The Appearance of Jesus Christ in Our Time. Appearances of Christ to Saints: Criteria of Truth
On Sunday, September 25, at the Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, a liturgical homage was given 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 sufferings of 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 (future St. Siluan) became a witness of the Epiphany.
The appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ became an assurance for his soul, embarrassed by the thoughts of despair and doubt in the Providence of God. Thoughts of doubt and unbelief were sown in Simeon's soul as early as in his childhood as booksellers who distributed Marxist and atheistic literature and who visited their home. These thoughts gave 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 appeared to him Himself.
Here is how Rev. Silwan:
“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 death is clearly seen in my soul. And I felt in my soul that God is merciless and implacable. This continued with me an hour or a little more. This spirit is so heavy and weary that it is terrible even to remember it. The soul is not able to bear it for a long time. In these moments one can perish for all eternity. The Merciful Lord allowed the spirit of malice to make such a battle with my soul.
Little time has passed; I went to church for Vespers and, looking at the icon of the Savior, I said: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner." And with these words I saw in place the icon of the living Lord, and the grace of the Holy Spirit filled my soul and my whole body. And so I knew by the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ is God; and I sweetly longed to suffer for Christ."
"... One novice here on Athos, in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, got used to incessantlypray to God to forgive 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 a living Savior, and the soul and body of the novice were filled with indescribable sweetness , and the soul through the Holy Spirit came to know our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord is merciful, and beauty and meekness indescribable, and the soul was enlightened that from the love of God a person cannot remember about anyone, and since then his soul has been burning with love for the Lord "(St. Silouan of Athos. Scriptures. Chapter 19 "Narratives about the experience and some meetings and conversations with the ascetics").
“I know a man whom the Merciful Lord visited with His grace; and if the Lord asked him: “Do you want me to give you even more?” then from the weakness of the flesh the soul would say: “You see, Lord, that if there is more, then I will die,” for a person 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 many sinners, and my soul is attracted 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 insatiably wants You always, for You, the Merciful, drew the soul to You with love, and the soul knew Your love "(Ch. 9: On love).
What happened with Rev. Siluan was not just a visual observation, but the miracle of the Epiphany, in which the knowledge of God, trinity in Persons, was mysteriously revealed. During this apparition, according to the reverend 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 will of the Father. This Epiphany left such an indelible mark on the soul of the Monk 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 happened. Here are some more testimonies from the writings of St. Silvana:
"The Father so loved us that He gave us His Son; but the Son Himself desired, 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 the Lord; but I It was given to the many-sinners 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 in 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 recognizes 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, by His immeasurable mercy, gave me this grace, a sinner, so that people would know God and turn to Him. I ask for mercy on behalf of God. Hey, the truth. The Lord Himself is my witness" (Ch. 8: On the knowledge of God).
“Love of mankind, Lord, how did You not forget Your sinful servant, but mercifully looked upon me from Your glory, and incomprehensibly appeared to me? "Your quiet, meek gaze has attracted my soul. What shall I render to You, Lord, or what praise shall I sing to You? You give Your grace so that the soul constantly burns with love, and it does not know 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 " (Ch. 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 gave to Adam in the beginning, 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 it will be easy for everyone on earth to live. I beseech Thee, Merciful Lord, that all the peoples of the earth may know Thee by 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 penitent 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 does not find rest in anything day and night, and I cry like a child who has lost her mother. But both the child of her mother and her mother the child will be forgotten when they see You: the soul, seeing You, forgets the whole world. So my soul is attracted 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 has known the Lord by the Holy Spirit, and a person, even though very great, who has not known the grace of the Holy Spirit. A great difference is to believe only that God exists, to know Him from nature or from Scripture, and to know the Lord by the Spirit Whoever knows God by the Holy Spirit, his spirit burns with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be attached to anything earthly.The soul, which has not experienced the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, rejoices from vanity in worldly glory, or wealth, or power; but the soul that has known the Lord by the Holy Spirit desires only the Lord alone, and counts the riches and glory of the world for nothing" (Ch. 3: On Humility).
“When the soul sees the Lord through the Holy Spirit, how meek and humble He is, then she herself humbles herself 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. 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, he 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 "(Ch. 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 about what we have not heard and what we do not know? The saints say that they have seen God; but there are people who say that there is no God. It is clear that they say so because they have not known God, but this does not mean at all that He does not exist" (Ibid.).
“Those who love Me, I love,” says the Lord, “and those who seek Me will find grace” (Pr. 8:17). As it is good for her to live, the soul is cheerful, and the soul says: "MY Lord, I am YOUR servant." There is great joy in these words: if the Lord is ours, then all things are ours. That's how rich we are. Our Lord is great and incomprehensible, but for our sake He belittled Himself so that we would know Him and love Him, so that from 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 His chosen ones such great grace that they embrace the whole earth, the whole world with love, and their soul burns with the desire that all people be saved and see the glory of the Lord" (Ch. 9: On Love).
The miraculous icon of Christ the Savior, which is associated with the miracle of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to Elder Siluan, is evidence of the truth of the spiritual life of grace in Christ. The meaning of this image is especially relevant in our time - the time of doubt and rationalism.
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Since ancient times, peoples have built tombstones and monuments over the remains of great people, only about one coffin it is said: “He is not here, has He risen, has Christ risen?”
This great and joyful event took place early in the morning on the first day after the Sabbath. Leaving guards at the tomb and placing a seal on the stone, the Jewish leaders triumphed. But this victory was illusory: neither the seal of the Sanhedrin nor its guards could keep the Conqueror of death in the coffin. And the seal of the Sanhedrin remained on the stone, and vigilant guards stood at the tomb, but the Body of Christ was no longer in the grave cave. Of course, the warriors did not, they could know. They diligently continued to guard the empty cave. Deep night silence reigned in the garden. Dawn was approaching... Suddenly, a strong earthquake shook the garden, and at that time, the frightened soldiers saw the Heavenly Messenger at the entrance to the tomb.
The appearance of the Angel was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. He rolled away a huge stone from the door of the coffin and sat on it, shining with an unearthly light. The warriors were trembling and fainted from fear. When they came to their senses, they fled from the garden and hurried to Jerusalem to those who appointed them to guard the tomb of Jesus.
And at this time, from Bethany, in the predawn twilight, the disciples of Christ hurried to the lonely tomb near Golgotha. After spending the whole night in tears, they now walked with fragrant substances to pay their last debt to their beloved Master. They were disturbed by the thought of a heavy stone - who will roll it away from the coffin? But they went, obeying the dictates of the heart. The myrrh-bearing women did not know anything about the fact that guards were placed at the tomb.
When the disciples of Christ entered the garden of Joseph, they stopped in perplexity - a huge stone had already been rolled away, and the entrance to the tomb was open. Mary Magdalene was the first to see the empty tomb and immediately ran to the apostles Peter and John with the sad news. Meanwhile, the rest of the women timidly entered the tomb cave. In horror, they suddenly saw a young man in white clothes sitting at the coffin. "Don't be horrified the angel told them. - You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene crucified; He is risen, He is not here. This is the place where He was laid... Go, tell His disciples and Peter...”.
With trepidation, the women ran out of the cave and hurried to Jerusalem.
Appearance of Mary Magdalene and other myrrhbearers. Mk. 16:9–11; OK. 24:12; In. 20, 1–18
From the moment Christ was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples fled in different directions and hid.” fear for the sake of the Jews» in safe places in the city of Jerusalem. Mary Magdalene knew where the apostles Peter and John were, and, weeping, hurried to them for help. “They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they laid Him”- said weeping Mary to the surprised apostles.
Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb to see what had happened to the Body of their Master. John ran faster than Peter and was the first to be at the tomb, but he did not dare to enter it alone. Then Peter came running and together they entered the cave. Mary Magdalene was right. The body of the Lord Jesus was not in the tomb. There were only one burial shroud, stacked on a stone slab. Full of bewilderment and sadness, the apostles left the tomb and headed back to the city.
At the tomb of the Savior, only weeping Mary remained. Suddenly, she saw two bright angels in the coffin and immediately felt that someone was standing behind her. She turned around and saw the Savior, but did not recognize Him. Mary thought it was the gardener and asked Him: "Sir, if you carried out the body of my Master, tell me where you put it, and I will take it." "Maria?"- she heard the familiar voice of Jesus and in an instant understood everything.
"Rabbi?" she exclaimed and threw herself at the feet of the Savior. But Christ said to her: "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father ... and your Father, and to my God and your God."
Soon the phenomena began to repeat. The rest of the women came and told the apostles that the resurrected Lord also appeared to them when they were returning from the tomb to Jerusalem. But even this testimony was accepted by the apostles with distrust.
The reaction of the Sanhedrin. Matt. 28:11–15
Meanwhile, when Zion's upper room was filled with joy and bewilderment, the palace of Caiaphas was deeply disturbed by the terrible news for the high priests, which the guard from the tomb of Jesus brought early in the morning.
Again the chief priests became agitated. The Galilean Teacher did not give them rest even now. They urgently gathered for a meeting at which they assessed all the terrifying consequences for them of the event that took place at the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth.
After the meeting, the chief priests called for the guard, gave each soldier a large sum of money and said to them: “Tell everyone that His disciples, having come at night, stole Him while you were sleeping. And if a rumor about this reaches the ruler (Pilate), then we will clap for you in front of him and save you from trouble. ].
The warriors took the money and did as the chief priests taught them. This false rumor is so ingrained in the Jewish people that many of them believe it to this day.
Thus, the enemies of Christ tried to obscure the work of God with a crude interweaving of lies and deceit, but proved powerless against the truth.
Appearance to two disciples on the way to Emmaus. OK. 24:13–35
Although the disciples of Christ were excited by the stories of the myrrh-bearing women about the appearance of the risen Lord to them, they still did not believe their testimony. Sorrow and doubt seized their sad souls.
The first Sunday was coming to an end. Evening came. At this time, two disciples of Christ, Cleopas and (probably) Luke, hurried from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. On the way, they sadly remembered their beloved Teacher and those mournful events that took place in Jerusalem in the last days. It was all over, their faith in Jesus as the Messiah was crumbling, their hope was gone. At that moment, a traveler approached them and began to walk with them. It was Christ, but the disciples did not recognize Him. The stranger asked them: “What are you talking about as you walk, and why are you sad?” The students were surprised by this question. All Jerusalem is now talking about the crucifixion of the Prophet of Galilee, and this Stranger probably did not even hear about it. Then they began to tell their Companion about what happened in these last days in Jerusalem with Jesus of Nazareth, whom all the people recognized as the Great Prophet. Three days ago the chief priests and elders condemned Him to death and executed Him. “But we (His disciples) hoped,” they added sadly and hopelessly, “that He is the One who should deliver Israel; but with all that, today is the third day since He died. True, some women confused us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find the Body of the Teacher; they also saw angels who told them that Christ was alive. Some of ours were also today in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea and did not find the Body in the tomb, but did not see Christ Himself alive. ].
Then the mysterious Traveler said to them: “O foolish and slow of heart, why don’t you believe everything that the prophets foretold? Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer and enter into His glory?” Then the resurrected Lord began to interpret to the disciples the prophecies about the Messiah. As they talked, they approached Emmaus. The Mysterious Traveler pretended to want to go further, but Cleopas and Luke begged Him to spend the night in their house: "Stay with us, because the day has already declined to evening."
Christ agreed. When they lay down at the table to refresh themselves with food, Christ took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the disciples, as He always did before a meal. At that moment, the spiritual eyes of the apostles were opened, and they understood and learned that their mysterious Companion is the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
But the Lord became invisible to them. Struck by the appearance, the apostles joyfully said to each other: “Did not our hearts burn within us when He spoke to us on the road and when He opened the Scriptures to us”. After that, they could not stay in Emmaus and sleep peacefully.
We must immediately return to Jerusalem in order to inform our fellow apostles of the great joy that their Teacher has risen.
Exultant, they hurried back to Jerusalem. Cleopas and Luke found ten apostles gathered together in Zion's upper room. They happily told the disciples about the incident on the road and how they recognized the resurrected Lord in the breaking of bread. In turn, the apostles told the Emmaus travelers the no less joyful news that the risen Christ had appeared to Peter.
Appearance to all the apostles except Thomas. OK. 24:36–48; In. 20:19–23
The Upper Room of Zion was overflowing with joy. Doubt left the apostles, faith and hope returned to their hearts. And now, among joyful exclamations, thanksgiving prayers and fraternal embraces, a quiet and so familiar voice was heard: "Peace to you!" And all those present saw the resurrected Lord in the midst of the upper room. The disciples were confused and frightened, thinking that a spirit had appeared to them, for they carefully closed the doors to the upper room with locks.
Seeing the bewilderment of His disciples, Christ said to them: “Why are you troubled, and why do such thoughts enter your hearts? Look at my hands and at my feet; it is I myself; touch me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see with Me.” The Lord allowed the disciples to approach Him and touch His Body, but the apostles did not immediately believe their touch, but only rejoiced and were surprised. To finally convince His disciples that He is not a spirit, but a true Man with Soul and Body, Christ asked them for some food. He was served a piece of baked fish and honeycomb. He took the food and began to eat in front of His disciples.
It is amazing how deep the apostles' disbelief was in the possibility of the resurrection of their Teacher! And after that, skeptics still dare to assert that the apostles so blindly believed that their Teacher would rise again, so passionately wanted to see Him risen, that they brought their imagination to a painful state and therefore saw not the risen Jesus, but only a ghost created by their dreams. Is it possible to attribute to the apostles a morbid imagination when they did not believe either the testimony of the myrrh-bearing women, or even their own eyes.
Having proved to the apostles that it was not a spirit standing before them, but their resurrected Teacher with Soul and Body, Christ said to them: “This is what I told you while I was still with you... Thus it is written(in the Law of Moses) and so it was fitting for Christ to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.”
But this joyful event should not remain only in the Zion Room. The whole world needs to hear about it. The apostles need to bring the light of Christ's Resurrection to all nations.
"As the Father sent me, Christ said to the apostles, “So I am sending you.” But by sending the apostles to preach, the Lord gives them the power of the Holy Spirit and power over human souls. He breathed and said to the apostles: “Receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain.
This story of the evangelists ended the fifth appearance of Christ on the first day of His glorious resurrection. During the fifth apparition, Thomas was not among the apostles. When he arrived at the Zion Upper Room, the apostles joyfully told him about the appearance of the resurrected Teacher to all of them. But the Apostle Thomas did not believe them. To their warm assurances, he replied:
“Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger into the nail marks, and put my hand into His side, will I not believe?”
Appearance to the Eleven Apostles
This happened on the eighth day after the resurrection of the Savior. On this day, all the apostles gathered in the Zion room for prayer. Among them was the Apostle Thomas, who did not believe the testimony of all the disciples about the resurrection of Christ. And then Jesus Christ again suddenly appeared among His disciples with the words: "Peace to you?" Then, turning to Thomas with affectionate reproach, the Lord said: “Put your finger here and see my hands; give me your hand and put it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer". The sudden appearance of Christ and the words spoken by Him to Thomas shook the doubting disciple to the depths of his soul, and he exclaimed: "My Lord and my God?"
Then Christ, directing His thought to the future and referring to all those who, following the example of Thomas, would doubt and reject the authentic testimonies of the apostles, said to Thomas: “You believed because you saw Me, blessed are those who have not seen and believed.”
Christ does not force anyone to believe in Him, He desires the free will of the human heart. The Lord did not appear to Pilate, or Anna, or Caiaphas, or to any other of His tormentors, for their evil will would resist the evidence of the phenomenon, as long as it would be possible (“and the dead will rise, they will not believe”), and when it would become already unthinkable, they would have submitted in fear, without love and reconciliation.
Thomas, when he said, “If I don’t see it, I won’t believe it,” he almost believed, almost imbued with faith in the resurrection. His words were dictated by the desire to see the Teacher as soon as possible. That is why the Church speaks of "Fomin's good unbelief."
The apparition on the Tiberian lake. In. 21:1–25
Fulfilling the command of the Teacher, the apostles after the feast of Pascha returned to their native Galilee and began to engage in their usual fishery. Once Peter invited his friends John, James, Thomas and Nathanael to go fishing at night. When it got dark, they all got into Peter's boat and sailed to a good fishing spot. But no matter how hard the students worked, no matter how they used all their professional skills, that night they did not catch anything. It was already dawn when the apostles, wet and tired, were about to swim to the shore. Suddenly they heard the voice of a Man standing on the shore of the lake. It was Christ, but His disciples did not recognize Him. The stranger asked them for some fish: "Children,- he said, - do you have any food?” They answered the Questioner that they had nothing. Then the Stranger advised them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. The disciples did this and to their amazement, the nets were filled with large fish.
Everyone was busy fishing, and John, peering at the Stranger standing on the shore, said to Peter: "It's the Lord". Hearing these words, impulsive Peter, without hesitation, jumped into the water and swam to the shore. Behind him pulled a boat, dragging full nets. When the disciples came ashore, they saw a bonfire and fish and bread lying on it.
“Bring the fish you have now caught,” the Lord said to the disciples. When the nets were pulled out, Christ invited the apostles to have lunch. Everyone ate in silence. No one dared to ask Him who He was. But everyone knew that it was the Lord.
After a while, Christ broke the silence and, turning to Peter, asked him: “Simon of Jonas, do you love Me more than they do?”
"Yes, Lord, Peter replied. - You know I love you". "Feed My Lambs" Christ told him. But the Lord did not leave Peter alone. He asked him for the second and third time: “Do you love Me?” And then the apostle understood what was at stake. He remembered his threefold renunciation of the Lord and exclaimed in repentance: “Lord! You know everything; You know I love you". Then the Lord restores Peter to his apostolic dignity and predicts to him his further life path and martyrdom: but when you are old... another will gird you and lead you where you do not want to.”
Indeed, the Apostle Peter subsequently suffered a lot for Christ and was crucified upside down on the cross.
Appearance of Christ on a mountain in Galilee. Matt. 28:16–20
When all the apostles gathered together, the Lord commanded them to go to one of the mountains of Galilee and wait for Him there. According to legend, the apostles gathered on the Mount of Beatitudes, where many followers of Christ came with them. More than five hundred people gathered (). Everyone, probably, listened with deep attention to the apostles - eyewitnesses, who told the people in detail about the appearances of the resurrected Lord to them. Suddenly everyone saw the resurrected Teacher coming towards them. The apostles bowed to the ground to the Lord, and some of those present began to doubt, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. Approaching the disciples, the Savior commanded them to go on a worldwide sermon. He told His followers: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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; and lo, I am with you all the days to the end of the age. Amen".
This was already the eighth appearance of the Lord to His followers. The ninth appearance of the risen Christ was to the Apostle James. The Apostle Paul () tells us about him.
Ascension of the Lord. OK. 24:48–50; Acts. 1:4–8
For forty days, the Risen Lord appeared to His disciples many times and talked with them about the Kingdom of God. In these bright days, full of unusual phenomena, joyful words and tremulous expectation, the Savior sought to show the disciples that He was not a spirit, that His Body had risen, having ascended, however, to the highest level of spiritual corporality. It was not a return to the former life, but a complete transformation of the body, which no longer knew the obstacles and limitations inherent in gross matter.
During all these days, the Lord revealed to His followers the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, reminded them of His teaching and prepared them for the worldwide preaching.
And then came the day of parting - the fortieth day after the resurrection of Christ. At that time, all the apostles were in Jerusalem, where they gathered for the feast of Pentecost. While they were in the Zion Upper Room in prayer and unanimity, Christ suddenly appeared to them. While talking with the apostles, the Lord led them out of Jerusalem, and they all went together to the Mount of Olives. Having reached the top of the mountain, the Lord began to say goodbye to the apostles, commanding them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit descended on them. “John baptized with water, and you,” the Savior told them, “in a few days will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” For a moment, old hopes returned to some students: “At this time, O Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set in his own power, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Then Christ raised his hands and began to bless his beloved disciples, and “when he blessed them, he began to depart from them and ascended into heaven”. For a long time the disciples of Christ stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the sky, where their beloved Teacher had gone from them.
Suddenly, two angels appeared to them. Addressing the apostles, they said: "Men of Galilee! why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
With joy the disciples returned to the Upper Room of Zion, where they were always in unanimity, glorifying and blessing God. It was the first Christian community, the nucleus of the future glorious Church of Christ.
Once, when the congregation was large, about one hundred and twenty people, at the suggestion of the Apostle Peter, all unanimously elected, instead of the fallen Judas the traitor, Matthias and numbered him among the eleven apostles.
The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Acts. 2
The day of Pentecost has arrived. This great Old Testament feast was established in memory of the Sinai legislation. The apostles, together with the Mother of God and other disciples of Christ, were unanimously in the Zion upper room. It was three o'clock in the afternoon (nine o'clock in the morning). Suddenly, all those present heard a noise from the sky, as if from a rushing strong wind. The noise grew louder and louder until it filled the entire house where they were. And over each of the apostles they saw, as it were, tongues of fire, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to glorify God in different languages, which they did not know before.
At that time, there were many pilgrims in Jerusalem, among whom there were many foreign Jews who came to the homeland of the fathers for the feast of Passover and spent time in Jerusalem until the feast of Pentecost. Hearing the noise, a huge crowd of people gathered near the house where the disciples of Christ were. The people marveled at these sounds, incomprehensible to them, coming from heavenly heights and filling the house. But they were even more surprised when the apostles, leaving the upper room, began to speak to each of them in their own language.
People were amazed and asked each other: “Are they not all Galileans? How do we hear each of our own language? There were, however, those who said: "It was they who drank wine and became intoxicated."
Then the apostle Peter turned to all those gathered with a fiery speech: “Men of the Jews and all who live in Jerusalem! These people are not drunk, as you think, but in what you see and hear, the prediction of the prophet Joel about the descent of the Spirit of God on all flesh comes true. This Spirit of Truth was sent down upon His followers by Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God whom you condemned and crucified. But death could not keep the Source of life in the coffin.
Christ is risen, ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father. ]. Concluding his sermon on Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter said: "Know therefore, all the house of Israel, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
The grace-filled sermon of Peter had such an effect on the hearts of the listeners that many believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized. This was the "first catch of the fisherman" by Peter and his apostle friends.
On the third day after the death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead by the power of His Divinity. And for forty days, until His glorious Ascension into heaven, He appeared to His disciples.
Early in the morning, on the first day of the week, the women who stood at the Cross of the Lord on Calvary came to the tomb of the Savior to anoint His most pure body with myrrh. One of them was Mary Magdalene. She was the first to come to the tomb of the Lord. But it turned out to be empty. Where Christ lay, there were only His burial sheets. With this news, Magdalene hurried to the apostles Peter and John and after them returned.
She stood in front of the entrance to the cave and wept. Her soul was in turmoil. The woman thought that someone had taken away the body of her beloved Master and Lord. Looking back, Magdalene saw Christ, but did not recognize Him, but thought that this was a gardener. With tears she turned to Him: "Sir, if you have carried Him, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him."
Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" At that moment Magdalena's spiritual eyes were opened - she recognized the Savior. "Teacher!" she exclaimed, and in indescribable joy threw herself at the feet of Christ. But the Lord forbade her to touch Him, and commanded her to go and tell all the disciples about what she had seen. After that, Jesus appeared separately to Peter and assured him of His Resurrection.
On the same day, two disciples of Christ, Luke and Cleopas, walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village located not far from the city. On the way, they talked about the events of the last days - the suffering and death of the Savior on the Cross.
And then the Lord Jesus Christ Himself approached them. But they, like Magdalene, did not recognize the Savior, but thought that this was one of the pilgrims who had come to the holy city for the feast.
Luke and Cleopas shared with the unfamiliar Companion their sadness, perplexity and, as it seemed to them, unfulfilled hopes that they placed on their Teacher.
"However," they said, "some of our women say He's alive and they've seen Him." Then Jesus began to explain to them all the Old Testament prophecies of Holy Scripture about His suffering on the Cross and the glorious Resurrection. The students marveled. Everything became clear to them.
They begged their Companion not to leave, but to stay at Emmaus and share the evening meal with them. And when He was at table with them, He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were "opened" and they recognized the Lord Jesus Christ, but He became invisible to them.
Luke and Cleopa immediately got up and went back to Jerusalem to announce to the disciples of Christ about the Resurrection of the Savior.
Late that evening, ten of the Lord's closest disciples gathered together. Only Thomas was missing. The doors of the house where they were staying were locked for fear of the Jews. And suddenly Jesus Christ Himself stood in the midst of them and said: "Peace be with you!" They got scared, thinking it was a ghost. The disciples did not yet know that the transfigured body of the Lord acquired new, miraculous properties. No walls and closed doors could no longer be an obstacle for him.
To strengthen the disciples in faith, the Savior showed them His hands and feet, pierced with nails. But the apostles still doubted. Then, in order to completely eradicate their unbelief, the Lord eats in front of them the part of the baked fish and honey left from their evening meal. The disciples' doubts dissipated. They were overwhelmed with extraordinary joy. Only Thomas was not at this appearance of the Lord. For him, the death of the Savior on the Cross became a difficult test. The Apostle Thomas had little evidence from the other disciples about the appearance of the Living Resurrected Christ to them. He himself wanted to see and feel the wounds from the nails on the hands and feet of the Savior. “If I don’t see the wounds from the nails on His hands, and I don’t put my hand in His ribs, I won’t believe,” he said.
A week later the apostles gathered together again. And Thomas was with them. The doors of the house were locked. Christ again stood in the midst of His disciples and said, "Peace be with you!" Then He said to Thomas: "Put your finger here and see my hands; put your hand here and put it in my ribs; and don't be unbelievers, but believers." Thomas exclaimed: "My Lord and my God!" Then the Lord spoke the words, referring not only to Thomas, but also to all Christians: "You believed because you saw Me; blessed are those who have not seen and believed" (John 20:27).
After His resurrection, the Lord greeted everyone with the word: "Rejoice!". This joy the apostles proclaimed to the world. They called this joy the "Gospel" - the good news of the resurrection of Christ.
The Easter period brings joy into the life of every Christian. This is a victory over the devil, over evil, over human hatred. " Take heart: I conquered the world"(John 16.33). These words instill in our soul a special thrill, a special feeling and inner experience of the Lord's Feat.
After His death, the Savior was resurrected on the third day. In His glorious being, He appeared to His disciples six times. Let's briefly analyze these meetings of the Lord and His closest disciples before the Ascension of Christ.
Mary Magdalene ("Don't Touch Me")
Having said this, she turned back and saw Jesus standing; but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus says to her: Wife! Why are you crying? who are you looking for? She, thinking that this is a gardener, says to Him: sir! if you have carried it, tell me where you have put it, and I will take it. Jesus says to her: Mary! She turned and said to Him: Rabbi! - which means: Teacher! Jesus says to her: do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and say to them: I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God. (John 20:14-17)
Why does Christ forbid Mary Magdalene to "touch Him"? The answer to this question is given by John Chrysostom: “It seems to me that even now she wanted to treat Him as before, and for joy did not imagine anything great, although He had become much more perfect in the flesh. Therefore, in order to turn her away from such an opinion and inspire her not to speak to Him without any caution (because, apparently, He no longer treated the disciples as before), Christ elevates her thoughts and through this teaches her a more reverent attitude. Him to appeal."
Apparition to the Myrrh-Bearing Women
« He is not here - He is risen", - these are the words that the Angel said to the Myrrhbearers when they came " look at the coffin in the morning, after the sabbath».
« When they went to tell His disciples, and behold Jesus met them and said: Rejoice! And they, coming forward, took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them: Do not be afraid; go tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me» (Matthew 28:9-10).
This is how the theologian and exegete Euphemia Zygaben comments: “He used the wives as apostles for the apostles, thus honoring the clan dishonored by the seduction of the serpent. And since a wife was once a messenger of sorrow for her husband, now wives become messengers of joy for their husbands. He called the apostles brothers, either because of His incarnation, and all people are brothers to each other, or out of respect for them.
Appearance to Luke and Cleopa on the road to Emmaus
On the same day two of them went to a village called Emmaus about sixty stades from Jerusalem; and talked among themselves about all these events.
And while they were talking and reasoning among themselves, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not recognize Him. And he said to them, What are you discussing among yourselves as you walk, and why are you sad? One of them, by the name of Cleopas, said to Him in answer: Are you one of those who came to Jerusalem not aware of what has happened in it these days? And he said to them: about what?
They said to him: what happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; how the chief priests and our rulers betrayed him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we hoped that it was He who should redeem Israel; but with all that, it is already the third day since this happened. But even some of our women amazed us: they were early at the tomb and did not find His body and, having come, they said that they also saw the appearance of angels, who say that He is alive.
And some of our people went to the sepulcher and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Him. Then He said to them: O foolish and slow of heart to believe everything that the prophets foretold! Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer and enter into His glory? And beginning with Moses, out of all the prophets, He explained to them what was said about Him in all the Scriptures.
And they drew near to the village into which they were going; and He showed them the appearance of wanting to go on. But they held him back, saying, stay with us, for the day has already turned towards evening. And He entered and stayed with them. And as he was reclining with them, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. But He became invisible to them.(Luke 24:13-31).
Why didn't the disciples recognize the Lord? Blessed Augustine writes about this: Where, brethren, was the Lord pleased to be known? In the breaking of bread. Thank us! we also break bread, and we will know the Lord. There, and not elsewhere, He wanted to be known - for us; for he knew that we would not see Him in the flesh, but would eat His flesh. So, every faithful one who is not called a Christian in vain, who does not go to church in an empty way, who heeds the word of God with fear and hope, may the breaking of bread comfort him. The absence of the Lord is not an absence: have faith, and the One whom you do not see is with you. - When they lost their faith, they also lost hope. The dead walked with the living, the dead walked with life itself. Life went on with them, but life was not renewed in their hearts. Do you want to have life? Do as they did, that you may know the Lord. The disciples accepted Him for a treat.
Appearance to the Disciples (Without the Apostle Thomas)
« On the same first day of the week in the evening, when the doors of the house where His disciples gathered were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them: Peace be with you! Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them a second time: Peace be with you! as the Father sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he blew, and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. To whom you forgive sins, they will be forgiven; on whom you leave, on that they will remain» (John 20:19-23).
John Chrysostom speaks about what the disciples received for themselves in this meeting: he who says that even then the disciples received some spiritual power and grace will not sin, only not to raise the dead and perform miracles, but to forgive sins, since they are different gifts of the Spirit. That is why Christ added: to whom you let go, they will be let go, showing what kind of grace-filled power is bestowed upon them.
Appearance to the Apostle Thomas ("Assurance of Thomas")
After eight days His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came when the doors were locked, stood in the midst of them and said: Peace be with you! Then he says to Thomas: put your finger here and see my hands; give me your hand and put it in my side; and do not be an unbeliever, but a believer. Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God! Jesus says to him: you believed because you saw me; blessed are those who have not seen and believed(John 20:26-29).
An interesting commentary on this gospel of Euthymius Zigaben. Since Thomas did not say anything, Jesus Christ warns him and gives him what he wanted, showing by this that even when Thomas made these demands, He was present and heard like God. Therefore, Jesus Christ uses even those very words. “And do not be unfaithful, but faithful” - He says this in reproach to Thomas for the fact that he objected to the disciples before, not because he wanted to be more precise, but because he did not believe in the Resurrection.
Apparition at Lake Tiberias
After that, Jesus again appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And so he appeared: Simon Peter was together, and Thomas, called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples. Simon Peter says to them: I'm going to fish. They say to him: we are going with you. We went and immediately got into the boat, and caught nothing that night. And when the morning had already come, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus says to them: Children! do you have any food? They answered him: no. He said to them, Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you will catch it. They threw, and could no longer pull out [the nets] from the multitude of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: This is the Lord. Simon Peter, hearing that it was the Lord, girded himself with his robe, for he was naked, and threw himself into the sea. And the other disciples sailed in a boat - for they were not far from the land, about two hundred cubits - dragging a net with fish. When they came out on the ground, they saw a broken fire and fish and bread lying on it. Jesus tells them: bring the fish you have now caught. Simon Peter went and dragged out to the ground a net filled with large fish, of which there were one hundred and fifty-three; and with such a multitude, the network did not break. Jesus tells them: Come, have dinner. None of the disciples dared to ask him: who are you?, knowing that this is the Lord(John 21:1-12).
The interpretation of Lopukhin A.P. will be interesting in this passage from the Gospel. “Reverent fear did not allow the disciples themselves to start a conversation with Christ when He invited them to dinner. At the same time, the Lord did not say anything to the disciples about the purpose of His appearance, but they should have understood the meaning of everything that had happened without any special explanation. The miraculous catch of fish foretold to them the success that they would have in the work of attracting human souls to Christ, if only they would follow the instructions of Christ in everything. The dinner to which Christ invited them meant, firstly, the restoration of close friendly relations between them and Christ, and secondly, served as a guarantee that while they were busy with the work of preaching, the Lord would take care of their satisfaction. earthly needs.
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 tells the story 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 concluded His Covenant.
What is a Testament?
The covenant (or contract) consisted of God's gracious promise to grant salvation to people who believed in Him, to send them a Savior. The first people (Adam and Eve), through their disobedience, having trusted the devil, lost their bliss; and after them all their offspring, infected with demonic arrogance and weakened by sin, became the slave of passions and death. No one could hope to achieve the lost bliss and earn forgiveness by their own strength. 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 Savior appeared. 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 was fulfilled. Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, descended to earth in order to atone for the sins of the world through suffering and death, to reconcile people with God, and to grant those who believe in Him eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. The New Testament Church, founded by Jesus Christ and spread by the apostles with the help of the Holy Spirit, consists of all those who believe in the come Savior and receive Holy Baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as Christ commanded.
An inseparable, living bond unites the Old Testament Church with the New Testament. The Lord Himself is the legislator of His people; He established through Moses the pattern of service and government of the Old Testament Church. But both in the law and in the rites, a prototype of the future Church is visible, just as in the events of the Old Testament, the future salvation is foreshadowed through the promised Redeemer, or Messiah. The Old Testament prophets, inspired from above, constantly point to the future appearance of the Savior, to the new law that will fit into the 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 how the word of God, first preached 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 activity of the holy evangelists, the pure way of life 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. As in the life of an individual, so in the life of a whole 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 standards of moral perfection, which is given in Christian teaching. For us Christians, the true enlightenment of a country is determined by the degree to which its laws and customs are adequate 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 the description of the life of peoples, which consists mainly of listing battles and conquests. It clearly shows the power and goodness of God. We see the labors and sufferings of the faithful servants of the Lord; we see that the Church was at first small in number, 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 cloud the purity of her teaching, but all 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 for her glory and exaltation. Isaiah's prophecy is being fulfilled exactly: "Every tool made to your detriment, it will be powerless, and every language that will sue with you, you will reprove” (Isaiah 54:17). Until now, the Catholic, or Ecumenical, Orthodox, Apostolic Church preserves everything that the Lord commanded His disciples and that later the Holy Spirit instilled in them. The faith of Christ, which has penetrated into the most distant countries, now resembles a mighty tree that has grown from a small seed. The Church has overshadowed the whole world with its branches, giving believers strength, joy, consolation, spiritual life with all its blessings.
* * *Before proceeding to the presentation of 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 a revelation about the one God, all the peoples of the world then worshiped numerous gods and idols (their images), that is, they were pagans. In this story, there is no need to go into detail about that. 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 neighbors, established historical traditions, etc.
At different times, peoples reached their heyday, then decline. In that historical period from which we begin our narrative, the Romans were the most powerful people. 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 utter unbelief, coupled with gross superstition, reigned in the splendid capital of the world, Rome. In the worship of the Romans there was nothing that could elevate the soul and inspire a person with the rules of morality and goodness; debauchery and cruelty, together with effeminacy and incredible luxury, reached their extreme limits in Rome. "Bread and circuses" - this is the main motto and creed 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 prescribed rites 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 stifled 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 in the East, they aroused in the minds of the desire to comprehend the one Deity. Greece, once a strong country, at that time had already lost its civil independence and became part of the Roman Empire. But she stood above Rome in education; sciences and arts flourished in it, people from other countries came to study in Greece. The learned Greeks could not believe the former gods, they tried to understand the purpose and purpose of man. Their interpretations and conclusions were very varied; 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 rather lofty, glorified virtue and communicated (albeit vaguely) 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 languished in doubt and uncertainty.
The only weak rays of truth penetrated into 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, the concepts borrowed from the Jews merged with various interpretations by which the Eastern sages tried to explain the creation of the world and the phenomena of nature.
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 people to worship their gods, they even built the Pantheon (Temple of all the gods) in Rome, where they placed images of the deities of all the provinces subject to them. 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.
The rest of the peoples mixed even more absurd fables and cruder superstitions with the worship of Roman or Greek. About the countries of the north, including those that now make up Russia, there is almost no reliable information; 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, therefore it was constantly attacked by more powerful states and peoples. Because of their inconstancy and disagreements between the tribes (tribes), the Jews found themselves under the dominion of either the Babylonians, or the Egyptians, or the Greeks, or the Syrians. Before the advent of Christ, the Jews, who retained the appearance of political independence, were under the rule of the Romans. Many of them were not at all burdened by their dominion, 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 that, Israel also left the historical arena. The Jews were afraid of repeating his tragedy with them, therefore they believed that only by maintaining their law and devotion to the Existing would they be able to resist the process of assimilation with neighboring peoples.
Due to specific historical conditions, the cult of the monotheism of the Jews 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 with contempt the religion of neighboring peoples. To hasten the coming of the Messiah, they tried to keep exactly the provisions of the Law of Moses. But his spirit was still 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 Redeemer. 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 turned out to be powerless to give a person what he most needs - to give his soul peace and joy. Despite the fact that the pagan world has reached a high degree of mental development and earthly greatness, spiritually it has found itself in a dead end: idolatry, gross superstition, a state of languishing doubt, the most difficult for the human soul, debauchery and terrible cruelty of morals. The way of life of the Jews convinced that it was not enough to receive a heavenly revelation if you hardened against it with your heart. The lifestyle of the prophets and their inspired speeches inspired the idea that heavenly truth shines with rays of grace only in those hearts that accept it with humility, with gratitude and love. In addition, for the acceptance of the truth, the cooperation of the 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 should and soon appear in Judea who would subdue all the peoples of the world.
And that time has come. Near Bethlehem, a small city in Judea, suddenly the song of the Angels is heard, proclaiming to people peace and the joy of deliverance: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards 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; is placed in a manger; and the great event is proclaimed by heavenly angels to the humble shepherds, who are the first to worship Christ. In the miraculous narration of the Gospel about the Nativity of the Savior, the whole course of New Testament history is, as it were, foreshadowed. The 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. The power of heaven will constantly 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, relying on their own strength and trusting in their own righteousness, but to those who, with a humble heart, have realized their spiritual weakness. By that 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 of was fulfilled: the Son of God descended from heaven to enlighten with His teaching and to redeem fallen man with His Blood. He assumed human flesh, lived with people, taught them, healed ailments, forgave sins, offered them comfort and consolation: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(Matthew 11:28); revealed 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 the Lord in the humble Jesus and handed Him over 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 foretold, is an ulcer for our sins, we are tormented for our iniquities, he is numbered among the villains, he atones for the sin of Adam on the cross, reconciles people with God. He dies the death of an ordinary earthly person, but on the third day he rises, having conquered death and thereby giving 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 the disciples His constant presence among the believers and sending them grace and help from above. To the apostles who followed Him and heard His teaching, He commands to spread this teaching throughout the 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 inspire believers, excite their activity, inspire them with vigor and patience. The Lord knows that His disciples are weak and weak people and that the work that 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 all that He has 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 dungeons, and will lead you before kings and rulers for My name's sake... So make it your heart not to think in advance 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 the Holy Spirit would be their constant mentor, whom, through the prayer of the Son, the Heavenly Father will send them. Go around the world - says the Lord to the disciples, and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Those who believe will be accompanied by these signs: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will pick up snakes; and if they drink something deadly, it will not harm them; lay hands on the sick and they will recover(Mark 16:15-18). Go, 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; and lo, I am with you all the days to the end of the age(Matthew 28:19-20).
The Lord gathered His disciples for the last time to the Mount of Olives (or the Mount of Olives) and repeated to them the command to proclaim the Gospel and preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name. He told them: I will send the promise of my Father upon you: but remain in... Jerusalem until you are clothed 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 restore the kingdom to Israel at this time? The Lord answered them: It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has presented to Himself; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon 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. For a long time the astonished disciples followed Him 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 same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.(Acts 1:11). Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great joy. The reason for their joy was, of course, the gracious promise of the Lord to be always with them and send them the all-powerful Comforter.
The first news about 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 divinely inspired Scriptures that do not allow even a shadow of doubt in 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 the history of the Church: in it the beginning is the most important thing, for it must remain true to this beginning, laid down 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 also 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 basis of the apostles and prophets, having Jesus Christ Himself as the 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. We know from the epistles themselves that in addition to written instructions, the apostles also gave oral instructions. Therefore, it is necessary to know how the Church acted in the first days of its existence, under the apostles and their immediate successors; how she understood and explained the holy doctrine.
We know this through Holy Tradition. Tradition is the news of the structure of the Church, the rites of worship, the customs, teachings and administration adopted by the Church in the first centuries of its existence. It was preserved in the descriptions of the holy men who lived in the first centuries of Christianity, in the manner of the Church; was formed from the institutions of the apostles and their oral teaching, which was holy guided by the Apostolic Church.
Notes:
Devil- slanderer, seducer (Greek). Under this name is meant 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 unchanging and final, without the possibility of repentance and forgiveness.
Bes- an analogue of the Greek word "demon" - one of the ancient spirits, angels, at the beginning of time involved in the rebellion against God by the supreme archangel Sataniel (Satan, the devil), and cast down from Heaven for this. From now on, the lot of the fallen angels becomes resistance to the Divine forces and intrigues against people, with the intention of getting 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" often coexists 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 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 the New Testament history, the Annunciation is 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, which is celebrated annually on March 25 (April 7 according to the civil calendar) and is one of the twelve feasts. The day of the Annunciation symbolically coincides with the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature. According to folk tradition, on this holiday it is customary to release birds into the wild, which is also understood as the personification of life, spiritual uplift, and liberation.
The disappointment of the Greeks in their gods is also mentioned by St. the Apostle Paul, who saw on one of the squares of Athens an altar with the inscription “To the Unknown God” (see: Det. 17, 23).
This happened in the Ptolemaic era, when the king of Egypt, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC) sent the head of his guard, Aristaeus of Alexandria, to Jerusalem to the high priest Eleazar, asking for the text of the Pentateuch. The Jewish high priest, along with the text, sent to Ptolemy II and 72 wise scribes, each of whom worked on the translation separately. Having finished their work, the interpreters compared the texts with each other, and it turned out that they were completely identical. Among these 72 interpreters was St. Simeon the God-bearer, who lived until the birth of Jesus Christ. It was the translation of 70 - Segpuaginta (as the work of 72 interpreters is called for brevity) that formed the basis of the Church Slavonic translation of the Old Testament.
It was precisely this that later served as the main reason for the persecution of Christians who refused to recognize a God other than Christ.
An essential 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 in the reign of Rehoboam, the son and successor of King Solomon. The subject of King Solomon, Jeroboam, managed to revolt ten of the twelve tribes against the legitimate government. Solomon wanted to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt and was there until the death of the legitimate king, and then returned to Shechem. Appearing with the assembly of the Israelites to the new king as a people's representative, Jeroboam demanded that he ease the taxes. When Rehoboam refused to do so, 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 reign over Israel again, Jeroboam introduced idolatry and pagan rites 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, having existed for 254 years, fell in 721 BC. with the capture of Samaria by Shalmaneser. The Kingdom of Judah existed a little longer - about 392 years - and had 20 kings. It fell about 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 people of Judaism perceived the resettlement to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar as a punishment from God.
Starting before Alexander the Great and increasing in the Hellenistic era, Jewish migration from Palestine resulted in bustling but isolated Jewish quarters springing up in almost every city of the empire, whose inhabitants 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, arising as a result of a person's refusal from true being in God, the rejection of the Divine peace and grace. The source of suffering is the very unnatural distorted earthly order of things and relationships, as well as the sinful actions of people. In the matter of correcting and saving the soul, suffering has a providential meaning, since it distracts a person from worldly affairs and pleasures, convinces him of the frailty of his existence and turns to God. The Bible says: man is born to suffer, like sparks to rush upward(Job 5:7). In addition, a probing and purifying meaning is recognized behind suffering. Facing adversity and enduring suffering are not signs of rejection by God, but of the special concern of the Heavenly Father for the good of people: The Lord whom He loves punishes; 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. Enduring suffering patiently, with gratitude, is the conscious choice of a Christian who follows the path of the Cross, in the footsteps of His Lord. The problem of suffering is transferred from the plane of ethics (for what does the righteous Job suffer?) is transferred to the plane of asceticism and God's economy. Our short-term light suffering, - testifies app. Paul, - produces eternal glory in immeasurable excess(2 Corinthians 4:17).
Jesus Christ- Embodied Divine Logos, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Savior of the world, the God-man. The word "Christ" means "anointed one" and is the Greek translation of the Hebrew "mashiach" - the promised Messiah, King and Redeemer. In the era preceding the birth of Christ, the Jews expected to see in the Messiah a man - the messenger of Yahweh, the national leader and deliverer from the power of the Romans, the 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 incarnated in a 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 about glory and omnipotence; it consisted in the fact that, having passed through suffering and death, by Divine power to overcome these consequences of the fall and free a person from predestination to hellish captivity. Outwardly, this ministry 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 the closest disciples. The Jewish leaders and people with contempt rejected and crucified their Redeemer. And only the supernatural events of the Resurrection, the repeated appearances of the Savior to the disciples, the Ascension and Descent of the Holy Spirit made us otherwise accept the feat and Personality of the One Who, according to St. John the Evangelist, eyes have seen and hands have touched. - Words of life (1 John 1, 1). Since then, the Gospel - the good news of the Incarnation and the victory of Jesus Christ on the Cross - has become the core of earthly history, of all human destinies. The question of Jesus Christ - faith in the Godhead and the salvation of His mission, penetration into the plan of the Incarnation - is the central issue of human conscience. The end of time, according to Scripture, will come when all the peoples of the earth make their choice in the face of the Gospel faith in Jesus Christ.
Nativity. The main miracle of Christmas, as the Fathers of the Church explain, lies in the very Incarnation or Incarnation, when God not only temporarily assumed the appearance of a man, but truly became a man, retaining human nature after His departure from the world. Further, in Christmas, the mystery of the Mother of God is revealed - a miraculous 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 of the Most Holy Theotokos (her announcement of the future Nativity), the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ from the Holy Spirit, the sign of Christmas. The Christian Church celebrates the great event of the Nativity of Christ on December 25 (January 7). By this day, the 40-day Advent fast ends. A common Christian custom 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 its significance, the feast of the Nativity of Christ is revered as the second after Holy Pascha. Starting from the day of Christmas, until Epiphany Christmas Eve, Christmas time continues - the 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 importance for the Redemption (literally, "ransom", "liberation from guilt") of mankind, are the Judgment, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ. Not fulfilling the hope of the Jews for deliverance from the dominion of the Romans and the exaltation of the kingdom of Israel, Jesus of Nazarene in their eyes began to appear as a contemptible deceiver. The Pharisees, the priests and the leaders of the Jews, whom Christ repeatedly denounced of sin, even harbored personal hatred towards Him. They decided to get rid of the dangerous rebel, for which they used false charges and condemned the innocent 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 the Death of the Cross of the Savior. In general, it does not reject the prevailing 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 a just recompense and requires that the immeasurable sacrifice of Christ, instead of humanity, be brought to the propitiation of the Heavenly Father and the 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, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but eternal life(John 3:16). In accordance with this, the Most Holy Trinity must be represented by the Pre-eternal Council of Love, in which, according to it, a sacrifice is made for the fulfillment of the plan for humanity. What is this intention? The Fathers of the Church associate it with the intention of God not only to return a person to a heavenly state, but, by bringing him closer to Himself, to bring him to God-human dignity. Any other work would not require the Incarnation of the Son of God into an 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 to heal human nature sick with sin by His power, leading him through the temptations of earthly life, death, hellish captivity to the Resurrection and Ascension to the Divine heights. In the cosmic plan, 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 a fishing rod, on which, out of anger and pride, the devil 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, prey is not to the taste of the underworld: death has no power over Him Who Himself is Eternal Life. Hell is compelled, together with Christ, to spew out the souls of the righteous from its womb. The services of Good Friday are dedicated to a detailed recollection of the events of the Crucifixion and Death on the Cross of the Savior in the Church. This is the culmination of the days of Great Lent and Holy Week, the transition to the expectation of Great Saturday and the Easter Sunday night following it.
Ascension of the Lord- an event described in the book of Acts (1, 4-12), when the Resurrected Savior gathered the disciples on the Mount of Olives, gave them the last instructions and ascended from earth to Heaven. So that the apostles would not grieve about being separated from the Lord, they were promised that soon the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, would descend on them from Heaven, and Jesus Christ, having ascended to God the Father, would return to earth at the Second Coming. In honor of this event, it is customary for the Church to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. It takes place on the 40th day after Easter and has an 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. At present, it belongs to the number of the most important, twelfth holidays. With the Feast of the Ascension, the forty-day Easter celebration ends.
Day of the angel (name day) of Arseny according to the Orthodox church calendar
Gregory the Wonderworker of Neo-Caesarean Prayer St. Gregory the Wonderworker
History of the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire