Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew

Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "GOSPEL. The Word of the Lord is so firm and unchangeable that the whole world is supported by Him - visible and invisible - the angelic and human world. That is why the word of the Gospel is so firm that it is more convenient for heaven and earth to pass away than for one jot or tittle to perish from the law (cf. Luke 16:17). Everything that the Lord said in the Gospel is so true and so firm that heaven and earth can sooner pass and disappear than the words of the Lord spoken in the Gospel. – Wonderful is the Word of God! And look how true the Word of the Lord is: this is already the nineteenth century from the ascension of Christ into heaven, and His Word remains firm and unchangeable, quickening our hearts, enlightening our minds, being fulfilled in His promises and prophecies. And it will exist and revive the souls of man until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)” [8, 96]. St. Righteous John of Kronstadt In 2009, the Russian Orthodox Church prayerfully celebrated the 100th anniversary of the repose of the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt and the 200th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy. The name of the great prayer book, wonderful preacher, philanthropic pastor, Righteous John of Kronstadt (1829–1909) is inscribed in golden letters in the history of our Academy, which he graduated from in 1854. His diary “My Life in Christ” became one of the best works of spiritual literature in the Russian theological heritage of the 19th century. It is filled with reflections born from personal experience along the gospel path. The Holy Gospel was especially dear to the Kronstadt shepherd. The Holy Scriptures of the New Testament were for him not an abstract teaching, but concrete life in Christ. The invaluable spiritual experience of the holy shepherd is especially necessary today. Collections of patristic interpretations of the texts of Holy Scripture, called “catenas,” enjoyed special authority among Christians even in the ancient Church. They included numerous commentaries of the holy fathers, arranged sequentially verse by verse for each Book of the Bible. We know the famous exegetes - St. John Chrysostom, blessed. Augustine, blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria. Righteous John of Kronstadt did not write special works on the interpretation of Holy Scripture, but his works - diaries and sermons - contain numerous thoughts on various passages of Scripture, especially many on the Gospel. Until now, they were, as it were, hidden among other thoughts of Father John. This work reveals to us for the first time the All-Russian pastor as an exegete. The compilers tried to include in the collection all the fragments from the diaries of Father John over the years, which help to understand the meaning of the Gospel of Matthew. Modern society expects from the Church a word of living preaching that reveals the very depths of the Gospel. The records of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, without any doubt, will help the modern reader understand the Gospel and accept it with his whole life. The word of the righteous man, which has gained strength in fervent prayer, will warm the hearts of future shepherds and will help to reveal to the people entrusted to their spiritual care the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Rector of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, Bishop of Gatchina Ambrose The publication uses the following conventions: (Matt. 3:2) - an indication of the quotation of Holy Scripture made by the author, the holy righteous John of Kronstadt; [Matt. 1, 21] - an indication of the quotation of Holy Scripture made by the editors; [1, 61] and [5, vol. 2, 521] - an indication of sources containing quotes from the Holy Scriptures and interpretation of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt: 1. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Diary. T. 1. 1856. M.: Bulat. 2005. 298 p. 2. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Diary. Τ. Ι. 1856–1858. Book 2. M.: “Father's House”, 2002. 496 p. 3. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Diary. T. II. 1859–1860. M.: “Father's House”, 2003. 808 p. 4. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Death diary. 1908, May-November. M. St. Petersburg: “Father's House”, 2003. 184 p. 5. St. John of Kronstadt. My life in Christ. St. Petersburg, 2005. 632 p. 6. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. A living ear from a spiritual field. Minsk, 2002. 144 p. 7. Conversations between Archpriest John of Kronstadt and Abbess Taisia, abbess of the first-class Leushinsky Monastery of St. John the Baptist. St. Petersburg, 2002. 96 p. 8. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Diary. T. III. 1860–1861. M.: “Father's House”, 2005. 847 p. 9. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. A simple gospel word. M.: “Father's House”, 2009. 400 p. 10. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Diary. Volume IV. 1862. M.: “Father's House”, 2006. 670 p. 11. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Creations. Diary. Volume V. 1863–1864. M.: “Father's House”, 2009. 606 p. 12. Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. Diary. T. 13. 1867–1868. M., 2008. 280 p. You might be interested in: