The holy gospel of Matthew with the interpretation of the holy fathers. Pilate's betrayal of Jesus into the power of the Sanhedrin

The well-known Serbian researcher of canon law, Bishop Nikodim (Milash), wrote in his interpretation of the 19th canon of the VI Ecumenical Council the following: “St. Scripture is the word of God, revealing to people the will of God…” And St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) said:

“…Read the Gospel with extreme reverence and attention. Consider nothing in it unimportant, unworthy of consideration. Every iota of it emits a ray of life. The neglect of life is death.

One author wrote about the Small Entrance to the Liturgy: “The Gospel is here a symbol of Christ. The Lord appeared into the world bodily, with his own eyes. He goes out to preach, to His earthly ministry, and is here among us. A terrible and majestic action is being performed - God is visibly tangible among us. From this spectacle, the holy angels of heaven freeze in reverent awe. And you, man, taste this great mystery and bow your head before it.

Based on the foregoing, one must understand that the Holy Gospel is the main book of mankind, in which life is contained for people. It contains divine truths that lead us to salvation. And it itself is the source of life - the word, filled with truly the power and wisdom of the Lord.

The gospel is the voice of Christ himself. In a symbolic and spiritual sense, when reading the Gospel, the Savior speaks to us. It is as if we are transported in time to the flourishing Galilean plains and become eyewitnesses of the incarnated God the Word. And He speaks not only universally and timelessly, in general, but specifically to each of us. The gospel is not just a book. This is life for us, this is the spring of living water and the source of life. It is both the Law of God, given to mankind for salvation, and the Mystery of this salvation being accomplished. When reading the Gospel, the human soul unites with God and resurrects in Him.

It is no coincidence that the word "evangelios" is translated from Greek as "good news." This means that by the grace of the Holy Spirit a new message-truth has opened up in the world: God came to Earth to save mankind, and “God became Man so that man could become God,” as St. Athanasius of Alexandria said in the 4th century. The Lord reconciled with the man, He healed him again and opened the way to the Kingdom of Heaven for him.

And reading or listening to the Gospel, we get on this heavenly vertical road and go along it to paradise. That's what the gospel is.

Therefore, it is very important to read the New Testament every day. On the advice of the Holy Fathers, we need to include the reading of the Holy Gospel and the "Apostle" (the Acts of the Holy Apostles, the Epistles of the Apostles and the fourteen Epistles of the Holy Primate Apostle Paul) in our cell (home) prayer rule. The following sequence is usually recommended: two chapters of the "Apostle" (some read one chapter) and one chapter of the Gospel per day.

In my opinion, based on personal experience, I would like to say that it is more convenient to read the Holy Scriptures in order, that is, from the first chapters to the last, and then return. Then a person will form a complete picture of the gospel narrative, a sense and understanding of its continuity, cause-and-effect relationships.

It is also necessary that reading the Gospel should not be like reading fiction like “leg by leg, sitting comfortably in an armchair.” Still, it should be a prayerful home liturgical act.

Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy in his book "The Law of God" recommends reading the Holy Scriptures while standing, crossing once before reading and three after.

There are special prayers said before and after the reading of the New Testament.

“Rise in our hearts, O Lord of mankind, your imperishable light of theology, and open our eyes mentally, in your gospel sermons understanding, put fear in us and your blessed commandments, so that carnal lusts are all right, we will go through spiritual life, all, even to pleasing Yours is both wise and active. You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, Christ God, and we send glory to You, with Your Father without beginning and the All-Holy, and the Good, and Your Life-giving Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen". It is secretly read by the priest during the Divine Liturgy before the reading of the Holy Gospel. It is also placed after the 11th kathisma of the Psalter.

Prayer of St. John Chrysostom: “Lord Jesus Christ, open my ears of heart to hear Your word, and understand and do Your will, as I am a stranger on earth: do not hide Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand miracles from Your law; tell me thy unknown and secret wisdom. I trust in You, my God, that I enlighten the mind and meaning with the light of Your mind, not only written of honor, but I also create, so that I don’t read my life and words as a sin, but in renewal, and enlightenment, and in the shrine, and in salvation of the soul, and for the inheritance of eternal life. As if You enlighten those who lie in darkness, and from You there is every good gift and every gift is perfect. Amen".

The prayer of St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov), read before and after reading the Holy Scriptures: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servants (names) with the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Your servant. The thorns of all their sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in them, burning, cleansing, sanctifying the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Regarding the latter, I will add that it is also read with the addition of a chapter from the Holy Gospel in some kind of sorrow or trouble. I have found from my own experience that it helps a lot. And the merciful Lord delivers from all sorts of circumstances and troubles. Some fathers recommend reading this prayer with the gospel chapter every day.

These are "Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew" by St. John Chrysostom; interpretation of the Gospel of the blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria; "Interpretation of the Gospel" by B. I. Gladkov, highly appreciated by the holy righteous John of Kronstadt; the works of Archbishop Averky (Taushev), Metropolitan Veniamin (Pushkar), the Explanatory Bible of the Old and New Testaments by Alexander Lopukhin, and other works.
Let us fall, brothers and sisters, with hearts “hungry and thirsty for righteousness,” to the pure, life-giving spring of Holy Scripture. Without it, the soul is doomed to decay and spiritual death. With him, she blossoms, like a paradise flower, filled with verbal life-giving moisture, worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The interpretation of the Bible, the understanding of its meaning is called exegesis (Greek). Orthodox exegesis has its own rules of hermeneutics (from the Greek ermeneuen - to explain) and methods:

2. The interpretation must be in accordance with the dogmas and teachings of the Church.

3. The Old Testament must be judged in the light of the New.

4. It is necessary to be guided by the interpretations that St. Fathers. They are of great value to the Orthodox interpreter, who, however, must take into account the differences in the interpretation of the Fathers. Orthodox biblical scholars also turn to the church liturgical (liturgical, iconographic) interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, clarifying the general church exegetical tradition

5. Exegesis is connected with the criticism of the text. The word "criticism" in this case means scientific and literary research.

New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?— Frederick Bruce
"And these shall go into κόλασιν (cutting off) αἰώνιον (eternal)" (Matthew 25:46). About the fate of those who do not live according to Christian laws and will be on the left side at the Last Judgment. - Vitaly Miguzov
Essenes hypothesis— Peter Brant
The myth of the "beautiful" language of the New Testament- Pavel Begichev
Why is the Hebrew Bible different from the Greek?- Mikhail Seleznev
Didache - an early Christian monument containing unique information about church life, theology and moral teaching of the apostolic era- Alexander Tkachenko
Talent and mite, not mine and eurocent(explanatory dictionary of biblical words) - Yuri Pushchaev
Holy play on words. What languages did the apostles speak?- Deacon Michael Asmus
Betrayal of Judas(the priest's answer to the question) - hegumen Feodor Prokopov
Prophets and Prophecies of the Bible- Vitaly Kaplan, Alexey Sokolov
Religion of the Canaanites- hegumen Arseny Sokolov
Why is the Old Testament so petty?- Andrey Desnitsky
Day of the Holy Trinity. Pentecost. Interpretation of the Gospel - Archpriest Alexander Shargunov
Resurrection of the righteous Lazarus. Patristic interpretations of difficult passages- Anton Pospelov
Why do Christians need "psalms of damnation"?- Archpriest Sergiy Arkhipov
Does the Bible tell the truth?- Andrey Desnitsky
Biblical Genealogies and World History- Priest Andrey Shelepov
Sin of Jeroboam- hegumen Arseny Sokolov
"And Isaac went to mock on the field": a little educational program- Agafya Logofetova
The attacks of rabid feminists on the Bible are groundless- David Ashford
What is "inspiration". Did the evangelists write from dictation?- Andrey Desnitsky
Why does a Christian need the Old Testament?- Andrey Desnitsky
"Let our children receive the gift of faith." Conversations from the cycle "Family Life of the Old Testament Patriarchs"- Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev
"Salafiel begat Zerubbabel..." Why does Christ need genealogies?- Andrey Desnitsky
Reflections on Difficult Passages of the Gospel- hegumen Peter Meshcherinov
Women of the Old Testament- Grigory Prutskov
The book of Genesis and some data of linguistics, genetics and ethnography- Evgeny Kruglov, Alexander Klyashev

Greek Four Gospels, XII-XIII centuries, parchment. Constantinople

Five basic methods of exegesis

Thanks to the works of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church and later exegetes, the meaning of Holy Scripture from epoch to epoch is revealed more and more fully in its spiritual inexhaustibility and depth. There are five main methods of exegesis, or interpretation, of the Old Testament which do not exclude but complement each other. “Some things in Scripture,” remarks St. John Chrysostom, “should be understood as they say, and others in a figurative sense; others in a double sense: sensual and spiritual” (Conversation on Ps 46). Likewise, Rev. John Cassian the Roman pointed out that the interpretation of the Bible "is divided into two parts, i.e. into the historical (literal) interpretation of Holy Scripture and the spiritual (mysterious) understanding.

Method of allegorical interpretation i originated among the Jews of Alexandria and was developed by the famous religious thinker Philo († c. 40 AD). Philo and his predecessors borrowed this method from ancient writers. Allegorical exegesis was adopted by the Christian school of Alexandria - Clement and Origen (II-III centuries), and then St. Gregory of Nyssa (332-389). All of them proceeded from the idea that the Old Testament contains much more than can be found in its literal understanding. Therefore, exegetes sought to explain by deciphering allegories secret, the spiritual meaning of Scripture. However, for all its fruitfulness, the Alexandrian method lacked reliable criteria for an accurate understanding of the ancient Eastern symbolism used in the Old Testament, and this often led to arbitrary guesses. The great merit of the Alexandrian school was the attempt expound the teachings of the Bible in theological language.

The method is literally interpreted The idea was to imagine, as coherently and clearly as possible, the course of biblical events and straight the meaning of the teachings set forth in the Old Testament. This method was developed in the 3rd and 4th centuries by the Syrian Church Fathers (the Antiochian and Edessa schools), of whom St. Ephrem the Syrian (306-379). The Syrians were intimately familiar with the customs of the East, which allowed them better than the Hellenistic authors to reconstruct the picture of the biblical world. But the fact of the ambiguous meaning of Scripture often remained outside the field of vision of these exegetes.

The methods of the two above schools were combined by the Fathers of the Church, who offered moral-homiletic interpretation of the Old Testament. It primarily pursued the goal of edification, preaching, emphasizing the moral and dogmatic aspects of Scripture. The highest example of such an interpretation are the works of St. John Chrysostom (380-407).

Typological, or representative, method of interpretation I. This method is based on the fact that the Bible contains many-valued types (Greek tipos - image, type) of the history of salvation, which can be attributed not to one, but to its various stages. So, for example, in the exodus from Egypt they saw a prototype of the return from captivity, and later - a prototype of the exodus from slavery to sin (the waters of the sea are a symbol of the waters of baptism). This method is already used in the Gospel (John 3:14), in Ap. Paul (Gal. 4:22-25) and is present in almost all patristic writing, starting from St. Clement of Rome (c. 90). Closely related to prototypes are prophecies about the Messiah, in an explicit or covert form scattered throughout the Old Testament. The typological method plays a big role in understanding the spiritual integrity of the Bible, which speaks of the deeds of one God in a single history of salvation.

And let's study "The Interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria on the Holy Gospel"! This is a very interesting work. Its author is the Archbishop of Ohrid Theophylact of Bulgaria. He was a major Byzantine writer and theologian, interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. He lived at the end of the XI - beginning of the XII century in the Bulgarian Byzantine province (now the Republic of Macedonia).

Theophylact of Bulgaria was often called blessed, although he did not belong to the publicly recognized saints of the Orthodox Church. It should be noted that Slavic and Greek authors and publishers often call him a saint and equate him with church fathers.

Biography

The biography of Theophylact of Bulgaria is little known. Some sources report that he was born after 1050 (before 1060 exactly) on the island of Euboea, in the city of Khalkis.

In the Constantinopolitan Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, Theophylact was granted the rank of deacon: thanks to him, he approached the court of Emperor Parapinak Michael VII (1071-1078). Many believe that after Michael died, Theophylact was assigned to his son, Tsarevich Konstantin Doukas, as an educator. After all, the four-year-old orphan, and now this was the status of the heir, left only his mother - Empress Maria, the patroness of Theophylact of Bulgaria. By the way, it was she who prompted him to write the best things.

It should be noted that the rise of Theophylact's writing activity, correspondence from Bulgaria with a large number of prominent people, his dispatch to Bulgaria by Archbishop Ohrid belong precisely to the reign of Komnenos Alexei (1081-1118). The expulsion of Theophylact from the capital, where he unsuccessfully rushed, is probably connected with the disgrace of the family of the autocrat Michael.

No one knows how long the blessed Theophylact remained in Bulgaria and when he passed away. Some of his letters date back to the beginning of the 12th century. During the period when he was at the court of Empress Mary, but not earlier than 1088-1089, the evangelist created the "Royal Instruction". This incomparable work, highly authoritative in the literary environment, was specially intended for his student, Prince Constantine. And in 1092, he wrote a very pompous panegyric to Emperor Alexei Comnenus.

creations

It is known that the most important historical monument of Theophylact's literary work is his correspondence. 137 letters survived, which he sent to the highest secular and clergy of the empire. In these messages, Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria complained about his fate. He was a refined Byzantine and with great disgust treated the barbarians, his Slavic flock, "smelling like sheepskin."

It should be noted that reports of popular uprisings that constantly arose before the emergence of the second Bulgarian kingdom, as well as crusader armies that appeared from time to time, elevate many of Theophylact's letters to the level of an outstanding historical source. Data on the administration of the kingdom and on the countless figures of the era of Komnenos Alexei are also important.

The peak of Theophylact's creative path is the interpretation of the New Testament and the Old. These are the books of Scripture. The most original work in this area, of course, is called the explanations on the Gospel, mainly on St. Matthew. It is interesting that the author bases his arguments here on heterogeneous interpretations of a colossal number of individual episodes of Holy Scripture.

In general, Theophylact often admits allegorical in some places even moderate debates with heresies slip through. Theophylact of Bulgaria mostly left his interpretation of the apostolic deeds and epistles in the comments, but the current texts are literally written off from little-known sources of the 9th century and the 10th century. It is he who is the author of the complete life of the blessed Clement of Ohrid.

Of great importance is his polemical book against the Latins, written in the spirit of reconciliation, and his discourse on the fifteen martyrs who suffered under Julian in Tiberiupol (Strumica).

An interesting fact: in Patrologia Graeca, the writings of the evangelist are placed from the 123rd to the 126th volume inclusive.

Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

So, Theophylact wrote a wonderful interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, and we will now try to consider this work in most detail. He argued that all the holy men who lived before the law did not receive knowledge from books and scriptures. This is very surprising, but in his work it is indicated that they were brought up by the illumination of the All-Holy Spirit and only in this way they knew God's will: God himself spoke with them. This is how he imagined Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Job and Moses.

After a while, people became corrupted and became unworthy of the teaching and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. But God is philanthropic, He gave them the Scripture, so that at least through it they would remember His will. Theophylact writes that Christ also personally spoke with the apostles at first, and then sent them the blessing of the Holy Spirit as guides. Of course, the Lord expected that over time heresies would appear and people's morals would deteriorate, so He favored that both Gospels be written. After all, in this way, while drawing the truth from them, we will not be carried away by heretical lies and our morals will not deteriorate at all.

And of course, the interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew is a very spiritual work. Studying the Book of Kinship (Matthew 1:1), Theophylact wondered why the blessed Matthew did not say, like the prophets, the word “vision” or “word”? After all, they always noted: “The vision that Isaiah admired” (Is. 1:1) or “The word that was ... to Isaiah” (Is. 2:1). Do you want to know this question? Yes, just the seers turned to the recalcitrant and hard-hearted. That is the only reason why they told that it was a Divine vision and the voice of God, so that the people would be afraid and not neglect what they told them.

Theophylact notes that Matthew spoke with the well-meaning, faithful and obedient, and therefore he did not say anything like this beforehand to the prophets. He writes that what the prophets contemplated, they saw with their minds, looking at it through the Holy Spirit. That's the only reason they said it was a vision.

Matthew, however, did not contemplate Christ with his mind, but morally abode with Him and sensually listened to Him, observing Him in the flesh. Theophylact writes that this is the only reason why he did not say: “the vision that I saw”, or “contemplation”, but said: “The book of kinship”.

And Christs (“Christ” means in Greek “anointed one”) were called high priests and rulers, for they were anointed with holy oil: it poured from a horn that was applied to their head. In general, the Lord is called Christ and as a Bishop, for he himself sacrificed himself as a King and settled down against sin. Theophylact writes that He is anointed with real oil, the Holy Spirit. Moreover, He is anointed before others, for who else possessed the Spirit like the Lord? It should be noted that the blessing of the Holy Spirit acted in the saints. The following power functioned in Christ: Christ Himself and the Spirit of the same essence with Him performed miracles together.

David

Theophylact goes on to say that as soon as Matthew said "Jesus," he added "David's Son" so that you wouldn't think he was referring to another Jesus. Indeed, in those days there lived another outstanding Jesus, after Moses the second leader of the Jews. But this one was not called the son of David, but the son of Nun. He lived much earlier than David and was born not from the tribe of Judah from which David appeared, but from another.

Why did Matthew put David before Abraham? Yes, because David was more famous: he lived later than Abraham and was known as a magnificent king. Of the rulers, he was the first to please the Lord and received a promise from him, saying that Christ would rise from his seed, which is why Christ was called the Son of David.

David really retained the image of Christ in himself: just as he reigned in the place of Seoul abandoned by the Lord and hated, so Christ in the flesh came and reigned over us after Adam lost his kingdom and the power that he had over demons and all living things.

Abraham begat Isaac (Matt. 1:2)

Theophylact further interprets that Abraham was the father of the Jews. That is why the evangelist begins his genealogy with him. In addition, Abraham was the first to receive the promise: it was said that "all nations will be blessed from his seed."

Of course, it would be more appropriate to start the genealogical tree of Christ with him, for Christ is the seed of Abraham, in which we all receive grace, who were pagans and were previously under an oath.

In general, Abraham is translated as "father of tongues", and Isaac - "laughter", "joy". It is interesting that the evangelist does not write about the illegitimate descendants of Abraham, for example, about Ishmael and others, since the Jews did not come from them, but from Isaac. By the way, Matthew mentioned Judas and his brothers because the twelve tribes descended from them.

Explanations on the Gospel of John

And now let's consider how Theophylact of Bulgaria interpreted the Gospel of John. He wrote that the Holy One, both as indicated (2 Cor. 12:9), and as we believe, is accomplished in weakness. But not only in the weakness of the body, but also in eloquence and intellect. As proof, he cited as an example that grace showed on the brother of Christ and the great theologian.

His father was a fisherman. John himself hunted in the same way as his father. Not only was he unable to receive a Jewish and Greek education, but he was not a scholar at all. This information is given about him by St. Luke in 4:13). His homeland was considered the poorest and humblest - it was a village in which they were engaged in fishing, and not in the sciences. He was born in Bethsaida.

The evangelist wonders what kind of Spirit, however, this illiterate, ignoble, in no way outstanding person could receive. After all, he announced what none of the other evangelists taught us.

It should be noted that since they proclaim the incarnation of Christ, but do not say anything sensible about His pre-eternal existence, there is a danger that the people, attached to the earthly and not able to think about anything lofty, will think that Christ began His Being only after as Mary bore him, and his father did not bear him before the ages.

This is precisely the error that Paul of Samosata fell into. That is why the glorious John proclaimed the birth of the heavenly, mentioning, however, the birth of the Word. For he proclaims: "And the word became flesh" (John 1:14).

We are presented with yet another amazing situation in this John the Evangelist. Namely: he is the only one, and has three mothers: his own Salome, thunder, for for the immeasurable voice in the Gospel he is the “son of thunder” (Mark 3:17), and the Mother of God. Why Mother of God? Yes, because it is said: “behold, your mother!” (John 19:27).

In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1)

So, we study further the interpretation of the Gospel of Theophylact of Bulgaria. What the evangelist said in the preface, he repeats now: while other theologians speak at length about the birth of the Lord on Earth, his upbringing and growth, John ignores these events, since his fellow disciples have said quite a lot about them. He only speaks of the Deity incarnated among us.

However, if you look closely, you can see how they, although they did not hide the information about the only-begotten Deity, still mentioned it a little, so John, fixing his gaze on the word of the Most High, focused on the economy of the incarnation. For the souls of all are guided by one Spirit.

Isn't it very interesting to study the interpretation of the Gospel of Theophylact of Bulgaria? We continue to get acquainted with this wonderful work. What is John telling us? He tells us about the Son and the Father. He points to the infinite existence of the Only Begotten when he states: "The Word was in the beginning," that is, from the beginning it was. For what has come from the beginning will certainly not have a time when it is not.

“Where,” some will ask, “is it possible to determine that the phrase “in the beginning was” means the same as from the beginning?” Indeed, from where? Both from the very understanding of the general, and from this theologian himself. For in one of his manuscripts he says: "that which was from the beginning, that we ... have seen" (1 John 1:1).

The interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria is very unusual. He asks us if we see how the chosen one explains himself? And he writes that the questioner will say so. But he understands it "in the beginning" in the same way as Moses: "God created in the beginning" (Gen. 1:1). Just as there the phrase “in the beginning” does not give the understanding that the sky is eternal, so here he does not want to define the word “in the beginning” as if the Only Begotten is infinite. Of course, only heretics say so. There is nothing left for us to respond to this crazy persistence but to say: sage of malice! Why are you silent about the next? But we will say it against your will too!

In general, the interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria leads to various reflections on being. Here, for example, Moses says that at first God created the firmament of heaven and earth, but here it is said that in the beginning "was" the Word. What is the similarity between "created" and "was"? If it had been written here, “God created the Son in the beginning,” then the evangelist would have remained silent. But now, after it was said “in the beginning it was,” he concludes that the word has existed from time immemorial, and not in the course of time has received being, as many empty talk.

Isn't it true that the interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria is exactly the work that you read out? So why didn't John say "in the beginning was the Son" but "the Word"? The Evangelist claims that he speaks because of the weakness of the hearers, so that, having heard about the Son from the very beginning, we would not think about a carnal and passionate birth. That is why He called Him “the Word”, so that you would know that just as the word is born impassively from the mind, so He is born calmly from the father.

And one more explanation: I called him "The Word" because He told us about the qualities of the father, just as any word announces the mood. And together so that we can see that He is co-eternal with the Father. For just as it is impossible to assert that the mind very often happens without the word, so the Father and God cannot exist without the Son.

In general, the interpretation of Theophylact of Bulgaria shows that John used this expression because there are many different words of God, for example, commandments, prophecies, as it is said about angels: “strong in strength, doing His will” (Ps. 103:20), that is His commands. But it should be noted that the word is a personal being.

Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans by the Blessed Apostle Paul

The evangelist's interpretation disposes people to constant reading of the scriptures. This leads to the knowledge of them, for He cannot lie who says: Seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you (Matt. 7:7). Thanks to this, we come into contact with the mysteries of the epistles of the blessed Apostle Paul, only we need to read these epistles carefully and constantly.

It is known that this apostle surpassed all in the word of doctrine. This is right, because he worked more than anyone else and received the generous blessing of the Spirit. By the way, this can be seen not only from his epistles, but also from the Apostolic Acts, where it is said that unbelievers called him Hermes for the ideal word (Acts 14:12).

The interpretation of the blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria reveals to us the following nuances: the Epistle to the Romans is offered to us first, not because they think that it was written before other messages. So, before the Letters to the Romans, both messages to the Corinthians were written, and before them, the Epistle to the Thessalonians was written, in which the blessed Paul, with praise, points out to them the alms sent to Jerusalem (1 Thess. 4:9 - 10; cf. 2 Cor. 9:2).

In addition, before the letter to the Romans, there is also an epistle to the Galatians. Despite this, the interpretation of the Holy Gospel tells us that the Epistle to the Romans from other epistles was created the very first. Why is it in the first place? Yes, because the Divine Scripture does not need a chronological order. So the twelve soothsayers, if listed in the order in which they are placed in the sacred books, do not follow each other in time, but are separated by a colossal distance.

And Paul writes to the Romans only because he bore the duty of passing the sacred ministry of Christ. In addition, the Romans were considered the primates of the universe, for whoever benefits the head has a beneficial effect on the rest of the body.

Paul (Rom. 1:1)

Many perceive the evangelist of Theophylact of Bulgaria as a life guide. It is indeed a very valuable work. By the way, he says that neither Moses, nor the evangelists, nor anyone after him wrote their names before their own writings, and the apostle Paul indicates his name before each of his epistles. This nuance takes place because the majority wrote for those who lived with them, and he sent messages from afar and, according to custom, made the rule of the distinctive qualities of messages.

It should be noted that in Hebrews he does not do this. After all, they hated him, and therefore, so that when they heard his name they would not stop listening to him, he hides his name from the very beginning.

Why did he change his name from Saul to Paul? In order that he should not be lower than the supreme of the apostles, named Cephas, which means "stone", or the sons of Zebedee, called Boanerges, that is, the sons of thunder.

Slave

What is slavery? It has several types. There is bondage by creation, which is written about (Ps. 119:91). There is a bondage through faith, of which they say: “they began to accept the form of doctrine to which they committed themselves” (Rom. 6:17). There is still slavery in the way of being: from this position, Moses is called Paul is a "slave" in all these forms.

We hope this article has introduced you to the famous work of Theophylact and will help you in a further, deeper study of his writings.

And from the extensive literature on the interpretation of Revelation, one should first of all single out the “Explanation on the Apocalypse”, written in the 5th century A.D. St. Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea, which represents the sum total of the whole understanding of Revelation in the ancient Church in the ante-Nicene period. On the interpretation of St. Andrew is cited by almost all subsequent interpreters. But it is not the first. In the Preface, Andrew writes that he used the interpretations of Papias, Irenaeus, Methodius, and Hippolytus. The interpretation of Papias has not been preserved. St. Methodius, Bishop of Potara († 310) in his work "The Feast of the Ten Virgins" considered only the issues of the 12th chapter of Revelation, borrowing his opinion from Hippolytus. We know nothing about his other views on Revelation. The interpretation of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis, a disciple of the Apostle John, "On the Devil and on the Apocalypse of John" has also not been preserved. Even Andrew of Caesarea does not refer to it. Thus, of the ancient authors, only Irenaeus of Lyon († 202) and Hippolytus of Rome († 235) remained to us.

St. Hippolytus of Rome considered himself a student of Irenaeus, but hardly knew him personally. “Patriarch Photius of Constantinople († 891), calling Irenaeus the teacher of Hippolytus, wanted to point out only the direct influence of the works of Irenaeus on the same works of Hippolytus. St. Hippolytus of Rome was really a disciple of Irenaeus only in the spirit and direction of his activity. Dependence on Irenaeus affected Hippolytus in the interpretation of Revelation. In The Tale of Christ and the Antichrist (presumably written in 230), Hippolytus quotes Irenaeus in places almost verbatim. Hippolytus did not consider the worldview of Irenaeus to be indisputable, but rarely deviates from his views when interpreting Revelation. Hippolytus' interpretation of the Book of the Prophet Daniel has also been preserved. It was written later.

St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, He received the crown of martyrdom during the persecution of Septimius Severus in 202. He received a Christian education under the direct guidance of St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, beloved disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian. St. Polycarp lived to a ripe old age and was martyred during the persecution of Marcus Aurelius in 166. The church historian Eusebius quotes Irenaeus as saying that he often heard from Polycarp the words of the Apostle John about the life of Jesus Christ. But there is no Tradition regarding the Revelation. Irenaeus says only that "those who saw John themselves testify that the number of the beast is 666," against the erroneous number 616 that arose during correspondence. “As for the name of the Antichrist,” Hippolytus of Rome wrote, “we cannot say exactly how Blessed John thought and knew about him: we can only speculate about this. When the Antichrist appears, then time will show us what we are looking for now. One gets the impression that John the Theologian deliberately did not leave his commentary on the Apocalypse.

It is puzzling that in the interpretation of the Apocalypse, Andrew of Caesarea never mentions such a well-known author as St. Ephraim Sirin(† 373), - after all, he could not be unknown to him. But this, apparently, is because in the interpretation of the Revelation, Ephraim the Syrian did not express anything new that you will not find in Hippolytus. So in the “Word for the coming of the Lord, for the end of the world and for the coming of the Antichrist”, Ephraim the Syrian, in places almost verbatim, quotes chapters XLVIII - LX from the fourth book of Hippolytus of Rome “Explanation on the Book of the Prophet Daniel” without reference to the original source. However, when interpreting the Book of the Prophet Daniel itself, Ephraim the Sirin deviates significantly from the opinion of Hippolytus.

St. Gregory the Theologian(† 389), St. Basil the Great(† 379) and St. Gregory of Nyssa(† 394), although they quote the Apocalypse, but only on private issues. Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom(† 407) and Bishop Theodoret of Cyrus(+ 457), who contributed to Christian eschatology, never referred to the Revelation of John. A cv. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem(+ 386), in the Doctrine of the Antichrist even expresses a hint at the apocryphal origin of the Apocalypse: “The Antichrist will reign only three and a half years. We borrow this not from the apocryphal books, but from Daniel.

G.P. Fedotov wrote in 1926:

“The Apocalypse of John is by no means at the basis of the patristic tradition, as one might think, based on modern ideas. Not all church fathers accept the Apocalypse as a canonical book (for example, St. Cyril of Jerusalem), and most approach the Antichrist not from New Testament texts, but from the prophecy of Daniel (ch. 7). However, Busse, apparently, is right in considering that the myth of the Antichrist develops in the Christian Church to a large extent independently of the Holy Scriptures, on the basis of some esoteric, probably Judeo-Messianic tradition, not enshrined in any of the surviving us monuments".

The influence of the eschatological ideas of Judaism on those of Christianity affected, first of all, the interpretation of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. So St. Hippolytus of Rome writes: “All who love the truth have examined the words of Daniel carefully; and, having read them briefly, they could not say that they are devoid of inner meaning. But according to the testimony of Archbishop Philaret of Chernigov, the interpretation of Hippolytus of Rome on the Book of the Prophet Daniel is "the first experience of interpretation in the Christian church." From this follows the conclusion that Hippolytus here means only Jewish interpretations. The opinions of Irenaeus and Hippolytus about the origin of the Antichrist from the tribe of Dan, about the coming of Elijah the prophet at the end of world history, about the length of world history of 6000 years, about the advent of the "messianic kingdom" of 1000 years in length are also of Jewish origin. We will talk about them in detail when interpreting chapters 7, 11 and 20 of Revelation.

John of Damascus:

“The Antichrist will come at the end of the world to the “God-opposing Jews”. He will call himself God, he will reign and persecute the Church. The Jews will take him for Christ. And Enoch and Elijah the Thesbite will be sent to denounce the Antichrist. They will turn the Jewish Synagogue to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the preaching of the Apostles and will be put to death by the Antichrist. And the Lord will come from heaven and "slay the man of iniquity, the son of perdition, with the spirit of his mouth." We know nothing about the other views of John of Damascus on the Apocalypse.

Understanding the Bible as a whole does not present insurmountable difficulties for people. Simply put, there is nothing in the Holy Book that would be completely inaccessible to the understanding of a person of average mental abilities. “The Grace of the Holy Spirit,” wrote St. John Chrysostom, “for this reason used publicans, fishermen, skin-makers and shepherds, simple and unlearned people, to write these books, so that none of the unlearned would complain about the difficulty of understanding ...”

At the same time, we know many sayings of the fathers and teachers of the Church, who say that everything in the Bible is a mystery, that in every story there is a great, hidden meaning, which can only be understood by the elect, who are initiated into the mysteries of the Spirit. How to combine these two extreme points of view, and where is the truth in this case?

The Bible, as a work of a special kind, as the Revelation of God, contains some sublime truths that are difficult to understand for the earthly human mind. In order to see the high heavenly meaning with our mundane eyes, special guidance is needed. Where can you find such guidance?

There is an ancient saying: "To understand a poet, one must go to the country of the poet." To understand the Bible correctly, one must go to the Church—that is, turn to the interpretations of the Church. The Holy Book appeared in the bowels of the ancient Church. The Church has preserved and passed down great texts from century to century.

Modern scientists, based on the latest research methods, have proved that the text of the Bible has come down to us without distortion, without changing meanings, etc. Through the work of unknown scribes, the holy words of the Bible have retained their meaning. Of course, in translation into some languages, including Russian, the meaning of individual expressions may change slightly. But today it is not a serious problem. Nowadays, there are many interpretations of ancient and modern authors, adding to this modern information search technologies, we get that a modern seeker of truth can easily understand the meaning of the Eternal Book.

Why, then, is it necessary to look for explanations of the Scriptures, first of all, from the holy fathers? The royal word is better understood and explained by the royal servant. The Word of God is better understood and explained by a man close to God. The Holy Fathers of the Church are humble and pure in heart, faithful disciples of Christ. Many of them from early youth sought divine truth in the Scriptures, in the works of the holy apostles, and God revealed His secrets to them.

The Holy Fathers interpreted Scripture, guided by the tradition that had come down to them from the Apostles. Sometimes the apostolic teachings were transmitted orally from disciple to disciple, in other cases they were written down. So, St. John Chrysostom in one of his teachings says: “Do not be embarrassed if what I have said is strange to you; I speak here not my words, but the words of our fathers, wonderful and famous men.

The Holy Spirit, dwelling according to the promise of Christ in the Church, at all times chose holy men, and through them preserved, and to this day preserves the true interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.

“Come and be partakers of incomparable wisdom: learn from the Word of God and know the Eternal King! The Word of God penetrates our souls with its power. Oh, what a messenger of peace this is for you, militant soul! What a means to tame the cruelest impulses of passions! This force does not make of us neither poets, nor philosophers, nor famous oracles; but it leads to higher concepts, it makes us mortals immortal and accompanies us from this world to another,” wrote Saint Justin the Philosopher (†166) about the meaning of Holy Scripture.

St. John Chrysostom († 407) gives a profound and unexpected explanation of the need for Holy Scripture: “Indeed, we should not have need of the help of Scripture, but should lead a life so pure that instead of books, the grace of the Spirit would serve our souls, and that as they are written in ink, so our hearts may be written with the Spirit. But since we have rejected such grace, we will use at least the second way. And that the first way was better, God showed it both in word and in deed. In fact, with Noah, Abraham and his descendants, as well as with Job and Moses, God spoke not through writing, but directly, because He found their minds pure. So, and God did not give the Apostles anything written, but promised instead of writings bestow the grace of the Spirit. “He,” He said to them, “all will remember you” (John 14:26). And so that you know that such a path (God’s communion with the saints) was much better, listen to what he says through the prophet: “I bequeath to you a new covenant, giving my laws in thought and, and I will write on the hearts, and all will be taught by God “(Jeremiah 31:31-34; John 4:45). And Paul, pointing to this superiority, said that he received the law (written) “not on tables of stone, but on tables of the heart of flesh” (2 Cor. 3, 3)

“But since, over time, some deviated from the true teaching, others from the purity of life and morality, then there was again a need for written instruction. Consider, then, what foolishness it will be if we, who should live in such purity, so as not to have a need for Scripture, but instead of books, present hearts to the Spirit - if we, having lost such dignity and having a need for Scripture, do not take advantage of how should, even with this second medicine!”

The Word of God is necessary for a person in all circumstances of life.

After receiving the sacrament of Baptism, each person enters the Church and becomes a disciple of Christ. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; ”(Mt, 28, 19-20.) - this is the command of the risen Christ to the apostles, and through the apostles - a commandment to all Christians. - learn the truths of faith. And learning is possible only through listening and reading the Holy Scriptures, and first of all, the Gospel.

The experience of the Church says that every Christian eventually accepts the need to read the Holy Scriptures. A good help in this matter can be a convenient, high-quality edition of the Bible.

The Baptism.ru website will help you choose a good edition of a gift Bible, with a design that you like, with a convenient, pleasant font, and a suitable format. We have a great edition Bibles in leather — it will literally be an eternal book that can become a family heirloom. A good binding will keep the pages in good condition. Most leather Bible editions are equipped with several leather bookmarks, which is very convenient when studying several passages of Scripture in parallel.