Об утверждающих, что нет воскресения

O you who philosophize in pagan ways and claim that there is no resurrection of the dead! Oh, vile and hostile lips to God, through which the devil, the liar and the author of lies, speaks! Oh, lying lips, or, better said, an open tomb, from the evil treasure of the heart, bringing forth evil and declaring that there is no resurrection of the dead! How did you not tremble, daring to open your ignorant lips and insult Christ, the First-born from the dead? How did the earth not open up and swallow you up alive? How did you not be struck by that Angel who preached the resurrection and told the women that Christ “has risen from the dead,” “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20)? Where should we classify you: among the Hellenes, among the Christians? Who should we call you: pagan or Christian? But no, let him who thinks so wisely not be called a Christian, for those who think so wisely should not be called Christians. And even if they call themselves Christians, they deceive (deceive) themselves, because part of them is not with Christ, our true God, who gave us the resurrection. On the contrary, the place for such will be in Gehenna, “where their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched” (Mark 5:44). For whoever does not expect the resurrection and does not believe in it, it would have been better for him not to have been born. What shall I call you, clouded in mind? Whom I call: a Sadducee (Sadducees are a sect in Judaism that denied Divine traditions, God's Providence and the general resurrection of people) or a Jew or a Samaritan (the Samaritans are dual-believers who included Jehovah, the God of Israel, among their former pagan gods; they recognized as sacred only the book of the law of Moses, changed in places; they did not maintain unity with the Jews in the question of the main place of worship), or both? I’d rather call him a Sadducee and a Samaritan, because they, like you, deny the resurrection. Your part will be with them if you do not repent. What darkness has covered your eyes? What blindness has taken hold of your heart? What wolf snatched you from the flock of Christ? How did the destroyer excommunicate you from the Orthodox faith? What teacher put such blasphemy into your heart and distracted you from the Universal Church? How do you, unfortunate one, dare to look up to heaven and call upon Christ, whom you have offended? By what boldness, you pathetic one, do you call yourself a Christian? You destroyed Christ and insulted the Holy Spirit. How will you show yourself, poor one, to the holy apostles and prophets who proclaimed the resurrection to us to all the ends of the earth? How dare you enter a church where the prophet Isaiah cries out, saying: “The dead will rise again, and those in their graves will rise again” (Is. 26:19)? With what face will you enter the courtyard of Christ, where the saints boldly proclaim to us the resurrection, the prophets preach, the apostles betray (proclaim), and the evangelists preach the good news? With what eyes will you look at the all-holy and most pure Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, who crushed death, trampled down the devil, rose on the third day and gave life and resurrection to the world? All the faithful, communing with faith of His Body, cry out: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century.” So Paul, the preacher of piety, preaches secretly (broadcasts by inspiration, revelation) to the faithful, saying: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: for we will not all sleep, but we will all change. Soon, in the twinkling of an eye, the last trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible” (1 Cor. 15:51-52). And further, denouncing and shaming those who claim that there is no resurrection of the dead, he adds: “And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and so is your faith. And we also are found to be false witnesses of God,” preaching the resurrection to all the ends of the world (1 Cor. 15:13-15). The same Paul, as it were in mockery and disgrace of such, he said: “If the dead do not rise... Let us drink and die in the morning” (1 Cor. 15:29-32). If, as you say, poor one, the dead do not rise, then why are you baptized? Know that if you think like this, you are participating not in the remission of sins, but in Judgment and in the Lord. condemnation and application of sins. For if, as you say, unworthy one, the dead do not rise, then why do you exhaust yourself with fasts, vigils, and prayers? Why virginity and heroic deeds with shedding tears? If the dead do not rise at all, and everything written in the Old and New Testaments, as you foolishly assert, is false, then the martyrs who gave up their bodies to such torment for the sake of the future life, and all the saints were in error? Do you see, unfortunate one, how many saints have your foul lips made liars?! What will you do, unfortunate one, for you have made yourself an enemy of all the saints and a stranger to Christ, like everyone who has no hope? Who will you finally call? Who will you turn to? You have made yourself a stranger to both God and a saint. How are you not ashamed to enter the church of God, where Paul cries out, saying: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with commandment, with the voice of the archangels, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first; Then we who are left behind will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17)? With what hands will you accept the Honorable Body of God and bring it to your vile and blasphemous lips that insulted the Lord? Finally, you poor thing, stop uttering this heavy blasphemy; stop insulting the saints by denying God and saying what should not be done. “If you resist the authorities, you resist God’s command” (Rom. 13:2), says the apostle. What will he endure who resists God? He who does not accept the commands of the earthly king does not survive. What punishments will befall those who disobey the commands of the Heavenly King, that is, His most pure Gospel? How else does the unforgiving and wicked God condescend and show His long-suffering! How he allows such atheists to come and does not immediately stop their mouths! How can the earth not open its walls and swallow them up alive! The Lord says: “the dead will be raised,” but you claim that there is no resurrection of the dead. By the Word of the Lord, “everything that is in heaven and that is on earth, visible and invisible, whether it be a throne, whether it is a dominion, whether it is a ruler, whether it is a ruler, was brought into being from non-existence: all things were created by Him and in Him” (Col. 1:16). He bears “all things by His power,” as it is written (Heb. 1:3). By His word the heavens were established, and the earth was founded on the waters. And the heavenly, and the earthly, and the underworld, and all the abysses are submissive to His Word and obey with trembling - but you don’t believe? Woe to him who sues Him who created him! Fear, man: “You are cruel against the prick” (Acts 9:5). Turn, man, to the Lord and do not disparage Him. “Whoever does not believe in the Son will not see the life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). Therefore, do not be unfaithful, but believe, so that you too may be numbered with the faithful. Believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, Teacher of all good things, and listen to what He says: “Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming... when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and they who hear will live” (John 5:25). And he also says: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him: then He will sit on the Throne of His glory. And all the nations will be gathered before Him" (Matthew 25:31-32), that is, those raised from the dead. Listen also to what the Lord Himself says: those raised from the dead are neither born nor give birth, "neither marry, nor commit violence, nor die for anyone they can" (Luke 20: 35-36), - "but they are like angels." heavens” (Mark 12:25). Isn’t this enough? Are you not convinced to stop the blasphemy? So, let no one doubt the resurrection of the dead? Which witness is more reliable than God? God Himself testifies, let no one doubt, but let us all cry out to the Lord together in agreement and worship Him, saying: “I worship and believe that I will see the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century.” Be careful that no one turns back. Anyone who philosophizes in this way has put Christ aside. If something like this is revealed in words, what will be revealed in deeds? If I want to bring them out into the open (in front of everyone) and describe them in detail, I won’t have enough time to depict all the indecent arrogance (self-righteousness) that we beautifully renounced and with which, unfortunately, we again became entangled, which we perfectly consigned to oblivion and, unfortunately, again remembered, turning back. We again set about our previous affairs: we accepted the appearance, activities, words, and deeds of godless enemies, which it is shameful to reveal and bring into the open. Oh, crafty demon, hater of goodness and people, unfortunate spirit! With what cunning he entices, seduces and convinces everyone! The Lord calls through the prophets, and through the apostles, and through the Gospel, but out of many, only a few listen! The devil calls with harp, rejoicing, demonic songs - and gathers multitudes to himself. The lover of mankind calls on everyone and says: “Come to Me, all of you,” but no one listens, no one shows zeal. The misanthrope, the devil, will beckon, and many will flock. If, when a fast or vigil is announced, everyone complains in exhaustion and becomes as if they were dead. And if, when it is announced about dinners, about evenings, about the harp and demonic songs, everyone becomes cheerful, cheerful, invites each other, walks together in a bad way, competes in an evil deed, not observing decency - not as servants of God, but as fugitives. Often, they work the whole day for the belly, and spend the whole night without sleep to the destruction of their souls, playing and serving as a playground, and gaining nothing from labor and vigil, except for one grief, according to what the Lord said: “Woe to you who laugh now: for you will mourn and weep” (Luke 6:25), - for those who did not want to shed a few tears here will weep there for endless centuries. Let no one deceive you, brothers; this is not characteristic of Christians, but of unfaithful pagans, as the Lord said: “Do not be exalted” (Luke 12:29), because this is what the “pagans of the world” do, who have neither hope of salvation nor desire for future blessings. And you are told: “Do not love the world, nor those in the world. If anyone loves the world, there is no Father’s love in it. For everything that is in the world, carnal lust, and the lust of desire, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from this world. And the world passes away, and so does its lust; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15–17). You know, brothers, that “as many as you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal.3:27). How then do you, having put on Christ, serve the devil? Don’t you know that we are the image of God and the glory of God? How then, bearing the image of God within yourself, do not honor it, but dishonor it with pagan deeds? Oh, how many benefits we deprive ourselves of by these deeds! You, brother, are commanded by the Apostle: “Do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31), but you amuse the devil with pagan deeds and dishonor God, the Lover of mankind. You have been given the advice to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but you are continually scattered. You are commanded to renounce “worldly lusts” (Titus 2:12); you have received the commandment from the Master: “Do not be exalted,” but you do not look at it, but turn away your ears. Subsequently, you will find everything bitter, “more than gall and subtle, more than a two-edged sword.” For this is the nature of sin - it gives little pleasure, but punishes cruelly; it delights temporarily, but punishes forever. If you want (if you know), I will certify to you that engaging in games is idolatry. Listen to what the apostle says: “Neither be idolaters... as it is written: When men sat down they eat and drink, and rose up to play” (1 Cor. 10:7). So, take care that you, loving games, do not end up there with the idolaters, because each one will bear his own burden, each one will reap what he sows. Be careful that you do not sow thorns here - laughter and distraction, and there you do not reap tears and lamentation. I have a lot to talk about, but I can’t say everything now. Let everyone know this that God has determined and appointed the day on which he will judge the world, but as a lover of mankind he is patient: “not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). “The day of the Lord will come...for whose sake the heavens will be destroyed, according to what is written” (2 Peter 3:10, 12) - and we will all, whether we want it or not, we will be gathered and stand before the judgment seat of Christ, where the books are opened. Now we listen and read those books, but we do not accept them; and there we will see that these very books are opened, and read, and condemn us, as the apostle says: “In the day when God judges the secret things of man, according to my gospel” (Rom. 2:16). And the Lord says: “the word that is spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). You see that according to the Gospel we will be judged on that day. Carefully delve into what is written and do not neglect it. Woe to those who insult the Holy Scriptures! There are many vain talkers who deceive themselves, and when they hear about Judgment and punishment, laughing and saying: “I am no better than the whole world; where the whole world is, there I am. What could happen to me that would not befall the whole world? For now I will enjoy the blessings of this century. What the whole world does, I do too.” Then, when the limit of his life is fulfilled, a formidable angel comes sent and demands his soul, saying: “Having finished your path in this life, go now to another world, go to your place.” And then, leaving the pleasures of this life, which he thought to enjoy forever, drawn by the evil angels, he will go to the place of torment. Seeing him, he will be in awe and will hit himself in the face with his hands, looking around here and there and intending to run away. But it is impossible to escape, because those taking him away keep him tightly tied. Then the angels holding him will say to him: “Why are you timid, you pathetic one? What angers you, what saddens you? What are you afraid of, poor thing? Why are you trembling, unfortunate one? You yourself prepared this place for yourself. Reap what you sow. Have you heard about terrible torments and, mockingly, said: “Where the world is, there I am,” and now you tremble? You are not alone - don’t be discouraged. Where the whole world is, there you are.” With coercion and unwillingness, having entered the place, severely tormented, he begins to plaintively cry out and beg those who presented him to the Court in order to receive at least a little weakness. And they answer him: “Why are you crying? You are no better than the world; where the whole world is, there you are, as you yourself said.” And then, sighing from the depths of his heart, he will say: “What benefit has the whole world brought me? Alas, I am deceived and mocked! The Court of God is righteous. Now I, the unfortunate one, have learned that “even as a man sows, the same will he also reap”: and whatever “burden” he binds, such he will “bear” (Gal. 6:7, 5). Alas, I heard and did not accept! I saw that many were struggling, staying in vigil, fasting, giving alms - and he slandered everyone, ridiculed everyone! I saw that many were crying and shedding tears, - and mocked everyone. Alas, I was mocked! It would have been better for me to cry, weep, fast, eat stones for a hundred years, than to come to this place of torment. Who will give three days for repentance from the age in which I, poor man, have wasted my time badly? But the market is over, and there is no more time for repentance." So, let us fear that very visitation of torment and stop dishonoring God, because to Him belongs glory forever and ever! Amen. You might be interested in: