III. О ЦАРСКОМ СЛУЖЕНИИ ИИСУСА ХРИСТА

§ 157. Connection with the previous one, the concept of the royal ministry of Jesus Christ and the truth of this ministry As a prophet, the Lord Jesus told us the mystery of salvation; as a high priest, he accomplished our salvation, redeeming us from sin, the realm of Satan (Acts 26:18) and from eternal death, and earning us the kingdom of heaven and eternal bliss. But with this and that service, it was also necessary for Him to have the power of a king in order, on the one hand, to perform a series of signs and wonders as proof of the divinity of His gospel, without which people could not believe in Him; and on the other hand, to truly destroy the realm of the devil - hell, to truly defeat death and open for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven. That is why our Redeemer was predestined, along with the prophetic and high priestly ministries, to have a third ministry—royal. This service consists in the fact that the Lord Jesus, the eternal king according to Divinity, being anointed by the Holy Spirit as a king and according to humanity in the very incarnation (Luke 1:32-35; Acts 10:37.38), used and uses his royal power and authority for the great work of our salvation. The truth of our Savior's royal ministry is most clearly attested in the Word of God. 1) He was born a king and endowed with power. When we were born as a child, the prophet Isaiah cried out, his son and was given to us, whose rulership was on his frame: and his name is called great angel of counsel, wonderful, counselor, mighty God, ruler, prince of peace, father of the age to come... And his great rulership, and his peace has no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, correct it, and intercede for him in court and truth, from now and forever (Isa. 9, 6. 7; demolished. Luke 1, 32. 33; Matt. 2, 2). 2) He was a king and had royal power in the days of his humiliation. For he himself then took upon himself the name of a king, as can be seen from the accusation brought against Him by the Jews (Matthew 27:11.37; Mark 15:1.31), and as, indeed, He confirmed this before Pilate (John 18:37). He also assumed the power of the king, as shown by the words of His prayer to the Father: Father, the hour has come: glorify Your Son, that Your Son also will glorify You. For you have given Him power over all flesh, so that whatever You have given Him He will give them eternal life (John 17:1.2). By his very deed he showed himself to be a king when he entered Jerusalem, in accordance with the ancient prophecy: Rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion, preach, daughters of Jerusalem: behold, your king is coming to you, righteous and to save, meek, and always on the yoke and the young stallion (Zech. 9:9; demolished: John 12:15; Matt. 21:5), and when he received solemn greetings from the people: Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel (Matt. 21:9; John 12:13). 3) Finally, in all glory and power, He appeared as a king in the state of His glorification, when He had already said to the disciples: to Him is given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and when God, in fact, seated Him at His right hand in those in heaven, above all principality, and authority, and might, and dominion, and every name that is called, not just for this purpose, but also in the future; and put all things under his nose (Eph. 1:21.22). The royal dignity and ministry of Jesus Christ has always been confessed by St. The Church in its very Symbol - with the words: “and of His kingdom there will be no end.” The teachers of the Church also confessed, in particular: St. Irenaeus: “(The Holy Spirit) through the prophets foretold the birth of the Virgin, and the suffering, and the resurrection from the dead, and in the flesh the ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus our Lord, and also His coming from heaven in the glory of the Father, to lead all things (Eph. 1:10) and to resurrect all flesh of all mankind, that before Jesus Christ our Lord and God, By the Savior and King, by the good pleasure of the invisible Father, every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” 390. St. Methodius of Patara: “Scripture does not assign royal honor to the Son as if it were given to Him from outside, or had a beginning, or could receive an increase - this thought was a success! - but in the sense that this honor belongs to Him both by nature and because it was truly acquired by Him (ίδιόκτητον)" 391. St. Gregory of Nyssa: “the name of Christ is actually and first of all designated by His power (κράτος)” 392. “The name of Christ, if translated into a clearer and more understandable word, means king: since St. Scripture shows by this name, according to some special usage, royal dignity” 393. St. Zeno of Verona: “This king is the same one whose coming the prophets foretold, who was born in time according to the flesh, who is high on high and humble on earth, - the Creator of centuries and the son of the Virgin, who is immortal in Himself, but deigned to die as a man... He is the One to whom, after the resurrection, power in heaven and on earth was given by God (Matthew 28:18); however, this power is new only for His new name (Phil. 2:9); for He himself said even before the resurrection: I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me, that I might do it: and now you, Father, have glorified me with yourself with glory, even though before you there was no peace (John 17:4.5)” 394. Blazh. Augustine: “Christ is anointed to be both king and high priest. Like a king, He fought for us; like a high priest, he sacrificed himself for us” 395. Blazh. Theodoret: “the words: I am made king by him (Ps. 2:6) refer to the humanity of Jesus Christ: for, as God, He has a kingdom in all nature; and as a man, He accepts a certain kingdom" 396. § 158. In what actions was the royal ministry of Jesus Christ expressed? His miracles The main actions in which the royal ministry of Jesus Christ was expressed are: firstly, all the miracles that He performed as proof of His divine mission and the truth of His teaching, and in which He demonstrated His royal power both over all nature, and, in particular, over hell and death; secondly, His descent into hell and victory over hell; thirdly, His resurrection and victory over death; fourthly, His ascension into heaven, through which He opened for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven. 1) The Lord Jesus performed his miracles to prove his Divine mission and the truth of his teaching. He himself speaks about this: if I do not do the work of my Father, do not have faith in me: if I do it, even if you do not believe me, believe in my work (John 10:37.38); For the works that the Father has given me to do, the works that I do testify of me, as the Father has sent me (John 5:36; 14:11; 15:24). They also said St. The apostles, for example, St. Peter in his speech to the Jews: listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man of God, was known in you with miracles and signs and wonders, as God had done in your midst, as you yourselves knew; he was delivered over by the counsel and wisdom of God, having been nailed down by the hands of the lawless (Acts 2:22-23), and the apostle. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews: How shall we flee, having neglected salvation; The hedgehog began to receive the verb from the Lord, who heard in us the message: I bear witness with God with signs and wonders, and with various powers, and with the divided Holy Spirit, according to His will (Acts 2:3-4). 2) The Lord Jesus demonstrated power over all nature in his miracles. Thus, He turned water into wine (John 2:1–11), walked on the waters (Matthew 14:26), and with one word tamed the storm of the sea (Luke 8:24; Matt. 8:23–27); with one word, or with one touch he healed all kinds of diseases (Matthew 9:20–23, 14:35. 36), gave sight to the blind (Mark 10:46–52), hearing to the deaf, a dumb tongue (Matthew 9:32–35; 12:22; Luke 11:14), healing to lepers (Matthew 8:1–5); with a few loaves and fishes she once fed five, another time four thousand people, besides wives and children (Matthew ch. 14:15). 3) – demonstrated his power over the forces of hell. This is in all those numerous cases when, with one command, he cast out unclean spirits from people (Mark 1:25; 5:8; 9:25; Luke 8:32.33), and when the demons themselves, recognizing the Son of God in Him, trembled at His power and authority over them, and cried out: what to us and to you, Jesus the Son of God; Thou hast come before the time to torment us (Matthew 8:29; Mark 3:11; 5:7). As a result of all such actions, apparently aimed at destroying the works of the devil in the human race, Christ the Savior, even in the days of his ministry on earth, when seventy disciples, returning from preaching, joyfully said to Him: Lord, and demons obey us in your name, he remarked to them in response: I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven (Luke 10, 17. 18). The ap. also testified to this royal power and strength of our Lord over the spirits of evil even in the days of His earthly life. Peter before the newly converted pagans: you know the verb that was throughout all Judea, which began from Galilee, after baptism, and the preaching of John: Jesus who was of Nazareth, because God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went through doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him (Acts 10:37.38 ). 4) – demonstrated his power over death. For - a) he resurrected the son of the widow of Nain with one touch to the bed of the deceased and the command: young man, I say to you, arise (Luke 7:14 et seq.); b) raised the daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, with a touch and a word: little damsel, arise (Luke 8:49); c) raised the four-day-old dead man, Lazarus, with a loud cry: Lazarus, come out (John ch. 11). Thus, even in the days of the exhaustion of our Savior, when He performed primarily His prophetic ministry and High Priestly ministry, His miracles already showed that He was both the King of the universe, the Conqueror of hell and death. § 159. The descent of Jesus Christ into hell and victory over hell But all the actions in which the Lord Jesus demonstrated His power over the spirits of evil while still on earth can only be called the beginnings of His victory over hell. By his very deed, He conquered and destroyed hell, when, having abolished by His death the possessor of the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14), He descended into hell with His soul, like God, to preach good news to the captives of hell about salvation, and brought from there all the Old Testament righteous to the bright abodes of the Heavenly Father (Orthodox Confession, part 1, answer to question 49; space. I. The teaching that the Lord Jesus actually descended into hell with His soul and Divinity while His body was in the tomb, and descended precisely for the purpose of preaching there about salvation - 1) There is apostolic teaching. St. Peter in his speech to the Jews, citing the words of the Psalmist: do not leave my soul in hell, nor let your saint see corruption, noticed that David, as a prophet, predicted in these words about the resurrection of Christ, as if his soul would not remain in hell, nor his flesh in the form of corruption (Acts 2, 27. 31). And in one of the epistles he expresses his thought even more clearly, saying: Christ alone suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit: a sermon came down about him and them that are in spiritual prison (1 Peter 3:18.19). Here the dogma of the Church is already separately stated that while the body of the Savior remained dead, He went with His living spirit into prison to the spirits in order to preach to them: such a contrast between the dead flesh of the Savior and the living spirit and such a purpose of His descent to the spirits who were in prison (έν φυλακή) completely subvert the assumption that by prison one must understand the coffin and under the descent of the Savior into it - his burial in the coffin 397. St. Paul also writes in his letter to the Romans: Do not say in your heart: Whoever ascends into heaven, that is, to bring Christ together; or who will descend into the abyss (είς τήν άβυσσον), that is, to raise Christ from the dead (10, 6. 7). Here the abyss in which Christ was after death is contrasted with heaven, and it is said that in the same way no one could descend into this abyss in order to bring Christ out of it, just as no one could ascend to heaven in order to bring Christ out from there. Track. by the abyss one cannot understand the tomb of Christ, into which many could descend, and which it would be strange to contrast, as some kind of unattainable depth, with the unattainable height of heaven - but it remains to be understood in accordance with the clearer testimony of the apostle. Peter, prison or hell, into which, after death, Christ actually descended in his spirit (removed. Eph. 4, 9. 10). By the way, let us recall the ancient testimony about one of the seventy apostles, Thaddeus, who, having been sent, by the will of the Lord, to the Edessa ruler Abgar, said to him, among other things: “gather me all your citizens, and I will proclaim to them the word of God...; I will tell them about the coming of Jesus, how it happened... and how He humbled Himself and died, how He was crucified and descended into hell, destroyed a fence that had been indestructible for centuries, then rose again and raised up the dead who had slept since the beginning of the world, how He came down alone and ascended to His Father with a great multitude of people.” This evidence, borrowed by Eusebius from the archives of Edessa, he traces back to the time of Abgar himself 398. 2) The Church has always been maintained. We find proof of this partly in some of its ancient symbols, for example, Aquileia and others, where there is a term about the descent of Jesus Christ into hell 399; but much more in the writings of her ancient teachers 400. In the second century this truth was expressed by: a) St. Irenaeus: “The Lord descends into the depths of the earth, preaching His coming and the remission of sins to those who believe in Him, and all who were waiting for Him believed in Him, that is, all who foretold His coming and served His orders, the righteous, prophets and patriarchs” 401; or: “For three days He stayed where the dead were, and descended to them to extract and save them” 402; b) Tertullian: “Christ God, having died as a man and being buried, according to the scriptures, fulfilled the law that, like all people who died, he descended into hell; and no sooner had he ascended to the heights of heaven than he had already descended into the underworld of the earth, in order to make patriarchs and prophets his companions” 403. In the third century: c) Clement of Alexandria: “The Lord did not descend into hell for anything other than to preach the gospel” 404; d) Origen: “The Son of God, for the salvation of the world, even descended into hell, and called from there the first-created” 405; e) Lactantius: “after, fulfilling the will of God, (the Lord Jesus) revealed the truth to people, He underwent death in order to defeat and destroy hell” 406. In the fourth century - f) St. Epiphanius: “crucified on the cross, buried, descends into hell with his Divinity and soul, captivates captivity” 407; g) St. Basil the Great: “clearly (David) prophesies (Ps. 48:16) about the descent into hell of the Lord, who, along with other souls, delivered the soul of the prophet himself, so that it would not remain in hell” 408; h) St. Gregory the Theologian: “he is buried, but rises, descends to hell, but raises souls from it” 409; i) St. Chrysostom: “Imagine what it’s like to hear how God from heaven and the royal thrones rose, descended to earth and into hell itself, took up arms in battle” 410. In general, in the fourth century, on the occasion of the Apollinarian heresy, the Church’s belief regarding the descent of Jesus Christ into hell was revealed in all its strength and steadfastness. Apollinaris rejected the existence of a human soul in Christ; The teachers of the Church, in refutation of the heretic, unanimously asked him: “Why did Christ descend into hell, when His body was in the tomb, and He was omnipresent in Divinity?” - obviously assuming that this descent was common knowledge among Christians and undoubted. Even the Arians themselves, in order to free themselves from suspicion of the Apollinarian heresy, sometimes introduced the dogma of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell into their religions 412. I. That the Lord Jesus, by his descent into hell, destroyed hell, and brought out all the Old Testament righteous people: and this was always believed by St. Church . The first thought is preached by St. The Apostle, saying: You ascended on high and took captivity captive, and gave gifts to man. And the hedgehog, as it is, came up, just like it came down before into the deepest countries of the earth; he who descended is also the one who ascends above all the heavens, that he may fulfill all things (Eph. 4:8-10). And then, after St. The Apostle, the teachers of the Church also preached, for example: - a) St. John Chrysostom: “hell was captured by the Lord who descended into it, abolished, desecrated, killed, deposed, bound” 413; b) St. Gregory the Theologian: “He repelled the sting of death, crushed the gloomy gates of dull hell, and granted freedom to souls” 414; c) Eusebius of Caesarea: “He came to save the souls that were in hell and had been awaiting His coming for many centuries, and, descending, he crushed the copper gates, broke the iron ropes, and brought those previously bound in hell to freedom” 415. The last thought about the removal from hell by Christ the Savior of those who believed in Him, only the Old Testament righteous (Zech. 9:11), was clearly preached, after St. Irenaeus and Tertullian, whose testimonies we have already seen 416 - St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “He was laid in a stone tomb, truly like a man; but for His sake the stones dissolved out of fear; descended into the underground places in order to free the righteous from there. For would you like, tell me, for the living to enjoy grace when most of them are unrighteous; and those who were imprisoned for a long time by Adam did not receive freedom? The Prophet Isaiah foretold so much about Him in a loud voice; Wouldn't you wish that the King would descend and release the herald? David and Samuel were there, and all the prophets, and John himself, who speaks through the messengers; Are you the one who is coming, or someone else (Matthew 11:3)? Wouldn’t you wish that He would come down and free them?” 417. St. Epiphanius: “The divinity of Christ, together with His soul, descended into hell in order to bring to salvation those who had previously died, namely the holy patriarchs” 418. St. Cassian: “Having penetrated hell, Christ, with the radiance of his glory, dispelled the impenetrable darkness of Tartarus, destroyed the copper gates, crushed the iron faiths, and brought the holy captives, held in the impenetrable darkness of hell, from captivity with Him to heaven” 419. St. Gregory the Great: “The wrath of God, in relation to the souls of the righteous, passed with the coming of our Redeemer: for they were freed from the prisons of hell by the Intercessor of God and men, when he himself descended there, and led them to the joys of heaven” 420. It should be added that if some of the ancients sometimes expressed the idea that Christ delivered from hell not just the Old Testament righteous, but many others or even all the captives of hell, then they expressed it only in the form of fortune telling, assumptions, private opinions 421. § 160. Resurrection of Jesus Christ and victory over death Just as Christ destroyed hell by his own descent into hell, although he had previously demonstrated his royal power over the forces of hell: so He conquered death by his own resurrection from death, although he had previously demonstrated his power over it more than once. This is revealed by St. The Apostle, saying: Christ has risen from the dead: he became the firstfruits of those who died. For death was man, and the resurrection of the dead was man. Just as everyone dies in Adam, so in Christ everyone will come to life. Each one in his rank, Christ the firstfruits, then those who believed in Christ at his coming (1 Cor. 16:20-23) 422. In order to understand how, as a result of the resurrection of Christ, we will all one day be resurrected and complete victory over death will be achieved, we must take into account that, according to the teaching of the Word of God, we, through faith in Christ and through the communion of St. By His sacraments we become partakers of Christ (Heb. 3:14), one with Christ (John 6:26, 15:4.5), and in Him also partakers of His life. That is why He himself taught: I am the resurrection, and the life: believe in me, even if you die, you will live (John 11:25). I am the living bread that came down from heaven: if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I will give, my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (6:51). eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have an eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (-54). He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in Him (-56). Likewise, St. Paul taught regarding the sacrament of baptism: those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ (Gal. 3:27), and in another place: or do you not understand, as those who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death; We buried him with baptism into death... And if we die with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him: knowing that Christ has risen from the dead, no longer dies; death has no power over him (Rom. 6:3, 4, 8, 9). Because of this unity with Christ, in a sense, we have already been resurrected with Him (Col. 3:1), just as we all once sinned and suffered death in our forefather Adam (Rom. 5:12-19). As for the reality of the resurrection of Christ: it is beyond any doubt. Foreshadowed by the Psalmist (Ps. 15:10; Acts 2:29–31), foreshadowed by Jonah’s three-day stay in the belly of the whale (Matthew 12:39.40), repeatedly predicted by Christ the Savior himself (Matthew 16:4, 21, 17:9, 23, 20:17–19, 26:31; John 2:19, 10:17), this event was witnessed by all the eyewitness Apostles: the resurrected Life-Giver appeared to them for forty days; He had long conversations with them, explaining to them the scriptures and revealing to them the secrets of his kingdom; before them He ate food and drink; He allowed them to feel their arms, and legs, and ribs; before their very eyes and ascended into heaven (Matthew ch. 28; Mark ch. 16; Luke ch. 24; John ch. 20. 21; 1 Cor. 15: 1-8). This testimony of the Apostles is given special strength by: a) that wonderful moral change that suddenly took place in them after the resurrection of the Savior - that amazing courage with which they set out to preach worldwide about their Teacher and appeared before the multitudes of Jews and pagans; that extraordinary self-sacrifice with which they, for the sake of the name of Christ, endured all kinds of labor, suffered all kinds of persecution, tasted death itself; b) the wonderful successes of their preaching both among Jews and among pagans, who turned to Christ in thousands, and also decided to endure all types of torment and death for His name; c) finally, those countless miracles that the Apostles performed everywhere in the name of Christ, and with which they most clearly confirmed the truth of their preaching to everyone (Acts ch. 3. 4. 5, etc.). The Church confesses the dogma of the resurrection of Christ in its very Symbol (removed by the right. Confession, part 1, answer to question 52); The teachers of the Church always preached 423. § 161. The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and the opening of the kingdom of heaven to all who believe in Him Before the coming of the Son of God to earth, heaven was, as it were, closed for the earthly, and although in the house of the heavenly Father there are many abodes (John 14:2.3), in them, however, there was no place for the sinful descendants of Adam; The very righteous of the Old Testament, upon death, descended with their souls to hell (Gen. 37:35). But after our Lord appeared in the flesh and reconciled God with men, heaven with earth; after, by his descent into hell, he freed the Old Testament righteous from there, and having risen from the dead, becoming the firstfruits to the dead, He finally solemnly ascended to heaven with the human nature He assumed and thus opened for all people free entry into the kingdom of heaven. He himself expressed this truth when, talking with his disciples about his departure to the Father, he said: I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself: yea, where I am, you also will be (John 14:2.3). And further: you have no food, but I am going; Unless I go, the Comforter will not come to you (16:7). Then, with all clarity, St. ap. Paul in various places in his epistles. In one place he says that Christ is not in the holy place made with hands, but in heaven itself, now let him appear to the face of God for us (Heb. 9:24); in another he directly calls Him our forerunner to heaven (6:20); in the third it is expressed that just as God raised us with Christ, so also He made us sit in heaven in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6), after His ascension into heaven; fourthly, that we are heirs to God and heirs to Christ (Rom 8:17); in the fifth he gives instructions: if you are risen with Christ, seek those on high, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Be wise on high, not on earth. You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-3). The reality of the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven: 1) It was foreshadowed in the Old Testament, for example, in the words of the Psalmist: you ascended on high, you took captivity captive, you received gifts from men (Ps. 67:19; taken down Eph. 4:8-10). 2) Then, predicted by the Savior himself: see the son of man ascending, where he was before (John 6:62). I departed from the Father and came into the world: and again I leave the world and go to the Father (16:28). 3) Witnessed by the Apostles: Lord, says He. Mark, as he spoke to them (the disciples), ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19; taken down, Luke 24:50. 51; Acts 1:9). 4) It has always been contained and confessed by the Orthodox Church in the words of the Symbol: “(I believe in Jesus Christ) who ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.” § 162. Will the royal ministry of Jesus Christ end? As the only-begotten Son of God, who assumed human nature into the unity of his Divine Hypostasis, the Lord Jesus, having entered into his glory, having previously had no peace with the Father (John 17:5), will forever remain in this eternal glory, will forever remain the King of heaven and earth, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, worshiped and glorified of all creation: and in In this sense, there will be no end to his kingdom (Luke 1:33). But His royal service, as our Redeemer, for the salvation of the human race, begun by him on earth and continued in heaven, will have an end when, that is, it is completely accomplished, by bringing all true believers to salvation: and in this regard, it is fitting for him to reign until he puts all enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25). And this will follow when the last enemy is abolished by death (-26), all the dead are resurrected (John 5:25), heaven and earth are renewed (2 Peter 3:6.7.13), - and He, appearing in all His glory, will carry out universal judgment, saying, as a King, to those on his right hand: come, blessed of my Father, inherit what has been prepared for you kingdom from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25, 34), and will hand over the kingdom to God and the Father (1 Cor. 15, 24), so that God may be all in all (- 28). This is exactly how the saints looked at the royal dignity and ministry of Jesus Christ. Fathers and teachers of the Church. For example: St. Gregory the Theologian: “The Son is called reigning - in one sense, as Almighty and King of those who want and those who do not want; and in the other, as bringing us to submission, and subjugating to His kingdom those who voluntarily recognize Him as King. And His kingdom, if we understand it in the first sense, will have no end; and if we mean the second, will there be any end? - The one who will accept us saved by his hand (for those who have submitted still need to be brought to obedience?); and then the judge of the earth will arise (Ps. 93:3) and will separate what is being saved from what is perishing; then God will stand among the saved gods to judge and determine who has achieved glory and abode" 424. St. John Chrysostom: “What does it mean: when he betrays the kingdom (1 Cor. 15:24)? Scripture knows two kingdoms of God: one by assimilation, and the other by creation. Christ reigns over all, both pagans and Jews, and demons and opponents, according to the right of creation; He reigns over those who are faithful and voluntarily obey Him, by right of assimilation. It is said about this kingdom that it receives a beginning... This is the kingdom He will hand over to the Father” 425. St. Zeno of Verona: “The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:24) speaks of the temporary kingdom of God incarnate, at the end of which this one will come and create judgment for the living and the dead; which is confirmed by the very connection of the speech, which says that Christ must reign with his saints until he ceases all authority, all authority and power, until he puts all enemies under his feet, until the last enemy is destroyed - death (1 Cor. 15, 24-26). But the Evangelist Luke (1, 34) and Solomon (Wis. 3, 4-8) understood the original power, in which, having a continuous participation from century to century, the Son never received the kingdom from the Father, and will never transfer it to the Father” 426. § 163. Moral application of the dogma of the sacrament of atonement 1. The Lord our Savior, as a Prophet - a) He gave us the law of faith and piety: we must accept this law, obey it and implement it in our activities, otherwise it will not bear us any fruit and will remain alien to us. b) He gave a new law, more perfect than the Old Testament: we must, having accepted it, take care to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4), and so that our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of not only the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20), but also the righteous people of the Old Testament themselves 427. Be ye therefore, our Lawgiver commanded us, explaining the spirit of his law, be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect (-48). c) He gave the law, the only saving one for all people: we must value this priceless treasure most of all and guard it with all zeal until our very death. 2. The Lord our Savior, as High Priest - a) He offered himself as an atoning sacrifice for us sinners: when we think about this, first of all, let us learn to prostrate ourselves before the infinitely merciful Lord towards us in feelings of the most perfect gratitude and love. b) He accomplished our salvation by the cross and on the cross: hence our immutable duty to reverently honor this sacred instrument of our salvation, for the sake of the God-man who suffered on it; honor in all ways, which, according to legend from St. The Apostles, the Orthodox Church still observes and commands us, and, with faith in the heart, to always and everywhere use the sign of the cross for our spiritual benefit, to sanctify all our undertakings and deeds with it, to protect ourselves from all temptations and temptations (Orthodox Confession, part 1, answer to question 50). c) By his death on the cross he delivered us from sin with all its disastrous consequences and acquired for us sanctification and eternal life: let sin not reign in our dead body, unless we listen to it in its lusts; Below, let us present our weapons of unrighteousness to sin, but let us imagine God; Yes, thus, freed from sin, enslaved to God, the imams make our fruit into holiness: death, eternal life (Rom. 6, 12. 13. 22). d) Through suffering and the cross he entered into his glory: and he left us an image, that we might follow in his footsteps (1 Peter 2:21), and he commanded us: if anyone wants to save his soul, he will destroy it; and if anyone destroys his soul for the sake of me and the gospel, he will save it (Mark 8:35). e) Having ascended into heaven, he continually intercedes for us: if any of us sins, let us firmly remember that we are intercessors with God, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1), and with sincere repentance for sins, we will flow to Him in the undoubted hope that He is able to save to the end those who come to God through him (Heb. 7:25); Let us come to Him in prayer and in general in all our needs, remembering His words: whatever you ask from the Father in my name, I will do...; and whatever you ask in my name, I will do (John 14, 13. 14). 3. The Lord our Savior, as King - a) defeated hell and bound the strong one, that is, the devil with all his angels (Matthew 12:29; 2 Peter 2:4): therefore, let us not be afraid of the attacks of our primordial enemy, but, being strong in the Lord and in the power of his fortress, let us boldly enter into battle with the principalities, and the authorities and rulers of the darkness of this world, the spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:10.12), and boldly repeating in the heart the words of St. Paul: I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). b) He defeated death and destroyed its power: let us not be afraid of death, animated by the sweetest hope that the hour will one day come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live (John 5:25), that He will transform the body of our humility, as if to be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3:21); that it is fitting for this corruptible thing to put on incorruption, and for this dead thing to put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:53). c) By His ascension into heaven, He opened for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven: therefore, with faith, hope and love, let us pursue the task that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author of faith and the perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:1.2), so that where He is now, we also may be (John 14:3). Adv. haeres. 1, 10, n. 1. The same confession of the royal dignity of Jesus Christ is found in the martyr Justin (dialog. cum Tryph. n. 34. 86. 118) and Hippolytus (de Christ. et Antichr. n. 6). In Ramos Palmar. n. V, apud Galland. T. III, p. 823. De perf. Christiani forma, in T. III, p. 227, ed. Morel. De profess, Christ., ibid. pag. 269. Ha words: 1 Kop. 15, 24, in Xp. Thurs. 1838, II, 15. This idea is now preached by almost all Protestant theologians. Church Histor. book I, ch. 13, pp. 51. 56, ed. St. Petersburg 1848. Bingham. Orig. eccles. lib. X, c. 3, § 7; c. IV, § 13. It is worthy of note that the descent of Jesus Christ into hell is mentioned in many apocryphal writings that appeared at the beginning of Christianity. See eg. Evangel. Nicodem. n. 18 (in Birch. Auct. 115 squ.), Acta Thomae. n. X (ap. Thilo. Cod apoc. p. 20), Testament. XII Patriarch. c. IX; Sybill. VIII, 743. Adv. haeres. IV, 12, n. 1; 27, no. 2. De anima c. LV, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. II, p. 742, Migne. Strom. VI, 6; cfr. 11, 10. In Genes, homil. XV; cfr. in Joan. T. VI, n. 18. Divin. instit. IV, c. 12, p. 481, in Patrolog. curs. compl. T. VI, ed. Migne. Haeres. Negodian. XX; cfr. haeres. LXIX, 62; LXXVII, 8. Conversation on Ps. 48, art. 16, in TV. St. Father V, 371. Words about the Theologian. III, in TV. St. Father III, 75. On St. Matt. Conversation II, paragraph 1, page 23 in volume I in Russian. lane The same teaching is found among other teachers of the fourth century, for example, St. Eustathius of Antioch (contr. Origen. in Galland. T. IV, p. 563) and St. Zenon of Verona, who says: “He (Jesus Christ) tasted death in order to defeat it - he descended into the underworld in order to bring the dead alive from there” (on 1 Cor. 15, 24, in Chron. Thu. 1838, 11, 15). Athanas. contr. Apollinar. 1, n. 13. 14; 11, 17; Epiphan. haeres. LXXVII, no. 7. 8. 25; Philastr. haeres. XL. Socrates Η. E. II, 37. 41. Words for Easter; demolished for Ev. Matt. Conversation II, n.I “If you follow us in proper silence, we can lead you out and show you where death lies, nailed to the cross, where sin is hanged, where there are numerous, amazing and victorious monuments of this war, this battle. You will see here a bound tormentor, and behind him many captives: that stronghold from which the damned demon, in former times, carried out his raids everywhere. You will see the robber’s refuge and caves, already destroyed and open: for the Tsar came there too” (- p. 23, in vol. 1 according to Russian translation). Song of Christ, in TV. St. Father IV, 358. Demonstr. Evang. lib. X ad verba Ps. 16. See note above. 401. 403. Publicity Pouch. IV, no. II, pp. 64–65; demolished XIV, paragraph 19. “Death was afraid when he saw someone new come to hell, who was not bound by the bonds of onago. Why were you, the gatekeepers of hell, horrified when you saw Him? What unusual fear has taken hold of you? Death fled, and this flight revealed fear of it. St. flocked The prophets and Moses the lawgiver, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, David and Samuel and Isaiah, and the Baptist John, who, testifying, said: Are you the one who comes, or someone else? (Matthew 11:3). All the righteous who were swallowed up in death are redeemed. For the proclaimed King was to be the Redeemer of the good heralds” (p. 295). ... φημί, των αγίων πατριάρχων. Hares. LX1X, n. 62. De institut. coenob. III, c. 3. Moral. XII, c. 7. And elsewhere: Nihil aliud teneatis, nisi quod vero fides per catholicam ecclesiam docet, quia descendens ad inferos Dominus illos solummodo ab inferni claustris eripuit, quos viventes per suam gratiam in fide et bona operatione servavit (lib. VII, Epist. 15); cfr. Hippol. de Christo et Antichr. c. 26; Euseb. in Luc. XIV, 25; Chrysost. contr. Jud. et gentes, quod Christus est Deus, n. 5. Clem. Alex. Strom. VI, p. 461; Ambros. de paschate c, 3. 4. See note above. 401. 408 and 414. The same thing was preached by the teachers of the Church: a) St. Athanasius: “The Lord had a special purpose in his economy to demonstrate the resurrection of his body; in it He wanted to show everyone a sign of victory over death, and to assure everyone that through Him corruption was destroyed and incorruption was granted to people” (De incarn. Verbi Dei n. 22, in Chron. Read. 1838, II, 140); b) St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “The dead One has risen, who is among the dead freedom (Ps. 87:6) and the Liberator of the dead. The one on whom, in reproach, through His long-suffering, the crown of thorns was placed, has now risen and been crowned with the diadem of victory over death” (Ochl. lecture XIV, n. I, p. 279), - and others (for example, Cyril. Alex. about the Lord. Chapter 27, in Chron. Thu, 1847, III, 227). Clem. Rom. Epl. ad Corinth. 1, n. 24; Ignat. ad Smyrn. n. I. II. III; Polycarp. ad Philipp. IX; Iren. adv. haer. 1, 10; Kiril. jerus. Will announce. instructive IV, no. 12; John Chrysostom on Ev. Matt. demon HS. Words about the Theologian. IV, in TV. St. Father III, 81–82. In Epist. 1 ad Corinth. ad verbä XV, v. 24; Homil. XXXIX. Ha words: 1 Kop. 15, 24. in Xp. Thurs. 1838, II, p. 18. “If we are worthy of the best and most perfect teaching, if God in these last days spoke to us not through the prophets, but through the Son: then we must lead a much better life, worthy of the honor we have received. For when God condescends so much to us that he wishes to speak to us no longer through his servants, but by himself: then it would be inappropriate if we were not at all better in comparison with the ancient Israelites. They had Moses as their teacher, but we have the Lord Moses himself as our teacher. Therefore, we must show wisdom, worthy of such a high honor, and have nothing to do with the earth. For for this purpose He brought us teaching from heaven, so that we would be transported there with our thoughts and, to the best of our strength, would be imitators of our Teacher” (Chrysostom on St. John. conversations. XIV, in Chron. Read. 1837, III, 15-16). You might be interested in: