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We see that there are different kinds of lies and delusions in the world. A merchant lies when he says that his goods are worth such and such a price, but in reality, truly, this is not so. A witness in court lies when he says something he has not seen or heard, and calls black things white and bitter things sweet. A slave lies when he tells his master something that did not happen. The judge is lying, who promised and swore an oath to act according to his conscience at the trial, and to preserve and seek the truth, but does not fulfill this. A worker is lying who, having taken a decent price, promised to work diligently to the one who hired him, but works lazily or does not work at all. A debtor is lying when he accepts money from the lender and promises to give it to him, but does not give it. The warrior who swore an oath to serve the sovereign and society is lying, but does not fulfill this. The shepherd lies, who promises and swears to shepherd the flock of Christ's sheep, but does not shepherd or carelessly shepherds, etc. So a Christian lies, who in holy baptism promises to work to Christ the Lord, but does not work. Anyone who, after holy baptism, commits lawlessness and cleaves to the vanity of this world creates himself like this. The fornicator, the adulterer and every defiler lies to Christ the Lord; a predator lies, a blasphemer, a slanderer, a slanderer and a scolder... Christians! It is difficult to lie before a simple person, more difficult before an official, far more difficult before a king: how much more difficult and terrible is it to lie before God! Remember, to whom did you make your vows in baptism, and, not keeping them, to whom did you lie? You lied to God, not to man. Repent before time runs out. Note Error and lies, like truth, must be considered in two respects: moral and dogmatic. The above examples relate to lies and moral errors. But dogmatic error is everything that disagrees with the word of God, with the teaching of the Orthodox Church, with the Creed, with Sacred Tradition and with the Ecumenical Councils. The testament of Saint Tikhon is worthy that every soul who glorifies Saint Tikhon as a saint should know it by heart. Let's write it down here: Glory to God, for he created me in his own image and likeness! Glory to God, for you have redeemed me who fell! Glory to God, for he provided for the fallen me! Glory to God, for He called me who had sinned to repentance! Glory to God, for he gave me his Holy Word, like a lamp shining in a dark place, and thereby guided me on the true path! Glory to God, for he enlightened the eyes of my heart! Glory to God, for He washed me with the bath of baptism! Glory to God, for he showed me the path to eternal bliss; this way is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who says about Himself: I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Glory to God, for He did not destroy me when I sinned, but, in His goodness, He suffered my sins! Glory to God, for showing me the beauty and vanity of this world! Glory to God, for he helped me in many different temptations, troubles and misfortunes! Thank God, for in times of disaster and death he saved me! Glory to God, for he protected me from the enemy the devil! Thank God for comforting me who was sad! Thank God for punishing me like a father! Glory to God, for the Last Judgment has been announced to me, so that I fear and repent for my sins! Glory to God, for he declared eternal torment and eternal bliss for me, so that I might run away from this and look for this! Glory to God, for they gave me food, with which my weak body was strengthened; gave me clothes with which to cover my naked body; gave me the house in which I rested. Glory to God and His other blessings! I received as many benefits from Him as I breathed! Thank God for everything! Now I turn my word to you, my brothers. I cannot talk with you, as before, with my voice and lips, as if I am lifeless and voiceless; but I talk in this small letter. First: the church of my body was destroyed, and like the earth; will be given over to the earth, according to the word of the Lord: you are earth and you will go to earth (Gen. 3:19). But with the Holy Church I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. My hope sits at the right hand of God—Jesus Christ, my Lord and my God. He says to me: I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); He will awaken the sleeping me with His omnipotent word. Second: I have departed from you on the path of the whole earth and have become absent, and we no longer see each other as we did before. But we’ll see you again there, where all the nations who have lived from the beginning of the world to the end will gather. Oh, grant us, O Lord, to be seen there too, where God is seen face to face, and thereby revives, consoles, brings joy, amuses those who see, and makes them eternally blessed. There people shine like the sun; there is true life; there is true honor and glory; there is true joy and joy; there is true bliss, and everything is eternal and endless. May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee! Third: to my benefactors, who, in my need and weakness, did not abandon me, but, out of their love and mercy, provided for me, I give many thanks. May the Lord reward them on that day, on which everyone will be rewarded according to their deeds! Fourth: I have forgiven and forgive everyone who offended me in any way. May the Lord forgive them with His grace! I ask you to forgive me if I have offended anyone, as a human being. Leave and it will be left to you (Matthew 6:14). Fifth: I didn’t have any belongings, and there are none left for me. I ask you not to exact it from those who lived with me and served me. Forgive your beloved and remember Tikhon.” This testament was read in the hearing of all at the burial of Blessed Tikhon by Hierodeacon Mitrofan. During the reading, the reader and the listeners interrupted it with sobs. Question What thoughts come to your mind when reading this will? Rep. Blessed are those souls who, upon their departure from the body and from the world, like St. Tikhon, can say: glory to God in everything! Oh, how damned are those who, feeling naked, deprived of good deeds and without grace, must cry out a hundred times and forever: woe is me! Woe to me, for I have not known the Triune God! Woe to me, for I was not assigned to Christ the Savior! Woe to me, for I have trampled upon the grace of St. Baptism! Woe to me, for I have neglected the voices calling me to repentance! Woe to me, for I did not heed the word of God preached in the church! Woe to me, for I was not faithful in fulfilling the duties of my rank! Woe to me, for I do not preach the gospel either by word or by example! Woe to me, for I was unmerciful! Woe to me, for I did not give alms! Woe to me, for I have waited in vain for the gifts of God! Woe to me, for I did not think about the future century, about judgment, about hell! Oh Christ! Deliver me from this cry and grief. Amen. Question How blessed. Tikhon talks about the Gospel and the Law? Rep. The Gospel, he says, is a Greek word and means favorable and joyful news: for it preaches Christ the Son of God, who came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) and proclaims the remission of sins and, instead of the wrath of God, the mercy of God, instead of the curse, the blessing of God, instead of condemnation, justification, and instead of hell, the open Kingdom of God, with the great God, holy and eternal reconciliation and fellowship (Rom. 5:1; John 1:3, 7, 9)... But what the Gospel is is better understood by comparing the Law with the Gospel. True, the Creator of the Law and the Gospel is one - God. And just as the law is given to everyone and obliges everyone to perfect obedience, so the Gospel is commanded to preach to everyone - to all creation (Mark 16:15). And just as the law was given for this purpose, so that a person who had fulfilled it perfectly could be justified and saved: whoever does that (written in the law) will live in them (Lev. 18:5): so the Gospel has the same end - to justify those who believe. However, the difference between the Law and the Gospel is apparently the following: 1) The law - written - was given by Moses (for our ancestors had it written on their hearts): the Gospel - by Christ, as in the Easter Gospel we hear: the law was given quickly by Moses; grace and truth became Jesus Christ (John 1:17). 2) The law gives commandments about what to do and what not to do: the Gospel preaches the remission of sins, the grace of God and the merits of Christ (John 3:16). 3) The law teaches what to do and what to turn away from, but does not provide help: the Gospel promises the grace of the Holy Spirit, by whom the law is written on the hearts of believers and acts (Jer. 31:33). 4) The law shows sin: the law is the knowledge of sin (Gen. 3:20), - the sinner is convicted, accused, frightened, the wrath of God proclaims to him, the wrath of God strikes him and condemns him (Gal. 3:10), but does not take away or weaken sin: the Gospel covers sin, heals the weakness of sin, encourages and comforts those who fear the wrath of God, grace and eternal life promises to believers. 5) The Law was laid down and is necessary for fearless, faulty, careless, and wicked people, in order to frighten, crush and lead them to repentance through it (Matt. 3:10): The gospel is preached to those who fear, those who are troubled, the fear of God and those who are overcome with sorrow, the mercy of God and consolation to those who hunger... Question Why couldn't the law make man happy? Isn't the law itself the reason for this? Rep. No, says the saint. Tikhon. The law, although it was given to justify man, could not justify, not from itself, but from human weakness. For no one could fulfill it completely: all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), and therefore, with his justification, he retreated from us. With justification, I say: for as for its fulfillment, even now Christians must fulfill it, obey it, and order their lives according to the rule and teaching of it. Question What good is it to obey the law if it does not justify us? Rep. This: since the law with its justification fell behind us (it could not justify); all flesh will not be justified by the works of the law (Gal. 2:16), because it is impossible to fulfill it: then by this he leads us to the Gospel, and, as the weak, entrusts us to Christ, preached in the Gospel, who, without the works of the law (by grace and faith), will justify and save those who believe in Him (Rom. 3:24-28). In this sense, the Apostle wrote: we have become a law unto Christ, that by faith we may be justified (Gal. 3:24). The law, in addition to teaching us virtue, strives through this to lead us away from vices, leads us, as if taking us by the hand, to Christ, leads us like a mentor (leader) of his pet... Question When did the Gospel begin? Mosaic Law from the time of Moses; and the Gospel - from what time? Rep. The Gospel is holy, in the sense that it is a view of the mystery, hidden for centuries in God, according to the teachings of the Apostles (Eph. 3:9; Rom. 14:24, 25; 1 Cor. 2:7; Col. 1:2, 6), and has been preached since the beginning of the world. For even to the first man Adam, God revealed His graciousness about him and his descendants, the human race, favor, which through these words spoken to the serpent from God: He will erase your head (He is, of course, Christ, the blessed seed) is signified, according to the general St. Father and teachers of the church understanding (Gen. 3:15). This merciful promise of God, like a warm ray of sunshine from the clouds, and like a light to those sitting in darkness, shone to our forefathers - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others, and warmed their hearts with faith and hope of the Sun of righteousness coming into the world - Christ (Gen. 12:3). And what about Abraham, then about the other forefathers and fathers who lived and were saved in the Old Testament, of course, as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles: we believe by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved, just as they, that is, our fathers (Acts 15:11). This light of God's grace was revealed to the Prophets and was preached by them (Deut. 18:15; Acts 7:37). Other holy prophets preached about her, foretelling accordingly, and variously depicting the coming of the Savior Christ, His birth from the Virgin, suffering, and death. Therefore, Christ says: for it is fitting for all who are written in the law of Moses, both the Prophet and the Psalmist, to die (Luke 24:44). And it is so obvious that in the Old Testament the Holy Gospel was preached... and the sacrifices of the Old Testament, as a sign of Christ, had the power and meaning of the Gospel, because they did not in themselves cleanse the sins of people, but Christ, signified by the sacrifices, cleansed (Heb. 10:4). Question To whom is the Gospel preached? Rep. Christ says to bring My ambassador to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). Poor, that is, those who recognize their spiritual poverty, and who, not finding in themselves any truth before God, but seeing every kind of damnation, hunger and thirst for God’s truth about Christ. Those who are contrite in heart, that is, those who have a heart wounded by sorrow for their sins, like an arrow. Question What is clear from what has been said? Rep. 1) The Gospel (in essence) also existed from the beginning of the world, which is now; 2) the same faith has existed since the beginning of the world, which is now preached; 3) in order to receive faith in the heart from the Gospel, one must feel the strength, conviction, condemnation from the law; therefore, 4) we need to learn both in the law and in the Gospel: in the law, because from the law there is knowledge of sin and a feeling of God’s wrath for sin; in the Gospel, because from the Gospel the joy and consolation of the Holy Spirit instills in the heart. Question What is meant by the Law of Moses? Rep. The commandments and decrees that God gave to the Jewish people through Moses, and which are recalled and revealed in the writings of the Prophets who lived after Moses. Question How is the Law of Moses divided? Rep. 1) On the moral law, which contains the rules of moral activity in general; 2) ritual, which contains regulations defining the attributes and image of the external worship of Jews; 3) civil, which contains everything that concerns the civil structure and welfare of the civil society in the Jewish people. The moral law of Moses, as an expression of the internal law, is innate to us, eternal, and generally unchangeable. Do not imagine, says the Savior, that he came to destroy the law or the Prophets; he did not come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). The irrevocability and eternal binding force of this law of St. Tikhon explains in many chapters of his works, namely: about internal and external reverence for God, about glorifying God, about imitation of God, about love for God, about love for one’s neighbor, about forgiveness of those who offend, about various private and public virtues, about our various duties, about sins and vices. The ritual law, with the coming of the Messiah, Whom it foreshadowed and in Whom all the foreshadowings were fulfilled, lost all its power and effect for the human race, and, after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, its fulfillment became impossible. About the destruction of the ritual law, predicted by the prophets (Jer. 31:31; Dan. 9:27), read the letters of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, to the Galatians and to the Hebrews. Regarding the civil part of the Law of Moses, you should know that only those decrees retained binding force, which generally relate to civil improvement, for example. Let not the prince of your people speak evil (Ex. 22:28). And Saint Tikhon extensively and powerfully clarifies and instills this part of the Mosaic Law, talking about authorities and subordinates, about superiors and subordinates, about mutual duties and relationships... About the importance and power of Church laws, we cite the following words from the works of the saints. Tikhon: a high and magnificent name for the Holy Church, says the saint. Tikhon (Part 8, §410), encourages us to avoid sin and pursue piety. The Holy Church is called by the Apostles the house of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15). This holy, magnificent house has Christ Himself as its foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). This house was created on the face of the whole earth, serving the Lord, by spiritual architects - the Holy Apostles; he is cleansed and sanctified by the blood of the only begotten Son of God (Eph. 5:25)... Many nations have gathered and are gathering in this house, saying: Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and He will tell us His way, and we will walk in it (Isa. 2:3): for every member of His household shall obey Him. The Church of Christ is the mother of the faithful and yours: for you must love, honor, listen to Her, as she gave birth to you by water and the Spirit, and obey Her saving instructions and laws... The Church of Christ is a sheepfold, and you are among the sheep: think then how you should listen to the voice of Christ, your shepherd. Disobedience to the Church is terrible. If anyone disobeys the Church, says Christ, be like a pagan and a tax collector (Matthew 18:17). Question What are human or civil laws? Rep. Civil laws contain the decrees and rules of the Supreme Command to the subordinate society; and these laws are binding on every member of society. Therefore, none of the subordinates has the right to judge whether this or that law laid down by the Supreme Civil Authority is useful or harmful, but every member of society is obliged to fulfill the civil law unquestioningly; would it contain something contrary to the law of God, such as, for example. Under the pagan kings, the worship of idols was prescribed: then it is fitting to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). The power and obligatory nature of civil laws is sacred. Tikhon proves this: all power, like a head, is in the human body, in society: for every society is like a living person. The head in a person, like the seat of the mind and reasoning, governs all members: so do authorities govern their subordinates. By me, says the Lord, kings reign and mighty men write righteousness (Prov. 8:15). Therefore, says Saint Tikhon (§481 Part 9), this is the position of loyal subjects to their pious monarch: 1) they must love him from the bottom of their hearts, as God’s first father, provident and trustee for the integrity of the fatherland; 2) honor him, as if sent from God, and give loving respect; 3) his commands and decrees, as if issued for the benefit of society, should be carried out without grumbling and with zeal; 4) the tribute required from him should be given willingly and without delay; 5) for His health, as it is necessary for the fatherland, for a peaceful reign and wise rule, to earnestly pray to God, as His is His advice and confirmation, His is His understanding, His is His strength (Prov. 8:14): And in case, for his health, do not spare your own health. Saint Tikhon briefly explains the commandments of God this way: I) I am the Lord your God: let you have no gods other than Me. Interpretation: This commandment teaches that we should recognize with our hearts and confess with our lips that there is only one God, and that we should contain His Divine properties in the same way as God’s word instructs us. II) Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol, nor any likeness, such as the tree in the heavens, and the tree upon the earth below, and the tree in the waters and under the earth, lest thou bow to them or serve them. This commandment prohibits idolatry and any impermissible way of worshiping God. III) You have not taken the name of the Lord Your God in vain. This commandment forbids using the name of God to diminish His terrible glory, and through this it prescribes every true way of worshiping God. IV) Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy: you shall do six days, and in them you shall do all your work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. This commandment commands that on Sunday and at other known times we gather together for Divine services to repay the honor that creation owes to the Creator and for our instruction. V) Honor your father and your mother, may you be well and may you live long on earth. This commandment requires that we give our parents, and under their name - the great sovereign, the spiritual and civil government, teachers and benefactors, masters and elders, worthy respect and obedience, and sincere love to every person. VI) Thou shalt not kill. This commandment requires that we not do any harm to our neighbor, either through ourselves, or through others, either in deed or in thought, but more importantly, to protect us from any harm. VII) Do not commit adultery. In this commandment, under the general name of adultery, all sinful carnal impurity is prohibited, and through this it is prescribed that we live our lives either in an honest marriage, or in holy and virginal womanlessness. VIII) Thou shalt not steal. By this God forbids all theft and untruth, and thereby commands that we, for the well-being of the common good, observe the benefit of our neighbor as if it were our own. IX) Do not listen to your friend’s false testimony. This commandment requires not to lie in anything and not to touch your neighbor with offense with your tongue. X) Thou shalt not covet thy true wife, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor his village, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is thy neighbor. This commandment of all the previous commandments is a perfect explanation, and it requires not only not to do evil, but also not to desire it in the heart (Ex. 20:2-17). All these commandments are affirmed on two foundations: love for God and love for neighbor. The first four teach the love of God; the other six are love for one's neighbor. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and so on, love your neighbor as you love yourself. In this two commandment hang the whole law and the prophets, as the Lord said (Matthew 22:37, 39, 40). Question What is called physical evil? Rep. Physical evil refers to such phenomena and changes in the world that have a harmful, painful or destructive effect on living or sentient beings. These are, for example: the devastating effects of the elements, crop failures, pestilence, disease, violent death, etc.... Where does this come from? Everything that now makes a person sigh, cry and be sick is generated on earth by the power of the curse spoken by God to the fallen Adam and Eve. And he said to the woman: I will multiply your sorrows, etc. And he said to Adam: Cursed is the earth in your deeds; bear it in sorrow all the days of your life: thorns and thistles will grow for you, etc. (Genesis 3:16-18)... And after this curse is lifted, all this will pass and be destroyed... Questions about the purposes and origin of Physical evil have been heard since ancient times. Saint Basil the Great tried to calm down and reason with his co-questioners this way: “When you hear, the universal teacher says, there is evil in the city that the Lord did not create (Amos 3:6), the word - evil - understand that the Scripture means by it disasters sent to sinners to correct their sins. For it is said: I made you angry and starved to death, so that I may do good to you (Deut. 8:3), stopping the injustice before it overflowed to immensity, like a stream held back by any solid dam or barrier. Therefore, illnesses in cities and nations, dryness in the air, barrenness of the earth and disasters encountered by everyone in life stop the increase of sin. And all evil of this kind is sent from God to prevent the generation of true evils. For both bodily suffering and external disasters are aimed at curbing evil. And so God destroys evil, and evil does not come from God. And the doctor destroys the disease, and does not introduce it into the body. The destruction of cities, earthquakes, floods, the death of armies, shipwrecks, any extermination of many people that occurs from earth, or sea, or air, or fire, or any other cause, occurs in order to bring chastity to those who remain; because God curbs the nation’s vices with nation-wide executions (Creative Holy Father. 8 l. 144, 150).” And St. Gregory the Theologian asks: “What causes crop failures, harmful winds, hail? What causes damage in the air, illness, earthquakes, rough seas and celestial phenomena? And he answers: creation, created for the enjoyment of people, this common and equal source of pleasure for all, turns into the punishment of the wicked, so that we, by the same thing for which we were honored, and for which we turned out to be ungrateful, now come to our senses and know the power of God in suffering, when we did not know it in beneficial actions. Physical evil is under the control of the Divine, like every beneficial phenomenon in the world. All disasters and misfortunes are God's visits, directed by the wisdom of God towards good goals, and primarily guided by love or God's goodness, which does not rush and deserved punishment, moderates or softens its power if people warn or meet it with repentance and correction... So, the instructions of the Holy Church are true, inspiring us that against any private and public disaster the best remedy is prayer, repentance and correction of life... Physical evil is caused by sin, like medicine is caused by illness, and introduced by curse, as a bitter but saving medicine for sinful diseases. The damned creature in its destructive actions serves the good of man. This service was entrusted to her by the Creator, and is controlled by His wise and loving providence. By teaching about the curse of creation, or about its subjugation to vanity, for the sake of man’s salvation, and about its future restoration, the Apostle, says St. Chrysostom, destroys, like a cobweb or children’s toys, all the philosophical theories compiled about this world (Commentary on the last to Romans 14). The beginning of moral evil, and after it - the physical saint. Tikhon finds out in his accusatory word about the cheese week: “Do you know,” he says, what days the Shrovetide or cheese week is surrounded by? It begins on the first day after the meat-free week, in which the Holy Church commemorates the Last Judgment of Christ, in order to bring us into fear and feeling... And how will the cheese week end? - The week of the raw food, in which St. remembers us. The Church is the fall and expulsion from paradise of our forefather Adam, and with him - ourselves, that is, in this week we create a deplorable remembrance of the beginnings of evil - moral and physical. So on this day we mourn our extreme misfortune: we then mourn that hour and day in which our race began to be a transgressor of the commandment of God and to anger God. And this is the root and beginning of moral evil! We mourn the day on which we were cursed by God's justice, condemned to death, given over to corruption, expelled from paradise, deprived of that most beautiful kindness, removed from the God-created village, sent to this deplorable vale, in the sweat of our brow to seek bread for ourselves. This is the beginning of physical evils! With our utmost regret we remember the time in which we fell under all sorts of misfortunes, troubles, illnesses, infirmities, sadness, and sighing. We are still crying, remembering that hour in which we lost the image of God, that indescribable kindness, and fell in love with senseless beasts - in which, finally, death began to reign over us... What a truly deplorable memory! What a sad day Mascara ends. We remember the beginning of all the troubles and evils, moral and physical, on this day (part 3).” This is how Saint Tikhon talks about human language in general. A person sins more than with his tongue when it is not properly controlled. The tongue curses men, created in the likeness of God; the tongue slanderes father and mother; language teaches murder; the tongue advises and conspires about adultery, uncleanness, and theft; the tongue lies, flatters, deceives; the tongue chatters idlely, babbles, blasphemes, uses foul language; the tongue justifies the guilty in court, and accuses the right; the language concerns monarchs, who are not subject to any earthly court; the tongue torments St. husbands who, with their kindness, do not harm anyone; Our Lord Himself, the Savior of the world, did not depart from the tongue, Who did not commit sin; below was found flattery in His mouth (Isa. 53:9); the tongue belches blasphemy against the great, holy and terrible name of God; in a word: the tongue spares nothing, but spews out the poison that lies in the human heart at everything. Question What disasters does the tongue produce? Rep. Countless: 1) the tongue of one monarch slanderes another, and through this gives rise to enmity, warfare, bloodshed, and then - how many thousands of innocent people fall! How many widows and orphans are left crying! How many states, cities, villages are deserted! 2) The tongue dispels heresies, schisms, temptation, and from this there is so much harm to the holy Church, and trouble and labor to the church rulers!.. The tongue burdens the courts with insidious and unscrupulous slander, and thereby leads judges and scribes into great difficulties... To put it briefly: how many troubles there have been and are in the world, language either gave birth to them or increased them. O unbridled tongue! The evil is small, but the evil is great, the evil is uncontrollable, full of deadly poison... (James 3:5, 8). Unstoppable; for although it has two fences - teeth and lips, it nevertheless breaks through... Place, O Lord, guardianship with my mouth (Ps. 141:3) (Part. 4). Note To refrain from the harmful inclination to slander and judgment, read, among other things, from the Spiritual Treasure of St. Tikhon – articles: mirror; mud at the bottom of the key; poison hidden in man; the tares are among the wheat; look around; alphabet; nets spread along the way; burp and beggar. Blazh. Tikhon in his letter, by the way, speaks of the reprehensibility of spectacles: how many temptations, sins and iniquities are conceived and committed at such meetings and festivities cannot be counted. There are as many words and deeds as there are sins; There are as many criminals as there are persons. God and His holy Angels depart far from here (from the theaters). There is a place for the devil and his evil angels, who rejoice with those who rejoice and rejoice over their destruction. For this reason, their death does not sleep when they soon do not feel it. This is how the rich man was having fun, but in agony he shouts: Father Abraham, have mercy on me. And how the St. thunders. John Chrysostom against spectacles? “For this reason (to attract the soldiers of Christ to himself and weaken their strength) he - the devil - built theaters in cities, and, having trained laughers, he infects the whole city with this plague. What Paul commanded to run away from - I mean idle talk and jokes - the devil persuades to love; and what is worst in this is a reason for laughter. For when those presenting funny things in the theater say something blasphemous and shameful; then many, being crazier than they, laugh at this and are amused; for which they should be stoned, they applaud him, and for such pleasure they prepare a fiery furnace for themselves... It is not so much the one who represents in the theater who sins, but in comparison with him, you who force him to do this; and you not only force, but also take care of it, you rejoice and laugh, praise the performances, and in every possible way help the demonic work... Don’t tell me that what is presented at the theater is mere acting. For this hypocrisy has made many adulterers, and many houses have been destroyed (Conversation VI on the Gospel of Matthew, Moral Teaching).