom. 11:8), God imprisoned them in disobedience (32). 1537 They teach the same. Fathers and teachers of the Church: a) John Chrysostom: “everything is governed by the providence of God; but one thing happens by the permission (συγχωροϋντος) of God, and the other with His assistance (ενεργούντος)” 1538 and in another place: “know that God arranges everything, about everything provides that we are free, that God cooperates with us in one thing, and only allows us in another, that He does not desire any evil, that everything happens not according to His will alone, but also according to ours - every evil is only according to ours, every good is according to our will and together according to His assistance;” 1539 b) Dorotheus: “everything that happens happens either by God’s permission or by good will;” 1540 c) Theodoret: “nothing happens without the will of God; but either God works for good, or allows disasters for past sins;” 1541 d) Damascene: "whatever depends on providence happens either by the good will or by the permission of God. By good will everything happens that is unquestioningly good; by permission the opposite... The choice of deeds depends on us; the result of good deeds is from God's assistance - because God, in His foreknowledge, righteously assists those who choose good with a right conscience; and the end of bad deeds depends on the abandonment of a person by God, since God righteously abandons man according to the same foreknowledge.” 1542 3) Control of creatures. This action of God is spoken of in the following passages of Holy Scripture. 1 Parallel 29:11–12. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and splendor, and everything that is in heaven and on earth is Yours: Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and You are above all, as the Sovereign. 12 And riches and glory are from Thy presence, and Thou art dominion over all things, and in Thy hand is strength and might, and in Thy power is it to magnify and strengthen all things. Dan. 2:21. He changes times and seasons, deposes kings and sets up kings; gives wisdom to the wise and understanding to the understanding Prem. 8:1. She (the wisdom of God) quickly spreads from one end to the other and arranges everything for good. Prem. 14:3. Your Providence, Father, controls the ship, for You have given both a way into the sea and a safe path in the waves. Matt. 11:25. Jesus said: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. 1 Tim. 1:17. To the King of the ages, the incorruptible, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Open 17:14. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings (cf. 1 Tim. 6:15). This action of God is also preached by the teachers of the Church: Saint Gregory the Theologian: "Let not those who do not comprehend the unimaginable depth of God's orders, according to which everything is done, wonder at this! Let not those who leave the rule of the world to the Artist, who, of course, is wiser than us, and leads his creation to whatever and as He pleases, without any doubt, to perfection and healing, although those being healed are upset! (Julian) is not excited to evil (the Divine, by nature good, is in no way innocent of evil, and evil deeds belong to the one who arbitrarily chooses evil), but is not restrained in striving.” 1543 St. John Chrysostom: "That everything is controlled by Providence, this can be seen from what happens with us. For nothing happens without providence, but the herds and everything else need to be managed. And that before everything did not happen by chance, this is shown by Gehenna, shown by the flood that happened under Noah, the fire, the drowning of the Egyptians, the events that happened in the desert." 1544 Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: "Divine Scripture and the teaching of truth recognize one God, who, although He rules over everything by His power, also endures many things according to His will. He also rules over idolaters; but He tolerates them out of His kindness. He also rules over the heretics who reject Him; but He tolerates them out of His great condescension; He also rules over the devil, but he does not endure this because of weakness, since he would have been overcome by him... Oh, the all-wise providence of God! war against people, so that those who win will be rewarded with crowns, and so that, after winning the victory, he himself, since defeated by the weakest, will be subjected to greater shame, and people will become more glorified, since they defeated the one who was once the Archangel.” 1545 Saint Ephraim the Syrian: "I see buildings, and I conclude about the creator, I see the world, and I know Providence; I see that a ship without a helmsman is sinking: I saw that human affairs end in nothing if God does not control them. I see a city, and the various structures of civil societies, and I know that everything is held together by God's order. The flock depends on the shepherd, and everything that grows on earth depends on God. Separation is in the will of the farmer wheat from the thorns; in the will of God, the wisdom of those who live on earth in their mutual unity and like-mindedness. In the will of the king, there is a definite rule for everything. There is nothing on earth that is not headed, because the rivers come from the springs, and the earth brings forth fruit, but if there is no rain from heaven, the day itself cannot produce anything, but to. for its accomplishment it needs the sun. So good deeds are done by people, but are brought to completion by God.” 1546 Blazh. Theodorite: "The Creator controls the creation, and He did not leave the ship He built without control; but He Himself is both a shipbuilder and a gardener, who increased matter. He created matter, and built the ship, and constantly controls its helm." 1547 § 99. The reality of both types of Divine Providence. The Providence of God, with all its actions, extends not only to the world in general, to the genera and types of creatures, but also to each created being in particular - that is, there is a Providence that is not only general, but also private. This is what Holy Scripture teaches, for example: a) in the words of the Psalmist: the eyes of all trust in You, and You give them their food in due season; You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with good pleasure (Ps. 144:15–16); or: Sing alternately the praise of the Lord; sing to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the mountains [and grain for the benefit of man]; He gives food to the cattle and to the raven's chicks that call to Him (Ps. 147:7–9); b) in the words of the Wise One: you love everything that exists, and you do not disdain anything that you have created, for you would not have created it if you hated it. And how could anything remain if You did not will? Or how would that which was not called by You be preserved? But You spare everything, because everything is Yours, O loving Lord (Wis. 11:25–27); c) in the words of the Savior himself: may you be sons of your Father in heaven, for He commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unjust (Matthew 5:45); Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your Father in heaven feeds them. Aren't you much better than them? (6:26). But if God clothes the grass of the field, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God clothes it so much more than you, O you of little faith! (6:30). Are not two small birds sold for an assarium? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father; But even the hairs of your head are all numbered (10:29-30). This is what the Holy Fathers and writers of the Church teach: a) Irenaeus: “if someone asked us whether everything that is created and that is is known to God, and whether by His providence each of the creatures experiences everything that happens to it, we would unanimously answer that nothing that is created, that is, or that is about to be is removed from the knowledge of God; on the contrary, by His providence, each of the creatures accepts its own nature, structure, number, and quality, and absolutely nothing happens by chance...”. 1548 b) Athenagoras: “It is necessary to know that neither on earth nor in heaven is anything left without care and without providence; but the care of the Creator equally extends to everything invisible and visible, small and great: for all creations need the care of the Creator, as well as each one separately, by its nature and by its purpose;” 1549 c) Clement of Alexandria: “a teaching consistent with Christ’s, and recognizes God as the Creator of everything, and His Providence extends even to private beings (μέχρι τών κατά μέρος);” 1550 d) Cyprian: “to say that nothing, even the slightest, happens without the will of God does not yet mean to give honor to God, when we know and believe that everything is governed by His wave and will;” 1551 e) Cyril of Alexandria: “One of the advantages of the Divine nature is that God can simultaneously contain everything and extend the types of his providence for every creature even to unimportant objects.” 1552 This is what common sense teaches, finally. If God does not provide for all of His creatures, or if His Providence embraces only the great objects of the world, only the genera and types of creatures, but does not extend to small things and each of the indivisible, then this is possible for two reasons: either because God cannot provide for all of His creatures, or because He does not want to. But neither the first nor the last reason can be allowed. If God cannot provide for all the objects of the world and all its beings, each in particular, then either because he does not know all these objects and beings, due to their extreme multiplicity, or because of a lack of wisdom and strength to dispose and manage such numerous, heterogeneous, different-quality objects and beings. But God is the most perfect Being, He is omniscient, He is infinitely wise, He is omnipotent. If God does not want to provide for his creatures, all in general and each in particular, then either because of a lack of kindness; or through carelessness and negligence; or because to provide for small objects and indivisible beings is unworthy of His greatness. But the first two assumptions are obviously such that no sane person would admit them for a minute. As for the latter assumption, which is more plausible, which is why those who recognize only general Providence and reject private Providence primarily point to it, then it is impossible to agree with this assumption. For, firstly, if God did not consider it unworthy of His greatness to create small and indivisible beings, then, without a doubt, His providence for them cannot be unworthy of His greatness. Secondly, objects and beings seem small and great only to us in comparison with each other; but before God, the infinite Being, they are all infinitesimal. Therefore, if it is unworthy of the greatness of God to provide for beings and objects that seem great only to us, then why is it unworthy of Him to provide for objects and beings that seem small to us? Or in other words: objects are great and small only comparatively among themselves and according to our concepts; but before the boundless greatness of the Creator and Almighty there is nothing great, just as before His boundless kindness nothing is small from what He himself deigned to grant existence. Thirdly, the greatest objects of the world consist of small parts, and the most extensive genera and species of beings are only mentally imaginable aggregates of indivisibles, which alone exist in experience. What will be the general Providence now if there is no private one, and is it possible to separate the first from the last? Fourthly, it is known that great events in the world often occur from reasons that are apparently the most unimportant, for example, from a spark - fires that destroy entire large cities, from the disagreement of a few people - terrible wars of nations. How is general Providence possible if there is no private one? That is why the Providence of God, both general and private, was recognized not only by Christian thinkers, 1553 but also by sensible pagans. 1554 § 100. Participation of all Persons of the Most Holy Trinity in the work of Providence. Just as the work of creation, so exactly the work of providence, the Orthodox Church equally attributes to all the Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: She calls God the Father Almighty (Nice-Constantinopolitan Symbol); God the Son - wisdom, containing the composition of everything (Symbol of Gregory the Wonderworker); God the Holy Spirit - the life-giving Lord and the life in which the cause of living (in the same Symbol). 1555 This teaching is borrowed from the Holy Scriptures, where also the providence of peace is equally assimilated by all three Persons of the Divine, namely: 1) God the Father. For example, in the words of the Savior: My Father works until now, and I work (John 5:17). May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Do you look at the birds of the air, because they neither sow nor reap nor gather? into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them (6:26). Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like any of them; But if God clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God clothes it so much more than you, O you of little faith (6:28-30). For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3:16–17). Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you (John 16:23; cf. John 14:16,23,26; 15:1,2; 17:11,15,17; Rom. 1:7; 2 Cor. 1:4). 2) God the Son. He is first of all, says the holy Apostle about Him, and by Him all things stand (Col. 1:17), holding everything by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). My Father works until now, and I work, as the Son of God himself testifies (John 5:17). I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20; cf. John 1:9–13; 10:16; Eph. 1:22; 2:20; Col. 2:19). 3) God the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist preaches His providence for the physical world in his appeal to God the Father: they all expect You to give them their food in due time. If you give to them, they accept; if you open your hand, they are satisfied with the good; if you hide your face, they are troubled; if you take away their spirit, they die and return to their dust; If you send Your spirit, they will be created, and You will renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:27–30). The Apostle preaches the providence of the moral world: there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit... the manifestation of the Spirit is given to everyone for the benefit... Yet the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He pleases (1 Cop. 12:4,7,11). The same teaching about the participation of all Divine Persons in the work of Providence is set forth by the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church: a) Saint Athanasius the Great: “The Father does everything through the Son in the Holy Spirit, and thus the unity of the Holy Trinity is preserved, and in the Church one God is preached, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us (Eph. 4:6), - above all: as the Father, as the beginning and source; through all: this is through the Son; in all: this is in the Holy Spirit;" 1556 b) Saint Basil the Great: “The Divine Spirit always finally accomplishes everything that comes from God through the Son;” 1557 and in another place: “the spirit in every action is united and inseparable with the Father and the Son; together with God, who divides ministries, the Holy Spirit also resides, who is sovereign in distributing gifts according to the dignity of each;” 1558 c) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “Dominion is called God, although it consists of the three highest: Cause, Creator, Performer, that is, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;” 1559 d) Saint Cyril of Alexandria: “everything is accomplished by God the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit;” 1560 e) Blessed Augustine: “Having understood, as far as it is given to us in this life, the Trinity, we undoubtedly believe that every rational, spiritual, and physical creature has received existence, and has its own form, and is wisely governed by one and the same creative Trinity, not so, however, that one part of the entire creation was made by the Father, another by the Son, and a third by the Holy Spirit, but everything in general and in particular each nature was created by the Father through the Son in the giving (dono) of the Holy Spirit;” 1561 f) Saint John of Damascus: “God (the Father) creates by thought, and this thought becomes deed, brought to completion by the Word and accomplished by the Spirit.” 1562 It is not difficult for a believer to explain why all three Persons of the Divine participate in the work of Providence. This is because the providence of the world is the action of omniscience, omnipresence, wisdom, omnipotence and goodness of God - such properties that equally belong to all Persons of the Most Holy Trinity. § 101. The attitude of God's Providence to the freedom of moral beings and the evil that exists in the world. Although the Providence of God embraces everything in the world and controls everything, it does so in such a way that the freedom of moral beings is not in the least violated, and the various types of evil that exist in the world do not make any criticism of the World Ruler. 1. God's providence does not violate the freedom of moral beings. This is confirmed to us by both the Word of God and our own consciousness and reason, which equally say that we are all constantly under the providence of God (see §§ 81,93), and that we are all free in our moral actions (§ § 97–99). And how God’s Providence, with all its orders in the moral world, does not violate the freedom of spiritual beings, although we cannot fully explain this, we can to some extent bring it closer to our understanding. a) God is an unchangeable, omniscient, wise Being. As unchangeable, He, having once deigned to grant freedom to His rational creatures, cannot change His definition and constrain it or completely destroy it. As omniscient, He knows in advance all the desires, intentions and actions of free beings. And as the infinitely wise, he will always find means to manage these actions so that the freedom of those acting remains inviolable. b) God's providence for creatures is expressed in the fact that He preserves them, promotes or allows them, and controls them. When God preserves moral beings, preserves their being and strength, then, without a doubt, He does not restrict their freedom - this is self-evident. When He promotes them in good, He also does not restrict their freedom - because by acting, i.e. choosing and committing any action, they remain, and God only assists or helps them. When He allows them to commit any evil, He constrains freedom even less, but only allows it to act on its own, without His help, according to its own will. Finally, by controlling moral beings, God’s Providence actually directs them towards the goal for which they were created, but the correct use of their freedom is that they strive for the final goal of their existence. Consequently, God’s control does not in the least constrain moral freedom, but only assists it in its pursuit of its goal. c) We know from experience that we, very often, with our words, movements and other various methods, can dispose our neighbors to one or another action, we can control them, without however restricting their freedom - isn’t it all the more capable of finding the means to control moral beings so that their freedom does not suffer from this?.. 2. The evil that exists in the world does not serve as a reproach to the World Ruler. Firstly, moral evil, which consists of transgressing the moral law of God (Rom. 2:23), depends not on the Ruler of the World, but on the moral beings themselves, to whom He, having granted freedom, only allows to commit sin, and does not at all assist. 1563 On the contrary, at the same time, He uses all measures to keep them from sin, prohibits it with His laws, threatens criminals with punishment for it (Ex. 20:1-18, etc.), actually punishes them (Gen. 7ff.; 19:24-29; Ex. 17, 8. 14, etc.), arranges and arranges circumstances so that the power of what has already been done is limited and diminished. sin, and good consequences occurred (Gen. 50:20). 1564 In addition, for the gradual weakening and extermination of evil in the world, the Lord, who provides for peace, did not spare supernatural means, gave people his Revelation, sent Prophets to them, betrayed his Only Begotten Son himself to death, founded his Holy Church on earth, sends down his saving grace to everyone, worked and continues to create countless miracles (cf. §§ 14.21). Physical evil, which consists in the imperfection of certain objects that cause harm and suffering to thinking and feeling beings - a) in itself, i.e. without relation to these beings, it is not evil, but also serves to the perfection of the whole and, perhaps, is necessary or useful for the common good. These are, for example, earthquakes, storms, and harmful plants. It is known that poison, when used correctly, sometimes serves as a medicine, and the black color in paintings, in harmony with other colors, enhances the beauty of the whole. 1565 The only reason we often call any phenomena on earth physical evil is because we consider them separately, or in relation to us alone, and are not able to consider them as part of the whole and determine their meaning. 1566 If - b) to consider the physical evil that we notice on earth in relation to sentient and rational beings, we must remember that it appeared and exists as a consequence of moral evil committed by the first man: cursed is the earth for you, man (Gen. 3:17); because the creation was subjected to vanity, not voluntarily, but according to the will of him who subjected it (Rom. 8:20); and in relation to man himself, it is a natural consequence of his sins and a righteous punishment for them (§ 90). On the other hand, God's Providence uses this evil, which appeared as a result of the fall of man, as a means to call sinners to repentance and turn to the path of truth (1 Kings 9:9; 2 Chronicles 33:12. 13; Neh. 9:27; Dan. 4:30), to keep people from falling (Ps. 119:71; 2 Cor. 1:9), to cleanse sins (Prov. 17:3), for improvement in virtue (James 1:2–4; Rom. 3:3; 2 Thess. 1:4). "Diseases in cities and nations, argues Saint Basil the Great, dryness in the air, barrenness of the earth and disasters encountered by everyone in life, stop the growth of sin. And all evil of this kind is sent from God to prevent the generation of true evils. For both bodily suffering and external disasters are invented to curb sin. So God destroys evil, and not evil from God. And the doctor destroys disease, but does not put it into the body. The destruction of cities, earthquakes, floods, the death of armies, shipwrecks, any destruction of many people that happens from earth, or sea, or air, or fire, or for any reason, happens in order to discipline those who remain; 1567 It goes without saying that in this regard, due to the limitations of our minds, we are very often unable to comprehend those hidden plans according to which the all-wise Providence allows sentient beings to endure physical evil. § 102. Moral application of dogma. Faith in the Providence of God, which cares for everyone and everything in the world, teaches us: 1. To glorify and thank our Lord and Master, as the common Father of all creatures, who alone by infinite goodness gave them existence, who alone by the same goodness provides for them. 2. Place all your hope in God, in full conviction that whatever happens to us, He will wisely arrange it for our good. 3. Turn to Him in prayer in our needs, and at the same time remember the words of the Savior: if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11). 4. To carefully and reverently observe the ways of God's providence in our own lives, and with all diligence to conform our behavior to them. 5. Following the example of our heavenly Father, who, providing for peace, commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unjust (Matthew 5:45), to do good to everyone, not only to his friends, but also to his enemies. 2. About the Providence of God in relation to the main types of God's creations. § 103. Connection with the previous one and points of view on the subject. From the general teaching about the Providence of God, which embraces the whole world, the particular teaching about the Providence of God in relation to the spiritual world, the material world and the small world - man, naturally follows. But some features of this particular teaching are such that they are completely clear and understandable in the light of the general teaching stated above, and therefore do not require further disclosure, for example, the idea that God, who preserves the whole world from destruction, preserves in particular the spiritual world; or the one that all the Persons of the Holy Trinity participate in industry and the material world. Other parts, although they are based on the general teaching about Providence, for greater clarity and intelligibility for us, or due to their complexity and proximity to us, require detailed presentation. Thus, speaking about the Providence of God in relation to the spiritual world, consisting of good angels and evil angels, the Orthodox Church teaches, on the one hand, that God assists the good angels and controls them in accordance with the purpose of their existence; and on the other hand, that He only allows the evil activity of evil angels, and, however, limited and limits its possibilities, directing it, moreover, to good consequences. § 104. God helps the good angels. The teaching of the Church about God's assistance to the good angels can be seen in the following words: "They (the ranks of angels) are placed in such an order that the lower angels receive the enlightenment and benefits of God through the higher ones. These angels were established in the grace of God forever; since they did not agree with the star to rebel against God, they received her grace in such a way that they can no longer sin, however, not by their nature, but by grace God” (Right confession part 1, answer to question 20) That is: 1. God assists the angel's mind in its pursuit of truth, imparting to it enlightenment and revelations from Himself. This idea has its basis in those places of Holy Scripture where it says: a) that angels dwell in heaven (Matthew 22:30; Mark 13:32), surround the throne of God (Isa. 6:2), and always see the face of My Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10); therefore, they directly know God, and in Him all things; b) that God is spiritual light (1 John 1:5), eternal light (Isaiah 60:19–20); next, spreading its rays, first and most of all it illuminates with them the premium spirits surrounding His throne; c) finally, that God often reveals his will to the angels in a special way or on special occasions, to communicate it to people (Dan. 9:21,27; Luke 1:26–38, etc.). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church repeated this thought very often, for example: a) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “such (i.e., above the passions), first of all, is the luminous great God, and according to Him such are God’s servants who stand near the high throne, receive the first ray of pure God, and, enlightened by it, teach the light to mortals” 1568; and in another place: “these (angelic) natures, as another would sing about them, are either illuminated by the purest illumination from the first Cause, or, according to their nature and rank, they receive another illumination in a different way; they have so imagined and imprinted the Good in themselves that they have become secondary lights, and through the outpourings and transmission of the first Light they can enlighten others;” 1569 b) Saint Athanasius the Great: “thrones, seraphim and cherubim are taught directly from God, as the highest of all and closest to God; then they teach other ranks, and thus, in order, the higher ones teach the lower ones;” 1570 c) Saint Ephraim the Syrian: “When the heavenly spirits want to know something about the Son, they turn their questions to the highest angels, and these learn by a wave from the Spirit;” 1571 d) blessed. Augustine: “The true light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world” (John 1:9), - this same light enlightens every bright angel, may he be a light not in himself, but in God; and as soon as an angel turns away from God, he becomes dark, like all the so-called dark spirits, who are now no longer light in the Lord, but darkness in themselves, being deprived of the participation of eternal Light;” 1572 e) Saint John of Damascus: “angels are the second intelligent lights, borrowing their enlightenment from the first and beginningless Light”...; and further: “all angels were created by the Word and received perfection from the Holy Spirit through sanctification, becoming partakers of enlightenment and grace, according to their dignity and rank...; They have sanctification not from their own being, but from the Spirit; prophesy by the grace of God....; differ from each other in enlightenment and degree, or having a degree corresponding to enlightenment or in proportion to the degree of participating in enlightenment, and enlightening each other based on rank or nature. But it is known that the higher impart enlightenment and knowledge to the lower.” 1573 2. God promotes the free will of angels in its activity with his omnipotent grace, with the help of which they are already so established in goodness that they cannot fall and will forever remain good. The first half of the thought follows naturally, on the one hand, from the fact that angels, as limited beings who do not have life in themselves (John 5:26), but who received it from the source of life (Ps. 36:10), necessarily need, in order to continue their life and activity, constant reinforcement from God, and, like all creatures, they yearn for Him, so that He will give them food (Ps. 103:27), which can be for they are only the grace of God. And on the other hand, from the fact that God, as the Holy Scripture teaches, upholds all things, therefore, even the angels, by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3), gives life to all things, therefore, the angels (1 Tim. 6:13; Neh. 9:6); that in His hand is the soul of everything living (Job 12:10), and although in the world there are divisions of spiritual gifts and ministries, and actions, it is the same Trinitarian Lord who produces everything in everyone (1 Cor. 12:4-6), therefore, in the angels. The second half of the thought, namely, the inflexibility of angels to evil with the help of grace, and their confirmation in good forever, is confirmed by passages of Scripture where angels are called servants of God who do His will (Ps. 102:21; cf. Matt. 6:10), and His chosen Angels (1 Tim. 5:21), are presented as living in heaven in the presence of God himself (Matt. 22:30), and enjoying the blessed sight of Him (Matthew 18:10); and where it is said that the angels will remain holy even at the end of the world, when, together with them, the Lord will appear to judge the living and the dead (Matt. 25:31), and that they will remain members of the Church triumphant in heaven (Heb. 12:22-23), or the kingdom of glory, which will exist forever and ever (Rev. 22:5). Among the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, the thought we are revealing is expressed with particular force: Saint Basil the Great: “They (angels) are inflexible towards sin, being immediately, as if by some composition, covered with sanctification, and by the gift of the Holy Spirit having constancy in virtue.” 1574 "Principles and powers, and every similar creature that has holiness in itself due to attentiveness and thoroughness, cannot, in all fairness, be called holy by nature, because, having desired good, in proportion to their love for God, they also accept a measure of holiness. And like iron placed in the middle of a fire, it does not cease to be iron, but being heated to the strongest resemblance to fire, and having received themselves with all the properties of fire, and in color and actions to approach the fire, so these holy Powers, as a result of communion with the Holy One by nature, have in themselves a holiness that has already penetrated their entire being and is united with their nature. The difference between them and the Holy Spirit is that in the Spirit holiness is nature, and in them there is sanctification by communion.” 1575 "If we mentally take away the Spirit, the angelic faces will be upset, the archangelic principalities will be destroyed; everything will come into confusion, their lives will become unlawful, disorderly, and uncertain. For how can the angels, not having received power from the Spirit, say: glory to God in the highest (Luke 2:14)? No one speaking by the Spirit of God will utter anathema against Jesus, and no one can name Jesus by the Lord, only by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).” “Just as at night, if you take the light out of the house, your eyes become blind, your strength remains inactive, the dignity of things is not recognized, and gold and silver are trampled on like the earth out of ignorance, so it is impossible for intelligent ranks for their life to remain in accordance with the law without the Spirit, just as order in the army is impossible without a commander and harmony in the choir of singers without a choir director who brings them into harmony. As they would say. Seraphim: holy, holy, holy (Isa. 6:3), if they had not been taught by the Spirit, how many times would the proclamation of this doxology be honorable? Therefore, if all His angels praise God, and all His powers praise Him, it is by the working of the Spirit. If thousands of thousands of angels and darkness serve before Him, then by the power of the Spirit they carry out the work of their ministry immaculately. Therefore, all this most heavenly and ineffable harmony, both in the service of God and in the mutual agreement of the worldly forces, cannot be preserved except under the control of the Spirit. Thus, in creation, the Holy Spirit is not inherent in creatures gradually perfected, but from the moment of creation already perfect, and imparts to them from Himself grace for the perfection and replenishment of every being (τής ύποστάσεως).” 1576 Saint Gregory the Theologian: “It is characteristic of God, the first and uncomplicated nature, not to sin at all (for simplicity is peaceful and serene), and also, I dare say, of the angelic nature, or the nature closest to God, because of its very closeness.” 1577 “I would like to say that they are motionless towards evil and have one movement towards good, as those who exist around God (for earthly things use secondary illumination); but to recognize and call them not motionless, but unmovable, the Lucifer convinces me by lordship, and for exaltation he became and is called darkness, with the god-apostate forces subordinate to him, who, through their removal from good, became the perpetrators of evil, and we are being drawn into it.” 1578 “The Holy Spirit acted, firstly, in the angelic and heavenly powers, in those who are first in God and around God, for their perfection and illumination, and immobility or immobility towards evil is from none other than the Holy Spirit.” 1579 Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: "You have seen His (the Holy Spirit) power acting throughout the whole world; do not stop on earth, but ascend to heights; ascend with your mind to the first heaven, and look there at the many myriads of angels. Ascend your thoughts, if you can, even higher. Look at the archangels, look at these spirits, look at the powers, look at the principalities, look at the authorities, look at the thrones, look at the dominions. The Comforter of them all is the Ruler from God and the teacher and the Sanctifier.” 1580 “He has life, self-existence; speaks, acts, and is the Sanctifier of all rational beings created by God through Christ, that is, angels and men.” 1581 Ambrose: "Just as in sanctifying the Apostles, the Holy Spirit did not become a partaker of human substance, so in sanctifying angels, principalities and powers, does not partake of creation. And whoever would think that angels have holiness not from the Holy Spirit, but some other grace according to the property of their nature, would in truth recognize angels as inferior to people. For if it is impossible, as everyone agrees, to compare angels with the Holy Spirit and deny that The Holy Spirit is poured out into the hearts of people, and that sanctification from the Spirit is a gift of God, then, of course, there will be people who have the greatest sanctification, who will need to be placed above the angels. But since angels are sent to help people (Heb. 1:14), it must be understood that the nature of angels is higher than human, and more accepting of spiritual grace.” 1582 Saint John of Damascus: “The angels are not accommodating to evil, but they are not entirely inflexible. And now they are completely inflexible, but not by their nature, but by grace and by their everlasting closeness to the one good.” 1583 § 105. God governs the good angels in the service of their God. When it is said that God controls the angels, as well as his creatures in general, this expresses that he directs them to the goal of their existence, or uses them in accordance with their purpose. But “angels, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, are brought from God from non-existence into existence so that they glorify Him and serve Him, and in addition serve people in this world, guiding them to the kingdom of God” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 19). This means that the Almighty’s control of the angels consists in the fact that He uses them in accordance with their purpose: a) to serve oneself and – The service of angels to God is of two kinds: 1) They serve God directly by standing before Him, worshiping Him, and glorifying Him. The Prophet Isaiah saw that the Seraphim stood around the throne of God, and they called out to each other and said: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory (Isa. 6:3). The Prophet Daniel was also honored to see the Ancient of Days sitting on the throne of heaven, when thousands of thousands of angels served him and darkness stood before Him (Dan. 7:10). The psalmist repeatedly calls on the angels to praise the Lord (Ps. 149:2), bless Him (102:20), and worship Him (96:7). The seer of the New Testament testifies to the powers on high: they have no rest day or night, crying out: holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, is and is to come (Rev. 4:8); and in another place: all the Angels stood around the throne... fell on their faces before the throne, and worshiped God, saying: Amen! blessing and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and strength and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen (7:11–12). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church repeat the same thing about the direct service of angels to God: a) Saint Basil the Great: “The business of angels is to glorify God. For the entire heavenly army, one thing is to send glory to the Creator;” 1584 or: “the main and natural goal of their life is to immerse their gaze in the beauty of God and constantly glorify God;” 1585 b) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “second place (according to God) is occupied by the great servants of the highest Light, as close to the original Kindness as the ether is to the sun;” 1586 “they sing songs of God’s greatness, contemplate eternal glory, and, moreover, forever;” 1587 c) Saint Athanasius the Great: “What is the occupation of the heavenly powers? incessant praise and constant love for Divine greatness;” 1588 d) blessed Theodoret: "The service of the angels consists in singing songs of praise. For blessed Isaiah says of the seraphim that they cry to each other and say: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory! (6:3). About the cherubim the divine Ezekiel said that he heard them saying: Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place (3:12);" 1589 e) Saint John of Damascus: “(angels) live in heaven, and they have one job - to sing songs to God and serve His Divine will.” 1590 It must be added that since angels are completely incorporeal spirits, their presence before God, their praise and worship should be understood in a spiritual sense. 2) They serve God as instruments of His providence for the universe. This is confirmed by Holy Scripture when it calls them primarily angels (άγγελός, messenger) (Heb. 1:4–6; 1 Tim. 5, etc.), angels of God (Matthew 22:30; Luke 15:10), angels of the Lord (Matthew 1:20; Acts 5:19; 12:7), i.e. such creatures who are sent by God into the world to carry out His instructions; also calls His forces and His servants doing His will (Ps. 103:20–21), and presents numerous cases of their actual embassy into the world (Gen. Ch. 18:19,28; Dan. 9:21; Luke 1:28; Matt. 1, etc.). This is what the teachers of the Church preach, for example: a) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “of these (angels), some stand before the great God, others support the whole world with their assistance;” 1591 and again: “these minds each accepted one part of the universe, or were assigned to one thing in the world, as this was known to the One Who Arranged and Distributed everything, and they all lead to one end, at the behest of the Creator of all things;” 1592 b) blessed Theodoret: “they not only sing songs of praise, but also serve God in the affairs of His Divine Providence;” 1593 c) Saint John of Damascus: "they are strong and ready to fulfill the will of God, and by the speed of nature they immediately appear everywhere wherever the Divine wave commands. They also protect parts of the earth, rule peoples and places, as assigned by the Creator, arrange our affairs and help us." 1594 In particular, angels serve as instruments of God's providence: 1. About the angelic world itself. From the very beginning, the Lord God, according to the differences in disembodied spirits according to natural powers and perfections, divided them into classes, established a hierarchy or hierarchy between them, so that between them there are higher and lower ranks, there are superiors and subordinates, and some, in relation to their service, are called, for example, principalities, dominions, powers (Col. 1:16), others are archangels (1 Thess. 4:19), and still others are simply angels (1 Peter 3:22) (see § 66 above). As a result of this structure of the upper world, the Almighty rules the angels in no other way than through the angels themselves, and the lower ranks of angels receive enlightenment and sanctification from God in no other way, are they led by Him to the final goal of their existence in no other way than through the higher ones. We have already had occasion to see the sayings of some Holy Fathers about this, such as Athanasius the Great, Ephraim the Syrian and John of Damascus. 1595 Now it is enough to cite, albeit in abbreviation, the thoughts of Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, as the one who most deeply delved into and gained insight into the secrets of the heavenly hierarchy. He specifically says: a) that “the highest hierarchy - seraphim, cherubim and thrones, being especially close to the incomprehensible Being, rules over the second, located further; and the second, which consists of the holy dominions, powers and authorities, guides the hierarchy of principalities, archangels and angels, placed at an even greater distance from the Lord;” 1596 b) that “in every hierarchy, not only the highest and the lowest, but also those in the same rank, there are first, middle and last ranks and forces, and the highest serve as secret guides and leaders for the lower ones;” 1597 c) that this very leadership and activity of the heavenly ranks “is divided into their acceptance and communication to others of true purification, Divine light and improving knowledge: the first hierarchy, located directly around God and near God, receives all this from Him himself, and communicates to the second; the second, no longer receiving from God directly, but from the first, transmits to the third. And therefore - d) the first minds are called perfecting, enlightening and purifying forces in relation to the lower ones, and these latter, through the first, are raised to the highest Principle of everything, and become, if possible, partakers of mysterious purifications, enlightenments and improvements." 1598 In this way - e) “each rank of the hierarchy, to the extent of its strength, takes part in Divine affairs and in providential power through the communication of its powers to the lower ones.” 1599 2. About the material world. At least, in the Apocalypse there are tales about four angels holding the four winds of the earth (7:1), about the angel of the waters (16:5), and about the Angel who has power over fire (14:18). Based on these hints, from ancient times in the Church of Christ there existed, if not a dogmatic teaching, then the opinion that God entrusts angels with the management of parts and elements of the visible world. This thought is expressed by the holy martyr Justin: “God entrusted the care of people and everything under heaven to the angels whom he placed over all this.” 1600 Then even stronger - Athenagoras: “Creator and builder of the world, God divided them (angels) with his word, and placed them over the elements, and over the heavens, and over the world, and over what is in it, and over their structure.” 1601 Next - Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, Gregory the Theologian, Jerome, Augustine, John of Damascus and our Russian saint, Demetrius of Rostov. 1602 Some special angels were accepted, placed over different parts of the organic and inorganic world, 1603 over animals, 1604 over plants, 1605 and in general over all visible objects. 1606 3. About the small world or the human race. In this regard, the holy Apostle Paul speaks clearly about angels: are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14)? But this last type of angelic service, due to its importance and proximity to us, is worth a detailed consideration. § 106. God controls the good angels in the service of people in general. The Orthodox Church teaches about the service of angels to people as follows: “they are given to guard cities, kingdoms, regions, monasteries, churches and people, both spiritual and temporal... In the Old Testament, before the law of Moses was given, angels taught our forefathers the law and the will of God, and showed them the way of salvation; and after, when the law was given, they instructed them and guided them to good... They also announce the works of God - Thus, at the birth of Christ, they revealed to the shepherds that Christ was born in Bethlehem. Moreover, by the command of God, they are with every person everywhere” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 19). From this it can be seen that the ministry of angels to people is divided into three separate spheres. Angels – 1) served the entire human race when they took an active part in the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, or the Church of God, both Old Testament and New Testament; 2) serve human societies: these are guardian angels of kingdoms, regions, churches; 3) serve individuals: these are guardian angels of individuals. The sacred books clearly testify that angels served the entire human race during the establishment of the Church of God on earth: 1. Angels often taught people the will of God even before the Law, during the patriarchal period, when they appeared to the righteous, for example: Abraham (Gen. Ch. 18), Lot (19), Jacob (28:12; 32:1-2), in order to either reveal the future to them, or protect them from destruction, or comfort them and give them a helping hand; and sometimes they were sent in order, according to the righteous judgment of God, to execute sinners, for example, the inhabitants of Sodom (Gen. 19:13), for the admonition and edification of all earthly beings (2 Peter 2:6). 2. Through the mediation or complicity of angels, the law itself, written on tablets, was given to people, as can be seen: a) partly from the legend of Moses that God the Lawgiver appeared at Sinai with tens of saints (Deut. 33:2); b) even more from the words of the first martyr Stephen to the Jews: you who received the law during the ministry of Angels (είς διαταγάς άγγέλων) and did not keep it (Acts 7:53); and – c) from the expression of the holy Apostle Paul that the law was taught through Angels (διαταγείς δι ’ αγγέλων) (Gal. 3:19; cf. Heb. 2:2). 3. Finally. angels often instructed people even after the written law was given to them, appearing to the Prophets, for example, Daniel (9:21), Zechariah (3:1), and revealing to them the will of God regarding human salvation. In the history of the New Testament Church: 1. We see angels as servants of the very Author and Finisher of our faith in all the most important moments of His high service to the human race. Exactly - a) at His appearance on earth, when the angels announced the conception of His Forerunner (Luke 1:28), and His own (Matt. 1:20), announced and glorified His birth (Luke 2:9); b) upon His entry into the public position of teacher, when, after the temptation of the Lord in the desert from the devil, the Angels came and served Him (Matthew 4:11): c) before His death on the cross, with which He redeemed us from the legal oath, in the garden of Gethsemane an Angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him (Luke 22:43); d) during His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:11), from where He sent down the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. 2. The angels also served the holy Apostles, whom the Lord entrusted, ascending into heaven, to complete the establishment of His blessed kingdom on earth, which He himself had begun. Thus, an angel freed the Apostles from prison, where the enemies of the cross of Christ had imprisoned them (Acts 5:19); the angel then freed one apostle Peter from prison (Acts 12:7); an angel taught the pagan Cornelius to invite this apostle to him and receive baptism from him (Acts 10:3); an angel consoled the holy Apostle Paul during a terrible storm at sea, which threatened him and those with him with death (Acts 27:23), and so on. § 107. Guardian angels of human societies. The Lord entrusts entire human societies to angels for safekeeping. 1. There are guardian angels of kingdoms and nations. We find the basis for such a teaching in the book of the prophet Daniel (chapter 10). It is narrated here that one day, when Daniel intensified his prayers to God for the deliverance of the Jews from the Persian yoke, and prayed for three weeks of days (3), the archangel (Gabriel) appeared to him and said: from the first day, as soon as you began to pray, your words were heard, and I would come, according to your words, to the throne of the Most High to intercede for you. 1607 But for twenty-one whole days (i.e. three weeks), while I was praying, together with you, for the liberation of your people from the Persian yoke, the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me (13), and prayed to God to keep the Jews under the dominion of the Persians. And not before Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me in prayerful intercession for the Jews, and I remained there with the kings of Persia. And now I have come to tell you what will happen to your people in the last times (13-14). Now I will return to fight the Prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come (20). However, I will tell you what is written in the true Scripture; and there is no one who would support me in this except Michael, your prince (21). Let us not forget that the one who spoke these words was sent to Daniel from God, from heaven; This means that the event that the heavenly messenger spoke about took place in the heavenly world, where he hurried to return to fight the Prince of Persia. If so, then by the names of the princes of the kingdoms of Persian, Greek and Judean we must understand the princes not of earth, but of heaven, i.e. angels to whom the designated kingdoms were entrusted by God. This is all the more certain because the Jewish prince is directly called Michael, a name that belongs to one of the archangels of the powers on high; and on earth, in the days of Daniel, the Jews had no prince Michael. 1608 On this basis, 1609 the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church constantly taught that there are guardian angels of entire nations, as can be seen from the words: a) Saint Dionysius the Areopagite: “Theology entrusts the priesthood over us to the angels when it calls Michael the prince of the Jewish people, as well as other angels the princes of other nations;” 1610 b) St. Basil the Great: "all angels have both the same name and, of course, the same nature common to all; however, some of them are appointed to rule over nations, and others to be companions to each of the faithful. But to the extent that a whole people is preferable to one person, to the same extent, without a doubt, the dignity of the ruler of the people is necessarily higher, in comparison with the dignity of the angel who is entrusted with the care of one person;" 1611 c) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “each (angel) is given special authority from the Tsar to have people, cities and entire nations under his supervision;” 1612 d) blessed Theodoret: “The divine prophet Daniel says that some of them were entrusted with leadership over the nations: the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me (10:13). He also mentions the prince of the Greeks, and adds that there was no one who could help him intercede before God for the freedom of the Jews, except Michael their prince (Dan. 10:20-21)...; Some of the angels rule over entire nations, and some of them are entrusted with the care of each person, in particular, man;” 1613 e) Saint John of Damascus: “they (angels) protect parts of the earth, rule over peoples and places, as assigned by the Creator;” 1614 and many other holy fathers. 1615 What is the ministry of the angels-rulers of the people? Without a doubt, to promote in every possible way the good of the peoples entrusted to them and protect them or deliver them from all evil; to lead them along the path of civil improvement, and especially to lead them to God, to enlightenment with the saving faith of Christ, if they are not yet enlightened, and along the path of Christian piety, if they are already enlightened - this is self-evidently clear from the concept of God the Provider, entrusting the care of the people to the angels, and from the concept of the good angels themselves, to whom such an assignment is given. “All the angels, says Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, each placed over his people, to God, as to his own beginning, raise, as many as they can, those who willingly obey them; and other peoples (except the Jewish) were ruled not by some alien gods, but by the one Beginning of everything, and the angels, each in charge of his own people, brought their followers to Him.” 1616 “These minds, Saint Gregory the Theologian also notes, have each accepted one part of the universe, or are assigned to one thing in the world, as the One who Arranged and Distributed knew this, and they all lead to one end, at the behest of the Creator of all things.” 1617 The angels-guardians of the people have mainly two means to achieve their goals. The first is intercession before God and prayer for the peoples entrusted to them, as can be seen from the prayerful debate before the throne of God of the angels-rulers of the people, mentioned in chapter 10 of the prophet Daniel, and from another intercession for the people of the Jews by Michael, their prince, which is mentioned further (chapter 12:1). And the prayer of the most perfect spirits and those closest to God, without a doubt, can be stronger and more effective than the prayer of the people themselves and even entire nations. The second is instilling in people, especially kings and other rulers, thoughts and intentions related to the good of the peoples: “so also to Pharaoh, notes Saint Dionysius, by an angel (Gen. 41:1-28) placed over the Egyptians, and to the king of Babylon by his angel in visions was announced about the Providence and power of the Ruler of everything and the Lord over everything.” 1618 And being comparatively more perfect in mind, angels can better know the needs of the kingdoms and peoples entrusted to them, and instill in the rulers of the people the most beneficial advice than what people can instill. 2. There are guardian angels of private churches or societies of believers. An indication of this can be found in the Apocalypse, in the words of the Lord who appeared to John: the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lamps, is this: the seven stars are the Angels of the seven churches (1:20). This clearly speaks of the angels of the churches (the seven of Asia Minor); and although further (in chapters 2 and 3), as one can conclude, this name is acquired by bishops or visible leaders of the designated churches, it is acquired figuratively, and precisely because there are still invisible leaders and overseers of churches, who are the angels of churches in the proper sense. Thus, or in a similar way, they reasoned: a) Origen: “judging by what John wrote in the Apocalypse, an angel is assigned to every church in general;” 1619 b) Saint Gregory the Theologian: “I am sure that a special angel patronizes every church, as John teaches me in the Apocalypse (1:20);” 1620 c) Saint Epiphanius: “John in the Apocalypse to one of the churches or to the Bishop standing in it, with the assistance of the holy angel who is the guardian of the altar, wrote on behalf of Christ the Lord: it is good in you that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate (Rev. 2:6).” 1621 We also find the teaching about angels in charge of communities of believers: a) from Saint Ambrose: “to protect the flock of God, the Lord not only appointed bishops, but also appointed angels;” 1622 b) from Saint Basil the Great, - who wrote to the elders of the Nikopol church: “it grieves you that you have been cast down from the walls; but you are installed in the blood of the heavenly God, and with you is the guardian angel of the church (i.e. Nikopol);” 1623 and others. 1624 The purpose for which God assigns guardian angels to private churches cannot be other than that they should be the leaders of these churches and all their members to the heavenly fatherland; so that, as stronger before God, they intercede at His throne for the verbal flocks entrusted to them, and as wiser ones, they instruct the shepherds themselves and instill in them saving advice for their flock - the correct concepts of God, who entrusts, and about the angels, who are entrusted to guard the community of believers, teach us to think this way. Saint Gregory the Theologian in one place, although in passing, writes the following about this: "The Lord also calls upon the patron angels (for I am sure that a special angel patronizes each church, as John teaches me in the Apocalypse): prepare the way for the people! Level, level the road, remove the stones (Isa. 62:10), so that there are no difficulties and obstacles for My people in the divine procession and entering – now into churches made with hands, and later into the heavenly Jerusalem and into the Holy of Holies there.” 1625 § 108. Guardian angels of private individuals. 1. The doctrine of guardian angels for individuals has solid foundations in Holy Scripture. 1 .1. Traces of this teaching are found in the books of the Old Testament. So the Psalmist, depicting the state of people who fear God and trust in Him, says in one place: The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them (Ps. 33:8); and in another: no evil will befall you, and no plague will come near your dwelling; for He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways (90:10–11). From this it is clear, at least, that God also sends angels to private individuals, who take up arms around those who fear Him and preserve them in all their ways; Consequently, they preserve it constantly, throughout their entire lives, although it is not yet visible that a special, specific angel is assigned to each of these people. 1626 1 .2. In the New Testament, the Savior himself already clearly expresses the idea of ​​special guardian angels for each of those who believe in Him. Answering the question of his disciples: who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? (Matthew 18:1), the Lord called the boy, set him in the midst of them, and said: Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; So whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; and whoever receives one such child (here, obviously, a child in the spiritual sense, i.e., everyone who turns to Christianity will humble himself like this child) in My name, receives Me: and whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble (an even more direct indication is that by little ones or children here we mean believers in Christ, meek and humble in heart), it would be better for him if a millstone were hung on him a millstone around his neck and drowned him in the depths of the sea (2–6). Having then said a few more words about temptations, how numerous and destructive they are in the world, and how to fight them (v. 7–9), the Lord again turned his thoughts to those little ones whom he had just called believers in Him, and concluded: See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven (10). These last words contain a clear teaching that each of the believers in Christ has his own special guardian angel. Because – a) as we saw from the entire course of the Savior’s speech, by little ones or infants He meant precisely His followers, infants in the spiritual sense, and b) this is what He said about them: Their angels (οΐ άγγελοι αυτών), i.e. the angels assigned to each of them are their own angels. In this exact sense, the Savior’s words about the little ones and about the angels were understood by the most famous Fathers of the Church: Basil the Great, Chrysostom and others. 1627 1 .3. As a result of such clear teaching of the Lord himself, faith in the existence of a special guardian angel with every Christian still existed in the Apostolic Church, as shown by the following incident (Acts Chapter 12). The Apostle Peter, by order of Herod, was imprisoned and was under the strongest guard (4). The whole church prayed diligently for his release (5). And then one night, when many had gathered in Mary’s house and were praying (12), the Apostle, having been miraculously brought out of prison by an angel, suddenly comes to this house and knocks on the door. The maid, who ran out to hear the knock, recognizes Peter’s voice, and out of joy, without opening the door, hurries back with the news that Peter has arrived. Struck by the surprise, the Christians did not want to believe the maid, thinking that she was mistaken, and when she insisted on her own, they finally said: “It’s probably not he himself, but his angel,” - they said: this is his Angel (15). What is important here, firstly, is the expression itself: His angel, i.e. a special angel assigned personally to the Apostle Peter; and secondly, the fact that they expressed themselves this way, Consequently, all the Christians who were then in the meeting at prayer believed this way, and there were many of them. 1628 1 .4. Finally, the idea of ​​guardian angels for private individuals can be deduced from the words of the Apostle Paul about angels: are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)? If angels are sent to serve for those who are likely to inherit salvation, and all those who have been baptized into Christ and believe in Him, of course, are among those who want to, then it means that angels are sent to serve each of those who believe in Christ. 2. The Holy Fathers and shepherds of the ancient Church not only unanimously taught that there really are guardian angels for individuals, but, whenever possible, they set out this teaching even in detail. They tried to determine: 1) to whom exactly and from what time a guardian angel is given; 2) whether he has been constantly with the person since then, and - 3) what his very service to the person consists of. 2.1. Holding to the words of the psalmist about the angel of the Lord, who encamps only around those who fear God (Ps. 33:8), also the words of the Savior that the little angels who believe in Him see the face of My Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10), and finally the sayings of the holy Apostle about the sending of angels to those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14), the most famous teachers of the Church concluded that a guardian angel is not given to every person, but only to Christians, and, therefore, is given as soon as they become Christians, i.e. from the time of baptism, and some added that in the Old Testament it was given only to the Jews who believed in the coming Messiah. This idea is expressed, for example: Origen: “to each of us, even the smallest who are only in the Church of God, is assigned a good angel, an angel of the Lord, who instructs, convinces and guides us, who, to correct our affairs and ask for mercy for us, always sees the face of the Heavenly Father, as the Lord said in the Gospel.” 1629 Saint Basil the Great: “An angel is assigned to each of the faithful, worthy of seeing the Heavenly Father;” 1630 and in another place: “that with each of the faithful there is an angel who, as a teacher and shepherd, governs his life, no one will argue against this, remembering the words of the Lord, who said: Do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10). And the Psalmist says: The Angel of the Lord encamps around him. those who fear Him (Ps. 33:8).” 1631 Saint John Chrysostom: "Formerly the angels were according to the number of nations, but now according to the number of believers. How is this known? Listen to what Christ says: See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10). Know that every one of the faithful has an angel, and every one of the righteous of old had an angel, as he says Jacob: Let the angel who delivers me from all evil bless these youths (Gen. 48:16).” 1632 Saint Ambrose: “God sends his angels to protect and assist those who have acquired the right to inherit the promised blessings in the future life.” 1633 Saint Anastasius of Sinaite: “those who have been worthy of baptism and fly to the heights of virtues have been given by God angels who care for them and assist them in enlightenment... The Lord assures us of this when he says that everyone who believes in Him has guardian angels.” 1634 Similar thoughts about guardian angels are found in the writings of many other teachers of the Church. 1635 But some expressed these thoughts in less definite terms when they said that a guardian angel is given to every person, 1636 or that an angel is assigned to the soul from the very birth of a person. 1637 2.2. Based on the same words of the Psalmist that angels encamp only around those who fear God (Ps. 33:8), the ancient teachers of the Church concluded: a) that a guardian angel is with every believer constantly, throughout his entire life, as long as he remains fearful of God; And b) that the guardian angel sometimes leaves a Christian when he ceases to fear God and falls into wickedness, or otherwise, that our sins can drive our angels away from us. This is how they reasoned, for example: a) Basil the Great: “The angel of the Lord takes up arms around those who fear Him, - the angel will not retreat from all those who believe in the Lord, unless we drive him away ourselves with bad deeds; for, just as smoke drives away bees, and stench drives away doves, so the guardian of our life - the angel is driven away by lamentable and stinking sin;” 1638 and in another place: “since each of us has a holy angel who takes up arms around those who fear the Lord, he can, after being convicted of sins, become guilty of disaster; the wall will no longer cover him, that is, the protection of the holy powers, which, while they remain with a person, keep those protected by them invincible;” 1639 b) Hilary: “if the little angels daily see the face of our Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10): then can we not fear the testimony of those who daily, as we know, are with us and stand before God?;” 1640 c) Evagrius: “the wicked separates himself from the angel given to him from childhood, because spiritual friendship is possible only with virtue and knowledge of God, through which we enter into fellowship with the holy angels.” 1641 2 .3. Finally, according to the words of St. Paul: Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve for those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14), the teachers of the Church believed that in general “the service of angels (guardians) to us consists in, according to the will of God, promoting our salvation.” 1642 In particular, they said that angels are: a) Our faithful guides in faith and piety (2 Kings 1:3,15–17; Zech. 2:3; Judges 2:1–6). “(Angels) are our accomplices in understanding the commandments and will of God, writes Hilary, bringing us blessed peace... Our eyes are raised to them: because through them, through instructions, the ascent of the mind to the highest and eternal takes place.” 1643 “When I longed for great success,” John Climacus testifies of himself, then in this case an angel who appeared to me enlightened me.” 1644 b) Guardians of our souls and bodies (Ps. 91:10–11). This includes evidence: aa) Basil the Great: "just as city walls, surrounding the city, repel enemy attacks from everywhere; so an angel serves as a wall in front, protects from behind, and leaves nothing uncovered on both sides. Therefore, a thousand will fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand; but the blow of any enemy will not come close to you (Ps. 90:7), for he will command his angels about you (11);” 1645 bb) Ambrose: “Christ’s servants are protected from adversity more by those who are invisible, i.e. angels, than by those who are visible;” 1646 cc) Hilaria: “with our weakness, we could not withstand all the evil attacks of so many spiritual enemies if angels had not been given to us for protection;” 1647 d) Theodore the Studite: “You have the Lord near you, whom you love, and you also have an angel, the guardian of your life, whose service is to deliver you from all evils.” 1648 c) Our prayer books and intercessors before God (Matt. 18:10; Rev. 8:3; Tob. 12:15–20). This is how they are portrayed: a) Hilary: “It is an indisputable truth that angels are present at the prayers of the faithful; thus the prayers of people saved by Christ are daily lifted up by angels to God;” 1649 b) Nile, disciple of St. John Chrysostom: “Indeed, as holy angels exhort us to prayer and stand with us, rejoicing together and praying for us;” 1650 c) John Climacus: “When, during any utterance of your prayer, you feel inner pleasure, or tenderness, then dwell on it: for then the guardian angel prays with us.” 1651 .d) They do not leave us at the very end and take the souls of the dead to the land of eternity (Luke 16:22). They write about this: a) Theodore the Studite: “always keep in your mind the thought of death...; think about the very separation of the soul from the body, - a separation that will be under the commanding supervision of your angel; think about the subsequent transfer of the soul to the heavenly land;” 1652 b) Cyril of Alexandria: “it (the soul) is supported by holy angels in the procession through the air, and, rising, meets the ordeals that guard the sunrise, hold and stop the ascending souls;” 1653 c) Hilary: “The righteous are filled with joy when, having been taken by the angels to the abode of eternal peace, they turn their thoughts to the reward deserved by sinners.” 1654 3. Against the objections made by the wrong-minded regarding the service of angels to people in general, let us note: 3.1. That this service cannot at all be called unnecessary given the existence of God’s providence, because angels are only instruments of God’s providence, and Providence generally acts in the world in two ways, not only directly, with its omnipotent power, but also through creatures subordinate to Him. Thus, God provides for the kingdoms of the earth (Dan. 4:14,22); but he supplies kings and other lower authorities with visible instruments of his industry (Rom. 13-4). He also provides for his holy Church (Eph. 1:22); but apparently he controls it through shepherds and teachers (Acts 20:28). He also provides for the nature we see (Matthew 6:26,30); but it warms it and lives it through the light of the sun and other agents of nature itself (Matthew 5:45). In the same way, He can provide angels as invisible instruments of His care for people. 3.2 That this service of angels to people is not in the least humiliating for the former - just as it is not humiliating for kings to care about the good of their subjects, and therefore, to serve them; it is not humiliating for shepherds to serve their flock; for mentors - to serve the youth guided by them; in general, for those in command - to serve those who are entrusted to their superior supervision and care. It is not humiliating for angels to serve people, especially after the Son of God himself deigned to descend to earth and become incarnate in order to serve people and give His soul (Matthew 20:28). 3 .3. That in this service of angels to people should be seen the care of God's providence for the angels themselves. Here He opens before them a vast and completely worthy field for activity, for exercising and developing their strength, for performing high feats of the purest and most ardent love, for discovering in countless cases self-sacrifice, condescension towards sinners, patience and many other properties. Therefore, just as the ministry of Christ the Savior to sinful people led Him to glory (Luke 24:26), and in the very deeds of this ministry He already saw His glory (John 13:31); Likewise, the service of angels to the sinful human race contributes at the same time to their own glory - it gives them reasons for new, higher merits before the infinite truth of God, and reveals the perfection of the spirits serving us before the whole moral world. § 109. God only allows the activities of evil angels. Promoting good angels in their good activities, and governing them in accordance with the purpose of their existence. The Lord God only allows the evil activity of evil angels, and limits it, directing, if possible, its consequences to good goals. About this evil activity of fallen spirits, which God’s Providence only allows because it does not want to restrict their freedom, this is how the Orthodox Church teaches: “they (evil spirits) are the perpetrators of all wickedness, blasphemers of Divine greatness, corrupters of human souls... However, they cannot use violence against a single person... unless God allows them” (Orthodox Confessions, part 1, answer to the question. 21). That is, the devil acts: 1) as an enemy of God, and together - 2) as an enemy of man. 1). The devil expresses enmity against his Creator primarily by the fact that he has always tried and is trying to destroy the kingdom of God on earth, establishing his own kingdom in its place, and thus stealing from people the honor that belongs to the only God. For this reason 1 .1. The Savior Himself called the devil His enemy, who sows tares in the field where He, the Son of man, sows good seed (Matthew 13:37,39); the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), who has his own kingdom, completely opposite to the kingdom of God (Matthew 12:26,28), and expressed the idea that this power of Satan is paganism (Acts 26:18) and in general the sinful state of people whose father is the devil (John 8:44). 1 .2. The Holy Apostles called the devil and the angels his principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12); his kingdom is the power of death (Heb. 2:14), the power of darkness, opposite to the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1:13), and they argued that all the activities of evil spirits are aimed at maintaining paganism and wickedness among people, and opposing the successes of Christianity (Rev. 2:9,13 and 24; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Cor. 4:4). 1 .3. The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church also asserted that the devil reigned in the pagan world; 1655 that before the coming of Christ “all nations were under the rule of demons, temples were built for demons, altars were erected for demons, priests were provided for demons, sacrifices were made to demons;” 1656 that the spirits of malice dwelt in the pagan idols, enjoying the blood and incense of sacrifices and the divine honor inappropriate for them; 1657 that they deceived the human race with the fables of poets, 1658 mysteries, 1659 soothsayers, 1660 fortune-telling; 1661 and that even now after the coming of Christ, just as He - Christ is the Head of His grace-filled kingdom - the Church, so the devil is the head and leader of all the wicked who do his lusts. 1662 2) The devil’s enmity against people consists in the fact that - 2.1. He, being a murderer from time immemorial, i.e. having tempted our forefathers in paradise (John 8:44), from that time on he has not ceased to tempt and incline each person to moral evil by all possible means. According to the teaching of the Word of God, he walks like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8): in some, he blinds the mind, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ does not shine for them (2 Cor. 4:4); for others, for whom this light has already shone, it takes the word out of their hearts, so that they do not believe and are saved (Luke 8:12); thirdly, like the pious Job (Job 1ff.), by God’s permission, he is persecuted by disasters and will throw you from among you into prison in order to tempt you (Rev. 2:10), etc. a) “he (the devil), since evil entered through crime, has gained free entry into the soul in order to talk to it every day, as a person speaks to a person, and to offer it absurd things;” 1663 b) “and our battle is with the enemy, who is fighting and opposing us within us, who, using weapons against us ourselves (which is the most terrible thing!), betrays us to sinful death;” 1664 c) “he looks out for everyone’s habits, notes inclinations, recognizes passions, and attacks from the side where he sees more convenience for himself;” 1665 d) “using sometimes naturally occurring movements, and sometimes forbidden passions, through them he tries to lead those who are not awake over himself into affairs inherent in passions;” 1666 e) “in everything and to everyone, in order to subjugate oneself with this adaptation, and under a plausible pretext to prepare their destruction.” 1667 In general, the Holy Fathers and ascetics, who from their own experience knew the machinations of the tempter, teach about the temptations of the devil in great detail and with full confidence in their reality. 1668 Some of the teachers of the Church believed that one specific tempting spirit was assigned to each person, just like a guardian angel; 1669 but this was only a private opinion. 2.2. He or his demons often even took possession, by God’s permission, 1670 and take possession of a person in order to torment him. The Gospel stories about demoniacs undoubtedly convince us of this: a) The Savior Himself looked at the demon-possessed as people who actually had demons within them, and therefore, when he talked with the demon-possessed, he directed his words not to people, but directly to the demons, clearly called them unclean spirits and commanded them to come out of people: come out, O unclean spirit, from this man (Mark 5:8; cf. 1:25); the spirit is mute and deaf! I command you, come out of it and do not enter it again (Mark 9:25). b) The demons who were in people, as real beings and separate from those persons in whom they lived, recognized the Son of God in Christ, and trembled at His power and authority over them, crying out: what have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? You came here ahead of time to torment us (Matt. 8:29; Mark 5:7); and one day they asked Him to allow them, when they came out of man, to enter into swine (Luke 8:32–33). c) When the Savior’s enemies reproached Him, as if He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Luke 11:15). The Savior answered: every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate, and a house divided against itself will fall; if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? (17–18). And continuing his speech further, he said: when the unclean spirit leaves a person, it walks through waterless places, looking for rest, and, not finding it, says: I will return to my house from where I came; and, having arrived, finds it swept and put away; then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and live there - and for that person the last thing is worse than the first (24-26). d) When the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast out the unclean spirit from one demoniac, the Lord answered: this generation cannot come out except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). When the seventy disciples, returning from preaching, joyfully said to Him: Lord! and the demons are subject to us in Thy name, He answered: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:17–18). Sending his eleven disciples to preach worldwide, He, among other things, said: These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons;... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18). e) From the book of the Acts of the Apostles we know that the Apostles also cast out unclean spirits from people, for example, the Apostle Paul cast out one young girl when he turned and said to the spirit: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her. And the spirit went out that same hour (Acts 16:18). f) Sacred writers, in their tales about the possessed, clearly distinguish them from people possessed by diseases. For example, the Evangelist Matthew confesses: and having called His twelve disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out and heal every disease and every infirmity (10:1); Evangelist Mark: when evening came, when the sun set, they brought to Him all the sick and demon-possessed... And He healed many who suffered from various diseases; cast out many demons, and did not allow the demons to say that they knew that He was the Christ (1:32-34); Evangelist Luke: those who came to listen to Him and be healed of their illnesses, also those suffering from unclean spirits; and were healed (6:18); or: many from the surrounding cities also converged on Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those possessed by unclean spirits, who were all healed (Acts 5:16). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church not only unanimously recognized all the demoniacs mentioned in the Gospel as actually possessed by unclean spirits, not only confessed that in their time there were such demoniacs and always could be, but they boldly pointed out to the pagans themselves the numerous experiences of how Christians cast out unclean spirits from people, according to the power granted by the Savior, they boldly said: “And now you can learn from what is happening before your eyes. For many of our people, Christians, who were possessed by spirits throughout the world and in your city, conjuring in the name of Jesus Christ, crucified under Pontius Pilate, healed and are now still being healed, while no other spells, neither magic nor healing could heal them." 1671 “We not only despise demons, but we also conquer and put them to shame and drive them out of people every day, as so many know.” 1672 “Let someone appear here before your courts, undoubtedly possessed by a demon: this spirit, at the command of any Christian, will speak, and truly confess that he is a demon, while in another place he falsely calls himself god.” 1673 “Most of you know all this, that the demons themselves bear witness to themselves, how many times we have driven them out of our bodies by the torture of words and the flame of prayer.” 1674 “Many Christians cast out demons from those possessed by them, and they do this without any aid of magic or sorcery, but with prayers and simple spells.” 1675 § 110. God has limited and limits the activity of evil spirits, directing it, moreover, to good consequences. However, allowing the evil activity of fallen spirits, so as not to deprive them of freedom, the Lord God, as infinitely righteous and wise, limited and limits it, but so that it produces, if possible, a good consequence. 1). Restricted and limits: 1 .1. Because as soon as the evil spirits fell, He subjected them to deserved punishment, and having bound them with the bonds of hellish darkness, He handed them over to be judged for punishment (2 Peter 2:4). Whatever this punishment of the sinned angels may be, it is not yet final, but they now cannot help but feel that the One against whom they dared to rebel is powerful to destroy them in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28); they know that they are reserved by Him for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6), when they will have to give an account of all their deeds; and Consequently, the more they now allow themselves to be at enmity against God and against people, the more they will then be condemned. 1676 1 .2. Because in part it has already destroyed and continues to destroy the kingdom of the spirits of evil on earth. For this reason, by the way, the Son of God took on our flesh and blood, in order by death to deprive him of the power of the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14); then he appeared into the world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Coming out for his solemn sermon, He openly testified: Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out (John 12:31); He even testified, after repeated experiments of his power over demons, when expelling them from people: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18). Having then, indeed, by his death abolished him who had the power of death, having bound the strong man (Matt. 12:29) by his descent into hell, and, after his resurrection, sending the Apostles to open the eyes of them (people) so that they would turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and by faith in Me they would receive forgiveness of sins and a lot with the sanctified (Acts. 26:18), Our Savior further destroyed this area of ​​Satan, and since then, from century to century, by the unceasing spread of his grace-filled kingdom, the constant revival and sanctification by his grace of the former sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2) and the children of the devil (1 John 3:10), has reduced and does not cease to reduce his dominion in the human race. 1677 1 .3. Because His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), with the help of which we can quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one (Eph. 6:16) - and the most reliable means of resisting the devil and defeating him, which are: a) Calling on His most holy name: These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons (Mark 16:17). And indeed, “the powers of the name of Christ, let’s say with the holy martyr Justin, the demons tremble and are terrified; and even now, conjured by the name of Jesus Christ crucified, they obey us;” 1678 or together with Saint Gregory the Theologian: “To this day demons still tremble at the name of Christ; the power of this name is not weakened by our vices.” 1679 b) Prayer, fasting and spiritual vigilance: this generation, the Savior said about the spirits of malice, this generation cannot come out except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29); watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41). “Whoever wrestles is not against flesh and blood, writes Saint Basil the Great, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12), therefore it is necessary to prepare for the feat by abstinence and fasting;” 1680 and in another place: “when the devil begins to plot his machinations, and with great force tries to let his thoughts into a silent and at rest soul, like some kind of kindled arrows, to suddenly ignite it, and produce in it long-lasting and ineradicable memories of someone once impressed in it, then such attacks must be repelled with sobriety and the greatest attentiveness, just as a fighter with the strictest caution and with the resourcefulness of the body he deflects the blows of the opponents, and yet everything, that is, the cessation of the battle and the reflection of arrows, should be attributed to prayer and calling on help from above. For this is what Paul teaches us, saying: and above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one; (Eph. 6:16).” 1681 “When the devil sees, Saint John Chrysostom also notes, that we are awake and sober, then, thinking how in vain he will work, he moves away from us and hides.” 1682 c) Using the sign of the cross with faith in the heart. "Not just with a finger, the same Holy Father commands, you must depict it (the cross), but this must be preceded by a heartfelt disposition and complete faith. If you depict it on your face in this way, then not a single unclean spirit will be able to approach you, seeing the sword with which he was wounded, seeing the weapon from which he received a mortal wound. For if we look with trepidation at those places where criminals are executed, then imagine how horrified the devil and demons are, seeing the weapon with which Christ destroyed all their strength and cut off the head of the serpent.” 1683 1 .4. Finally, because he never allows the devil to tempt us more than we can bear. God is faithful, the holy Apostle Paul wrote to his Corinthian children, God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength, but when tempted will also give relief, so that you can endure it (1 Cor. 10:13). And no matter how much the Lord allowed the devil to tempt his servant Job, but with all this he set a limit to the actions of the evil tempter: And the Lord said to Satan: behold, everything that he has is in your hand; only do not stretch out your hand against him (Job 1:12). With this arrangement of affairs, the devil by no means forcibly draws us to sin: “he could not, says St. John Chrysostom, convince Job, despite countless temptations, to utter even one blasphemous word; hence it is clear that it is in our power to follow or not to follow his advice, and that we do not tolerate any violence from him, no tyranny (τυραννίδα).” 1684 “He harms us, according to St. Augustine, not by forcing us to do evil, but only by advice, does not extort our consent, but asks for it.” 1685 Therefore, with one firm resistance to his advice, we can drive him away from us: resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). And if the struggle with him is difficult, then only for those weak in faith: “for those who love God with all their souls, fighting him (the devil) is nothing, but for those who love the world it is difficult and unbearable,” testifies St. Ephraim the Syrian. 1686 2) The goal for which the Lord allows all the tricks of the original deceiver, who seeks our destruction, is our moral benefit, our salvation. For the temptations of the devil, like all temptations allowed to us by God: 2.1. They often serve as medicine to heal us from spiritual illnesses, or they are punishments for our previous sins, in order to admonish us, to keep us from new sins and to save us from greater, eternal punishments: for this reason, the holy Apostle wrote to the Corinthians, many of you are weak and sick, and many are dying. For if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. Having been judged, we are punished by the Lord, so as not to be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:30-32). This type of temptation includes, in particular, those when demons, by God’s permission, inhabit a person and torment him. "God, a lover of mankind, says Saint Basil the Great, uses the cruelty of them (demons) to heal us, just as a wise doctor uses the venom of a viper to heal the sick. For such are delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved (1 Cor. 5:5). But Figellus and Hermogenes (2 Tim. 1:15) are also delivered by Paul to Satan, so that they learned not to blaspheme (1 Tim. 1:20 );” 1687 and in another place: “because the devil has become an apostate, an enemy of God, and an enemy of men created in the image of God (for the same reason he is a misanthrope, for which he is a fighter against God; he hates us as creatures, and hates us as God’s likeness); then the wise and prudent Steward of human affairs took advantage of his cunning to teach our souls, just as a doctor uses the venom of the viper as part of his saving medicine." 1688 In the same way, Saint Chrysostom argues: "by the punishments or disasters sent to us by God in this life, future torments are not a little alleviated for us. Evidence for this can be given from Scripture. Paul (when I speak about Paul, I mean the commandments of Christ himself, because this blessed soul was moved by Him), when writing to the Corinthians about the fornicator, commands that he be given over to the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5:5). Do you see the indescribable love for mankind and the wealth of kindness? You see how God uses every means so that we, having sinned, suffer a punishment lighter than we deserve, or even get rid of it completely.” 1689 2.2. They protect us from spiritual pride and teach us humility, without which there can be no true virtue. This thought was expressed by the holy Apostle when he said about himself: so that I would not be exalted by the extraordinaryness of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, the angel of Satan, to depress me, so that I would not become exalted. Three times I prayed to the Lord to remove him from me. But the Lord said to me: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast much more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me (2 Cor. 12:7-9). And Saint John of Damascus notes on this occasion: “in some cases, God allows a saint to endure evil, so that the Saint does not fall away from the right conscience, or fall into arrogance because of the powers and grace given to him; so it was with Paul (2 Cor. 12:7).” 1690 2 .3. They provide us with the most convenient opportunity to testify to the firmness of our faith and trust in God, and to become more and more strengthened in goodness. Even the wise son of Sirach said: for gold is tested in fire, and people pleasing to God are tested in the crucible of humiliation (Sir. 2:5). And the holy Apostle Peter wrote to Christians: in this you rejoice, although now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various temptations, so that the tested faith of your faith, more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7). This is how the Holy Fathers of the Church looked at temptation. For example: Basil the Great: "the very sorrows, by the will of the Lord who visits us with them, happen to the servants of God not in vain, but to experience through experience true love for the God who created us. For just as the struggles raised during exploits lead to crowns, so Christians' testing in temptations leads to perfection, if we accept the Lord's orders for us with due patience and with all thanksgiving." 1691 Saint John Chrysostom argues even more specifically: "if anyone says: why did God not destroy the ancient tempter, (we will answer that) and He did this out of great care for us. For if the evil one had taken possession of us by force, then this question would have some validity; but since he does not have such power, but only tries to persuade us (while we may not bow down), then why do you eliminate the reason for merit and reject the means to achieve crowns?... God left the devil so that those who were already defeated by him would overthrow him, so that the valiant would have the opportunity to discover their (strong) will... The devil is evil for himself, and not for us: we, if we want, can acquire through him a lot of good, of course, against his will and desire: this is where a special miracle and an unusually great thing is revealed God’s love for mankind... When the evil one frightens and confuses us, then we come to our senses, then we know ourselves, then we resort to God with great zeal.” 1692 4. And therefore, they provide us with the most convenient opportunity to achieve greater and greater rewards from the righteous Rewarder: Blessed is the man who endures temptation, because, having been tested, he will receive the crown of life (James 1:12). “God, who disposes of our affairs,” says Saint Basil the Great, “delivers more important cases for glorification to those who are able to endure great struggles.” 1693 “Therefore, the more you undergo trials, the more valuable your reward from the righteous Judge.” 1694 § 111. Moral application of dogma. 1. And the angels of God, from the lowest to the highest, despite the perfection of their mind, need insights and enlightenment from the Sun of truth, and with all the perfection of their will, if they are firm in goodness, then they are firm only by the grace of the Almighty; Isn’t enlightenment from the Lord all the more necessary for our minds, less perfect and darkened by sin? Isn’t the grace of God all the more necessary for our will, weak and corrupted? Let us learn not to dream highly about the powers of our mind or will, but, in a sense of humility, captivating our minds in the obedience of faith, with gratitude to use the Revelation that the Lord has given us, and those means through which He communicates His grace to us. 2. The angels of God, more perfect than us by their very nature, have, moreover, such a high and such beneficial service for us - they are the closest servants of the Most High, directly surrounding His throne and doing His will; they are instruments of His providence for different parts of the universe, especially for human societies and for each of the people, they preserve us from enemies visible and invisible, they guide us on the path of truth and righteousness, they intercede for us before God with their prayers, and accompany those who have died in faith even to the afterlife. As a result of all this, out of a sense of justice and grateful love, out of awareness of the beneficialness of angelic service for us, we undertake to honor the angels (Joshua 5:14; Judges 13:20; Dan. 10:9; Rev. 22:8–9), and call on them in our prayers, as the Holy Church teaches us, 1695 to sanctify those established in their honor festivals, to honor the churches dedicated to them, to bow reverently before their sacred images. 1696 3. But, paying veneration to the angels and calling upon them in prayers, let us not forget that they are only the servants of the Almighty and the beneficent instruments of His fatherly providence for us. Consequently, we must honor them in such a way that all honor primarily relates to them and our Lord, and not at all to idolize them themselves, not to give them Divine worship; guard in every possible way from that destructive superstition, from which the Apostle protected Christians in 1697 and which was later condemned by the Council of Laodicea as incompatible with serving the one, true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. 1698 4. In particular, remembering the relationship of our guardian angels to us, let us learn: a) listen to them as our faithful mentors on the path of truth and goodness, and for this purpose always have an open mind and heart to accept their good suggestions; b) turn to them with prayer in all our needs and misfortunes, as our representatives before God and the guardians of our souls and bodies; 1699 c) love them and thank them for all the tender and caring love with which they serve us sinners, and for all the benefits they show us; d) do not upset them with your inattention and bad deeds, on the contrary, please them with your turn to God and a virtuous life (Luke 15:10). 5. Finally, in relation to the evil spirits that the Lord sometimes allows to tempt us for our own good, let us remember: a) the Savior’s instruction: watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (Matthew 26:41); and – b) the instruction of the Apostle: put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil... Stand therefore, having girded your loins with the truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of preaching peace; and above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Make every prayer and supplication at all times in the Spirit (Eph. 6:11,14-18). We have enough means to resist the devil and defeat him! And if we fall in the struggle, if we sin; Let us not fear evil, let us not give in to despair: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous (1 John 2:1). Let us only call on Him, with sincere repentance for our fall and with sincere faith, and He will raise us up and again clothe us in full armor so that we can resist our primordial enemy. 2.2. To the material world. § 112. Connection with previous topics. That the material world, like the spiritual world, could not continue its existence and would turn into insignificance if God did not constantly preserve it, this is self-evident. But the assistance and control of God do not seem to be as necessary in the material world as they are necessary in the spiritual: there, in the kingdom of disembodied spirits, reason and freedom operate, conscious forces, which, for various reasons and arbitrariness, can deviate from truth and goodness, and therefore need assistance and direction from a higher Power; here, in the kingdom of dead nature, only mechanical forces act, which are never able to arbitrarily evade those laws of necessity to which they are subject. Consequently, it seems that it was enough to start this huge machine at the beginning, and then only maintain it, so that it would naturally flow towards its intended goal. a) mechanical forces, taken all together, as limited forces, acting incessantly, necessarily need reinforcement, refreshment and assistance from the Infinite Power; b) with the extreme enormity of the material world, with the diversity and even opposition of the forces and elements acting in it, although according to the laws of necessity, but blindly and unconsciously, clashes of forces, a struggle of elements could inevitably occur in it, if all this were not constantly controlled by a higher intelligent Power; c) the physical world, by the way, is intended to serve as a home for many moral beings; and therefore it is natural that the course of life in it, among other things, should be consistent with the course of life and the nature of the activities of these creatures, whether as a reward for their virtues, or as punishment for sins. And therefore, it is necessary that the mechanical forces of nature, subject to the laws of necessity, should be at the disposal of the One who rules the moral world and can change their direction according to his wise plans. Divine revelation, indeed, teaches us that God also assists or helps the beings of the material world in their lives, and that He controls them. § 113. God assists the beings of the visible world. The Holy Scriptures express this truth very clearly: 1. When he imagines in general that visible creatures are only, as it were, instruments of the power of the Almighty, and He actually acts in them and through them produces everything: the Lord... transforms the shadow of death into a clear morning, and makes the day dark as night (Amos. 5:8); You build Your heavenly palaces over the waters, You make the clouds Your chariot, You walk on the wings of the wind (Ps. 103:3), fire and hail, snow and fog, the stormy wind that fulfills His word (Ps. 149:8), everything serves You (Ps. 119:91). 2. When he points out in detail the traces of His assistance to one or another visible creature, testifying: a) that You have sent springs into the valleys..., You will water the mountains from Your heights (Ps. 103:10–13); b) because You bring forth grass for livestock, and greenery for the benefit of man, the trees of the Lord, the cedars of Lebanon, are satisfied (Ps. 103 and 16); c) that He gives food to the cattle and the raven's chicks that call on Him (Ps. 147:9), clothes the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:28), feeds the birds of the air (26); d) that He counts the number of stars; calls them all by their names (Ps. 147:4); He raises clouds from the ends of the earth, creates lightning in the rain, brings out the wind from His storehouses (Ps. 134:7), etc. The Fathers and writers of the Church portrayed these truths very specifically, for example: a) Saint John Chrysostom: “When you see the rising of the sun or the flow of the moon, when you see lakes, rivers, rains and the action of nature seen in seeds, in our bodies and in the bodies of irrational animals, you see everything that this world consists of, then recognize the continuous work of the Father - He commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unjust (Matt. 5:45 );” 1700 b) Lactantius: “not comprehending the art of God’s power in arranging the paths of the stars, philosophers considered the stars themselves to be animals, as if they carried out their course with their feet and according to their own will, and not with the will and assistance of God;” 1701 c) Saint Athanasius the Great: “by the wave and power of the ruler and manager of the universe, God the Word, the sky rotates, the stars move, the sun shines, the moon wanders, the air warms, the winds blow, the mountains stand motionless, the sea is agitated, and everyone living in it is nourished...; in a word, everything comes to life and moves, fire warms, water refreshes, springs break out of the earth, flow out. rivers, seasons alternate, rains fall, clouds fill, there is hail, snow, ice, birds fly, snakes crawl, hydrogen floats, the earth is seeded and sprouts in its season, plants and trees grow;” 1702 d) Saint Ambrose: "the wisdom of the Lord penetrates everything, arranges everything, and this is much better proven by the feelings of irrational creatures than by the competition of rational ones, for the evidence of nature is stronger than the proof of science. Every animal knows how to protect its life, namely: if there is strength, through resistance; if there is speed, through flight; if there is cunning, through precautions. Who taught them to eat and gave information about herbs? We and people are often deceived by the appearance plants, and for the most part we find harmful those of them that we consider useful... Animals, by smell alone, are able to distinguish what is harmful to them and what is useful 1703. One should not, however, think that in the material world God is alone and acts directly; no, He only promotes those powers that He Himself gave to nature, and those laws that He laid down in the beginning in the form of statutes of heaven and earth (Jer. 33:25), and according to which, since then, with the assistance of God, everything flows unchanged, so that all the days of the earth, sowing and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease (Gen. 8:22). § 114. God rules the visible world. In the truth that the visible world, in all its parts, even the smallest, is at the complete disposal of the wise Ruler, the Word of God assures us, in addition to general testimonies about the rule of God (1 Chron. 29:11-12; Wis. 8:1; 14:13), in particular: 1. Numerous legends about the miracles of God in the world, which more than once stopped or stopped the ordinary flow of things, and which, undoubtedly, would have been impossible if God had not ruled the universe. This is how He once stopped the waters of the sea: Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters parted (Ex. 14:21). Stopped the flow of the sun and moon: Jesus cried out to the Lord... stand, O sun, over Gibeon, and moon, over the valley of Aijalon! And the sun stood still, and the moon stood... (Joshua 10:12–13). He even turned back the flow of time: and Isaiah the prophet cried to the Lord, and brought the shadow back on the steps... ten steps (2 Kings 20-11). 2. The teaching about the power of faith and prayer, with which the people of God, according to the promise of the Savior himself, can, and indeed did, produce the same miracles in the order of nature. Truly I say to you, the Savior testifies that if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but if you also say to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” it will happen; and whatever you ask in prayer in faith, you will receive (Matthew 21:21–22). Elijah was a man like us, and he prayed with prayer that there would be no rain: and there was no rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again: and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit (James 5:17–18). The Holy Fathers and pastors of the Church also taught that God rules the material world. For example: St. Clementius of Rome: "The heavens, moved by His rule, obey Him in the world - day and night they follow the path prescribed to them, without interfering with each other. The sun, the moon and the faces of the stars, at His command, rotate in agreement within the limits assigned to them, without deviating in the least from the path. The fruit-bearing earth, according to His will, grows in its time abundant food for people, animals and everyone who is on to animals, without transforming or changing the laws prescribed from Him. The unsearchable and incomprehensible laws of the abyss and the underworld are held by the same commands. The boundless sea, according to His design, gathered into containers, does not act beyond the barriers set for it, but does as He commanded it. yours (Job 38:11). The ocean, impassable for people, and the worlds beyond it, are governed by the same commands of the Lord. The seasons - spring, summer, autumn and winter - follow each other calmly, in their own direction, in their own time, without stopping. Never-ending springs, built for pleasure and health, constantly supply people with the moisture they need for their lives. Finally, the smallest animals form a society peacefully and harmoniously among themselves. The great Creator and Lord of everything contains all this in harmony and peace, and does good to everyone.” 1704 Saint Athanasius of Alexandria: "by combining together the beginning of material nature, heat and cold, moisture and dryness, He (God the Word) produces that they are not at enmity with each other, but form a single harmonious harmony. Through Him and His power, neither fire is in conflict with cold, nor moisture with dry land, but, being opposite by their very nature, are together as friendly and related, and are principles existence for bodies. For just as some virtuoso, tuning a lyre and skillfully combining high, middle and low sounds, produces one harmonious song, so God, containing the universe with his wisdom, like a lyre, and combining the airy with the earthly, the heavenly with the airy, and controlling everything with his will and wave, wonderfully and beautifully maintains a single world and a single order.” 1705 Saint Gregory the Theologian: "God, as soon as he created the world, from the very first moment, according to great and immutable laws, moves and leads it, like a head of water walking in circles under attack. For the nature of this vast and beautiful world is not spontaneous, to which it is impossible to imagine anything similar, and for so long it has not been left to spontaneous laws... And the face of the singers will be upset if no one they are not ruled. It is not typical for the universe to have any other ruler than the one who created it.” 1706 Blazh. Theodorite: “look at the nature of visible creatures, at their position, order, standing, movement, proportionality, benefit, beauty, variety, change, pleasantness... Look at the providence of God that appears in every part of the world..., in the sky and in the celestial bodies, the sun, the moon and stars, in the air and in the clouds, on the earth and in the sea, and in what exists on earth - in plants, herbs and seeds; in intelligent animals and unreasonable, walking on the earth and flying, aquatic, reptiles and amphibians, meek and wild, tame and untamed. Consider with yourself: who maintains the heavenly circles? How does the sky stand for so many millennia and does not grow old because of its longevity, although it has a nature capable of change, according to the teachings of the blessed David (Ps. 101:27-28)? It has a changeable and perishable essence, but remains to this day as it was created, because it is protected by the power of the Creator, for the Word that created it preserves it and controls it, giving it constancy and firmness as long as He pleases.” 1707 § 116. Moral application of dogma. The confidence that the material world in which we live, although subject to mechanical laws, is at the complete disposal of the governing Providence - this confidence teaches us: 1. Ask the Lord for all those blessings that we need in external nature: timely rains, the life-giving warmth of the sun, the fruitfulness of the earth, the goodness of the air, the abundance of the fruits of the earth, etc. For it is not by blind chance and not as a result of the laws of necessity that all these benefits are given or not given to us, but always according to the will of Him, in whose power we and all of nature are. 2. To ask the Lord for deliverance from all those evils that befall us in external nature: from famine, earthquakes, floods, fire, deadly plagues, and other countless causes that destroy our wealth, destroy our health, and end our lives. 3. Do not lose heart in the midst of all dangers, no matter what the angry elements of the physical world threaten us with, on the contrary, place our hope entirely in the Providence of God, believing that not even a hair of our head will perish without the will of the Heavenly Father (Luke 12:7; 21:18), remembering how many times and miraculously the Lord saved His chosen ones from inevitable destruction, and calling on Him along with the Psalmist: If I go and through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil (Ps. 23:4). 4. But, on the other hand, not to deliberately and recklessly expose ourselves to any dangers in the conviction that God, in whom we trust, will miraculously save us from all evil: this would mean tempting God (Matthew 4:7), it would mean boldly demanding that the actions of the Infinitely Wise, who does not waste his miracles in vain, should be subject to our childish whim and unreason. 2.3. To the small world, to man. § 117. Connection with the previous one: God’s special care for man. The providence of God, which embraces the entire visible world, without any doubt, extends to man as an inhabitant of this world. But having exalted man above all visible creatures even at his creation, giving only him alone a rational and free soul, honoring him with his image, and making him king over all nature, the most wise and all-kind Creator deigns to show special providence for man. Look, the Savior said to his disciples, at the birds of the air: they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your Father in heaven feeds them. Are you not much better than them?... Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like any of them; But if God clothes the grass of the field, which exists today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, God clothes it so much more than you, O you of little faith! (Matt. 6:26,28–30)? In particular, God's care for man is expressed in the fact that the Lord provides for: 1) entire kingdoms and nations; 2) about private individuals, each separately, and 3) mainly about the righteous. God provides for kingdoms and nations. Holy Scripture sets out this truth very distinctly when it says: 1. That God is the great King over all the earth (Ps. 46:3,8; 94:3), that He reigns over the nations (Ps. 47:9), Ruler over the nations (21:29), His eyes look upon the nations (65:7), He rules over the tribes on earth (66:5). a) he himself sets kings over the nations: the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he wants (Dan. 4:22,29; cf. Sir. 10:4); He deposes kings and installs kings (Dan. 2:21), He appointed a leader for every nation (Sir. 17:14; cf. Wis. 6:1–3); 6) sets up his visible governors in each kingdom: I said: you are gods, He says to them, and the sons of the Most High are all of you (Ps. 82:1-6; cf. Ex. 22:28); c) and for this purpose he gives them from himself power and strength (Wis. 6:3), crowned him with glory and honor (Ps. 8:6), anoints them with his holy oil (Ps. 89:21; cf. 1 Sam. 12:3–6; 16:3; 19:16; 24:7; Isaiah 41:1), so from that day and after the Spirit of the Lord rests on them (1 Samuel 16:11–13); d) he himself, finally, rules the earthly kingdoms through kings: By me kings reign and rulers legitimize righteousness (Prov. 8:15). The heart of a king is in the hand of the Lord, like streams of water: wherever He wants, He directs it (Prov. 21:1). a) supplies through his Anointed Ones, and all other lower authorities: Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority not from God; the existing authorities have been established by God (Rom. 13:1); Therefore be submissive to every human authority, for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to the rulers, as sent by him (1 Peter 2:13–14); b) and supplies them as his servants to create the happiness of human societies: rulers are terrible not for good deeds, but for evil ones. Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from her, for the ruler is God's servant, for your good. If you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, an avenger to punish those who do evil. And therefore one must obey not only out of fear of punishment, but also out of conscience. For this reason you pay taxes, for they are God’s servants, constantly occupied with this (Rom. 13:3-6). The Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church also very often repeated that God rules the kingdoms of men and sends them kings and other authorities. For example, here are the words: St. Irenaeus: “As the devil lied in the beginning, so he also lied later, saying: To you I will give the power over all these kingdoms and the glory of them, for it is given to me, and I give it to whomever I want (Luke 4:6). It was not he who determined the kingdoms of this world, but God, for the heart of a king is in the hand of the Lord (Prov. 21:1); and through Solomon the Word says: by me kings reign and rulers legitimize righteousness; by me are the rulers and the nobles and all the judges of the earth (Prov. 8:15-16); and the Apostle Paul said about the same: Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities, for there is no authority that is not from God; but the authorities that exist are established by God (Rom. 13:1); So, earthly kingdoms were established by God for the good of the nations (and not by the devil, who is never calm and does not want to leave nations alone), so that, fearing the kingdom of man, people would not destroy each other in the likeness of fish, but, obeying the laws, would put aside the manifold pagan wickedness... For this reason, God’s servants, who are constantly busy with this and demand tribute from us, are constantly busy with this (Rom. 13:6)... By whose command people are born, by Whose command kings are appointed, adapted (apti) to those over whom they reign. For some of them are given for the correction and benefit of the subjects, and for the preservation of righteousness; some for fear and punishment; some more for the humiliation of nations, or for exaltation, depending on what these peoples are worthy of according to the righteous judgment of God, which equally extends to all.” 1708 Tertullian: “So, you see, is it not He who distributes kingdoms, to whom both the universe belongs, over which they reign, and the man himself who reigns? Is it not He who disposes of the lots of governments in the present age, according to the times, who existed before all time, and made the age the container of times? Is it not He who exalts the authorities, or who dethrones them?” 1709 St. Gregory the Theologian: "Kings! know how important is what is entrusted to you and how great a mystery is being accomplished in your consideration. The whole world is under your hand, restrained by a small crown and a short mantle. What is above belongs to the one God, and what is below belongs to you; be (I will say a bold word) gods for your subjects. It is said (and we believe) that the heart of a king is in the hand of the Lord" (Prov. 21:1). 1710 St. John Chrysostom: "Why did the Apostle exhort to pray for kings (1 Tim. 2:2)? Then the kings were still pagans, and then a lot of time passed until the pagans succeeded each other on the throne... So that the soul of a Christian, having heard this, as was likely, would not be confused and reject the admonitions that one should offer prayers for a pagan during sacred ceremonies - see that says the Apostle, and as he points out the benefit, so that, although in this way, we would accept his admonition: let us live in peace, he says, that is, the health of them (the kings) gives rise to our peace... For God established the authorities for the good of the common. dangers and fight? So this work (prayer for kings) is not servility, but is done according to the law of justice.” 1711 And in another place: "destroy the courts of justice, and you will destroy all order in our life; remove the helmsman from the ship, and you will sink the ship; take away the leader from the army, and deliver the soldiers captive to the enemies. So, if you take away the leaders of the cities, we will behave more crazily than dumb beasts - we will begin to bite and devour each other (Gal. 5:15), the rich of the poor, the strongest - the weak, the daring - the meek. But now, by the grace of God, there is nothing of the kind. Those who live godly, of course, do not need measures of correction from the rulers: the law is not made for the righteous (1 Tim. 1:9). But wicked people, if they were not restrained by fear from the rulers, would fill the cities with countless disasters, and Paul said: the existing authorities are not established by God (). Rom. 13:1) As are the beams of houses, so are the rulers of cities. If you destroy them, the walls, having disintegrated, will collapse on their own, one on top of the other, and if you take away from the universe the leaders and the fear they inspire, then houses, cities, and peoples will attack each other with great impudence, because then there will be no one to hold them back and stop them, and force them to be calm through the fear of punishment." 1712 Blazh. Augustine: “God, the source and dispenser of happiness, because He alone is the true God, Himself distributes earthly kingdoms to both the good and the bad... And He distributes not without intention, not by chance, not by luck, but in accordance with the course of affairs and times, hidden for us, but completely known to Him, to which, however, He is not subordinate, but which He Himself governs and disposes of as Lord and Ruler.” 1713 “In truth, the kingdoms of men are governed by Divine providence.” 1714 “And not without the providence of the Almighty, in whose power it is that everyone in the war is either defeated or victorious, some receive kingdoms, and others become subjects of the kings.” 1715 § 118. God provides for private individuals. The Word of God says that God is 1. He Himself gives existence to each of us: He does not require the service of human hands, as if he needed anything, He Himself gives to all life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25). In particular: a) He himself forms our body in the womb: he clothed me with skin and flesh, he fastened me with bones and sinews (Job 10:11; cf. Ps. 139:15). b) He Himself gives us a soul: thus says the Lord God, who created the heavens and their space, who spread out the earth with its products, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it (Isa. 42:5; cf. Eccl. 12:7; Zech. 12:1). c) He himself endows us with these or other properties: The Lord said [to Moses]: Who gave the mouth to man? who makes one dumb, or deaf, or sighted, or blind? Am I not the Lord [God]? (Ex. 4:11; cf. Ps. 93:9; James 1:17)? d) You yourself bring us into the light from our mother’s womb: but You brought me out of the womb, You placed hope in me at my mother’s breasts. I was left to You from the womb; From my mother’s womb You are my God (Ps. 21:10–11; cf. 139:13). 2. Preserves us throughout our lives: for - a) Gives us everything we need to support and delight our existence: exhort the rich in this age not to think highly of themselves and to trust not in unfaithful riches, but in the living God, who richly gives us everything for our enjoyment (1 Tim. 6:17; cf. Acts 17:25). b) He cares about the fate of each of us: cast all your worries on Him, for He cares about you (1 Peter 5:7). I trust in You, Lord; I say: You are my God. My days are in Your hand (Ps. 30:15–16). The Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the Lord raises up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects strangers, supports the orphan and the widow, and perverts the path of the wicked (Ps. 146:8-9). 3. Helps us in our activities: a) He sends us help and reinforcement: my help is from the Lord, who created heaven and earth (Ps. 120:2). The Lord will give strength to His people (Ps. 28, etc.). b) He guides and directs us: man’s steps are directed from the Lord; How can a man know his way (Prov. 20:24)? Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; but the Lord weighs the hearts (Prov. 21:2; cf. 16:1). c) Without His help we could not do anything: if the Lord does not build a house, those who build it labor in vain; If the Lord does not guard the city, the watchman watches in vain (Ps. 127:1). 4. Finally, He Himself sets a limit for our earthly life and activity: the days are determined for him, and the number of his months is with You, if You have set a limit for him, which he will not cross (Job 14:5). From among the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, it is enough to cite the three most famous sayings about this: Basil the Great: “Our affairs were not left without Providence, as we know from the Gospel that even a sparrow does not fall without the will of our Father (Matthew 10:29). And therefore, if anything happened to us, it happened according to the will of Him who created us. And who can resist His will (Rom. 9:19)?” 1716 "Although the reasons for God's orders are hidden from us, nevertheless, everything that happens by order of the all-wise and loving God, no matter how difficult it may be, must certainly be pleasant for us. For He knows how to give to everyone what is useful to him, and why it is necessary to set us unequal limits of life; and there is a reason, incomprehensible to people, why some are taken away from here sooner, while others are left longer to live in poverty." this many-painful life. Why should we bow to His love for mankind for everything.” 1717 “Everything is governed by the kindness of the Lord. Whatever happens to us, we should not take it as upsetting, even if it touches our weakness in the present and sensitively. Although we do not know the laws according to which everything that happens to us is sent to us from the Lord for our good, we must be sure that what happened to us is, without a doubt, beneficial." 1718 “God, without any doubt, manages our affairs better than as we ourselves would have intended.” 1719 Gregory the Theologian: “We must believe that our Creator or Creator (it doesn’t matter whether you call Him by one name or another) cares in a special way about our fate, although our life is spent among various opposites, the reasons for which may remain unknown, so that we, without comprehending them, are all the more amazed at the sublime Mind above everything. For everything that we easily understand, we easily neglect; but on the contrary, what is higher than us, the more inconceivable it is, the more it arouses surprise in us.” 1720 John Chrysostom: “That God cares not only for everyone in general, but also for each (person) in particular, this can be heard from Himself when He says this: It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14), meaning those who believe in Him. And He desires for those who do not believe in Him to be saved by being corrected and believing (in Him), just as Paul says: Who He wants all people to be saved and to achieve the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4); and He himself said to the Jews: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13); and also through the Prophet: I want mercy, not sacrifice (Hos. 6:6). them; but since they voluntarily deprived themselves of heavenly life, he provides them with at least all the blessings of this life, commands his sun to rise on the evil and the good, sends rain on the righteous and the unjust, and provides everything else necessary for the continuation of this life (Matthew 5:45). If He cares so much about His enemies, will He ever leave without care those who believe in Him and those who please Him according to their strength? No no; It is about them that He cares most; but you, He says, even the hairs of your head are all numbered (Luke 12:7).” 1721 § 119. God provides primarily for the righteous: solution to perplexity. 1. Although God, as the most kind, extends His fatherly Providence to all people, whatever they may be, He commands His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45); but, as a just one, He focuses His primary care on the righteous. This truth of Holy Scripture is confirmed by numerous sayings and examples. The eyes of the Lord scan the whole earth to support those whose hearts are completely devoted to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9). The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are on their cry. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. [The righteous] cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their sorrows. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and will save the humble in spirit. The righteous has many sorrows, and the Lord will deliver him from all of them. He keeps all his bones; not one of them will be crushed (Ps. 33:16–21; cf. 1 Peter 3:12). Cast your worries on the Lord, and He will support you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (Ps. 54:23; cf. 32:18–19). The righteous blooms like a palm tree and rises like a cedar in Lebanon. 14 Planted in the house of the Lord, they bloom in the courts of our God; 15 Even in old age they are fruitful, juicy and fresh, 16 to proclaim that the Lord is righteous, my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him (Ps. 91:13-16). As a father has mercy on his sons, so the Lord has mercy on those who fear Him... But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness is upon the sons of sons, who keep His covenant and remember His commandments to do them (Ps. 103:13,17-18). The Lord is close to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord protects all those who love Him, but He will destroy all the wicked (Ps. 144:18–20). Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence stops the mouth of the wicked (Prov. 10:6). Are not two small birds sold for an assarium? And not one of them will fall to the ground without the will of your Father; Even the hairs on your head are all numbered; (Matt. 10:29–30). You will be hated by everyone because of My name, but not a hair of your head will perish (Luke 21:17–18). The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptation, and to reserve the wicked for the day of judgment for punishment (2 Peter 2:9). All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Of the many examples of God’s special providence for pious people, we will point out a few: a) on righteous Noah and his family, whom the Lord saved from destruction during the global flood (Gen. 7:18; 8:4); b) on the father of believers Abraham, with whom the right hand of God was always with him, strengthening him among all temptations and delivering him from disasters (Gen. 12:1; 22:2); c) against the chaste Joseph, who was sold by his brothers and taken to Egypt, and then confessed before his brothers: behold, you have plotted evil against me; but God meant it for good (Gen. 50:20); d) on the king and prophet David, who so clearly saw the finger of God over himself, especially during persecutions from Saul and from his own son Absalom, and so often confessing this in the psalms (see Ps. 17:22; 26:33; 102, etc.); e) the prophet Elijah, who miraculously received food from ravens (1 Kings, chapter 17), and then from an angel (chapter 19); f) to all the holy Apostles, who, feeling the special Providence of God above them, testified: we are unknown, but they recognize us; we are considered dead, but behold, we are alive; we are punished, but we do not die; we are saddened, but we always rejoice; We are poor, but we enrich many; we have nothing, but we possess everything (2 Cor. 6:9–10). 2. "But if, indeed, they say, there is a special Providence of God for man, and if God, as a just one, cares more about the righteous than about sinners, then why don’t we see confirmation of this in life itself? Why do the righteous often suffer on earth, while sinners prosper and enjoy all the gifts of happiness?" Against this bewilderment, which has been heard since ancient times and is so often repeated, in addition to what we have already said before (in § 21), we also note: 2.1. We often make mistakes in our judgments about virtuous people and vicious people, because we judge both by appearance alone, being unable to penetrate into their very hearts and know their secret deeds. We often consider virtuous those who wear only the guise of piety and know how to skillfully cover up their vices, although they constantly indulge in them in secret; and sinners and wicked - those who, despite all their innocence, are denigrated by envy and malice, or who, perhaps, only once, through carelessness, stained themselves with some sharp illegal act, and then sincerely repented of it, and zealously lead a pious life. The Lord alone searches all hearts and knows all movements of thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9); He alone can accurately judge who is truly righteous and who is sinner. 2.2. We also often make mistakes in our judgments about the happiness or unhappiness of our neighbors. For example, we call a sinner happy simply because he is rich, enjoys distinctions and honors, and indulges in pleasures. What we don’t know is that this person may be suffering the greatest family disasters, which he is only covering up; that this person, perhaps, bears the cross from his soul-tearing passions and vices, exhausting his strength, exposing him to various diseases and prematurely bringing him closer to the grave; that he is often tormented by torment of conscience, shame, and fear of temporary and eternal punishments. On the contrary, we call a righteous person unfortunate because he is poor, does not receive worldly honors, does not enjoy pleasures, while the soul of a true righteous person does not at all crave earthly goods, which, therefore, could not constitute happiness for him; and true happiness for the righteous lies in the consciousness of his righteousness and innocence, in peace of conscience, in spiritual joy (Rom. 14:17) and in the hope of being rewarded with an eternally blissful life beyond the grave. 2 .3. If God really often allows pious people to suffer disasters on earth, then this is for their own good. And, firstly, there is not a single righteous person who is completely pure from all sin (Prov. 24:16; 1 John 1:8): in the midst of disasters and sorrows, the soul of the righteous is purified like gold in the crucible (Wis. 3:6; 1 Peter 1:6–7). Secondly, adversity and temptation strengthen the righteous more and more in goodness, elevate their moral dignity, make their love for God and virtues purer and more selfless, and discover in them new virtues: patience, generosity, courage and others: and not only this, but we also boast in sorrows, knowing that from sorrow comes patience, from patience experience, from experience hope, and hope does not disappoint (Rom. 5:3–5); therefore we do not lose heart; but even if our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). Thirdly, disasters and temptations contribute to the exaltation of the future glory of the righteous: for, although they are punished in the eyes of people, their hope is full of immortality. And being punished a little, they will be greatly favored, because God tested them and found them worthy of Him (Wis. 3:4-5); for our momentary light suffering produces eternal glory in immeasurable abundance (2 Cor. 4:17). In addition, if God allows the righteous to experience misfortune and sorrow on earth, for that - a) never leaves them without his help, and does not tempt them beyond measure: we are oppressed from everywhere, but not constrained; we are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are cast down, but we do not perish (2 Cor. 4:8–9); God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but when you are tempted he will also give you the way of escape, so that you can endure it (1 Cop. 10:13); 6) never leaves them without his consolation: for as the sufferings of Christ increase in us, our consolation also increases through Christ (2 Cor. 1:5). That is why the disasters and sorrows sent by God to the righteous serve as evidence of His love for them, as the Apostle says: The Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives. If you suffer punishment, then God treats you as sons. For is there any son whom his father does not punish? If you remain without punishment, which is common to all, then you are illegitimate children and not sons (Heb. 12:6-8). 2.4. If, on the other hand, God often rewards vicious people with gifts of earthly happiness, then this is also for a good purpose. With His benefits to sinners, opponents of His will, He wants to warm their cold hearts, wants to touch them with His fatherly love and win them over, wants to defeat evil with good (Rom. 12:21), arouse in them feelings of repentance (Rom. 2:4), extract them from the abyss of vice and put them on the path of virtue (2 Peter 3:9; Prov. 25:22; Rom. 12:20). And if sinners do not heed this meek voice calling them to repentance, if they do not try to take advantage of the good deeds of God as a means to their salvation, and remain in wickedness - through your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God (Rom. 2:5). 2.5. We must remember that the disasters to which the righteous are exposed often depend on people, on their injustice and malice; just as the happy circumstances of sinners often also depend on people, on their favor, partiality, and similar causes. Therefore, human freedom is at work here. But God, just as he generally does not restrict the freedom of his creatures, so cannot and does not want to restrict it here either; Just as he generally allows people to do evil, so in particular he allows them this type of evil, by which they unjustly persecute the righteous and favor sinners. This is why the Savior said to His disciples: If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too (John 15:18–20). That is why the Apostle predicted: all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). This is very natural: the world, lying in evil, cannot love the sons of light, the righteous, and not persecute them. God only extracts, as much as possible, from this evil, which sinners often do to the righteous, some moral good for the righteous. 1722 2.6. Real life is a time of exploits: both the righteous and the sinners are still active here, some one way, some another, and have not completed their journey. Therefore, their reward should not be here, but after the end of their exploits. It will be, this most righteous reward, in another life, the afterlife, where the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father (Matthew 13:43), and sinners will be given over to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). "Since the kingdom of heaven is open to us, says St. John Chrysostom, and reward is shown in the future life, then it is no longer worth exploring why the righteous here endure sorrows, and the wicked live in pleasures. For if everyone there expects a reward according to their deserts, then why be indignant at the events here, happy and unfortunate? With these disasters, God trains those who submit to Him as courageous fighters; and the weaker, the careless and those who cannot bear anything heavy, first admonishes them to do good deeds.” 1723 2.7. Finally, it is known that not all the righteous on earth are in poverty and not always; on the contrary, they often enjoy the blessings of life and the home of the godly is visibly blessed by God (Prov. 3:33). In the same way, sinners do not all prosper here and not always, but often suffer from their very sins (Wis. 11:17), often suffer well-deserved punishments from people, often the oath of the Lord is tangible to everyone in the houses of the wicked (Prov. 3:33). And there are also reasons for this. "If the opposite often happens, continues St. John Chrysostom, if many righteous people live calmly and in honor, and the vicious ones live in dishonor and extreme misfortunes, then this for the time being refutes the objection made to us before, the strength of which is that the righteous suffer here, and the wicked are blissful. But, if this also needs to be resolved (i.e., why here the virtuous are happy, and the vicious are in misery), then I will say that God arranges our good in an unequal way, but, being inexhaustible in means, paves many paths to salvation. Since many do not want to accept the doctrine of the future life and resurrection, He still presents here, in a small form, an image of judgment, when i.e. punishes the wicked and rewards the good. This will be fully accomplished at the future judgment, but in part it is being accomplished now and here, so that those who have given themselves over to sin because of such a remoteness of the judgment will understand at least what is happening at the present time. If here none of the evil were punished at all, and none of the good received rewards, then many of those who did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection would shy away from virtue as the cause of evil, and would love sin as the cause of good; on the other hand, if everyone here received what they deserved, they would think that the doctrine of judgment is unnecessary and false. So, so that this teaching is not questioned, and the large and ignorant crowd does not become worse through negligence, God is still here, punishing many of the sinners and rewarding some of the righteous; and by the fact that He does not do this to everyone, He confirms the doctrine of judgment, and by the fact that He punishes some before judgment, He awakens those sleeping in a deep sleep. Because of the punishment that befalls the wicked, many are corrected out of fear, lest the same thing happen to them; and because not everyone here gets what they deserve, many involuntarily begin to think that this (full retribution) has been postponed until another time. The just God, of course, would not have allowed so many of the evil to leave this life unpunished, and the good to endure countless disasters, if he had not prepared for both of them a different state in the next century. That is why He does not punish and reward everyone, but only some.” 1724 § 120. Methods of God's providence for man and transition to the next part. The ways of God's providence for man are numerous and varied; but they all belong to the two most important ones, of which one is called the natural method, and the other the supernatural. The natural way of God's providence for people is that God protects them, assists them in good activities and directs them to the final goal of their existence by natural means, i.e. through the forces and laws posited in human nature itself and in external nature, and through the natural flow of things and circumstances in the world. For example: a) giving us rain and fruitful seasons from heaven and filling our hearts with food and joy (Acts 14:17); b) when he instructs us on the path of truth and goodness through our conscience. as among the pagans, they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts (Rom. 2:15), or through civil laws (Prov. 8:15) and through princes, who are only God's servants, for your good, and he is God's servant, an avenger in punishment of those who do evil (Rom. 13:3-6); c) when he prevents us from doing evil, removing opportunities for sin, as can be seen from the example of Saul (1 Sam. 19:11), or opposing our lawless efforts with great forces, as shown by Absalom (2 Sam. 18); d) when he punishes sinners in a natural way in order to admonish and correct them (1 Cor. 11:32), or in order to admonish and correct others by executing them (2 Peter 2:6); e) when circumstances are arranged in such a way that good consequences for people arise from bad actions, an example of which is known from the story of Joseph (Gen. 50:20). The supernatural way of God's providence for people occurs when the Lord, who cares for us, uses supernatural and miraculous means for our good. Thus, He miraculously nourished the poor widow of Sarepta during a two-year famine; miraculously healed the Syrian military commander, Naaman, from leprosy; miraculously saved three youths in the cave of Babylon; miraculously delivered the Apostle Peter from prison; miraculously converted Saul to Christianity, etc. and so on. But besides these particular cases of God’s supernatural providence for man, which are very varied and diverse, this also includes, in particular, the whole series of supernatural actions of the Divine economy that the Lord performed and is performing, in fact, as the Redeemer of the human race in general, and which will serve as the subject for the next part of our science. § 121. Moral application of dogma. 1. The fate of the kingdoms of the earth is in the right hand of the Almighty. He blesses the nations with peace (Ps. 28:11), provides the blessings of the earth, exalts and glorifies when the nations are faithful to His law; He also sends disasters upon them, humiliates and even exterminates nations (Ps. 43:3), when they betray Him and indulge in wickedness (Jer. 18:b-10). Hence there are three important lessons for every nation: a) first and most of all, take care to please God with right faith and good deeds: for He judges the nations (Ps. 66:5; 96:10), and will reward everyone according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6), - which is why the Wise One said that it is righteousness that exalts the people, and iniquity is the dishonor of the nations (Proverbs 14:34); b) all your true successes in various sectors of public life, your prosperity. Attribute prosperity, glory, all happy circumstances not to yourself, but to God (Ps. 127:11), and thank Him, exclaiming along with the Psalmist: not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory, for the sake of Thy mercy, for the sake of Thy truth (Ps. 113:9); c) in times of public disasters or dangers, first of all, resort to Him with warm pleas for mercy and help, and try to win Him over with sincere repentance of sins and correction of morals. 2. Ruling the kingdoms of the earth, the Almighty himself places Kings over them, imparts power and authority to his chosen ones through the mysterious anointing, crowns them with honor and glory for the good of the nations. Hence the duty of every son of the fatherland: a) revere your Monarch as God’s Anointed (Ps. 104:15; cf. Ex. 22:28); b) to love Him as a common Father, given by the Almighty for the great family of the people, and burdened with concern for the happiness of each and every one; c) obey Him, as one invested with authority from above, and as one reigning and guided in his royal dispositions by God himself (Prov. 8:15; 21:1); d) pray for the Tsar, may the Lord grant Him, for the happiness of His subjects, health and salvation, good haste in everything, victory and victory for the enemies, and may He grant Him many years (1 Tim. 2:1). 3. Through the Kings, as His anointed ones, God sends to the peoples all the lower authorities. Hence the duty of every citizen: a) obey every human authority, for the Lord (1 Peter 2:13), - for he who resists authority resists God’s institution (Rom. 13:2); b) give everyone their due: give to whom, give; to whom quitrent, quitrent; to whom fear, fear; to whom honor, honor (7); and c) pray for kings and for all those in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and serene life in all godliness and purity (1 Tim. 2:2). 4. The fate of each of us also lies in the right hand of the Almighty. He kills and gives life, brings down to hell and raises up; He makes poor and makes rich, humiliates and exalts (1 Samuel 2:6–8). And therefore, a) whether our affairs flow happily, we will not be proud, because whatever we possess is not ours, but depends on the providence of God, who, having given us blessings, can take them back from us (1 Cor. 4:7; James 1:17); b) whether misfortunes befall us, let us not despair: because misfortunes are sent to us by Providence, all-wise and all-good, which proportions them to our strengths (1 Cor. 10:13), and directs them to our moral benefit (1 Peter 1:6–7; Rom. 5:3–5); c) we will always rely on God in everything, and in happiness we will thank Him for all the mercies and bounties, and in misfortune we will ask for His help and intercession. 5. Providing for all people, the Lord especially loves the righteous (Ps. 145:8), and over them he primarily shows wondrous mercy, he protects them like the apple of his eye (Ps. 16:7-8) - may this serve as an incentive for each of us - to guard ourselves from sins and exercise ourselves in piety (1 Tim. 4:7), so that we too may be included in the number of the elect God, for whom all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). See “Introduced into Orthodox Theology.” §§ 12–13: foundation and conditions of religion. See ibid §§ 46–49: the essence, foundation and conditions of the Christian religion and cf. of this essay § 5. Παντοκράτωρ, say Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, explaining this word of the symbol, έστίν ό πάντων κράτωρ, ό πάντων έξουσιάζων, i.e. - “The Almighty is the One who contains everything, has power over everything” (Cathech. VIII, n. 1; according to Russian translation, n. 3, p. 145). In the Holy Scriptures, this totality of creatures created by God and making up the world is usually called heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1; 2:1), or heaven and earth, the sea and everything that is in them (Ps. 146:6; 113:11; 134:6; Neh. 9:6; Acts 4:24), also visible and invisible (Col. 1:16 ). And the word: world sometimes means one earth (Mark 16:15), sometimes only the human race (John 3:16), sometimes even only wicked people (1 John 5:5). Heraclitus, Xenophanes, Aristotle. Indian philosophy, Neoplatonists. Democritus and Epicurus with their followers. Anaxagoras, Zeno, Plato, Seneca, etc. So - a) in the symbol set out in the Apostolic Constitutions, it reads: “I believe and am baptized into the one, unborn, one true God Almighty, Father to Christ, creator and builder of all things”...; b) in the symbol of the Church of Jerusalem: “I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, creator of everything visible and invisible”...; c) in the symbol of the Church of Caesarea: “we believe in one God, the Father Almighty, creator of everything visible and invisible”... Also in others. See Bingham - Orig. Eccles. lib. X, 4 pp. 4. §§ VП-ХV. Symbols of Irenaeus, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian and others. see ibid §§ I-VI. Herm. Past. lib. II, mand. 1: πρώτον πάντων πίστευσον, ότι έις έστί ό Θεός, ό τά πάντα κτίσας ; Iren. contra haeres. 1, 22, n. 1; Tertull. de praescr. haeret. With. XIII; Origen. de principle. proleg. n. 4. Tertull. adv. Hermog. c. II; Evseb. H. E. V, cap. 27. Tertull. de praescr. haer. cap. 46; Iren. adv. haer. 1, cap. 24; Epiphan. haer. 22 et 24; Evseb. H. E. IV, cap. 7. Iren. ad haeret. III, c. 11; Epiphan. haer. 28; Augustin. haer. 8. Iren. ibid. 1, 30; Tertull. de praescr. 47; Epiphan. haer. 37; Augustin. de natura boni cap. 42; Leo Epist. XV ad Turib. Origen. de principle. lib. II, p. 1–3 et lib. III, c. 5. However, some tried to free Origen from this reproach (Huetius - in Origenian. lib. II, quaest. 2 et 12). Iren. adv. haer. lib. II, p. 30; Tertull. adv. Hermogen; Method. περί γενητών (apud Phot. Bibl. cod. 235); Augustin. de civit. Dei VII, 30; XI, 4–6; XII, 15–17. Phot. adv. Manich. II, 5; Euthym. Zygab. Panopl. cap. 27. Schelling, Hegel with followers. Accur. exposition right faith book 1, gd. 3, pp. 5–6. “The same proof, only in short, is repeatedly presented by St. Augustine, for example: “ecce sunt coelum et terrä clamant, quod facta sunt; mutantur enim atque variantur. Quidquid autem factum non est, et tamen est; non est in eo quidquam, quod ante non erat, quod est mutari atque variari (Confess. lib. XI, cap. 4; Conf. de civit. Dei lib. XI, cap. 4, n. 2). Tertull. adv. Hermog. cap. 4–7; adv. Marcion. 1, 16; Dionys. Alex. fragm. III, ex lib. adv. Sabell. apud Gotland. III, pag. 494; Lactant. Instit. Divin. lib. II, p. 9; Basil, in Hexaem. homil. II, n. 2 (in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, p. 23); Method, apud Phot. Bibl. cod. 236. Iren. adv. haer. lib. II, cap. 2 et 4; Ambros. in Hexaëm. III, 7. Augustin. De Genes. ad litt. IX, 15, n. 28: creare naturam tam nullus angelus potest, quam nec seipsum (Conf. de civit. Dei XII, p. 24). Damascen. de fide orth. lib. II, p. 3: κτίσματα όντες ( άγγελοι ) ούκ έίσί δημιουργοί ... Athanas. Orat. de incarnat. Dei n. 2, in Opp. T. 1, p. 48, ed. Paris. 1698; Chrysostom. in Genes. homil. IV, no. 4; Gregory the Theologian, Homily 28, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, pp. 32–33; John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition Orthodox faith book 1, ch. 3. David. Kimchi – Radic. Hebraic. art. אּרּבּ One of the Jewish rabbis says: "The Almighty (blessed be He!) created all creatures from complete nothingness. To express this creation of creatures from nothing, we have no other word in the sacred language other than אּרּבּ" (Moses Nachmanides Ramban, Comm. in Genes. fol. 8 vers., edit. Wilmendorfii). Chrysost. in Genes. homil. II, n. 4; Augustin. de civit. Dei lib. XI, cap. 6. ότι έξ ούκ όντων έποίησεν αύτά (τα πάντα) ό Θεός. The Alexandrian Codex reads: ούκ έξ όντων. Καθάπερ ό Αόγος , έν άρχή γεννιθείς , έντεγέννησε τήν καθ᾿ήμάς ποίησιν, αύτός έαυτώ τήν υδημιουργήσας. Tatian. contr. Graec. cap. 5. Legat. pro Christ. cap. 4. 15. 19. Quoniam homines quidem de nihilo non possunt aliquid facere, sed de materia subjacenti; Deus autem, quam homine hoc primo melior, eo quod materiam fabrications suae, cum antea non esset, ipse adinvenit. Iren. adv. haer. lib. II, p. 10, no. 4. Conf. lib. IV, cap. 20, no. 8. ... Deum esse, nee allum praeter mundi conditorem, qui universa de nihilo produxerit. Tertull. de praescr. haeret. cap. 13. To γάρ λέγειν έξ ύποκειμένης ΰλης τά οντά γεγενήσθαι , καί μή όμολογεΐν ότι έξ ούκ όντων αύτά παρήγαγεν ό τών άπάντων δημιουργός, τής έσχάτής παραφροσύνης άν έισημεΐον. Chrysost. in Genes. homil. II, n. 2. Homily 29, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” ΠΙ, pp. 60–61. In psalm. Tract. II, cap. 8. Ad Orosium contra Priscillian. cap. 2. Ad Autolyc. lib. II, cap. 14; conf. cap. 10. Lactant. Instit. Diviu. lib. II, cap. 9. Deum subiicit materiae, cum vult, eum de materia cuncta fecisse. Si enim ex illa usus est ad opera mundi, jam et materia superior invenitur, quae illi copiam operandi subministravit, et Deus subjectus materiae videtur, cujus substantia eguit (Tertull. adv. Hermog. cap. 89). Ἐι γάρ ούκ έστι τής ύ᾿λης αύτός αίτιος , αλλ᾿ όλως έξ ύποκειμένης ύλης ποιεΐ τά οντά, άσθενής έυρίσκεται (Athanas. do incarn. Verbi n. 2; conf. n. 3). Tertull. adv. Hermogen. cap. 12; Lactant. Instit. Divin. lib. II, cap. 9. Basil the Great, on the Sixth Day. conversations 2, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, p. 26. Review on Eunomius book. V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, pp. 199–200. De libero arbitr. lib. 1, cap. 2 (al. 5). In Genes. contra Manich. lib. 1, cap. 2. How unfair it is, on the basis of the mere incomprehensibility for us of the creation of things from nothing, to reject this truth, St. John Chrysostom shows (in Genes. homil. II, n. 4). The words of the blessed one about this are wonderful. Augustine: "procgul dubio, non est mundus factus in tempore, sed cum tempore. Quod enim fit in tempore, ct post aliquod fit, et ante aHqiiod tcmpus; post id, quod praeteritum est, ante id, quod futurum est; nullum autem posset esse praeteritum, quia nulla erat creatura, cujus mutabilibus motibus ageretur. Cum tempore autem factus est mundus.”. (De civit. Dei lib. XI, cap. 6). “He who wisely explains to us the existence of the world, speaking about the world, very opportunely added: in the beginning he created, i.e. at the beginning of time (See Basil the Great, in Sixth Conversations, 1, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, p. 9). Saint Ambrose also notes: in principio itaque temporia coelum et terram Deus fecit. Hexaëm. 1, cap. 6). Athenag. Legat. pro Christian, cap. 16. Cyrill. Alex., lib. 1 in Gospel. Joannis cap. 6; Gregor. Magn. lib. XVI Exposit. moral Iob. cap. 21 et lib. XXVII, cap. 3. Augustin. de civit. Dei lib. XI, cap. 4, n. 2; lib. XII, cap. 15, n. 2. Augustin. Confess. lib. XI, c. 10. 11; de civit. Dei lib. XI, c. 4, n. 2. Adv. haeres lib. II. c. 28, no. 3. Confess. lib. XI, c. 12, 13; non enim erat tunc, ubi non erat tempus. Pesnopen. Sacraments, word 4, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, pp. 228–229. Tertull. adv. Hermog. cap. 3. Conf. Augustin. de civit. Dei lib. XII, c. 15. Method. περί γβννητών, apud Phot. Biblioth. cod. CCXXXV, pag. 935, Genev.. 1612. Also in the liturgical books, directly: 1) “Our Almighty and Eternal God, Father of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, the very Creator of the whole world, and the blessing of all creation, look with your merciful eye on us, your humble and unworthy servants.” - 2) “Christ our God, who has done all things with wisdom and brought into being from those who bear them, bless the crown of summer”... 3) “With the Holy Spirit, all things that they will have, God is before all, the dominion of all, the light is unapproachable, the life of all.” l. 150 per rev. 1838; min. 3 per rev. “But as with God, notes Saint Basil the Great on this text, the Word is not pronounced by the mouth, but living, independent, all-effective; so with God the Spirit is not spilling breath, not dispersing air, but sanctifying power, self-existent, original, independent” (against Eun. Book V, in the Works of the Holy Fathers VII, p. 181). "The word: rushed in the translation is used instead of the word: warmed and revived the watery nature, in the likeness of a bird that incubates eggs and imparts some kind of life-giving force to the heated one. This similar idea, they say, is meant by this word in the present place. The spirit rushed, that is, prepared the watery nature for the birth of living creatures. Thus, from this, what is proposed by others is sufficiently explained question: did the Holy Spirit remain without action in the work of creation?” (Basily the Great on the Sixth Conversations 2, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, pp. 33–34). Justin. Apolog. II, 4; Athenag. Legat. pro Christ. XVI; Iren. adv. haer. II, cap. 2, no. 5, etc. Clem. Rot. 1 ad Corinth, n. 19; Iren. adv. haer. II, 2, n. 6; IV, 20, n. 1; V, 17, n. 1; Athanas. Expos. fidei n. 1. Justin. Cohort. ad Graec. n. 15; Iren. adv. haer. IV, 20, n. 1; V, 18, n. 2; Tertull. adv. Hermog. cap. 22; Greg. Thaumat. Orat. paneg. in Origen. 11.4; Athapas. Exposit. fidei n. 2; Chrysost. in Hebr. homil. II, n. 3; Epighan. Ancorat. 28; Augustin. in Psalm. 33. Theophil. ad Autol. 1, n. 7; Basil the Great, on Evnom. book V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 181; Cyril of Alexandria, on the Holy Trinity ch. 22, in Chr. Thurs. 1847, III, p. 42. Iren. adv. haer. IV, 20, n. 1; Augustin. de vera religion. cap. 7, n. 13. Athanas. Serm. III, n. 5: ό γάρ Πατήρ διά τοϋ Λόγου έν τώ Πνεύματι κτίζει τά πάντα (Conf. De communi Patr., Fil. et Spir. essentia n. 48); Ephraem. in Genes. 1, 1; Cyrill. Alex. de fide ad Reg. Serm. II, n. 51: ?? contra Julian, lib. ΠΙ : φαμέν ουείναι τόν Θεον καί Πατέρα δι᾿ Ύ ιοϋ έν Πνεύματι τών όλων δημιουργόν; Epiphan. fid. cathol. expos. n. 14. Iren. adv. haer V, 18, n 2. Basil. de Spir. S. cap. 8, n. 19, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 261. “In the words: “all from Him, by Him and to Him”, the distinctive properties of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are reduced into a single name. For there is one God, from whom are all things; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things; one also is the Holy Spirit, in whom are all things” (Basily the Great, on Eun. Book V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 208). Homily 38, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, p. 240; compare IV, page 157: καί τό έννόημα έργον ήν , Λόγω συμπληρούμενον καί Πνεύματι τελειούμενον. About the Holy Spirit ch. 16, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 288. Also in another place: “The Divine Spirit always finally accomplishes everything that comes from God through the Son” (on Eun. book. V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 193); and further: "whoever takes away the Son takes away the beginning of the creation of all things; for the beginning of the independence of all is God's Word, by whom all things were. Whoever takes away the Spirit cuts off the final completion of what is created; for by the sending and communication of the Spirit the receiving principle of being is brought into being" (ibid. p. 200). De fide orth. lib.. 1, cap 12; Conf. lib. II, cap. 2: κτίζει δέ ( ό Θεός ) έννοών καί τό έννόημα έργον ύφίσταται Λόγω συμπληροόμενον καί Πνεύματι τελειούμενον. Iren. adv. haer. II, cap. 2; Origen. de principle. lib. I, cap. 2; Euseb. Praeparat. Evang. lib. XI, cap. 10; Athanas. contra gentes cap. 1; Hieronym. Comment. lib. 1, in epist. ad Ephes. cap. 1; Cyrill. Alex. lib. VII in Evang. Johann. cap. 16; Augustin. de Genesi ad litter. lib. V, cap. 18: Haec antequam fierent utique non erarit, quomodo igitur Deo nota erant, quae non erant? Non enim quidquam fecit ignorans. Nota igitur fecit, non facta coguovit; proinde antequam fierent, et erant, et non erant. Erant in Dei scientia, nou erant in sua natura. ?? ένιαίως προϋφεστώτας λόγους, ους ή θεολογία προορισμούς καλεΐ, καί θεικαί άγαθά θελήματα, τών όντων άφοριστικά, καί ποιητικά, καθ᾿ ους ό Ύ περούσιος τά όντα πάντα καί προώρισε καί παρήγαγεν . Dionys. Areoyag. de Divin. nomin. cap. 5, n. 8; Conf. cap. 7, n. 2. Accur. exposition Orthodox faith book 1, ch. 9, p. 33, in Russian. translation De imaginibus orat. ΠΙ, n. 19, in Russian at the end of “Orthodox Confessional Catholic and Apostolic Church of the Eastern” p. 265. M. 1838. Iren. adv. haer. II, cap. 1, n. 1: “neque ab aliquo motus, sed sua sententia et libere fecit omnia, quum sit solus Deus;” Augustin. de civit. Dei XI, cap. 24: “liberrima voluntate fecit”...; Theodoret. in Genes. quaest. III; Damask. de fide orth. Π. cap. 2. Theothil. ad Autolyc. 11, 13: καθώς βούλεται; Hipyolyt. adv. Noet. n. 10. 11: έποίησεν, ώς έθέλησεν; Iren. adv. haer. III, 8, n. 3: quemadmodum voluit... Ambros. in Hexaëm. lib. 1, p. 5, n. 19: ex ipso principium et origo substantiae universorum id est ex voluntate ejus et potestate...; cap. 6: omnia reposita in ejus existimo voluntate, quod voluntas ejus fundamentum eit universorum; lib. II, cap. 2, no. 4: voluntas ejus mensura rerum est. Clem. Alexandrinus: ού γάρ πότε άσθενεί ό Θεός. (Paedag. lib. 1, cap. 6). On the Hex. conversations 1, p. 4, in volume V of “Creations of the Holy Fathers” in Russian. translation, and conversations. 11, p. 35 ibid. Naturae opifex lucem locutus est, et creavit. Sermo Dei voluntae est, opus Dei natura est (Ambros. in Hexaëm. lib. 1, cap. 9). “By lips and speaking, we must understand the revelation of the will of God, since we also reveal our heartfelt thoughts with our lips and speech” (Exact exposition of the rightful faith, book 1, chapter II, p. 36). Homily 45, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, pp. 156–157. De incarnate. Verbi n. 3, in Opp. T. 1, p. 49, Paris. 1698. In Genes. quaest. 4, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, pp. 324–325. Cfr. Chrysost. Opp. T. 1, p. 157–158, ed. Montfauc. Exact presentation Orthodox faith book II, ch. 2. The same thought is found in Saint Dionysius the Areopagite (de divin. nomin. cap. 4) and Blessed. Augustine: in eo vero, quod dicitur: vidit Deus quia bonum est, satis significatur, Deum nulla necessitate, nulla suae cujusquam utilitatis indigentia, sed sola bonitate fecisse, quod factum est, id est, quia bonum (de civit. Dei lib. XI, cap. 24). ... προς ένδειξιν τής θείας άυτοΰ δυνάμεως. Justin. Aristotelian. dogmatum evers. p. 111. ... ιδιά τών έργων γινώσκηται καί νοηθή τό μέγεθος αύτοΰ. Theophil. ad Autolyc. 1, cap. 4. De nihilo (mundum) expressit in ornamentum majestatis suae. Tertull. Apolog. cap. 17. Athenag. de resurrect, mort, cap. 12: εύδηλον, ότι κατά μέν τόν πρώτον καί κοινότερον λόγον, δι᾿έαυτόν καί τήν έπί πάσης τής δημιουργίας θεωρουμένην αγαθότητα καί σοφίαν έποίησεν ό Θεός τόν άνθρωπον ...; Athanas. contra Arian. orat. II, n. 81; Lactant. Divin. instit. lib. VII, c. 6; Augustin, de lib. arbitr. III, 11, n. 32; Hieronytn. in Ephes. 1, 14. Tertull, adv. Marcion. 1, cap. 13: Deus mundum non sibi, sed homini fecit; Greg. Nyss. orat, catech. c. 5; Hilar. tractat. in Ps. II, no. 14: Deus igitur, ex quo omnia sunt, nullo eorum indiget, quibus id, quod sunt, esse largitus est: omnia vero ad profectum eorum, quae gignerentur, creavit (in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. IX, p. 269); Leo – serm. II in Natal. Domini. Dionys. Areopag. de divin. nomin. cap. 4, n. 18–35; Theophil. ad Autolyc. 11, 27; Tatian. ad Graec. XI; Iren. adv. haer. IV, 29, n. 1; Tertull. adv. Marcion. 1, 16,25,26; 11, 6.14; Origen. contra Cels. IV, 54.55; Athanas. contra gent. cap. 7; Atbros. in Hexaëm. 1, cap. 8; Gregory the Theologian, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, p. 320; Basil the Great, ibid VIII, pp. 142–163; Augustin. contra Manich. 11, 29. n. 43; de civit. Dei XII, 5,6; John of Damascus, Exact exposition. right faith III, ch. 20. See Interpretations on the Sixth Day or on the book of Genesis: Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, Ephraim the Syrian, etc. Hobbesius, Leviath. cap. 34; Semler, Dissert, de daemoniacis, Halae 1760; Schott, Epitom. theol. Christ, dogmat. p. 83, and friend. Justin. Dialogue, cum Tryph. c. 57; Clem, Alex. Strom. IV, 3; Tatian adv. Graec. XII. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 8. 9; Origen. in Math. T. X, n. 13; in Joan. T. I, n. 24. Opinion of Cerinthos, Carpocrates, Saturninus and others. Vid. apud Angustin. contra Faust. XV, 5 et de Gen. ad litter. VII, 2, n. 3. Gennad. De dogmat. eccles. cap. X, in Patrolog. Curs. compl. T. LVI1I, p. 983. Epiphan. Haeres. LXV, 4.5; Augustin. de civ. Dei XI, 7.9. This opinion was held by some in ancient times, as can be seen from the words of St. Augustine (De civit. Dei XI, p. 2), and in modern times, for example, Schubert (Schubert. Inst. theol. Dogmat. 1, p. 4, § 51). Namely: Ebionites, Gnostics and Dualists in general. Vid. apud Clem. Alex. homil. XIX, n. 12. 13. Origen. contra Cels. V, 4: τούτους δή άγγέλους από τοϋ έργου άυτών μεμαθηχότες καλεΐν. Hilar. de Trinit. V, 22; Augustin. Serm. 1 in Ps. III, n. 15; Sev. Gab. homil. III, p. 103 (edit. Aucher): angeli nomen non nat urae eat, sed ministerii est nomen. The symbol of the Church of Jerusalem reads: πιστεύω έις ένα Θεόν ..., όρατών τε πάντων καί άοράτων ποιητήν; in the symbol of the Church of Antioch, according to the text of Cassian: credo in... creatorem omnium visibilium et invisibilium creaturarum; in the symbol of the Church of Caesarea: πιστεύω έις ... τόν τών άπάντων όρατών τε καί άοράτων ποιητήν (Vid. apud Byngham. Origin. eccles. lib. X, cap. 4). Justin. Apolog. 1, n. 6; Athenag. Legat. n. 10; Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. III, cap. 5; Basil the Great, “Works of the Holy Fathers” V, 271; Gregory the Theologian, ibid. III, 240; Augustin. Serm. 1, in Ps. CIIÏ quamvis non videamus apparitiones angelorum, tamen angelos esse, novimus ex fide et multis apparuisse legimus. The ancients testified to this (Tertull. Apolog.. p. 22; Cyprian. de idol. vanit. p. 226, ed. Maur.; Athenag. Legat. pro Christ. n. 23), and the newest testify (Ramsay, Voyages de Cyrus...; Carli Rubi, Lettre américane...). Chrysost. in Genes. homil. II, n. 2; in Ps. VIII, 4; in Genes. serm. 1, n. 2. Athanas. ad Antioch. quaest. IV; Chrysost. in Genes. hom. II, n. 2; Theodoret. in Genes. quaest. IÏ "Those who lived under the law had no firmness and constancy in virtue: for soon after many and unspeakable miracles they proclaimed the golden calf as God. If they so easily deified the images of animals, then what would they not have done, having received knowledge of the invisible natures?" (Chronicle Ch. 1843, III, p. 320). Iren. adv. haeres. II, p. 3. Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. IV, p. 1. Ambros. in Nehayom. 1, p. 3. 4. Theodoret. Divin. decret. epitom. cap. V de angelis, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV pp. 209–210; in Genes. quaest. II, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 321. Augustin. de civit. Dei II, p. 9; de Genes. ad litt. VII, 2, n. 3. Orthodox Confession part 1, rep. to the question 18; Space Chr. Katih. about the first member. Dicta est terra invisibilis, says the blessed one. Augustine, et incomposita, ct tenebrae super abyssum, quia informis erat, et nulla specie cerni aut tractari poterat...; dicta est aqua, quia facilis et ductilis subiacebat operanti, ut de ilia omnia formarentur; sed sub his omnibus nominibus materia erat invisa et informis, de qua Deus condidit mundum (de Genes. contra Manich. 1, cap. 5; conf. Confess. XII, p. 4. 8,12). “By the name of heaven, which is said to have been created in the beginning and first of all, are meant all spiritual beings on which God will sit, as if on a throne and seat” (Origen. in Genes. homil. 1). The same thought, although with less decisiveness, is repeated by Blessed Augustine (de civit. Dei XI, p. 9). As it is sung in church songs: “Thou hast laid the firstfruits for creation, an incorporeal being, more creative than the angels, Thy most pure throne surrounding, call Thy: holy, holy, holy art thou, God Almighty” (Canon. Archang. cant. 1). This text from Job was pointed out by: Origen: “When the stars were created, all His angels praised God, as the oldest not only of man after creation, but of all creation created for him” (in Matt. hom. 10); Saint Epiphanius: “If the angels had not been created along with heaven and earth, God would not have said to Job: She has created this... (Haeres. LXV); Severian (de mundi opif. orat. 4); Caesarius (Dialog. 1, quaest. 61); Blessed Augustine (de civit. Dei XI, p. 9) and others. Conversations on Shestodn. 1, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, pp. 7–8. Homily 38, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, pp. 240,241. ... κόσμον άπαντα τούτον. Ad Stagir. lib. I, in Opp. T. I, p. 157–158, ed. Montfauc. Ambros. in Hexaëm. I, p. 5, n. 19; Conf. Praefat. ad Psalmos, n. 2. Hieronym in sar. 1 epistolae ad Titum. Dionys. Areogag. de Divin. nom. c. 5; Origen. in Math. homil. 10; Caesar. Dialog. 1,quaest. 61 et 123; Hilar. de Trinit. XII et. libr contra Auxent.; Gregor. Magn. Moral. XXVIII, 14; Anast. Sin. Όδηγοΰ cap. 4; Damask. II, p. 3; Phot. Biblioth. fol. 473; Dimitry Rostovsky, Letop. department 1, p. 10 The same thoughts were shared by Cassian. Collat. 8, p. 7; Isidor. Hispal. de summo bono 1, p. 10; Beda T. VIII, quaest. 9, fol. 398; Junil. de part. Divin. legie. lib. II, p. 2. Serm. I in Ps. III, n. 15. “When the Angels, says Saint John of Damascus, by the will of God are worthy, they appear not as they are in themselves, but in a certain image (έν μετασχηματίσμω), so that those who see can see them” (Accurate Iz. of the Proceedings of Faith, Book II, Chapter 3). Service on November 8th s.s. Ethereal. To the forces, in lit. poem. voice. 2. De comm. ess. Patris, Filii et S. S. n. 51. Orat. IV in orat. Domin. Cf. contra Eunom. lib. XII. ... καί τάς αλλάς τών άσωμάτων ούσίας . Ad Stagir. lib. 1, in Opp. t. VI, p. 86, ed. Savil. In Genes. quaest. XX, in Christ. Thurs. 1843, III, 347; Cf. in Genes. quaest. XLVI; in Exod. quaest. XXIX. Accur. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 3, pp. 53–54. Saint Basil the Great, conversation about how God is not the author of evil, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 153; Gregory the Theologian, Pesnop. mysterious, lyrics 6, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 335; Lactant. Divin. instit. VII, 21; Euseb. Dem. Evang. III, 5; IV, 1: άϋλά τε καί πάντη καθαρά πυεύματα; Didym, de Spir. S. lib. 1; Leo epist. ad Turib. cap. 6; Fulgent. lib. de fide cap. 3; Gregor. Magn. Moral. II, 4; XXVIII, 2; Dialog. IV, 29; Mar. Victor, lib. IV Adver. Arium. Augustin. de haeres. cap. 86. However, this is also clear from the writings of Tertullian himself. In one place he says: quis negabit Deum corpus esse, etsi Dens Spiritus est? Spiritus enim corpus sui generis in sua effigie. Sed et invisibilia ilia, quaecunque sunt, habent apud Deum et suum corpus et suam formam (Contra Prax. p. 7). In another: cum ipsa substantia corpus sit rei cujusque... (Contra Hermogen. p. 35). In the third: omne, quod eat, corpus est sui generis... (De carne Christi p. II). Accur. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 3. They reasoned in the same way: a) Saint Ambrose: “in my opinion, there is nothing completely uncomplicated by complexity, except for the one being of the Most Holy Trinity, which in truth is the purest and simplest” (de Abrah. lib. II, p. 8); b) Saint Gregory the Great: “an angel, compared with our bodies, is definitely a spirit, but compared with the highest and infinite Spirit, he is a body” (Moral. lib. II, p. 3), - and others. Augustin. De Spir. et anima cap. 18. The same idea is found in Hilary (Can. 5. in Matth.) and Cassian (Col. VII, p. 13). Justin. Dialog. cum Tryph. LVII; Origen. Orat. 31; Method, in Biblioth. Photii code. CCXXXIV; Theogn. ibid. cod. CVI. Tertulian and Origen. See note above. 1105. Origen, however, believed that angels are inferior in dignity only to the true disciples of Christ and the Saints, and not to man in general. Athenag. de resurr. mort. XVI; Clem. Strom, III, 3; John Chrysostom. words II about the incomprehensible. vs. Anom., in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 49; Grshorius the Theologian, Homily 6: “let us think about the beings who are first from God and around God, i.e. about the angelic and heavenly forces who are the first to drink from the first Light” (in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” I, 229), - and in another place: “the lights secondary after the Trinity, which has royal glory, are luminous, invisible angels” (ibid. IV, 235); John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition Orthodox faith book II, ch. 3. Isidor. Pelus. Epist. 195; Origen. in Genes. homil. VIII, no. 8; John Chrysostom, O incomprehensible. v. Anom. words III and IV, in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, pp. 105–206; Greg. Nyss. in Cant. hom. 8; Theodoret. in Ps. XXXII, 7; Caesar. Dialog. 1,quaest. 44; John of Damascus, Exact. izl. pr. faith book. II, ch. 3. Dionys. Areopag. de divin. nomin. With. 4; Justin. Apolog. 1, n. 6; Cyrill. Alex. contra Anthropom. c. 4; John of Damascus, Exact. Izl. Orthodox faith book II, ch. 3: “God is the Creator and Maker of angels, who brought them from non-existence into existence, and created them in his image.” Tit. Bostr. in Luc. XII, 32; Greg. Nyss. adv. Eunom. orat. XII, in Opp. t. II, p. 711, ed. Morel.; Hilar. in Math. Comm. c. 28, no. 6. Dionys. Areopag. de coelest. hier. cap. 14. John Chrysostom, O incomprehensible one. sl. II vs. Anom., in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 49. The same thought is in Athenagoras (Legat. pro Christ, p. 10), - Origen (De princip. in prooem.), - St. Athanasius (Contra Arian. orat. II, n. 27), - Blessed. Theodorit (Chronicle Thu. 1844, IV, 208), etc. Will announce. instructive XV, paragraph 24, p. 332 in Russian. translation. Concil. oest. V, Contra Origen. can. II et can. XIV. This error of Origen was condemned even earlier (in 400) by Saint Theophilus of Alexandria at his local council and, in addition, tried to refute it in his writings. He sets out the essence of the error in the following form: “Origen thinks that principles, powers, powers, thrones and dominions were not created from the beginning, but, after creation, were already awarded a certain honor and were called by these names even when others like them fell through negligence, so that it was not God who created them as principles and powers, but the sins of others served to their glory.” To refute this error, he points to the words of the Apostle - Col. 1:16, and notes: “If (Origen) understood the full power of the word: by him everything was created, that is in heaven and that is on earth, visible and invisible: whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - then he would have known that they were so created from the beginning, and not the negligence and not the fall of others gave reason to God to call them principles, and powers, and powers” ​​(Paschal. lib. II). Ἐγώ ού καθότι δέδεμαι καί δύνομαι νοεΐν τά έπουράνια καί τάς άγγελικάς τάξεις , καί τάς τών αγγέλων καί στρατεών έξαλλαγάς , δυνάμεων τε καί κυριοτήτων διάφοράς , θρόνων τε καί έξουσιών ?? τάς ύπεροχάς (Ignat. epist. II, ad Trallian.). Iren. adv haeres. II, 30; Clemen. Alex. Strom. VI, 7. 16; VII, 2; Origen. de princ. 1, 5; contr. Cels. VI, 30; Cyril of Jerusalem, Ogl. instructive VI, no. 6; XI, n. 11,12; XVI, 23; Basil the Great, against Eunom. book III, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 133; Chrysost. de incompreh. homil. IV, no. 4; Hilar. in Ps. 118, litt. 3, n. 10. With the exception of proper names, they are: Michael - who is like God (Dan. 12:1), Raphael - the medicine of God (Tov. 3:25), Gabriel - the power of God (Dan. 8:16), Uriel - the light, the fire of God (4 Ezra 4:1) and others (3 Ezra 4:36; 5:16). De coelest. hierarch. With. VI, no. 2. Const. Apost. VIII, 12, and above notes. 1156. “There are angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principles, powers, lordships (λαμπρότητας), ascensions (άναβάσεις), intelligent powers or minds" (word 28, in “Works of the Holy Fathers, III, 50). The Holy Father calls lordships, probably the seraphim, flaming, and ascending - cherubim, filled with knowledge. “If we turn to the invisible forces, and focus our attention on the armies of angels, archangels of heavenly powers, thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, cherubim, seraphim, then what word will be sufficient to express His (the Creator’s) inexplicable greatness?” (in Genes. homil. IV). Gregor. Magn. in Evang. lib. II, homil. XXXIV, no. 7; John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 3; Isidor. Hispal. de ordin. creatur. With. 2; Beda, homil. in dom. III Pentec. Thus, Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, in one place in his letter to Serapion, counts only eight ranks of angels, omitting the thrones; but further in the same letter he also mentions thrones (Opp. t. I, p. 340; Cf. 354. 366, ed. Commel.). De coelest. hierarch. With. VI, no. 1. Ad Orosium. cap. XI; Cf. Enchirid. c. LVII, no. 15. Origen. de princ. 1, p. 5; Chrysost. de incompreh. homil. IV; in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 195–196, et homil. V, in Chr. Thurs. 1842, I, 32; Theodoret. Commentar. in epist. ad Ephes. 1, 21; Theophilact. Commentar. in eundem locum. Justin. Apolog. 1, p. 28; Tatian. contr. Graec. With. 7; Iren. adv. haeres. III. 20, no. 1; Athenag. Legat. pro Christ. c. 24; Origen. contr. Cels. IV, 32; Ambros. epist. LXXXIV; Augustin. de civit. Dei VIII, c. 22; Lactant. Divin. inst. II, p. 9; Euseb. Demonst. Evang. III, c. 5. Athenag. Legat. pro Christ. XXIV; Clem. Alex. Strom. VII, 7; Origen. de princ. prol. n. 6; Tcrtull. Adv Marc. II, 10; Lactant. Divin. inst. II, 9; Athanas. de Synod. n. 48; Anton. orat. ad monach. n. VII; Epiphan. haeres. LXIV, n. 22; Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. IV, 9; Didym. contr. Manich. n. XIII; Cassian. Coll. VIII, 8; John Damascus. Accur. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 4. Adv. haeres. IV, 41; Cf. V, 25, n. 4. Publicity instructive II, paragraph 4, page 27 in Russian. translation. Against Eunom. book II, in "Works of the Holy Fathers" VII, 112. Elsewhere the Holy Father discusses this in more detail: "Why is man evil? by his own will. Why is the devil evil? For the same reason; because he had a free life, and he was given the power to either abide with God or withdraw from good. Gabriel is an Angel and always stands before God. Satan is an angel, and completely fell from his own And the first was preserved by will, and the last was cast down by free will. And the first could have become an apostate, but the one was saved by the insatiable love of God, and the other was made an outcast from God. And this, alienation from God, is an evil, that we are either on the side of the Sun, or on the side of the shadow of our body. darkness to the one who turns his gaze to the shadow. So the devil is wicked, having wickedness from his will, and not his nature is opposite to good” (Ibid. VIII, 157). Contr. Julian, cap. 9; Cf. contr. Donat. IV, 9, n. 13; de Genes. ad litter. XI, 21, no. 28. Contr. Graec. serm. III; Cf. Divin. decret. epitom. c. VIII, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 211–215. Augustin. de Genes. ad litt. XI, p. 20, 23; de civit. Dei XI, c. 15. Hugo Victorin. Summ. Sent. Tract. II, p. 3. Origen. in Ez. XII; Cyril of Jerusalem, Ogl. instructive II, paragraph 4, pp. 27–28 in Russian. translated; Theodorite. Brief exposition God Dogma. Ch. 8, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 213–214: “The Prophet Ezekiel, under the name of the prince of Tyre, describes the fallen prince, the devil, who assisted him.”. Gregory the Theologian, Pesnop. secret breeder words VI, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 238: Cyril of Jerusalem, Oglas. instructive II, paragraph 4, p. 28 in Russian. translation. Gregory the Theologian, Pesnop. secret breeder sl. IV, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 228: “the first of the heavenly lights, out of his pride, having lost his light and glory, persecutes the human race with everlasting hatred.” Compare words VI, ibid. page 237. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, p. 10; Gregor. magn. Moral. IV, p. 13: ille apostata angelus, qui ita conditus fuerat, ut angelorum caeteris legionibus emineret. ita superbiendo succubnit, ut nunc stantium angelorum ditioni substratus sit. Anastas. in Όδηγώ cap. 4. Gregor. Nyss. Catech. c. 6; John Damascus. Accur. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 4: “of the angelic forces of the supermundane rank, the commander to whom God entrusted the protection of the earth was not created evil by nature.” Gregory the Theologian, word 38, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 241: “the morning star in lordship, but for his exaltation he became and is called darkness, with the God-apostate powers subordinate to him...;” Anastas. in ' Οδηγώ cap. 4; John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition pr. faith book. II, ch. 4: “he was rejected, he was followed, and with him an innumerable multitude of angels subordinate to him fell.” Athenag. legat. pro Christ. XXVI; Tertull. Virg. veland. VII; Lactant. Dlvin. Inst. II, 15; Hilar. in Ps. CXXXII, 2 and others. This is how John Chrysostom refuted this opinion (in Genes homil. XXII. n. 2 3); Theodorite (in Genes. quaest. 46, in Chron. Cht. 1843, III, 377–380; Divin. decret. epit. c. VII, in Chron. Cht. 1844, IV, 206–208); Augustinus (de civil. Dei XV, 22,23. n. 2. 3); Photius (Epist. 172), etc. Justin. dialog. cum Tryph. c. XXIV; Iren. adv. haer. III, 33, n. 8; IV, 40; Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 10. Lib. Pastoral. part. III, c. 11: The same thought in St. Augustine – De Genes. ad litt. XI, c. 14. This is how Saint Basil the Great explained this text (Interpretation of Isa. Chapter 2, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, 117); bliss Jerome (in cap. 16 Ezechiel.) and Blessed. Theodoret: "they (evil spirits) were created together with other disembodied spirits, but did not want to show voluntary obedience to the Lord God with them; on the contrary, being overwhelmed by pride and arrogance, they deviated to the worse, and fell from their state. This - the divine Apostle revealed, giving the law regarding the ordination of a bishop: He should not, he says, be one of the converts, so as not to become proud and fall under condemnation with the devil (1 Tim. 3:6). With these words, he makes it clear that the cause of the fall of the devil was pride” (Brief summary of Divine Dogma in Chron. Read. 1844, IV, 212–213). Blessed. Augustine, proving that the devil fell not through envy, but through pride, points precisely to this text: merito initium omnis peccati superbiam Scriptura definivit, dicens: initium omnis peccati superbia (De Genes. ad lilt. XI, p. 14; Cf. de civit. Dei XIV, p. 13). Pesnop. sacraments sl. VI, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 237. Compare. note 1186 and 1189. Orat. de Virginit. in Opp. T. I, p. 824, ed. Commel. Origen. in Ezech. hom. IX, 2; Basil the Great, on chapter 2. Isaiah in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, pp. 116–118, – and on chapter 10. Is. ibid pp, 341; Chrysost. in Genes. homil. XXII (Opp. t. II, p. 216); Cyrill. Alex. contr. Anthropomorph. c, 17; Theodorite. and Hieron (see above note 1194); Augustine, (- note 1195,); John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition right faith book II, ch. 4; Cassian. Coll. VIII, p. 20. 21; Dimitry Rostovsky, Sochi. Part I, page 56. Cyrill. Alex. in Joann. lib. V, p. 507, ed. Lutet. 1638. Isidor. de summ. bono 1, c. 12. Lactant. Div. instit. II, p. 8. Gregor. Magn. Moral. II, p. 17. Justin. Apol. 1, 28; II, 8; Tatian. ad Graec. XIV,XV; Iren. 1, 10; Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 10; Origen. Epist. ad Fabian, n. 6 (ed. De la Rue T. p. 5); Hilar. in Ps. CXLVIII, n. 7; August. de civ. Dei XXI, 17; Hieronym. adv. Rufin. I. in T. II, part. II, pag. 379, ed. Mart. Nemes. de homin. opific. c. 1; Cassian. Coll. IV, 14; Gregor. M. in Job. IX, 50, n. 76; John Damascus. Accur. exposition right faith II, ch. 3. August. de civit. Dei XIV, 27; in Epist. ad Galat. n. 24; see note 1104–1105. Kelain. chronicle page 12. Nemesius mentions them (de hom. opific. c, 1). John of Damascus, Exact. exposition right V. book II, ch. 4, p. 59. Tolkov. on ch. 14 Ave. Isaiah, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, 397–398. Tatian. adv. Graec. XII; Origen. adv. Cels. IV, 32; VIII, 35. Discourse IX that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 161. Haeres. XXVI, no. 3: πνεΰμα άκάθαρτον καί άσώματον. Homil. LXXXVIII, in Opp. t. V, p. 604: άσωμάτους δυνάμεις. Demonstr. Evang. VIIÏ ... τών άοράτων καί νοητών έχθρών ... Divin. decret. epit. With. VII, in Christ. Read 1844, IV, 207. Compare. note 1194. In dormit. Maria Virg. homil. II, n. 15, in Opp. T. II, p. 877, ed. Le Quien. See note above. 1185–1189. See Saint Demetrius of Rostov, Letop. 1, 12. John of Damascus, Exact. exposition pr. faith book. II, ch. 4. Cassian. Coll. VIII, cap. 8. Clem. Alex. Strom. VI, 16; Origen. de principle. III, 5; Augustin. de Genes. ad litter. IV, 22; de Genes. contra Manich. II, 3; Procop. Gaz. Octateuch. comm. in Genes. cap. 1. Conf. Natal. Alex. Hist. eccles. V. T. tom. 1, diss. l, art. 8, prop. 1. Vid. apud. Ecktrman Handbuch. der Christ. Glaub. II, 11. Rosenmüller, Scholia in V. T. vol. 1, cap. 1 Genes. Lips. 1821. Theopfil. ad. Autol. II, 12–18; Hippol. in Genes. I, 6; Basil the Great, conversations on the Sixth Day; Chrysost. in Genes. homil. III, n. 3; Serm. 1, n. 3; Athanas. contra Arian. orat. III; Ambros. in Hexaëm.; Gregor. Nyss. in Hexaëm.; Epiphan. haer. LXV, no. 4.5; Theodoret. quaest. in Genes. XXI, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 353. Compare. note 1226. Athanas. contra Arian. orat. III. Gregor. Nyss. in Hexaëm. T. 1, p. 7, edit. Morel. Justin. Apolog. 1, cap. 10. Tatian. Orat. ad Graec. cap. 7. Augustin. De Genes. contra Manich. 1, p. 5. 7. Chrysost. in Genes. homil. III, n. 1. 2; Hilar. de Trinit. XII, c. 40; Epiphan. haeres. LXV, no. 4, 5. Ideo primo fecit Deus, postea vetustavit, ut cundem credamus ornasse, qui fecit, et fecisse, qui ornavit; ue alterum putemus ornasse, alter ich creavisse; sed eundem utrumque esse operatum, ut primo faceret, postea componeret (Ambros. in Nehaim. I, p. 7). Severian. Orat. 1 de mundi creat. cap. 3; Method, (apud Phot. Biblioth. cod. CCXXIV); Gregor. Magn. Moral. XXXII, 12, n. 16: Rerum substantia simul creata est, sed simul species formata non est, et quod simul existit per substantiam muteriae, non simul apparuit per speciem formae. "Looking at the fact that in the description of the second and fourth days the action of the Creator in the entire creation of the world appears, and that the earth constitutes the smallest part of this whole, it is difficult to make sure that the third day of creative action was dedicated to it alone. It can be assumed that on this day the others, similar to it, i.e., the dark bodies of celestial space, received a more definite formation, characteristic of them; but since we do not know in detail their current state, it would be inappropriate to talk about its beginning" (Notes on the book of Genesis, pp. 20–21, St. Petersburg 1816). At the same time, one cannot help but recall the words of St. Basil the Great about the first day itself: "Moses seemed to say this: the measure of twenty-four hours is the continuation of one day, or the return of the sky from one sign to the same sign again takes place in one day. Why, every time evening and morning come in the world from the solar revolution, this period occurs not at a greater time, but in the continuation of one day" (Conversations on Hestod. II, in "Works of the Saints" Fathers,” V, 37–38). And of these, more than eighty seemed to contradict the Mosaic cosmogony. Vid. apud Fraysinous – Défense du Christian, ou conferences sur la réligion, tom. II, confer. VI; Cuvier – Rapport de Institute national, edit. ad calcem. operis: Theorie de la surface actuelle de la terre par M. André, Paris 1806; Annales de philosophic Chrétienne, 1831, no. 9, p. 195: analysis des différents systemses géologiques. Five of these methods or systems of reconciliation are discussed and evaluated in detail in the third volume, Sacrae Script. Curs. Complete., ed. Paris. 1842, in the article Annotations géologiques à la Genèse, p. 1583 sqq. Another method is described in detail in the book: Les livres saints vengès par Glaire T. 1, p. 2–98, Paris 1845. Such are, for example, De Luc, Lettres sur 1'hist. phys. de la terre, Paris 1798; André, Théorie de la surf. act. de la terre, Paris 1806; Buckeland, De la Géologic et de la minéralogie dans leurs rapports avec la Théologie naturelle, Paris 1838. Ami Boué, Guide to geologue voyageur, vol. II, p. 224, Paris 1836. Consist. apostol. 7:34; Method. apud. Epiphan. haeres. 64, 18; Augustin. ad Oros. contra Priscill. et Origen, n. IÏ nullum est creaturae genus, quod non in homine possit agnosci. Gregory the Theologian, word 38, in “Works of the Holy Fathers” III, 242; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition Right faith book II, chapter 12: “God created man immaculate, upright, loving goodness, free from sorrow and worries, radiant with all perfections, abounding in all blessings, like a kind of second world, small in the great.” as interpreted by rationalist theologians in the West. Ad Autol. II, ap. 18 et 28. Word on the structure of man, in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 5. Word 45, in “Works of the Holy Fathers” IV, 157. Lib. De parade. cap. 10. Irenaeus (adv. haeres. IV, 37.) Tertullian (contra Marcion, cap. 4) and Augustine also understood the Mosaic legend about the creation of man: Etse de terrae pulvere Deus finxit Hominem: eadem terra omnisque terrena materies omnino de nihilo est, animamque de nihilo factam dedit corpori, cum factus est homo (De civit. Dei XIV, c. 2); Accur. Exposition Right faith book XII, ch. 12, p. 90. Homil. XIII, in Genes., Opp. T. IV, p. 101, Venet. 1740. Divin. decret. epit. cap. 9, in Chr. Thurs. 1844216.221. See similar words of blessed. Augustine in the note. In Genes. quaest. 19; conf. quaest 23, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 346,354. The first thought was held by some freethinkers from the first times of Christianity, for example, Julian the Apostate [Opp. ejus. pag. 181, edit. A Spanhemio]; but Isaac Peirerius revealed it in all its detail in the 17th century in his work: Preadamitae, ed. 1655. And some natural scientists tried to prove the latter in the past and partly in the present century. as we will see in its place. Fourmont – Reflecions sur l'origine, l'hist. et la success. des anciens peuples, vol. 1, liv.1, sect. 2, chap. 1 et suiv. Paris 1747. Klaproth – Tableaux histor. De l'Asie, Paris 1814; Annales de Philosophie Chretienne volume VIII, n. 43, Paris 1834: Voyage et traditions, croyances, superrstitions et reste des traditions primitives, observées par M. Dumont d'Orville dans son voyage autour du monde... Word about the structure of man, Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 7, cf. 22–23. “Who did Cain marry?” The blessed one asks. Theodoret, and answers: “obviously a sister. At that time this was not a crime, because there was no law yet that would prohibit such a union. Otherwise, the reproduction of the human race would have been impossible in the beginning” (In Genes. Quast. 42, in Chron. Ch. 1843, III, 374). St. thought the same. Chrysostom (homil.XX in Genes.), St. Epiphanius (haeres. XIX, n. 6) and Blessed. Augustine (de civit. Dei XV, 16). Herodot. Lib. II, pag. 55.64, ed. Stephani 1566; Diodor. Sicut. Biblioth. Lib. II, p. 118, Hanov. 1604; Bailly-Traité de l'astronomie indienne et orientale, pag. 110,129 et suiv. Paris 1787. Cicero de divin. 1, 1, § 19; Diogen. Laert. lib. IX, segm. 35. Will. Jones. De la chronologie des Hindous (Recherches sur l'Asie, vol.2). Abel Romusat, Nouveaux mélanges asiatic volume 1, p. 61, P 1829; O. Joacinthos – Statis. Description Chinese Empire, part 1 pp. 159,161, St. Petersburg 1842. According to the latter, the Chinese legends about the millions of years of their past life, as having no basis, and, moreover, filled with absurdities, were certainly rejected by the Chinese historians themselves. La Place, Exposition de sysème du monde, liv. V, chap. 1, pag. 291.294; Klaproth. Mémoire relatifs à l'Asie, pag. 397, Paris 1824. Take a closer look at Gler: Les livre saints vengés, tom. I, p. 127–239; Here the author first speaks about the chroniclers of the Chaldeans, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, and the state of astronomy among these peoples; then examines in order the chronicles and astronomical information and monuments of each of these peoples; finally, he resolves objections to the truth he defends, borrowed from natural history. Blumenbach, Manuel d'hist. naturelle, trad. de l'allem. volume 1, p. 77–80, Metz 1803; Prichard, Histoire naturelle de l'homme et des différentes races humaines, t. 1, p. 139.176, Paris 1843; Wiseman, Discours sur les rapports entre la science et la religion révelée, p. 96–141, Paris 1843. See Plato's conversation: Timaeus and Critias; Diodor. Sicul. Lib. III, c. 55; lib. V, c. 19–20; lib. de facie in orbe lunae; Joseph Flav. de bello iud. II, p. 16; Virgil. Aeneid. VI, 796; Plin. Lib. II, p. 67; Senec. in Medea; Horat. Odar. Lib. 1, v. 21 sqq.; Tibull. Lib. IV, carm. 1, v. 147 sqq.; Opera SS. Patrum, qui tempor. apostol. Flowerunt, ed. Coteler. 1700, vol. 1, p. 158. See Deuber's Geschichte der Schiffahrt im Atlantischem Ocean, Bamber 1814; Antiquités Mexicoins, Paris, 1834, especially II partië Recherches sue les popul. primitives de l'Amerique; Humboldt, Vues des Cordillieres... vol. 1, p. 235–240; Krashennikov, historian. Kamchatka, part I, ch. 21 and part II, ch. 10; Malte Brune, précis de la geographie universelle, vol. V, p. 107, 572, ed. 1821; Antiquitates Americanae, Hauniæ 1837. Which are: Lacepede (Vue générale des progrés de plusieurs branches des sciences naturelles, depuis la mort de Buffon, Paris, 1822; p. 84), Prichard (See above note 1267) and Al. von Humboldt (See his Cosmos, translated into Russian by N. Florov, St. Petersburg, 1848). This opinion was that human souls were created all at once in the beginning, and then, when they sinned, they were sent into human bodies as punishment and cleansing from sins. Besides Origen, Methodius held this opinion (Compefis. Auct. PP. noviss, p. 97); Macarius Victorinus (in Ephes. (I, 4,7); Synesius (Hymn. I, 89 sq.; III, 558); also Manichaeans (apud. Hieron. epist XXXVIII); Priscillians (apud Augustin. haeres. epist. LXX) and others. Ή έκκλησία τοίς θείοις έπομένη λόγοις φάσκει τήν ψυχήν συνδημιουργησθήναι τώ σώματι καί ού τό μέν πρότερον, τό δέ ϋστερον, κατά τήν Όριγένους φρενοβλάβειαν (apud Mansi IX, p. 396 sq.) Brief summary of God. Dogmat., ch. IX, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 221. Quod (Priscilian fallacy) catolicae fidei repugnanas atque contrarium est, quae omnem hominem in corporis animaeque substantia a conditore universitatis formari ataque animari intra materna viscera confitetur, – maneute quidem illo pecсati mortalitatisque contagio, quod in prolem a primo parente transcurrit (Epist. XV ad Turribum de Priscill. erroribus, cap. 9, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. LIV, p. 684). ...An certe (quod ecclesiasticum est secundum eloquia Salvatoris...) quote Deus fabricatur animas; cuius velle fecisse est, et conditor essenon cessat (Contra Joan. Hierosolym. ad Pammach. cap. 22, in Patrolog. curs compl. T. XXIII, p. 372–373. Corpus de corporibus nasci potest... de animis anima non potest, quia ex retenui et incomprehensibili nihil potest decedere. Itaque serendarum animarum ratio uni ac soli Deo subjacet (Divin. instit. III, 18; cf. 11, 12 et de Opif. Dei cap. 19) Ambros. de Noë: homo non potest generare animam; Hilar. De Trinit. X, 20: omnis anima opus Dei est, carnis generatio semper ex carne fit; Ephrem. de inspirat.; Cyrill. Alex. Advers Nestor. Lib. I, in Opp. t. VI, p. 18, Lut. 1638; Gennad. de eccles. dogmat. cap. XIV, XVIII. Cirill. Alex. Advers. Nestor. Lib. 1 δημιουργός καθ ’ όν οίδε τρόπον τε καί λόγον ποιειτήν ψύχωσιν . Gennad. de eccles. dogmat. cap. XIV: dicimus, creationem animae solum Creatorem omnium nosse; Hilar. in Psalm. CXÏ3: quoteidie animarum origines occulta et incognita nobis divine virtutis molitione procedunt. This opinion was held by the Luciferian heretics (Augustin. haeres. LXXXI; Gennad. de dogm. eccles. c. XVI.) “If the soul, as it is said in the legal Spanish of the Kaf. and Apostolic Church of the East, came from the same seed from which the body comes, then they would die together,” part 1, rep. to the question 28. This opinion was followed, according to the testimony of Blessed. Jerome, Tertullian, the heretic Apollinaris and many of the Western Christians (Epist. 78 ad Marcell. et Anapsych., ed Mart.) Origen armed himself against him (in Math. T. XV, n. 35); Jerome (in Eccles. xii, 7); Lactantius (Div. instit. III, 18); Gennady (de dogm. eccles. c. XIV), etc. See the method of reconciliation proposed by Stefan Jaworsky in the article: Statement of Theological Questions, Chr. Thurs. 1844, 400–413 and compare. Theof. Procopov. Orthod. Theolog. Vol II, p. 37–45. Cyrill. Alex. Epist. 1 ad monk. Aegypt.; Theodoret. in Exod. quaest. XLVIII; Augustin. En Exod. qu. 80: Lex ideo noluit ad homicidium pertinere, quia nondum dici potest anima viva in corpore, quod sensu caret, si talis est in carne nondum formata et ideo nondum sensibus praedita; Jon. Philopon. de mundi creat. VI, 25; Gennad. de dogm. eccles. cap. XIV: dicimus..., formato jam corpore animam creari et infundi, ut vivat in utero homo ex anima constans et corpore, et eggrediatur vivus ex utero plenus humana substantia. Cf. cap. XVIII. Brief Exposition Divine. dogma Ch. IX, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, VI, 221–222. Tertius, qui ab Apostolo (1 Thess. 1:23) cum anima et corpore inducitur spiritus, gratiam Spiritus S. intelligamus, quam orat. Apostolus, ut integra perseveret in nobis, ne nostro vitio aut minuatur, aut fugetur a nobis (Gennad. de dogm. Eccles., cap XX.) Publicity taught IV, 18, p. 69 in Russian. translation Tolkov. on Isaiah 1, 3, in “Works of the Holy Fathers” VI, 20. Song sacraments word II, in “Works of the Holy Fathers” IV, 270. De prophet. obscur. II, n. 5; in Genes. homil. XXI, no. 6. De civit. Dei XIII, 24, n. 2; cf. XXI, 3, n. 2. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. 2, ch. 12, pp. 90–91, in Russian. translation Iren. Adv. haeres, V, 8, n. 2; substantia nostra, id est, animae et carnis adunatio; Clem. Alex. Strom. VII, 12; ό θάνατος χωρισμός ψυχής άπό σώματος ; Origen. in Rom. lib. VI, no. 6; Tit. Bostr. adv. Manich. II, 12. Lib. de resurr. in Grab. Specilef. II, 188. Apolog. 1, n. 8, 20; Dialog. cum. Tryph. cap. IV, 5. Adv. Marcion. V, cap. 15: etenim aliam in homine non video post spiritum et animam, cui vocabulum corporis accomodetur, praeter carnem. Hic (homo) cum ex duabus substantilis constet, ex corpore et anima... (adv. Marcion. IV, 37, cf. de resurr. carn. XXXIV; adv. Gnost. Scorp. 9; de poenit. cap. III) Quidam volunt, aliam illi (homini) substantiam naturalem inesse, spiritum; quasi allud sit vivere, quod venit ab anima; Aliud spirare, quod fiat a spiritu... Atenim vivere spirare est, et spirare vivere est. Ergo totum hoc, et spirare et vivere..., est animae.... Si duo sunt, anima et spiritus, dividi possunt... Sed nullo modo eveniet... Ita cum de anima et spiritu agitar, ipsa erit anima spiritus (lib. de anima cap. X.) Strom. IV, 3, 25, 26;V, 12;VII, 12. Perfectus homo, commixtio et adunatio est animae, assimentis Spiritum Patris, et admixta ei carni... (adv. Haer. V, 6, n. 1; cf. n. 1; 12, n. 1). Adver. haeres. II, 33. n. 5; V, 12, n. 2. Adv. Scrutat. Serm. XVIII. De inspirat. p. 323, T. II, ed Graec. Augustin. de duab. anim. contra Manich.; Nemes. de natur. homin. cap. 1. Conversation between Yeranist. and Right. o unsl. union of natures in Christ, Chr. Thurs. 1846, part 1, page 337. Brief exposition God dogma Ch. XI, Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV pp. 314–315. De dogmat. eccles. cap XV, XIX, XX. According to Origen. Prooem. in principle. n. 5. Justin, περί ψυχής ; Tertull. de anima; Greg. Nyss. περί ψυχής; Augustin. de anima et ejus orig.; Nemes. de nat. homin.; Maxim. de anim. etc. De incorporali lib. 1, in Galland. IV, p. 503 sq. Theodorite. Brief summary of God. dogma. Ch. IV, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 219. Nemes. de nat. homin. cap. II. ‘ Ότι άυτις καί άσώματος , καταλλήλως τή ίδία φύσει ένεργουτε καί κινουμένη...De anim. et ressurr. p. 189, t. III, ed. Morel. See note above. 1289; also homil. in illud: Ego Dominus feci lumen, n. 1. "What is our being? This is the soul with which we live, a subtle and spiritual being, which has no need for anything burdensome; this is the body that the Creator gave to the soul as a chariot to life" (word 21 about what should not cleave to everyday things..., in “Works of the Holy Fathers” VIII, 330). Animam non esse corpoream non me putare, sed plane scire, audeo profiteri, (De genes. ad litt. XII, 33, n. 62; cf. VII, 15 n. 21). “Our soul is a simple being, endowed with reason and immortal.” (A brief summary of God's dogma, Chapter IX, in Chron. Ch. 1844, IV, 218). “The soul is a living, simple, incorporeal being”... (Accurate presentation of the Orthodox Faith II, 12, p. 92). Euseb. in Luc. XII, 24; Praepar. Evang. XI, 27; Nemes. de natur. homin. cap. 2; Tit. Bostr. Manich. 1, 26; Anastas., in May 7, 1 p. 179; Maxim. de anima. See note above. 1146, 1147. Τήν άρχήν νοερόν καί δυνάμενον αίρείσθαι τα ’ αληθή καί εύ πράττειν τό γένος τό άνθρωπινον πεποίηκεν (Apolog. 1, cap. 28; Cf. Dialog. cum Thryph. CII). (Ad Autol. II, 27). Iren. adv. haer. IV, 37, n. 2, sq. 39, n. 17 sq.; Tertull. Adv. Marcion. II, 5, 6; de anima XXI, XXII; Clem. Alex. Strom. II, 4; III, 9; IV, 23; V, 13; VI, 12; Origen. de Princip. II, 9, n. 6; in Math X, n. 2. Cyril of Jerusalem, Oglas. Pouch. IV, 18: “know that you have a free soul..”; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition Ave. Faith II, 12: “the soul is a free being, endowed with the ability to want and act.” Tatian. adv. Graec. 7; Tit. Bostr. adv. Manich II, 3; Chrysost. In Genes. homil. XIX, n. 20, no. 3; XXII, n 1; Augustin. de lib. arbitr. II, 3; Ephrem. de libert. T. III, p. 434, ed. Graec., Cyrill. Alex. adv. antrop. c. II; epist. LV; Nemes. de nat. hom.c. XXIX. Tit. Bostr. Adv. Manich. II, 5, 6. Origen. De principle. III, n. 5; Greg. Nyss. Orat. Cath. XXXI; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition right faith III, 18. Augustin. in Ps. CI. Serm. 1, n. 2. Chrysost. in Math. homil. XXII, n.6; Augustin. de vera rel. cap. XIV, no. 27. Origen. contr. Cels. IV, 3; Greg. Nyss. de hom. opif c. XVI; orat. cathech. XXXI; Crysost. de Anna serm. 1, n. 2. Justin. Apolog. 1, n. 43; Iren. adv. haer. IV, 37, n. 2, 6, 7; Isidor. lib. II, epist. 129. Iren. IV, 37, n. 3; Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 5. Justin. Apolog. 1, n. 17, 18, 63; Tatian. adv. Graec. XVI; Iren. adv. haeres. II, 34. n. 2; V, 13, n. 3; Athenag. Legat. XXVII; Clem. Alex. Strom. V, 15; Origen. adv. Cels. III, 22; Tertull. de resirr. carn XXXIV; Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. 3, 3; Athan. contr. gentes XXXIII; Greg. Nyss. de eo, quid sit ad imag. Dei, 25, T. II, ed. Morel.; Epiphan. haeres. 64, no. 36 and friend. Tertull. de anima XI, XIV, XV; Origen. de principle. II, 2 n. 4; III, 1 n. 13. Justin. Dialog. cum Thryph. n. VI; Tatian. adv. Graec. XIII; Iren. adv. haeres. II, 34, n. 4; Arnob. adv. gent. II, 14, 18, 32, 35; Theoph. ad Autol. II, 34, 36; Cyril of Jerusalem, Ogl. instructive IV, 69: “Know that you have a free soul, a beautiful creation of God, created in the image of the Creator, immortal by the grace of God, who makes it immortal, a living, intelligent, incorruptible creation, by the kindness of him who gave it.” Iren. adv. haeres. V, 6; Tertull. exhort castit. 1; Clem. Alex. Strom. V, 4; VII, 3; Origen. adv. Cels. VI, 63; Athan. Contra Arian. orat. 1, n. 49; Ambros. de fid. II, 4; Isidor. lib. III, epist. 95; Augustin. de Trinit. XIV, no. 6, and friend. Aristo. de anima 1, 2; Cicer. de legib. 1, 7, 8; Ovid. Metam. 1, 76 sq.; Senec. Prov. cap. 1.Cfr. Lactant. Instit. Divin. II, 10. Epiphan. haeres. LXX, n. 2. 3 sq., Ancorat. n. 55. Clem. Alex. Strom. II, 19; τό γάρ κατ ' είκονα καί όμοίωσιν ού τό κατά σώμα μηνεύεται, ού γάρ ? Origen. contr. Cels. VI, 63; VIII, 49; de principle. IV, 37. Epiphan. haeres. XC; Euseb. in Psalm. 8:5; Greg. Nyss. Orat. in illud: faciamus hominem, in Chr. Thurs. 1840, III, 303–305: “the image of God in us does not consist in a bodily form...; how can something that is transitory be the image of the Unchangeable, and what has a form be the image of something that has no form?” Ambros. in Hexaëm. VI, cap. 8: non ergo caro potest esse ad imaginem Dei, sed anima nostra, quae libera est... etc.; Augustin. de Trinit. XII, cap. 7: sicut non solum veracissima ratio, sed etiam ipsius Apostoli declarat auctoritas, non secundum formam corporis homo factus est ad imaginem Dei, sed secundum rationalem mentem. Theodoret. Hist. Eccl. 4, p. 9; Dimitri Rostovsky, Collected Op. Part 1, page 62. Clem. Alex. Strom. VI, 14; Augustin. in Joann tractat III,: Non distas a pecore, nisi intellectu... Unde ergo melior es? Ex imagine Dei. Ubi imago Dei? In mente, in intellectu. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, cap. 5. 6; Hieron. Epist. 146; Macar. homil. 15; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition Ave. of Faith III, 14, p. 175: “If man is created in the image of the blessed and essential Divinity, and God’s nature is free and has a will by nature? then man, as the image of God, is naturally free and has a will.” Tertull. De Baptism. V; Augustin. de Trinit. XIV, no. 4, 6; Maxim. Centur. III, cap. 25. Lib. de dignit. condit. human. cap. 2. Op. Part 1, p. 62; Rozyk. Page 292–294. They reasoned the same way: Augustin. de Trinit. lib. IX, c. 4, 11, et. lib. XII, fere tot.; Theodoret, in Genes. quaest. XX, in Chr. Thurs. 1843b III, 351–352. "One can also find the most exact similarity with God in the human soul. Thus, it has reason and life; the (human) mind gives birth to the word, together with the word comes breath, which is not born as a word, but always accompanies it, and when the word is born, comes out with it. But in this respect, man is similar to God, only as an image; because neither his word nor his breath have independent existence." “And in the Holy Trinity we confess three hypostases, which are not united together, so that each has an independent existence.” Chrysost. in Genes. homil. XVIII, n. 3; XXI, no. 2; Greg. Nyss. de hom. opif. c. III, IV; Euseb. de incorporation. et invis. Dei, in Galland. IV, 498; Epiphan. in Genes. 1, 26; Theodoret. in Genes. quaest. XX. Justin. de resurr., in Grab. Specileg. T. 2, p. 187; Iren. adv. haeres. V, 6; Greg. Nyss de hom. opif. c. 8; Augustin. de Genes. contra Manich. cap. 17; de quaest. LXXXIII, qu. LI. Clem. Alex. Storm. 2, 22: τό μέν κατ ’ είκοωα εύθέως κατά τήν γένεσιν έιληφέναι τόν άνθρωπον , τό καθ ’ όμοίωσιν δέ υκατά τήν τελείοσιν μέλλειν άπολαμβάνειν; Origen. de principle. III, 6, n. 1; Ambros. de dignit. cond. hum. c. II, III; Greg. Nyss. Orat. in verbä faciamus hom., in Chr. Thurs. 1840, III, 320 et seq.; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition pr. faith II, 12, p. 90: “The word is in the image, means the power of the mind and the power of freedom (αύτεξούσιον), and the word is in likeness, likening (to God) in virtue, as much as possible.” Tertull. adv. Prax. 5; Clement. Alex. Strom. V, 14; VI, 14; Ambros. in Hexaëm. VI, 8; Augustin. de Trinit XII, 7, 8, 12. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 5, 6; Tit. Bostr. adv. Manich. II, 5; Hieronym. Epist. CXLVI. Novat. de Trinit. c. 1; Greg. Nyss. Orat. cathech. VI. Clem. Alex. Strom. II, 22; Origen. adv. Cels. VI, 63; Ambros. de bona mort. c, V; Cyrill. contra Athropom. c. II, III; Petr. Chrysol. Serm. CXX. Cyrill. Alex. Thesaur. XXXIV; Dialog. VI. Orat. in verbä faciamus hominem, in Chr. Thurs. 1840, III, 320–322. In Chr. Thurs. 1840, III, 324. Instit. Divin. IV, 28. Cf. De falsa sapient. III, c. 10; de vita beat. VII, c. 5. Orat. II de homin. structura, in Opp. T. I, p. 338, ed. Garnier, in Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 6. The same word is attributed to Saint Gregory of Nyssa by the publisher of his works, Morel (Opp. T. I, pp. 153–166.) A Word on the Holy Lights of the Apparitions of the Lord, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 262–263. Discourse on St. Matthew, 2:4, p. 33, Moscow 1843. Epist. 43 Horontiano, n. 10, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XVI, p. 1132. Conversation about the appeal. Souls to God and united. with Him, in Chr. Thurs. 1837, II, 119. A Word on the Holy Lights of the Apparitions of the Lord, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 257. De falsa sapientia III, cap. 10. Chr. Thurs. 1841, IV, 29, approx. 1361. Apud. Damask. Sacr. Parall., in Opp. T. 2, pag. 747, ed. Le Quien. Apud. Damascen. tom. cit. pag. 313. Homily for Holy Pascha, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 182. Accur. exposition right faith, book II, ch. 29, p. 128, in Russian. translation Epist. XLIII, n. 13, 19, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XVI, p. 1133, 1135. Word for the new week, in “Works of the Holy Fathers” IV, 144. On the book of Genesis question. 20, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 348. The same idea is expressed by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, (De homin. opific. cap. 2, T. 1, p. 50–51, ed. Morel.). Homil. in Genes. XIV, no. 5; Serm. in Genes. VI, no. 1, in Opp. T. IV, p. 113, 672, ed. Montfauc. Iren. contr. haeres. IV, 39, n. 1; Theophil. ad Autol. 11, 15; Clem. Alex. Coh. 11; Strom. IV, 25; Dionys. Alex. Apud. Nicet, Cat. in Job (in Routh. Relig. Sacr. 11, p. 396); August. de Genes. ad litt.VI, 20; n. 31. Accur. exposition right faith book II, chapter 2, p. 86, in Russian. translation Iren. contr. haeres. III, 23, n. 5; Tertull. de patient. cap. 5; Clem. Cohort. XI; Basil the Great, conversations that God is not the author of evil, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,: VIII, 155; Chrysost. in Genes. homil. XV, n. 4; Ambros. de isaac. et anim c. 5; Augustin. de civit. Dei XIV, 26; Hieron. adver. Jov. lib. 1, T. IV, p. 171, P. II, - Greg. in Job. VIII, n. 35; Exact. Iren. Contr. haeres. 4, cap. XXXVIII, no. 3, p. 285, ed. Massuet. In Genes. homil. ХVII, n. 7, 9, p. 144, 147, T. IV, ed. Montfauc. Basil the Great, Rules. space exposition, answer to question. 55, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” X, 202. Accur. exposition right faith book II, ch. II, p. 85. “I know, writes Blessed Augustine, that many have said a lot about paradise, but there are three main opinions about it: the first of those who want to understand heaven only sensually; the second of those who understand it only spiritually; the third of those who understand heaven in both senses, both sensually and spiritually” (De Genes. ad litt. cap. 1). Theophil. ad Autol. II, 20. 24; Hippolyt. in Nehayom. fragm., apud Damasc. in Sacr. Parall. T. II, p. 787; Epighan. Ancorat. LVII. Ephrem. de par ad. hom. Sermo; Gregory the Theologian, song. sacraments words 7, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 244–245. Ambros. de paradiso; Augustin. de Genes. contr. Manich. II, 2; de Genes. ad litt. VIII, 1 sq. Many other ancient teachers who held this opinion are cited by Anastasius of Antioch (in Hexaëm, lib. VII. Cf. Le Quien. Opp. Joh. Damasc. T. I, p. 174. not. I). Accur. izl. right faith, book II, ch. II, pp. 87, 88. Chrysost. in Genes. homil. XV, no. 4. T. IV, p. 120. Iren. contr. haer. IH, 23, n. 5; Chrysost. ad Stagir. lib. 1, n. 2; in Genes. homil. XVI, no. 5; Augustin. contr. Julian, lib. IV, cap. ult., n. 82; John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition right faith, book II, ch. II, p. 87. Accur. Izl. right faith, book II, ch. 30, p. 132. Tertullian also expresses that from a person, as soon as he has fallen, they are taken away - paradisi gratia et familiaritas Dei, per quam omnia Dei cognovisset, si obedisset (Adv. Marcion. II, cap. 2). De corrept. et grat. cap. XI, n. 32. Pesnop. sacraments Words IX, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 255. Vs. Eunom. book V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 208. About the Holy Spirit ch. 16, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 289. De corrept. et gratia cap. XI, n. 32. About the Holy Spirit ch. 16, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 290. Accur. Exposition right faith, book II, ch. 12, pp. 91–92. Justin. Dialog. cum Thryph. CXXIV; Tatian, contr. Graec. VII; Ctem. Strom. VI; Cyprian. de patient.; Hilar. in Ps. 1, n. 13; Basil the Great, conversation about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 155; Augustin. de civit. Dei XIII, 15. Theophil. ad Autol. II, 27; Clem. Strom. II, 19; Lactant. inst. div. II, 13; Ephrem. in Gen. II, T. 1, p. 28, ed. Syr.; Nemes. de natur. hom. c. 1. Tatian. contr. Graec. VII; Iren. adv. haer. III, 20, n. 1; V, 3, n. 1; Athanas. de incarn. Verb. Dei n. 4–6; August. de Genes. ad litt. VI. 25, no. 36; de civ. Dei XIII, 23. Homily for the new week, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 144. De Genes. ad litt. VI, 25, n. 36. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, p. 6; Didym. contr. Manich., in T. IV Biblioth. PP., p. 871. Homily on Epiphany, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 243. Accur. Exposition right ver. book II, ch. 30, pp. 133–134. In genes. homil. XVI, no. 6, T. IV, p. 131, ed. Montfauc. View note previous. Adv. Judaeos cap. 2, in patrolog. curs. compl. T. II, p. 599. In Ps. LXXI. St. Augustine also repeats in another place: a cujus arbore fuit homo prohibitus, ut obedientia commendaretur, quae maxima est virtus et, ut sic dixerim, omnium origo materque virtutum in ea natura, cui sic datum est arbitrium liberae voluntatis, ut eam tamen necesse sit vivere sub potestate melioris (Contr. Adversar. legis et prophet. 1, cap. 14). Gregory the Theologian, sermon on the Epiphany, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 243; John of Damascus, Exact. exposition right faith book II, ch. II, pp. 87, 89. See note above. 1386. 1388. “For this purpose, notes John Chrysostom, Blessed Moses wrote down the very name of the place (where paradise was located), so that hunters of vanity could not deceive the simple-minded and say that paradise is not on earth, but in heaven, and spread such fables” (in Genes. homil. XIII, n. 3). In Genes. Quest. 26 in Christ. Thurs. 1843, III, 356. Chrysost. in Genes. homil. XVI, no. 5, 6; Basil. Selevc. orat. II de Adam.; Severian. Orat. VI, de mundi opific.; Theodoret, in Genes. Quest. 26 in Christ. Thurs. 1843, III, 357. Saint John Chrysostom in the indicated place strongly arms himself against the idea that this tree by nature had the ability to impart to our ancestors the knowledge of good and evil, and proves that Adam, even before eating from the tree, already understood with his mind what was good and what was evil. As some of the newest think. Schwars. Handbuch der Christl. Relig. T. II, § 148; Dobmayer, Systema Theolog. cathol. T. VI, § 10 and others. Word on the Epiphany, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 243. For the same thought, see John of Damascus, Exact. izl. right faith book II, ch. II, p. 87. Tractat. in Ps. LXX. Cf. de civit. Dei XIII, 20; XIV, 12; Theophil. ad Autolyc. II, 25, 34. "What was for the soul, says St. Basil the Great, the primary good? Being with God and unity with him through love. Having fallen away from Him, it began to suffer from various and varied ailments" (Conversation on the fact that God is not the culprit of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 154). Contr. haeres. V, c. 24; cf. c. 23. In Genes. homil. XVI, no. 2. Homily for Holy Pascha, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 160. De Genes. ad litt. XI, p. 29. Accur. Exposition right faith, book II, ch. 30, page 134. In another place in the same work, Saint John of Damascus expresses a guess why the devil chose the serpent as his weapon: "Before the fall, he says, everything was subject to man; for God made him ruler over everything that is on earth and in the waters. Even the serpent was close to man, and even more than other animals approached him, and with his pleasant movements seemed to be talking to him. That's why the devil, the leader of the world, through him instilled in the ancestors the most destructive advice” (Book II, Chapter 10, p. 83). Justin. Dialog. cum Tryph. With. 103. 124: Tertull. de patient, c. 5; Origen. in Joann. T. XX, no. 21; Lactant. Instit. divin. 11, 13; Euseb. Praep. Evang. VII, 10; Ambros. de paradise c. 11, no. 9; Greg. Nyss. in Ps. Tract. II, p. 16; Theodoret. Quest. in Genes. XXXI, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 361. In Genes. homil. XVI, no. 2. 3. We have given here the thoughts of St. John Chrysostom in abbreviation. Saint John Chrysostom represents God as speaking to Adam in this way: "What kind of leniency do you deserve, having forgotten My commandment and daring to prefer the gift of a wife to My words? For although the wife gave, My commandment and the fear of punishment were sufficient to keep you from eating. Or did you not know, or did you not know? That is why, caring for you, I predicted that you would not be subjected to this, “So, although your wife set you up to violate the commandment, you were also not innocent. You had to have even greater faith in My commandment and take care not only not to taste it yourself, but also to show your wife the greatness of the crime, for you are the head of the wife and she was created for you, and you not only did not correct her, but you yourself fell along with her.” And then he notes for his part: “Consider the words of the husband: the wife whom You gave me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate (Gen. 3:12). There is no necessity, no coercion, but election and freedom: she only gave, and did not force, did not force" (in Genes. homil. XVII, n. 4. 5). View above note. 1407–1410. Blessed. Augustine says: "Who dares to say or believe that God does not have the power to prevent the fall of an angel, or a man? But God chose rather to leave this to their own freedom" (de civit. Dei XIV, 26). And in another place, deciding the same question, why God allowed the fall of man, he answers: “I cannot penetrate the depth of His intentions, and I confess that these things exceed my strength” (de Genes. ad litt. lib. II). A conversation about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 156. Apud Phot. Biblioth. cod. CCXXIX, p. 1548. The same thought is found in Saint Ambrose (de parad. cap. VIII, n. 41). We have already noticed that there is no reason to deviate from the literal meaning of the Mosaic legend about the primitive state and fall of our ancestors. Therefore, the opinion of the Encratites (apud Clem. Strom. III, 12, 13), the Manichaeans (apud Augnstin. de morib. Manich. c. XIX) and other heretics of subsequent times is false, that the commandment of God to Adam and Eve consisted in prohibiting them from marriage, and their sin was in acting against this commandment, when, on the contrary, it is known that God, as soon as he created the first people, a man and a woman. And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28), and then the law of marriage was taught to them: a man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife; and the [two] will become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). All this happened before the temptation from the serpent. “They say: why was there a tree in paradise, with the help of which the devil could succeed in plotting against us? For if he had not had a deceptive bait, how would he have led us into death through disobedience? It was so that a commandment was needed to test our obedience” (Basily the Great, Discourse on the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 158–159). In Genes. homil. XIV, no. 3. The blessed one has the same thought. Augustine (de civit. Dei XIV, 12) and Blessed. Theodorit (in Genes. quaest. XXXVII, in Chron. Cht. 1843, III, 370). The latter says: "Doesn't sin seem unimportant to you? The Lord gave Adam complete control over all the trees, forbidding him to eat from one; and he, leaving all the others, plucked the fruit from only one forbidden tree. For this, the Lord God reproached him, saying: who told you that you were naked? Have you not eaten from the tree from which I forbade you to eat? (Gen. 3:11)? The same is evident from the words of the devil to To Eve: Did God truly say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis: 3:1)? So the crime is not unimportant. These impulses are depicted with particular force by Saint John Chrysostom (in Genes. homil. XVII. n. 4) and Blessed. Augustine (de civit. Dei XVI, 15). "God does not abhor anything so much as pride. That is why He arranged everything from the beginning in such a way as to destroy this passion in us. For this we have become mortal, we live in sorrow and lamentation; for this our life is spent in labor and exhaustion, burdened with continuous work. For the first man fell into sin from pride, desiring to be equal to God" (John Chrysostom, Discourse on Ev. Matt. LXV, n. 6, part III, p. 129, Moscow, 1843). Op. imperf. contra Julian. VI, p. 23, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XLV, p. 1567. "What kind of death occurred from Adam's sin? Twofold: bodily, when the body is deprived of the soul that enlivened it, and spiritual, when the soul is deprived of the grace of God, which enlivened it with a higher spiritual life" (Space. Chr. Catich. on Part III, p. 43, M. 1840). Iren. contr. haeres. V, 23. n. 2; Athanas. contr. Arian. orat. 1, n. 59; Hilar. in Ps. CXXXXVII, n. 12; Theodoret. in Rom. V, 14; Petr. Chrys. Serm. LXX; Cyrill. contr. Julian, orat. VIII. A conversation about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 155. Compare. word about mobility, ibid. IX, 68. Adv. Eunom. orat. II, p. 482, T. II, ed. Morel. In Genes. homil. XVII, no. 2. A conversation about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 155. Contr. Apollon. lib. II, n. 6. A Word on Mobility, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IX, 68. In 2 Paralipom. quaest. 1. Tatian. ad Graec. VII; Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 9; V, 25; Clearysost. in Genes. homil. XVII, no. 7. 9. Theophil. ad Autol. 11, 25. Adv. haeres. III, 35; cf. V, 23. Theophil. ad Autol. 11, 25; Method. conv. dec. virg. Or. III, n. 6; Iren. contr. haer. V, 23; Euseb. H.E. 1, 2; Theodor. in Ps. XV, 5; Lactant. Divin. Inst. 11, 13. De paradiso cap. 7; cf. in Hexaëm. V, 7; in Ps. 36. In Genes. homil. XVII, no. 9; cf. homil. XVI, no. 6. Tatian. ad Graec. c. 34; Tertull. adv. Marcion. 11, 2; Hilar. in Ps. 68; Cyril of Jerusalem, Oglas. instructive II, 4, p. 28; Basil the Great, Discourse on the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 155. Exposit. in Psalm. III, Opp. T. V, p. 3–4, ed. Montfauc. In Genes. Serm. III, n. 2. Other teachers of the Church have the same thoughts: Theodor. in Rs. XV, 5; August. de civit. Dei XXII, 22, n. 3; John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition pr. faith book. II, ch. 10, p. 83. In Genes. homil. XVII, no. 9. Some of the ancient teachers of the Church had their own private opinions on this subject. For example, Tatian considered one of the consequences of the Fall of Adam to be the poisonousness of some plants (ad Graec. p. XII), Theophilus of Antioch - the ferocity of wild animals (ad Autol. 11, 17), Augustine - freaks (contr. Julian, op. imperf. V, 8), Isidore of Spain - the weakening of the light of the sun and the moon (ord. creat. p. V) and so on. Epist. CXC ad Optat., cap. 1, 2, 3, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XXXIII, p. 857–861. Vid. Th. Procopovicz. Christ. Orthod. Theolog. II vol., p. 483; cf. p. 458, Lips. 1782. Apud Augustin. Gesta Pelag. c. XI; contr. Julian, op. imperf. II, 64; de natur. et grat. c. XIX, n. 21. Catech. Racowiens. quaest. 423; Clericus, Hist. eccles. ad an. 180, § 30, 34. Augustin. Confess. c. XVIII; Solid. Declar. 1 de lib. arbitr. n. 1. 2. 3; Calvin. Instit. 11, 1, n. 8. 9; 2, no. 1; Luther. de Serv. arbitr. ad Erasm. fol. 178, T. III, ed. Jen.; Melancht. Loc. commim. de peccat. act et de peccat. discrim. Augustin. de peccat. merit. et remiss. 1, p. 9. Augustin. contr. Julian. VI, c. 12. Augustin. Serm. CLIII de verb. Apostoli, Rom. VII, 5–13. cap. XI, Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XXXVIII, p. 832. Iren. Contr. haeres. 11, 22, al. 39, n. 4; Origen. lib. V in cap. VI Epist, ad Roman. n. 9; in Lev. homil. VIII, no. 3; Cyprian. Epist. LIX ad Fidum de laps. p. 98, ed. Maur.; Ambros. de Abraham. II, n. 81; Angus-tin. Serin. CXV, no. 10; contr. Donat. IV, 23, n. 30. De peccat. merit. et remiss. III, n. 9, 5, n. 10. And this was pointed out against the Pelagian blessed. Augustine. Contr. Julian. II, p. 2. As the blessed one testifies. Jerome. Dialog. III, n. 17, opp. T. II, p. 788, ed. Vallars. The acts of all these councils are printed in Collect. Concil. T. I, ed. Harduin. Dialog. cum Tryphon. n. 88. Contr. haeres. V, 16. Other places: “the law says that a person is healed from an ancient wound inflicted by the serpent in no other way than if he believes in the One who... draws everything to himself and gives life to the dead” (contr. haeres. IV, 5), “Just as through the tree we became debtors to God, so through the tree we receive remission of our debt” (V, 17). De testim. animae s. III. Elsewhere: “omuis anima eo usque in Adam censetur, donee in Christo recenseatur, tamdiu immunda, quamdiu recenseatur, peccatrix autem, quia immunda” (De anim. p. 40). Malum animae, praeter quod ex obventu spiritus mali superstruitur, ex originis vitio antecedit naturale quodammodo (ibid. p. 16). Epistol. LIX ad Fidum, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. III, p. 1013. In Math. cap. ХVIII, n. 16; in Ps. LIX, n. 4. Elsewhere: quia ex peccato omnis caro est, a peccato scilicet Adam parente deducta; in similitudine peccati carnis est missus (Christus), existente in eo non peccato, sed peccati carnis similitudine (Oper. incerti fragm. VIII). Conversation during famine and drought, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 137–138. Song sacraments, words VII, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 245; words, against Aryan. ibid III, 173–174. Apol. David. II, p. 12, n. 71; cf. Apol. David. T, c. II, n. 56; Epist. LXXIII, n. 8; de myst. c. VI, no. 32; Epist. de fide ad Hier (in Maj. VII, 1, p. 159). In the last place the thought is expressed especially clearly: “talis erat omnium a primis ducta genitoribus causa mortalium, ut originali peccato transeunte per postcros nullis poenam damnationis evaderet, nisi Verbum caro fieret et habitaret in nobis.” Homil. X in epist. ad Rom. c. 5. Cf. in Isai. VII, no. 7. Clem. Alex. Strom. III, 16; Origen. in Jerem. homil. VIII, no. 1; in Cantic. VIII, 6; in Lev. homil. VIII, no. 3; Athanas. contr. Arian. orat. 1, n. 51. 61; Greg. Nyss. de eo, quid sit ad imag. et simil. Dei, T. II, p. 29, ed. Morel.; in Ps. tract. II, p. 13; Macar. de libert. ment. n. II; de pat. et discret. c. IX; homil. V, 1. 2. 3; Didym. Alex. in 1 Joan. V, 19; Cyrill. de incarn. c. 12, in Maj. VIII, II, p. 72; Theodoret. in Ps. L, 7. De nupt et concup. II, p. 12. The Pelagians, in defense of their false teaching, referred to certain passages in the writings of the ancient Fathers, such as Cyprian, Hilary, Chrysostom, and especially Ambrose; but the injustice of all these references was shown by the blessed one. Augustine (Contr. duas Epist. Pelng. IV, 8; de nat. et grat. contr. Pelag. LXIII; contr. Julian. 1, 6; de grat. Christi et pecc. orig. contr. Pelag. XLIII, n. 47; de nupt. et concup. 1, c. 35, n. 40). Plato de legib. IX; Cicer. Quest. Tuscul. III, n. 1; Seneca, de elementia 1, c. 6; de ira III, c. 26; Horat, Sat. 1, 13, 16. Tatian. ad Graec. XIII, XIV, XXX; Macar. homil. XXV, n. 2; de libert. ment. n. 21; Augustin. de civit, Dei XXII, 22, n. 1; Gregor. in Job. V, 34, n. 61. Justin. Apolog. 1, 24; Athenag. Leg. XXIV; Clem. Strom. II, 4; III, 9; IV, 20; Origen. de princ. prolog. n. 5; Tertull, contr. Marc. II, 5; Cyprian. Epist. LV; Exhort. castit. c. II. Cyril of Jerusalem, Oglas. pouch, IV, 21; Basil the Great, conversation about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 154; Ambros. in Hexaëm. 1, p. 8. The first one specifically says: "The soul is autocratic; therefore, the devil can incite, but he has no power to force against his will. He instills in you the idea of fornication; if you want, you will accept it; if you do not want, you will not accept it. For if you committed fornication out of necessity, then why did God prepare Gehenna? If by nature, and not by freedom, you did good, then for what has God prepared indescribable crowns? The sheep is meek, but it will never be crowned for its meekness, because its meekness comes not from freedom, but from nature” (pp. 71–72 according to Russian translation). View also above note. 1326–1333 and the very text to which they refer. Blazh. Augustine, for example, convinced his listeners this way: "Know for certain that you act of your own free will. Since you live, you act. He (God) is not your helper if you do nothing yourself; nor is your helper if you do not strive for anything... God does not create his church out of you like out of stones that do not have their own movement, which a sculptor takes and places. Living stones are not like that; neither are you like living ones." stones, be built into the church of God. You are led, but you yourself flow; you are led, but you yourself follow” (Serm. CLVI, alias XIII, n. 13). Epiphan. haer. LXX, n. 3; Gregory of Nyssa, words. 1 to the words: Let us create man in the image... in Chr. Thurs. 1840, III, 322: “that which I am endowed with reason constitutes in me according to the image; and in the likeness I myself am made, becoming a Christian;” Cyrill. adv. Anthrop. With. 5.10; Augustin. de spiritu et littera, p. 28; Retractat. II, 24; Dimitry Rostovsky, Search, pp. 293–294. Epiphan. Epist. adv. Joan. Ierosol.; Hieron. Epist. XXXVIII ad Pammach. de error. Joann. Ierosol. Orat. ad Graec. c. XI; cf. c. VII. Song sacraments words 10, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 260. Serm. XLVII; cf. de vocat. gent. 1, p. 3; in Luc. VII, c. 15. Justin. Dialog. cum Tryph. n. 88; Iren. contr. haer. V, 12, n. 3; Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 9; V, 25; Lactant. Inst. Divin. II, 13; Hilar. in Ps.LXII, n. 6; Greg. Nyss. de virginit. c, 13; Augustin. de civit. Dei XIII, 15. "Light was created, argues Saint Gregory of Nyssa, but with one command: God said: let you be light. The sky was created; but the sky was created without consultation. The luminaries were created; but there was no preliminary consultation about the luminaries. Countless oceans and seas were created; but they were brought into being by one command. Fishes of all kinds were created; but they were created by command. Created beasts, cattle and fish; but - he said, and it became. Here, on the contrary, there is no man yet, and the advice about man is not said: let man be. Know your superiority; the creation of you was not left to behavior; 300–301). "O beloved, writes Saint Demetrius of Rostov, your father, who gave birth to you according to the flesh, is not the true father: for now he gave birth only to corruptible flesh, which soon dies. But your Father is truly Almighty God: for now he created your immortal soul, infusing it into your flesh, conceived by His command: another is your visible father, and another is invisible. The visible father is mortal, temporary...; the invisible Father is immortal, eternal, omnipotent and all-containing. By this word, you were created in your mother’s womb, and you came from your mother’s womb; and if children should honor the carnal parent, even more so, who created us in his image and likeness, and gave us meaning and reason, and made us to rule over the works of his hands, and His existing servants, associate us with your sons and brothers and friends with your grace” (Dogma. Teaching, selected from the works of St. Demetrius of Rostov, in Chron. What. 1842, 4, 370–371. This is how they express themselves about Providence, for example: a) Basil the Great: “every created nature, both visible and intelligible, for its maintenance has a need for God’s care (έπιμελείας)” (about the Holy Spirit, Chapter 8, II. 19, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, p. 259); b) Nemesius: πρόνοιά έστιν έκ Θεοΰ έίς τά όντα γινομένη έπιμέλεια (de nat. hom. cap. 43, apud Gotland. T. VII, p. 419), and - b) John of Damascus, who repeated the words of Nemesius: “Providence is God’s care for creatures” (Accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith, book II, chapter 29, p. 124). However, it should be noted that when we call God’s Providence care for creatures, we speak about God in a human form, for lack of more precise words: God’s Providence is completely free from that care, anxiety, and labor that we usually have associated with care about something. According to the remark of Clement of Alexandria (Strom. VI, 17). Vid. apud Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, 24; Tit. Bostren. adv. Manich.; Augustin. haeres. 70; Monet,adv. Cathar. V, 11, § 6. Apud Hieronym. Epist. LXIII (alias СХХХШ), n. 7, ad Ctesiph. adversus Pelag. Zwingl. de Provid. cap. 5, 6; Calvin. Inst. 1, 18, n. 1. Apud Cyrill. Alex. lib. Thesavg. XV, p. 150 et eg. Other related texts: Ps. 103:5–28; 134:6. 7; 146:4; Is. 10:13; 40:26 ; Ter. 5:22; 23:23, 24; 31:36, 37; Sirach. 42:21–24, 26; Acts 17:25. 28; Rome. 11:36; 1 Tim. 6:13. What were the followers of the schools: Aristotelian (Origen. in Ps. XXXV, 6), Epicurean (Lucret. Rer. nat. V, 196; VI, 389; Plin. Hist. nat. II, 7) and Stoic (Cfr. Marc. Aurel. de se ipso, VII, 7). Gnostics, Manichaeans and others. See note above. 1511. Theodoret. contra haer. lib. V, p. 10, in Christ. Thurs. 1844, IV, 224. Accur. exposition right faith, book II, ch. 29, p. 125. The same idea was expressed before by other teachers, for example: a) Theophilus of Antioch: πρόνοιαν έάν έιπω, άγαθωσύνην άύτοΰ λέγω (Ad Autol. I, p. 71) and b) Nemvziy: άλλως τε άγαθός έστίν ό Θεός άγαθός δέ ών, έυεργετικός, εί δέ έυεργετικός, καί προνοητικός (de nat. homin. p. 42). Nemes. de natur. homin. c. 44. Augustin. in Joann. Tract. II, n. 10, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XXXV, p. 1393. Comp. words of Gregory the Great, presented further in the note. 1552. In Joann. homil. V, ad verbä in ipso vita erat. John of Damascus. Accur. exposition right faith book II, ch. 29, pp. 124–125. Clement of Alexandria notes: “it is obvious that anyone who does not recognize Providence is more worthy of punishment than refutation, and is truly an atheist” (Strom. VI, p. 486). Lactantius speaks even more strongly against Epicurus: si est Deus, utique providens est, ut Deus; nec aliter ei potest divipitas attribui, nisi et praeterita teneat, et praesentia sciat, et futura prospiciat. Cum igitur providentiam sustulit, etiam Deum negavit esse. Cum autem Deom esse professus est, et providentiam simul concessit. Altorum enim sine altero nec esse prorsus, nec intelligi potest (De ira Dei cap. 9; cfr. cap. 4, in Patrolog. Curs. compl. T. VII, p. 98 et 86). De falsa sapientia lib. III, c. 28, in cit. Patrolog. T. VI, p. 437. Orat. contra gent. n. 41, in Opp. T. I, p. 40, ed. Paris. 1698. In Joann. lib. IX; p. 793. De Genes. ad litt. IV, c. 12, n. 22. A Word about Love for the Poor, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” II, 39. De Genes. ad litt. IV, p. 12, n. 23. De provid. Orat. II, in T. IV, p. 332–333. De resurrect. mort. p. 55, ed. 1559. About the Holy Spirit ch. 8, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 259. Orat. contra gent. n. 42. Epist. XLIII, n. 6 ad Ctesiph. adversus Pelag. “The sayings: God imprisoned everyone in disobedience (Rom. 11:32); and also: God gave them a spirit of slumber, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear (Rom. 11:8), must be understood not as if God himself did all this, but as if He only allowed it; because man has been given freedom, and a good deed should be effortless” (John of Damascus, Exact. Exposition of the Ave. Faith, book IV, chapter 19, p. 282). In Acta Apost. homil. XXIII, no. 4. In II Epist. ad Timoth. cap. IV, homil. VIII, no. 4. Doctrin. XIV, in Biblioth. Patr. Graeco-Lat. T. XII, p. 836, Paris 1644. Accur. izl. pr. faith, book. II, ch. 29, pp. 125–127. Words 1 on Julian, in the Works of the Holy Fathers, I, 112. In Epist. ad Colloss. With. II, homil. V. Publicity instructive VIII, II. 4, p. 146 in Russian. translation Oblich. to himself and confessed, in the Works of the Holy Fathers, XII, 216. De provid. Orat. 1, in T. VI, p. 325. Contr. haeres. II, p. 26, i. 3. De resurr. mortuor. p. 56, ed. 1559. Strom. 1, p. II; cf. IV, p. 6.12. Lib. Thesavr. XXII, p. 306. Also remarkable are the words: a) blessed. Augustine: Qui (Deus) non solum coelum et terram, nec solum angelum et hominem, sed nec exigui et contemtibilis animantis viscera, nec avis pennulam, nec herbae flosculum, nec arboris folium, sine suarum partium convenientia et quadam veluti pace derelinquit... (De civit. Dei V, c. 11); b) Gregory the Great: Qui summa regit, etiam extrema non deserit, quia sic impenditur maximis, ut tamen haec eadem cura regiminis non praepediatur a parvis; qui enim ubique praesens, et ubique aequalis est, etiam in dissimilibus sibi ipsi dissimilis non est; aeque ergo omnia respicit, seque cuncta disponit, qui in omnibus locis praesens, nec localiter tenetur, nec varia curando variatur (Lib. XXVII, p. 18, n. 35 in cap. 37 Job.). The most intellectual considerations about the existence of both Providences, which we have outlined, can be found in the blessed. Theodoret (De Provid. Orat. II, p. 38, ed. Morel.), and in Nemesius (de natur. hom. c. 44). Plato, de legibus X; Ammon. in libr. Aristotelis de interpret. p.12, ed. Alci; Plotin. En n. IV, lib. 8, p. 2. Likewise, in the liturgical books, she attributes the work of Providence to: a) and God the Father: “Lord Almighty, God of hosts and all flesh, living in the highest, and looking upon the humble, searching the hearts and wombs...; accept our prayers” (Canon, l. 5 on the reverse, M. 1843); b) and to God the Son: “carrying in your arms Christ, who wears all kinds of mania, this, as you prayed for your Son” (General Min. l. 88, M. 1834); c) and to God the Holy Spirit: “All thanksgiving is to the Holy Spirit, as it is with the Father and the Son, in whom all things live and move” (Octoechos, part 1, l. 167, M. 1838). Epist. I, ad Serapion. n. 28. And further n. 30: ά γάρ τό πνεύμα έκάστψ διαιρεί , ταΰτα παρά τού πατρός διά τού λόγου χορηγείται. Against Eunom. book V, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 193. About the Holy Spirit ch. 16, ibid p. 386. Word to those who have come. from Egypt, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 189. De fide ad Reg. Serm. II, n. 51. De vera religion. Sar. VII, no. 13 in patrolog. curs. compl. T. XXXIV, p. 129. Accur. exposition pr. faith, book. II, ch. 2, p. 52. Tertull. adv. Marcion. II, p. 14; Clem. Alex. Strom. 1, 17; Athanas. contra gent. c. 7; Greg. Nyss. Catech. c. 5; Augustin. de Genes. contra Manich. II. c. 29, n. 43; John of Damascus, Exact. izl. pr. faith. book II, ch. 29 and 30. Clem. Alex. Strom. 1, 17; Angustin. de civitate Dei XXII, 2: multa fiunt quidem a malis contra voluntatem Dei, sed tantac est illo sapientiae tantaeque virtutis, nt in eos exitus sive fines, quos bonos et justos ipse praescivit, tendant omnia, quae voluntati ejus videntur adversa (Cfr. adv. XXII, 78). Et divisit Deus, writes the blessed one. Augustine, inter lucem et tenebras, ne vel ipsae privationes non baberent ordinem suum. Deo cuncta regente, atque administrantë sicut in cantando interpositiones silentiorum, certis moderatisque intervallis, quamvis vocum privationes sint, bene tamen ordinantur ab iis, qui cantare sciunt, et svavitatis universae cantilenae aliquid conferunt; et umbrae in picturis eminentiora quaeque distinguunt, ac non specie, sed ordine placent (de Genes. ad litt. imperf. c. 5). And elsewhere: sicut contraria eontrariis opposita sermonis pulchritudinem reddunt: ita quadam non verborum, sed rerum eloquentia, contrariorum oppositione saeculi pulchritudo commendatur (de civit. Dei XI, p. 18). "What seems uneven to us, says St. Gregory the Theologian, without a doubt, is equalized by God. Like this in the body there are protruding and sunken parts, great and small, also on earth there are elevated and low places; but all this, in mutual relationship, forms and presents to our eyes a beautiful whole. Likewise, with the artist, at first the discordant and uneven substance, then it is very skillfully crafted when some kind of work will be built from it, after which we, having seen this work in all its beauty, understand and recognize the artist’s art. So let us not honor God as such an imperfect artist as we are; Discussion about the fact that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 150; compare 146. Cry for suffering. his soul, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 313. Discourse on Theology 2nd, ibid. III, 50–51; compare IV, 235: “just as a ray of sunlight from a cloudless sky, meeting with visible clouds still reflecting it, from which it rains, spreads a multi-colored rainbow, and the entire surrounding ether shines in continuous and gradually weakening circles, so the nature of lights is maintained in existence by the fact that the highest Light with its rays constantly illuminates the lower minds;” III, 20: “I don’t know whether this is possible for higher and spiritual natures, which, being closer to God and illuminated by the complete light, perhaps see, if not completely, then more perfectly and definitely than us, and, moreover, according to their rank, some are greater and less than others.” De communi ess. Patr., Phil. et Spir. S.n. 52: άμέσως παρά Θεοΰ μανθάνουσιν ... Advers. Scrutat. Serm. V. De civit. Dei XI, 9, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XLI, p. 325. Accur. izl. right faith, book II, ch. 3, pp. 54, 55. Conversation on the 32nd Psalm, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 271–272. Against Eunom. book III, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 134. About the Holy Spirit ch. 16, ibid pp. 289, 290–291. Word on Holy Baptism, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 276; compare p. 50: “there are intelligent forces and minds, natures that are pure, unalloyed, unyielding or unyielding to evil, constantly rejoicing around the first Cause.” Word for the Nativity of the Savior, ibid. p. 241. Homily on Holy Pentecost, ibid. IV, 16. Saint Athanasius also says the same about angels: about ύ τί γε διά τήν ίδίαν φύσιν (γεννητά), άλλά διά μόνου τού Χριστου έν άγίω πνεύματι (Contr. Arian. Orat. 1, II. 56). Publicity instructive XVI, no. 23, p. 362. Publicity instructive XVII, no. 2, p. 373. Cfr. Cyrill. Alex. de adorat. spir. et verit. lib. IX: άγγελοι γάρ καί άρχάγγελοι καί τά έτι τούτων έπέκεινα καί άυτά δέ τά χερουβίμ , καί έτέρως άγία πλήν , ότι διά μόνου τού Χριστού έν άγίφ πνεύματι. De Spirit. S. 1, 7, n. 83, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XVI, p. 724. Accur. exposition pr. faith, book. II, ch. 3, p. 56. The blessed one has the same thought. Augustine: Deus erat simul in eis et condens naturam et largiens gratiam; undo sine bona voluntate, hoc est, Dei amore nunquam sanctos angelos fuisse credendum est (De civit. Dei XI, p. 9). Conversation on Psalm 28, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 244. Plot. on the 6th chapter. Prophet Isaiah, ibid VI, 255. Pesnop. sacraments, words V on Providence, ibid. IV, 237. The word of the theologian. 3rd, ibid. III, 51. De comm. essence. Patr., Fil et Spir. S.n. 52. Brief exposition God dogma, ch. 7, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 208. Accur. exposition pr. faith, book. II, ch. 3, p. 56. Pesnop. secrets words 6, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 236. Word about the Theologian. 2nd, ibid. III, 51. View above note. 1589. Accur. exposition pr. faith book. II, ch. 3, p. 55. See above § 104 and note. 1570, 1571, 1573. Oh heavenly. hierarchy, p. 39, Moscow. 1839. In the same place, pp. 17 and 59. In general, the most detailed information about the heavenly hierarchy, about the special purpose and service of each rank can be found in the aforementioned work of St. Dionysius the Areopagite and in the Chetya-Menaion under the 8th of November (s.s.). Origen. in Jerem. homil. X.n. 6; Euseb. Demonstr. Evang. IV, 10; Γ Gregory the Theologian, a word about the Theologian. 2nd, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 51; Hieron. in Gal. IV, 3; Angustin, de Genes. ad litt. XII, 36; John of Damascus, Exact. izl. pr. faith book. II, ch. 3; Demetrius of Rostov, Cheti-Minea on the 8th. November (s.s.). Origen. in Joan. T. XIII, n. 49. Herm. Past. vis. II, p. II; Athenag. apud Phot. Biblioth. cod. CCXXXII; Origen. in Num. homil. XIV, no. 2. Origen. in Num. homil. XIV, no. 2. Augustin. de divers. quaest. LXXXIII, quaest. 79. Quod autem, notes the blessed one. Jerome, ait: ct ego ingressus sum ad verba tua, hunc habet sensum: Postquam tu caepisti bonis operibus et lacrymis atquc jejunio Dei invocare misericordiam, et ego accepi occasionem, ut ingrederer in conspectu Dei, ut orarem pro te (Comment. in Daniel. cap. X, vers. 12, in Patrolog. compl. T. XXVI, p. "But how, they ask, can we understand this disagreement of the angels ruling the nations, when the angels are good and submissive to the will of God? How could the prince of the kingdom of Persia resist the prince of the Jews?" To this, following St. John Chrysostom and other teachers of the Church, one can answer the following: at the time when the angel Gabriel and the angel of the Jewish people, together with the prophet Daniel, prayed to God for the return of the sons of Israel from captivity to Jerusalem, considering this a good thing for them, the prince or angel of the Persians prayed to God for the continuation of captivity, exposing the benefits from that - and for the pagans entrusted to him, who borrowed from During the captivity of the Jews, many truths of faith and piety could easily be mired again in the former wickedness, having lost such teachers - and for the Jews themselves, in their fatherland, in the midst of prosperity, they very conveniently fell into idolatry, and in captivity they zealously sought the God of their fathers. Although both angels prayed in this way with good intentions, but since the will of God was still unknown to them, they seemed to resist each other (V. Chrysostom. in Phot. Biblioth. cod. CCLXXVII, p. 1543–1546, ed. Genev. 1612; ibid. Tolkov. on main places of the book of St. Daniel, according to the guide. Holy Fathers, in Chron. Thurs. 1845, I, 195). And together and on the basis - Deut. 32:8, according to the LXX translation. Oh heavenly. hierarchy page 40 in Russian. translation Against Eunom. book III, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VII, 128–130. Compare V, 341–342. Tyne. song words 6, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 236. Brief exposition God dogma Ch. 7, in Chr. Thurs. 1844, IV, 209. Accur. izl. pr. faith book. II, ch. 3, p. 55. Clem. Strom. VI, VI; Origen. in Genes. homil. XVI, 2; in Exod. homil. VIII, no. 2; Euseb. Dem. Evang. IV, 10; Epihan. haeres. LI, n. 34; Chrysost. in Math. homil. XLIX, Opp. T. VII, p. 599, ed. Montf. Oh heavenly. hierarchy p. 41, in Russian. translation Word about the Theologian. 2, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 51. Oh heaven. hierarch. p. 41, in Russian. translation In Numer. homil. XI, n. 5; XX, n. 3; cfr. in Luc. homil. XII, XIII. Farewell word. before 150 bishop. in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 33. Haeres. XXV, II. 3, Orr. T. 1, p. 77, Col. Exposit. Evang. Luc. lib. II, n. 50. Letter 230, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” XI, 178. Eiseb. in Ps. XC, 12; Hilar. in Ps. CXXIV: meminimus, esse plures spirituales virtutes, quibus angelorum est nomen, ecclesite praesidentes. Other similar texts in the Old Testament are Gen. 24:7, 14; 2 Kings 1:3–16; Comrade 5,:17, 22; Judith. 13:20; Zach. 2:3; 4:4; 5:5. See further note. 1629–1631 and the very text to which they refer. However, it should be noted that “although this saying in the highest sign, as a parable, referred to infants of faith, it was not said aside from natural infants, of which one was the visible and direct subject of the word of the Lord, and especially not through Christian children, who are usually infants of faith by baptism” (Word on April 17, 1835 by Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, incl. III, p. 143, M. 1845). Understanding even by small ones in the Savior’s speech only natural infants, we will naturally come to the idea that each of the believers is given a guardian angel. For - “if for small children, whose spiritual powers and abilities are not yet sufficiently revealed to self-activity, and who are therefore less susceptible to temptations than those of age, this dispensation is not considered superfluous so that they have their own angels, then all the more it must be concluded that those of age are not excluded from this dispensation, who are more tempted, and consequently have more needs for spiritual help, and, with a higher revelation of spiritual powers, are more capable of spiritual communications” (Word by the same Arkhip, on the day of the personal Archangel Michael, in vol. II, p. 228). Having cited the words: his angel is, Origen notes: ergo inteligitur esse et alius Pauli angelus, sicut est Petri, et alius alterius apostoli, et singulorum per ordinem (in Num. homil. XI); and Saint John Chrysostom makes the following conclusion: έκ τούτου άληθές, δτι έκαστος ήμών άγγελον έχει (in Acta Apost. homil. XXVI, II. 3). Conversation on Ps. 48, art. 15, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 370. Against Eunom. book III, ibid VII, 130–132. In Epist. ad Colossus. cap. 1, homil. III, n. 3. Expos. in Ps. CXVIII, T. 1, p. 276, Paris. 1680. In Hexaëm. lib. V, in Bibl. PP. T.IX, p. 880, Lugd. Hieron. Epist. ad Eustoch. LXXXVI; Theodoret. in Ps. XL, II; Cyrill. Alex. contr. Julian, lib. IV, Opp. T. VI, p. 122, ed. 1638; Hilar. comment. in Math. cap. XVIII. n. 5; Tract. in Ps. СХVIII, litt. 1; Theophylact. in Math. XVIII, 10, p. 105, Lutet. 1731. Greg. Nyss. de vita Mos. T. 1, p. 194, ed. 1638; Augustin. de civit. Dei XX, 14; Theodoret. in Genes. quaest. 3, in Chr. Thurs. 1843, III, 323: “The Lord said that every person is entrusted to the care of a special angel.” Hieron. Comment. in Math. With. XVIIÏ “great is the dignity of human souls, because each of them from birth has an angel assigned to her” (Orr. T. IV, p. 83, ed. 1706). Conversation on Ps. 33, art. 8, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 295–296. Tolkov. on Isaiah Ave., ch. 5, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, 192. Tract. in Ps. СХVIII, litt. 1, n. 8, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T.IX, p. 507. Apud Damask. Sacr. Parall. Tit. VII, in Opp. T. II, p. 309, Paris. 1712. They say the same thing: Origen (in Ezech. homil. 1, T. III, p. 358; in Math. XIII, T. III, p. 607, ed. Bened.); Clement of Alexandria (Strom. V, p. 253, ed. Sylb.); Augustine (de civit. Dei lib. XIX, in Opp. T. VII, p. 545, Venet. 1731); Anastasius Sinait (Epist. lib. II, ad Anthim. p. 432). These are the words of St. John Chrysostom (in Epist. ad Hebr. cap. 1, hom. III, in Opp. T. XII, p. 28, ed. Montf.). Saint Gregory of Nyssa expresses himself in the same way (contr. Eunom. lib. 1, Opp. T. II, p. 350, ed. Morel.). Tract. in Ps. CXX, v. 1. About decom. and section. silent Lestv. 27, p. 120, according to Slavic. translation ed. 1812. A similar thought is found in Basil the Great (Conversations on Ps. 48, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 370) and Gregory the Theologian (word on Baptism, ibid. III, 310). Conversation on Ps. 33, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” V, 296. Serm. contr. Auxent. inter. Epist. class. 1, in T. 1, p. 866, Paris. 1690. Tract. in Ps. CXXXIV, vers. 7, n. 17. Epist. ad Euphros. praepos. lib. II, T. V, p. 468, ed. Sirmondi. Comment. in Math. cap. XVIII, v. 5, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T.IX, p. 1020. Dobrotolyub. Part IV, Ch. 81, sheet. 250, ed. 1840. Lestv. 28, per. Slavs, page 125. See also – Gyrill. Alex. contr. Julian, lib. IV, in Opp. T. VI, p. 123, ed. 1638; Augustin. Lib. ad Honorat. de grat. N. T. Epist. CXI, c. 29; Isaac Cupin, in the word about removal from the world, Chr. Thurs. 1825, ХVIII, 267. Epist. CXXXIV ad Euphros. in T. V, p. 467, ed. Sirmondi. Word on ref. souls, Orr. T. V, Part. II, p. 405–406, ed. Lutet., in Chr.. 1841, 1, 203. Tract. in Ps. LVII, n. 6. Athenag. Legat. XXV, XXVI; Theopil. ad Autol. II, 28; Euseb. Demonst. Evang. IV, 9. Augustin. in Ps. XCIV, u. 6; cfr. Justin. Apolog. 1, p. 9. 12; Tatian, ad Graec. XII, XVIII; Athenag. Legat. XXVI. minute. Fel. Octav. XXVII; Clem. Alex. Coh. II; Origen. contr. Cels. III, 29; VIII, 47; Tertull. de Spectac. X, XII; Basil the Great, Interpretation. on ch. 10 Ave. Isaiah, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, 335: “in wood, or stones, processed by human hands, or also in gold, silver and ivory and in all other products of expensive and inexpensive substances, which the pagans worship, there are demons, flying invisibly, and enjoying the pleasantness of unclean vapors...; catching the opportunity to enjoy blood and fat sacrifices, they love to be near the altars and the idols they set up.” Theoph. ad Autol. II, 10, Tertull. de praescr. haeret. XL; Apolog. XXII. Tertull. de orat. XIII; Origen. contr. Cels. IV, 92; Sozom. Hist. eccl. V, 18. These soothsayers were considered by the teachers of the Church to be one of the most crafty means of the devil to deceive and attract to himself people who are generally very partial to knowing the future (Chrysost. in Joann. homil. LXXVIII). The meaning of the oracles was discussed as follows: “quodsi aliquis dixerit, multa ab idolis esse praedicta, hoc sciendum, quod semper mendacium junxerint veritati; et sic sententias temperarint, ut sen boni, seu mali quid accidisset, utrunque posset intelligi. Ut est illud Pyrrhi regis Epirotarum: aio te... Romanos vincere posse, et Croesï Croesus, transgressus Halym, maxima rcgna perdet” (Hieron. in Esa. cap. X LI). "Neither the angels of God nor the demons know the future, but they predict: the angels - when God reveals to them and commands them to predict; therefore what they say comes true. Demons also predict, sometimes with insight into distant events, and sometimes only by guesswork; therefore they lie a lot;" (John of Damascus, Accurate exposition of the common faith, book II, pp. 58–59). Lactant. de morte persecuted. With. H. Greg. Pap. Moral. IV, p. 14. Macarius the Great, a word on freedom of mind, in Chr. Thurs. 1821, III, 4. Gregory the Theologian, word 3, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” 1, 30. Leo Magn. Serm. in Nativit. Domini VII, c. 3, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. LIV, p. 218. Compare Gregory the Theologian, words. 37, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 224: “Keep yourself unapproachable in word, and in deed, and in life, and in the thoughts and movements of the heart, for the evil one tortures from everywhere, and is always looking for where to overthrow, where to wound you, if he finds something unprotected and open to attack. The more purity he sees in you, the more he intensifies to defile, because that stains are more visible on clean clothes.” Basil the Great, Rules, summary, rep. to the question 75, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IX, 251. Macarius the Great, a word on freedom of mind, in Chr. Thurs. 1821, III, 8. Compare. Anthony the Great, letter VI to the monks, in Chr. Thurs. 1826, XXIII, 180; "They (evil spirits) try in various ways to attract us to sin. They hide both their hatred towards us and hostile actions against us, instill in us blasphemous thoughts, encourage us to doubt the truths of faith in order to lead us to unbelief, darken our minds, give birth to vicious desires in our hearts, plunge us into despondency and despair, arouse anger in us, give birth and strengthen addiction in us condemn others, but always justify ourselves, teach us to slander our neighbors, to speak kindly and friendly with those for whom we, by their own inspiration, harbor strong hatred, show us the external shortcomings of our neighbor, but hide from us our internal corruption, create strife and disagreement among us when, according to their suggestion, we consider ourselves better than others. Moreover, they encourage us to undertake such things as. exceed our strength and divert us from doing what is both useful and necessary for us. When we should cry, they make us laugh; when we should rejoice, they produce sadness in our hearts.” See especially the ascetic writings: Anthony the Great, Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius the Great, Isidore Pelusiot, also the Philokalia, Prologues, Patericon, Chetya-Menaion. Herm. Past. II, mandate. VI, no. 2: “two angels are with a person: one good and one evil;” Origen. de principle. III, 2, n. 10; Greg. Nyss. de vita Mos. T. I, p. 194–195, Paris. 1638; Kirill Turovsky, Memorial. Ross. Words. XII century, p. 92. “They have neither power nor strength against anyone, unless this is allowed according to the will of God, as happened with Job, and as it is written in the Gospel about the swine of the Gadarenes” (John of Damascus, Accurate exposition of the rest of the faith, book II, chapter 4, p. 58). The same is said by Tertullian (de fuga in persecution. II), Theophylact (in Marc. V) and others. Justin. Apolog. II, n. 6. Tertull. Apolog. cap. XXIII. minute. Fel. in Octav. XXVII. Origen. contr. Cels. VII, 4, 1, 5. See the same thought Clem. Recogn. VI, 20, 32; Lactant. Instit. Divin. II, 15; IV, 27; V, 22; Cyprian, ad Demetr.; Cyrill. Catech. XVI, 15. "Evil spirits know that when God allows them to tempt a person devoted to Him, through this He prepares for them greater punishment. They are already sure that their torment is inevitable, that their falling away from God and enmity against Him necessarily made them heirs of hell" (Antony the Great letter VI to the monks, in Chron. Read. 1826, XXIII, 179). Basil the Great, the word that God is not the author of evil, in “The Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 161–162. Dialog. cum Tryph. et Apolog. II, 6. Homily 3. in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” 1, 67–68. Discourse on fasting 2, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VIII, 19. Movable installation Ch. 17, ibid. IX, 425. In cap. 1 Genes. homil. VII, no. 3. On Ev. Matt. Conversation LIV, part 17, page 427, in Russian. translation Moscow, 1843. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem argues in the same way (English lecture XIII, 36, p. 272, according to Russian translation). De Lasar. conc. II, n. 2, in Opp. T. 1, p. 728–729, ed. Montf. Serm. II in Dom. 1 post. Trinit. Compare John of Damascus, Exact. izl. pr. faith, book. II, ch. 4, page 59: “although they are allowed to tempt a person, they cannot force anyone, since it depends on us whether to accept or not accept their suggestions.” The word about how the soul, when the enemy has been redeemed, must pray to God with tears, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” XII, 343. Plot. on Chapter XIII St. Isaiah, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” VI, 371. Conversation about how God is not the author of evil, ibid. VIII, 160. To the ascetic Stagirius, word 1, II. 7, vol. III, p. 252, in Russian. translation Creation St. John Chrysostom, St. Petersburg. 1850. Accur. explained pr. faith, book. II, ch. 29, p. 126. Letters. comfort., in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” X, 239; compare IX, 352. To Stagir. cl. 1, II. 8. 9, vol. III, pp. 253–257, in Russian. translation Letters. def., in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” XI, 80. Letters. to Nikopol. Presbyt., ibid. 178. Saint Ambrose also says something similar: corona proposita est, subeunda certamina sunt. Nemo potest, nisi vicerit, coronarï nemo potest vincere, nisi ante certaverit. Ipsius quoque coronae major est fructus, ubi major est labor (Exposit. Evang. sec. Luc. lib. IV, n. 37; cfr. n. 41, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XV, p. 1623). “Knowing that angels help us and intercede for us, we call on them in every prayer of ours, so that they pray to God for us, and most of all we call on that angel who is our guardian” (Right. Confession, part 1, answer to pr. 20). Dogma. VIIth Ecumenical Cathedral The Apostle specifically says: let no one deceive you through self-willed humility and the ministry of angels, intruding into what he has not seen, being foolishly puffed up with his carnal mind and not holding fast to the head, from which the whole body, being united and held together by joints and bonds, grows with the growth of God (Col. 2:18-19). Those. protects Christians from such false teachers who, under the guise of humility, out of extreme ignorance, taught to render service (θρησκεία) or Divine reverence to angels, and thereby inevitably betrayed the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus, the only true God, and were torn away from His body, the holy Church (V. Chrysost. in Epist. ad Coloss. cap. II, homil. VII, n. 1; in Epist. ad Coloss., p. 355, ed. In rule 35: "It is not fitting for Christians to leave the Church of God, and to go away, and to name angels, and to hold assemblies. This is rejected. For this reason, if anyone is found practicing such secret idolatry, let him be anathema: he has not left our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and has begun to worship idols" (See in the book of rules... p. 156, St. Petersburg 1843). "The sick cannot, says Saint Ambrose, ask a doctor for help if he is not called to them through the efforts of others. Our flesh is weak; our soul is sick, bound by sinful bonds and cannot explain to the (heavenly) Doctor everything that is needed. Therefore, we must turn in prayer to those angels who are given to us as companions" (De viduis cap. IX, n. 55). In Joan. homil. XVIII, n. 2, Opp. T. VIII, p. 219, Montf. Contr. gentes n. 44, Opp. T. Ι, p. 42–43, Paris. 1698. Hexaem. VI, cap. 4, n. 21 et squ. Cfr. Serm. de providentia, in Append. Opp. S. Basil Magni, T. III, p. 581, 585, Paris 1730, where God’s providence for irrational animals is also depicted in great detail. Last 1 Corinth, ch. 20, in Christ. Thurs. 1824, XIV, 259–260. Contr. gentes n. 42; cfr. n. 43, where the same idea is revealed in even more detail. Sacraments song words 5, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” IV, 231. De provident. Orat. I, T. IV, p. 323. 324. Contr. haeres. V, p. 24, II. 1. 2. 3. Apologet. cap. 26, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. I, p. 431–432. A Word about Himself, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” III, 210–211. In 1 Epist. ad Timoth. cap. II, homil. IV, Opp. T. XI, p. 579, Venet. 1741. Conversation V on occasion of overthrow. statues, II. 1, p. 329, in volume 1 Conversations. St. John Chrysostom to Antioch. to the people, trans. into Russian language at St. Petersburg Spirit. Academician 1848. De civit. Dei IV, p. 33, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. XLI, p. 139. De civit. Dei V, c. 1, ibid. p. 141. De civit. Dei XVIII, c. 2, ibid. p. 560. Letters. to Nectar. wife, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” X, 22. Letters. to Nectarius, ibid. p. 20. Letters. will console., ibid. p. 239. Letters. to Evstaf. philosopher, ibid. p. 5. A word about love for the poor in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” II, 39–40. To Stagarius cl. 1, n. II, pp. 265–266 in volume III of conversations. Saint John Chrysostom, trans. into Russian language at St. Petersburg Spirit. Academician 1850. "Often the righteous are given over into the hands of the wicked - not to the glory of the wicked, but for the testing of the righteous. And although, according to Scripture, if He suddenly strikes this with a scourge, then He laughs at the torture of the innocent (Job 9:23), until the mercy of God is hidden, and the great treasuries prepared for both of them later, when word and deed and thought will be weighed on the righteous scales of God" (Gregory Theologian, word of praise to Athanasius the Great, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” II, 190). To Stagir. cl. 1, II, 16, p. 278 in volume III of conversations. St. John Chrysostom, according to Russian translation. Ibid pp. 279–280; compare Gregory the Theologian, a word about love for the poor, in “Works of the Holy Fathers,” II, 36. In general, many teachers of the Church were engaged in solving the question of why the righteous here often suffer while sinners prosper. See for example: Ambros. offic. 1, p. 12; Tit. Bostr. contr. Manich. lib. II; Theodoret. in libr. quinque postremis de Providentia; Augustuin. in Ps. 36 et 136; Salvian. in libris de Providentia; Julian. African, lib. II de partib. Divin. Legis; Cyrill. Alex. contr. Julian, lib. III; Nemes. de natur. hom. cap. 44. You might be interested in: