Answers to Christians against the Hagarians who blaspheme our Orthodox Christian faith

It often happens that you compete with the Ishmaelites who are hostile to Christians about our pious faith, since these haters of Christians not only do not want to confess Christ as the true God and Son of God, but also abuse us because we confess Him as the Son of God and God. If you want to stop their mouths and shame them, then do not give them evidence from any other divinely inspired scripture except from the Gospel, for their uninspired book, which they call the “Koran,” in many places praises the holy Gospel, and calls it correct and holy, and considers it sent down from heaven. To prove that Christ is both the true God and the Son of God, as we who believe in Him recognize Him, as we believe in Him and worship Him, tell them this with all meekness and with correct understanding: since you also recognize that our Gospel is just and true, why do you not obey it when it speaks so clearly about the Divinity of Christ? For the Gospel of John clearly states: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word” (John. 1.1). Do you see how clearly the Word calls God the Father God, and that the Word from the beginning was always with God, that is, the Word was inseparable from God, and that He is the Creator and Maker of everything? “Everything,” he says, “was so” (John 1:3), that is, “everything visible and invisible” 1. “And without Him nothing came into being” (John 1:3). And lest we think that the Word of God the Father is the same as ours, a word unrelated to life, spreading through the air and disappearing, the Holy Gospel teaches us, saying: “In this is life” (John 1:4), that is, in the very Word of God lies life, and He is “life” and “light of man” (John 1:4) to those who believe in Him. And that the Word of God the Father came into this world and became a perfect man, except for sin, the same Holy Gospel further says: “in the world there was no peace, and the world did not know Him; its own came, and its own did not receive Him” (John 1:11), that is, the unbelieving people of the Jews. Then he says: “and the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), that is, he took on human flesh and appeared into this world as a seemingly perfect man, understood as a perfect God. Further he says: “the little ones received Him,” that is, those who believed in Him and confessed Him to be a perfect God and a perfect man and put their trust in Him, “to give them the realm to become children of God” (John 1:12). Those who reject Him and do not confess Him as the Son of God can neither be nor be called children of God, according to the word of the same divine Gospel. The Holy Gospel shows that Christ is the Word of God the Father and the Creator and Creator of all visible and invisible creatures, that He is the light and life of people who believe in Him, that He had already come into the world and put on human flesh, He drank with people and was a perfect man. And this is real, and not by ghost, as some heretics falsely say. Now let us consider what the Holy Gospel calls Him the Son of God, and what do we, Christians, correctly confess and call Him the Son of God? That He is rightly and reverently called the Son of God is clear from the fact that God the Father himself in the holy Gospels calls Him His beloved Son and testifies to this about Him from above with a voice that was heard when He was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and again when He was transfigured before His disciples on Mount Tabor, when the voice of God was heard from heaven saying: “This is My Son.” beloved, in Him you are well pleased, listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7). If the Holy Gospel shows that God the Father calls Christ His beloved Son, then why do you, Hagarians, deny His sonship and Divinity, and reproach us, who confess Him as the Son of God and God? If you recognize the Holy Gospel as correct and true, then believe and confess with us that Christ truly and truly is the Son of God. Having such a testimony of God the Father Himself, which came down from heaven, we Christians, believing the testimony of God the Father, well and correctly confess Christ as the Son of God, and not a slave and not a simple man, as you call him and thereby turn out to be His annoyances. We will also hear another Gospel testimony and proof about Christ that He really is the Son of God. A certain Jewish prince, named Nicodemus, came to Christ at night, wanting to hear from Him some lofty and wondrous teaching. Christ answered him this way: “so... God loved the world, for He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16), And further: “For God did not send His Son into the world, that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved by Him. He who believes in Him will not be condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, for he does not believe in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God. This is judgment, because light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, for they had done evil” (John 3:17-19). Do you see how clearly He three times calls Himself the Only Begotten Son of the Most High God, that He is the Light that has come into the world, and that the one who does not believe in Him is already condemned, but the believer is not afraid of condemnation, for he will be saved from the coming righteous and terrible wrath of God “against the disobedient sons.” How do you hope to receive salvation on the day of His terrible coming, when you reject His Divinity and sonship? If you sincerely, and not hypocritically, praise the Holy Gospel and speak about it insil-haq 2: then stop annoying and blaspheming Christ, and confess Him with us as the Son of God, as the Holy Gospel testifies to Him, if you want to avoid the coming righteous and terrible wrath of God “on the disobedient sons,” those who deny the Only Begotten Son and the Word of God. Also, blessed John the Baptist and Forerunner of Christ testifies clearly and affirmatively about Christ in the Gospel of John, where it is said: “And John testified, saying, that he saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and remained on Him, and I did not know Him: but he who sent me to baptize with water, that is, God the Father, said to me: over the Unworthy, you will see The Spirit descending and abiding on Him, He is the baptizer with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:32–34). The same divine John also says the following about the Savior Christ: “He who comes from above is above all.” He speaks about Christ, but about himself he speaks with self-abasement: “He is from the earth, he is from the earth, and speaks from the earth.” And again about Christ: “He who came from heaven is above all, and he who has seen and heard, testifies to this: and no one accepts his testimony, for the Father loves the Son, and has given all things in His hand. Believe in the Son and have eternal life: but if anyone does not believe in the Son, he will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:31–36). Having such great and strong testimonies of the Holy Gospel, we Christians believe and confess with all our souls and with all our hearts that Christ is the Son of God and God, and through baptism we are cleansed from our sins, calling on the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, according to the commandment and testament of the Savior Christ Himself, Who said to His holy disciples and apostles: “Going... teach all tongues, baptizing them in the name Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19); “Whoever has faith and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not have faith will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). But you, Hagarians, if you really believe that the Gospel is true and just, and came down from heaven, then why do you deny and do not listen to such strong Gospel testimonies and proofs about the Divinity of Christ and do not confess Him as either God or the Son of the Most High God, and are not baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit? How then do you hope to be saved? Or is it because you circumcise, in the Jewish way, your shameful parts and think that you will be saved by this? You are greatly deceived: this circumcision now brings no benefit. Before the coming of Christ into this world, circumcision, performed according to the law of Moses, was valid, since it was performed at the command of God, and those who were circumcised had the hope of salvation, but only on condition of fulfilling the remaining commandments of God. And from the time that Christ came and taught the new and most perfect gospel law, Moses' circumcision ceased and was completely abolished and no longer has any force. For with the coming of the Truth - Christ, the prototypes ceased, that is, the Mosaic testaments about sacrifices and all Jewish customs. Likewise, the most daily washing of your shameful members with water does not cleanse your souls from your carnal impurities, just as the fact that they lick their passages and shameful ods with their tongues never cleanses dogs from filth and their vile stench, for they always remain vile, foul-smelling and unclean. You also do not receive remission of sins by washing your aphedrons and private members, for by doing this you only cleanse the outside of the glass and dish, but their inside is full of all uncleanness. Rinse out the inside of the cup, that is, cleanse your souls with holy baptism, performed in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and then your souls and hearts will be clean from all ungodliness, lawlessness and all uncleanness: this is what the Holy Gospel commands, which you revere and about which you say “inzil-hak,” that is, that it is correct and true. It says that Christ himself said to Nicodemus, the prince of the Jews: “Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” And again to him: “Amen, amen, I say to you: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). Why is this so? But because water alone, without invoking the Holy Trinity, only cleanses the external dirt of the body, and not spiritual rottenness. Cleanse your spiritual leprosy with holy baptism, performed in the name of the Father and the Son of the Holy Spirit, and then you will be clean. But you also say that we Christians, by confessing the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, introduce three Gods. God forbid! This can't be! If anyone professes three Gods, let him be damned forever and ever, amen! We know one God, the Creator and Maker of everything, who has the Word and the Spirit, equal in honor and identical in Divinity, co-originating and co-essential, for God was never without the Word and the Spirit. There will be no such blasphemy among us. Therefore we say: God the Father is eternal, the Son and His Word are eternal, and with Him the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father, is eternal. There is one God in the Trinity, and not three Gods, let it not be so! Like mind, word and spirit - all three are called one soul, and not three souls; in the same way, the solar circle, light and ray - all three make up one sun, and not three suns: such is the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. Although we say: God the Father, God the Son and His Word, God and the All-Holy Spirit; but these three are not three Gods, but all three are one God, beginningless and infinite. Hear another example: a tall three-story house is divided into three: and the basement part is and is called “house,” and the next floor is and is called “house,” and the uppermost part, which we call the upper room, is also there and is called “house”; however, these three floors do not constitute three houses, but one house. Also, every tree has a root, a stem, and branches; but these three make one tree and are called that, not three trees. Also regarding the day: the time from morning to breakfast is and is called “day”, the time from breakfast to noon is also day, and the time from noon to evening is also called “day”; however, these three times of day do not constitute three days, but one day. So it is about the Divinity: God the Father, God and the Son, God and the Holy Spirit; however, not three Gods, but all three - one God, one kingdom, one power, one power. If you do not yet believe, and you do not accept and cannot understand this sacrament, which surpasses every mind and every word, then I will show you that you, without understanding and unwillingly, confess the one God as Trinitarian. Tell me: when you confess your evil faith, why do you raise not your thumb, but your index finger? Obviously, because the thumb has only two joints, and therefore it is not suitable for expressing the three Divine Hypostases. The index finger has three joints, and as each joint of the finger in the general composition is called a finger, however, not three fingers, but all these joints are one finger. So you, without understanding and without wanting to, by raising your index finger, confess the three-component one God, that is, the Holy Trinity. In Her name, deign to be baptized, so that you may be considered worthy to be faithful and dear children of Sarah, the free wife of the Patriarch Abraham. For until you are baptized, you are the lawless children of the slave Hagar, alienated and expelled from the inheritance of righteous Abraham, and have no fellowship with Isaac, the son of the free woman. We could offer you, for your assurance, many other strong testimonies and indications from the books of Moses and the Prophets, to certify that there is only one true, infallible and godly faith - the evangelical and apostolic faith, which is held by Orthodox Christians. But since you praise the Divine Gospel more than all other books and are amazed at it, we also gave you instructions from the Gospel alone, so that you could not say that you Christians are giving us false evidence and evidence. You also blaspheme us, saying: “If Christ were your God, then the Jews, being people, could not have caused Him suffering and killed Him with a dishonorable death.” Against this insane and God-defying contradiction of yours, I will answer you again from the same holy Gospel. That Christ is God Almighty and Creator of everything, we have already shown this by the Gospel testimonies we have cited. And that He voluntarily gave Himself up to death, and not because of the powerlessness of His human nature, the Jews seized Him and killed Him, and that He could in the blink of an eye not only destroy Jerusalem and the Jews living in it, but also immediately destroy the rebellious Jews throughout the universe - this we will show you with the same holy Gospel. That He voluntarily gave Himself up to death for the sake of saving people - He himself testifies to this, saying this in the Gospel of John: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” And again: “I am the good shepherd: and I lay down My life for the sheep. For this reason, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My soul, so that I may receive it again. No one will take it from Me, but I set it about Myself: the Imam will lay down the area, and the Imam will again accept the area. I received this commandment from My Father” (John 10:11-18), that is, according to the advice and will of My heavenly Father, I came into this world, so that through Me His holy name would become known to all people, and that for the sake of saving people, I would accept death in the flesh. That is why the Father loves Me, because I firmly agree to die, so that the human race, through My death, may receive eternal life. And I, fulfilling the will of My Father, voluntarily lay down my soul for the salvation of many, that is, I raise death over humanity. As in another place he says: “The Son of Man did not come to destroy the souls of men, but to save” (Luke 9:56), “and to give His life redemption for many” (Matthew 20:28), as in another place he says: “Behold, we ascend to Jerusalem, and all the prophets that are written about the Son of Man will come to an end. For they will betray Him with their lips, and mock Him... and kill Him: and on the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:31–33). And since the prophets of God, according to the will of God, predicted this about Him, and He Himself deigned to endure all this firmly, then why do you, Hagarians, reject such love for mankind and the providence of God and blaspheme us, who believe and confess all this as having happened according to the ineffable advice of God? Did we predict and write all this about Him? No; but the holy prophets of God, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, foretold this about Christ the Savior. What a shame and what disgrace to Christ and to us: - To him that He suffered so much according to the will of God, and to us that we believe this and are saved by the worshipful passions of the Son of God? Do you not hear how Christ Himself reviles the unbelief of His disciples, and in the face of all of them, rejecting what was predicted about Him by the holy prophets? In the Gospel of Luke He says this: “O foolish and inert heart, who believes in all the things the prophets say. Isn’t it fitting for Christ to suffer and be brought into His glory?” (Luke 24:25–26). So, you, foolish and inert at heart and unfaithful, who do not believe what was said by the prophets about the saving sufferings of Christ, by which He was glorified and entered into His glory and into the Kingdom of Heaven. We, the faithful, find ourselves wise with God and are saved by faith in Him. We ask you: tell us, following which holy scriptures do you reject Christ’s Divinity and sonship, and consider His saving passions to be dishonor and disgrace for Him, and do you reproach and blaspheme us? You cannot show this, for Christ Himself again stops your mouth with His holy Gospel, saying: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him, and God will glorify Him in Himself, and He will glorify Him” (John 13:31–32). He said this after Judas the traitor, having risen from supper, went to the Jewish bishops to betray Christ to them, since they longed for His death. Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, wanting to suffer for our salvation and knowing the evil intention of the Jews, with great joy cried out to his other disciples: “Now is the Son of Man glorified,” and so on. Do you see how He calls the cross, His three-day death and other sufferings and considers them His glory and the glory of God the Father Himself? How did He become famous? He became famous for the fact that through His saving suffering, through the Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, grace was poured out and the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to His holy disciples, and through them to all nations, while the charm of godless idolatry finally ceased, and the light of infallible knowledge of God shone everywhere. This is the glory of Christ, that is, the salvation of mankind, from which you, due to your great insensibility, are falling away madly. Understand that, in other words, the passions of Christ constitute His glory, and not dishonor, as you incorrectly think. With what terrible signs did His Heavenly Father glorify Him after He voluntarily gave Himself up to the lawless Jews to be crucified! Hanging on the cross, apparently like a lifeless dead man, He immediately turned the day into darkness, so that the moon darkened the sunlight for three hours, the whole earth trembled terribly, the stones disintegrated, the tombs were opened and many bodies of the departed saints were resurrected and appeared to many in the holy city of Jerusalem, as it is written in the Holy Gospel. Understand, then, the terrible power of Him who was crucified and given up for burial. Could He really not have performed such terrible signs before His crucifixion and terrified those who resisted Him and plunged them into the abysses of hell, like Dathan and Abiron? Truly could, like God Almighty! If, being a lifeless dead man, he could show such terrible signs, then even more so he could have done this while alive, but He wanted not with rage and uncontrollable anger, but with meekness, kindness and long-suffering, to turn to Himself and save the human race. So, having learned from the countless miracles that He Himself performed in the evil people of the Jews, and which He performed through His disciples throughout the entire universe, and from the terrible signs that took place on the day of His crucifixion, His goodness and unsearchable Divine power, retreat from the satanic unbelief handed down to you by your fathers and approach with true repentance to the Savior Christ and the God of all and be enlightened enlightenment of the infallible knowledge of God, take upon yourself His yoke - the Gospel law, and the true and good teaching, and His light burden, that is, His saving commandments, through which the souls of believers lay aside the burden of manifold sin and accept the instealable wealth of spiritual gifts, through which they become the dwelling place of God, as the Lord Himself promised, saying: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and I will come to him and make my abode with him” (John 14:23). So, if you sincerely praise the divine Gospel of Christ and consider it correct and true, then take care to fulfill the word of Christ written in it, that is, His commandments, commandments and dogmas about the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, so that you may henceforth be the home of the Holy Trinity and so that the evil and unclean spirits living in your hearts may be driven out from you. Inzil-haq (Koran) - “The Gospel is true.” You might be interested in: