Addition to the "Word on Death"

A look at Western views on spirits, hell and heaven “The Word on Death” was written solely for ascetic purposes. The demand from him for greater clarity in theological terms caused the additions that were included in it in this edition. Objections were made against some of the teachings of the Orthodox Church contained in the “Word”. These objections arose from the teachings read in Western writers. For this reason, it is considered not superfluous to acquaint the children of the Orthodox Church with the Western opinion about spirits, heaven and hell, and to expose the groundlessness and incorrectness of this opinion. We borrow information about the above-mentioned subjects from the Western writer Bergier 1. Extract 1. “The spirit is an immaterial being, different from the body.” This definition is given by a Western writer to any spirit in general. God is not excluded from this definition, and is thus placed in the same category with all spirits. This is not stated clearly here, but it is clearly seen, as will be seen later, especially from the article in which a Western writer discusses perfumes in general 2 . Extract 2. “An angel is a spiritual, rational being, of paramount dignity among creatures” 3. Extract 3. “The soul is a spiritual, thinking being, the beginning of life in a person” 4. Extract 4. “The Fathers of the Church have different opinions about the nature of angels. Some, like Tertullian, Origen, Saint Clement of Alexandria and others, thought that angels are always clothed with a subtle body. Others, like Saint Basil, Saint Athanasius, Saint Cyril 5, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint John Chrysostom and others, recognized them as purely spiritual beings. This is the opinion of the entire Church 6; but Holy Scripture testifies that angels often appeared clothed with bodies; So, we do not see why Tertullian’s opinion would be dangerous” 7. It will be further proven that the Western writer’s reference to the Eastern Fathers is incorrect. Extract 5. “Many philosophers of our century have become so biased that they decided to assert that the writers of Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church did not assign to the word “spirit” the meaning that we give it, that by this word they meant only a very subtle substance, a being of a fiery or airy nature, inaccessible to our senses, and by no means a being that is absolutely immaterial” 8 . The judgment called biased here is a correct judgment. Neither the Holy Scriptures nor the Holy Fathers gave the word “spirit” the meaning that Westerners began to give it very recently. The Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers recognize, confess, and preach the perfect immateriality and independence of space and time of the one Spirit-God. They use the word “spirit” to denote moral properties. In all cases where an animate or inanimate object is called spirit, both Scripture and the Fathers specifically mean substance, subtle substance, different from gross substance. The expression that created spirits are beings of a fiery or airy nature belongs specifically to the Fathers, as will be further proven by the most accurate extracts from the Fathers. Extract 6. “We confess that in all known languages ​​there is no word that is actually and exclusively used to designate an immaterial being. Since the imagination turned out to be insufficient to invent such an expression, it had to resort to metaphor and replace it with it. Most of the names given to it mean spirit, breath, which serves as a sign of life” 9. Extract 7. “But all people, having no concept of philosophy, by natural judgment distinguished a living, active being, the beginning of movement, from a dead, suffering being, incapable of movement. They called the first spirit, the second body, or substance. This difference is modern in its antiquity to the world, widespread everywhere where a person is. Everyone was so sure of the lifelessness of matter that they assumed the presence of spirit wherever they saw movement” 10. On this basis, so wrong, the Western writer bases his doctrine of spirits. Extract 8. The essence of the question is as follows: “When the writers of Holy Scripture, the Fathers of the Church and the ancient philosophers talk about God, about angels, about spirits, do they accept them as beings who are dead, suffering, not moving, or beings who feel, think and act?” 11 It is obvious: God, the Creator of spirits, is here placed in the same category of beings with the spirits He created. Extract 9. “The writers of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, who recognized creation, understood that God acted by His sole will: God said: let there be light, and there was light 12. Can a material being be a creator? 13 The Western writer also recognizes created spirits as decisively immaterial: then, according to the objection he made, he must recognize spirits as capable of creation from nothing, since this ability is attributed to decisive immateriality. Here again God is placed on the same level with created spirits, and one can see the effort, with the help of such a mixture, to establish the complete immateriality and spirituality of God, to establish the opinion of the Western Church about the complete immateriality of created spirits. Extract 10. “There is little need for us to know whether the ancients thought or not that every spirit is always clothed with a subtle body; for us it is enough that these two beings were never mixed” 14. The fathers did not recognize spirits as clothed in a body, but their very being was recognized as a subtle body. Extract 11. “However, we confess that the word “spirit” in the Holy Scriptures does not always designate an immaterial being. Since the distinctive property of the spirit is action, the ancients called every active cause spirit, such as the wind and whirlwind” 15. The exact definition of the meaning that Scripture and the Fathers gave to the word “spirit” will be seen further from an extract made from the works of St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Extract 12. “Unbelievers say that before Descartes 16, philosophers and theologians ascribed space to spirits.” This shows from what time the Western Church adopted its present opinion about spirits. The writer does not dispute this. He adds: “Even if this were true, then nothing follows from this, because, despite Descartes, there are still philosophers today who, while admitting a significant difference between bodies and spirits, argue that the latter are not completely independent of space” 17. There are, it should be noted, philosophers, but not theologians; Western theologians unanimously recognized the independence of created spirits from space along with God. The newest philosophers, if they are familiar with the positive sciences that explain matter, have no way of recognizing both the independence of a limited being from space and the immateriality of such a being, on a par with the immateriality of an unlimited being, God. Descartes took his opinion from the ancient pagan philosopher Plato. Descartes sees no connection, no affinity - to use the technical expression of chemistry - between spirit and matter. This is true in relation to God alone: ​​because to destroy the affinity between objects, an infinite difference between them is necessary. God alone is so different from everything else. Rejecting any relation of the soul and spirits to space, Descartes, at the same time, gives the soul a place in the brain gland, which obviously contradicts himself. Thus, he limits the soul to space and matter, makes it dependent on space and matter. From this follows, as a necessary consequence, the concept of the materiality of the soul, which is in a natural and involuntary connection with the body. Both the opinion of Descartes and the opinion of Plato are based solely on an arbitrary assumption, and not on an exact conclusion from science, as is required, in their current development, by all sciences that talk about matter. For this reason, the system of Descartes and Plato cannot and should not have any significance in science: the place of this system is in the history of science, like other obsolete knowledge that at one time was recognized either by everyone or by many as the truth. This system, contrary to Holy Scripture, should have no place in Orthodox theology: with its acceptance, the teaching of Scripture about heaven and hell, in which created spirits will bliss and suffer in a certain relation to space and matter, must be rejected. The very existence of created spirits must be denied! if the soul is not limited to the body and has no affinity with it, then it, marking for us its stay in the body, is no longer a being, but only a phenomenon, like sound and other phenomena in nature. Church writers of the second century, the holy martyr Justin 18 and Tertullian 19, refuted Plato's teachings with all satisfaction. Bergier himself notes that “Plato’s teaching about God, about angels and about souls, being accepted, undermines, without a doubt, the most important foundations of Christianity” 20. Extract 13. “The theologian must know on what basis the writers of Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church are accused of ignorance of the nature of spiritual beings, of believing that God, angels and human souls are bodily beings” 21. Wouldn’t it be more correct for this theologian, realizing his knowledge to be ignorance, to turn to a careful study of the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church in order to glean true knowledge from them? Let us note: God is again placed in the same category of spiritual beings with created spirits and the human soul. Extract 14. “The first truth that Sacred History teaches us is that God is the Creator, that He created everything with His Word or the simple act of His will: why He is pure Spirit. This same History teaches us that God created man in His image and in His likeness. So, man is not only a body: he is rational, acts, free in his will, like God” 22. The only thing missing was for the Western writer to express with frankness his opinion that man is the same being in his soul as God. This, however, follows as an inevitable consequence from such reasoning. God, not only in essence, but also in properties, is completely different from created spirits and the human soul. Its properties are unlimited, and its being is unlimited. The properties of created spirits are limited: by necessity, their being is also limited. If their being is limited, then their spirituality is limited. On the contrary, the spirituality of God is limitless: it is a perfect and decisive spirituality. There is no requirement from the image that it be an identical being with its original. We see this in human images. Both a portrait and a statue can have the closest resemblance to their original: it does not follow that their very essence is identical with the essence of the original. Extract 15. Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzen) says that “An angel is a fiery creature, or a rational spirit (breath). According to Methodius, souls are rational (mental) bodies. If you believe Cassius, a priest of Rome, the spirit of a person has the same image (figure) as the body, the spirit is diffused in all parts of the body. Finally, St. Augustine admits that the soul is in a sense a body." 23 St. Augustine is especially respected by Westerners. They give him first place among the Fathers of the Church and call him divine. Augustine's opinion put the Western writer in a difficult position. Extract 16. “The ancients often confused the concept of the body with the concept of essence. They called a body every being limited, described by a place, every being subject to random adventures and changes. In this sense, they said that God alone is incorporeal” 24. These ancient ones are the Fathers of the Church. The Western writer, expressing their opinion, does not approve of it. Obviously: he would like the Fathers not to express themselves in such a way that the newest Western teaching about the perfect spirituality of Angels, demons and human souls, a spirituality identical and equal to the spirituality of God, would not meet an insurmountable barrier in the Tradition of the Church, that is, in the writings of the Fathers. Extract 17. “Father Peter, having cited in chapter 2 passages from the Fathers that seem to suggest bodily angels, cites in chapter 3 a very large number of these holy teachers who affirmed the perfect spirituality of heavenly spirits” 25. We will see further how much we can rely on this. Bergier named Saint Athanasius the Great, Saint Basil the Great, Saint John Chrysostom, and Cyril of Alexandria as recognizing angels as purely spiritual. He did not mention Gregory the Theologian as having been convicted of a contrary opinion (extract 4 and 15). Extract 18. “The Fathers, in their debates with heretics, sometimes broke out incorrect expressions borrowed from ancient philosophy. This happened because human language is always very insufficient for expressing theological objects, and could not be brought in a short time to such accuracy as it is now” 26. In order to justify the opinion recently adopted by the Western Church, its writer tries to lead to the idea that the Church Fathers borrowed their expressions about spirits from ancient philosophers. Extract 19. Mozheim says that “the ancient philosophers distinguished two souls in man, namely the sensory soul, which they also called spirit and which they imagined as a subtle body, and the incorporeal, indestructible, immortal soul. At the death of a person, both souls were separated from the human body and always remained united, but without mixing, so that one soul could be decisively separated from the other. This critic (Mozheim) believes that the Church Fathers preserved this opinion of philosophers in Christianity” 27. The teaching that man has a soul and spirit is found both in Holy Scripture 28 and in the Holy Fathers. For the most part, both of these words are used to designate the entire invisible part of the human being. Then both words have the same meaning 29 . The soul is distinguished from the spirit when this is required to explain the invisible, deep, mysterious ascetic feat. The spirit is the verbal power of the human soul, in which the image of God is imprinted and by which the human soul differs from the soul of animals: Scripture also ascribes souls to animals 30. Venerable Macarius the Great to the question: “Is there another mind (spirit) and another soul?” - answers: “Just as the members of the body, many exist, are called one person: so the members of the soul are many, mind, will, conscience, thoughts that condemn and justify; however, all this is united into one by literature, and the members are spiritual; but there is one soul—the inner man” 31 . In Orthodox theology we read: “As for the spirit, which, based on some passages of Scripture 32, is considered the third component of a person, then, according to St. John of Damascus, it is not something different from the soul and independent like it, but is the highest side of the same soul; As the eye is in the body, so is the mind in the soul.”33 Extract 20. “Let us assume for a moment that perhaps some Church Fathers definitely thought this way. From this it already follows that these Fathers, as well as the ancient philosophers, had a very clear concept of perfect spirituality 34 because they attributed it to the rational soul, which they called νόος, mens (mind, spirit), how different it was from the sensory soul (φυχή, anima, soul), which they imagined to be a very subtle body. From this it also follows that the Fathers, although they always considered angels clothed in a subtle body, did not confuse them for this reason with bodies; and recognized them as spiritual beings” 35. The Fathers, as stated above, did not recognize angels clothed in a subtle body: they recognized their very essence as a subtle body. Extract 21. “To tell the truth, the Fathers, forced to submit to the commonly used way of expression, were brought into the same difficulty into which the philosophers were brought. Necessity forced them to explain the nature, properties and actions of the soul through expressions borrowed from material objects: because not a single language of the universe can imagine other expressions. Thus, some of the Fathers used the word “body” in a similar sense to that of the word “essence,” because the latter word was not used among the Latins in the sense in which it is used among us. Others called the way of existence of spirits their form (image, appearance), their actions, their movement. Others designated the presence of the soul in all parts of the body by pouring out, and so on. These are all metaphors; basing conclusions on them is ridiculous (reckless)” 36. Obviously: the Western writer thinks that spirits have not only no appearance, but also no movement. This is what a follower of Descartes should think. It is impossible for someone who has nothing to do with space to have movement. Movement requires space. Having movement is certainly in a certain relationship to space, that is, it occupies a certain place in space. Occupying a certain place in space must certainly have its own appearance, its own shape. The one who changes places must certainly have movement. Recognition of movement is recognition of dependence on space, there is recognition of materiality. The rejection of movement and dependence on space for created spirits must certainly be combined with the rejection of the existence of created spirits, with the rejection of all the stories of the Holy Scriptures about the actions of these spirits. Scripture everywhere speaks of the movement of spirits, their change of place, and their appearance. Extract 22. “Suppose that the Fathers poorly explained those passages of Holy Scripture that speak of the bodily actions of demons, that they mistakenly attributed to these spirits light bodies, tastes and human inclinations. This is a purely abstract error, on a very dark issue, and does not concern any dogma of the Christian faith. It does not follow from this that demons are, by their nature, material beings, or extracted from matter, but that they have the need to put on a subtle body when God allows them to act on bodies” 37. What is this? - Toilet. If spirits have a need to put on bodies every time they appear to people, then for such bodies, accepted only for a while, accepted at each appearance, a large storage space is needed; or every manifestation of the spirit must be preceded by the creation of a body for it. The matter is made simpler: spirits become their own being when the eyes of those people who see spirits are opened. A Western writer calls the doctrine of spirits a very obscure question, not related to any dogma of the Christian faith. We cannot agree with this. Every science is dark for those who have not studied it; it remains considerably obscure for those who have studied it insufficiently and superficially. The results that some sciences achieve seem incredible to those uninitiated in the mysteries of science. Our common people called measurements made by trigonometric instruments witchcraft, and someone who saw an astrolabe for the first time broke it, recognizing in it the effect of sorcery. Knowledge of spirits, knowledge as accurate and detailed as possible, is necessary for Christians. The purpose of Christ's coming to earth is to destroy the works of the devil, to abolish the devil 38. It follows from this: without knowing what the devil is, we cannot know what exactly Christ did for us; The very dogma that Christ came to earth to destroy the works of the devil and abolish him must remain unexplained for those who do not care to obtain a proper understanding of spirits. – God placed enmity between the seed of the woman Eve and the seed 39 of the serpent Satan, that is, between people who are naturally the seed of the woman, and demons who are the seed and children of Satan according to the mood borrowed from him: the devil, like a lion, roars, walks, seeking to devour 40 one of us; we must wage a constant war against the rulers and the rulers [and] against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual wickedness in high places 41 . Finding ourselves in such a dangerous position, constantly in war and under the sparkling fiery dagger of our worst enemy and murderer, we need to know this enemy in as much detail as possible in order to oppose him with all the necessary resistance, in order to protect ourselves from him in all respects. Without such knowledge, one can very easily remain in communication with him, without noticing it, especially since he always covers himself with a mask of goodness 43 . Very many were subjected to this, without at all understanding their plight: and while the Jews were proclaiming themselves the sons of God 44 , God, who stood before them face to face, declared to them that they were the children of the devil 45 . The Holy Fathers recognize the extreme need for a clear knowledge of spirits and try to teach it 46. Lack of thorough knowledge about spirits leads either to a direct denial of the existence of spirits, or to an indirect one. In all fairness, the abstract understanding of them by Westerners can be called an indirect denial of the existence of spirits, and all the participation of spirits in the activities of mankind, as set forth in Scripture and the Fathers, must be rejected. At the same time, the significance of Christ’s incarnation must necessarily be rejected, and this distorts the correct understanding and confession of Christianity. Where does this unfortunate phenomenon come from? from life in the spirit and system of the rulers of the world, as the Lord told the Jews 47. Fallen spirits make the greatest efforts to act secretly and remain unnoticed 48 . Then their actions receive the greatest development. By this sign, let those who deny directly or indirectly the existence of spirits know that they have entered into decisive submission to demons and into unity with them, having alienated themselves from God. Extract 23. “The Prophet Elijah, wanting to resurrect a certain child, said to God: Lord my God, may the soul of this youth return to him 49 . The historian adds that the soul of this child returned to him, and he was resurrected” 50. This evidence makes it very difficult for the Western writer to express the movement of the soul, which, as we have seen, he rejected, calling such expressions regarding spirits metaphors. Bergier, having mentioned that there are many similar passages in Scripture, said nothing either about the movement of the soul or about its dependence on space, but only addressed the materialists who reject the resurrection with reproach. From the extracts we have made, we come to the following general conclusion: Westerners, who have recently accepted many teachings that are alien and contrary to the Orthodox Church, have recently accepted an alien and contrary teaching about the complete immateriality of created spirits, and have attributed to them spirituality to the extent that God has it. They put God, the Creator of everyone and everything, in the same category of beings with created spirits, recognize their independence from space, deny in them the ability to move like bodies, in a word, attribute to beings their properties identical with God, without ceasing, however, to recognize them as created and limited. There is a clear contradiction in this teaching: this teaching destroys itself. The Western writer thinks to base his opinion on the Holy Scriptures, on the Fathers of the Church and on science. In these three respects, we are obliged to present a satisfactory refutation, which should at the same time be evidence of the correctness and holiness of the teachings taught by the Orthodox Church. God is an all-perfect being, having nothing in common with created beings. He, He alone, is the actual Being. I am the One, He said about Himself 51. I am life 52, the Lord said about Himself: just as the Father had life in Himself, so He gave the Sons to have life in Himself 53. The existence of intelligent creatures and their life differ from the Life of God, just as the light that objects illuminated by the sun emit differs from the light pouring out from the sun itself, from the source of light. The existence and life of creatures is the weakest reflection of the existence and life that constitute God’s proper property. Saint John of Damascus says: “The good, all-good and all-good God, being all goodness, according to the immeasurable wealth of His goodness, did not suffer that goodness, that is, His nature, should remain alone, and no one should be a partaker of it. For this purpose He created the intellectual and heavenly powers, then the visible and sensory world, and finally, man from the intellectual and sensory nature. And so everything created by Him, by its very being, participates in His goodness: because He is existence for everyone, everything exists in Him, not only because He brought everything from non-existence into existence, but also because His power preserves and supports everything He created. Living beings especially participate in His goodness, both by being and by reason of life; and even more rational beings, both for the reasons stated above and because they have reason. For the latter (that is, rational beings) are somewhat closer to Him, although He is incomparably higher than all” 54. All the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church argue similarly. Saint Athanasius the Great: “It would be foolhardy to recognize those who are heterogeneous in nature as equally honorable. What is common or what is the comparison between the Creator and the objects He created? 55. Saint Basil the Great: “There is nothing in the creature similar to the Creator: on the contrary, in everything it is not similar to the Creator” 56. Saint Demetrius of Rostov quotes the words of Saint Sylvester, Pope of Rome: there is not the same image and likeness of God and the Angel, “for there is one nature and power below, but another is the nature of God, and another is the angelic” 57 . Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria: “All created nature, according to God, is bestial: for this reason the Sheep can be called the Heavenly Powers (Angels)” 58. St. Macarius the Great, defining the relationship of the human soul to God, to the essence of God, says: “He is God, and she is not God; He is the Lord, and she is the slave; He is the Creator, and she is the creature; He is the Creator, and she is the creation; there is nothing in common in His and her nature, but only out of His infinite, ineffable and unthinkable love and out of His goodness did He deign to dwell in this creation, in this rational creature” 59 . “The essence of God,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “inexpressibly (immeasurably) exceeds men, Angels, Archangels and every, without exception, I will say, the mind of creatures, and cannot be comprehended by them 60. - It is not as if anyone has seen the Father, except that he is from God, This is the form of the Father 61. Here (the Lord) calls knowledge vision: and he did not simply say: “No one has seen the Father,” and then kept silent, so that no one would think that He said this only about people, but wanting to show that lower than the Angels, lower than the Archangels, lower than the Higher Powers can see Him, he made it clear through the addition: for having said: not because anyone has seen the Father, he added: only this one is from God, This is the form of the Father 62 . – King of kings and Lord of lords, One who has immortality and is unapproachable in the living light 63. Stop here a little and ask the heretic what it means - in the world the living is unapproachable. I want you to give due weight to the accuracy of Paul (the Apostle): he did not say the light is impregnable, but in the light the living is impregnable, so that you learn that if the house itself is impregnable, how much more is God who dwells in this house. However, he said this not so that you would think that God has a house and place, but so that you would study the incomprehensibility of God more and more. He did not say dwells in the incomprehensible light, but in the unapproachable, which is far above the incomprehensible. What is called incomprehensible is that which cannot be comprehended through research and study; inaccessible is that which, by its nature, can be subjected to study below, to which no one can begin. What do you say to this? Of course, you will say, it is incomprehensible to people, but not to Angels and not to Higher Powers. So that you may learn that He is unapproachable not only for people, but also for the Higher Powers, hear what Isaiah says (having named Isaiah, I declare the definition of the Holy Spirit: because the Prophet speaks from the action of the Holy Spirit in him): It came to pass in the summer when Uzziah the king died, that he saw the Lord sitting on the throne on high and exalted, and the house of His glory was filled. And the Seraphim stood around Him, six kril to one and six kril to another: and two covered their faces, and two covered their feet 64 . Tell me, please, why do they cover their faces and cover their legs with wings? why, I say, if not because they cannot bear the radiance and rays emanating from the throne? although they did not see the light itself, without moderating it, below the purest Being, but everything they saw was adapted. What does this device consist of? The fact is that God does not appear as He is, but moderates Himself according to the ability of the one who must see Him, and adapts Himself to the weakness of the seer. And that what was done was done according to adaptation is clear from the very words of Scripture. The Prophet says: I saw the Lord sitting on the throne, high and exalted. God does not sit on a throne because such a position belongs to the body; God cannot be placed on the throne because Godhead is not determined by place. But they could not bear so much of the diminished being, standing near Him: the Seraphim stood around Him. That’s why they couldn’t see because they were standing close. Close, I say, not in a place: by this the Holy Spirit wanted to declare that the Forces are closer than us to this Being, but they could not see the Being itself. So, although you hear that the Prophet says: I saw the Lord, do not think that he saw the being of God. He saw an image adapted to himself, and he did not see as clearly as the Higher Powers see: he could not see as much as the Cherub can see” 65. Saint Athanasius the Great, in response to Antiochus’ question: “How do the Prophets often appear to have seen God?” - answered: “After all the Prophets, after the coming of Christ, the Apostle, Evangelist and Theologian John said: No one has seen God anywhere 66. In order to give these words all the credibility, as very important and significant, he added: The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, is the one who confessed 67. Likewise, the holy Apostle Paul says: Whom no man has seen, below can be seen 68. So, none of the people could see the being of God as it is; but God, adapting Himself to the weakness of people, took on an image corresponding to this weakness and appeared to the Prophets. It is known that He, disembodied, often appeared to them in the form of a man clothed in flesh. From this it is clear that they saw not the being of God, but His glory" 69. Such an adaptation of God during His appearance to the souls of saints is described with particular clarity by the Venerable Macarius the Great: “He who exists (that is, God), and as he wants and with what he wants, out of unspeakable goodness and out of unthinkable kindness, transforms, belittles, likens Himself to the saints and worthy faithful souls, fleshing Himself out, according to their acceptability, so that the Invisible to them would be visible, and The intangible, in proportion to the property of spiritual subtlety, was tangible, and so that souls felt His goodness and sweetness and, through experience, enjoyed the light of ineffable pleasure. When He wants, He becomes a fire, burning up every worthless passion that has entered us. For it is said: Our God is a consuming fire (is) 70. When it wants, there is an indescribable and inexplicable peace, so that the soul rests in the peace of the Divine. When it wants, it brings joy and peace, warms and protects the soul 71 . Thus, as He Himself pleased, He appeared to each of the holy Fathers: otherwise - to Abraham, otherwise - to Isaac, otherwise - to Jacob, otherwise - to Noah, Daniel, David, Solomon, Isaiah and each of the holy prophets, otherwise - to Elijah, otherwise - to Moses. As He Himself favored, He appeared to each of the saints in order to calm, save and bring to the knowledge of God. For whatever He wants is convenient for Him, and, diminishing Himself as He pleases, He fleshes out and forms Himself, becoming visible to those who love Him, out of great and inexpressible love, appearing worthy in the unapproachable glory of light, commensurate with the strength of each one” 72 . Such an adaptation of God for communication with rational creatures is necessary not only for human souls, but also for Angels, according to the consistent teaching of St. John Chrysostom and St. Macarius the Great: because God, differing from all creatures by infinite difference and surpassing them by infinite superiority, cannot be in His own essence either visible or comprehensible, and is less accessible to them in any way. Explaining this, the Monk Macarius says: “The boundless, unapproachable and uncreated God, by His boundless and unthinkable goodness, embodied Himself and, so to speak, as if diminished in unapproachable glory, so that He could enter into unity with His visible creatures, I mean the souls of saints and Angels, and they could be involved in the life of the Divine. And every creature, and Angel, and soul, and demon, by its own nature, is a body: because, although they are refined, yet in their essence, in their distinctive features and in their image, according to the refinement of their nature, they are subtle bodies, whereas this body of ours is fat in its essence" 73 . This presentation is very natural. If created spirits are limited, then their being and properties are limited. If their being and properties are limited, then their spirituality is limited. If their spirituality is limited, then they must necessarily have a certain degree of materiality inherent in their nature. On the contrary, if we attribute to them complete immateriality, that is, unlimited spirituality, then at the same time, of necessity, we must attribute to them the unlimitedness of a being, because only one unlimited being can and must have unlimited properties. The creation of creatures in various forms, in various degrees, the endowment of them with various properties, the Monk Macarius, with all justice, attributes to the omnipotence of the Creator and His will, for which there is nothing difficult or impossible. “God wanted,” says the Reverend, and without difficulty created out of nothing coarse and hard creatures, for example, mountains, trees (see how hard their nature is!), then medium-sized ones – waters, and from the waters he commanded birds to be born, and even the subtlest ones: fire and winds, and even those whose subtlety is invisible to the physical eye” 74 . Modern science does not at all contradict this teaching; on the contrary, it has come into wonderful agreement with it. Obsolete knowledge, recognized as completely erroneous, contradicted him. From the extracts we have cited from the Holy Fathers, which belong not only to the Eastern Church, but also to the entire Ecumenical Church, it is clear what the greatest difference, what an infinite difference, the Fathers of the Church, based on the Holy Scripture, recognized, confessed, preached between the being of God and the being of the Angel, demon and soul, although the Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers generally call God the Spirit, and Angels and demons and human souls spirits. This only expresses the fact that both God and Angels and demons and souls are invisible to our bodily eyes. They are called incorporeal, immaterial for the reason that they do not have our flesh, our gross materiality, are not subject to our feelings, which is why they differ from the category of material objects subject to our feelings. They are called rational, mental, according to their main distinguishing property, mind, or spirit - the ability not only to think, but also to feel spiritually. For the latter reason, man is also called a rational being; he is called verbal, according to the property of words, according to the verbal power, or spirit, which his soul has and which earthly animals, called dumb, do not have, but also have life, instinct and their own sensations, which is called their soul even in the Holy Scriptures. This is how it has always been understood and accepted to be expressed in human society; This is how it is understood and usually expressed today. In the commonly used way of expression, which scientists also adhere to outside their offices, what is subject to our feelings is called material, and what is not subject to is spiritual, immaterial. The general image of expression is used most by the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, since the goal of both the Scriptures and the Fathers was that the word proclaimed by them should be intelligible to all people, and not at all so that it would constitute the exclusive property of scientists, inaccessible to the masses. But both in Scripture and in the Fathers, the accuracy of meaning and meaning has always been preserved, and can always be determined. The way ancient Christians understood the nature of spirits and the word “spirit” is explained with the most satisfactory accuracy by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. This way of understanding is based entirely on the Word of God. “Under the general name of spirit,” says the Archbishop of the holy city, “the Holy Scripture says about many different things. There is a real danger that someone will confuse meaning with meaning, not knowing to which spirit to attribute what is written: why now it has turned out to be essential to mark with true signs the Spirit Whom Scripture calls Holy. Aaron is called Christ, 75 David 76 and Saul 77 are also called Christ; but the true Christ is one. Likewise, the name of the spirit is related to different objects: why is it necessary to see who exactly is called the Holy Spirit. Many things bear the name of spirit. And the Angel is called spirit; and the soul is called spirit; and this blowing wind is called spirit; and the great power is called spirit; and an unclean act is called spirit; and the demonic adversary is called a spirit. Beware, and when you hear this word, do not accept one instead of the other because of the similarity of the name. Scripture says about our soul: His spirit will depart and return to its land 78 . Again it speaks of the soul: build up the spirit of man in him 79 . He speaks about Angels in the psalms: Create Angels Your spirits, and Your servants a fiery flame 80 . He says about the wind: With a stormy spirit you will crush the ships of Tarsh 81. And: Like a tree in an oak grove, the wind (spirit, υπο πνεύματος) shakes 82. And: Fire, hail, snow, bareness, stormy spirit 83. About the Holy Teaching, the Lord Himself said: The verbs that I spoke to you are spirit and life, 84 that is, these verbs are spiritual. The name spirit also denotes sin, as we said above, but in a different and opposite sign, for example, when it is said: deceived by the spirit of fornication 85 . An unclean spirit, a demon, is also called a spirit, but with this addition - unclean. Each word “spirit” is accompanied by a word that describes the quality of the spirit. If Scripture speaks of the human soul as “spirit,” then with the addition of “man”; if he talks about the wind, then it is expressed: “spirit of the storm”; if it signifies sin, it says: “spirit of fornication”; if it means a demon, he calls it an unclean spirit, so that we know what kind of subject we are talking about, and so that you do not think that this is being said about the Holy Spirit. It won't happen! This name spirit is average and general, and everything that does not have a thick and dense body, according to general usage, is called spirit. And therefore demons, since they do not have such bodies, are called spirits” 86. “No creature is equal to the Holy Spirit. All orders of Angels, all the heavenly hosts, united together, cannot be likened and compared with the Holy Spirit" 87 . Having made such a definition of the meaning in which created spirits are called spirits by Scripture and common usage among Christians, saying that there is nothing in common, there is no comparison between created spirits and the Spirit-God, Cyril calls spirits disembodied and incorporeal, in the generally accepted sense. In “The Homily for the Presentation of the Lord” he says: “He is God the Word, who brought everything into existence out of nothing with a single word. He is the Lucifer, who before the Lucifer created the disembodied Forces of the heavenly, incorporeal, invisible armies and ranks” 88. About the nature of the devil, Saint Cyril says that “he was created good, and by his own will he became the devil, receiving his name from his mode of activity. Having first been an Archangel, he received the name devil from slander; Having become a good servant of God, he became and was called Satan, because Satan means “adversary” 89. In a similar way, the Venerable Macarius the Great, having mentioned only in the 4th Conversation that the Angel, the demon and the human soul, despite the subtlety of their being compared to gross bodies, have their own inherent materiality, in other Conversations, like the other Fathers, he calls spirits incorporeal beings. He begins Conversation 16 like this: “All rational beings, Angels, I say, both souls and demons from the Creator were created simple and without any admixture” 90. This is exactly how all the Fathers express themselves, who directly said about spirits that they have light, gaseous bodies, such as: Basil the Great, Athanasius the Great and others; they call spirits, according to the general use and understanding of Scripture and mankind, simple, incorporeal, invisible beings. Those of the Holy Fathers who did not directly say that spirits have their own materiality, such as St. John Chrysostom, described spirits in such a way that from this description the gaseous materiality of spirits is clearly evident. It is this materiality that all the ancients call simple, incorporeal, spirit. The hypothesis of the complete immateriality of created spirits, not subject to either time or space, a hypothesis ascribing to created spirits the same essence with God, appeared in the seventeenth century. It was borrowed by Descartes, as we have already said, to a large extent from the ancient pagan philosophers. How could the Fathers be followers of the hypothesis that was adopted by Western heretics after them? Yes, if it had appeared in their time, how could they agree with it, when it blasphemously attributes an identical essence to the created spirits with the Spirit-God, when all the Fathers preached an endless, immeasurable difference between the essence of God and the essence of spirits, when they rejected such a teaching of the Platonists. The mistake of the Western lies in the fact that they try to impose on the Fathers Descartes’ understanding of the immateriality and incorporeality of spirits, but hide the understanding of this immateriality and incorporeality that the Fathers had, which is entirely found in Scripture and is proclaimed by Scripture. By maliciously imposing Descartes' hypothesis on the Fathers, the Westerners are trying to bring the Fathers into conflict with each other and into contradiction with each other. There is no clash or contradiction between the Fathers and there never has been. All of them preach the disembodiment of spirits in the sense of the Holy Scriptures, which calls spirits disembodied - in comparison with people. Some of the Fathers, as we have already said, calling spirits incorporeal, mentioned that they have subtle bodies characteristic of them; some, calling them incorporeal, did not mention that they have bodies, but described them in such a way that from the description the materiality of spirits characteristic of them is clearly evident. The Western Fathers are trying to bring these second Fathers into conflict with the first, slandering the second, allegedly they adhered to the hypothesis of Descartes, unknown to them, or the hypothesis of Plato, rejected by the Fathers. The Fathers could not have accepted the Cartesian hypothesis even if they knew it. They would anathematize it as a blasphemous teaching, placing God on the same level with creatures, as leading to the rejection of the most important events about which Scripture narrates. How could Archangel Gabriel, appearing to Zechariah, stand at the right hand of the altar of incense 91 if he had nothing to do with space? How could the Archangel first enter the Mother of God, then announce the gospel to Her, and finally leave Her if he had no movement or relationship to time and space? and how could the Angels first appear to the shepherds of Bethlehem, then sing the praises of God incarnate, and finally depart to heaven, as the Gospel tells 92, if they had nothing to do with space, time, and materiality? Descartes' hypothesis leads to the rejection of Scripture, to unbelief. Descartes' rationalism accomplished this: he abundantly spread atheism, deceiving many frivolous people with his outward brilliance. Now he has fallen as someone alien to meaning; only ignorance can believe in him, only backward knowledge, not familiar with science in its modern development, can only believe in it when the Scriptures and Tradition of the Orthodox Church are rejected and taught. Descartes' teaching about the complete immateriality of spirits, about their independence from time and space, being verified by science, is equivalent to the denial of the existence of spirits. By presenting them as equal to God in essence, it makes their existence impossible. There can only be one infinite being. If we admit even two such beings, and not a multitude, then these two beings should already be depicted by number, as having a limitation from one another, and lose the property of infinity. What is unlimited in properties must certainly be unlimited in essence. This is the immutable conclusion of positive science - mathematics, to which there is no objection. Two quantities do not depend on space: infinite (?) and point (•). To be independent of space, one must be one or the other. What is infinity and point? These are ideas. The infinite is an idea that appears in the human mind from the gradual increase in numbers, the idea of ​​a magnitude that exceeds numbers. For this reason, the infinite is an indefinite quantity, incomprehensible to man, both in itself and in its properties. But the law of numbers itself has provided many correct and interesting concepts about this quantity. We weren't left with just one fruitless idea! We understood that the infinite, in order to remain infinite, must not undergo any change, either when any numbers are added to it, or when any numbers are subtracted from it. The difference between infinity and all numbers is infinite. For this reason, all numbers before the infinite are equal to each other. Being compared outside of relation to the infinite, they have a certain difference from each other. Again, what does magnitude mean? This is an idea that appears in our mind from comparing objects with us. The concept is quite relative, and not essential! According to the law of mathematics - which, not finding in the human word sufficient means to depict its objects and its concepts in expressions corresponding to the requirements of the process of science, depicts them with signs - God is depicted with all accuracy as infinite. Based on the laws of mathematics, God must be recognized as a being beyond all definition, having nothing in common with beings that can and should be represented by numbers, such as spirits. Even according to this magnificent law, if God is a being, then all creatures without exception, gifted with life, are no longer creatures, but something else. If they are beings, then God is something Other, infinitely superior to what is here called a being 93 . Such is the difference between God and rational creatures! These are the concepts delivered by science in its present development. Mathematics, working with signs, depicting objects and their properties with signs, achieves in the surest way knowledge that is not achievable in any other way, often not expressible in words. To explain this with an example understandable to everyone, let us point out the custom accepted in educational institutions of depicting in numbers the abilities of students, their diligence and success in the sciences. Why is this so? because numbers express these abstract concepts with such precision and certainty for which words are absolutely insufficient. In contrast to the idea of ​​the infinite, the idea of ​​a point or zero was formed from the gradual decrease of numbers. A point is a quantity that has no space, neither in length, nor in width, nor in height or depth. It is obvious that in nature there is neither a point, nor a path or trace of a point - a line. In nature, there are only bodies, that is, objects that have three dimensions. Whatever is in space, whatever is limited by space or place, is a body. Geometric point and line are bodies that approximately represent a point and a line. They satisfy the mechanism of science, but do not express its exact understanding. This has been proven with all positivity and decisiveness. Take away space from any object, and you, not being able to raise the limited to the infinite, must necessarily reduce it to a point or zero, that is, deny the existence of the object. Thus, the complete absurdity of the completely abstract concept of spirits, which many have formed for themselves - of course, who have not studied the subject with the thoroughness accessible to one Christian ascetic, is clearly demonstrated. The abstract concept of spirits is a denial of the existence of spirits. Descartes, with his learning, aroused surprise in many of his contemporaries. Exactly: he made well-known progress in science; but this progress is insignificant in comparison with the progress that has been made since the recent emergence of a new science - chemistry. It brought about an incredible transformation in mankind’s concepts of matter, and much of the knowledge that mankind had been in awe of for thousands of years was archived for the history of science as having turned out to be completely false. Descartes' contemporaries enthusiastically repeated his saying: give me movement, and I will become a creator! He could utter such boasting only with his contemporary concept of matter, the four elements, simple and complex, and so on. The creation of something from nothing is characteristic of the infinite alone: ​​it produces a number, transforming zero into it by an infinite action on zero 94. But let us suppose that motion is given to Descartes. How will he begin to create when the principles of matter are unknown to man and cannot be known? What can you do with one movement? One must create what is known and from what is known; creation of the unknown and from the unknown is impossible. Let's take water as an example. In the time of Descartes, it was recognized as a simple, uncomplicated substance. In modern times, it is decomposed through galvanism into two gases, oxygen and hydrogen: when combined with caloric in various ways, it occurs in the form of a dense body, a liquid body and a gaseous body; Using a microscope, many moving animals called ciliates were seen in the water. The science that has achieved these discoveries rightly calls its knowledge a degree of knowledge, and not at all complete knowledge. This is proven by the most acquired knowledge. Thus, decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen, we do not know what is done with ciliates, the existence of which, however, is quite known. Consequently, we do not have a satisfactory decomposition of water, but we have one that is possible for us, and we are convinced that there must be a more complete decomposition, which would explain the substance with all satisfaction, and would explain everything that has hitherto remained inexplicable. Given the poverty of knowledge, Descartes could proclaim the stupidity of stupidity, and his contemporaries could trumpet this stupidity as an extraordinary manifestation of genius abilities. It is very useful to extract evidence for faith from science. The truth of faith is in unity with the truth of science. But why accept nonsense from science, which it itself recognized as one of the inevitable errors on its path? Every mathematician and chemist must necessarily reject the absurd doctrine of spirits, which belongs to Descartes and the Westerners, which the Westerners present as a doctrine of faith, thus presenting faith as uttering absurdities, deserving of neither trust nor attention. This has been confirmed by experiments. Most mathematicians and chemists doubted Christianity and became deists: they cannot be atheists, as they have discovered many wonderful laws in nature and are confident in their countless multitude, testifying to the infinite mind of the Creator and the infinity of His properties. These individuals fell into deism solely because their faith was slandered and distorted. Upon careful reading of the Holy Fathers, it becomes obvious that all the Fathers spoke about the simplicity, ethereality and immateriality of spirits in the sense given to these words by Scripture, general usage and the science of their time. This is not enough! The Holy Fathers used the word “spirit” exactly in the meaning in which Holy Scripture used it. They could not, they should not have given the word “spirit” a different meaning - and they did not. Otherwise, they would have separated themselves from the Holy Scriptures and would have given preference to human understanding over the understanding of Scripture, over the understanding that the Holy Spirit was pleased to impart to men. Based entirely on Scripture and on their experiences in agreement with Scripture, the Fathers, like Scripture, spoke about spirits with the sole purpose of protecting man from the wiles of evil spirits and assimilating him to good spirits. The Fathers acquaint us with the nature of spirits as much as is necessary for our salvation. They do not try to determine with precision what may be only partially known. Not only spirits, not only our body and the bodies of animals, but also all objects from the plant and fossil kingdoms remain for us objects that are only partially known. Anyone who ascribes to himself complete knowledge of any substance expresses only his ignorance. We know something, but not everything. What is a leaf on a tree? What is grass trampled under foot? What is a wild flower? Why do plants, borrowing juices from the same land, have different properties? How is the sap of the earth decomposed by the root of a plant or its seed? Why does this decomposition produce various odors, colors, tastes and other extremely diverse, numerous properties? An endless series of such questions can be posed; answering them is impossible for a limited person. Creation is a product of unlimited Mind. Only its Creator knows it completely and essentially. Man is given the knowledge of the smallest particle of laws in the vast system of the world. This knowledge is like an open door to the knowledge and confession of the immense greatness of God. Orthodox Theology enters this door; modern science also introduces us to this door, separating the Creator from creatures by an infinite difference. The Dogmatic Theology of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church - adopted, according to the definition of the Holy Synod, into the educational manual in all Russian seminaries and translated for the same purpose into Greek, after a careful consideration of the concepts of spirits delivered by the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers - sets out the doctrine of Angels and spirits in general as follows: “They are incorporeal. However, the Holy Fathers understand the incorporeality of Angels in a limited sense, namely, that they are incorporeal only in comparison with us, clothed in coarse and heavy flesh.” Saint John of Damascus says: “An Angel is called incorporeal and immaterial in comparison with us. For everything, in comparison with God, the only incomparable one, turns out to be crude and material. The Divinity alone is in the strict sense immaterial.” “They are invisible. However, this property is also accepted in a limited way: An angel, a soul, a demon, says Saint Damascus, although they do not have physical coarseness, they also have the appearance and limitations inherent in their nature. One Divine being is indescribable, completely formless, unimaginable and unlimited. The extraordinary speed and speed with which the Angels are transported from place to place proves that they are not constrained, like us, by forms, space and time. However, this property also allows for limitations.” Saint Damascus says again: “Angels are limited: for when they are in heaven, they are not on earth, and when they are sent by God to earth, they do not remain in heaven and cannot be and act here and there at the same time. Therefore, of course, spirits must have their own special world, occupying a certain place in the universe, which is called in the Holy Scriptures the third heaven 95 and the heaven of heavens 96. Angels are gifted with immortality." However, Angels are immortal, according to Saint Damascus, “not by nature, but by grace” 97 . By nature, God alone is immortal, as the Holy Scripture testifies with decisive certainty. “God,” says the Monk Macarius the Great, “is indescribable and incomprehensible, appearing everywhere, on the mountains and on the sea and in the abyss itself; however, this does not happen through a change of place, just as Angels descend from heaven to earth: He is in heaven and on earth at the same time” 99. Other Fathers also affirm the same thing, in stark contrast to the latest Western teaching. This is the teaching of the Orthodox Church about created spirits. We see both in the Theology of the Orthodox Church and in the Holy Fathers its special care, repeated and frequent warnings, so that, due to some misunderstanding, created spirits are not essentially placed in the same category with God, so that properties that belong to the one God are not attributed to them. What is the reason for this? The reason is that the assimilation of the Creator's properties by creatures is blasphemy in relation to the Creator. The Holy Angels do not seek undue and incorrect veneration from us: they are incomparably more amused when we give due honor and worship to God, instill this in us, promote this. Az, Saint John the Theologian will tell in his Revelation, having seen and heard this. And when I heard and saw it, I fell and bowed down at the foot of the Angel showing me this. And the verbs are: see, nor: for I am slanderous to your brethren and the prophets and to those who keep the words of this book: Worship God 100. Dogmatic Theology, when expounding the doctrine of Angels, generally referring to the Holy Fathers, names one Saint John of Damascus and makes an extract from one of his works, known as “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.” This course of action is quite reasonable. Saint John of Damascus, one of the ancient Fathers, expounded the doctrine of Christianity in a systematic manner 101. Living in the 8th century, he studied the Fathers of the Church who preceded him, both by carefully reading their works and by drawing closer to them in spirit through a deeply pious life. The teaching of these Fathers, scattered in parts in their various Words and Epistles, he put together and compiled from it, as said above, a systematic teaching about Christianity. His teaching is the teaching of the Holy Fathers who preceded him. “An Accurate Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” was published as determined by the Holy Synod. The preface of the book says: “Saint John of Damascus is one of the great teachers of the Church, whose works and exploits were dedicated to the benefit of his contemporaries, and were and will be soul-saving for the subsequent children of the Church of Christ. The book of Saint Damascus on the Orthodox Faith primarily gives Damascus the right to the name of teacher of the faith of Christ. In this writing, the teacher of the Church set forth the truths of the faith of Christ as clearly, as much and precisely, and, moreover, in the order of consistent reflection and in such completeness that they had not been collected in any book before him. Saint Damascus explains the truths of the Word of God with the very Word of God, and at the same time calls for the aid of sound reflection, enlightened by the light of Revelation, and in both cases, most often repeats the words of the teachers of the Church who preceded him. The book about the Orthodox Faith constitutes a treasury of Fatherly thoughts on objects of faith. Saint Damascus brought together all the Council and Fatherly definitions on the objects of faith that came before him, and not only collected the sayings of the Fathers, but also, penetrating with far-sighted vision into the very spirit of the teachers of the faith, he discovered the depths of the spirit of the profound teachers of the faith at different times.” Saint John of Damascus bases his teaching about Angels and generally about spirits and souls on the works of Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Theodoret, Maximus the Confessor and Nemesius, as can be seen in his book from quotations. Holy Scripture does not set forth a separate, definite teaching about spirits, as well as about many other subjects. At the same time, the teaching of Holy Scripture about spirits is clear and satisfactory. It is taught with the detail and completeness necessary for our salvation. The demands of vain curiosity and vain inquisitiveness are constantly despised and condemned by Scripture 102 . The following concepts about them follow from the Scripture's stories about spirits. Created spirits are limited, gaseous beings, gifted with the power of words. They are called spirits in Scripture because in it every gaseous substance is called spirit 103: this name denotes the subtlety of the nature of spirits, by which they differ from the gross substance we see 104. However, such a difference is only relative: it was born from the limited knowledge of a person who accepted his body in the state of its fall as the norm. A norm that is subject to change cannot be a true norm. The soul of man, like created spirits, is called spirit in Scripture 105; but she is clothed in a gross body: this is the only difference between man and created spirits. Spirits, as having no human body or flesh, are called incorporeal, disembodied: they are called invisible because we do not see them with bodily eyes. God created all spirits, and created them all good and graceful. Some of them, by their own free will, remained good, united with God by the communion of His grace; others, also of their own free will, alienated themselves from God and became the beginning of evil. Good spirits are called Angels; divided into ranks of officials; live in heaven; descend to earth and act on it. Evil spirits are called demons, demons, devils; but actually the chief of them is called the devil and Satan. Their place of residence is the heavenly realm, or the air, 106 the surface of the earth and the interior of the earth, or the underworld. In all these areas they act according to the law of limited beings, to which the Angels are also subject. Spirits influence matter, and matter influences spirits. They can touch people, people can feel their touch. When God opens the eyes of a person, he becomes able to see spirits in their own form. Animals can also have this ability. Angels, when appearing to people, always appeared in the form of people glorified by Divine grace. Scripture mentions their face, chest, arms, legs, clothes - it tells that they walk, fly, sit, speak, hear what is said to them. Scripture attributes to them the senses that a person has: sight, hearing, smell, touch. Holy people, after the resurrection, in their holy and spiritual bodies will be together with the Angels in heaven; Sinful people, along with demons, will be imprisoned in hell. And the location, and the bliss, and the torment will be common for people and spirits: the division between spirits and people, produced by his body, subject to decay, will be destroyed, the creature will come closer to the creature to the point of similarity and equality 107. The natural and necessary consequence of the concepts provided by the Holy Scriptures about spirits is the concept of the materiality of spirits according to the latest understanding of materiality. Inextricably linked with the concept of materiality and limitation is the concept of dependence on space and time. The action of a limited being in space with a change of place is movement. A limited being that acts in space and has movement must certainly have a form: every substance obeys this law. Many of the Holy Fathers, when defining or describing the nature of spirits, are based on the saying of Scripture: God creates His angels, spirits, and His servants, fiery flames 108. If we take this saying literally and explain it in accordance with the modern understanding of science, then we must say that Angels are creatures of the properties of gases in combination with caloric, since Scripture calls gases moving by spirit themselves. The Fathers expressed themselves very close to this. If we accept this saying in the highest sense, recognizing God alone as spirit, which is quite correct according to the modern understanding of the word “spirit,” then God, overshadowing the Angels with His grace, makes them spirits and fire, elevates them to that high dignity that they do not have by nature. In this case, again Angels are certainly material, as participants in Divine spirituality by gift and to a certain extent, and as not having it by nature. Like Angels, spiritual people, through the action of Divine grace in them, receive properties and abilities that a person is alien to when he remains solely in his natural state. The calculated properties of spirits can be seen with particular clarity from the following stories of Scripture. Two Angels came to Sodom in the evening 109 in the form of men 110. Lot invited them to his house as travelers, not at all realizing that these men were Angels. And I went into his house 111. The Sodomites, having learned that Lot had strangers, set out to dishonor them, and, surrounding Lot’s house, demanded the surrender of the victims. Lot went out to persuade the frantic. They subjected him to severe insults. Then the Angels, stretching out their hands, drew Lot into their church, and closed the doors of the church: but they struck the men who were before the doors with blindness 112 . When morning came, when Lot was in no hurry to leave Sodom, he took Angeli by the hand, and his wife by the hand, and by the hands of his two daughters, and I led him out 113. Here the existence of the relationship of Angels to time, space and matter is clearly visible; movement is visible; one can see both an action common to humans and an action that exceeds human abilities. The last was the blinding of the wicked. The story also shows another action of the Angels that exceeds human abilities and understanding: their participation in the burning of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord will rain on Sodom and Gomorrah a bogey, and fire from the Lord from heaven 114; but the Angel told Lot about this event: try to save yourself there (in Zoar): for I will not be able to do the work until you reach there 115. The doer was God; the instrument of action and the doer as an instrument was the Angel. A terrible transformation during a special operation in the air was carried out by the Angels. In order to act on matter, a limited being needs a material means and a material force. The Prophet David says that the plagues that struck Egypt when the Israelites left it were carried out by fierce angels 116; The Egyptian magicians, says Scripture, performed some miracles along with Moses through sorcery 117, that is, by the power of demons. Demons, like Angels, have the ability, incomprehensible to us, to produce the most amazing transformations in visible nature 118; in its laws they have much more information than people have; in their nature they have greater development of strength; there is incomparably more freedom in actions. Through the action of the devil, the fire, which appeared to human eyes to have fallen from heaven 119, burned the flocks of sheep that belonged to Job with their shepherds 120; Through the action of the devil, a great wind suddenly came from the desert and touched the four corners of the church, and the church fell on the children of Job, and died 121. Saint John the Theologian, portraying the devil as a serpent 122 and the Antichrist as a beast, says that the serpent will give the beast his power and his throne and a great region 123, that with this power the Antichrist will perform great miracles, and even cause fire to descend from heaven to earth before men 124. The action of an Angel on matter through a substance unknown to us, as well as many other properties of spirits, is picturesquely depicted in the following story of Scripture. An angel appeared to Gideon, later a judge of Israel, and commanded him to deliver his people from enslavement to the Midianites. At this appearance, the Angel first sat down under an oak tree, then appeared to Gideon, looked at him and announced to him the calling of God. Gideon expressed distrust of the man who appeared, obviously recognizing him as an ordinary person, and asked for a sign. The angel, who had a rod in his hand, ordered the sacrifice to be prepared. When the altar and the sacrifice were prepared, the angel stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand, and touched it with the meat and the unleavened bread: and a fire was kindled from the stone, and they ate the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed from his eyes. Having seen the miracle, Gideon realized that the one who appeared to him was not a man, but an Angel of the Lord. After the departure of the Angel, Gideon said that he saw the Angel of the Lord face to face 125. The Angel not only had a hand, but also a face, just like Gideon had a face. The angel's appearance was completely similar to the appearance of a person. The action of the rod was the action of a substance unknown to us. With the discovery of electricity and galvanism, we became acquainted with the subtle, strong and rapid action of a substance, unlike its actions hitherto known, we became acquainted with an action that remained unknown to mankind for thousands of years, with an amazing action that we use and do not understand. Let us note in passing: a galvanic device operates with its extremities - by touch. Angels can touch people, and people can feel their touch. Remaining, says Scripture, Jacob is one. And the man fighting with him—the Angel 126 was called man after his human image—even until the morning. And I will touch the breadth of his whip: and the breadth of Jacob’s whip endured, when he fought with him... He was lame with his whip 127 . During the flight of Elijah the Prophet from the wrath of Queen Jezebel, he toiled in the desert, sat under a tornado 128 and asked God for his death. From labor and sadness, the Prophet fell into sleep under the shade of a tree. And behold, the Angel of the Lord touched him and said to him: Arise, eat and drink. The Prophet woke up and saw bread and a vessel of water near him. He tasted this food, but from fatigue and grief he fell asleep again. And the Angel of the Lord turned around and touched him, and said: Arise, eat and drink, for the way is long for you. And he rose, and ate, and ate, and walked in that fortress for fourty days and fourty nights to the mountain of God Horeb 129 In the Acts of the Apostles we read that Herod, to please the Jews, executed the Apostle James Zebedee, and for this purpose he bound and imprisoned the Apostle Peter. On the night preceding the day on which Herod intended to bring Peter out for public execution, the Apostle slept between two soldiers, chained in two iron chains; the guards were at the door of the prison and guarded the prisoner. The strictest precautions were taken so that those already freed from it by the action of the right hand of God would not escape from prison. And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared, and a light appeared in the church. Pushing Peter into the ribs, raised him up, saying: Arise quickly. And the snake (iron) came down to him as big as his hand. The Angel said to him: Gird yourself, and step into your vestments (put on your shoes). Make some tacos. And the verb said to him: put on your robe, and follow me. And he went after him walking. And you don’t know that the truth is what came from an Angel, but you think you’ve seen a vision. Having passed through the first guard and the second, he came to the iron gates leading into the city, even though he was opened to himself. And he went out and left him alone, and then the Angel departed from him. And Peter, being in himself, said: Now truly we know that God has sent His angel and has taken me out of the hand of Herod and from all the hopes of the people of the Jews 130. – And we read another wonderful story about the action of an Angel in Acts. After the holy deacon Philip baptized the eunuch of the Ethiopian queen in a source of water on the road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza, the Angel of the Lord took Philip away, and the cazhenik (eunuch) did not see him. Philip found himself in Azoth 131. – A similar event is described in the book of the prophet Daniel. Daniel, while in Babylon, was thrown into a den in which lions were kept. The lions were tortured and irritated with hunger for a long time so that they would eat Daniel. Daniel stayed in the ditch for six days without eating bread or water. At this time, the prophet Habakkuk, who lived in Judea, prepared food for the reapers working in his field, and went to the field, carrying what he had prepared. Suddenly an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: Take the dinner that he had given to Daniel in Babylon, in the ditch of Levsk. And Habakkuk said: Lord, I have not seen Babylon, and I do not know where the pit is. And the angel of the Lord grabbed him by the top of his head, and held his head by the hair, and set him in Babylon on the top of the pit with the noise of his spirit... And Daniel stood up and said: An angel of God suddenly set Habakkuk in his place 132. The noise produced by the movement of the Angel is attributed by Scripture to his nature, the spirit. In the same way, the Angel, who descended into the Babylonian oven to the three youths, made the middle of the oven like the spirit of dew making noise 133 . It is obvious that here the word “spirit” means a subtle substance, because the spirit, in the abstract sense of the word, cannot make any noise. Likewise, the noise that occurred during the descent of the Holy Spirit is attributed to the multitude of Heavenly Powers rushing from heaven to be present at the great act of God. Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a stormy breath, and it filled the whole house where the 134 Apostles sat. For the Holy Spirit, omnipresent and fulfilling everything, there is no need for movement in order to manifest its action in any place. “The Holy Spirit,” says Cyril of Jerusalem, “is living, self-existent, always inherent in the Father and the Son, does not proceed from the lips and lips of the Father or the Son, is not produced through breathing, is not poured into the air, but consists in hypostasis” 135. What the Holy Church theologizes about God the Word, then, with all accuracy and fidelity, can be theologized about the Spirit-God: “His descent (descent to earth) was Divine, and not a local passage” 136. The rapid movement of the created spirits produced a noise in the air space like a strong wind. It is natural for spirits to make such noise, not only for holy spirits, but also for rejected spirits: the nature of both is the same, the natural properties are the same; the difference in qualities comes from the holiness of some and from the decisive damage by malice of others. The Angel's movement from place to place, his occupation of a certain place, which even gives an idea of ​​the natural size or growth of spirits, is depicted with particular clarity in the following passages of Holy Scripture. The Archangel Gabriel, says the Evangelist Luke, appeared in the church, during a public service, to the prophet Zechariah and announced to him the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord; at this appearance the Archangel stood at the right hand of the altar of incense 137. The same Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to the Galilean city of Nazareth to the Blessed Virgin Mary to announce to Her that She would become the Mother of God. He entered Her dwelling and, having fulfilled what God commanded, left Her 138. According to the narration of the Evangelist Mark, the myrrh-bearing wife, having come to the tomb cave in which the body of the Lord was laid, saw in it a young man dressed in white clothes and sitting on the right side 139; it was an Angel. About this Angel, the Evangelist Matthew says that he, having descended from heaven, rolled away the stone from the entrance to the tomb cave, and sat on the stone. The appearance of his face was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow 140. Mary Magdalene, having arrived at the tomb cave, bent down and looked into the inside of the cave; at the same time she saw two Angels in white robes; The angels were sitting in a cramped tomb cave: one sat at the head, the other at the feet in the place where the body of the Lord Jesus lay 141. – Demons also have the ability to move from place to place and wander to different places. The Lord said the following about the wandering of a demon, who misses his expulsion from a person: “When the unclean spirit leaves a person, it passes through waterless places, looking for peace, and does not find it. Then he says: I will return to my house from which I came; and, having arrived, finds it empty, swept and put away. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more evil than him, and having entered, they live there” 142. - Satan, appearing before the Lord in a host of Angels, when asked by the Lord where he came from, answered: having walked around the earth, and passed through the heavenly places, behold, I am 143. - Tempting the Lord, the devil took Him to the holy city, placed Him on the roof of the church, then took Him to a very high mountain. As the Lord fasted in the desert, and there the devil came to Him, it is obvious that the mentioned rapid movements were performed by the spirit, just as the Angel moved Deacon Philip from the Gaza road to Azoth: the devil carried the Lord from place to place. After defeating the fallen spirit, the Lord said to him: “Get away from Me, Satan.” The devil left Him, - Angels came and served Him 144. – In the story about the false prophet Balaam, who acted against the Israelites, it is said that an Angel was sent to prevent the false prophet from an ill-intentioned enterprise. Balaam rode on a donkey, accompanied by two slaves. The event had witnesses. The donkey, says Scripture, saw the Angel of God opposing him on the way, and the sword was drawn in his hand, turned away from the path and went into the field. Balaam began to beat the donkey with a rod and direct it onto the road. Meanwhile, the Angel, having changed his place, stood on the reins of the vines, where there was a fence on both sides. The donkey again saw the Angel, pressed himself against the fence and pressed Balaam’s leg against it, who again began to beat the donkey. The Angel of God moved from this place and stood in a narrow passage, from which it was not possible to evade either to the right or to the left. The donkey, seeing the Angel, fell under Valaam, and the angry false prophet began to beat the donkey for the third time. After this, God opened the eyes of Balaam, and Balaam saw the Angel of God standing on the way, and the sword was drawn in his hand. The angel said to him: Behold, I came to your obstacle, for your way is unpleasant before me: and when the donkey saw me, she turned away from me, and this third thing: and if she had not turned away from me, now I would have killed you 145. The donkey saw the angel, by the will of God, just as Balaam saw him: through the opening of his eyes by the omnipotence of God. Dumb animals can see only matter, just as humans with their bodily eyes see only matter. In the world invisible to us there are means, of course material ones, that act most powerfully on the objects of the visible world. This is not at all contrary to modern science; on the contrary, it harmonizes with it. We know in part the substance belonging to the earth; matter in an incomparably larger volume, outside the earth, beyond the boundaries of its atmosphere, remains unknown to us. Not only that: it is inaccessible for our research. But this substance exists because everything in space and everything limited by space is substance 146. This is the law discovered by positive science, against which there may be outcries of ignorance, to which there are no objections. Scripture, in agreement with science, reveals nature invisible to us more than science reveals, which indisputably concludes about the existence and materiality of invisible nature. Scripture will tell us as much as we need about heaven, about hell, about the substance of heaven and hell, about created rational beings, for whom heaven serves as a blessed abode, and hell as a prison. The very concept of the earth, in connection with these concepts, receives correctness and leads to the right results, eliminates self-delusion, teaches us to spend time on earth, as in a hotel, and not to sacrifice all the strength of soul and body to the earth. In the story we have given about the false prophet, it is said that in the hand of the Angel there was a sword with which he intended to kill the false prophet; in the story of Gideon it is said about the Angel that he had a rod in his hand, and that at the touch of this rod the victim was ignited. These events indicate the existence of a relationship between a substance that is invisible to us and unknown to us, with a substance that is visible and known to us. Church Tradition teaches us that in general the separation of the human soul from its body is accomplished through the mediation of Angels; The Holy Scriptures tell us that Angels were used as an instrument to defeat certain wicked people with death and to defeat many people with pestilence. – Herod, for appropriating the glory of God to himself, was struck by an Angel, fell into a strange illness and, eaten by worms, cast out his soul 147. Of course, the initial cause of the disease remained unknown to those close to the king of Judah and his doctors: Scripture reveals it. - When God sent a pestilence to the people of Israel because people placed their trust in their own strength, and not in the power of God, seventy thousand men died in a very short time from Dan to Bathsheba. The angel has already stretched out his hand against Jerusalem to strike it. At this time, the Lord was merciful, and said to the angel beating him: you have enough, take away your hand. And the Angel of the Lord stood on the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the Angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and his sword was drawn into his hand, stretched out towards Jerusalem. David, seeing the Angel beating people, brought repentance, and the Lord said to the Angel: put the sword in his vagina 148. - In one night, the Angel of the Lord, who descended into the camp of the Assyrian army, killed one hundred eighty-six thousand soldiers 149. – Demons are also capable of causing illness and death to humans. The devil struck Job with fierce pus from his feet even to his head. He would have struck the righteous man he hated with death, if this had not been forbidden by God 150. – The Savior Himself testified about the crumpled woman that she was bound by Satan 151. The demon Asmodeus killed seven husbands, to whom Sarah, the daughter of Raguel 152, was married off in turn. Just as spirits have an influence on matter, so, on the contrary, substance has an influence on spirits. Rejected spirits will forever be tormented in hellish fire, in material fire, and holy spirits will be eternally blissful in the villages of heaven. Together with the holy spirits, resurrected holy men in their bodies will take part in the pleasures of heaven and paradise; resurrected sinful people in their bodies will undergo the same torment as spirits. From this it is clear that spirits also have their own materiality, a materiality similar to spiritual human bodies. And how can the heavenly world not have its own substance when its head, the God-man, is clothed in a body? We confess that the body of the God-man is incomparably superior in spiritual terms to the angelic nature, and we glorify the Mother of God: the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim. This hymn, which is pronounced by the Blessed Virgin and the Angels 153, would not have taken place if the holy men in heaven were not similar and equal to the Angels, as the Savior Himself testified 154. That Angels are capable of singing, that they utter words during this singing, is attested to by both the Gospel and the Prophets 155. – The influence of even earthly matter on spirits is depicted with particular detail and clarity in the book of Tobit. Archangel Raphael accompanied the son of Tobit, Tobias, in the form of a man, on his journey from Assyria to Media. During this journey, Tobias caught a fish in the Tigris River, and the Archangel ordered him to preserve the heart and liver of the fish. To Tobiah's question, why would the heart and liver of this fish be needed, the Archangel answered: the heart and liver, if anyone is embarrassed by a demon or an evil spirit, it is appropriate to smoke in front of a man or wife, and whoever will not be embarrassed. It is said here that the known substance generally has an effect on evil spirits, driving them away from men and women who are disturbed by the spirits. Archangel Raphael and Tobias arrived in Ragu, the city of Media, to Raguel, a relative of Tobias. The Archangel expressed a desire for Tobias to marry Sarah, the only daughter of Raguel. Tobiah objected to this: I heard that the damsel was given seven husbands, and everything in the bride who died was loved by the demon. The Archangel said: Don’t have a single thought about the demon. If you come into the bride, stir up some incense, and add fish from the heart and liver and smoke: and the demon smells it, and runs away and does not return for ever and ever. After the marriage was concluded, Tobias fulfilled what the Archangel commanded: take a piece of incense, put on the heart of the fish and the liver, and smoke it. When the smell of the demon smelled, he fled to the upper reaches of Egypt, and the Angel Raphael 156 bound him. Angels, when appearing to people, always appeared in the form of humans. Scripture does not mention a single appearance of Angels in any other form; Having told that the Angels appeared in the form of men, Scripture nowhere stipulates its narration, which would certainly have been done if the Angels definitely did not have any appearance or had a non-human appearance. We have no right to understand Angels otherwise than as Scripture portrays them. – The angels who appeared to Lot are called in Scripture first angels, then men. These Angels, before they came to Sodom, appeared to Abraham at the oak of Mamre and are also called men in Scripture 157. The Archangel of the Power of the Lord appeared to Joshua. Narrating about this phenomenon, the Holy Scripture says: Jesus was at Jericho, and looking with his eyes, he saw a man standing before him, and a sword was drawn in his hand. At first Navin did not understand that it was an Angel, and asked what he saw: Are you ours, or from our counterpart? 158 – An angel appeared to the wife of the Israeli Manoah, the mother of the strong Sampson, announcing to her the conception and birth of a standard-bearing son. The wife told her husband about the appearance of the Angel like this: The Man of God came to me, and his image, like the image of an Angel of God, was extremely terrible. The angel appeared to his wife a second time. The wife hastened to inform Manoah about this, she said to him: behold, the man who came to me on the same day appeared to me. And Manoah stood up and went after his wife, and came to the husband and said to him, “Are you the man who speaks to my wife?” And the Angel said: I am. Manoah, believing that he was talking to a man, offered the Angel a meal; but the Angel, refusing the meal, offered a burnt offering to the Lord. When the flame of the burnt offering spread very high above the altar, the Angel entered this flame and ascended to heaven. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife realized that the one who appeared to them was an Angel 159. Evangelist Luke, describing one of the visits to the Holy Sepulcher by the myrrh-bearing women, says that two men in shining robes appeared to them 160. When the Lord ascended to heaven in the presence of the Apostles, and their eyes were fixed on heaven, two men in white robes suddenly appeared to them and said to the Apostles: men of Galilee! that you stand looking into heaven: This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven. It is obvious: these men were Angels 161. – An angel appeared to the centurion Cornelius. He saw an Angel of God descending on him. Conveying this phenomenon to the Apostle Peter, Cornelius said: From the fourth day until this hour I fasted and at the ninth hour prayed in my house: and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 162 . – When Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, threw three holy youths who had renounced idolatry into a fiery furnace, then the Angel 163 descended with them into the furnace and took away the power from the fire. The youths sang a song of thanksgiving and praise to God in the spacious oven, and Nebuchadnezzar, hearing them singing, was surprised and asked his nobles: were there not three men bound in the middle of the fire? The nobles answered: Truly, to the king. But the king said: Behold, I see four men loosed and walking in the midst of fire, and the image (appearance, face) of the fourth is like the Son of God?.. Blessed is God, Who sent His angel and removed His servants, because they trusted in Him 164. – The Holy Prophet Daniel calls Archangel Gabriel a husband. I am still speaking in my prayer, he says, and behold, the man Gabriel, whom I saw at the beginning, soaring (flying), and touched me 165. In another vision, an Angel appeared to the Prophet, whom the Prophet again calls husband. This man was clothed in a linen robe, and his loins were girded with gold; his body was like Tarshish; his face shone like lightning; his eyes are like lighted candles; his muscles and legs were clothed in shining copper; his voice is like the voice of the people 166. Daniel's companions, being with him, did not see the phenomenon, because their eyes were not opened; only fear seized them, as usually happens to those who are with a person who sees spirits and talks with spirits. Towards the end of the vision, Daniel saw that the man, dressed in linen and standing over the waters of the river, raised both his right and left hands to heaven and swore 167. – When the First Martyr Stephen, richly anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, appeared before the deicide council of Jewish bishops and priests, all those sitting in the congregation looked up, seeing his face like the face of an Angel 168 . – From the passages of Holy Scripture given to us, it is clear that Angels not only have a human appearance, but also all members of the human body. Scripture counts these members in them: face, eyes, chest, arms, legs. This is not enough! Scripture indicates that spirits have the same senses that humans have: sight, hearing, smell, touch, it attributes to them the ability to speak; attributes to fallen spirits the shortcomings of fallen humanity, deafness and dumbness. The Lord Himself, no one else, called one of the demons deaf and dumb. The soul is dumb and deaf, the Lord told him, I command you, 169 and the deaf spirit, who did not hear the voice of the holy Apostles and did not obey their command, heard the voice of God, and immediately, terribly tormented and tormented, fulfilled the command of God. In another healing of a person possessed by a demon, the Gospel says that this demon was dumb 170. It is very natural for spirits to have feelings: the human soul, which by nature belongs to created spirits, also has them. A person’s feelings belong to his soul, and not to his body, although during a person’s earthly life they act through the members of the body. The whole soul acts through the members of the body, even its verbal power. Feelings leave the body along with the soul; more correctly: the soul, leaving the body, takes with it the feelings that belong to it. If feelings belonged to the body, they would remain with it even after the departure of the soul, or they would leave the body at a different time, and not at the exact time at which the soul leaves it. Demons by nature have the same external appearance as Angels, that is, the appearance of a person in his body. Because of this resemblance to man, the Lord called the devil man 171. Demons have distorted themselves by destroying good within themselves and by the birth and development of evil. For this reason, Scripture calls them beasts, and the chief of them a serpent 172. Do not betray to beasts the soul that confesses to You 173. The serpent was the wisest of all the beasts that exist on earth 174, since the rejected angels and their heads were cast out of heaven to earth 175. The evil and fall of the demons was also reflected in their appearance: while retaining their natural image, they distorted it with features of brutality and terrible indecency. Job saw the devil as a terrible monster and depicted him with a terrible painting of the word 176. Spirits have their own location, their own abodes, corresponding to their nature and arbitrarily acquired qualities, due to which some entered into close communication with God - others were rejected by God and became infected with a frenzied, insane hatred of Him. The seat of the holy Angels is heaven. The Lord revealed this to us. The angels in heaven, He said, will always see the face of My Heavenly Father 177. On Sunday they neither marry nor commit sexual intercourse, but as the Angels of God are in heaven 178. And from many other places of Scripture it is clear that heaven is the abode of Angels. While in heaven, they are sent by God to earth to fulfill various commands of God, as we have seen from the above narratives of Scripture; They are also sent to help all those who are being saved, as the holy Apostle Paul said: We send souls in service for those who want to inherit salvation 179 . At His Second Glorious and Terrible Coming, the Lord will send His Angels with a great trumpet blast, and His chosen ones will be gathered from the four winds, from the end of the heavens to the end of them 180. As long as the devil was a bright and holy angel, until then he dwelt in heaven. An unfortunate transformation took place in heaven, and a large gathering of angels separated from the holy host of the Heavenly Forces and became a gathering of gloomy demons, with a fallen cherub at their head. Many of the highest angels, of dominions, principalities and powers 181 are carried away into fall and destruction. As a result of this transformation, there was a war in heaven: Michael, the Archangel of Heavenly Power, and his Angels, who remained faithful to God, made war with the serpent, and the brace of the serpent and his angels. And they were not able, and no place was found for them in heaven. And the great serpent, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who flattered the entire universe, was cast down, and he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him 182. The abode of the fallen angels became the heavenly space, which all the ancients called air, the earth's surface and the abyss, or hell. This is clear from the Holy Scriptures. In the Book of Job, twice the devil testifies to himself that he has walked around the whole earth and flowed under heaven 183. The presence of fallen angels in the air, or space under heaven, according to the unanimous opinion of the Fathers, is indicated by the following words of the Apostle Paul: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers [and] against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places 184 . The Apostle calls the collection of these spirits the power of the air, and the chief of the demons, the devil himself, is called the prince of the power of the air, the spirit acting in the sons of disobedience 185. The presence of demons on earth is clearly seen from the stories of the Gospel, which tells about the various actions of demons on earth, their various atrocities. Demons not only live on the earth’s surface, but sometimes enter the bodies of people and animals 186 with their entire gaseous being. They enter the interior of the human body in the same way that air, attracted by the breathing mechanism, enters it, just as other gases can enter. The demon, having entered a person, does not mix with the soul, but remains in the body, violently possessing soul and body. Gases have a special development of the property of elasticity, that is, the property of taking on different volumes: it is obvious that demons also have this property, according to which many of them can be contained in one person, as the Gospel says about this 187 . Currently, the seat of the devil, the head of the fallen angels, is the abyss, tartarus, hell, the underworld, and the interior of the earth. The holy prophet Isaiah foretold this dwelling to the fallen archangel: You will descend into hell, he told him, and into the foundations of the earth 188. The prediction was fulfilled over the prince of the air power by the power and authority of the Savior of men, the God-man. The Savior is that great Angel - God, who has the key of the abyss, who came down from heaven and, becoming human, used His human flesh, this great thing (rope), spreading it on the cross, to bind the serpent, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan. The Lord bound Satan for the entire space of time between His two comings, and shut him into the abyss, and imprisoned him, and sealed him over him. Being imprisoned and sealed in a material prison, the devil must of necessity have a material nature: otherwise no material prison could hold him. Before the Second Coming of the Lord, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the tongues of the four corners of the earth 189. Created spirits are called incorporeal both in the writings of the Holy Fathers and in common usage. This name is based on Holy Scripture. The Savior said to His disciples, appearing to them after the resurrection in a glorified body, denouncing and refuting their thought that they see the spirit. The comparison like Me is a comparison with the human flesh of the God-Man. Saint Basil the Great sees the same comparison of the being of spirits with human flesh in the words of the Apostle: our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual malice 191 . This Father speaks more definitely than other Fathers about the gas-like substance of spirits; but, based on the above words of the Apostle, he claims that “the nature of the devil is incorporeal,” 192 obviously not having the same flesh that humans have. In this sense, the human soul, when it leaves the body, becomes an incorporeal being. In this sense, Tertullian, a church writer of the second century, says that “the soul is not material and at the same time the body; the rejection of her corporeality would be at the same time the rejection of her existence” 193. The Holy Scripture mentions the form and essence of the human soul only in passing and very little. But from these stories of Scripture it is abundantly clear that the human soul has the appearance of a man in his body, and is similar to other created spirits both in appearance, in essence, and in properties. The Apostle John the Theologian tells in his Revelation that he saw in heaven the souls of those beaten for the word of God. And white garments were given to each one 194. The vision was repeated to the Theologian. I saw, he says, and behold, many people from every tongue and tribe, and people and nations, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white garments, and fins in their hands 195. Scripture portrays souls exactly as it depicts angels. The theologian, having said that he saw the souls that made up a numerous people, thereby reveals that he saw souls in human form: only a collection of people is called a people. The narration of their clothing and the fact that palm branches were in their hands confirms the concept of their appearance and their materiality. – When the sorceress of Endor called the soul of the prophet Samuel from the underground dwelling of souls, and he appeared to her, she saw an old man rising from the earth, and this one was wrapped in a long robe 196. The soul appeared in human form, in human clothing and with signs of gender. The soul is depicted here as Saint John the Theologian depicted souls. - At the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, the face of the Lord shone like the sun, His robe was white like light 197. The Lord showed in what glory the first man was created, and how much his body in this state differed from the body deformed by the fall. Moses and Elijah appeared before the Lord and heard from Him about suffering and death on the cross, which He intended to voluntarily submit to in Jerusalem for the healing of the human race. Elijah stood in a body changed during the rapture to paradise; Moses appeared as a soul, which obviously had the whole image of a body. Without this, how could the Apostles see him? What might the apostle Peter say about preparing a tent for Moses? The apostles saw Moses as they saw Elijah when their eyes were opened. Moses was present here in soul: The Fathers 198 will tell that the Lord, having descended into hell, raised Moses from hell with the other Old Testament saints and resurrected him, which is not contradicted by the Gospel, which announces the resurrection of many saints following the resurrection of the Lord 199. In particular, Scripture mentions only the burial of Moses and is silent about his resurrection 200. – The Apostle Paul, speaking about his rapture to paradise and heaven, said that he did not know whether this rapture took place in the body or without the body 201, with one soul. If the soul were different in appearance from the body, then the Apostle could conveniently say in what way he was raptured, in the body or without the body. We can affirmatively say that Pavlov’s soul was delighted. So subsequently the soul of Saint Andrew was caught up, and he, like Paul, said about himself that he did not know how he was caught up, in the body or without the body, despite the fact that he saw himself with all the members and with all the senses that the body has. The teaching of the Fathers on this subject, similar events from their lives, and even some modern experiences 202 lead us to this conclusion. The holy martyr Mavra told about herself: “While she was nailed to the cross, a certain wonderful husband appeared to her, whose face shone like the sun. He took Mavra by the hand and took her to heaven. There the martyr was shown the bliss prepared for her and her husband, a participant in her feat. After this, the luminous husband led her to the body hanging on the cross and said to her: now return to your body; tomorrow, at six o’clock, the Angels of God will come for our souls” 203. Considering the passages of Holy Scripture we have cited, we are naturally led to the conviction that created spirits and the human soul have their own materiality, have an external appearance similar to the appearance of a person in his body; Like humans, spirits depend on space and time and have movement. The substance of spirits is much subtler than the substance of the human body: for this reason, spirits are much freer in their actions, much more developed in their abilities than humans. This is generally the property of matter. It, in its refined state, acts incomparably stronger and more extensively than it did in the rough state; it, in its refined state, receives new properties that it did not have at all in its rough state. To make this easier to understand for everyone, let us point out water in its three states: solid, liquid and vapor. Holy Scripture teaches us that there are earthly bodies and there are heavenly bodies, that there are spiritual bodies and there are spiritual bodies, that the properties and dignity of these bodies are different 204. The Holy Scripture calls our bodies, in which we are in earthly life, spiritual: it calls these same bodies spiritual when they are resurrected with the property of immortality and with other properties necessary for immortality to be immortality. In their spiritual bodies, holy people will forever abide with the holy Angels, having received with them the same bliss and the same development, the same attitude towards space and time. Science, with its teaching about matter, enters into the necessary harmony with Scripture. She recognizes matter everywhere, where there is space. The concept of reality and the concept of space are inseparable and inseparable. Science has studied and proven that gases belonging to the earth and known to us lie in layers in the atmosphere, according to their specific gravity. In a similar proportion, the gases of our atmosphere should be followed by other gases, unknown to us, lighter and thinner. These gases, which in common usage are called ether, must certainly exist, because no space can do without the substance inherent in it. The space that we call heaven must certainly have its own substance. What is a person? The same created spirit as the Angels, but clothed in a body. Other created spirits differ from man in that they do not have his body, his flesh. For this reason they are called incorporeal, ethereal, immaterial. They are called invisible because we, being perverted and terribly damaged by the fall, do not see them in our ordinary state. Our body is not at all the way it was created: it has become a bond and a prison for man; it lacks many abilities; it is bound by many different infirmities. It will be resurrected differently, and man, without ceasing to be a man, will enter the rank of created spirits, will be numbered among their host, will be in their company and in communion with them. The relationship of human nature to its entire environment will be the same as that of the nature of spirits. This was announced by the Lord. The Holy Scriptures decisively contradict the teachings of Descartes, generally accepted by Westerners. There is not a single place in Scripture that would be in any way favorable to the teachings of the West. On the contrary, having accepted the Western teaching and based on it, one must necessarily reject all the most important messages of Scripture about the ministry of spirits. The Lord, announcing His Second Glorious Coming, says: Come to receive the Son of Man in the glory of His Father with His Angels 205. The Son of Man will come in His glory and all the holy Angels with Him 206. Resurrected people will see 207 the Son of God, invisible in Divinity, visible in His Divine human body, and they will also see Angels in their own form. If the Angels had not had a view, then the resurrected people would not have been able to see them, and the Son of God would have appeared in strange solitude. If the Angels did not have movement, then they could not come with the Lord, Who, by His humanity, naturally has movement. Here the Lord depicted the movement of the Angels as similar to His movement; movement with movement combined into one action. However, we believe that the movement of the Lord’s body, in terms of the Divinity of this body, is incomparable to the movement of which the Angels are capable: so much more superior is the movement of movement. Some of the saints had already been shown in a sacred vision the image in which the Second Coming of the Lord would take place. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, in a letter to the monk Demophilus, tells about the disciple of the holy Apostle Paul, blessed Carp, a great man in virtues and, due to the purity of his mind, very capable of seeing God. Karp was in such spiritual prosperity that he never began the Divine Liturgy until the grace of the Holy Spirit clearly overshadowed him. One day he was honored to see the sky open, like the first martyr Stephen, and the Lord Jesus standing in the midst of a large gathering of Angels; at the same time, Saint Carp saw Angels in the form of men. This is how they will appear at the Last Judgment of Christ. The appearances of spirits to the saints of God in the New Testament Church are of a decidedly identical nature with the appearances spoken of in Scripture. These phenomena prove that spirits are material, have the external appearance of people, all the members of a person, the ability to speak, cry, laugh, that in the world invisible to us, in which spirits live, there is its own substance, that spirits are in relation to matter, depend on space and time, and have movement. To prove this, let us present a few experiments, leaving those who wish to gain more detailed knowledge to glean it from the lives of the saints. The Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, tormented and half-dead, was thrown into prison. The torturers thought that she would die very soon. At midnight an Angel came to her; He was girded with a gold belt over his shoulders and chest, and in his hands he held the instruments of Christ’s suffering. The angel commanded the girl to stand up, announcing that Christ the Lord was healing her. The martyr, who had been lying unconscious, stood up, as if awakening from sleep. The angel approached her, wiped away all her wounds with his lip, as a result of which her body was healed, and her face blossomed with beauty more than it blossomed before entering into the feat of martyrdom. After this, the Angel who appeared became invisible 208. And the image of healing, and the means of healing, and the speed of healing are incomprehensible to us, but it is obvious from the story that the remedy was material. – The Monk Titus, hieromonk of the Pechersk Kyiv Monastery, was ill and dying. The brethren, seeing the impending death of Titus, brought Hierodeacon Evagrius, with whom he was at enmity, to him for reconciliation. The sick man from his bed, with intense tension, bowed to the newcomer, asking for forgiveness and reconciliation. But Evagrius uttered the following terrible words: “I will never be reconciled with him: neither in this age nor in the next,” and, having said this, he suddenly fell dead, and Titus at that very moment stood up healthy, as if he had never been sick. Titus told the astonished brethren that, having come to extreme exhaustion, he saw angels and demons near his bed. The first cried that Titus was dying in enmity with his neighbor, and the second rejoiced over his death. When Titus bowed to Evagrius, and Evagrius refused reconciliation, then one of the Angels, holding a fiery spear in his hand, struck the unforgiving one with this spear, causing Evagrius to fall dead. The same Angel extended his other hand to the sick man and raised him up, causing Titus to instantly recover 209. To defeat Evagrius, a material substance was used, but invisible to people and unknown. Demons also cause death. The Monk Euthymius the Great said that a certain monk was tortured and killed by a demon, who used a trident 210 to torture and kill. Demons also cry. They cried that the Monk Macarius the Great escaped their hands and entered the heavenly gates 211. – Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, friend of Basil the Great, consecrated bishop by the Angels. He was a monk and labored as a hermit, living for forty years in a deserted cave. At this time, the Archpastor of Iconium died. The angel of the Lord appeared to Amphilochius at night and said to him: “Amphilochius! go into the city and feed the spiritual sheep.” Amphilochius left the command unfulfilled, fearing to be deceived by demonic dreams. The next night the vision was repeated, and Amphilochius again did not leave the cave. On the third night, an Angel came to him while he was lying on his bed and said to him: “Amphilochius! arise from your bed.” Amphilochius stood up, but said to the Angel: “If you are an Angel, then take part in my prayer,” and began to pray. The angel, having fulfilled this, took Amphilochius by the right hand and led him to the nearest church. The doors of the church themselves opened before them, just as the gates of the city once did before the Apostle Peter. They entered a church in which a great light was shining and there were many men in white robes. These men took Amphilochius, brought him to the altar and handed him the Holy Gospel, saying: “The Lord is with you.” One of them, surpassing the others in the importance of his appearance and lordship, said loudly: “We all pray.” Then he began to say: “Holy grace appoints our brother Amphilochius as bishop of the city of Iconium; Let us pray for him, that the grace of God may be upon him.” At the end of the prayer, they taught him the peace of Christ and became invisible 212. The Monk Pimen the Long-Suffering, monk of the Kiev Pechersk Monastery, was tonsured a monk by the Angels. This Saint was sick from childhood until death. Having reached adolescence, Pimen begged his parents to allow him to enter monasticism; but the parents did not agree. One day the young man’s illness worsened to the extreme. His parents, already despairing of his life, brought him against their will to the Kiev Pechersk Monastery, asking the venerable monks of that time to pray for the sick man. The Reverend Fathers worked hard, praying for the return of health to Pimen, but were not heard: God arranged a different path for His chosen one. The father and mother of the sick man were constantly with him, fearing that he would not be tonsured in their absence, and the Reverend begged God to grant him permission to join the ranks of monks. One night, when his parents and servants were sleeping with him, bright Angels came to him, some in the form of beautiful young men, others in the form of the Pechersk abbot and monastic brethren, carrying in their hands candles, the Gospel, a hair shirt, a mantle, a doll, everything needed for tonsure. They asked the patient: “Do you want us to cut your hair?” In joy, the Blessed One answered: “Truly, I want; The Lord sent you to fulfill the desire of my heart...” They immediately began asking questions and doing everything that was required by the Charter during tonsure. Having tonsured the sick man into the schema, they named him Pimen - the name of the Saint given to him at birth is unknown - and gave him a lighted candle. At the same time, they said that the candle would burn for forty days and forty nights, and he would suffer in illness throughout his life, and sudden recovery would serve as a sign of approaching death. Having completed the entire manner of tonsure with precision, they greeted Pimen according to monastic custom and left, taking his hair in linen, which they laid on the tomb of the Monk Theodosius. The neighboring monks, hearing the voices of the singers and believing that the abbot and some of his fellow servants were tonsuring the sick man or that he had already died, came to his cell. Everyone there was immersed in deep sleep, the cell was filled with fragrance. Those who came saw the sick man having fun and dressed in monastic attire. The brothers asked him: “Who tonsured him? What kind of singing did we hear from you, which your parents and others who were with you did not hear?” Pimen answered: “I believe that the abbot and the brethren tonsured me, while performing the chant that you heard. They gave me this candle that you see and said that it would burn for forty days and nights, and wrapped my hair in linen, they took it to church.” The brothers went to the Church, but it was locked. They called in the sextons and the ecclesiarch, who kept the keys to the church doors, who testified that after Compline the church was locked and no one entered it. The abbot was informed about the wonderful event. The church was opened: hair was found on the tomb of St. Theodosius. After a thorough search, they realized that the tonsure was performed by Angels. This was confirmed especially since the candle, which had to burn out in a few hours, burned for forty days. The Monk Pimen spent his entire life in serious illness, without leaving his bed; just before his death he recovered and, having shown signs of the grace of God living in him, died a blessed death 213. The prolonged burning of a candle is again a phenomenon incomprehensible to us in a substance unknown to us. In the same Kiev-Pechersk monastery the next appearance of the Angel to the Monk Alypius took place. Alypius was an icon painter. A certain lover of Christ ordered him a local icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God for this holiday. Alypiy promised to finish the icon on time, but when he had prepared the board and all the accessories for the work, he became deathly ill and went to bed. The one who ordered the icon came more than once to inquire about the icon and was very sad when he saw that the icon had not even been started; but the Reverend advised him to rely on the Providence of God. Finally, the lover of Christ came on the eve of the holiday itself, after Vespers, and, having greatly reproached the Saint for depriving him of the opportunity to transfer the work to another icon painter, he left in great sorrow. After his departure, an unknown bright young man came to Alipius and began to paint an icon. Alypius thought at first that this was a man, an icon painter sent by the owner of the icon; but the extraordinary speed and beauty of the work showed that it was an Angel. At three o'clock the icon was painted. At the end of the work, both the wonderful icon painter and the icon became invisible. Meanwhile, the owner of the icon did not sleep all night due to great sorrow; early in the morning he went to the church where the icon was ordered, in order to pour out his sorrow there before God; Having entered the church, he saw that the icon of wonderful beauty was already standing in its place. He hurried to the abbot of the Pechersk Monastery and told him about the miracle that had happened. Together with the abbot they went to Alypius - they found him already at his last breath. However, the abbot asked him how the icon was painted? Alypius related his vision and added: “An angel painted this icon, and lo! he is coming to take me.” Having said this, the Reverend died 214. Saint Andrew the Fool, who in the flesh belonged to the disembodied due to the mortification of the flesh by a supernatural feat, was especially capable of sensually seeing spirits. One day, along the street where the Saint happened to be, a dead man was being carried. He was a very rich man. Many people accompanied his coffin; a significant assembly of clergy preceded the coffin with hymns; a large gathering of relatives and friends followed the coffin, filling the air with sobs and crying. The saint began to feel a change in himself, and his eyes and other senses were opened. He saw many black Ethiopians walking ahead of the priests, drowning out their voices with their own voices. Some of the Ethiopians held ashes in their hands, which were sprinkled on the people surrounding the body; others of them danced; others laughed shamelessly; others uttered bestial and bestial cries; others sprinkled the dead man with stinking water; others flew through the air near the coffin; others walked behind, clapping their hands, stamping their feet, mocking the singers and cursing the Christians. Then Saint Andrew saw the demonic prince with fiery eyes; this demon, belonging to the fallen angels of the highest ranks, held sulfur and resin in his hand, and approached the coffin with the intention of burning the corpse. When the body was buried, the Saint saw a beautiful young man walking, who was immersed in deep sadness and wept bitterly. When the young man approached the Saint, the Saint, believing that this was one of the relatives of the deceased, said to the young man: “For God’s sake, tell me what is the reason for your crying; I ask about this because I have never seen anyone who would cry so much for a dead person.” The young man answered: “The reason for my crying is that I was the keeper of this dead man, and the devil stole him for himself.” The saint said: “Now I understand who you are.” After this, the Angel told Andrey the way of life of the deceased, and that he died without repentance. “His soul,” said the Angel, “was taken by demons, and you saw for yourself the desecration to which his body was subjected.” People walking along the street, seeing that Saint Andrew was standing alone and seemed to be talking to someone, said to each other: “Look at this crazy man! he entered into a conversation with the wall.” These passers-by are similar to those who, immersed in vain pursuits and carnal wisdom, deny the existence of spirits or, what is more balanced, give spirits an abstract meaning, recognizing them as alien to matter. – We find it necessary to place here another vision of St. Andrew, which serves to express the relationship between spirits and matter. At the beginning of his feat, Andrei, bound in chains, was placed in the church of the Holy Martyr Anastasia, in Constantinople, and spent considerable time in this church without origin. One night, in reality, one of the initial demons came to him, accompanied by many other dark spirits. The devil had an ax in his hand, and all the demons were armed with different weapons. They rushed at the Saint to kill him, and the Saint cried out to God for help. Thunder sounded and a large gathering of people dressed in white clothes appeared, and a handsome old man came after them. His face was brighter than the sun, and many servants followed him. He told them: “Close the doors so that no one escapes, and catch the Ethiopians.” The command was immediately carried out. At the same time, Andrei heard that one of the demons was whispering to the other: “Woe to us! we were deceived. John is formidable and will torment us cruelly.” John commanded the Belorizians who came with him, and they, removing the iron chain from Andrei’s neck, gave it to John. John took the chain in his hands and folded it in three; then he stood at the door of the church and ordered the demons to be brought to him one by one. They brought the first demon, stretched him out on the ground, and John gave him a hundred blows with a chain. The demon cried like a man: “Have mercy on me.” All the demons were subjected to this punishment, one after another. After this, John said to them: “Go, show yourself to your father, Satan, how will what you have done appear to him!” The demons have disappeared; The Belarusians also left. The handsome old man approached Andrei and placed a chain around his neck. - Having announced that he was the Apostle John the Theologian and that he had been entrusted with the care of Andrei, he departed from his sight with lightning 215 . – From the lives of the saints, according to the story of the Apocalypse, it is clear that the head of the fallen angels - Satan - resides in hell, and demons operate on the earth’s surface under the control of their princes, that is, fallen angels from the highest ranks. Demons descend into hell to receive orders and instructions from Satan, report to him about their actions and everything that happens on the surface of the earth. One day, a demon apparently appeared to Saint Andrew and made a prediction about the spiritual and moral disorder of Christians, which should corrupt Christianity in the last times. “In those days,” said the demon, “people will be more evil than me, and small children will surpass old people in cunning. Then I will begin to rest! Then I won’t teach people anything! they, of themselves, will fulfill my will!” Saint Andrew said to the demon: “How do you know this? after all, the demon knows nothing by foreknowledge.” The demon answered: “Our cleverest father, Satan, being in hell, fortune-tells about everything through sorcery and passes it on to us; but we ourselves know nothing” 216. – The great saint of God Niphon, about whom it is said that he talked with Angels as with friends and saw demons openly, said that one day the demonic prince Alazion sent with several demons to hell, to his father Satan, a coin that a Christian had given to the buffoon 217. Church Tradition tells that the holy Apostles, scattered throughout the universe to preach, were raptured by Angels and brought to Jerusalem on the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God. This event is sung in popular church hymns 218. The Monk Nikon Sukhiy, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, was taken prisoner by the Polovtsians during their attack on Kyiv. Having taken Nikon to their country, the Polovtsians subjected him to various torments, tormented him with hunger and all kinds of deprivation. Nikon spent more than three years in such suffering. He had a Divine Revelation that he would soon get rid of captivity. He told the torturers about this. The Polovtsy, hearing this and believing that Nikon had taken measures to escape, cut his leg veins, chained him and guarded him with special care. Three days after the prediction of imminent deliverance, before the onset of the midday hour, when the Polovtsy, armed, were sitting around Nikon, he suddenly became invisible, and those guarding him heard voices in the air that sang: praise the Lord from heaven. Nikon was installed in the church of the Pechersk Monastery at the time when the sacramental verse began to be sung at the Divine Liturgy. The brothers flocked to him and asked how he returned. Nikon wanted to hide what happened to him, but this was impossible; the heavy chains with which he was bound, the body covered with festering wounds, the blood that was still dripping from the cut veins of his legs, testified to an event that was out of the order of ordinary events. Nikon announced what had happened to the glory of God. Meanwhile, peace was concluded with the Polovtsians. Then the Polovtsian, who had the Monk Nikon in captivity, arrived in Kyiv and entered the Pechersky Monastery. There, to his greatest surprise, he saw his former captive, told in detail to the abbot and the brethren how Nikon labored in captivity and got rid of captivity. The Polovtsian accepted the Christian faith and monasticism in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery; Many Polovtsians followed his example. The great miracle had many witnesses and beneficial consequences 219. Not only Angels, but also demons have the ability to quickly flow through spaces that people recognize as very significant. Demons have the ability to transport from place to place both gross earthly matter 220 and people. Saint John, Archbishop of Novgorod, stood one night at cell prayer according to his custom. At the midnight hour a demon came with the intention of doing something extraordinary to frighten the Saint and distract him from prayer. To do this, the demon entered the washbasin that stood here and began to rinse in the water. The saint tied up the demon and imprisoned him in the washbasin with the sign of the cross. The demon began to scream in a human voice and beg the Saint for permission from being bound and imprisoned in a vessel. Divine John answered the demon: “In retribution for your insolence, I command you that this same night you take me to Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and that same night bring me back here to Novgorod, to my cell.” The demon promised to fulfill the demand. Then the Saint, in the name of the Lord, freed the demon from imprisonment in the vessel and commanded him: “Be ready in the likeness of a horse before the doors of my cell.” The demon came out of the vessel in the form of dark air or smoke, that is, gas, and in the form of a horse stood at the entrance to the Saint’s cell. The saint sat on him and was brought to Jerusalem. The doors of the Church of the Lord opened of their own accord before him, and the candles and lamps at the Holy Sepulcher were lit of their own accord. John brought thanksgiving praise and fervent prayer to God, and paid veneration to all the holy places and icons of the church. When he left, the doors of the church closed by themselves, and the demon in the form of a horse stood waiting for the rider. The saint sat on the demon, and before dawn he was brought to Novgorod 221. – This event gives some idea of ​​the speed of movement of spirits; although it is clear from everything that the transfer of Habakkuk from Judea to Babylon and back from Babylon to Judea took place quickly, Scripture does not mention anything about time, and here the time is assigned approximately: the whole event took place in the second half of the night, therefore, about two to three hours were spent on the journey. A certain priest named Adam lived with his young son Michael in the monastery of St. Nile of Sorsky. One day, a father encountered a church need and sent his son to the sexton. When the child came out of his cell, a wild man suddenly met him and, grabbing him, carried him as if by a whirlwind and carried him into impassable places and swamps. There was some kind of choir there. The wild man brought the child into this mansion and placed it in the middle of it. There was, as it were, a foreman in the form of a man. This foreman said to the woman who was nearby: “Feed the child.” Many vegetables were brought, and the child was forced to eat them; but Mikhail did not fulfill the demand, stood motionless in one place and cried bitterly. The father, seeing that his son was not returning for a long time, began to look for him and, not finding him, called all the brethren and went with them to the chapel, which was located not far from the monastery. In the chapel there was an icon of the Mother of God; In front of this icon, the brethren began to perform a prayer service, shedding tears and calling on the Monk Nile for help. At this very time, the child saw that the Monk Neil had come and, standing in front of the window of the mansion, struck the window with a rod, causing the mansion to shake, and the unclean spirits in it fell face down on the ground. Michael stood and cried, looking at the Monk Neil. The monk said: “O wretched ones! How dare you attack my monastery and kidnap this child! immediately take it back to where you got it from.” And immediately the wild man picked up the child and, bringing him again as if by a whirlwind, carried him to the monastery mill and put him on a haystack that was there. Mikhail started screaming from the stack. At this time, the priest and his brethren were leaving the chapel and heard the cry of a child. Hearing his voice, they came to the stack and, seeing his child on top, glorified God and His saint Nile. Having removed Mikhail from the stack, they asked him how he got there? Mikhail told what happened to him. From that time on, Mikhail became especially quiet, but his mental capacity, as always happens, was left with the impression of the demons acting on him. The priest, frightened by the incident, left the monastery with his son 222. In the Divine revelations of the saints of the New Testament Church, the souls of deceased people appeared exactly in the form depicted in the Holy Scriptures. The foremost nobles of the Roman Emperor Maximian Herculius, Sergius and Bacchus, entered into the feat of martyrdom for faith in Christ and for confessing Him before the wicked king. Bacchus was beaten to death with sticks. Sergius was in prison at that time. Having learned about the martyrdom of his friend, he began to cry that he did not die with him, and prayed to God to grant himself the crown of martyrdom. It's midnight; Sergius stood vigil and cried in his prayer. Suddenly Bacchus appeared to him, surrounded by heavenly light. The face of Bacchus was like the face of an Angel; Bacchus was wearing shining military clothing. He consoled and strengthened his friend, telling him about his imminent completion of martyrdom and about the great heavenly dignity prepared from the Lord Jesus Christ 223. – The release of St. Peter of Athos from prison by Saints Simeon the God-Receiver and Nicholas the Wonderworker deserves special attention. This event bears a close resemblance to the Angel’s liberation of the Apostle Peter from prison and picturesquely depicts the souls of the saints in their afterlife state. The Monk Peter of Athos was a commander in worldly life. Several times he thought about entering monasticism, and several times he made a vow to God to enter monasticism, but, distracted by the vanity of life, he put off and put off fulfilling his intention and vow. At that time, the sons of Ishmael, having adopted Mohammedanism, were already crushing the Greek Empire; War raged between the Greeks and Ishmaelites, almost without interruption. One day a Greek army was sent to Syria. Voivode Peter was also in the army. The Ishmaelites defeated the Greeks and took many prisoners: among the prisoners was the governor. Bound in heavy chains, he was taken to the city of Samara on the Euphrates River, where he was thrown into a dark prison. While languishing in prison, Peter remembered his unfulfilled vow and, realizing that the failure to fulfill this vow was the cause of the disaster that had befallen him, he began to beg St. Nicholas for deliverance, renewing his vow and strengthening the effect of prayer with strict fasting. Saint Nicholas appeared to Peter twice in a dream, and the third time in reality, and not alone, but together with Saint Simeon the God-Receiver. The Great Simeon was marvelous in vision, magnificent in appearance, and shone with heavenly light. He was clothed in the ephod (linen garment) of the Old Law priesthood, and the golden rod was in his hand. Peter, seeing the saints who appeared before him, was overcome with fear. Simeon said to Peter: “Are you asking brother Nicholas to free you from your bonds and prison?” Peter could barely open his mouth, he was so overcome with fear: “I am,” he answered. Saint Simeon said: “Will you fulfill your vow to enter monasticism and lead your earthly life virtuously?” Peter answered: “I will do it, my lord, with the help of God.” Simeon: “If you promise to do this, then get out of here unhindered and go wherever you want.” Peter showed him his feet, bound in chains. Saint Simeon touched the chains with the golden rod that was in his hand, and the chains melted, like wax melts from fire 224. Peter stood up and saw that the prison was open. He left it, following Saint Simeon with Saint Nicholas, and suddenly found himself outside the city. When this was happening, a thought came to Peter: what is happening to him is not just a vision? Immediately Saint Simeon turned to him and said: “Why do you consider the mercy of God that is being performed on you only as a vision? Don’t you see with certainty where you are and who you will follow?” – After this, Saint Simeon, entrusting Peter to the Saint, became invisible. Peter walked after Saint Nicholas. It's dawn. The saint asked Peter if he had taken food with him for the journey. Peter answered: “Master! I had nothing to take because I had nothing.” The saint ordered Peter to go into a garden that had happened nearby. “You will meet there,” he told him, “a man who will give you as many vegetables as you need; take them and follow me.” Peter, having fulfilled what was ordered to him, followed Saint Nicholas, and in a short time reached the borders of the Greek Empire. Then the Saint said to Peter: “Brother! You are already in your homeland, and you have all the freedom to fulfill your vow. Fulfill it immediately, so as not to end up in Samara and in chains again.” Having said this, Saint Nicholas became invisible 225. Modern manifestations of spirits in the depths of the Orthodox Church are quite similar in nature to the phenomena described in the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers. The vision of the Valaam schemamonk Kyriak, a man of holy life, deserves special attention. He was granted this vision while still in worldly life, after his conversion from the schism, standing in the altar of the Church of Righteous Lazarus, in the Nevsky Lavra, at the early Liturgy. At first, Kiriak felt an extraordinary fragrance. Then, when the hieromonk began to call on the Holy Spirit for the offered Gifts, Cherubim surrounded the holy throne and the hieromonk; likewise, the entire altar was filled with Cherubim. The serving hieromonk was completely engulfed in fire. When he bowed to the ground before the holy throne, a white dove, but smaller in size compared to an ordinary dove, flew down from above and began to hover over the holy paten, then flew to the top of the holy bowl and, clenching its wings, sank into it, and at that time the Heavenly Powers, falling on their faces, bowed to the holy throne. When the hieromonk exclaimed: Much about the Most Holy One, the Heavenly Powers again bowed to the ground. When they sang: It is worthy to eat, they bowed for the third time, then surrounded the hieromonk, overshadowed his head with some wonderful shroud and became invisible. Kyriakos, being in schism, led a strictly ascetic life, was a mentor to schismatics and was subjected to severe torture according to the custom of that time. Having joined the Orthodox Church in 1783, he died the death of a righteous man in 1798 226. – The ancient Holy Fathers were also vouchsafed a similar vision of the Heavenly Powers during the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Saint Niphon, one of the greatest saints of God, was honored with such a vision. Once he was present at the service of a bishop in one of the churches of Constantinople. Nifont’s spiritual eyes were opened, it is said in his biography, and he saw that fire had descended from heaven and covered the altar and the bishop. During the Trisagion, four Angels appeared and began to sing with the singers. During the reading of the Apostolic Epistle, the holy Apostle Paul appeared and stood behind the reader, observing the reading. When the reading of the Gospel began, then the words flew to heaven in the likeness of lamps. When the time came for the presentation of the Gifts, the church vault opened, the sky opened, a great fragrance spread, Angels descended, singing: “Glory to Christ God!” They carried the Child of extraordinary beauty and, placing him on the paten, they themselves surrounded the throne, and two Seraphim and two Cherubim, hovering over the head of the Child, covered it with their wings. During the consecration of the Gifts and the performance of the terrible Sacrament, one of the brightest Angels began and, taking a knife, stabbed the Baby, poured the blood into the holy chalice, and placed the Baby on the paten, then stood reverently in his rank. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Niphon saw the Baby whole in the arms of angels and ascended into heaven 227. “A certain Syrian monk had a similar vision,” described by the Monk Ephraim 228; A monk of the Egyptian Skete had a similar vision 229. And now the holy Angels appear in the form of winged beautiful youths; and now the souls of holy men appear in the form of man in his body, in heavenly glory; and now demons appear in an ugly, disgusting and terrible form of monsters, but monsters having the image of a person. This is what they are when they appear in their own form; they take upon themselves, as they did before, the image of beasts and reptiles, especially their beloved image of the serpent 230. We are posting here a story about a recent event, which was reported to us by a person who deserves complete trust. In the coachman's village of Tosnya, on the road from St. Petersburg to Moscow, there lived a coachman Fyodor Kazakin, married, childless, elderly, illiterate, simple-minded, meek and generally of good behavior. He was engaged in blacksmithing and for this work he himself burned coals in the forest, about three miles from the village, downstream of the Tosna River, on its right bank, near Dubka. This is the name given to a piece of land after the small oak tree growing on it. One day Kazakin was working alone at a coal pit. Suddenly, in the middle of the day, he saw many demons in the form of people of both sexes, in an unusual variety of clothes, in caps. The demons sat on the tall trees that were here and played various musical instruments, chanting: “Our years! our will! They also did other choruses, which Kazakin did not hear. Neither the sign of the cross with which Kazakin protected himself, nor the prayer with which he armed himself, had any effect on the demons. Overcome with fear, he left work and ran home. The path to the house lay on the bank of a river, which was no more than a hundred fathoms from his place of work; Large spreading birches grew along the shore. Kazakin ran out to the river and saw demons on the birches who were playing instruments, triumphant and chanting disorderly: “Our years! our will! Kazakin ran without looking back. About a mile away from his place of work, he saw demons in the trees for the third time; they rejoiced, playing instruments and chanting: “Our years! our will! The demons did not ask Kazakin any questions and did not prevent him from escaping. In great distress, having run to the village from which the river separated him, and seeing that there was neither a raft nor a boat on the other bank, Kazakin sat down to rest. Meanwhile, they began to hand him the raft from the other side. At this time, a huge snake appeared at his feet, which intended to bite him; but Kazakin jumped away from the kite. Soon news of the event spread throughout the village. The village clerk, John Andreev 231, heard personally from Kazakin about the adventure and recognizes his story as completely reliable, since Kazakin, due to his simplicity, is not capable of any inventions. – The rejoicing of the demons had corresponding consequences. Soon after this (1817, October 16) there was a strong fire in the village of Tosne: a church, three houses of clergy and 18 houses of philistines burned down. Then the schismatic teacher Pyotr Antropov appeared, strong in words, a great reciter; under his influence, up to half of the inhabitants of the populous village of Tosny were seduced into schism. The Western writer claims that Saints Basil, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Cyril, Gregory of Nyssa and other Eastern Fathers recognized created spirits as purely spiritual beings (Extract 4), that is, spiritual according to the understanding of Descartes, without appearance, without movement, without relation to space. Is this fair? Saint Basil the Great in his book about the Holy Spirit says: “In relation to the Heavenly Powers, recognize that in essence they are spirits, the properties of air or immaterial fire 232, as Scripture testifies: create your angels spirits, and your servants a fiery flame 233. For this reason, they depend on the place and are visible, being worthy of this in their own form, in their bodies (σωμάτων). But sanctification, which does not belong to their nature, is given to them through communion with the Holy Spirit. They maintain their dignity by remaining in goodness, having, however, the free will to choose good or evil, but never losing contact with true good. If the action of the Spirit were taken away from them, then the faces of the Angels would perish, the ranks of the Archangels would fall, and everything (many spirits) would fall into disorder: their life would no longer be subject to any law, no order, no rule. How do the Angels say: Glory to God in the highest? - not otherwise than having received power from the Holy Spirit, because no one can say the Lord Jesus, precisely by the Holy Spirit, and no one can speak by the Spirit of God, utters the anathema of Jesus 234, which, of course, was said by the evil and hostile spirits, whose fall proves what we have said that the invisible Powers have their own will, equally capable of turning to virtue and vices” 235. – “We believe that the Heavenly Powers, each creature, are determined by place. The angel who stood before Cornelius did not appear at the same time to Philip 236 ; the one who spoke with Zechariah near the altar 237 was not at the same time in the position that he occupied in heaven. But we believe about the Holy Spirit that He acted at the same time, acted both in Habakkuk, who was in Judea, and in Daniel, who was in Babylon, and overshadowed Jeremiah in the underground prison of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel on the Chebar River in Chaldea: for the Spirit of the Lord filled the world 238, and I will go from the Spirit and from Your face, I'm running 239. And the Prophet: I am with you, the Lord Almighty, and My Spirit will be present in your midst 240. What nature should be recognized in Him who is everywhere and is one with God? Is it the nature of the Angels, which embraces everything or is determined by certain places, as is clear from what has been said?” 241 – In the Discourse on Psalm 33, the Saint says: “I will explain to you the fear that saves, the fear that brings holiness, the fear that appears in the soul from learning, and not from impressions from the outside. When you see that you are attracted to some kind of sin, then, I beg you, think about the Terrible and unbearable Judgment Seat of Christ, at which the Judge sits on a high and exalted throne, and all creation stands before Him in awe produced by the glory of His appearance. Each of us - this will certainly follow - will be brought before Him and the activities of the life of each of us will be examined. After this, those who have committed a lot of evil during their lives will be approached by certain terrible, gloomy angels, emitting fire from their eyes, breathing fire, with a face similar to the night, in their expression of cruelty and hatred of people. After this, imagine a deep abyss, impenetrable darkness, a fire devoid of radiance, having the power to burn in the darkness; further: a special breed of poisonous and carnivorous worms, eating insatiably and never eating enough, producing intolerable diseases through their stings; finally, the most severe punishment of all, eternal damnation and rejection. Be afraid of this! taught by this fear, keep your soul, as if with a bridle, from unclean lusts” 242. – About the nature of the devil, Basil says that “it is incorporeal, according to the Apostle: our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against spiritual malice... 243 The place of his (the devil’s) leadership is the air, as the same Apostle said: according to the prince of the powers of the air." 244. Further in the same word, Saint Basil says that hordes of demons, subordinate to their prince, they reside in the air, that by the word air one must understand the entire space between heaven and earth 245 - “Demons, as devoted to voluptuousness and passions, largely enjoy and feed on sacrifices. While the victims are being burned, the blood turns into vapor through combustion and, having thus decomposed into thin parts, passes into a state corresponding to the nature of demons. All of them, of course, feed on vapors, not so that they eat them or fill their bellies with them, but like some animals, oysters and others of this kind, which take food with their whole being. For this reason, demons greedily devour the gases resulting from the burning of victims, and draw in the smoke of smoking incense as substances adapted for their food. Perhaps in animals there is some natural affinity with the bodies of demons (των δαιμονιξων σωμάτων) 246 . - Weep, sculptured in Jerusalem and in Samaria: just as I created Samaria and those made with hands, so will I do to Jerusalem and its idol 247. How can sculptures made of wood, stone or any other substance and received from the artist the image and appearance of humans or dumb animals, four-legged, or birds, or reptiles, such as the statues and sculptures of the Egyptians, cry? Sobbing is the voice of sadness, which with this kind of sound expresses heart disease. How then will the sculptured ones weep? It happens like this: stumps of wood, to which human hands have given an image and form, or stones, or also gold and silver, or ivory, and in general all idols, whether they are made of precious or cheap substances, all idols to which the pagans worship, invisibly coexist and are co-present with certain demons who find pleasure in unclean sacrifices. Near the butcher shops, where the spoiled and dried blood is thrown out, there are dogs (dogs), desiring this kind of food: similarly, demons, enslaved to gluttony, greedily seeking pleasure from the smell and decomposition of the blood of sacrifices, fly around the altars of the statues dedicated to them. Perhaps their bodies (σώματα), consisting of air or fire, or a mixture of both of these elements, are even fed by this. The power of demons over the statues dedicated to them is clearly revealed in the story that we read in the Book of Kings. The foreigners took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the church of Dagon, and placed it near Dagon. And in the morning the Azotians were clothed, and behold, Dagon fell to the ground on his face 248. The image visible to all was Dagon; the one who fell on his face was a demon, overthrown by the glory that surrounded the ark of God: he (the demon) fell on his face, and with him he overthrew and overturned the visible thing. For this reason, those who eat food sacrificed to idols are recognized as participants in the meal of demons 249. When a sacrifice is made to an idol, some part of it is assigned to the demon present there, since the demons appropriate some part for themselves from the blood that turns into the air (into gas), and from the smoking fat, and from other sacrifices. And therefore, the one who drinks from the cup of libation used at the sacrifice drinks from the cup of demons 250. For this reason, the statues, that is, the demons, who are designated by the same name as the statues, will weep. When it is foretold that the Lord will come to Egypt, and the handmade (idols) of Egypt will shake at His presence, and their hearts will weaken within them, 251 then this saying has the same meaning as the above sayings: because the demons who lived in this country were expelled and crushed, and when the Lord came, they were sent to their place, into the abyss. For this reason, cursed is the person who creates a sculpture and a merger, the work of an artist’s hands, and puts it in hiding 252; Having acquired a statue, a person acquires an evil treasure for himself, that is, a demon co-present with the statue, and through the demon they incur curses both at home and in society” 253. It would not be amiss to note that Basil the Great depicts the attitude of demons towards gases arising from the decomposition of victims, quite similar to the description of this attitude in the Divine Scripture 254. Also, in accordance with Divine Scripture, he sees similarities in the properties of demons with the carnal properties of dumb animals. These spirits fell there! Having irrevocably lost all the aspirations for which rational beings were created by God, they acquired bestial and bestial aspirations that were unnatural to them. Having retained reason, the demons, through it, unusually developed these aspirations in themselves - and Scripture calls the devil the wisest of all beasts that exist on earth 255. Some Latin scholars, considering the Fathers' writings out of their own conceit, out of literal learning, out of one-sided and insufficient learning, out of their blindness, alien to the spirit of the Fathers and their true understanding, were outraged by the opinion of St. Basil the Great about spirits, found in various places in his writings. They attempted to claim that these places did not belong to Vasily; they attributed them, with a wild smile of ignorant irony, to the imagination of a pagan poet. But others of them proved that this frivolous attempt has no basis, that the suspected passages belong specifically to Basil, that passages of identical meaning are also found in Saint Gregory the Theologian 256. Saint Gregory the Theologian in his Word for Holy Pascha says: “The goodness of God was not satisfied with the contemplation of Itself: it had to pour out and spread goodness, so that many would become partakers of goodness, and this is characteristic of the greatest goodness. She, firstly, invented Angels and heavenly spirits. Thought was a deed that was produced by the Word, accomplished by the Spirit. Thus, the second lights were created, serving the first Light. They must be recognized as spirit (moving air, wind), endowed with mental ability (the power of literature), or immaterial and incorporeal fire, or some other nature that comes close to what has been said” 257. We call the mind, the thought and feelings of the soul, which originate from the mind, spirit; but Saint Gregory, by the word spirit and fire, as is clearly seen, understands, according to the general understanding of the ancients, matter in the state of gases, and not in a rough state, which alone was called bodily and material. This opinion of the Theologian about spirits is also explained by other places in his writings. Using the same expressions to define the nature of spirits that were used by his friend Basil the Great, Gregory bases his definition on the same saying of Scripture on which Basil is based. “God, as the Holy Scripture tells us,” says the Theologian, “created His angels, spirits, and His servants, a fiery flame 258 . An angel is called both spirit and fire... Undoubtedly, in relation to us they are incorporeal, or close to that... With the unceasing face of singers, they surround the original Cause or bring something more, according to their ability to do that, than song praise, illuminated by the purest light, illuminated by it in various ways, according to either their nature or the rank of rank... Being servants 259 of the will of God, not only by natural ability, but also due to the abundance of grace, they are transferred to all places, and are co-present with everyone everywhere, both in the quick fulfillment of the service and in the lightness of nature” 260. Here is depicted the definition of spirits, borrowed from the Holy Scriptures, which in this case calls a gaseous substance spirit; here the relationship of spirits is depicted not only to place, but also to time, since moving from place to place takes time; finally, here the speed of movement of the Angels is attributed to their natural lightness, and lightness, as a degree of heaviness, is a property of matter. In the Word for Epiphany, the Theologian repeats the same teaching about Angels. He calls them rational spirits, or immaterial and incorporeal fire, or some other nature that comes close to this 261. Obviously, this refers to a gaseous substance that was unknown to the ancients. Why are Angels called spirits endowed with intelligence? Because the ancients, on the basis of Scripture and the general concept, recognized wind, air, and in general any substance that did not have a gross body and was not subject to the sense of vision as spirit. Why are Angels called immaterial fire? Because the ancients, not knowing about the existence of caloric, called visible flame fire; very recently they realized that flame is only a phenomenon when a substance combines with caloric. Why does the Theologian say that the nature of Angels, if not spirit or fire, then comes close to this? Because the existence of gases was not known, and a more precise expression was not possible. What, if not gases, comes close to moving air and invisible fire? And we can say a little more! We, in our ordinary state, do not know a single gaseous animal. Knowing the gases that belong to the earth, and concluding about the existence of an ether or a collection of gases that do not belong to the earth, we can only say that Angels belong to an ethereal or gaseous nature. We recognize both gases and ether, according to the current state of science, as matter; the ancients recognized them as spirits, just as now, in common usage, gases that have an odor are called perfumes. In foreign languages, the word “spirit” (spiritus, alcohol) refers to some liquid bodies. – In order to clarify as satisfactorily as possible the understanding of spirits by Gregory the Theologian, we add the following extract about how the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate 262 entered into open communication with demons: “He (Julian) descended into a certain cave, inaccessible and terrible to everyone (oh, if only he had descended into the underworld before he fell into such atrocities!), having as a companion the one who he was worthy of many prisons, that is, a man skilled and experienced in these matters, or rather a false philosopher and deceiver. Among other things, they have a kind of sorcery in which they confer about the future with underground demons in dark caves, either because darkness is more pleasant to them, or because they themselves are darkness and doers of dark deeds, or because they run away from the company and presence of pious people, which weakens their strength. When the great man 263 went deeper into the cave, terrible ghosts began to meet him and gradually became more numerous and stronger; they say that he heard unusual sounds, a disgusting smell, saw fiery monsters and I don’t know what other wasteland and extravagance. He, alarmed by the news of the situation, as if he were new in this matter, resorted to ancient medicine, to the cross, and marked himself with it to protect himself from horrors, accepting as his protector the One Whom he was persecuting. The next one is even worse. The sign of the cross exerted its power: demons fell, monsters were driven away. What's behind this? The wicked man has rested, is encouraged again, again tries to penetrate further into the cave, the monsters appear again, again he resorts to the sign of the cross, the demons are again curbed. A perplexed student seeks advice from his leader: the leader of these mysteries, walking next to him, cunningly reinterprets the truth. “We were abominable to them, not terrible,” he said, “we got over the worst.” He spoke such words, and with such words he convinced; He led the convinced disciple into the depths of the den. This shouldn't be surprising. The wicked will sooner and more conveniently follow evil than bow to good. What he said or did after this, or by what deceptions he was deceived before he left the cave, is known to those who partly introduce others to these sacraments, and partly introduce themselves. He came out frantic, quite expressing with his ardent gaze and his whole being to whom he rendered divine worship. But he, not from the very day on which he let so much wickedness into his soul, was filled with demons. The truth is that it was clearly revealed then. It was not in vain that he went to the cave: there he entered into communication with demons. They call this state enthusiasm, hiding behind honest and magnificent names” 264. – In his Praise to Saint Cyprian, the Theologian says: “What is surprising if he (the devil), through Cyprian, attacked the holy soul and the immaculate body? 265 Cyprian himself acted on her, and used as a mediator (actor) not some old woman capable of such matters, but some demon, a lover of bodies and carnal lusts. Rebellious and hostile authorities willingly and hastily perform such services, seeking to increase the number of participants in their destruction. The reward of such pandering was sacrifices and libations, brought into a refined form, and in the fumes from blood and sacrifices adapted to the demon” 266. In order to correctly understand and explain the Fathers, who wrote with the assistance of Divine grace and with the assistance of ascetic experiences, the assistance of both these experiences and grace is needed. Enlightened by grace, the Fathers shied away from many concepts, especially regarding the essential, which the modern, infancy science of matter presented to them. They expressed opinions that science, in its latest extraordinary development, finds most true, as can be seen throughout the entire space of Vasily the Great’s Shestodnev. Saint Callistus Kataphigiot, enlightened by the feat of mental prayer, did not even stop to say that God alone is a truly simple being 267. Those who begin to judge a substance without having thorough knowledge about it are led through incorrect judgment to incorrect conclusions. Such gentlemen with the greatest confidence proclaim about the visible and invisible world, believing that such a concept is an irrefutable axiom, without understanding in any way that this division is completely relative, that in essence it does not exist. What does the visible world mean? This is the one we see. What is the invisible world? This is the one we don't see. Christianity, studied at the behest of the Savior through life-long asceticism, leads to the knowledge that our feelings are perverted by the fall, subject to changeability, and therefore cannot in any way serve as the norm for the mentioned division; it can't possibly be correct. Science comes to confirm this concept, expanding the range of our vision by various mechanical means and making many invisible things visible through magnifying glasses, telescopes and microscopes. With such a concept of the visible and invisible worlds, the concept of matter must certainly change. This has changed with modern advances in chemistry: much that seemed immaterial turned out to be material. It is obvious that matter extends beyond the limits of our senses to an immeasurable volume in countless forms unknown to us, under the control of laws inaccessible to our comprehension. Science leads to this magnificent idea, to this majestic truth, in which the most extensive, sacred contemplation is revealed to the mind, in which our insignificance and the greatness of the Creator - God - are contemplated with special clarity and correctness in the mysterious picture of the visible world. Saint Athanasius the Great follows the same teaching about spirits as depicted by Basil the Great. Like Basil the Great, he says that spirits have thin and light bodies, that, having such bodies, they are quickly transported from place to place, that the place of residence of demons is airspace, that the appearance of demons is terrible, like that of robbers, but that of holy Angels is the most pleasant. Saint Athanasius compiled a biography of St. Anthony the Great, with whom he was personally acquainted and was on friendly terms with the Lord. In this biography of the Venerable Saint, the Saint of Alexandria conveys a very lengthy teaching of the Saint about spirits and various temptations that he suffered from them 268 . The thoughts belong to Anthony, the presentation belongs to Athanasius. But the saint assimilated the thoughts of the Venerable Saint and repeated many of them throughout the entire space of his writings, already on his own behalf. Saint Athanasius calls Angels incorporeal in comparison with people 269. Good, he says, is one God in Himself; Angels are good by participating in Divine grace 270. They are living, intelligent, incorporeal beings (αυλός), capable of singing, immortal 271. The nature of demons is no different from the nature of Angels; they differ in their acquired will, just as a righteous person has one direction of spirit, and a sinner has another 272. Speaking about the book of Tobit and classifying it among the canonical books of Holy Scripture, Saint Athanasius mentions the demon Asmodeus, who loved Sarah, daughter of Raguel, and killed her husbands; quotes the words of the Archangel Raphael, who accompanied Tobias in the form of a man, that the liver and heart of a fish, being kindled, will drive away the demon. Driven away by this incense, the demon was bound by an Angel in the upper parts of Egypt 273 . “The devil, the enemy of our race, having fallen from heaven, wanders in the space of this lower air, where, ruling over other demons, as over those who have become disobedient and proud like him, with their assistance, he deceives people with ghosts and tries to hinder those who strive for grief, about which the Apostle says: according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit, who now works in his sons resistance 274. The Lord descended from heaven to overthrow the devil, purify the air and open the way to heaven for us with a curtain, that is, with His flesh 275. If this had to be accomplished through death, then what other death, tell me, could this have been accomplished, if not the one that the Lord suffered on the cross in the air? Only the one who lays his soul on the cross dies in the air. For this reason, the Lord suffered such a death according to the requirement of need. Thus ascended upward, He cleansed the air from the machinations of the devil and all demons, which He testified with the following words: I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven 276." “When did the oracles of Greece and the whole world cease and fall silent, if not after the coming of the Savior to earth? When did they begin to understand that the gods and heroes of the poets are men, and for this reason to despise them, if not after the Lord’s victory over death, and He raised the body He had accepted from the dead and preserved it incorruptible? When did the wickedness and rage of demons turn out to be despised, if not after the appearance on earth of the Word, the Power of God, the Lord of all and them, who had mercy on the weakness of men? When was the art and school of the Magi trampled under foot, if not after the coming of the Divine Word to men? Finally, when did the wisdom of the pagans become foolishness? – After the true wisdom of God revealed itself on earth... Previously, the universe was filled with the deceptions of oracles and the false concepts of men. The oracles of Delphi, Dodona, Viotia, Lycia, Egypt and Kavir, as well as the Pythia, were the subject of surprise to everyone; but now, when Christ is preached everywhere, their fury has completely ceased, and nowhere among them is a prophet found. Previously, demons misled the minds of people with various ghosts, dwelling in springs and rivers, in trees and stones, 277 and frightened ignorant mortals with ghosts. These intrigues faded away after the coming of the Divine Word” 278. "Our adversary the devil 279, jealous of the great benefits that we should receive, walks around us and carefully watches in order to steal the seeds of the Word that are in us. For this reason, the Lord, with a warning, sealing His commandments in us as His own treasure, says: Take heed, lest you be deceived: for many will come in My name, saying that I am: and time approach. Do not go out after them 280. Without a doubt, something great is provided to us by the Word: we are given the opportunity to avoid deception, which could be produced by the external appearance of the objects that appear, and we, through the action of the grace of the Spirit, can correctly judge these objects, despite the fact that they are covered and disguised. I would drive him away like a snake, like a dragon, like a lion, coming to kidnap and devour anyone he could. For this reason, he hides and covers himself, slyly appropriating for himself a name desired by all people, in order to deceive people with a false appearance and chain those already deceived in his chains. Just as someone who wants to entice other people’s children into slavery for himself, in the absence of their parents, takes on the likeness of these parents, through this trick, deceiving sons burning with love for their parents, takes them far away and destroys the unfortunate ones, so the wicked demon, the twisted and crafty devil, does not dare to show himself to anyone as he is: knowing how much people love the truth, he takes on the guise of truth and by this means pours out his poison on his followers. This is how he once deceived Eve, telling her not his own words, but pretending to repeat the words of God and perverting their meaning 281 . So he seduced Job’s wife, taught her excessive love for her husband, and hence blasphemy against God 282. So he seduced and deceived all people, distorting the external appearance of objects, and kidnapped everyone and dragged them into the abyss of evil, which actually belonged to him. After he had seduced the first man, and through this came to the consciousness that he held the entire human race in his power and in his subjection, he uttered a cruel and arrogant insult against them in the following words: I have taken the whole world with my hand like a nest, and like an abandoned egg I will take it: and there is no one who will run away from me or speak against me 283 . When the Lord came, when the enemy learned from experience His economy and could not deceive the flesh in which Christ was clothed, then the proud man, who boasted that he would embrace the universe, became, through Christ, a playground even for children, like a sparrow. Now a young boy will lay his hand on the bed of the offspring of the asp 284, mock the one who deceived Eve, and all who truly believe in the Lord trample on the one who said: I will ascend above the clouds, I will be like the Most High 285. He endures this not without shame; but, due to his powerful audacity, he attempts to change his appearance. Despite this, he, the unfortunate one, cannot hide from those who sign the sign of the cross on his forehead: the more cruelly he is driven away by them, with great dishonor and shame for himself. Although he now, like a creeping serpent, pretends to clothe himself in the image of a bright angel, such pretense cannot bring him any benefit: we are taught that even if an Angel from heaven brings us news of a more faithful one, he too is subject to anathema. Again, if he wants to cover up his inherent deceit and pretends to speak the truth with his lips, then we do not know his purpose in this action and rightly reject him with words borrowed from the Holy Spirit: But God said to the sinner: What have you told of my justifications? 286 Praise is not red in the mouth of a sinner 287 . The evil one, even if he spoke the truth, does not deserve to be believed, as Scripture teaches this, telling about the deceit that he used against Eve. The Lord curbed his insolence: firstly, in grief, where he exposed his manifold evil cunning, he showed that he had grown old in wickedness, calling him not one of the saints, but Satan. Follow Me, Satan: for it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone 288. Secondly, he commanded the demons to be silent when they cried out from those possessed by them. With their cries they proclaimed the truth; they did not lie when they said: Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy One of God 289. The Lord did not favor the truth to be preached through unclean lips, especially through the mouths of demons, lest they, taking advantage of this opportunity, by evil will, mix in something of their own and sow it with a sleeping person 290 . For this reason, He did not tolerate them speaking, and He did not allow us to allow them to do so, having Himself give instructions in the following words: Take heed from lying prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves 291; but through the holy Apostles: Believe not every spirit 292.” It is obvious that the thoughts expressed here are identical with the thoughts that we read in the Teachings of Anthony the Great. The opinion found in this teaching that created spirits have light bodies undoubtedly belongs not only to Anthony, but also to Athanasius; otherwise the Saint would not have failed to slander him. The materiality of created spirits is clear from the description of the temptations that Anthony the Great suffered from them. Since these temptations are placed in the life of Anthony the Great in the Chetyi-Minaia 293, we do not write them out here. Many hermits and desert dwellers suffered similar temptations. Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus, who died on a ship, sailing from Constantinople to Cyprus, said this to his disciples in his dying farewell conversation: “My children! if you love me, then keep my commandments, and the love of God will be with you. You know what sorrows I have gone through in my life! I did not count these sorrows as sorrows, but, being subjected to them, I always remained joyful because of my trust in God, and God never left me, but He Himself protected me from all the wiles of the evil one. Everything will work out for good for those who love God 294. One day, my beloved children, when I was in a deserted place and offered prayers to Christ that He would deliver me from all the machinations of the enemy, many demons attacked me. They hit me on the ground and, grabbing me by the legs, dragged me along the ground. Some of them beat me. They did this to me for ten days. After that, I no longer saw demons in their own form all the days of my life; but they poured out their anger on me through people” 295. The Ancient Fathers, as we saw from the quotation of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and according to general usage, called the air, the wind, in a word, everything that does not have a plump body, spirit. To provide our beloved brethren with the most satisfactory understanding of the opinion of the ancient Fathers about spirits, we offer here the teaching of St. Athanasius the Great about the body and soul of men. “It is known,” says the Saint, “that the body borrows its composition from the elements; its destruction also depends on them. For this reason, bodies, both human and other animals, conveniently die, being composed of four elements, namely earth, sun, water and air. These elements themselves are not free from decay and damage: in the same way, bodies are not free from them, since all bodies are made of earth. On the contrary, simple, uncomplicated substances are conveniently preserved and remain undestructed until the end. Such are the sun, the human soul, light, luminaries, air, water, fire, spirit, in a word - everything simple.” About the soul he says the following: “It contains five passions, called spiritual. They are anger, sadness, fear, guardianship, envy. He who has acquired sobriety of mind can rule over these passions. Actually, the soul, in its essence, is like a burning fire. Just as fire cooks what is put into a pan, so the fiery soul digests and consumes the food placed in the belly. Although it is called ψυχη (soul), it is called so not because it is ψυχρά, that is, cold, as some of the simplest think. The power and action of the sun is evident in it from the fact that it dries up the damp with the power of its warmth. The sun, being fiery and hot, dries up swampy places and allows anything filled with dampness to evaporate. That the soul by its nature is warm, the dead will undoubtedly and experimentally assure you of this, because at the hour when the soul is separated from the body, all members are enveloped in cold, no less than from the action of frost. As long as the soul takes food in abundance, the body is strong and vigorous; when it is deprived of nutrition, then the body itself serves instead of food for the warmth of the soul. Just as a copper vessel or pan in a flooded stove, not filled with water, cannot withstand the power of fire, because it is burned and completely destroyed, in the same way a bodily vessel, if exposed to a lack of nutrition, will certainly collapse, being brought into complete relaxation by the fiery soul. If you want to learn from someone how the soul resides in the body, then ask him this way: “Tell me, does the human soul live in the whole body or in some part of the body?” If he tells you: “In the whole body,” answer him: “Why is it that when a person’s arm or leg is cut off, the soul is not cut, but the person continues to live and does not die?” If he says: “In one place,” then answer him: “How then do all the other members exist? because everything that has no soul is dead, and I don’t know what you want to say. But I will tell you in what place, for what reason and where the soul resides. It is positively present in three places of the body. Just as a ray of sun enters and enters a house always in one place and illuminates the entire house, so the soul, dwelling in three parts of the body, illuminates the entire house of the body. It is she who lives in the heart, in the highest part of the head and in the royal veins. The soul lives in these three parts. For this reason, at the hour when the head or heart is struck, or when blood flows out in greater quantities from the royal vein, the soul is immediately separated from the body, and the body is made dead. The soul, truly dwelling in these three parts, spreads the action of its power throughout the whole body” 296. The opinion expressed by Saint Athanasius the Great, the most enlightened man of his time, is worthy of special attention. It is worthy of attention especially in our time, when the rationalism of Descartes has fallen or is professed only by backward individuals who are not familiar with the real development of the sciences that explain matter. From the exposition made by Athanasius on the meaning of body and soul, it is clear what the ancients called simple. They called simple that which was not decomposed into its component parts, for the decomposition of which no means were intended. The concept and the depiction of concepts in words are very natural! Water, air, spirit, soul were called simple in the same respect. Chemistry appeared and perverted the concepts of matter, defining complexity in what was recognized as simple, proving materiality in what was recognized as immaterial, achieving the most accurate, mathematical process of knowledge that everything except the infinite is material. With this knowledge, science has come to one opinion with the opinion of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, who separate the being of God by an infinite distance from all created beings, both by nature and by properties. All the intricate assumptions, all the magnificent nonsense of philosophers who are not familiar with the positive sciences, are rejected and reduced to dust by the positive sciences 297 . The presence of caloric in the soul, indicated by Saint Athanasius, although it cannot be accepted in the form in which it is in the work, being based on the modern state of knowledge about matter, cannot be recognized as strangeness and absurdity, as the Descartes should recognize it. All gases known to us, these invisible and subtle bodies, contain caloric. Athanasius recognizes, on the basis of experiments known to him, the presence of the soul in the three main departments of the body; in all members he recognizes the action of the soul, rejecting its presence. The latest experiences unanimously testify that the soul is present in all members of the body; but life is present where Saint Athanasius indicated. All people, without any exception, who have lost arms or legs, clearly feel the presence of these members, feel the ability to act with them. Some believe that this is a game of nerves. Unfair! Nerves act only in the body; they have no ability to act outside the body: these are clearly felt members of the soul, with the ability to act, which remains unused due to the connection of the main parts of the soul with the body. Saint John Chrysostom: “Do you want to see Angels and martyrs together? Open your eyes of faith and look at this spectacle. For if the whole air is filled with angels, how much more is the church. That the whole air is filled with Angels, hear what the Apostle says, exhorting wives to cover their heads. For this reason, he says, a wife should have power over the head of the Angel for the sake of 298. Jacob again: The angel who saves me from all evils 299. And those who were in the house with the Apostles said to the young woman Rodya: His angel is 300. And again Jacob saw the army of God taking up arms: and the angels of God gathered together 301. But why is there a regiment and many Angels on earth? Just as the king commands to place his soldiers in all cities so that war does not break out anywhere and they are not subjected to an unexpected attack, so God contrasts the regiments of Angels with cruel and ferocious demons, the enemies of the world, who constantly stir up battles in this air, so that the Angels stop the demons as soon as they appear, and for us maintain constant peace. And so that you learn that Angels are Angels of peace, hear what the deacon constantly says in prayer: We ask for an Angel of peace” 302. Saint John Chrysostom, rejecting the opinion of those who claimed that Angels copulated with the daughters of men, calls the Angels incorporeal, not having the ability to bear children, based his last opinion on the words of the Lord: on the resurrection they neither marry nor commit violence, but as the Angels of God are in heaven 303. Chrysostom says that every person has his own Angel; he proves his opinion with the words of the Jerusalem Christians: His angel is 304. In Discourse 53 on the Evangelist Matthew, Chrysostom says: “The prisoner is then given over to the greatest sorrow when he is brought before the judgment seat; then he trembles most when he approaches the place of torture, when he must give answers. Likewise, many will tell about the terrible visions that appear at this time (at death), the sights of which the dying, not being able to bear, shake with great effort the very bed on which they lie, look at those ahead with eyes distorted from fear, when the soul is restless in itself, does not want to leave the body, cannot bear the gaze of the approaching Angels. If we tremble when we look at terrible people, then what kind of fear will we be exposed to when we see the gathered Angels and fierce forces, when the soul is torn away from the body, weeping in vain and a lot? In the Word on the Incomprehensible, Chrysostom says: “And what am I saying about this blessed being (the Divine), when a person cannot freely see even an angelic being. So that you understand that this is so, I will cite as an example a friend of God, who was endowed with great courage for his wisdom and righteousness, about whom it is narrated that he did many glorious deeds, namely Saint Daniel, so that no one will assume when I show that after the appearance of an Angel to him, he fell into relaxation, lost strength and was exhausted, that he underwent this because of sins and an evil conscience. After the strength of his spirit has been proven, the weakness of his nature itself is all the more clearly proven. So, this Daniel fasted for three weeks, did not eat the desired bread; wine, meat and strong drink did not enter his mouth, he used anointings below: and then he was granted a vision, when his soul became more capable of such contemplation, through fasting it became easier and more spiritual. So what is he saying? I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, one man was clothed in a linen robe, that is, in sacred clothing, and his loins were girded with bright gold. His body is like Tarshish, his face is like the vision of lightning, his eyes are like fiery lights, and his muscles and legs are like the appearance of shining copper, and the voice of his words is like the voice of the people. And I saw only one appearance, Daniel, but the men who were with me did not see the appearance, but a great horror attacked them, and they fled in fear. And the strength did not remain in me, and my glory turned to disintegration 305. What does this mean: my glory has turned to dust? The young man (Daniel) was beautiful in appearance: since fear from the presence of the Angel caused his appearance to change and his natural complexion to fade, in the image of the dying, he said: “My glory has turned to disintegration.” What about Angel? He raised him up and said: Daniel, the man of desires, understand in all these words what I say to you, and stand in your position, as if I have now been sent to you 306. He stood up in awe. And when the Angel again began to speak to him and said: from the first day, in the same place you gave your heart, to understand and to work before the Lord your God, your words were heard, and I came in your words, 307 - Daniel again fell to the ground in the likeness of the dying. Let those who, out of curiosity, seek visions of Angels, hear this! Daniel, before whom the eyes of the lions were respectful, Daniel, who could do in the human body what exceeds man, could not bear the presence of his fellow servant, but lay unconscious. My womb turned in my vision, and had no strength and no breath left in me." 308. In his interpretation of the 41st Psalm, Chrysostom says: “How many demons are rushing in this air? How many nasty authorities? If only God allowed them to show us their terrible and disgusting image, then wouldn’t we be subjected to insanity? Wouldn’t we perish?” 309 In Discourse 34 on the Evangelist Matthew, Chrysostom says that “demons wander through the tombs.” Chrysostom depicts the attitude of demons towards the sacrifices made to them in the “Tale of Saint Babyl”, against Julian and the pagans. Having told the circumstances that gave them the reason to build a church for Apollo in Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, Chrysostom says that the devil, taking advantage of a fabulous legend, placed a demon in the church to seduce and destroy people. The demon, being present at the idol, gave prophecies that supported the errors of the pagans. The relics of the holy martyr Vavila were transferred to Daphne, and the demon first fell silent, and then, when sacrifices to him stopped, he completely withdrew from the church. “This is the custom of demons,” adds Chrysostom, “when people give them divine worship with the stench and smoke of blood, then they, like bloodthirsty and insatiable dogs, stay in those places for food and pleasure (with this stench and smoke). When no one makes such sacrifices for them, then they disappear, as if from hunger. As long as sacrifices are made, as long as bad mysteries are performed... as long as demons are present and have fun" 310. Saint Cyril of Alexandria has a similar opinion about spirits, as can be seen from “[his] Word on the Exodus of the Soul,” given in his “Sermon on Death.” Saint Cyril calls demons terrible, wild, cruel, unmerciful, shameless, rotten, like gloomy murins. He says that the soul of a dying man sees them, that the soul that has left the body is held by the holy Angels, that it passes with them through the air from earth to heaven, that evil spirits prevent this ascent, convicting the soul of the sins it has committed, that the holy Angels stand against the demons and argue with them about the soul, that it, being among the Angels and demons, awaits in trepidation how it will end torturing her and having spirits compete with each other about her. The saint says that pious souls ascend to God, but the rejected soul, due to its sinfulness, is taken into power by the air demons, they begin to beat it without mercy, they bring it down from the air path to the earth, they open up the earth, they bring the soul down into the interior of the earth and imprison it there in the dungeons of hell for eternal torment. Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia says: “There is no doubt that there are many demons: all the saints claim that the air is filled with them” 311. - “This serpent (devil) is the color of black (red), which depicts his murderous and bloodthirsty property, or his angelic fiery nature, although he is alienated from the Angels” 312 arbitrarily acquired qualities. Saint Gregory the Dvoeslov says a lot about the afterlife and spirits. We select a few from many, especially those that are remarkable, especially those that serve to provide, if possible, a definite concept of spirits. In a conversation on the Gospel parable about the ten virgins, Dvoeslov recounts the following event: “Approaching his death, Chryserius, at the very hour at which he was supposed to leave his body, with open eyes saw vile and blackest spirits standing before him, terribly threatening to take him to the rivets of hell. He began to tremble, turn pale, sweat, with a terrible cry to ask for a reprieve, and with an extraordinary, frantic cry he called for his son Maxim, calling him by name, whom I myself, already a monk, saw as a monk, saying: “Maxim! quicker! I have done you no harm: accept me into your faith.” Frightened Maxim came running immediately; a crying and trembling family came together. They could not see those spirits from whose attack he was terribly tormented, but they guessed their presence by the confusion, pallor and trembling of the one who was attracted. Frightened by their ugly appearance, he rushed back and forth on the bed, lay down on his left side, could not stand the sight of them, turned to the wall - there they were. When, extremely constrained, he despaired of the possibility of easing himself, he began to shout loudly, saying: “Delay! until the morning though! delays! until the morning though!” But when he screamed, with these very screams he was torn out from the dwelling of his flesh. It is known about him precisely because he saw it not for himself, but for us, so that the vision would be useful to us, whom Divine patience still awaits. Actually, what was the benefit for him in the fact that before his death he saw vile spirits and asked for a reprieve, when he did not receive this reprieve? 313 “When the day of death forced Stephen to leave his body, then many gathered in order for such a holy soul to depart from this world to present their souls into consideration. And when everyone who had gathered stood near his bed, then only with their bodily eyes they saw the Angels entering, but they could not say anything; others absolutely saw nothing. But all those present were seized by such a strong fear that at the departure of this holy soul no one could remain there” 314. “The days will come against you, and your enemies will lay prisons for you 315. What enemies are as dangerous for the human soul as the evil spirits that surround it when separated from the body, while they assist it in carnal love with deceptive pleasures? They surround it with trenches, because, having brought before its eyes the iniquities it has committed, they constrain it, dragging it to the community of their condemnation, so that it, caught at the very end of life, she herself sees how she is surrounded by enemies, and, however, cannot find a way out of their encirclement, because she who despised them when she could do them can no longer do good deeds. In addition to them, what follows can be understood: and Evil spirits will surround you from everywhere 316. they oppress the soul when they present to it the appearance of iniquities, not only those committed in deed, but also in word, and even in thought: it, having amused itself with many crimes, is extremely embarrassed by all in retribution. Then it follows: and they will destroy you and your children in you 317. The soul is broken by the consciousness of its guilt when the flesh, which it considered its life, is forced to return to the dust. Her children make their way when the impermissible thoughts that came from her crumble at the last vengeance of life, as it is written: on that day all their thoughts will perish 318. These same coarse thoughts can also be understood by the meaning of stones, for it follows: and they will not leave one stone upon another in you 319 . A depraved soul, adding an even more criminal thought to a criminal thought, what else does it do but lay stone on stone? But in a destroyed city no stone is left unturned, because when the soul is brought to its vengeance, then the entire structure of its thoughts crumbles. And for what she endures is further added: you did not understand the time of your visit 320. Almighty God usually visits a depraved soul in many ways... But since she does not understand the time of her visit, then at the end of her life she is given over to those enemies with whom she enters into communication, in the eternal judgment of unceasing condemnation, as it is written: when you come with your rival to the prince, on the way let the work (try) to get rid of him: lest he draw you to the Judge, and the Judge betray you slave (torturer), and the servant will throw you into prison 321. Our opponent on the path is the word of God, which is contrary to our carnal desires in this life. The one who humbly obeys his commandments is freed from this rival. Otherwise, the opponent hands over to the Judge, and the Judge to the torturer. This means: a sinner guilty of despising the word of the Lord will be detained at the trial of the Judge. The judge submits him to torture, allowing the evil spirit to seduce him for vengeance and forcibly remove from his body the soul that voluntarily agreed with this evil spirit to commit crimes. The torturer sends him to prison. This means: the sinner, through the medium of an evil spirit, is cast into the underworld until the day of judgment comes, from which he himself (the evil spirit) will suffer together in the fires of the underworld. We need to think thoroughly about how terrible the hour of death will be for us, what horror of the soul then, what a remembrance of all evils, what oblivion of past happiness, what fear and what apprehension of the Judge. Then the evil spirits in the departing soul look for its deeds; then they visualize the sins to which they disposed her in order to entice their accomplice to torture. But why are we talking only about the sinful soul, when they even come to the chosen dying and find theirs in them, if they have time to do anything? Among people there was only one, Who, before His suffering, fearlessly said: To whom I speak not much with you. For the prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will have nothing 322. The Prince of Peace saw the Lord as a mortal man: he thought that he could find something of his own in Him. But He who came into the world without sin came out without any sin from the corruption of the world. Peter did not dare to say this about his attitude towards the prince of this world, who was honored to hear: if he is bound on earth, he will be bound in heaven; and even if you permit it on earth, it will be permitted in heaven 323. Paul did not dare to say this, who before his death was caught up to the mysteries of the third heaven 324. Even John did not dare to say this about himself, who, out of special love, reclined on the chest of his Redeemer during supper. The prophet says: Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins 326: from this it follows that one who came into the world with guilt cannot be without guilt. For this reason, the same Prophet says: no one living will be justified before You 327. For this reason, Solomon says: there is no righteous man on earth, who will do good and not sin 328. For this reason, John also says: if we say that there is no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us 329. That is why James says: we all sin greatly 330. Since everyone - this is known to everyone - was conceived from the pleasures of the flesh, then, without any doubt, the prince of this world had something of his own in everyone, either in their deeds, or in words, or in thoughts. But he could neither kidnap them after, nor hold them before, because he freed them from their debts by the One who, without debt, paid the debt of death for us, so that our debts to our enemy would not detain us, because for us the Mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, freely gave him what he did not owe. We were freed from due spiritual death by the One who paid for us with bodily death, which he did not have to pay. For this reason He says: the prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will have nothing. “We must care and think with abundant daily tears about how fierce, how terrible the prince of this world will come on the day of our death, looking for his deeds in us, if he even came to the Lord, dying in the flesh, and looked for something in Him in Whom he could not find anything. So! What shall we say, what shall we do, the unfortunate ones who have fallen into countless sins? What shall we say to the enemy, who seeks and finds much of himself in us, if not only that we have a certain refuge and firm hope, because we have done one thing together with Him in whom the prince of this world sought something of his own and could not find anything of his own? because He is only free among the dead 331, because we are released from the slavery of sin to true freedom, uniting with Him who alone is free. It is known - and we cannot deny, but we sincerely admit - that the prince of this world has much in us; but despite this, he no longer has the power to snatch us away at the time of our death, because we have become members of Him in whom He has nothing” 332. “A certain nun named Redempta had two disciples, one of whom was called Romulo. Romula was stricken with paralysis and lay in complete relaxation on her bed for many years, enduring the illness with patience and carefully engaged in prayer. One night, Romula suddenly called Redempta to her with the words: “My mother! come to me, my mother! come to me.” Redempta immediately approached the sick woman’s bed, inviting another student with her. When they, in the middle of the night, stood by the bed on which Romula lay, a light from heaven filled the entire space of the cell, and the brilliance of such glory shone that the hearts of those present were filled with inexpressible horror. They heard sounds as if from some incoming multitude; the door of the cell shook as if from the pressure of a crowd hurrying to enter. Feeling the multitude of people entering, they could not see anything from extreme fear and light: their eyes were squeezed by fear, and they were blinded by the brightness of the exorbitant light. The appearance of light was immediately followed by the stench of a wondrous fragrance, and their soul, frightened by the appeared light, was calmed by the pleasantness of the smell. But when they could not bear it, then Romula began in a gentle voice to console the trembling Redempta, her mentor, saying: “My mother! Don’t be afraid: I’m not dying yet.” When she repeated this, the light that appeared disappeared little by little, but the fragrance that followed remained. In this way the second and third days passed; the stench of the spreading fragrance remained. On the fourth night, Romula again invited her mentor to her place. As she approached, she asked for guidance, and received it. Redempta and the other student had not yet had time to leave the sick bed, when suddenly on the street, in front of her door, two choirs of Angels were heard, and, as the nuns certified, there was a clear difference in the voices of the sexes. The men began to sing psalms; their wives echoed them. When this heavenly funeral chant was performed before the doors of the cell, then the holy soul was separated from the body. When she was ascended to heaven, and the higher the choirs of singers rose, the less audible the chanting became. When the sounds of chanting ended at the heights, then the fragrance stopped. Saint Gregory knew these nuns personally” 333. “We will describe the angelic spirit; but the most supreme Spirit, which is God, is indescribable” 334. The presented extracts from the Holy Fathers indicated by the Western writer decisively define the teaching of these Fathers about spirits. Extracts testify: 1) that the teaching of the Fathers about spirits is identical with the teaching of Holy Scripture; 2) that the doctrine of spirits set forth in Orthodox theology is identical with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers; 3) that the doctrine attributed by Western writers to the Fathers about the perfect spirituality and immateriality of created spirits, on a par with the perfect immateriality and spirituality of God, is attributed unfairly. A Western writer says that the Fathers of the Church were influenced by pagan philosophy and modern scholarship in general. Fair, but only in relation to some Fathers and to some, very few objects. This was noticed, and due caution was given to Orthodox readers 335. At the present time, anyone who properly studies the Fathers who had the learning of this world can see in what they paid an inevitable tribute, both to the modern concepts of human society, and to the concepts drawn from science in the state in which it was taught in their time. The same cannot be said of the writers of the Holy Scriptures. These persons were enlightened only by the Holy Spirit. Also, the Monk Anthony the Great was illiterate; having purified himself through pious deeds, he became the abode of God and proclaimed the doctrine of spirits in accordance with how the spirits were revealed to him by God. A learned man, patriarch, Saint Athanasius the Great, although he was also a man of grace, nevertheless recognized it as more thorough to teach the Church the doctrine of spirits as it was communicated to him by Anthony, who had experienced knowledge, than to write an essay about them, borrowed from reading, his own speculations and, perhaps, few and insufficient experiences, which these experiences should be according to the studies of the Saint 336. The story about the spirits of St. Anthony the Great is simple, natural, and clear! Meanwhile, it communicates knowledge so detailed and definite that all scientists could not communicate on the basis of their learning. Knowledge about a substance must be confirmed by experience. It is impossible to achieve accurate and true knowledge by judgment alone. Often a judgment that appears infallible in appearance, when tested by experience, turns out to be erroneous. Judgments that are not confirmed by experience, no matter how plausible they may seem, no matter how magnificently they are presented, are only positions and assumptions, and not the truth. This is the verdict of science. It is based on the history of the sciences that explain matter; it is based on countless experiences: there is no cancellation for it, no voice against it. The voice given by ignorance or an arbitrary play of the imagination has no significance before the court of science. What is the significance of Descartes' doctrine of spirits in science? – This teaching is not a positive, proven conclusion obtained through the legitimate means of science. This teaching is a hypothesis or assumption. A hypothesis is allowed in the natural sciences not as a reliable teaching, but as a teaching that strives to give a definite concept about an object, which science cannot yet develop in its own legitimate way. For this reason, science, until it receives exact knowledge about the subject, adheres to the hypothesis as explaining the subject, without at all entrusting itself to it. She rejects the hypothesis as soon as the facts begin to prove the hypothesis wrong. So the famous Franklin came up with a hypothesis to explain electricity. When science developed facts that contradict Franklin's hypothesis, then the hypothesis was rejected by science and became part of the history of science. What was Franklin's hypothesis? The game of a gifted mind, enriched with much knowledge about the natural sciences, is a game of the mind, and nothing more. Based on new facts, Simmer came up with his hypothesis, since science had not developed accurate knowledge about electricity. But with the further work of science and Simmer’s hypothesis, it received the same dignity as Franklin’s. With all this, drawing up hypotheses is in no way rejected by science as work that contributes to the development of science. A successfully invented hypothesis can become a doctrine when it is positively proven. This should be, by all indications, at least to a significant extent, the newest hypothesis about light. What is Descartes' hypothesis about spirits? This is a teaching he composed, a play of his mind, based on contemporary knowledge. Descartes' hypothesis is completely refuted by science in its current development. It is also refuted by facts, both delivered by the Orthodox Church and by means hostile to the Church, magic, magnetism, spiritualism. Descartes sees a decisive opposition between gross matter and created spirits. Science sees not the opposite, but gradualness and affinity. The fact that a limited object is not subject to our bodily senses and our comprehension does not in any way give it the right to properties that belong to an unlimited object. Any limited object can be represented by a number. At least this number, due to its enormity, was alien to subordination to any human action; however, it remains a number, has all the properties of other numbers and differs from the infinite by infinite difference. The doctrine of spirits presented here is exclusively communicated by the revealed knowledge of God, the Christian faith. There are no other means to acquire it; all other means lead to erroneous conclusions 337 . This teaching does not have the character of systematic teachings compiled by the scientists of this world and according to the elements of the world. It is set forth in the Holy Scriptures as many other doctrines are set forth therein. It is set out in the same way in the Holy Fathers. But upon careful reading and study of Scripture and the Fathers, the exact opinion of Scripture and the Fathers about spirits becomes clear. Such study requires not only a pious life, but also an ascetic, concentrated life, a life in solitude. The Church sings to its sage: you have gained deeds, inspired by God, visions have risen 338. Only those who have renounced the world and given themselves entirely to the service of God can achieve experimental knowledge of fallen spirits in the thoughts, dreams and sensations they bring, as St. Macarius the Great says 339; Only with the assistance of internal experiences do those passages of Scripture and the Fathers that speak about this invisible struggle become accessible to understanding. With the multiplication of experiences, knowledge becomes more complete and complete, and the teaching of Scripture and the Fathers is clearer and clearer. Saint Isaac of Syria, having mentioned Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, that they first formed themselves in human society with virtues corresponding to such a life, then withdrew into the desert and stayed with their inner man, he further says that the desert is useful for the strong because they achieve in it the struggle against the spirits of evil 340. The Monk Cassian the Roman, having described the pious life of the ancient monks in hostels, says that this holy life produced an even more sublime life - hermitage, for which very few were capable in the first centuries of Christianity. Cassian calls these chosen ones the color of monasticism. They, “not content with the victory they received among human society, which trampled underfoot the invisible machinations of the devil, wished to enter into an open struggle and open battle with demons, and for this they were not afraid to retire to the secluded places of the vast desert” 341. In such chosen ones of God, the internal invisible struggle intensified immeasurably, elevated them to an extraordinary feat, and became visible. This was done according to the special vision of God 342. The fathers elevated to such a feat were awarded special gifts of the Holy Spirit, came to high spiritual prosperity and enlightenment, and received entry into the world invisible to sensory eyes. The door into it was opened for them by the hand of God. Such were the monks Anthony and Macarius, Egyptian desert dwellers, whom the Church recognizes as Spirit-Bearers and calls the Great. Having abundant experienced and grace-filled knowledge of spirits, they spoke about them much more clearly than other Fathers, whom the grace of God also sanctified, who were given other spiritual gifts corresponding to their type of life and activity. Among the few Fathers who wrote about spirits with particular certainty is the Monk Cassian the Roman. He sets out in his essay the teaching that was personally taught to him by the monk of the Egyptian Skete, Abba Serenus, who achieved great spiritual success. Serenus had an experienced and grace-filled knowledge and vision of spirits: that is why the teaching about them was presented to him with particular clarity and simplicity 343. This teaching is identical to that which we saw in the Fathers we cited and in Orthodox Theology. When the “Conversations” of St. Cassian appeared in the West in the 5th century, some Westerners energetically rebelled against his thirteenth conversation; but against the seventh and eighth, in which the doctrine of spirits is set forth, 344 not the slightest objection was made. Already after the acceptance of Descartes' opinions about the complete immateriality of created spirits, about their independence from time and space, about the identity of their nature with the nature of God, exclamations appeared in the West against the doctrine of spirits set forth by Cassian. A refutation has not been made: it is impossible; refutation is replaced by censure. – At the Seventh Ecumenical Council, an extract was read from the writings of St. John, Bishop of Selun, in which it is said that Angels have their own materiality and appearance - in this, their own form, they appeared to many holy men. The Council, based on this quote from the Holy Father, unanimously justified and determined the depiction of Angels on icons. The Fathers of the Council not only did not express any doubts regarding the teaching pronounced by Saint John, not only did they not make any comments, but on the basis of this teaching they made a decree to depict Angels in icons by painting 345. The Seventh Ecumenical Council was equally accepted in the East and in the West. The teaching about spirits set forth here does not in any way give the right to represent in images both images of spirits and images of other objects of the invisible world, which are spoken of in the Holy Scriptures and in the writings of the Holy Fathers. The images created by the imagination cannot possibly be correct; not being snapshots of the truth, they must necessarily be false, and put the dreamer on the path of self-delusion. The correct concept of the vision of spirits, both sensory and spiritual, cannot be acquired except by experience. Vision, acting on mental or physical feelings, or both together, is explained through its sensation and cannot be explained in words. Thus, for those born blind and blind in infancy, it remains inexplicable, despite all efforts to explain in words, human communication with the visible world through vision; so the taste of fruits that we have never tasted remains inexplicable, no matter how much we explain it in words, until it is explained by tasting. In a word, all concepts acquired through the senses of soul and body remain very dark as long as they are explained in words alone. The Fathers 346 thoroughly say that healthy eyes do not need training in vision, because vision is natural to man; in exactly the same way, the eyes of the mind and heart, purified by repentance, begin to look into the mysteries of God and into the spiritual world, because this is natural to human nature, renewed by the Redeemer. In the darkness of the concept of spirits, obtained solely from knowledge, albeit sacred, it is all the more dangerous to give free rein to the imagination and interpret according to one’s dreams that which even with experimental knowledge cannot be explained satisfactorily in the land of matter 347 . The ability of imagination is especially developed in passionate people. She acts in them according to her mood and changes everything sacred into passionate. Paintings that depict sacred persons and events by famous but passionate artists can convince you of this. These artists strived to imagine and depict holiness and virtue in all its forms; but, filled and saturated with sin, they depicted sin, sin alone. Refined voluptuousness breathes from the image in which the brilliant painter wanted to depict chastity and divine love unknown to him. The Prophets and Apostles, if desired, to express their state of inspiration, are given the appearance of pagan raging priests or actors of a bloody tragedy 348. The works of such artists are admired by passionate viewers; but in people anointed with the spirit of the Gospel, these works of genius, as if imprinted with blasphemy and the filth of sin, give rise to sadness and disgust. The imagination of passionate people, of vicious and depraved people, who have no concept of truth, no sympathy for holiness, is only capable of inventing false images. It cannot help but deceive these people. It both deceives and seduces, hiding a deception that is clear to some who are pure in mind, heart and body. The action of the imagination in a carnal and sin-loving man is conveniently joined by the action of fallen spirits, which have become characteristic of spinning and groveling in sin, finding their only pleasure and nourishment in sin. And since everyone who enters into a pious deed, despite their good intentions, is in the power of passions, feels the strongest sympathy for sin, is in union and unity with it, the Holy Fathers strictly forbid the use of the imagination, commanding to keep the mind completely formless, unimpressed by any seal of the material. One should not imagine in one’s imagination neither paradise, nor heaven, nor the throne of God, nor the radiance of the glory of God, nor an Angel, nor a Martyr, nor a Saint, nor a Venerable One, nor the Mother of God, nor Christ Himself. Fallen spirits try to arouse the imagination in us, and sometimes they themselves appear in various false and seductive ghosts: for this reason, we are forbidden not only daydreaming, no matter how plausible it may be, but also trust in any phenomenon from the invisible world. The images of bright Angels, holy departed people and Christ Himself are taken on by demons for the seduction and destruction of not only beginners, but also those who have succeeded in the feat. A living representation of hellish fire, eternal darkness, underground, terrible dungeon and other pre-mortem and post-mortem horrors is allowed only when carnal sensations, thoughts and dreams arise; This use of the imagination is permitted only in times of need, after which the weapon is immediately put aside. If used unnecessarily, it can harm the mind, making it prone to daydreaming and self-delusion. In the first centuries of Christianity there was a special need to divert converts from idolatry from representing Angels and even God in a crude, sensual form. Idols were both images of demons and sinful passions. Those who had acquired the habit of idolatry, imprinted by the long-term aspiration of all the feelings of the soul and body towards idols, filling the mind with concepts and the imagination with images borrowed from idolatry, were inevitably influenced by these impressions 349 . The disciple of the Apostle Paul, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, saw the need to warn his contemporaries against crude understanding. He outlined this warning in his deep and spiritual essay “On the Heavenly Hierarchy.” “It is necessary,” he says, “that we should not roughly imagine the heavenly and godlike Powers 350 as having many legs and faces, wearing the bestial image of oxen and the bestial appearance of lions, with the curved beak of eagles or with bird wings; nor did they imagine that in the sky there were fiery chariots, material thrones needed for the Deity to sit on them, multi-colored horses, military leaders armed with spears, and much of the like, shown to us by the Holy Scriptures under various mysterious symbols. Theology has used sacred pyitic images to describe intelligent Forces that do not have an image” 351. Further, Saint Dionysius says: “Perhaps others will actually think that the sky is filled with many lions and horses, that there are hymns of praise consisting of lowing, that there are herds of birds and other animals, that there are base things there that lead to the unfaithful, indecent and passionate.”352 Having expressed himself in this way about the Heavenly Powers, Saint Dionysius says the following about God: “The Mysterious Teaching, given to us in the Holy Scriptures, describes the venerable highest Deity in various ways. Sometimes it calls God the Word, Mind, Being 353, thereby showing the understanding and wisdom inherent in God alone, and expressing that He truly exists and is the cause of all being, likens it to light, and calls it life. Of course, these sacred images seem in some way more decent and sublime than sensory images 354, but they are also far from being an exact reflection of the highest Deity. The Divinity is above every being and life; no light can be an expression of Him; every mind and word are infinitely far from being like Him. Sometimes the same Holy Scripture majestically depicts God with features that are not similar to Him. So it calls Him invisible, boundless and incomprehensible, 355 and this means not that He is, but that He is not. The latter, in my opinion, is even more characteristic of God, because although we do not know the inconceivable, incomprehensible, ineffable, boundless existence of God, nevertheless, on the basis of the mysterious Sacred Tradition, we truly affirm that God has no resemblance to anything that exists” 356. – The Deity, in His essential majesty, incomparably surpasses every visible and invisible force, and is so exalted above everything that even the very first creatures are not at all like Him. The Divinity is the beginning of everything, there is a reason that brings about everything, there is an unchangeable basis for the constant existence of beings, on Which the existence and bliss of the Highest Powers depends” 357. The Areopagite claims that Divine manifestations to the saints were performed in an adaptive manner to human nature 358. He says that “no one has seen or will see the hidden things of God 359; but God appeared holy in certain visions, worthy of Him and consistent with the properties of those who were these holy visions. The vision, which manifested in itself, as in an image, the likeness of an indescribable Divinity, is rightly called in God’s Word the Epiphany: because it raised those who saw it to God, enlightening them with Divine illumination and revealing to them something Divine from Above. These Divine visions were revealed to our glorious Fathers through the Heavenly Forces. So: doesn’t the Holy Tradition say that the Holy Law was given by God Himself to Moses? By this it teaches us the truth that it is an imprint of the Divine and Sacred Law. But the same Word of God clearly teaches that this Law was taught to us through Angels” 360. Saint Dionysius, in his essay on the Heavenly Hierarchy, explains only the mysterious visions of the prophets and the spiritual relationship of the Heavenly Powers among themselves and towards holy people; but he does not mention anything about the fallen angels, nor about the sensory appearance of Angels to the simplest people, such as Hagar, the servant of Abraham, 361, nor about the ability of animals to see spirits, nor about the location of the holy Angels in heaven, nor about the overthrow of the fallen angels from heaven, nor about their torment in the fire and prison of hell, while Scripture tells about all this. Even about the Lord Jesus Christ, Dionysius speaks only as “about the true Light of the Father, enlightening every person coming into the world,” 362, keeping silent about His incarnation, about His human flesh, in which He appeared on earth, in which He sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father, in which He will appear to judge the living and the dead. “This Light,” Dionysius theologizes, “never loses Its internal unity, although, due to Its beneficent property, it is fragmented in order to dissolve with mortals in a dissolution that elevates their grief and unites them with God. He Himself remains and constantly abides in a motionless and identical identity, and those who properly direct their gaze to Him, to the best of their ability, raise the mountain and unite them according to the example of how He Himself is simple and united” 363. From the book on the Heavenly Hierarchy it is already clear that the Areopagite was in the state of that spiritual vision that he depicts here; in his other writings he speaks openly about this state of his 364. This state is a state of Christian perfection and is called by the Fathers Divine illumination 365. The Monk Simeon the New Theologian, referring to Saint Gregory the Theologian, says: “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. Where there is fear of God, there is keeping the commandments. Where there is the keeping of the commandments, there is the cleansing of the flesh, which, being a kind of thick cloud before the soul, does not allow it to clearly see the Divine radiance. Where there is purification of the flesh, there is the Divine radiance. Where the Divine radiance is, there is the fulfillment of the Divine desire. And therefore, the illumination of the Divine Light and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit is the endless end of all virtue: whoever reaches this end forgets everything sensory and begins to come to the knowledge of spiritual gifts” 366. Even the concept of such a state is completely alien to people not initiated into the mysteries of Christian asceticism! For this reason, the Areopagite intended his book on the Heavenly Hierarchy not for the general use of Christians, but only for those who are in significant spiritual success. He instructed Presbyter Timothy, for whom the essay was written, to carefully hide it from people of the flesh and soul, even if they were pious. “You, my son,” Dionysius writes to Timothy, “in accordance with the holy institution handed down to us from our hierarchs, reverently listen to the sacred words, overshadowed by inspiration from inspired teaching, and, having hidden the holy truths in the depths of your soul as uniform, carefully keep them from uninitiated people: according to the teaching of Scripture, you should not throw the pure, bright and precious jewelry of the intelligent before swine.” margaritas" 367. Anyone familiar with the work on the Heavenly Hierarchy will justify the wise warning of the author and will admit that the work is difficult to understand and even in many places strange for people not familiar with the spiritual state. The book of Holy Scripture with which it is most convenient to explain the work of the Areopagite is undoubtedly the Revelation of the holy Apostle, Evangelist John the Theologian: The theologian, in many places, having described the vision, immediately says or explains that this vision is a symbol, that it is mysterious. These are the visions: the vision of seven stars and seven lamps 368; vision of a woman called Babylon and sitting on many waters 369 ; vision of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and with a crown of twelve stars on the head 370; vision of a serpent tearing off a third of the stars of heaven with its trunk 371; vision of a beast coming out of the sea and a beast coming out of the earth 372. On the contrary, the vision of the first martyr Archdeacon Stephen does not contain anything symbolic or allegorical: the Archdeacon, embraced by the Holy Spirit, saw the heavens opened and the Son of God, in His human flesh, standing at the right hand of God 373. The great saint of God Karp had a similar vision: this vision was described by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite without any allegorical explanation. The Monk Macarius the Great made a mysterious interpretation, in relation to the human soul, of the vision that the prophet Ezekiel had, 374 which Saint Dionysius also points to; Despite this, the Reverend did not stop to say that the most perfect Christians are honored to see the very essence of the human soul and that souls, angels and demons have the appearance of a person in his body. So the Areopagite, having explained that the symbolic visions of the prophets have a mysterious meaning, did not stop to say that Saint Carp, who had achieved Christian perfection, saw Angels in the form of men. – The Conversations of St. Macarius the Great, like the book of St. Dionysius, have the most mysterious meaning and can be very useful reading for successful ascetics: they detail the unfortunate communication into which a person entered into with demons through sin, about which St. Dionysius is completely silent. The conversations of the Reverend are little intelligible to people who are not familiar with spiritual feats, although to some of them they seem understandable due to the extraordinary simplicity and clarity of the style. A Western writer says (Extract 7) that “all people have always distinguished between a living, active being, the beginning of movement, and a dead, suffering being, incapable of movement. They called the first spirit, the second body or substance. This difference is modern in its antiquity to the world, widespread everywhere where a person is. Everyone was so sure of the lifelessness of matter that they assumed the presence of a spirit wherever they saw movement.” Such a maxim, supposedly derived from science, must be believed by science 375. Science, and humanity in general, recognize only life, and not the presence of spirit, where they see the movement of a body, regardless of the action of another body on this body. Life, otherwise organic force, is inaccessible to human comprehension: this truth has been recognized by science. Plants, insects, animals, humans live. And plants have their own movement. Their growth, gradual dressing in leaves, flowers, fruits - what if not movement? The sap in trees in the spring goes from the root to the top of the tree: what is this if not movement? The leaves and flowers of some herbs move by themselves, now curling up, now opening, just as, for example, clover rolls up its leaves at night and unfolds them when morning comes. A sign of the life of the body is for us, in addition to movement, feeling. One movement, without feeling, can belong to lifeless matter, and it belongs to the planets. What is life? Life is an idea of ​​a person, born in him from the impression made on him by bodies that have movement and feeling. Science does not have a positive answer: out of necessity, it had to resort to the passive definition. She had to talk about the impression made by the phenomenon - (life) in visible creatures on a person, and replace the definition of this impression with the definition of the process occurring in the creatures themselves. They will say: do plants really have feelings? We answer: they do not have the means to tell us this clearly; but we see that plants, separated from their roots, wither; this phenomenon occurs quickly in tender plants and arouses our sympathy. Having no basis for accepting the decisive opinion that plants are endowed with a feeling characteristic of them, we do not have the right to decisively reject this. The movement of a substance and the presence of feelings in it testify only to its life, and not at all to the presence of spirit in it. No one has ever recognized the presence of spirit in insects, fish, birds, or in general in all animals: they recognized life in them, often calling life the soul. And therefore, the question of the spirit, on the foundations laid down by the Western writer, remains untouched. The concept of spirit appeared in man for other reasons. It appeared in him, firstly, from examining himself. A person feels within himself the presence of a being that is completely different from the body. He sees a much greater development of life in this being than in his body. The body has its own sensations; a being residing in a body has its own separate sensations and, in addition to sensations, has a mind, which in its proper sense is a feeling 376. The being that resides inside a person is usually called the soul. Despite the diversity of properties of the soul and body, there is an inextricable connection between them. Thus, from thoughts, sensations corresponding to thoughts appear in the soul; The sensations of the soul are reflected in the sensations of the body. And vice versa, sensations of the body act on the soul, giving rise to corresponding sensations in it; These sensations give rise to corresponding thoughts. Such a connection between the soul and the body proves that, despite the significant difference between body and soul, body and soul also have something in common, they have - let's use the expression of chemistry - affinity. If there were no affinity, there could be no connection. If there is affinity, then the soul must necessarily have some materiality inherent to itself. When a person lives, the process of life occurs with continuous breathing. Breathing is an essential, obvious sign of life. When a person dies, the final process of dying occurs with strong breathing or with several repeated breaths. With such intense breathing, the soul leaves the body. The soul leaves the body with intense breathing; after the soul leaves the body, breathing stops; before the soul leaves the body, breathing serves as a sign of the presence of the soul in the body; the soul after its departure from the body is invisible: on the basis of these data, it was very natural to call the creature living inside the body spirit and soul. It was just as natural to recognize the soul, or spirit, as an invisible, incorporeal, immaterial being, as distinct from everything that we see in matter, subject to our senses. Again, it was just as natural to recognize in the soul its inherent materiality, indicated by the special fullness of the breath at which it emerges. Recognition of the existence of the soul after its separation from the body and the death of the body naturally stems from the feeling and consciousness of oneself as immortal, which is found in every person. Despite the most reliable knowledge that every person dies in body, every person feels, internally recognizes himself as immortal, lives and acts as an immortal: this is the feeling and consciousness of the soul. All humanity, which does not enter into a deep consideration of the nature of the soul, being content with superficial, generally accepted knowledge, indifferently calls the invisible part of our being, living in the body and its essence, both soul and spirit. Since breathing is also a sign of the life of animals, human society calls them animals from life, and animates from the soul. Other matter is called lifeless, inanimate, or soulless. Man, unlike other animals, is called verbal, and they, unlike him, are dumb. The mass of humanity, completely occupied with concerns about the earthly and temporary, looking at everything else superficially, saw the difference between man and animals in the gift of speech. But wise men understood that man differs from animals by an internal property, a special ability of the human soul. They called this ability the power of literature, the spirit itself. This includes not only the ability to think, but also the ability to experience spiritual sensations, such as the feeling of the high, the feeling of grace, the feeling of virtue. In this regard, the meaning of the words soul and spirit is very different, although in human society both words are used indifferently, one instead of the other. Tradition has preserved in all nations the concept of the existence of the invisible world, that is, of the afterlife of human souls, of the existence of spirits - creatures similar to the human soul, of the existence of a place in which virtuous souls enjoy bliss and evil ones suffer. This tradition, preserved in different forms, but among all peoples, serves as evidence of itself: evidence that it belongs to all humanity. Communication with fallen spirits, which fallen humanity entered into, supported, spread, and clarified in a one-sided way the concept of spirits. Ancient philosophy was often combined with magic 377, as we see in the wise men of Pharaoh who opposed Moses, in Julian the Apostate 378, in Cyprian - later bishop of Antioch and martyr. “Believe me,” Cyprian said upon his conversion, “I saw the devil himself. I begged him for sacrifices, and kissed and spoke to him and to those who were his elders. He loved me, praised my intelligence and said in front of everyone: “Here is the new Omri, quick to obey us, worthy of communicating with us.” And he promised to make me a prince after my departure from the body, and during my life on earth to help me in everything, and he gave a regiment of demons to serve me. When I left him, he exclaimed to me: “Be courageous, valiant Cyprian!” - and, getting up, he escorted me out, which surprised all the demonic elders. For this reason, his princes showed me obedience, seeing the honor that he gave me. His face was like the flower of the field; his head was crowned with a crown, which was decorated with gold and bright stones, his clothes were wonderful. When he turned in any direction, the whole place shook; many evil spirits stood in great obedience at his throne: then I gave him all of myself” 380. Information obtained through magic testified that spirits are incorporeal like the soul, have the power of words, have a materiality inherent in their nature, have an influence on matter, and are themselves influenced by matter in certain cases. The existence of fellowship between rejected men and rejected spirits is clear from the Holy Scriptures 381 . It continues today, among other things, through magnetism and spiritualism. The sciences that study matter have achieved the greatest development in recent times. Among the many services rendered to man by the sciences in their present development, not the least place should be given to the knowledge of the extreme limitations of our knowledge. When science was scarcer, people considered themselves more learned. When a person believed that the sky is a vault above the earth, that the sky and the earth converge with their outskirts and touch, he was in his eyes more than what he imagines now, when it is open that there is an immense space above us, that the earth in relation to this space is a barely noticeable crumb. Modern science says: we do not know what our body means, despite the fact that, from habit to it and from the fact that it is subject to our senses, we think we know it satisfactorily. The life of the body is not accessible to our comprehension. Anatomy looks at cadavers, not bodies. She does not see the life of the body: she also does not see the body itself. The body remains a body until the minute until which life has not left it. By leaving him to live, his decomposition begins. Moreover: by this abandonment, decomposition is accomplished; further decomposition is only a consequence of the main, essential decomposition. The decomposition of a substance, according to the laws of chemistry, can only be accomplished by separating one or many of its constituent parts from it. Here is an indication of science about the materiality of the soul: the separation of something immaterial, abstract would not have any effect on the substance. But the soul is invisible. What about that? invisible and caloric. He is not a weighed principle; but it is separated chemically from water by a separation imperceptible and incomprehensible to the senses, and the water turns into another substance, into ice. As soon as life has left the body, it is no longer a body: it is a corpse. Feelings and properties of the body can be described, not defined. Definitions cannot be replaced by assumptions, no matter how intricate they may be. The abuse of science can satisfy the curiosity of ignorance with brilliant assumptions and stop its mouth. To deceive people in the name of science is dishonest. Science, by delivering true and accurate knowledge, is obliged to put a person in the most correct relationship to everything. Chemistry has positively indicated that everything limited has its own degree of materiality. Mathematics has also positively proven that everything limited is subject to space. On this basis, completely immaterial, independent of space and time, infinite in all respects, not subject to any change, no outside influence, unlimited both in His essence and in His properties, infinitely different from all creatures both in essence and in properties, God is confessed. On the same basis, created spirits, being creatures, are limited beings; they must necessarily have their own degree of materiality and must be subordinated to space. What is essentially limited must also have limited properties. Attributing an unlimited property or unlimited properties to a limited being is alien to meaning (nonsense). Chemistry rejects the infantile definition of matter based on our senses. A substance must be defined by its properties. It can and does extend far beyond the limits of our senses, the range of which is very limited. The existence of something material that does not have an effect on our feelings or has an effect that we do not understand and do not notice is not only not contrary to her teaching, it is clear from her teaching. The existence of spirits in the form in which it is taught by Orthodox Theology is not at all contrary to the teachings of chemistry and mathematics; it completely coincides and is consistent with the positively proven theory of these sciences. Let us note: these sciences, having separated God from creatures by infinite difference, seem to open the door to faith, explaining the need for frank knowledge of God. They cannot reject it because of their recognized omnipotence of God and the independence of His actions from human judgment. These are the sources of the concept of spirits in human society. From them, humanity could not and cannot form correct knowledge due to the obscurity of some concepts, the falsity of others and because of its own fall: fallen man is in communication only with fallen spirits; he is alien to communication with holy spirits. The distinctive features of fallen spirits are insane and frenzied hatred of God, pride and deceit 382. Out of pride and out of enmity towards God, fallen spirits sought to ensure that fallen man would give them the worship due to God; Due to their deceit, they used all means of seduction and deception to achieve this goal. Demons not only persuaded those who had lost the knowledge of the true God to worship themselves as if they were gods: to this day they try to seduce those who they are, even holy ascetics, to persuade them to do the same. “When they appear,” the great Anthony will tell, “they try to aggravate the fear (in the one to whom they appear) in order to plunge them into a deep ditch of wickedness, tearing people away from worshiping themselves” 383 . For this reason, a Christian who wants to acquire an infallible concept of spirits must disregard all concepts provided by human tradition, scholarship, magic, magnetism, spiritualism and other similar means, as they can provide only incorrect and erroneous concepts, in which a person who has not been renewed by Divine grace will in no way separate the truth from the abundant admixture of lies. To obtain accurate knowledge about spirits, there is the only means: Christianity, studied in the Holy Scriptures, in the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church and through a pious, ascetic life according to the moral Tradition of the Orthodox Church. For the initial theoretical knowledge of spirits, the teaching taught in Orthodox Theology is quite sufficient. The invisible struggle with spirits in thoughts, dreams and sensations is the property of ascetics, monks, engaged in the correct feat in monastic hostels. According to their life, they acquire the moral, so to speak for clarity, concept of fallen spirits. This concept is called spiritual vision by ascetic writers; because with it the ascetic sees with his mind and feels with his heart the invisible machinations of invisible enemies 384. Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer depicted his moral concept of fallen spirits as follows: “The lying spirit preaches itself, speaks its own words, is self-pleasing, glorifies itself, is full of pride, false-verbal, charming, kind-hearted, affectionate, cunning, poetic, whore, disagrees, eloquent, crawling, fearful: from its action yes Jesus Christ will deliver you." 385 Also: “Oh, of all the evil spirits, the most crafty soul in his evilness! For the sake of the womb, you are conquered and dishonored by vanity; you are drawn into wickedness by the love of money and lust. You are a beliar, a dragon, an apostate, an obstinate serpent, you have retreated from God, you have been separated from Christ, you are alienated from the Holy Spirit and cast down from the face of the angels, you are a scoffer of God’s laws and an enemy of the lawful.”386 Such knowledge of spirits, such vision of them – knowledge and vision are essential! It is achieved in its fullness by an attentive monastic life. It is a gift from God, which crowns the ascetic’s own feasible feat, trying to discern the immaterial faces of demons, as in a mirror, in the Holy Scriptures, in the writings of the Holy Fathers and in his own activities. It is spiritual reasoning 387, a gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift is associated with victory over sinful thoughts, dreams and sensations; to the one who is conquered by them, it is proved by this that he has not yet acquired the gift, but is being deceived, deceived, captivated by an invisible enemy. Through the spiritual vision of spirits, they are seen in their actions: to see the very essence of spirits is granted or allowed to very few, according to the special Providence of God. Those who spontaneously take away the veil and cover established by God Himself, invading forcibly and impudently into the world of spirits, are subject to the greatest disasters 388. In conclusion, let us say: Divine Revelation has explained to us the created spirits, our soul, our body to the extent that this knowledge is necessary for our salvation. As the creation of God, spirits, soul, our very body, all objects of visible nature remain essentially a mystery to us, being only partially comprehensible. With pious contemplation of God's creations and because of such contemplation, let us enter the ranks of creatures, as undoubtedly belonging to them, we will glorify our Creator, and in bewilderment before His omnipotence and wisdom, we will bring a humble and true confession together with David: Wonderful, O Lord, are your works! You were terribly surprised! Thy understanding is astonished at me: strengthen myself, I will not be able to reach it 389. “Our God, in heaven and on earth, create everything as He pleases” 390. Article two. About heaven and hell Bergier recognizes the existence of an earthly paradise, cites the opinion of later Western scientists and church writers about its location, finds that the country, irrigated by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, does not correspond to the description of Moses, who, when describing paradise, mentions these rivers, that the Holy Fathers who lived in these places, having the country before their eyes, say nothing about the earthly paradise. Bergier comes to the conclusion that the earthly paradise was destroyed by a global flood. Bergier also acknowledges the existence of a heavenly paradise. He refuses to say anything definite about his whereabouts. However, he mentions Enoch, who pleased God and was taken to heaven, about the soul of the thief, introduced by the Savior into heaven, about the rapture of the Holy Apostle Paul into heaven. “To tell the truth,” says Bergier, “Jesus Christ told us that our reward will be in heaven” 392. Further, the Western writer says: “Faith teaches us that after the general resurrection, the souls of the blessed will be united with their bodies; but the holy Apostle Paul teaches us that the resurrected and glorified bodies participate in the nature of spirits: therefore, they will be in a state about which we cannot form any idea.” Bergier speaks more extensively and definitely about hell than about heaven. Let's make several extracts from the article. Extract 1. “Hell is a place of torment in which sinners after this life will be executed for their crimes. So, hell is the opposite of heaven, or paradise, where the righteous receive a reward for their virtues.” Extract 2. “The Hebrew sheol, the Greek tartaros and adis, the Latin infernus and orcus, hell, express, in the proper sense, a low and deep place, and by analogy (in the likeness) the tomb, the abode of the dead. The Jews also used the word Gehenna, or Geginon, which was the name of the valley near Jerusalem, in which there was a furnace called tofel; in this furnace, frenzied idolaters kept fire in order to sacrifice, or dedicate, their children to Molech (idol). For this reason, in the New Testament, hell is often called hellfire, the valley of fire.” Extract 3. “Moses in Deuteronomy speaks on behalf of God: the fire will kindle from My wrath, it will kindle to the nether hell (Sheol): it will destroy the earth and its life, it will burn the foundations of the mountains 394. If here by the name of hell we mean a coffin, a pit three or four cubits deep, then this would be the coldest explanation.”395 Extract 4. “Job says that hell (sheol) is open to the eyes of God and that the place of destruction is not closed from Him 396. Job depicts the dwelling of the dead as a land covered with darkness and darkness, a land in which eternal languor and grief reign” 397. Extract 5. “David says to God: my flesh rests in hope, for you will not leave my soul in hell (Sheol), but let Your venerable one see corruption (you will not allow Your servant to decay in the tomb) 398. Here are two different abiding places, one for the soul, the other for the body.” Extract 6. “The Prophet Isaiah says: They will see the corpses of men who have transgressed Me: for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be a disgrace to all flesh 399 . Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, speaking about the rejected, refers to them these words of Isaiah: their worm will not die, and the fire will not be quenched." 400. Extract 7. “The Lord declared in certain terms that the wicked would go into eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels” 401. Extract 8. “For this reason, (Western) theologians recognize in condemned people two types of eternal executions, different from each other: execution of the curse, or grief over the loss of eternal bliss, and sensual execution, or torment produced by fire, which will never go out. These two types of torment are clearly indicated in the above words of the Savior. The undying worm signifies the execution of a curse, and the unquenchable fire signifies sensual execution.” We cannot completely agree with this opinion. The Orthodox Church recognizes in eternity twofold torment, as well as twofold bliss: 1) internal, produced by sensations and thoughts born from the situation, and 2) external, produced by the external environment. But the explanation that the never-ending worm signified internal torment belongs to the Western Church itself. The Orthodox Church recognizes a worm as a worm, without trying to explain what is said simply, without explanation, which cannot be satisfactorily understood in the state in which we find ourselves. We have seen how Saint Basil the Great understood the hellish worm. He recognizes it as existing truly, and not allegorically, not dreamily and abstractly. St. John Chrysostom also places the worm among the sensory torments of hell. “From the grave and the worm,” he says, “transfer your thought to the never-ending worm, to the unquenchable fire, to the gnashing of teeth, to pitch darkness, to sorrow and cramped conditions” 402. Here, as in Basil the Great, internal execution is clearly separated from external executions; Among the latter, both Saints pointed to the never-ending worm as an external and sensual execution. A detailed calculation of the internal and external torments of hell can be seen in the teachings of Saint Demetrius of Rostov 403. This calculation is placed in the “Word on Death”. The words of Scripture about heavenly pleasure and hellish torment should be accepted simply and directly, instructs Saint Tikhon of Voronezh 404. “The trouble that happens in the world,” says this Saint in one of his letters, “is a certain shadow and an image of the future and eternal trouble. It is hard here for those imputed to be among the villains, and for evil people and dishonest to be numbered; but it will be far more serious to be reckoned with the devil and his evil angels, and together with them he will be imputed forever. It’s hard to be under the authority of a tormentor here, and to endure abuse, ridicule and all kinds of violence and bitterness from him; but it will be far more difficult for Satan, the enemy of God, to be in power, and from him to endure scolding, ridicule and bitterness forever. It is difficult here to endure beating, suffering, illness, fire, fever, dental disease and relaxation of the body; but it is far more difficult to endure the eternal burning of the fire of Gehenna, a fierce and unbearable disease, the gnashing of teeth, the never-ending worm, and to suffer in soul and body in this. It’s hard to sit here in prison, deprived of light and not feel any consolation; but it is far more difficult to sit in a hellish prison and never see the light, and be deprived of all consolation forever. It is hard here to endure and desire, but not to have refreshment; but it will be worse forever. In a word: every suffering that is temporary, whether it occurs on the soul or on the body, is hard, everyone knows it; but the incomparably heaviest eternal, both for the sake of majesty and for the sake of continuation, like the infinite, which the condemned will endure both in soul and body. The shadow is the temporary suffering of eternal suffering. The shadow is nothing in comparison with the truth; and temporary suffering is nothing in comparison with eternal suffering. Know therefore eternal suffering from temporary, and beware lest you fall into it. Now go with your mind to hell, but not later with your soul and body. How can you endure a fire that burns but does not consume, a worm that gnawing but does not consume, gnashing of teeth, pitch darkness, the stingy appearance of demons and crying, and groaning, and sobbing, and other evil things? Think about this, compare temporary suffering with eternal suffering, and with this reflection, like a whip, vanity will be struck from your heart” 405. Extract 9. “On the question of where in the universe hell is located, I must say that this question is at least useless. Revelation does not permit it for us; the assumptions of philosophers and the assumptions of (Western) theologians on this subject are equally insignificant. Some have considered it reasonable to place hell in the center (in the interior) of the earth, no doubt because of the fire with which the interior of the earth is filled.” Extract 10. “Saint Augustine said in his work on the book of Genesis that hell is not under the earth; but in his Retractiones 406 he admits that he should have said the opposite.” Extract 11. “Regarding the nature inherent in hellish fire, there is no reason to think that this fire is not material and that in the passages of Scripture we have cited, fire should be taken in a metaphorical sense, as a spiritual execution, very strong, unbearable... The words of Scripture should be taken literally: the fire with which condemned souls and demons are tormented is material.” Here the Western writer speaks correctly, and speaks contrary to his explanation of the hellworm. Extract 12. “It will be in vain to ask how the soul, a spiritual being, how a spirit, what a demon, can be tormented by material fire. Of course, it is no more difficult for God to subject a soul separated from the body to torment, as well as a soul united with the body... It is just as inconvenient for us to understand how those who have been awarded eternal bliss, in body and soul, will see God, Who is pure spirit, as well as how a spirit without a body can feel punishment by fire.” Obviously: here God is placed on the same level with created spirits! The Orthodox Church confesses that God, by His nature, is invisible neither to men nor to Angels. After the resurrection, all people will see the Son of God made man and the glory of God, as the Lord said: they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and much glory 407, just as the first martyr Stephen, when the heavens were opened to him by Divine action, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God 408. This glory, being a manifestation of God, is also called the face of God, which Angels see 409, because God himself has not been seen anywhere 410. This is explained above, especially by extracts from the works of St. John Chrysostom and St. Macarius of Egypt. Extract 13. “As for the time during which the torments of hell will continue, the Universal Church confesses that these torments are eternal and will never end. This is an article of faith that a Christian cannot doubt.” In accordance with the teachings of the Eastern Church. Extract 14. “Theologians (Western) do not agree regarding the meaning contained in the member of the Symbol of the Apostles, which says that our Lord was crucified, that He died, that He was buried and that He descended into hell (αδης). Some understand this only to mean that He descended into the tomb; but the Symbol clearly distinguishes burial from descent into hell.” Extract 15. “According to the general opinion of Orthodox theologians (Western) and the Fathers of the Church, while the body of Jesus Christ rested in the tomb, His soul descended into the places where the souls of the ancient righteous were imprisoned, and announced to them their deliverance.” From the extracts we have made, which clearly outline the opinion of a Western writer about heaven and hell, it is clear that Western teaching about these subjects is very vague. Despite this, Bergier is led, as if by force, by the clear words of the Lord, to the idea that paradise is in heaven. He is also led to the idea, although he does not accept it, that hell is in the interior of the earth (Extract 9 and 10). Let us now turn our attention to the teaching of the Orthodox Eastern Church, compare teaching with teaching... Oh! with what clarity she indicates the place of heaven in heaven and the place of hell in the interior of the earth, thereby showing the greatness of man to which he is elevated by God, and the horror of the execution prescribed for neglecting the blessings of God. This teaching is announced for all to hear by mankind through solemn hymns during church services; This teaching is preached and proclaimed by the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church. Numerous quotations are given in the “Sermon on Death” from liturgical books and from the works of the Fathers of the Orthodox Church: they satisfactorily resolve the question of where heaven and hell are located. However, quotations can be given in incomparably greater quantities. It is very difficult for a Western writer to determine the relationship of heaven and hell to spirits, especially since in both places resurrected people in their bodies will be placed together with disembodied spirits. Obviously, the difficulty stems from the Western doctrine of the perfect spirituality of created spirits. In his article on heaven, he tries to get out of the difficulty by referring to the holy Apostle Paul, who teaches that resurrected and glorified bodies will participate in the nature of spirits. In the article on hell, he tries to explain by the omnipotence of God the torment of immaterial spirits by material fire (Extract 12), and tries to cover up the Western incorrect recognition of created spirits as completely immaterial with the complete immateriality of God, recognized and confessed unanimously by the Universal Church (Extract 12). If we return to the article about spirits, we combine what a Western writer says about spirits in his articles about heaven and hell with what he says in articles about spirits, the soul, Angels and demons, then the following spectacle will open before us. The Western writer is subject to constant hesitation, constantly contradicting himself: he refers to the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church with infidelity (Extract on Spirits 4), cites other Fathers who are of an opposite opinion to him (Extract on Spirits 15); he either justifies the Fathers (Extract on Spirits 16, 18, 20), or recognizes them as mistaken (Extract on Spirits 22); rejecting the ethereal, gaseous substance of spirits inherent in their nature, he recognizes and preaches that they have the need to put on a subtle body when they act on bodies (Extract on spirits 22); he tries to cover up the doctrine of the complete immateriality of the soul and created spirits, accepted by the Western Church in later times, with the doctrine of the perfect immateriality of God (Extract on Spirits 8, 9, 12, 13, 14), puts the infinite, unlimited God in the same category of beings with His creatures, limited beings, not comparable to God either in essence or in properties, in which - obvious blasphemy. Thus, the Western teaching about spirits, having been carefully examined and tested, itself testifies to its groundlessness. Let us give thanks and glorify God, who has given us great mercy: birth into being and birth into re-being in the bosom of the Orthodox Church. Amen. Dictionnaire de Théologie par l'abbe Bergier. Articles borrowed from this writer are marked with “…….” Alexandrian. He is especially respected by Westerners, as he presided over the 3rd Ecumenical Council at the invitation of the Pope. And the Easterners recognize him as one of the great Fathers of the Church Here we must understand the opinion of the Western Church, which it recently accepted, as we will see further let there be light. And there was light (Gen. 1.3) Ps. 148. Tom. III. Esprit Rene Descartes lived in the first half of the 17th century, before the advent of chemistry, this new science that was born at the end of the 18th century and distorted previous concepts of matter Conversation with the Jew Tryphon Dictionnaire de Théologie. Tom. VI. Platonisme, pag. 401, 402 Tom. I. Ame. The last two lines are translated with scrupulous accuracy, as you reveal with particular clarity the opinion of a Western writer Luke 23.46; In. 10. 15, 18 Conversation 7, ch. 8. Translation of the Moscow Academy Dogmatic Theology of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church, § 120 Here Descartes' hypothesis about spirits is called perfect spirituality. Since Descartes was a great mathematician, it is quite fitting to depict his hypothesis with a mathematical formula. To do this, let us designate with the letter X the object that we intend to define, as is usually done; the absence of any reality, in magnitude not infinite, must be represented by the zero sign 0: this way we get the algebraic equation X0 ...the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5.8) ...but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12) Teaching about the spirits of St. Anthony the Great. Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. XXVI. S. athanasii. Tom. II. Vita S. Antonii, pag. 873, 874–907, 908 Venerable Macarius the Great. Word 7, ch. 31 Lord my God! may the soul of this lad return to him (1 Kings 17:21). I am who I am (Ex. 3.14) I am...life (John 14.6) For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son to have life in Himself (John 5:26) "An Accurate Exposition of the Orthodox Faith" by St. John of Damascus, book. 4, ch. 13 Epistolae ad Serapionem. Tom. II, pag. 551, 552 Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. XXIX. Contra Evnomium, lib. 5, De Spiritu Sancto, guod non sit creatura pag. 709, 710 and 711, 712; according to comparison Quod Spiritus creator est. pag. 713, 714 Chet'i-Minei, January 2. The Life of Saint Sylvester, Pope of Rome. His debate with the chosen Jewish teachers about the true faith "The Good News" M., 1850. Interpretation of the Gospel of Luke, ch. 15, art. 4 Conversation 49, ch. 4. Based on the translation of the Moscow Theological Academy in 1855 Chrisostomi op. omn. Tom. I, pag. 757. Parisiis, 1842 It is not that anyone sees the Father except He who is from God: He saw the Father (John 6:46). Chrisostomi op. omn. Tom. I, pag. 736 ...King of kings and Lord of lords, the only one who has immortality, Who dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:15, 16) In the year of the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the edges of His robe filled the whole church. The Seraphim stood around Him; each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet (Isa. 6:1, 2) Chrisostomi opera omnia, pag. 721 and 722 No one has ever seen God (John 1.18) The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed (John 1:18) Whom no man has seen or can see (1 Tim. 6:16) Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. XXVIII. S. Athan. Alex. Archiep. – quest. 28, pag. 614 Our God is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:29) His spirit leaves, and he returns to his land (Ps. 145.4). ...the formed spirit of a person inside him (Zech. 12.1) You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire (Ps. 103.4) ...with the east wind You crushed the Farsian ships (Ps. 47.8) ...as the trees in the forest shake with the wind (Isa. 7.2) ...fire and hail, snow and fog, stormy wind (Ps. 149.8) The words that I speak to you are spirit and life (John 6:63) Based on these words of St. Cyril, Westerners attribute to him, and rightly so, an opinion about the materiality of spirits, which is characteristic of them. Patrol. Graecae. Tom. XXXIII, pag. 1637, 1661 Patrol. Graecae. Tom. XXXIII, Catechisis 16, cap. 13, 15, 23 Ch. 10. Based on the translation of His Grace Ambrose, Archbishop of Moscow and Kaluga, published in Moscow in 1784 Citation 2, “On Repentance.” Based on translation from the Moscow Academy, 1820 on the right side of the altar of incense (Luke 1.11) This lofty idea was also evident among the ancient holy thinkers. “God is not a name, but a thought implanted in human nature about something inexplicable,” said the holy martyr Justin the Philosopher. Apology 2, ch. 6 Previously it was believed that zero multiplied by infinity produces one. Unfair! he gives number, that is, all numbers in general, which in relation to the infinite are all equal and differ from the infinite by an infinite difference, without making any change in it by their appearance into being. This is the highest idea that can only be delivered by the science of the universe "Dogmatic Theology" by the Right Reverend Anthony. Edition 7, 1857, pp. 95 and 96. I... saw and heard this. When I heard and saw, I fell at the feet of the Angel showing me this to worship him; but he said to me: see that you do not do this; For I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and with them who keep the words of this book; Worship God (Rev. 22.8, 9) “John of Damascus is the first taxonomist among the Church Fathers: this is his inalienable glory. The Exposition of the Orthodox Faith constitutes a systematic teaching of the contemplative truths of Revelation. Damascene discusses the subjects of Revelation on the basis of the Word of God, for reasons of reason, and most often speaks in the words of the Fathers of the Church, especially Gregory the Theologian, Basil, Athanasius. In this last respect, Macarius of Ancyra rightly called Damascus the herald and interpreter of all theologians.” “Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church” by Archbishop Philaret, vol. 3 For a long time people did not know about the existence of gases. For this reason, when it came to talking about gases, the dark concept was expressed very darkly. Gases were discovered at the end of the 18th century Matt. 22.30 ; Mk. 12.26; OK. 20.36 You make Your angels spirits, Your servants a blazing fire (Ps 103.4) and they came to his house (Gen. 19.3) They stretched out their hands... and brought Lot into their house, and they locked the door [of the house]; and the people who were at the entrance to the house were struck with blindness (Gen. 19:10, 11). …[The angels]… took him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, and led him out (Gen. 19. 16, 17) And the Lord rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord from heaven (Gen. 19.24) ...hasten and save yourself there, for I cannot do any work until you get there (Gen. 19:22). This is also evident from the lives of the saints: a sea storm caused by demons is spoken of in the 5th ikos of the Akathist to St. Nicholas Likewise, rain is called in Scripture as falling from heaven. Jacob 5. 18 and behold, a great wind came from the desert and swept through the four corners of the house, and the house fell on the youths, and they died (Job 1:19) his strength and his throne and great authority (Rev. 13.2) great signs, so that fire comes down from heaven to earth before people (Rev. 13:13). The angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread; and fire came out of the stone and ate the flesh and the unleavened bread; and the Angel of the Lord hid from his sight. ...I saw the Angel of the Lord face to face (Judges 6.21, 22). Os. 12. 3, 4. Jacob... his labors were strengthened towards God, and strengthened with the Angel and prevailed Compare: And Jacob was left alone. And Someone wrestled with him until the dawn... touched the part of his thigh and damaged the part of Jacob's thigh when he fought with Him... and he limped on his thigh (Gen. 32.24-31) And behold, the Angel touched him and said to him: get up, eat [and drink]... And the Angel of the Lord returned a second time, touched him and said: get up, eat [and drink], for a long road is before you. And he arose, ate and drank, and, refreshed with that food, walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God Horeb (1 Kings 19.4-8) And behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared, and light shone around the prison. The angel, pushing Peter in the side, woke him up and said: get up quickly. And the chains fell from his hands. And the Angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your shoes.” He did so. Then he says to him: put on your clothes and follow me. Peter went out and followed him, not knowing that what the Angel was doing was real, but thinking that he was seeing a vision. Having passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gates leading into the city, which opened to them of their own accord; they went out and walked one street, and suddenly the Angel was no longer with him. Then Peter, coming to his senses, said: now I truly see that the Lord sent His angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and from everything that the Jewish people were waiting for (Acts 12:1-11). ...Philip was taken away by the Angel of the Lord, and the eunuch no longer saw him...And Philip ended up in Azoth (Acts 8:39, 40). ...take this dinner that you have to Babylon to Daniel in the lions' den. Habakkuk said: Master! I have never seen Babylon and I don’t know the ditch. Then the Angel of the Lord took him by the crown and lifted him up by the hair of his head, and set him in Babylon over the pit by the power of his spirit... And Daniel arose and ate; An angel of God instantly put Habakkuk in his place (Dan. 14.31–39) ...made it appear that in the middle of the furnace there was as if a humid wind blowing (Dan. 3:50) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as from a rushing strong wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2). Lecture 17. About the Holy Spirit, ch. 5 Ikos 8 Akathist to the Mother of God ...on the right side of the altar of incense (Luke 1.11). OK. 1. 26–38. According to Church Tradition, Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Mother of God in the form of a man. 2 stichera of the Akathist to the Mother of God ...I walked on the earth and walked around it (Job 1.7) Compare: ...and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing on the road with a naked sword in his hand... I went out to hinder [you], because [your] way is not right before Me; and the donkey, seeing Me, turned away from Me three times already; if she had not turned away from Me, I would have killed you (Num. 22.32, 33). ...and he said to the angel who was striking the people: Enough, now lower your hand. The Angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite... And David lifted up his eyes and saw the Angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with a sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem... striking down the people... And the Lord said to the Angel: return your sword to its scabbard (2 Sam. 24. 15-17; 1 Chron. 21. 15-27). ... and smote Job with fierce leprosy from the sole of his foot to the very top of his head (Job 2.6, 7) “Description of the miraculous icons of Athos” and letters from Svyatogorets ... if anyone is tormented by a demon or an evil spirit, then he should smoke with his heart and liver in front of such a man or woman, and he will no longer be tormented... I heard that this girl was given to seven husbands, but they all died in the bridal chamber... the demon loves her... don’t worry about the demon... Just when you enter the bridal chamber, take the incense burner, put the hearts and livers of fish in it, and smoke; and the demon will smell it and leave, never to return. ...He took a censer, and put in the heart and liver of a fish, and smoked. The demon, sensing this smell, fled to the upper countries of Egypt, and an angel bound him (Tov. 6:8–18, 8:2, 3) Jesus, being near Jericho, looked and saw, and behold, a man stood before him, and in his hand was a naked sword. ...Are you one of ours, or one of our enemies? (Joshua 5:13–15) ... A man of God came to me, whose appearance, like the appearance of an Angel of God, was very respectable... behold, the man who came to me then appeared to me. Manoah arose and went with his wife, and came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man who spoke to this woman?” [The angel] said: I (Judges 13.6–20) two men in shining robes (Luke 24:4) men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven (Acts 1:10, 11). On the fourth day I fasted until the present hour and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in light clothes (Acts 10:30). ...didn’t we throw three husbands into the fire tied up? ...truly so, king! ...behold, I see four unbound men walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no harm to them; and the appearance of the fourth is like the Son of God. Blessed be God..., Who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him (Dan. 3.91-95). while I was still continuing my prayer, the husband Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, quickly flew in and touched me (Dan. 9:21) And everyone sitting in the Sanhedrin, looking at him, saw his face like the face of an angel (Acts 6:15) the spirit is mute and deaf! I command you (Mark 9.25) Do not give the soul of your turtledove to the beasts (Ps. 73.19) The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts of the field (Gen. 3.1) ...Angels...in heaven always see the face of My Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10) in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but remain like the Angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30) ministering spirits sent to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14) He will send His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Matthew 24:31) And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they could not resist, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12.7-9) ...I walked on the earth and walked around it ( Job 1:7, 2:2 ) 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). the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who works in the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). But you are cast into hell, into the depths of the pit (Isa. 14.15) Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations located at the four corners of the earth (Rev. 20:1-7; cf. 1.18) ...a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have (Luke 24:39) Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but... against the spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12) Homilia, quod Deus non est auctor malorum. Tom. III, pag. 351–352 the souls of those killed for the word of God... And white clothes were given to each of them (Rev. 6.9, 11) and behold, a great multitude of people... from all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and languages, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands (Rev. 7:9) ...an old man comes out of the land, dressed in a long robe (1 Sam. 28.14) like the sun, and His clothes became white as light (Matthew 17:2) Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. Catechetical word 14, ch. 19 This is described in detail in “The Word on Death.” For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His Angels (Matthew 16:27) ...the Son of Man will come in His glory and all the holy Angels with Him (Matthew 25:31). Chetii-Minei, December 23. Life of Saint Niphon Akathist to the Dormition of the Mother of God See the life of the venerable martyrs Theodore and Vasily of Pechersk in the Patericon of Pechersk, the life of Saint Averky, Bishop of Hieropolis, October 22 Handwritten life of St. Nil of Sorsky In the flame of a Neumann lamp, metals melt like wax. The lamp flame is formed from the ignited gases of oxygen and hydrogen released into one stream The lengthy story about the conversion of Schemamonk Kyriak, about his vision in the Nevsky Lavra, about his constant stay in a state of grace while living in the Valaam Monastery was written by him, on the orders of Abbot Nazarius, in a spirit of deep humility, solely in fulfillment of the sacred duty of obedience. The story was published several times; it was last published in the magazine “Strannik”, in a book for February 1862. Life of Saint Niphon, December 23 Word 86. according to the Slavic edition Patericon of Skitsky. Life of Arseny the Great Legends about many modern phenomena from the world of spirits are published in the magazine “Wanderer”. We point out some of them: a) Vision of an Angel. The angel appeared to the young woman Vera in the form in which it is written on the icons. The Wanderer's book for September 1864. b) A remarkable death. The peasant Philip saw in reality, before his death, the Mother of God coming to him, accompanied by two Angels who were in the form of young men. August 1864. c) The wondrous Christian death of the youth. The twelve-year-old son of a tradesman in the city of Tver died, then came to life. Having come to life, he told about the paradise into which he had been raptured, and about the souls of his relatives placed in paradise. July 1864. d) A rare Christian death of a sexton. Angels and demons, appearing to the sexton in reality a few days before his death, competed over his soul. February 1863. e) A lesson in blasphemy and unbelief. Demons appeared in the midst of a noisy worldly gathering to an atheist who rejected the existence of spirits. October 1863 This cleric became a monk in the Sergius Hermitage and, due to his excellent moral qualities and economic abilities, was made rector of the Vvedensky Ostrovsky Monastery. Now he holds the rank of abbot over the Konevsky Monastery According to the understanding of the ancient Fathers, what is called immaterial here is something that does not have coarse flesh. The name air or fire must mean caloric, gases or ether. We call bodies belonging to the earth in their most refined form gases, and ether is a collection of gases, even more subtle, unknown to us, filling the space above the earth’s atmosphere. There is no emptiness in nature. Natura horret vacuum, said the famous Galileo no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit... no one speaking by the Spirit of God will utter anathema against Jesus (1 Cor. 12.3) A book about the Holy Spirit. Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. IV, pag. 138 The Spirit of the Lord fills the universe (Wis. 1.7) Where will I go from the Spirit... and where will I flee from Your presence (Ps. 139.7) I am with you... The Lord of hosts... My spirit dwells among you (Hag. 2.4-6) A book about the Holy Spirit. Patrologiae Graecae, omnia opera Sancti Basilii. Tom. IV, pag. 167, 170 Conversation on Psalm 33, Art. 12. – Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. XXIX Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but... against the spirits of evil (Eph. 6:12). by the will of the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2.2) Conversation about how God is not the cause of evil Comment. in Isaiam, cap. I. Tom. II, pag. 165–168 Compare: Since my hand has taken possession of the kingdoms of idols, in which there are more idols than in Jerusalem and Samaria, then shall I not do the same with Jerusalem and its images as I did with Samaria and its idols (Is. 10:10, 11). And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the church of Dagon, and set it next to Dagon. And the Azothites arose early the next day, and behold, Dagon lay with his face to the ground (1 Samuel 5.2, 3) is coming to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt will shake at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in him (Is. 19:1) “Cursed is whoever makes a sculptured or cast idol, ... the work of an artist’s hands, and places it in a secret place!” (Deut. 27.15). Comment. in Isaiam Pr. cap. X. Volume II, pag. 531–534. more cunning than all the beasts of the field (Gen. 3.1) Patrologiae Graecae. Tom. XXIX. Vita Sancti Basilii, pag. 169 Oratio XXXXV, in Sanctum Pascha. Omnia opera Sancti Gregorii. Tom. II, pag. 629, 630 ...Thy angels are spirits, Thy servants are a blazing fire (Ps. 103.4). Heb. 1. 14. Serving souls, we send you to serve Oratio Theologica II, cap. XXX. Tom. II. pag. 71, 72 Oratio XXXVIII. Tom. II, pag. 319, 318 Julian Flavius ​​Claudius was a Roman emperor (361–363), known as the “Apostate.” He was the nephew of Constantine the Great. He was brought up under the guidance of the Arian bishop Eusebius. But Julian was more influenced by fans of Hellenic culture, so he gradually took the side of the opponents of Christianity, although for a long time he did not openly express his views. Having become emperor, Julian fought against Christianity on the side of paganism (Ed. Note) This is how Julian is named ironically Oratio contra Iulianum I, cap. 55, 56. Tom. I, pag. 577–580 This speaks of an attack on the holy virgin Justina by a prodigal demon, whom Cyprian sent while he was still a pagan and a sorcerer. Volume I, Oratio XXIV, cap. IX and ?, pag. 1179, 1180 Philokalia. Part 4, ch. 9 Patrologiae Graecae, s. Athanasii. Tom. II. Vita S. Antonii, pag. 873–908 Disputatio contra Arium, cap. II. Tom. IV Omnia opera S. Athanasii. Mag De sancta Trinitatae dialogues And, cap. XII. Tom. IV. De communii essentia Patr. et Phil. et Sp. S. quaestio LI. Tom. IV Quaestiones ad Antiochum, quaestio VII. Tom. IV Synopsis Scripturae Sacrae, pag. 371–372. Tom. IV ...no will of the prince, the spirit of the power of the air, now working in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2.2). the veil, that is, His flesh (Heb. 10:20). ...I saw Satan fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). – Oratio de incarnatione Verbi. Tom. I, pag. 139, 140 Just as they are now in the tables Oratio de incarnatione Verbi. Tom. I, pag. 177–180 …beware that you are not deceived, for many will come in My name, saying that I am He; and this time is near: do not follow them (Luke 21:8). Compare: “...and my hand seized the wealth of the nations like nests; and just as they take away the eggs left in them, so I took away the whole earth, and no one moved a wing, or opened a mouth, or squeaked" (Is. 10:14) the child will stretch out his hand to the snake’s nest (Is. 11:8). “...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). God says to the sinner: “Why do you preach My statutes?..” (Ps. 49.16). Praise is unpleasant in the mouth of a sinner (Sir. 15.9) Get away from Me, Satan, for it is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:10). Jesus, Son of God and Holy One of God (Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:24). Compare: ... while the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and left (Matthew 13:25). Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:15). ...do not believe every spirit (1 John 4.1). – Epistola ad Episcopos Aegypti et Libiae. Tom. I, pag. 539–544. ...to those who love God... all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28). Opera omnia S. Epiphanii. Tom. I, Vita ejus, pag. 107, 108 Opera omnia Sancti Athanasii Magni. Tom. IV, pag. 1431–1434 Modern philosophers should remember the words of the father of pagan philosophy, Plato, who denied entry into philosophy to everyone who did not know mathematics. Natural sciences, in their current position, are part of the mathematical sciences, belonging largely to applied mathematics Therefore, a wife should have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the Angels (1 Cor. 11:10). ...an angel who delivers me from all evil (Gen. 48.16). ...this is his Angel (Acts 12:15) [...saw the army of God encamped.] And the Angels of God met him (Gen. 32.1). Chrisostomi opera omnia. Tom. II, pag. 443, 444 ...in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but remain like the Angels of God in heaven (Matthew 22:30). – On the book of Genesis Conversation 22. Gen. 6. 2 ; Matt. 22.30 On the Acts of the Apostles Discourse 26. Acts. 12.15 ...and I lifted up my eyes and saw, behold, a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with gold from Uphaz. His body is like topaz, his face is like the appearance of lightning; His eyes are like burning lamps, his hands and feet are like shiny brass in appearance, and the voice of his speech is like the voice of many people. And only I, Daniel, saw this vision, and the people who were with me did not see this vision; but great fear fell upon them, and they ran away to hide. ... but there was no strength left in me, and the appearance of my face changed enormously, there was no vigor in me (Dan. 10. 5-8). ... "Daniel, man of desires! take heed of the words that I will tell you, and stand upright on your feet; for I have been sent to you today" (Dan. 10.11) “...from the first day that you set your heart to gain understanding and humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I would come according to your words...” (Dan. 10:12) ...from this vision my insides turned in me, and there was no strength in me. ...My breath stopped in me (Dan. 10. 16, 17) Chrisostomi opera omnia. Tom. I, pag. 722, 723 Op. Chrys. Tom. II, pag. 551–554 Interpretation on the Apocalypse, ch. 9, art. 13–16 Conversation on Gospel 12, chapter 7, book 1. Reading the Holy Gospel of Matthew. 25. 1–13, p. 112–131 the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches (Luke 19:43). and they will surround you and press you in from everywhere (Luke 19:43) and they will ruin you and kill your children within you (Luke 19:44). on that day [all] his thoughts disappear (Ps. 145.4). ...and they will not leave you one stone upon another (Luke 19:44) because you did not know the time of your visit (Luke 19:44) Wed: When you go with your rival to the authorities, then on the road try to free yourself from him, so that he does not lead you to the judge, and the judge does not hand you over to the torturer, and the torturer does not throw you into prison (Luke 12.58) It’s not long for me to talk to you; for the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me (John 14:30). ...and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16:19). Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and my mother gave birth to me in sin (Ps. 50:7) not one living will be justified before You (Ps. 143.2) There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin (Eccl. 7:20) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). We all sin a lot (James 3:20). Discourse 39, chapters 4, 5. 8 and 9; With. 300–308. Reading the Gospel of Luke – 19.42–47 Conversation 40, ch. 11, p. 330–334. Reading the Gospel of Luke 16. 19–31 Conversation 34, ch. 13, p. 200. Reading the Gospel of Luke 15. 1–10 Venerable Barsanuphius the Great. Answer 611 The Monk Macarius the Great explains the reason why holy men who practice preaching the Word of God cannot at the same time be in spiritual visions. Conversation 8, ch. 4. The same reason was given by the Monk Arsenius the Great when he was asked why he so carefully avoids the company of people, even saints. Alphabetical patericon. See "The Word on the Sensory and Spiritual Vision of Spirits." Ascetic experiences. T. 2 General Troparion to the Hieromartyr Life of John the Long-Suffering. Patericon of Pechersk See the teachings of the Monk Cassian in the “Sermon on Death.” Fifth meeting of the 2nd Nicene Council, Seventh Ecumenical Council The Monk Theodore in the work of the Monk Cassian. Book 5, “On Gluttony,” Ch. 33 and 34. Saint Isaac of Syria. Word 55 Based on the description of the pagan priest-soothsayer Kalkas made by Racine in the tragedy “Iphigenia”. The influence of concepts borrowed from idolatry was revealed with particular clarity in the heresy or error of the anthropomorphites, who imagined God in a colossal human form. This heresy was discovered in the 4th century, but it is obvious that before, many, out of ignorance, adhered to it. The latter is clear from the following fact. When Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, set out a refutation of the error in the District Epistle, which was usually compiled by the Alexandrian archbishops before Easter and sent throughout Egypt, then in the desert church of Scete alone, in which thousands of monks lived, the epistle was received and read; in the other three churches, the abbots not only did not accept the message, but also forbade the monks to read it in their cells as directly contradicting the Holy Scriptures. From the words of Scripture that man was created in the image and likeness of God, anthropomorphites drew the conclusion that God has a form. Cass. Coll. 10 The Areopagite points here to the following Scriptures: Ezek. 1. 7 ; Dan. 7.9; Zach. 1. 8 ; 2Mac. 3.25; Nav. 5.13. The Heavenly Powers are called God-like as created in the image and likeness of God. This is how man was created. Further, as we will see, the Areopagite says that everything is infinitely far from being like God; the very first creatures are not at all like Him Chapter 2, § 1. From the very presentation made by the Saint, it is clear what he understood by the name of materiality and image. Further, he, in agreement with all the Ancients, no longer recognizes light as a sensory image. Look at p. 274 callout 2 1 Tim. 6. 16 ; Ps. 144.13; Rome. 11.31 That is, the actual being of God, the actual God Epistle to the Holy Apostle Paul on the meeting of Dionysius with the Mother of God Philokalia. Part 1. Works of Saints Simeon the New Theologian, Gregory of Sinaite, Theophan, the Touched Monk; "The Ladder", Words 25 and 26; Saint Isaac of Syria, Words 8, 15, etc. Philokalia. Part 1. A Word about Faith Ezek. 1. Venerable Macarius. Conversation 1 Bergier can be partly justified by the fact that he was educated before the advent of chemistry, although he lived to see its appearance at the end of the 18th century. But one cannot help but recognize that many of his mistakes were intentional: he had to defend the new teaching at all costs. This can be seen throughout the entire space of his polemics. Saint Isaac of Syria. Homily 38. The Monk Mark the Ascetic said: “Memory, passionately and with pleasure renewing what is seen or heard or touched by thought, imagination and vicious reflection, paints images in the soul and through this defiles the mind, which is still enslaved by passions.” Message to Monk Nicholas. - Very true! just as the bodily senses have the general meaning of touch, so do the mental ones. The holy monks, having achieved, in the light of Divine grace, a self-view to which self-delusion can no longer give the incorrectness and darkness that it imparted to philosophers, led by the spirit of this age, the spirit of lies and delusion, got away with the only true psychologists Histoire du Christianisme, par. Fleury. Tom. I. Egyptian sage and magician who opposed Moses. 2 Tim. 3.8 Life of the Hieromartyr Cyprian. Chet'i-Minei, October 2 Number 22; 1 Sam. 28 and so on Is. 14. 13, 14; In. 8.44 Vita Beati Antonii, cap. XVIII. Experienced proof of this can be seen in the life of St. Isaac of Pechersk: “Paterikon of Pechersk”; also in the life of St. Pachomius the Great. Chetii-Minei, May 15 A Word on Sensual and Spiritual Vision of Spirits Epistle to Ephesians. According to the publication of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of 1824 Epistle to Philippipi. “Try,” says Saint Ignatius, “to gather more often for the Eucharist and the glory of God: when you are often together, Satan’s forces weaken, and his kindled arrows return to sin. Your like-mindedness and consonant faith are his destruction, and his co-servant is torment. There is nothing better in Christ than peace, in whom all warfare of air and earthly spirits is destroyed.” Having said this, the God-Bearer refers, like Basil the Great, to the words of the Apostle: Our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities and powers (and) against the rulers of darkness, against the spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). Epistle to Ephesians. From this quote it is clear that the God-Bearer understood spirits in the same way as the other Fathers of the Orthodox Church. He established, according to the testimony of the historian Nicephorus (book 13, 8), in the Antiochian Church, of which he was a bishop, singing in two faces, as a result of Divine Revelation, in which he saw Angels singing in this way. Wonderful are Your works, and my soul is fully aware of this. [Your] knowledge is marvelous to me—high, I cannot comprehend it! (Ps. 139.14, 6) The Great Prokeimenon at the Epiphany Supper Dictionnaire de Théologie par l'abbe Bergier. Tom. VI. Paradis ...fire kindled in My wrath, burning to the depths of hell, and consuming the earth and its products, and scorching the foundations of the mountains (Deut. 32.22). Explanations, abstract or the most ordinary, often replaced the direct rejection of the deep teaching taught by the Holy Scriptures, so that the rejection of the teaching was not clear to everyone my flesh will rest in hope, for You will not leave my soul in hell and You will not allow Your holy one to see corruption (Ps. 15:9, 10). They will see the corpses of the people who have retreated from Me: for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abomination to all flesh (Isa. 66.24). Homily 1 to Theodore the Fallen Part 2. Teaching 2 on the entry into Jerusalem of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ Cell letters, volume 14, letter 2 This is the name of the work of Blessed Augustine, written by him in his old age. In this work, the Blessed One revises his previous works and corrects them. And the saints did not suddenly receive an exact concept of all objects of revealed knowledge of God, but they achieved these concepts gradually, in accordance with their lives ...they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). ...saw the word of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55) ...Angels... always see (Matthew 18:10). ...no one has ever seen (John 1.18). You might be interested in: