In Russia, an ancient statue of Christ was miraculously recovered; it was found in the river by fishermen. I wrote about this miracle, thanks to the rector of the Assumption Church, Father Gennady, for his story and help. Here is the text of my note, it was just published in the newspaper “Life”; there is a more complete version on the blog:

Appearance of Christ to Russia

The Holy Dormition Cathedral in the city of Aleksin near Tula has become a place where pilgrims from many parts of Russia are now flocking. People go there to meet Jesus, to touch the miraculously found statue of Christ.

Local fishermen found this shrine on the banks of the Oka River,” the rector of the church, Archpriest Gennady Stepanov, tells me. “They brought it to our church, and I immediately felt an unprecedented joy - my heart trembled, my soul sang. The people who were nearby at that time felt great grace; a wave of love and tenderness covered everyone. It’s as if Christ himself appeared to us, and he is nearby, among us!

The shrine was carefully washed from silt, and again it was time to be amazed: a beautifully crafted statue appeared before the priest’s gaze.

The sculpture is covered with gesso, which is usually used to prime icons, and painted with paints. - says Father Gennady. - The shrine is more than two centuries old, but it is perfectly preserved - only at the bottom, on the legs of Jesus, there are small losses. The statue is unique; similar sculptural images are typical of Northern Rus', but there they are not carved so carefully. And this is a masterpiece!

The type of wood from which the statue of “Alexin Jesus” is made has not yet been determined. When the fishermen pulled it out of the river, the sculpture seemed heavy, as if made of bog oak. And now, in the temple, it can be easily lifted by one person, as if it were made of linden. Miracle!
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Nuns told me about a similar effect of weight change in the village of Godenovo, Yaroslavl region, where another image of Christ is kept - a crucifix discovered almost six centuries ago - and it was also found in water!

Outside the temple, Goden’s Life-Giving Cross of the Lord immediately becomes unbearable, as if filled with lead, but in the temple two nuns can easily carry it, Mother Evstolia, the abbess of the St. Nicholas Pereyaslavl Monastery, explained to me. – This amazing property of our cross is recorded in ancient chronicles.

The shrines from Godenovo and Aleksin have another, truly mystical, common property: they are prophetic. An amazing historical parallel - the Goden crucifix was found on the eve of the fall of Byzantium, which was then the capital of the Orthodox world. In ancient times, believers believed that this cross was transported to Rus' across the sky from Constantinople, besieged by the Arabs, and the legend has a real basis - art historians determined that the shrine was a Byzantine work.

Aleksinsky’s Jesus also became prophetic - he was found precisely in those days when blood was shed on the Maidan in Kyiv, the mother of Russian cities. Like a warning about a civil war that hit Russia too! There are similar sculptural images of the reclining Christ in Orthodox churches in Ukraine - who knows, maybe this sculpture was once carved by a Kiev master?

If we continue to compare the newfound shrine with Godin’s, then they are connected to each other in terms of plot. The crucified Christ is carved on the ancient cross, and the Aleksinskaya sculpture belongs to the “Savior in the Tomb” type.

This is symbolic, because the main idea of ​​the Christian faith is that after death we will be resurrected, because Jesus proved this to people by defeating death,” notes Father Gennady. – The tradition of depicting Christ lying with folded hands also came from Byzantium; this is how he is embroidered on the shrouds.

Finding

How the statue of Christ ended up in the river is an unsolvable mystery. The version that it was stolen from some temple, museum or private collection and then thrown away by thieves has disappeared. In the six months since the sculpture was found, no one has reported it missing. Perhaps it was buried in the sand in the thirties of the last century, when there were persecutions of faith and temples were destroyed, and over time the river washed away the bank and carried away the shrine, throwing it into the coastal willow thickets with a wave.

There she was found by Aleksin residents Alexei Ilyushin and Sergei Kapranov.

We were fishing on the Oka River not far from the village of Lamonovo,” recalls Alexey Ilyushin. “Suddenly we see that there is someone in the willow tree.” Come closer, and this is a statue of Christ! It’s as if he’s alive, he doesn’t lie down, doesn’t swim, but stands on his feet! We were taken aback - where did such beauty come from in the river? With difficulty they pulled the sculpture ashore. I had a camera with me, I took a picture - and just at that moment the sun came out of the clouds. Christ began to shine, the droplets of water sparkled like diamonds.

The fishermen wrapped the statue in cloth and hid the find in the forest. And when they returned to shore, it turned out that their boat had been stolen. But they were no longer worried about their little boat. What if hooligans find the sculpture, break it, and burn it? Alexey Ilyushin visited the hiding place a lot over two weeks to make sure that the sculpture was intact. And I looked closely - what if the owner of the statue showed up in those places? No one was looking for her, and the fishermen, after consulting with familiar religious women, Elena Vyacheslavovna Fedina and Nina Dmitrievna Gaponova, decided to transfer the find to the temple.

And when they were about to do this, they saw a spring gushing near the place where the shrine was found. It was as if the Lord gave a sign to the fishermen that their choice was correct.

The rector of the cathedral, Archpriest Gennady Stepanov, reported the relic to the diocese. With the blessing of Bishop Seraphim of Belevsky and Aleksinsky, an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus began to be read every night near the shrine.

The miraculous discovery of a shrine is a sign of God’s providence, given to us to strengthen our faith and hope that the Lord will never leave Russia! - said Bishop Seraphim.

The diocesan authorities reported the miraculous find to Moscow; at the end of August, representatives of the Patriarchate will come to Aleksin to study it. It has already become a relic on an all-Russian scale - the flow of pilgrims coming to venerate the shrine is growing.

People come to our church with their deepest needs,” says Father Gennady. – These are illnesses, family discord, and other sorrows. And to many it is given according to their faith, Jesus hears their prayers. We don't keep track of healings, but they definitely exist. More and more people are coming, our sculpture of Jesus is not under glass, everyone can put their lips to it and feel the grace. Everyone notices the wonderful property of this shrine: Jesus gives consolation in sorrows. He loves everyone, and the doors of the temple are open to everyone. Suvorov said: “We are Russians, God is with us!” That's how it is - Christ is always with us.

THE APPEARING OF CHRIST THE SAVIOR IS THE JOY OF HIS PEOPLE

And there was joy in Israel
1 Par.12.40

In this chapter we see a description of how the great multitude of the people of Israel assisted David, first in exile, when he was forced to flee from Saul, and pursued him from place to place. In various places where he was forced to retire in exile, many came to him, as in the cave at Adollam. The names and numbers of those people who came together to help him are mentioned here, and several places are mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. The last part of it mentions the tribes that came to him in Hebron to make him king over all Israel (1 Chr. 12.23). “All these soldiers, in ranks, with full hearts came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. And all the other Israelites were unanimous in making David king” (1 Chron. 12.38). This was after he had reigned over Judah for seven and a half years. But then there was a holiday for this great crowd, and they stayed there with David for three days, and ate and drank what David had prepared for them. Those in Hebron from the tribe of Judah, with the assistance of others, brought bread, meat, flour, figs, raisins, wine and oil, with plenty of herds and flocks, for the inhabitants of Hebron and the tribe of Judah, and this was not enough for a meal great multitude. Then come the words I read: “and there was joy in Israel,” for the civil war between the house of Saul and David was over. The man who was the favorite of the people, who was a wise prince and a successful general, who loved his country to the depths of his soul, from whom the people expected so much, being anointed by God, became king over all the tribes, and this was the joy of Israel.
But great as this joy was, there are numerous reasons for much greater joy in spiritual Israel, in the great Son of David, the King Messiah and Savior of His people, whom God anointed as King on His holy Mount Zion, and His kingly ministry is mentioned in various prophecies Old Testament. For it is written: “Rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion! Triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving” (Zechariah 9.9). The prophecy also makes it clear what should be said on this joyful occasion: “This is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is from the Lord, we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation (Isa. 25.9 KJV ).
It is in these words that there is spiritual meaning, which I will try to interpret here and show:
I. The reason for the joy in Israel about the King Messiah, the Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ.
II. Where are those among whom this joy is and will be.
III. The nature of this joy, by which it can be judged whether it is pure and genuine in those who profess to have it.
I. I will consider the causes of this joy in Israel about the Messiah King, the Son of David, our Lord Jesus Christ, and they concern every manifestation of Him as the King and Savior of Israel, first in the flesh, in His coming to His people to restore them, and then on the last day, in His Kingdom, spiritual and personal. In each of these periods there was, is and will be great joy, more abundant than when David became king over all Israel.
1. His coming in the flesh is a matter of joy, for He then appeared as the King of Israel and their Savior. He came as a King, and not a temporary one, but a spiritual one. The Jews expected Him as a temporary king, and it is very likely that the wise men of the East had no other idea about Him when, led by a star, they came and asked where He was, the newly born King of the Jews. But although He was and is a King, as He admitted to Pilate, He was not a temporary monarch. His kingdom, as He said plainly, is not of this world. His kingdom did not come with outward splendor and grandeur. He did not appear as a temporary king, with greatness and glory, but in the form of a slave. He came not to be served, although many expected this kind of pompousness from Him, but to serve, to be a servant, and to give His soul as a ransom for many. In short, He did not become King in Israel except as the Redeemer and Savior of His people. For He came not to judge the world, to rule and govern it, in such a way as kings and princes can do, but to save the world, so that what He did as a Savior, as the King of Israel and its Deliverer, became His joy of people. The joy in Israel is the coming of the King of Israel.
If His work was to bring about deliverance, to bring about eternal righteousness, and to atone for the sins of His people, all this will lay a firm foundation for joy in spiritual Israel, or among the people of God, who have an understanding of these things. His great work was to obtain salvation for His people, and this is what the Church has rejoiced in since the day of His coming: rejoice with joy, daughter of Zion! Behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving." This is the source and basis of spiritual joy in Israel: the salvation of human souls. Therefore, the Apostle Peter exhorts us to stand to the end in our faith for the salvation of our souls, souls that are more valuable and excellent than all peace, and as much as the soul is superior to the body, so much more is its salvation more important and superior than the salvation of the body, and this is the greatest cause for joy. If bodily salvation gives joy, then much more is the salvation of the soul accomplished by Christ. This is eternal salvation. God as the God of nature and providence, Our God and our King, who has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth, is the Author of all deliverance in it, and praise be to Him for it, and the joy of those who have found their inheritance in Him. But the salvation of which Christ, as our King and our God, is the Author , for all spiritual Israel, there is spiritual and eternal salvation: “Israel will be saved in the Lord with eternal salvation,” and therefore this is a just cause for great joy.
This is salvation from sin, and from wrath, from eternal death, and from every spiritual enemy. This is salvation from sin. Christ is called by the name of Jesus, for "He saves men from their sins," from the sin of nature, or original sin, and from all its consequences, from actual iniquity, sins of the heart, of the mouth, of life and omission, from sins great and small; Christ saves them all. It was prophesied that He "shall deliver Israel from all their iniquities."
Salvation is essentially salvation from the wrath that sin deserves, which "comes from heaven upon the children of disobedience," and every sinner can expect it. Christ saves His people from the wrath to come. Being justified by His blood and righteousness, His people are saved from wrath; in other words, they will be saved from hell, death and every enemy, and this is a great cause for joy in Israel.
This work of salvation is what the Divine Father called Him to do and gave Him into His hands; “I have finished the work which You gave Me to do”: He means the work of salvation. God sent Him at the right time to be the Savior of people. He came into this world to "seek and save those who were lost," lost in Adam and his fall. He became the author of eternal salvation. He obtained eternal redemption for His people, Himself, without the help of any creature, angel or man. His own hand accomplished this salvation. It's finished.
Now it is great joy in Israel that Christ has come as King and Savior, and this is the salvation of sinners and for sinners. It is for sinners, and indeed, no one else needs it, but only reasonable sinners who see a need in it: it is not the healthy who need a doctor, says the Savior, but the sick. Christ came not to call the righteous, not the self-righteous people who think their own righteousness is enough to justify them, “but sinners to repentance”; it is salvation for the worst of sinners. If it were only for some sinners, not for those who are stained with any crimes, or for those who lived a worthy life and committed only a few sins that are common to all mankind, then such people as Saul, the persecutor and blasphemer, it would not touch in any way; but this was the basis of his faith, hope and joy, that “this is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.” The apostle says to the Corinthians, giving a list of the most vile sinners who ever lived: “and such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified.” If the salvation of sinners in Christ were limited, then it would not have touched such sinful and vile people.
This salvation is accomplished freely, and this is another reason for joy in Israel. Salvation is by the grace of God, not by works. If it were only for people of a certain kind, who have done such and such works of righteousness, there would be an excellent reason for despondency in the minds of many souls, but “not because of the works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His mercy He saved us,” “not from works, so that no one can boast." Salvation and its blessings are completely free. For, although our Lord exhorts men to come and buy His gold, refined by fire, and white robes, which express His grace and blessings, they must be bought without money and without price.
The salvation that Christ created as King for the joy of Israel is a great salvation, and it is indescribably wonderful. Eternity itself would not be enough to proclaim his greatness; so how can we “despise such a great salvation” accomplished by such a great God? Salvation is given to great sinners, given at a great price, through the precious blood of Jesus, for we are redeemed "not with corruptible things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot." This is an expression of the greatest love. The Father gave the Son, and the Son gave Himself, and it is difficult to say which is greatest. Salvation is perfect; it embraces the whole person, soul and body. Salvation is from every sin and from every spiritual enemy. It is infinite; it secures grace here and glory hereafter, and all who share it will be made perfect in Christ Jesus.
It is a salvation in which all the glory of God is expressed and the interests of His people are taken into account. The glory of all Divine perfections is secured in this salvation; “Here mercy and truth meet together, truth and peace kiss each other,” the angels saw this and praised the Lord at the incarnation of Christ, singing: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men” (KJV).
How was this great salvation manifested in the King of Israel when He appeared in our world, what was the joy for Israel and what was the reason for it? The King of Israel's main business was to bring eternal righteousness to His people. When He was foretold as the King of Israel, who was to appear in the fulness of time, it was said of Him according to His character: The Lord is our justification! It was said that the Lord "gave David a righteous Branch, and the King shall reign and prosper." "In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live safely, and the name of this King, the Branch of righteousness, will be: The Lord is our righteousness (Jer. 23.5-6). He is the Author of righteousness, and His work was to bring everlasting righteousness; He came into this peace, to fulfill all righteousness, not to break the law, but to fulfill it. It is the fulfillment, the goal and “the end of the law for the righteousness of everyone who believes,” and this is joy for us. Therefore the Church says: “I will rejoice in the Lord, my the soul will rejoice in my God, for He has clothed me with the robe of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Is. 61.10). Rejoicing over this Branch is also expressed differently: "Only with the Lord will they speak of Me, righteousness and power; all who were at enmity against Him will come to Him and be ashamed. By the Lord will all the tribe of Israel be justified and glorified" (Is. 45.24-25); this is what they boast about, their joy and gladness, that they have righteousness in Christ, and they are justified. This righteousness is actually called in Scripture the righteousness of God, for it produced by God, and not by man. Therefore, the apostle, speaking of the Gospel, insists: “the righteousness of God is from faith to faith,” and again: “the righteousness of God is in all and on all who believe.” This is the righteousness that God the Father confirms, and He is pleased by it, for it corresponds to His law and justice, and therefore He imputes it to His people freely, without works. This righteousness is fully acceptable to the law of God, and meets all its requirements: for, although its commandment is immensely extensive, this righteousness is equally degree of such. It exalts and glorifies the law, glorifies more than the most perfect obedience of angels or men. It is a righteousness in which the justice of God finds no defect, for it is perfect. Those who are justified by it are blameless before the throne of God and the Judge of all the earth, for by this righteousness they are "justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses"; they are justified from all sins. To those whom God clothed with His righteousness, He forgave all their iniquities. They are without spot or wrinkle, and therefore they will be accepted with God through His righteousness. They are worthy of the greatness that is bestowed upon them. And their joy is that this righteousness is given to them freely. Those whom God justifies by it are themselves wicked. He imputes righteousness apart from their works; without taking any of them into account. This is a gift that they receive from Him according to the abundance of His grace; and this gift was received by them by faith, which is also mercy from the God of our salvation. The grace of faith, in which the soul receives this mercy from the Lord, is also a gift of God. Because imputed righteousness is acquired by the soul through faith, it enjoys the most lasting peace and consolation. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." This truth gives peace, tranquility and security forever. It is not a consequence of man's own righteousness or of his works, for they bring no satisfaction when he considers the mixture of sin in them and the imperfection of them, but the righteousness of Christ lays a solid foundation for peace. Therefore, the Kingdom of God, as it is said, “is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace”: first righteousness, then peace. Only the imputed righteousness of Christ brings lasting peace. This righteousness gives the right to eternal life, and only the righteousness of Christ can give it. Therefore the justification given by Him is called justification unto life. All this and much more that can be said about this work of righteousness accomplished by Christ laid a strong foundation for joy in Israel.
We will also say, before we conclude with this, that the work of Christ, as our King and Savior, was done to cleanse sin, to cover transgression, to make reconciliation for iniquities, and to bring eternal righteousness, He came into our world in our nature, for the propitiation for the sins of the people. God foretold Him and sent Him into the fullness of time to be an atoning sacrifice for sin. The propitiation is made by Him and those who believe by faith receive it. This causes joy in Israel, because "we glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have obtained redemption": and having received it in our hearts, we feel wonderful joy, and there is great reason for this, since Christ did that What the blood of millions of slaughtered animals could not do was take our sins and cleanse them. This He accomplished by His Sacrifice: He “by one offering made perfect forever those who are being sanctified; this sacrifice is an aroma pleasing to God, and therefore it is a cause of joy in Israel. This is the work of Christ, revealed in the flesh, to great joy in Israel.
2. The spiritual coming of Christ in the hearts of men upon their regeneration is another event which causes joy in Israel. In regeneration He opens the eternal doors of their hearts, and enters, as the King of glory, into the souls where He reigns, through righteousness to His eternal life. This is great joy. When Christ is revealed as Redeemer and Savior, when He is revealed in the heart of His people as the hope of glory, this is joy for the poor reasonable sinner, who previously considered himself on the verge of destruction, having no hope of salvation, since there was nothing for him. , except for the terrible expectation of judgment and the fury of fire,” ready to justly destroy him, remaining in his sins. Now that Christ should be revealed to him as Savior, and he should have the hope of mercy and perfect righteousness through Him, what joy this must create in His soul! As the first followers of our Lord, having found Him, cried out in joy: we have found the One about whom Moses wrote in the law and the prophets! Nathaniel speaks of Him in delight: “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel!” This is what happened to Zacchaeus when the Lord called him by name and told him to come down, and he came down and received Him with joy. So it was with thousands who cried out: “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” What will happen to us? Is there hope? And if they hoped for forgiveness through the blood of Christ, they “received the word with joy,” like every reasonable sinner into whose heart Christ comes; and this is his great joy.
The saints also experienced such joy in the manifestations of Divine mercy after the retreat. When Christ withdraws from His people, when His people do not enjoy fellowship with Him as before, but sincerely seek Him and His institutions and finally find Him, then they accept the words of the Church in the Song of Songs: “I held him and did not let him go, until I brought him into my mother’s house and into the inner chambers of my mother,” thus rejoices the sinner who has found the Beloved. So it was with the disciples of our Lord when He departed from them, and they were waiting for Him: “then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord”; and every true believer, after the time of darkness and fall, if Christ visits him again with His intelligent presence, that is all to him. And He does not leave His people either in heaven or on earth, but always brings something to them, and the joy of His people is in His words: “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” Whenever He comes, He always brings something to make them happy.
3. On the last day, when Christ will be more evident, and, like David, will be King over the whole house of Israel, and over the whole world, there will be joy and gladness. In the spiritual reign of Christ, this will be the case, for the twenty-four elders, that is, the ministers of the Church and the Gospel, gave thanks to Him who sat on the throne, for He accepted His great Kingdom and reigns. Then there will be joy in Israel when the kingdoms of this world are to become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, when He destroys the Antichrist by the spirit of His mouth and by the revelation of His coming, and all the saints will be called to rejoice and be glad, because God has demonstrated His justice in revenge on the Antichrist and anti-Christian states. Let's read Rev. 19.1-6 and see what joy there will be in Israel then. There will be joy in Israel when the Jews are converted, when the ancient Bride of the Lord, the Church, is ready to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright, and then there will be the marriage of the Lamb; when the Gentiles in every part of the earth will be converted and called to the same joy. There will be great joy in Israel in His spiritual reign, when there will be such an increase of light in the world that the whole earth will be enlightened with the glory of God's presence and "filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea"; and when all the saints will marvelously see what peace and harmony there will be among the people of God; Ephraim will no longer harass Judah, and Judah will not oppress Ephraim; brotherly love will flourish in the Church of Philadelphia, and holiness will spread among all who bear the name of Christ, and when the Kingdom of Christ will expand from sea to sea and from river to the ends of the earth, when he will be King over all the earth, and when there will be one Lord, and His name is one.
Was there great joy in Israel because David became king over all the tribes of Israel? But there will be much greater joy when Christ is King over all the earth, and much greater when He appears, in person, not for the cleansing of sin, but for salvation, and when the new heaven and the new earth come, and Christ reigns among his people, when there will be no more sorrow and pain, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be great joy in Israel when Christ reigns magnificently before their elders in Jerusalem and they also rise with Him in glory and abide in the greatest happiness. Then those who are made kings and priests to God will abide in His presence, where there is fullness of joy, and “in Your right hand forever.” Now we have to ask,
II. Where and among whom does this joy reside? In Israel; we must understand this spiritually, not only as the natural nation of Israel, but also the Gentiles who also constitute the spiritual Israel of God. Its joy is the appearance of Christ in human nature as the King of Israel, and His incarnation not only for the sake of the Jews or His people among them, but also for the Gentiles. Thus, the angels who brought the news could say that this is good news of great joy for all people and nations (Luke 2.10-11).
The death of Christ was not only for the sake of the Jews or His people among them, but "to gather the children of God who were scattered abroad"; Christ became the propitiation not only for the sins of the Jews, but, as John says, for the sins of the whole world, that is, for all those chosen by God, without distinction. Thus, there is joy in Israel, and not only among the Jews, but also among the Gentiles, who together make up the whole Israel of God. This is especially so in the case of every true Israelite, when Christ is revealed in him, the hope of glory, for He enters into the character of true believers, since we, says the apostle, are those who worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and not relies on the flesh.
Christ reigns among them as King. He is anointed as King on holy Mount Zion; here He is recognized as the King. The Church says: The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, He will save us. She rejoices in Him as her King, and a wondrous command is given to her: let the children of Zion rejoice in their King (Ps. 149.2 KJV). The Gospel, the good news of peace and salvation through Jesus Christ, is preached here, and this is a cause for joy in Israel. Here are established regulations for those who believe, and for them they are a matter of joy and gladness. This can be said about baptism and about the sacrament of the Supper, which is “a meal of rich dishes and the best wines” (Is. 25.6). King David prepared a great feast for all the tribes, and it was joy in Israel. But we have more, a great feast, that the Lord has prepared for His people in Zion, and this is the reason for much greater joy. It is a rich meal on which His people are fed in commemoration of what the King of Israel, the Savior, has done for them.
And there will be joy in Israel on the last day, during the spiritual and personal reign of Christ. For there will be great joy when there is only one flock and one Shepherd, and when the Son of David, who was only a type of Him, the King Messiah will reign over all the elect. Then they will be called to rejoice, as it is written: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”
III. Now I will say something about this joy in Israel; but here I will be very brief. This joy is not carnal and not about carnal things; it is of a spiritual nature, and comes from the Spirit of God. It is called the joy of one’s Lord, from the faith in Christ that accompanies it. Where there is faith, there is, more or less, the joy of this faith, and an excellent joy. Hence the apostle prays that the Romans may be filled with joy and peace as believers in Him, in His atoning sacrifice and justifying righteousness. Joy comes through faith, and this is only for believers in Christ who have any real experience of this spiritual joy. This is a joy about which the world knows nothing, it is alien to it; God, Christ and salvation are alien to him, and he knows nothing about their joy. It is a joy that cannot be described, so full of glory is it if the experience can be expressed at all, and sometimes it is so great that it cannot be expressed at all. Just as there is a sorrow of the saints that cannot be expressed, despite all their sighs and groans, there is also a joy that they cannot properly express. It is inexpressible and full of glory, and as believers we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
This joy is constant and complete. Rejoice, this is the admonition of the apostle: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice.” There is always a reason for joy in spiritual Israel, whatever may be the affairs and condition of the people of God, as the prophet says: “Even though the fig tree did not blossom, and there was no fruit on the vines, and the olive changed, and the field did not yield food, even if there are no more sheep in the fold and cattle in the stalls, but even then I will rejoice in the Lord and be glad in the God of my salvation.” Let the circumstances of the life of believers be what they are; they always have a reason to rejoice. It is true, in fact, that this joy can be, and is often, interrupted, partly through the damage of nature, partly through the temptations of Satan, and partly through the concealment of God: “Thou hid Thy face, and I was troubled”; but it can live again and grow, and in accordance with this promise, “the meek will rejoice in the Lord, and the poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel” (Is. 29.16). It grows partly through the Word and the sacraments, but chiefly through fresh expressions of interest in Christ and the pouring out of His love into our hearts.
This joy will finally be complete and final. In the heavenly state, the true Israelites will enter into the joy of their Lord, and will be brought into His presence, where there is fullness of joy, and will abide in His right hand forever.
Let us now consider what experience we have had of this spiritual joy. What is our joy? What kind is she? How is it related to faith in Christ and flows from trust in His work, in what He planned and did for us and our salvation when He brought righteousness and interceded for our sins with His Blood? Is our joy based on knowing this or not? If we share in this kind of joy, let it be our greatest interest to hold fast to the joy of our hope, which we will firmly hold to the end. It is joyful in the eyes of God that we should be joyful and express our joy before Him. And this should be our great concern, that our joy may increase, and if so, let us use all the means which God has appointed for its increase.

Translation (C)Inquisitor Eisenhorn

On September 25, Sunday, in the Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, they rendered liturgical honor to the miraculous image of Christ the Savior, which had returned the day before along with the relics of St. Silouan of Athos from Russia.

On the day when the suffering on the cross and the glorious three-day resurrection of the Savior are remembered, the worship of the miraculous image of the Lord Jesus Christ has become especially symbolic and significant. It was in front of this image that the still young novice Simeon Antonov (the future Venerable Silouan) witnessed the epiphany.

The appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ became a reassurance for his soul, confused by thoughts of despair and doubt in the Providence of God. Thoughts of doubt and unbelief were sown in Simeon’s soul during his childhood as book peddlers who distributed Marxist and atheistic literature and visited their home. These thoughts bore their malignant fruit only when Simeon came to the monastery to serve the Lord. As Elder Silouan himself later recalled, the moments of doubt and despair that he experienced could destroy his soul forever. But the merciful Lord did not allow this and the Lord Himself appeared to him.

Here is how the Rev. himself talks about it. Silouan:

“At one time, a spirit of despair attacked me; it seemed to me that God had abandoned me to the end, and there was no longer any salvation for me, but eternal destruction was clearly visible in my soul. And I felt in my soul that God was merciless and inexorable. This continued with me an hour or a little more. This spirit is so heavy and languid that it is scary to even remember about it. The soul is not able to bear it for long. In these minutes you can perish for all eternity. The Merciful Lord allowed the spirit of malice to do such warfare with my soul.

Little time passed; I went to church for Vespers and, looking at the icon of the Savior, said: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And with these words I saw the icon of the living Lord in place, and the grace of the Holy Spirit filled my soul and whole body. And so I knew by the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ is God; and I sweetly desired suffering for Christ.”

"... One novice on Mount Athos, in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, got used to constantlypray to God to forgive him his sins.<...>And one day, during Vespers, the novice raised his eyes to the icon of the Savior, and prayed a little, five words: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner,” and he sees the icon became the living Savior, and the soul and body of the novice were filled with indescribable sweetness , and the soul came to know our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, and the Lord is merciful, and beauty and meekness unspeakable, and the soul understood that from the love of God a person cannot remember anyone, and since then his soul has been burning with love for the Lord."(Venerable Silouan of Athos. Scriptures. Chapter 19 “Narratives of experiences and some meetings and conversations with ascetics”).

“I know a man whom the Merciful Lord visited with His grace; and if the Lord asked him: “Do you want to give you even more?” then, from the weakness of the flesh, the soul would say: “You see, Lord, that if it is more, then I will die,” for man is limited and cannot bear the fullness of grace.

So on Tabor, the disciples of Christ fell on their faces from the glory of the Lord. And no one can comprehend how the Lord gives His grace to the soul.

You are good, Lord. I thank Your mercy: You poured out Your Holy Spirit on me and gave me to taste Your love for me, so sinful, and my soul is drawn to You, the unapproachable Light.

Who could know You, if not You, the Merciful One, deign to show Yourself to the soul? And she saw You, and knew her Creator, the good God, and always insatiably wants You, for You, the Merciful, attracted the soul to You with love, and the soul knew Your love" (Chapter 9: About love).

What happened with Rev. Silouan - it was not just a visual observation, but a miracle of the Epiphany, in which the knowledge of God, trinitarian in Persons, was mysteriously revealed. During this appearance, according to the monk himself, the grace of the Holy Spirit filled his soul, and with the Holy Spirit he not only saw the Lord Jesus Christ, but recognized in Him his God, Savior and Creator, who came by the good pleasure of the Father. This Epiphany left such an indelible mark on the soul of St. Silouan that the memory of him can be traced like a red thread in all his writings. Below we give several such references, as evidence of the saint himself about the miracle that occurred. Here are some more testimonies from the writings of St. Silouana:

“The Father loved us so much that He gave us His Son; but the Son Himself also willed, and became incarnate, and lived with us on earth. And the Holy Apostles and many people saw the Lord in the flesh, but not everyone knew Him as Lord; the many sinners were given by the Holy Spirit to know that Jesus Christ is God.

The Lord loves man and appears to him as He himself wills. And the soul, when it sees the Lord, will humbly rejoice at the mercy of the Lord, and can no longer love anything else as it loves its Creator; although she will see everything and love everyone, she loves the Lord most of all. The soul knows this love, but cannot express it in words: it is known only by the Holy Spirit, to whom the Lord will give it. The soul suddenly sees the Lord and knows Him. Who can describe this joy and joy? The Lord is known in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is in the whole person: in the soul, in the mind, and in the body. This is how God is known both in heaven and on earth. The Lord, in His immeasurable mercy, gave me this grace, a sinner, so that people would know God and turn to Him. I ask on behalf of God for mercy. Hey, the truth. The Lord Himself is my witness" (Chapter 8: On knowing God).

“Loving man, Lord, how did You not forget Your sinful servant, but mercifully looked upon me from Your glory, and appeared to me incomprehensibly? I always offended and saddened You, but You, Lord, for a small conversion, made me know Your great love and immeasurable goodness ". Your quiet, gentle gaze attracted my soul. What will I render to You, Lord, or what praise will I sing to You? You give Your grace so that the soul constantly burns with love, and it knows no rest day and night from the love of God. The memory of You warms my soul, and it does not find rest in anything on earth, except for You, and therefore I seek You tearfully, and again I lose, and again my mind desires to enjoy You, but You do not show Your Face, which my soul desires day and night " (Chapter 1 Missing God).

"Wonderful deeds of the Lord: from the earth He created man, and gave Himself to the earth to know Himself by the Holy Spirit, so that man says: "My Lord and my God"; and he says this from the fullness of faith and love. What more can a soul seek on earth? A great miracle: the soul suddenly comes to know its Creator and His love.When the soul sees the Lord, how meek and humble He is, then she herself humbles herself to the end, and desires nothing more than the humility of Christ; and no matter how long the soul lives on earth, she will always desire and seek this incomprehensible humility that cannot be forgotten. Lord, You love man so much! Lord, Merciful, give Your grace to all the peoples of the earth, that they may know You, for without Your Holy Spirit a person cannot know You and understand Your love Lord, send upon us Your Holy Spirit, for You and all Your things are known only by the Holy Spirit, Whom You first gave to Adam, and afterward to the holy prophets and then to Christians. may people forget the grief of the earth, and may they leave everything bad and cleave to You with love, and may they live in peace, doing Your will for Your glory. Oh Lord, vouchsafe us the gift of the Holy Spirit, let us understand Your glory and live on earth in peace and love, let there be no malice, no wars, no enemies, but let love alone reign, and neither an army nor an army will be needed. prisons, and life will be easy for everyone on earth. I pray to You, Gracious Lord, that all the nations of the earth may know You through the Holy Spirit. As You gave me a sinner to know You by Your Holy Spirit, so may the nations of the earth know You, and may they praise You day and night. I know, Lord, that You love Your people, but people do not understand Your love, and all nations are tossed about the earth, and their thoughts are like clouds driven by the wind in all directions. People have forgotten You, their Creator, and are looking for their freedom, not realizing that You are merciful, and that You love repentant sinners, and give them Your grace of the Holy Spirit. Lord, Lord, give the power of Your grace, so that all peoples may know You by the Holy Spirit, and may they praise You in joy, as You gave me unclean and vile the joy of Your desire, and my soul is drawn to Your love day and night insatiably "(Ibid. ).

"What will I repay Thee, O Lord? You, the Merciful, resurrected my soul from sins, and gave me to know Your mercy towards me, and my heart was captivated by You, and is attracted to You, my Light, incessantly. What will I repay Thee, Lord? You resurrected my soul to love You and my neighbor, and give me tears to pray for the whole world.If the Lord had not given me the Holy Spirit to know His mercy, I would have despaired of the multitude of my sins, but now He carried away my soul, and she loved Him and forgets everything earthly. O Lord, humble my heart, that it may always be pleasing to Thee" (ibid.).

“You took pity on me and showed me Your Face, and now my soul is drawn to You, Lord, and finds no rest in anything day and night, and I cry like a child who has lost its mother. But both the child and his mother the child will be forgotten when they see You: the soul, seeing You, forgets the whole world. So my soul is drawn to You, and misses You, and does not want to see the beauty of this world "(Ibid.).

“There is a great difference between the simplest person who knew the Lord by the Holy Spirit, and a person, even a very great one, who did not know the grace of the Holy Spirit. There is a great difference between believing only that God exists, knowing Him from nature or from Scripture, and knowing the Lord by the Spirit Saints. He who knows God by the Holy Spirit, his spirit burns with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot become attached to anything earthly. A soul that has not experienced the sweetness of the Holy Spirit rejoices out of vanity in worldly glory, or wealth, or power; and the soul, having come to know the Lord by the Holy Spirit, desires only the Lord, and regards wealth and worldly glory as nothing” (Chapter 3: On Humility).

“When the soul sees the Lord through the Holy Spirit, how meek and humble He is, then it itself humbles itself to the end. And this is a very special humility, and no one can describe it, and it is known only by the Holy Spirit. And if people knew by the Holy Spirit - what our Lord, then everyone would change: the rich would despise their riches, scientists - their sciences, rulers - their glory and power, and everyone would humble themselves, and live in great peace and love, and there would be great joy on earth" (There same).

“Whoever knows the Lord by the Holy Spirit becomes like the Lord, as John the Theologian said: “And we will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is” and we will see His glory” (Chapter 8: On the knowledge of God).

“In general, each of us can reason about God to the extent that he has known the grace of the Holy Spirit; for how can we think and reason about what we have not seen, or what we have not heard about and what we do not know? The saints say that they have seen God; and there are people who say that there is no God. It is clear that they say this because they have not known God, but this does not mean at all that He does not exist" (Ibid.).

“I love those who love Me,” says the Lord, “and those who seek Me will find grace” (Proverbs 8:17). It’s good to live with it, it’s fun for the soul, and the soul says: “MY Lord, I am YOUR servant.” There is great joy in these words: if the Lord is ours, then everything is ours. That's how rich we are. Great and incomprehensible is our Lord, but for our sake He diminished Himself so that we would know Him and love Him, so that out of the love of God we would forget the earth, so that we would live in heaven and see the glory of the Lord. The Lord gives such great grace to His chosen ones that they embrace the whole earth, the whole world with love, and their soul burns with the desire that all people will be saved and see the glory of the Lord" (Chapter 9: About Love).

The miraculous icon of Christ the Savior, with which the miracle of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to Elder Silouan is associated, is evidence of the truth of the spiritual grace-filled life in Christ. The meaning of this image is especially relevant in our time - a time of doubt and rationalism.

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The state of the world before the appearance of the Savior. Brief essay

The history of the Church, that is, the society of believers in the Savior and Redeemer of the world, is divided into the history of the Old Testament Church and the history of the New Testament Church. The first sets out the history of the creation of the world and man, describes the life of people who lived before the Flood, and the fate of the people to whom the Lord gave revelation and with whom He made His Covenant.

What is a Covenant?

The covenant (or agreement) consisted of God's merciful promise to grant salvation to people who believed in Him, to send them a Savior. The first people (Adam and Eve), through their disobedience, trusting the devil, lost their bliss; and after them all their descendants, infected with demonic exaltation and weakened by sin, became slaves of passions and death. No one could hope to achieve the lost bliss on their own and earn forgiveness. But after the fall of man and his punishment, God’s boundless mercy appears. The Lord promises people a Deliverer and repeatedly repeats His promise through the prophets.

Those who believed in the promise of God and kept His law constituted the Old Testament Church. These were patriarchs, prophets, righteous people who lived before the appearance of the Savior. At times the Church was very small, for the people of Israel often forgot God and indulged in idolatry. But there were always people who sacredly kept the law given by God and with unshakable faith awaited the appearance of the promised Messiah.

The promise came true. Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, came down to earth to atone for the sins of the world through suffering and death, to reconcile people with God and to grant those who believed in Him eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. The New Testament Church, founded by Jesus Christ and spread by the apostles with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, consists of all those who believe in the coming Savior and receive Holy Baptism in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as Christ commanded.

Unbreakable, live connection connects the Old Testament Church with the New Testament. The Lord Himself is the lawgiver of His people; He, through Moses, established the pattern of ministry and government of the Old Testament Church. But both in the law and in the rituals a prototype of the future Church is visible, just as in the events of the Old Testament the future salvation through the promised Savior, or the Messiah, is foreshadowed. The Old Testament prophets, inspired from above, constantly point to the future appearance of the Savior, to the new law that will be written into hearts, to the great Light that will illuminate those sitting in the darkness of ignorance, to the greatness and steadfastness of the Church of Christ.

The subject of our narrative is the history of the New Testament Church. We will tell you how the word of God, preached at first in Judea, penetrated even the most remote countries and revived those who believed in Christ to a new, better life. We will try to show the activities of the holy evangelists, the pure lifestyle of the first Christians, the firmness and patience of Christian confessors and martyrs.

Every member of the Christian Church needs to carefully study its history. Both in the life of an individual person and in the life of an entire people, his faith is certainly manifested. As people accepted the teachings of Christ, their lives became more moral, their aspirations became purer, their laws improved; for they had to correspond to the models of moral perfection given in Christian teaching. For us Christians, the true enlightenment of a country is determined by the degree of adequacy of its laws and customs to the teachings of Christ as the only source of light and truth. Therefore, the history of the spread of the Church of Christ is incomparably more important than a description of the life of peoples, consisting mainly of a listing of battles and conquests. It clearly shows the power and goodness of God. We see the labors and sufferings of the Lord's faithful servants; We see that at first the Church was small in number and surrounded by strong and numerous enemies. The authorities and the inert public consciousness rebelled against her, trying by all means to destroy her, using violence and persecution. At times, false interpretations darken the purity of her teaching, but everything is in vain: the Church, sanctified by the Spirit of God, preserved by God, cannot perish. All the efforts of her enemies are turned to her own benefit, and persecution serves only to her glory and exaltation. The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled exactly: “Every tool made to your detriment, it will be powerless, and every tongue that will sue with you, you will reprove” (Is. 54:17). Hitherto, the Catholic Church, or Ecumenical, Orthodox, Apostolic, preserves everything that the Lord commanded His disciples and that the Holy Spirit subsequently inspired in them. The Faith of Christ, which has penetrated into the most remote countries, now resembles a mighty tree grown from a small grain. The Church has overshadowed the whole world with its branches, giving believers strength, joy, consolation, spiritual life with all its benefits.

Before we begin to present the events of church history, it is necessary to say briefly about the state of the world in which it was at the time of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ to the world.

In addition to the Jews, who received the revelation of one God, all the peoples of the world then worshiped numerous gods and idols (their images), that is, they were pagans. There is no need to talk about that in detail in this story. Peoples were at different stages of development. Their culture and religious cults were largely determined by natural and climatic conditions, the degree of influence of their neighbors, established historical traditions, etc.

At different times, peoples reached their peak and then their decline. In that historical period from which we begin our story, the most powerful people were the Romans. By force of arms they conquered many countries, reaching the highest degree of power and glory. But their religious ideas were in decline. The most absurd idolatry or complete unbelief, combined with gross superstition, reigned in the magnificent capital of the world, Rome. There was nothing in the worship of the Romans that could elevate the soul and instill in a person the rules of morality and goodness; debauchery and cruelty, together with effeminacy and incredible luxury, reached extreme limits in Rome. “Bread and circuses” is the main motto and credo of the Romans.

The pagans (at least those countries that were part of the Roman Empire) at that time had little faith in the power of their gods, although they continued to perform the required rituals established by law and custom. But it is human nature to believe in a higher power and strive to know the truth. As long as these aspirations are not drowned out by an empty and vain life, they protect against moral decline. In Rome during this period such aspirations were already weakly manifested, although in the provinces, especially in Greece and the East, they awakened in the minds the desire to comprehend the one Divinity. Greece, a once strong country, had already lost its civil independence and became part of the Roman Empire. But she stood above Rome in education; Sciences and arts flourished there; people from other countries came to study in Greece. The learned Greeks could not believe the old gods; they tried to understand the purpose and purpose of man. Their interpretations and conclusions were very diverse; This is how various schools or systems of philosophers arose (philosopher, in fact, means “lover of wisdom”). Some of the teachings of the philosophers were quite sublime, glorifying virtue and conveying (albeit vague) the concept of a single Deity and the immortality of the soul. But without revelation from above, a person cannot know the highest truth - the Divine; and wise philosophers, with all the efforts of the mind and will, seemed to wander in the darkness and languish in doubt and uncertainty.

The only weak rays of truth penetrated their teachings through the Jews, who were then scattered in different countries of the world and introduced foreign peoples to the concept of one God, the Creator of the world. Many foreigners even accepted the Law of Moses, which was greatly facilitated by the fact that 280 years before the birth of Christ the Holy Scriptures were translated into Greek, which was then widespread throughout the East. But even in the East, concepts borrowed from the Jews merged with various interpretations with which the Eastern sages tried to explain the creation of the world and natural phenomena.

The Romans subjugated the countries of the ecumene not only by force of arms, but also by religious tolerance. They recognized the right of every nation to honor their gods, and even built the Pantheon (Temple of All Gods) in Rome, where they placed images of the deities of all the provinces under their control. The only requirement, the fulfillment of which they strictly demanded, was to render divine honors to the emperors. In other words, recognizing foreign gods, the Romans demanded recognition of the divine origin of their power.

Other peoples mixed even more absurd fables and cruder superstitions into the Roman or Greek worship of God. There is almost no reliable information about the northern countries, including those that now make up Russia; the peoples who inhabited them, for the most part, worshiped idols.

The Promised Land in those days was a very fertile corner of the planet, so it was constantly attacked by stronger states and peoples. Because of their inconstancy and disagreements between the tribes, the Jews found themselves under the rule of the Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Syrians. Before the appearance of Christ, the Jews, who retained the appearance of political independence, were under the domination of the Romans. Many of them were not at all burdened by their rule, but, on the contrary, actively supported them, strengthening their power with their help. Basically it was the political and spiritual elite. However, the overwhelming majority of the people hated the Romans and waited for the coming of the Messiah, who would deliver them from the conquerors. Long before this, Israel had also left the historical arena. The Jews were afraid of a repetition of his tragedy with them, therefore they believed that only by preserving their law and devotion to Existence would they be able to withstand the process of assimilation with neighboring peoples.

Due to specific historical conditions, the cult of Jewish monotheism began to increasingly acquire pronounced national features. It was possible to preserve the unity of the nation only by preserving the faith. Feeling their exclusivity among the polytheism of the pagans, the Jews treated the religion of neighboring peoples with contempt. To hasten the coming of the Messiah, they tried to strictly observe the provisions of the Law of Moses. But his spirit still remained hidden from them. They learned only its letter, its rites and prescriptions, and sought to observe them strictly, convinced that this was quite enough. As their own merits, they were magnified by the good deeds rendered to them by God; but it was not love and gratitude that inspired them with these graces, but a proud sense of their superiority over other peoples, whom they considered forever cut off from the mercy of God and from salvation. Some Jews considered themselves by right the descendants of Abraham, destined for glory and salvation. The benefits that they expected from the coming of the Messiah were also purely external. The Jews were sure that He would be a great king, free them from the dominion of the Romans and exalt them over all the peoples of the world. Of course, among them there were souls ready to be illumined by the grace of Christ - prophets, but their number was small. It was they who were the forerunners of the coming of the Messiah, not in royal majesty, but in a humble form, not a zealous executor of the letter of the law, but its spirit. The Jews, however, did not understand that the prophecies about the Savior speak of spiritual freedom, of the blessings of heaven, of a kingdom not on earth, and that it is necessary to prepare for the acceptance of the Messiah by repentance, humility and love. It is understandable how hard it was for them to realize their allegiance to the people they despised and hated, and with what impatience they awaited the Deliverer. But the Jews were divided into many sects that explained the meaning of the Holy Scriptures in different ways and were at enmity with each other.

A careful look at the state of the ancient world shows that all human means were exhausted and were powerless to give man what he needed most - to give his soul peace and joy. Despite the fact that the pagan world had reached a high degree of mental development and earthly greatness, spiritually it found itself in a dead end: idolatry, gross superstition, a state of languid doubt, the most difficult thing for the human soul, debauchery and terrible cruelty of morals. The way of life of the Jews convinced them that it was not enough to receive heavenly revelation if they hardened their hearts against it. The way of life of the prophets and their inspired speeches inspired the idea that heavenly truth will shine with rays of grace only in those hearts that accept it with humility, gratitude and love. In addition, to accept the truth, the assistance of human will is also needed. The world seemed to languish and suffer in anticipation of light and salvation. It is significant that at that time the idea spread in many countries that a leader would soon appear in Judea who would conquer all the nations of the world.

And that time has come. Near Bethlehem, a small city of Judea, suddenly the song of Angels is heard, proclaiming to people peace and the joy of deliverance: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men(Luke 2:14). Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, was born in Bethlehem, from a poor Virgin of the royal family of David. The king of the world is born in a cave where cattle were driven; placed in a manger; and the great event is announced by heavenly angels to the humble shepherds, who are the first to worship Christ. In the wonderful narration of the Gospel about the Nativity of the Savior, the entire course of New Testament history seems to be prefigured. King of the world - and a manger! Poor shepherds - and Angels in the glory of heaven! Heavenly greatness next to extreme earthly poverty and weakness! And this combination will surprise us more than once. Heavenly power will continually appear to us in contact with human weakness. The first followers of Christ are not wise, not strong, not glorious of this world. The Lord reveals Himself weak and humble; they are witnesses of His miracles, hearers of His word; they will carry His teaching to the ends of the earth. He will reveal Himself not to the proud, who rely on their own strength and trust in their own righteousness, but to those who with a humble heart have realized their spiritual weakness. Thus He will reveal His heavenly glory, strengthen with His strength, enrich with blessings, illuminate with light, before which all the blessings of this world and the best manifestations of human reason and human strength are meager and insignificant.

What the law and the prophets spoke about was fulfilled: the Son of God came down from heaven to enlighten with His teaching and redeem fallen man with His Blood. He took upon himself human flesh, lived with people, taught them, healed illnesses, forgave sins, and offered them joy and consolation: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(Matt. 11:28); showed the light of truth: I have come into the world as a light, so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in darkness.(John 12:46). But blinded by proud dreams of earthly greatness, the Jews did not recognize Christ as Lord in the humble Jesus and betrayed Him to death as a villain. The redemption of the human race is accomplished through the blood of the Son of God. He, innocent, suffers for us, the guilty. He, as the prophets predicted, is ulcerated for our sins, tormented for our iniquities, numbered among the villains, on the cross atones for the sin of Adam, and reconciles people with God. He dies the death of an ordinary earthly person, but on the third day he is resurrected, having conquered death and thereby granting resurrection and life to all who believe in Him; forty days after the resurrection, He ascends with glory into heaven.

The Lord established and strengthened His Church on earth, promised His disciples His constant presence among the believers and sending them grace and help from above. He commands the apostles who followed Him and heard His teaching to spread this teaching throughout the whole earth. He gives them the power to bind and loose, to forgive sins and the power to work miracles, saying in his dying conversation: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you... By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another(John 13:34–35). Love for God and neighbor - this is what should animate believers, stimulate their activity, instill in them cheerfulness and patience. The Lord knows that His disciples are weak and frail people and that the work He has entrusted to them is difficult; but He promises to send them the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, who will guide them into all righteousness, remind them of everything that He said, and give them wisdom and strength. The Lord knows that His disciples will face persecution: They will persecute you, handing you over to synagogues and prisons, and they will lead you before kings and rulers for My name’s sake... Therefore, take it into your heart not to think ahead about what to answer, for I will give you wisdom... which they will not be able to resist.(Luke 21, 12, 14–15).

For forty days, the Lord appeared to the disciples, talked with them about the Kingdom of Heaven and, of course, at that time gave them all the instructions necessary for the upcoming gospel, but promised that their constant mentor would be the Holy Spirit, Whom, through the prayer of the Son, the Heavenly Father will send them. Go all over the world - says the Lord to the disciples, and preach the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; and whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues, they will take up snakes; and if they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; lay hands on the sick and they will recover(Mark 16:15–18). Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age(Matt. 28:19–20).

The Lord gathered His disciples for the last time to the Mount of Olives (or Olivet) and repeated to them the command to proclaim the Gospel and preach in His name repentance and remission of sins. He told them: I will send the promise of My Father upon you: remain ye in... Jerusalem, until ye are endowed with power from on high.(Lk. 24, 49). John baptized with water, and in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit(Acts 1:5).

The disciples themselves at that time did not yet fully understand the full significance of the coming of the Savior to earth. This understanding was to be revealed in them gradually, with the help of the Holy Spirit; now, and after the resurrection of Christ, they expected from the Savior that He would return to Israel greatness and freedom. God,- they asked, will you not at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? The Lord answered them: It is not your business to know the times or seasons that the Father has presented to Himself; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.(Acts 1:6–8).

Then He blessed them and ascended into heaven. The amazed disciples watched Him for a long time, until a bright cloud hid Him from their eyes; Suddenly two angels appeared to them and said: Galileans, 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 1:11). Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. The reason for their joy was, of course, the Lord’s merciful promise to always be with them and to send them the all-powerful Comforter.

The first news of the spread of the Church of Christ was reported by the holy evangelist Luke in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is a great blessing of God that for the study of the first time we have the divinely inspired Scriptures, which do not allow even a shadow of doubt about their authenticity: the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of the Apostles. Usually the beginning of the civil life of peoples is hidden in the darkness of the unknown; the first news about them is vague and unreliable. This circumstance is not of great importance in civil history; but not so in church history: in it the beginning is the most important, for it must remain faithful to this beginning, laid by its Divine Founder, in its gradual development. Therefore, the study of apostolic times is especially important and necessary. Let us add that it is very gratifying for us; for we can be convinced that the Orthodox Eastern Church, to which we belong, has faithfully preserved everything bequeathed by Christ; that it is indeed approved on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone(Eph. 2:20).

There is no doubt, however, that not all the decrees and instructions of the apostles are contained in the Epistles and Acts. From the messages themselves we know that in addition to written messages, the apostles also gave oral instructions. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the Church acted in the first times of its existence, under the apostles and their immediate successors; how she understood and explained the holy teaching.

We know this through Sacred Tradition. Tradition is information about the structure of the Church, the rites of worship, customs, teaching and government adopted by the Church in the first centuries of its existence. It was preserved in the descriptions of holy men who lived in the first centuries of Christianity, in the mode of action of the Church; arose from the apostolic institutions and their oral teaching, which sacredly guided the Apostolic Church.

Notes:

Devil- slanderer, seducer (Greek). This name refers to the power of evil - fallen spirits, otherwise called unclean or evil, demons, demonic spirits, fallen angels. Their head is called Beelzebub, Belial, the prince of this world, the prince of demons, the father of lies. The teaching of the Church finds the reason for the fall of evil spirits in pride and arrogance, in envy of the Creator. The fall of demons is recognized as unchangeable and final, without the possibility of repentance and forgiveness.

Demon- an analogue of the Greek word “demon” - one of the ancient spirits, angels, who at the beginning of time were involved by the supreme archangel Sataniel (Satan, the devil) in rebellion against God, and cast out from Heaven for this. From now on, the lot of fallen angels becomes resistance to Divine powers and intrigues against people, with the intention of gaining their souls into their power after death. In the Bible, this term is also used to refer to pagan idol deities.

Sin- in the Greek language, this corresponds to the concept of deviation or miss (it should be understood, past the life goal). In the most general sense, sin is the deviation of creation from the nature and purpose provided for by the Creator, the distortion of God's plan for the world and humanity, the rejection of Divine grace with the preference of its own will. In the Biblical context, “sin” is often associated with the concepts of “evil” and “death.” The Apostle Paul speaks of sin as the sting of death (1 Cor. 15:56), and of death as the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). Sin is the realization, the embodiment of evil, as a contradiction to the Divine will. In an individual sense, sin is the actions, thoughts and feelings of a particular person that are at odds with the voice of conscience and the commandments of God. In addition, for the Old Testament and New Testament moral theology, the cornerstone idea is the so-called. "original sin" - the damage that is brought into the world after the crime of Adam and Eve. Original sin is characterized by the general imperfection of fallen human nature and the circumstances of human life, their tendency to evil. Disunity between people, sickness and death are the consequences of original sin, which cover all the people of the earth. In the Sacrament of Baptism (rebirth by faith and entry into the Church), the law of original sin loses its unconditional power over the soul. Having been baptized, a person still remains imperfect and mortal, but his personal will is freed from sinful predestination and receives the opportunity to choose between good and evil, truth and falsehood. Sins are involuntary - when they are committed out of ignorance; free - when a person knows and does not attempt to resist the illegal. In addition, Scripture mentions sins unto death (conscious, grave, deadening the soul) and sins not unto death (committed through negligence, temporary weakness or custom). The gravest of sins are blasphemy against God, an attempt on a shrine, despair in God's mercy, suicide, pride or carelessness about salvation. Some sins, consisting in a particular injustice - for example, an insult inflicted on an orphan or a widow - are called sins that cry out to God for vengeance.

Annunciation- the general meaning of this word is good, joyful news, good news. More narrowly in New Testament history, the Annunciation refers to the event of the meeting of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Archangel Gabriel, which took place in the Galilean city of Nazareth. The divine messenger announced to Mary about the imminent birth from Her of the Messiah, the Savior of the world. In memory of this, the Church established the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrated annually on March 2-5 (April 7 according to the civil calendar) and is one of the twelve holidays. The day of the Annunciation symbolically coincides with the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature. By folk tradition, on this holiday it is customary to release birds into the wild, which is also understood as the personification of life, spiritual takeoff, and liberation.

St. also mentions the disappointment of the Greeks in their gods. the Apostle Paul, who saw in one of the squares of Athens an altar with the inscription “To the Unknown God” (see: Children 17, 23).

This happened in the Ptolemaic era, when the king of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BC), sent the chief of his guard, Aristaeus the Alexandrian, to Jerusalem to the high priest Eleazar, asking for the text of the Pentateuch. The Jewish high priest, along with the text, sent 72 wise scribes to Ptolemy II, each of whom worked on the translation separately. Having finished their work, the interpreters checked the texts with each other, and it turned out that they were completely identical. Among these 72 interpreters was St. Simeon the God-Receiver, who lived to see the Nativity of Jesus Christ. It was the translation of 70 - Segpuaginta (as the work of 72 interpreters is called for brevity) that formed the basis for the Church Slavonic translation of the Old Testament.

This was precisely what later served as the main reason for the persecution of Christians who refused to recognize another God other than Christ.

A significant moment in the previous history of the Old Testament Church, which largely predetermined the further enslavement of the Promised Land, was the division of Judea in 980 BC, which occurred during the reign of Rehoboam, the son and successor of King Solomon. A subject of King Solomon, Jeroboam, managed to rebel ten of the twelve tribes against the legitimate authority. Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt and was there until the death of the rightful king, and then returned to Shechem. Appearing with a meeting of Israelis to the new king as a people's representative, Jeroboam demanded from him relief of taxes. When Rehoboam refused to do this, the ten tribes rebelled and made Jeroboam king. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam. Fearing that the House of David would again reign over Israel, Jeroboam introduced idolatry and pagan rituals into the kingdom of Israel. Initially, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel was Shechem, and then Samaria. The kingdom of Israel had 18 kings and, after existing for 254 years, fell in 721 BC. with the capture of Samaria by Shalmaneser. The kingdom of Judah existed somewhat longer - about 392 years - and had 20 kings. It fell around 588 BC. after the conquest of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar and the destruction of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the majority of its kings, like the people, also often forgot the True God and deviated into idolatry. That is why the Jewish people perceived the resettlement to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar as a punishment from God.

Beginning before Alexander the Great and increasing during the Hellenistic era, Jewish migration from Palestine resulted in bustling but distinct Jewish neighborhoods in almost every city in the empire, whose residents maintained a rare unity through the synagogue. According to historians, at least 4 million Jews lived in this Jewish dispersion, despite the fact that the Roman population was about 50 million

Suffering- a painful, painful state of the human soul that arises as a result of a person’s refusal of true existence in God, rejection of the Divine world and grace. The source of suffering is the unnatural distorted earthly order of things and relationships itself, as well as the sinful actions of people. In the matter of correcting and saving the soul, suffering has providential significance, since it distracts a person from worldly affairs and pleasures, convinces him of the frailty of his existence and turns him to God. The Bible says: a person is born into suffering, like sparks to rush upward(Job 5, 7). In addition, suffering is recognized as having a testing and purifying meaning. Meeting adversity and enduring suffering are not signs of rejection by God, but of Heavenly Father’s special concern for the good of people: The Lord punishes whomever he loves; beats every son whom he receives(Heb. 12:6). In the New Testament, the path of suffering is sanctified by the image and example of the Savior. To endure suffering patiently and with gratitude is the conscious choice of a Christian walking the way of the cross, in the footsteps of His Lord. The problem of suffering from the plane of ethics (why does righteous Job suffer?) is transferred to the plane of asceticism and God’s economy. Our short-term, mild suffering, testifies app. Paul, - produces eternal glory in immeasurable abundance(2 Cor. 4:17).

Jesus Christ- Incarnate Divine Logos, second Person of the Holy Trinity, Savior of the world, God-man. The word "Christ" means "anointed one" and is the Greek translation of the Hebrew "mashiach" - the promised Messiah, King and Deliverer. In the era before the Nativity of Christ, Jews expected to see in the Messiah a man - a messenger of Yahweh, a national leader and deliverer from the power of the Romans, a righteous, invincible and eternal king from the line of David. The Savior Jesus Christ who came into the world has not human, but Divine dignity. The Son of God Himself became incarnate into mortal man and thus endowed human nature with the ability to rise to God-manhood. The mission of Christ did not fit into earthly ideas of glory and omnipotence; it consisted in, having gone through suffering and death, by Divine power to overcome these consequences of the Fall and free man from predestination to hellish captivity. Outwardly, this service looked like a humble acceptance of all the hardships and disasters of human existence, and least of all resembled the triumph of Divine justice and the establishment of the earthly Kingdom of Israel. For this reason, the Son of God turned out to be unrecognized in His real, Heavenly dignity, including by his closest disciples. The Jewish leaders and people rejected and crucified their Savior with contempt. And only the supernatural events of the Resurrection, the repeated appearances of the Savior to the disciples, the Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit forced us to accept differently the feat and the Personality of the One Whom, according to the Apostle. John the Evangelist, eyes have seen and hands have touched. - Words of life (1 John 1:1). From now on, the Gospel - the good news of the Incarnation and victory on the Cross of Jesus Christ - becomes the core of earthly history, of all human destinies. The question of Jesus Christ - faith in the Divine and the salvific nature of His mission, insight into the plan of the Incarnation - is the central question of human conscience. The end of times, according to Scripture, will come when all the nations of the earth make their choice in the face of the Gospel faith in Jesus Christ.

Nativity. The main miracle of Christmas, as the Church Fathers explain, lies in the Incarnation or Incarnation itself, when God did not just temporarily accept appearance human, but truly became human, retaining His human nature even after His departure from the world. Further, in Christmas the mystery of the Mother of God is revealed - the wonderful opportunity given by God to the woman of the earth to become the Mother of God Himself. Finally, the events that preceded and accompanied the Nativity of the Savior are remarkable and supernatural: the Annunciation Holy Mother of God(Her notification of the future Christmas), the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit, the sign of the Nativity. The Christian Church celebrates the great event of the Nativity of Christ on December 25 (January 7). By this day, the 40-day Nativity Fast ends. A common custom among Christians is the Christmas tree. An evergreen tree, in the middle of winter it reminds of unceasing life and dresses up as a sign of offerings to Christ. In terms of its significance, the holiday of the Nativity of Christ is revered second after Holy Easter. Starting from Christmas Day, right up to Epiphany Eve, Christmastide continues - days of Christian rejoicing about the Son of God who came into the world.

Crucifixion and Atonement. The last events of the Savior’s earthly life, which are of particular significance for the Redemption (literally, “redemption”, “liberation from guilt”) of humanity, are the Judgment, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. Having failed to fulfill the hopes of the Jews for deliverance from the rule of the Romans and the rise of the kingdom of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth began to appear in their eyes as a despicable deceiver. The Pharisees, priests and Jewish leaders, whom Christ repeatedly convicted of sin, even harbored personal hatred towards Him. They decided to get rid of the dangerous rebel, for which they used false accusations and condemned the innocent man to a painful and shameful execution - crucifixion - which took place on the third day on Golgotha, a low hill near Jerusalem. Orthodox teaching comes from several meanings of the Crucifixion and Death of the Savior on the Cross. In general, it does not reject the dominant understanding in Western theology, according to which Christ gave Himself to death instead of people. However, Orthodoxy strongly disagrees with the interpretation of the Divine plan as a legal principle that makes God Himself dependent on just retribution and demands that the immeasurable sacrifice of Christ, in return for humanity, be offered to propitiate the Heavenly Father and Judge. The Gospel testifies to the great love of God the Father for people as the root cause of the Coming of Christ: God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life(John 3:16). In accordance with this, the Most Holy Trinity must be represented as the Eternal Council of Love, in which, in agreement, the sacrifice is made for the fulfillment of the plan for humanity. What is this intention? The Fathers of the Church connect it with God’s intention not only to return man to a paradise state, but, by bringing him to Himself, to lead him to Divine-human dignity. Any other matter would not require the Incarnation of the Son of God into earthly man. Even victory over hell could be achieved by one expression of God's will, without any human participation. But God becomes a man in order with His power to heal human nature sick with sin, leading it through the temptations of earthly life, death, hellish captivity to the Resurrection and Ascension to the Divine heights. In cosmic terms, the Crucifixion and Resurrection radically change the universe. Hell, which was previously a closed, isolated part of the cosmos, a stronghold of demonic forces, after the Descent of Christ loses its former power over the human soul. To explain what happened, the holy fathers use the image of a trap or bait, into which the devil, out of anger and pride, falls. Looking at the Son of God walking the earth in the form of a weak, vulnerable man, he cannot resist the temptation to kill Him and take Him to hell. However, the prey turns out to be not according to the guts of the underworld: death has no power over Him Who Himself is Eternal Life. Hell is forced, together with Christ, to spew out the souls of the righteous from its womb. The Good Friday services in the Church are dedicated to a detailed recollection of the events of the Crucifixion and Death on the Cross of the Savior. This is the culmination of the days of Lent and Holy Week, the transition to waiting for Holy Saturday and the following Easter Sunday night.

Ascension of the Lord- an event described in the book of Acts (1, 4-12), when the Risen Savior gathered his disciples on the Mount of Olives, gave them the last instructions and ascended from earth to Heaven. So that the apostles would not grieve over separation from the Lord, they were promised that soon the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, would descend from Heaven on them, and Jesus Christ, having ascended to God the Father, would return to earth at the Second Coming. In honor of this event, the Church customarily celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. It takes place on the 40th day after Easter and has ancient history. It is known, in particular, that already in the 4th and 5th centuries the feast of the Ascension of the Lord was common to the entire Church. Currently, it is one of the most important, twelve holidays. The forty-day Easter celebration ends with the Feast of the Ascension.

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CHRIST IS RISEN!

IN Saint Demetrius of Rostov described the previous chapter dedicated to Easter events.

The Risen Savior appeared not only in a small circle of His disciples, He once appeared when there were 500 of them!

Saint Demetrius writes the following about this phenomenon:

IN The second appearance of the Lord in Galilee was to a large congregation of believers led by the apostles, whereas before that time only the myrrh-bearing women and His closest disciples had seen the Risen One. The place of the present solemn appearance was the mountain chosen by the Lord Himself (Matthew 28:16); here, by the time He indicated, more than five hundred brethren had gathered (1 Cor 15:6), and there is no doubt that the majority of them consisted of Galileans who followed the Lord during His preaching in their homeland, listened to His teaching, witnessed His miracles and, - there is nothing incredible - those who have experienced the goodness of the merciful Healer.

When the Lord appeared, some of those gathered on the mountain “worshiped Him, while others doubted” (Matt. 28:17); Of course, among the latter there were no apostles who had already been confirmed in faith by the previous appearances of the Lord: doubt could arise only in those followers of Christ who were privileged to see the Risen One for the first time. But this doubt was temporary and gave way to firm faith, so that subsequently the holy Apostle Paul, listing the witnesses to the appearances of the Risen Lord, mentions “more than five hundred brethren,” many of whom were still alive.

Approaching the apostles, Christ the Savior said to them:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. And so go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mt 28:18-20).

In these few words, filled with truly Divine greatness, the risen Savior gives the apostles authority for worldwide preaching, lays the mysterious foundation of the Church with the commandment of baptism (St. Athanasius of Alexandria) and believers in the Lord Jesus of all ages are strengthened by the joyful promise of the presence of the Conqueror of hell and death with them. Having received after His resurrection the same power over humanity that always belongs to Him according to Divinity, the Lord, having made an atoning sacrifice for the sins of “the whole world” (John 2:2), and does not limit the preaching of the Gospel to the narrow boundaries of Jewish nationality: He commands the apostles to go with her to all nations, sealing believers with holy baptism, which opens the doors of the Kingdom of God (John 3:5), and teaching them to keep His commandments as a testimony of love (John 14:21) and living faith in the Risen Lord (James 2:14). But preaching about Christ, which was “a temptation to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks” (1 Cor 1:23), had to expect hostility from both of them, which also threatened the preachers themselves with dangers of all kinds, up to and including martyrdom. With His promise - “I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” the Lord instills courage in the souls of the preachers of the Gospel, who were faced with a difficult struggle with the world. But since the apostles “had life not until the end of the age,” then the Lord’s promise “applies not to them alone, but to all His disciples in general, i.e. to all who believe in Him and keep His commandments” (Blessed Theophylact).

“With the Lord's assistance” (Mark 16:20), the apostles, leaving the fishermen's nets, caught the whole world in the net of the teachings of the Gospel, and in this an indisputable evidence was given for believers of all times of the effectiveness of the great promise of the Lord about His presence in the Church forever. Only in this case does it become understandable that “unlearned and simple fishermen stopped the lips of philosophers and, as it were, flowed around the entire universe, sowing the word of piety in it, tearing away patience, destroying ancient customs and implanting the laws of Christ everywhere. Neither their small number and simplicity, nor the severity of their commands, nor the attachment of the entire human race to ancient customs could serve as an obstacle for them, but all this was eliminated by the grace of God that preceded them, so that they did everything easily, being aroused by the very obstacles to greater zeal" ( St. John Chrysostom).

The Holy Apostle Paul, as if adding to the Gospel story about the appearances of the Lord Jesus, also mentions the appearance of the Risen Savior to the Apostle James, according to St. John Chrysostom, the brother of the Lord, whom, according to the ancient tradition of the Church, He Himself ordained and made the first bishop in Jerusalem.