Everything that can be seen with the eyes, for example, the earth, seas, stars, people, animals, plants, etc.
What is meant by the word: invisible?
By the word invisible we must understand the world, but not the one in which we live, but the spiritual world in which angels live. This world is above us, in heaven.
In what order did God create the world?
First of all, God created angels; then he created an unsettled mass, from which, according to the word of God, within six days all objects visible to us were formed. On the sixth day of creation, God created man and creation ended with him.
Who are angels?
Angels are bodiless spirits, i.e. having neither flesh nor bones. By their nature they are the same as our souls. They have both reason and will; only they are higher and more perfect than us, stronger in strength, know more than us, although much is hidden from them.
Why were angels created?
Angels were created for the same reason that man was created - to praise and glorify their Creator and be eternally blissful. Moreover, they serve our salvation.
How many ranks of angels?
Three. The 1st rank includes: seraphim, cherubim, thrones; to the 2nd rank: domination, strength, power; to the 3rd rank: principles, archangels and angels.
Who is a guardian angel?
An angel who is given to a person from the time of baptism and who remains with him until his death, protecting him from all evil and guiding him to a blessed eternal life.
How are angels depicted on icons?
Angels are depicted on icons as young people with wings. They, as incorporeal creatures, do not have wings, but are depicted with wings as a sign that they very quickly move from one place to another and very quickly fulfill the will of God.
Are all angels good and holy?
No, there are also evil angels, which are called demons.
How are they different from good angels?
By their nature, evil angels are the same as good angels, that is, they are also incorporeal, invisible creatures, having mind, will and strength; only they do not live in heaven, like good angels, but in hell, in the underworld, and try in every possible way to harm the salvation of man.
How can you distance them from yourself?
In the name of God, fasting, prayer and the sign of the cross.
How is the second part of the Creed read?
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to whom all things were.
What does this part of the Creed say?
About the second person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
What exactly is said about Him?
That He is the only begotten Son of God the Father, from Whom He was born before all ages, that He is Light and true God, that He is begotten and not created, that He is consubstantial with the Father and that by Him all things were created.
Why is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, called Lord in the Creed?
Because He is true God, like God the Father; for the name Lord is the name of God.
What does the name Jesus mean?
Savior.
Who was the first to name the Son of God Jesus?
Archangel Gabriel during the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:31).
Why is the Son of God called Savior?
Because He came to earth to save us, i.e. save us from our sins and open the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven.
What does the name: Christ mean?
Anointed One.
Why is the Son of God called the Anointed One?
Because God the Father anointed Him with the Holy Spirit, i.e. communicated to His human nature all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Have anyone else been called anointed besides the Son of God?
Before Jesus Christ, the Jewish people called kings, high priests (bishops) and prophets anointed. These three positions were united to the highest degree by Jesus Christ. He is the King, the High Priest and the Prophet.
Why is the Son of God called the only begotten?
Because He is the only Son of God, born from the being of God the Father. And pious people in the Holy Scriptures (John 1:12) are sometimes called sons of God; but they are called so by the special mercy of God, and not by their nature.
When was the Son of God born of God the Father?
Before all the ages, otherwise: He is also eternal, like God the Father.
Why is the Son of God called in the Creed consubstantial with the Father?
Because He has one Divine being with God the Father. The Son of God and God the Father are one (John 10:30).
What do the words mean: Everything happened to him?
That all things were created by the Son of God.
How is the third clause of the Creed read?
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human.
For our sake - for us.
What does this part of the Creed say?
About the incarnation of the Son of God.
What exactly is said about His incarnation?
The fact that He came down from heaven to earth, became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became a perfect man, except for sin, without ceasing at the same time to be God.
Under what circumstances was the Son of God born on earth?
The Roman Emperor Augustus, under whose rule the Jewish people were then, ordered a national census to be taken, and for this, each Jew had to go to his own hometown. Bethlehem was the hometown for the Virgin Mary and Her betrothed Joseph. Here, partly due to their poverty, partly due to the confluence of many people, they could not find a comfortable shelter for themselves. They stopped to spend the night in a cave where shepherds drove their flocks in inclement weather. Our Lord Jesus Christ was born in this cave.
How does the Orthodox Church teach about the virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
She teaches that the Virgin Mary remained and continues to be a Virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus Christ. In a word, She is Ever-Virgin (always a virgin).
What are the most important prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Virgin Mary, rejoice... and it is worthy to eat as truly...
In what form is She depicted on icons?
Mostly the Immaculate, adult Virgin with the eternal child Jesus Christ.
How is the fourth article of the Creed read?
Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
For us - for us.
What does this term say?
The fact that the Lord Jesus Christ during the time of Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of Judea, was crucified on the cross for us - people, i.e. for our sins and for our salvation, because He Himself was sinless. At the same time, he really suffered, died and was buried.
What were the most severe sufferings of Jesus Christ?
They beat Him a lot, cursed Him, mocked Him, and a crown of thorns was placed on His head. But His most severe suffering was on the cross. The execution on the cross was one of the most terrible, cruel and shameful executions of that time. She was a symbol of all human evil and the most striking manifestation of the power of the devil. Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross between two thieves, and in this shameful and terrible form He died.
Who buried Jesus Christ and where?
One rich and pious man, named Joseph of Arimathea, buried Him in his garden, in a new cave, which was carved out of a stone mountain; At the request of the Jewish leaders, a seal was attached to the tomb and a guard of soldiers was assigned so that no one could steal the body of Jesus.
Why did He suffer and die?
Himself sinless and innocent, He suffered and died for us in order to save us from sins and place us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
How could Jesus Christ suffer and die when He is God?
He suffered and died by human nature, and not by Divine nature. The deity can never suffer or die.
How do we express faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ's suffering on the cross?
Because during prayers and on other occasions we make the sign of the cross, or, more simply, we cross ourselves.
How is the fifth article of the Creed read?
And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
What does this term say?
About the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
How was He resurrected?