New book "The Law of God. The law of God, or the foundations of Orthodoxy The sacred history of the Old Testament

God created us, people, in His image and likeness - He gave us reason, free will and an immortal soul, so that by knowing God and becoming like Him, we become better and kinder, improve, and inherit eternal blessed life with God .

Therefore, the existence of man on earth has a deep meaning, a great purpose and a lofty goal.

There is not and cannot be anything senseless in God's creation. And if a person lives without faith in God, not according to the commandments of God, not for the future eternal life, then the existence of such a person on earth becomes meaningless. For people living without God, life seems incomprehensible and random, and such people themselves are often worse than animals.

Each person, in order to fulfill his purpose on earth and receive eternal salvation, must firstly know the true God and believe in Him correctly, that is, have true faith, and secondly, live according to this faith, that is, love God and people and do good deeds.

The Apostle Paul says that without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6), and the Apostle James adds that "faith without good works means without love, and such faith is ineffective faith, dead faith.

So, for our salvation, the right faith and the life of this faith (good works) are necessary.

The true teaching on how to correctly believe in God and how people should live is contained in the Orthodox Christian faith, since it is based on Divine revelation.

Divine revelation is everything that God Himself revealed to people about Himself and about the correct true faith in Him.

God communicates His revelation to people in two ways: natural and supernatural.

On Natural Revelation

A natural revelation or phenomenon is such a revelation of God when God reveals Himself in the usual natural way, to every person, through the world we see (nature) and through our conscience, which is, as it were, the voice of God in us, telling us what is good and what is bad, and also through life - the history of all mankind. If a people loses faith in God, then disasters and misfortunes befall it, and if it does not repent, Then it perishes and disappears from the earth; remember: the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Jewish people scattered throughout the earth, etc.

The whole world around us is a great book of God's revelation, testifying to the omnipotence and wisdom of God the Creator.

People who study this world, scientists - all, with very rare exceptions, are believers. "Because in order to investigate (study) something you need to be sure, to believe that everything that is being investigated is done meaningfully, according to a certain plan." “Even the simplest machine, by chance, by itself, cannot arise in any way, even if we meet a correctly located group of stones, we will already conclude from their correct arrangement that some person laid them this way. A random group will always be shapeless, irregular. Another Cicero (an ancient scientist and writer who lived before R.Chr.) said that no matter how many millions of times you throw dice with letters, lines of verses will never come out of them.And the universe that surrounds us is much more complex than the most complex machine and is full of much more meaningful than the most deeply meaningful poem" (from the conversations of arch. Nathanael).

The Apostle Paul was the most educated man of his time, and he says "every house is built by someone, but it is God who has arranged everything" (Heb. 4, 3)

The great scientist Newton, who discovered the laws of motion of celestial bodies, as if exposing the greatest secret of the universe, was a believer and was engaged in theology. Whenever he pronounced the name of God, every time he reverently got up and took off his hat.

The great Pascal, the genius of mathematics, one of the creators of the new physics, was not only a believer, but also one of the greatest religious thinkers in Europe. Pascal said: "All the contradictions that most seem to want to remove me from the position of religion most of all and led to it."

The great founder of all modern bacteriology (the science that studies the life of bacteria and their influence on the human body), a thinker who penetrated deeper than others into the secret of organic life - Pasteur says: "The more I study nature, the more I stop in reverent amazement before the deeds of the Creator" .

The famous scientist Linnaeus ends his book on plants with these words: "Truly there is a God, great, eternal, without Whom nothing can exist."

The astronomer (studying the movement of celestial bodies-stars) Kepler exclaims: "Oh, our Lord is great and His power is great, and His wisdom has no limits. And you, my soul, sing the glory of Your Lord throughout your life."

Even Darwin, whose teaching was later used by semi-scientists to refute faith in God, was a very religious person all his life and for many years was the church head in his parish. He never thought that his teaching could be contrary to faith in God. After Darwin expounded his doctrine of the evolution and development of the living world, he was asked - where is the beginning of the chain of development of the animal world, where is its first link? Darwin replied: "it is chained to the Throne of the Most High."

The great geologist (studying the earth) Lyell, writes: "with every study we discover the clearest evidence of the foresight, power and wisdom of the creative mind of God."

The learned historian Müller states: "It was only with the knowledge of the Lord and a thorough study of the New Testament that I began to understand the meaning of history."

One could cite an unlimited number of testimonies of scientists about faith in God, but we think that this is enough for now, but we will point to one more eloquent evidence. Scientist Dennert asked 432 natural scientists (students of nature) about faith in God through letters (questionnaires). 56 of them did not send answers, 349 scientists turned out to be believers in God, and only 18 stated that they were either unbelievers or indifferent to faith. The results of this survey of scientists are consistent with the results of other similar studies.

"Only half-knowledge leads people to godlessness. No one denies the existence of God, except for those who benefit from it," says the English scientist Bacon.

A young girl, the Holy Great Martyr Barbara, seeing the greatness and beauty of God's world, came to the knowledge of the true God.

This is how God reveals Himself through the visible world to every person who has reason and good will.

Faith in God is the main property of the human soul. The soul is given to man by God: it is, as it were, a spark and reflection in man of the Divine itself. Originating from God, having in Him a kindred being, the soul by itself, of its own accord, turns to God, seeks Him. "My soul longs for the mighty, living God" (Psalm 41:2-3). Just as the eyes turn to the light and are designed to see the light, so the human soul aspires to God, needs to communicate with Him, and only in God finds peace and joy (happiness). A flower reaches out to the sun because it receives light and warmth from the sun, without which it cannot live and grow. Similarly, the constant, insurmountable attraction of man to God comes from the fact that only in God can our soul find everything it needs for a correct and healthy life.

Therefore, all peoples at all times believed in God and offered up prayers to Him, although they often erred, incorrectly believed in God, but never lost faith in the Divine, that is, they always had a religion. (Religion is the spiritual union of man with the Divine).

The universality of faith in God has been known since the time of Aristotle, the greatest Greek scientist (philosopher and naturalist, born in 384 BC). And now, when scientists know all the peoples without exception that inhabited and inhabit our land, it has been confirmed that all peoples have their own religious beliefs, prayers, temples and sacrifices. "Ethnography (a science that studies life - the life of all peoples inhabiting the earth) does not know non-religious peoples," says the German geographer and traveler Ratzel.

If there are individual convinced atheists, then they are rare exceptions, painful deviations from the norm. And just as the existence of the blind, the deaf, the dumb does not speak against the fact that humanity has the gift of sight, hearing and speech; just as the existence of idiots does not deny that man is a rational being, so the existence of atheists does not refute the fact (obvious truth) of the universality of religion.

However, one natural revelation is not enough, since sin darkens the mind, will and conscience in a person. The proof of this is all kinds of pagan religions, in which the truth is mixed with false human fabrications.

That is why the Lord supplements the natural revelation with the supernatural.

(Compiled according to the book "Religion and Science" by Frank,
"Is there a God?" arch. G. Shorets and others).

About the supernatural Divine Revelation.
On Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture

God communicates His main revelation to people in a special, unusual way, or, as we say, in a supernatural way - this is when God reveals about Himself directly Himself or through angels. Such a revelation is called supernatural divine revelation.

Since not all people can themselves receive a revelation from God Himself, due to their sinful impurity and weakness of spirit and body, the Lord chooses special, righteous people who can receive this revelation.

The first heralds of the revelation of God were: Adam, Mine, Moses and other prophets and righteous people. All of them received from God and preached the first principles of the revelation of God.

In fullness and perfection, God's revelation was brought to earth by the incarnated Son of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, and spread it throughout the earth through His apostles and disciples.

This Divine revelation is now spreading among people and preserved in the true, holy Orthodox Church in two ways: through Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.

The original method of spreading the revelation of God is Sacred Tradition. From the beginning of the world to Moses, there were no sacred books, and the teaching about the faith of God was transmitted orally, by tradition, that is, by word and example, from one to another and from ancestors to descendants.

Jesus Christ Himself conveyed His divine teaching and ordinances to His disciples by His word (sermon) and the example of His life, and not by a book (writing).

In the same way, in the beginning, the apostles also spread the faith and established the Church of Christ.

Sacred Tradition has always preceded Sacred Scripture. This is quite understandable, because not all people can use books, and the tradition is available to everyone without exception.

In the future, in order for the Divine revelation to be preserved quite accurately, at the inspiration of the Lord, some holy people wrote down the most important things in books. God the Holy Spirit Himself invisibly helped them so that everything written in these books would be correct and true. All these books, written by the Spirit of God, through people consecrated for this from God (prophets, apostles, and others) are called Holy Scripture, or the Bible.

The word "Bible" is Greek and means "books". This title indicates that the Holy Books, as having come from God Himself, are superior to all other books.

The books of Holy Scripture were written by different people and at different times, but they are all divided into two parts: the books of the Old Testament and the books of the New Testament.

The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Christ. The books of the New Testament were written after the birth of Christ. All these sacred books are called the biblical word "covenant", because this word means testament, since they contain the Divine teaching, bequeathed by God to people. The word "Covenant" also means union or agreement (union, agreement between God and people).

The main content of the Old Testament is that God promised people the Savior of the world and prepared them to receive Him through gradual revelations, through holy commandments, prophecies, types, prayers and priesthood.

The main content of the New Testament is that God really gave people the promised Savior, His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave the New Testament (new union or contract) to people.

I. The law-giving books, which form the main foundation of the Old Testament, are as follows:

1. Book of Genesis.

2. Exodus.

3. Levite.

4. Book of Numbers.

5. Deuteronomy.

These five books were written through the prophet Moses. They speak of the creation of the world and of man, of the fall into sin, of God's promise of the Savior of the world, of the life of people in primitive times. They contain primarily an exposition of the law given by God through Moses. Jesus Christ Himself calls them the Law of Moses (Luke 24:14).

II. Historical books, which contain mainly the history of the religion and life of the Jewish people, who retained faith in the true God, are as follows:

6. Book of Joshua.

7. The book of Judges, and with it, as if its addition, the book of Ruth.

8. The first and second book of Kings are like two parts of one book.

9. The third and fourth books of Kings.

10. The first and second books of Chronicles (additions).

11. The first and second books of Ezra and the book of Nehemiah.

12. Book of Esther.

III. Books of teaching, which contain mainly the doctrine of faith, are the following:

13. Book of Job.

14. The Psalter contains 150 psalms or sacred songs written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Most of the psalms were written by King David. The Psalter is used in almost every Orthodox Divine Liturgy.

15. Parables of Solomon.

16. Ecclesiastes (i.e. church preacher).

17. Song of Songs (i.e., the most excellent song).

VI. Prophetic books, which contain prophecies or predictions about the future, and mainly about the Savior, Jesus Christ, are as follows:

18. The book of the prophet Isaiah.

19. Jeremiah.

20. Ezekiel.

21. Daniel.

22. The books of the twelve prophets, called the little ones: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Zechariah and Malachi.

All the listed sacred books of the Old Testament are called canonical, that is, undoubtedly true both in origin and in content. The word "canonical" is Greek and means "exemplary, true, correct".

In addition to the canonical books, the Old Testament books also include "non-canonical" ones. These are the books that the Jews have lost and are not found in the modern Hebrew text of the Old Testament. They are taken from the Greek translation of the Old Testament books, made by 70 interpreters (learned people), three centuries before the birth of Christ (in 271 BC), and have been placed in the Bible since antiquity. This translation enjoys special respect in the Orthodox Church. Our Slavic translation of the Bible was made from it.

The non-canonical books of the Old Testament include:

1. Book of Tobit.

2. Book of Judith.

3. Book of Wisdom of Solomon.

4. The book of Jesus, the son of Sirach.

5. The letter of Jeremiah.

7. Three books of Maccabees.

8. The third book of Ezra.

There are twenty-seven sacred books of the New Testament, and they are all canonical. According to their content, just like the Old Testament ones, they can be divided into: law-positive, historical, teaching and prophetic.

I. Law-positive books, that is, predominantly constituting the foundation of the New Testament:

1. Gospel of Matthew.

2. The Gospel of Mark.

3. The Gospel of Luke.

4. Gospel of John.

"Gospel" is a Greek word, which means "gospel", that is, good or good news about the coming into the world of the Savior of the world promised by God, our Lord Jesus Christ, telling about His earthly life, death on the cross, resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven, as well as expounding His divine teachings and miracles. The gospels were written by the holy apostles, disciples of Jesus Christ.

II. Historical books:

5. The book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, written by the Evangelist Luke. It tells about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and about the spread of the Church of Christ through them.

III. Educational books:

6-12. Seven conciliar epistles (letters to all Christians): one apostle James, two apostles Peter, three apostles evangelists John and one apostle Jude (James).

13-26. Fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul: to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, to Titus, Bishop of Crete, to Philemon, and to the Jews.

IV. Prophetic books:

27. The Apocalypse, or revelation of John the Theologian, was written by the Apostle Evangelist John the Theologian. This book contains a mysterious depiction of the life and future fate of the Church of Christ and the whole world.

The sacred books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek, which was the most common language at that time. Only the Gospel of Matthew and the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews were first written in Hebrew. But the Gospel of Matthew was translated into Greek in the first century, as is supposed, by the apostle Matthew himself.

The books of Holy Scripture, both the New Testament and the Old Testament, being Divine revelation, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are called divinely inspired. The Apostle Paul says: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16).

The height and purity of the Christian teaching in these books, prophecies and miracles convince of the truth of the Divine origin of the Holy Books. A special sign of the inspiration of sacred books is the more powerful effect of the word of God on a person. Everywhere, wherever the preaching of the apostles was heard, it conquered the hearts of people to the teachings of Christ. The Jewish and pagan worlds armed themselves against Christians with all the force of human malice, Christians died as martyrs by the thousands, and the proclaimed word of God grew and was affirmed. There were examples that people took up the Bible, with a desire to refute the teaching contained in it, and ended up becoming its sincere admirers and believers. Each of us, carefully reading the Holy Scriptures, can experience His mighty power, and at the same time be convinced that it is a revelation of God Himself.

All Divine Revelation: the books of Holy Scripture (i.e. the Bible) and Sacred Tradition, i.e. what was not originally written down in these books, but transmitted orally, and only then was written down by holy people in the early centuries of Christianity (IV, and V centuries) and, therefore, has a deep antiquity and reliability - all this is preserved in the Holy Church. The Church was founded by the Savior Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ, and made her the guardian of His Divine Revelation. God the Holy Spirit invisibly guards her.

The Holy Orthodox Church, after the death of the apostles, is guided by Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. We read the words of the prophets and apostles there as if we lived with them and heard them ourselves.

In special cases, to denounce false teachers, or to resolve various misunderstandings, on the basis of the commandment of the Savior Himself (Mat. 18, 17) and following the example of the Holy Apostles (Apostolic Council in 51 - Acts 15, 1-35), Councils are gathering. They are ecumenical, at which shepherds and teachers of the Church gather, if possible, from the whole universe, and local, when shepherds and teachers of one particular area gather.

The Ecumenical Council is the highest authority on earth of St. Church of Christ, carried out by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as it was said for the first time in the decision of the Apostolic Council: "be pleased with the Holy Spirit and us" (Acts 15, 28).

There were seven ecumenical councils. At these councils, at the first and second of them, our Orthodox Creed was drawn up.

Brief information about the Ecumenical Councils

There were seven Ecumenical Councils in the true Orthodox Church of Christ: 1. Nicene, 2. Constantinople, 3. Ephesus, 4. Chalcedon, 5. Constantinople 2nd. 6. Constantinople 3rd and 7. Nicene 2nd.

First Ecumenical Council

The first Ecumenical Council was convened in 325, in the mountains. Nicaea, under Emperor Constantine the Great.

This Council was convened against the false teaching of the Alexandrian priest Arius, who rejected the Divinity and the pre-eternal birth of the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, from God the Father; and taught that the Son of God is only the highest creation.

The Council was attended by 318 bishops, among whom were: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, James Bishop of Nisibis, Spyridon of Trimyphuntus, St. Athanasius the Great, who at that time was still in the rank of deacon, and others.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Arius and approved the indisputable truth - dogma; The Son of God is the true God, born of God the Father before all ages and is just as eternal as God the Father; He is begotten, not created, and consubstantial with God the Father.

In order for all Orthodox Christians to know exactly the true teaching of the faith, it was clearly and briefly stated in the first seven members of the Creed.

At the same Council, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring, it was also determined for priests to be married, and many other rules were established.

Second Ecumenical Council

The Second Ecumenical Council was convened in 381, in the mountains. Constantinople, under Emperor Theodosius the Great.

This Council was convened against the false teachings of the former Arian Bishop of Constantinople Macedonia, who rejected the Divinity of the third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit; he taught that the Holy Spirit is not God, and called Him a creature or a created power, and at the same time serving God the Father and God the Son, as the Angels.

The Council was attended by 150 bishops, among whom were: Gregory the Theologian (he was the chairman of the Council), Gregory of Nyssa, Meletios of Antioch, Amphilochius of Iconium, Cyril of Jerusalem and others.

At the Council, the heresy of Macedonia was condemned and rejected. The Council approved the dogma of the equality and consubstantiality of God the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son.

The Council also supplemented the Nicene Creed with five articles, which set out the doctrine: on the Holy Spirit, on the Church, on the sacraments, on the resurrection of the dead, and on the life of the future age. Thus, the Nicetsaregrad Creed was drawn up, which serves as a guide for the Church for all time.

Third Ecumenical Council

The Third Ecumenical Council was convened in 431, in the mountains. Ephesus, under Emperor Theodosius II the Younger.

The Council was convened against the false teaching of the Archbishop of Constantinople Nestorius, who impiously taught that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to a simple man Christ, with whom, later, God united morally, dwelt in Him, as in a temple, just as He formerly dwelt in Moses and other prophets . Therefore, Nestorius called the Lord Jesus Christ Himself a God-bearer, and not a God-man, and called the Most Holy Virgin a Christ-bearer, and not the Mother of God.

The Council was attended by 200 bishops.

The Council condemned and rejected the heresy of Nestorius and decided to recognize the union in Jesus Christ, from the time of the incarnation, of two natures: Divine and human; and determined: to confess Jesus Christ as perfect God and perfect Man, and the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Theotokos.

The Council also approved the Nicetsaregrad Creed and strictly forbade making any changes or additions to it.

Fourth Ecumenical Council

The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in 451, in the mountains. Chalcedon, under the emperor Marcian.

The council was convened against the false teachings of the archimandrite of a monastery in Constantinople, Eutychius, who denied human nature in the Lord Jesus Christ. Refuting heresy and defending the Divine dignity of Jesus Christ, he himself went to extremes and taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ human nature was completely absorbed by the Divine, why in Him only one Divine nature should be recognized. This false doctrine is called Monophysitism, and its followers are called Monophysites (one-naturalists).

The Council was attended by 650 bishops.

The Council condemned and rejected the false teaching of Eutyches and determined the true teaching of the Church, namely, that our Lord Jesus Christ is true God and true man: in divinity He is eternally born of the Father, in humanity He was born of the Blessed Virgin and in everything is like us, except for sin. . At the Incarnation (birth from the Virgin Mary), Divinity and humanity were united in Him as a single Person, inseparable and unchanging (against Eutychius), inseparable and inseparable (against Nestorius).

Fifth Ecumenical Council

The Fifth Ecumenical Council was convened in 553, in the city of Constantinople, under the famous Emperor Justinian I.

The council was convened over disputes between the followers of Nestorius and Eutyches. The main subject of controversy was the writings of three teachers of the Syrian Church, who were famous in their time, namely Theodore of Mopsuet, Theodoret of Cyrus and Willow of Edessa, in which Nestorian errors were clearly expressed, and at the Fourth Ecumenical Council nothing was mentioned about these three writings.

The Nestorians, in a dispute with the Eutychians (Monophysites), referred to these writings, and the Eutychians found in this an excuse to reject the 4th Ecumenical Council itself and slander the Orthodox Ecumenical Church that she allegedly deviated into Nestorianism.

The Council was attended by 165 bishops.

The Council condemned all three writings and Theodore of Mopsuet himself, as not repentant, and regarding the other two, the condemnation was limited only to their Nestorian writings, while they themselves were pardoned, because they renounced their false opinions and died in peace with the Church.

The council again repeated the condemnation of the heresy of Nestorius and Eutyches.

Sixth Ecumenical Council

The Sixth Ecumenical Council was convened in 680, in the city of Constantinople, under Emperor Constantine Pogonates, and consisted of 170 bishops.

The Council was convened against the false teachings of heretics - Monothelites, who, although they recognized in Jesus Christ two natures, Divine and human, but one Divine will.

After the 5th Ecumenical Council, the unrest produced by the Monothelites continued and threatened the Greek Empire with great danger. Emperor Heraclius, desiring reconciliation, decided to persuade the Orthodox to yield to the Monothelites, and by the power of his power commanded to recognize in Jesus Christ one will in two natures.

The defenders and expounders of the true teaching of the Church were Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the monk of Constantinople Maximus the Confessor, whose tongue was cut out and his hand cut off for the firmness of faith.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council condemned and rejected the heresy of the Monothelites, and determined to recognize in Jesus Christ two natures - Divine and human - and according to these two natures - two wills, but in such a way that the human will in Christ is not opposed, but submissive to His Divine will.

It is noteworthy that at this Council the excommunication was pronounced among other heretics, and Pope Honorius, who recognized the doctrine of one-will as Orthodox. The decision of the Council was also signed by the Roman legates: presbyters Theodore and George, and deacon John. This clearly indicates that the supreme authority in the Church belongs to the Ecumenical Council, and not to the Pope.

After 11 years, the Council reopened meetings in the royal chambers called Trulli, to resolve issues primarily related to the church deanery. In this regard, he, as it were, supplemented the Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils, and therefore is called the Fifth-Sixth.

The Council approved the rules by which the Church should be governed, namely: 85 rules of the Holy Apostles, rules of 6 Ecumenical and 7 local Councils, and rules of 13 Church Fathers. These rules were subsequently supplemented by the rules of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and two more Local Councils, and made up the so-called "Nomocanon", and in Russian "The Pilot Book", which is the basis of the church administration of the Orthodox Church.

At this Council, some innovations of the Roman Church were condemned, which did not agree with the spirit of the decrees of the Universal Church, namely: forcing priests and deacons to celibacy, strict fasts on the Saturdays of Great Lent, and the image of Christ in the form of a lamb (lamb).

Seventh Ecumenical Council

The Seventh Ecumenical Council was convened in 787, in Mt. Nicaea, under Empress Irina (widow of Emperor Leo Khozar), and consisted of 367 fathers.

The Council was convened against the iconoclastic heresy that arose 60 years before the Council, under the Greek emperor Leo the Isaurian, who, wanting to convert Mohammedans to Christianity, considered it necessary to destroy the veneration of icons. This heresy continued under his son Constantine Copronymus and his grandson Leo Khozar.

The Council condemned and rejected the iconoclastic heresy and determined - to supply and believe in St. temples, along with the image of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, and holy icons, to honor and worship them, elevating the mind and heart to the Lord God, the Mother of God and the Saints depicted on them.

After the 7th Ecumenical Council, the persecution of holy icons was again raised by the subsequent three emperors: Leo the Armenian, Michael Balboi and Theophilus, and for about 25 years worried the Church.

Veneration of St. The icons were finally restored and approved at the Local Council of Constantinople in 842, under Empress Theodora.

At this Council, in gratitude to the Lord God, who granted the Church victory over the iconoclasts and all heretics, the feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy was established, which is supposed to be celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent and which is celebrated to this day in the entire Ecumenical Orthodox Church.

NOTE: The Roman Catholic Church, instead of seven, recognizes more than 20 universes. councils, incorrectly including in this number the councils that were in the Western Church after the division of the Churches, and the Lutherans, despite the example of the Apostles and the recognition of the entire Christian Church, do not recognize a single Ecumenical Council.

On the Fourth Commandment of the Law of God

4. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy: six days do and do all your work in them, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, to the Lord your God.

(Remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy (i.e., spend it holy): work and do six days, in continuation of them, all your works, and dedicate the seventh day - the day of rest (Saturday) to the Lord your God.)

hedgehog- to; hallow- to sanctify, to devote to the service of God, to the holy and pleasing to God deeds; do six days- work six days, work; and do in them- and do in continuation of them; all your work- all sorts of things.

By the fourth commandment, the Lord God commands to work for six days and go about their business, to which one is called; and devote the seventh day to the service of God, to holy and pleasing deeds.

The holy and pleasing deeds of God are: taking care of the salvation of one’s soul, praying in the temple of God and at home, studying the Law of God, enlightening the mind and heart with useful knowledge, reading the Holy Scriptures and other soul-beneficial books, pious conversations, helping the poor, visiting the sick and prisoners in prison, the consolation of the sad and other good deeds.

In the Old Testament, the seventh day of the week was celebrated - Saturday (which in Hebrew means "rest") - in remembrance of the creation of the world by the Lord God ("on the seventh day God rested from the works of creation") In the New Testament, from the time of St. apostles, the first day of the week began to be celebrated, Sunday - in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.

Under the name of the seventh day, one must mean not only Sunday, but also other holidays and fasts established by the Church, just as in the Old Testament, under the name of Sabbath, other holidays were also understood (the feast of Easter, Pentecost, Tabernacles, etc.).

The most important Christian holiday is "holidays Feast and Triumph of celebrations" - Holy Resurrection of Christ called Holy Easter, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, in the period from March 22 (April 4, N.S.), to April 25 (May 8, N.S.).

Then come the great, so-called twelfth holidays established in honor and glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother the Virgin Mary:

3. Annunciation, i.e., the angelic announcement to the Blessed Virgin Mary about the incarnation of the Son of God from Her - March 25 (April 7, N.S.).

8. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)- on the last Sunday before Easter.

9. Ascension of the Lord on the fortieth day after Easter.

10. The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (Pentecost), or the day of the Holy Trinity on the fiftieth day after Easter.

Of the other holidays, the most revered:

Posts established by the Church:

1. great post or Holy Forty Day before Easter.

Continues seven weeks: 6 weeks of fasting itself and the seventh Holy Week - in remembrance of the suffering of Christ the Savior.

2. Christmas post before the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

It starts on November 14 (November 27, N.S.), from the day of St. Apostle Philip, why it is called otherwise - "Philip's fast". (Lent 40 days).

3. Assumption post before the feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

Continues two weeks, from August 1 (Aug. 14 n.s.) to Aug. 14 (27 Aug. N.S.) incl.

4. Apostolic or Petrov post before the feast of St. Apostles Peter and Paul.

It starts one week after the Holy Trinity Day and lasts until June 29th (July 12th). Its duration depends on whether Easter is earlier or later. Its longest duration is six weeks, and its shortest is a week with one day.

One day posts:

1. In Christmas Eve- day before Christmas.

December 24 (January 6, N.S.). Particularly strict fast, among the days of Advent (the custom is not to eat before the appearance of the first star).

2. Christmas Eve- day before the baptism of the Lord.

3. Per day The beheading of the head of St. John the Baptist.

4. Per day Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

5. Wednesday and Friday every week.

Wednesday - in remembrance of the tradition of the Savior by Judas. Friday - in remembrance of the suffering on the cross and the death of the Savior for us.

Fasting on Wednesday and Friday does not happen only in the following weeks: on Easter week, on Christmas time (from the day of the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany), on Trinity week (from the feast of the Holy Trinity to the beginning of Peter's fast), on the week of the publican and the Pharisee (before the Great Lent) and on the Cheese or Butter week just before Lent, when only milk and eggs are allowed.

During fasting, one must especially resolutely give up all bad habits and passions: anger, hatred, enmity; it is necessary to move away from a distracted, cheerful life, from games, spectacles, dances; no need to read books that arouse impure thoughts and desires in the soul; you should not eat meat, milk, eggs, but you should limit yourself to lean food (i.e., vegetable food and, when permitted, fish), using this food in moderation. During a multi-day fast, one must confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries.

The fourth commandment is violated both by those who are lazy and do not work on weekdays, and those who work on holidays.

It is violated no less by those who, although they stop worldly occupations and work these days, spend them only in amusements, games and indulge in revelry and drunkenness, not thinking about serving God. It is especially sinful to indulge in entertainment under a holiday when we should be at the Vespers, and in the morning - at the Liturgy. For us, Orthodox Christians, the holiday begins in the evening, when the vigil is served, and giving this time to dancing or other entertainment means mocking the holiday.

This text is an introductory piece.

The Commandments of God's Law (see page 11) A Jewish lawyer asked Jesus Christ, "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment?" Jesus Christ told him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

About the first commandment of the Law of God 1. I am the Lord your God: may there be no other gods for you, except Mene. (I am the Lord your God; and you should not have other gods besides Me.) Az - I; let them not be to you - you should not have; bozi - gods; inii - others, others; Is Mene - except

About the second commandment of the Law of God 2. Do not make for yourself an idol and any likeness, a fir tree in heaven, a fir tree on the earth below, and a fir tree in the waters under the earth: do not bow down to them, nor serve them. (Do not make yourself an idol, nor any or images of what is in heaven, above, and what is on earth

About the third commandment of the Law of God 3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. (Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain.) Do not accept - do not use, do not say; in vain - in vain. The third commandment is forbidden to pronounce the name of God, in vain, without due

About the fourth commandment of the Law of God 4. Remember the Sabbath day, if you keep it holy: do six days and do all your work in them, on the seventh day, the Sabbath, to the Lord your God. (Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (i.e. spend it holy): six days work and do, in

About the fifth commandment of the Law of God 5. Honor your father and your mother, may it be good, and may you be long on earth. (Honor your father and your mother, so that you feel good and live long on earth.) read; yes - to; good - good; May you be long-lived

On the sixth commandment of the Law of God 6. Thou shalt not kill. (Do not kill.) By the sixth commandment, the Lord God forbids murder, that is, the taking of life from other people, and from oneself (suicide), in any way. Life is the greatest gift of God; therefore deprive oneself or another of life

On the seventh commandment of the Law of God 7. Do not commit adultery. (Do not commit adultery.) By the seventh commandment, the Lord God forbids adultery, that is, violation of marital fidelity and all illegal and impure love. God forbids a husband and wife to violate mutual fidelity and love.

About the eighth commandment of the Law of God 8. Do not steal. (Do not steal.) By the Eighth Commandment, the Lord God forbids theft, that is, the appropriation in any way of what belongs to others. The types of theft are very diverse: 1. Theft, i.e. theft of someone else's things.2. Robbery, i.e.

About the ninth commandment of the Law of God 9. Do not listen to a friend of your testimony is false. against your friend - against another, against your neighbor; the evidence is false

About the tenth commandment of the Law of God 10. Do not covet your sincere wife, do not covet your neighbor's house, nor his village, nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor all the spruce of your neighbor .(Do not wish for your neighbor's wife, do not wish at home

About the first commandment of the law of God, I am the Lord your God: let there be no gods for you, and only Me. I am the Lord your God; and you must not have other gods besides Me. By the first commandment, the Lord God points a person to Himself and inspires to honor Him - the One True God.

ON THE SECOND COMMANDMENT OF THE LAW OF GOD Thou shalt not make for thyself an idol or any likeness, a fir-tree in the heavens, and a fir-tree on the earth below, and a fir-tree in the waters under the earth: shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them. what's in heaven above, and what's on earth below,

ABOUT THE THIRD COMMANDMENT OF THE LAW OF GOD Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain. The third commandment is forbidden to pronounce the name of God in vain, without due reverence. The name of God is pronounced in vain when it is mentioned in

ABOUT THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT OF THE LAW OF GOD Do not commit adulteryDo not commit adulteryThe seventh commandment, the Lord God forbids adultery, that is, violation of marital fidelity and any illegal, impure fornication. God forbids a husband and wife to violate mutual fidelity and

ABOUT THE NINTH COMMANDMENT OF THE LAW OF GOD Do not listen to your friend's false testimony Do not admit to another false testimony

Faith makes man, created from the earth, God's interlocutor.
Saint John Chrysostom

The fourth part of the Creed speaks of the suffering on the cross and the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.

The feat of the Cross is the main goal of the earthly life of the Savior, and therefore the Cross is the main symbol of Christianity. The cross is the center of grief. And the cross is protection and a source of joy for a Christian, for, having suffered on the Cross, Christ dulled the sting of death and opened the door to the Kingdom of Heaven for us.

Christ repeatedly said that it was for this moment that He came into the world. Neither the preaching of Christ nor His miracles were sufficient for our union with God. It was not enough that God the Creator became a man. We have needed a God not only incarnate, but also slain.

God is Life. According to Christians and the experience of any developed religious philosophical thought, everything that exists, everything that lives, exists and lives by virtue of its participation in God, its relationship with Him. Therefore, when a person in the experience of sin breaks this connection, he condemns himself to death and corruption. In order for people to be saved from the curse of death that weighs on them, to gain immortality, it was necessary to restore the connection with the One Who alone is immortal, the connection that, like an invisible ladder, connects Heaven and earth.

People themselves could not build such a ladder from their merits, virtues, along which they, like the steps of the Tower of Babel, would rise to Heaven. And then, since the earth itself cannot ascend to Heaven, Heaven inclines towards the earth. God becomes man. The word becomes flesh. God comes to earth to destroy the power of death to which man has condemned himself.

At the same time, however paradoxical it may seem, according to the profound thought of Christian theology, evil and death do not exist. Evil and death are always just a lack of goodness, grace, death is emptiness, non-existence, hell is a place where there is no God.

The void can be eliminated only by filling it with something, death can be defeated only by filling it with life from within. Therefore, the Lord takes into Himself the experience of human death in order to crush it from within with His eternity.

Death on the Cross is the crown and culmination of the Savior's earthly life, its goal and aspiration. The light of the Cross illuminates many events in the life of the Lord, revealing the deep inner pattern of the gospel story.

As we know, the Lord performed the first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. He does it not immediately, yielding to the request of His Most Pure Mother. Neither the disciples nor His Mother knew that the first miracle of joy is closely and mysteriously intertwined with another miracle, with another hour - the hour of death, they did not know that, having turned water into wine, Jesus would someday turn wine into His saving Blood, shed for sins. peace..

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ spent the last hours before His arrest and execution, spent them in prayer to the Father. Evangelist Luke says that when Christ prayed, blood, like drops of sweat, flowed down His face. "My soul is grieving to death... if possible, let this cup pass from Me." In these words there is no hesitation, but the horror of death, which is deeply alien to the deified nature of the God-man.

Only Christ knew what true death is, He alone measured the whole measure of agony, because He, being the Source of Life, accepted death for all of us.

Christ freely chooses death, subordinating his human will to the divine: "Not as I want, but as You" - in order to overcome the last line that could separate man and God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ was captured by the guards. He thwarts the apostle Peter's attempt to defend Him with the words: “Put your sword back in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; Or do you think that I cannot now belittle My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of angels.

A speedy trial was followed by a swift massacre. What the Lord foresaw when creating man happened: his fall and His crucifixion. He knew that there would come a moment during the reign of the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate in Judea, when He would die for us on the cross, in order to teach true love, which, for the sake of the beloved, forgets about itself until death.

On the one hand, they relied on the creative experience of their predecessors, on the other hand, they sought to respond to the challenges of modern life, taking into account the profound changes that have taken place in our society over the past half century.

Human life should be built according to the laws established by God. To live by them, they must be studied and known. The new book "The Law of God" is designed to acquaint its reader with the Christian gospel of God and salvation, with the sacred history and spiritual experience of the Church.

In recent decades, several publications have been published in our country under the same title "Law of God". However, the need for a new book is long overdue. Unlike the well-known work of Father Seraphim Slobodsky, published more than half a century ago, and other publications published both in pre-revolutionary Russia and abroad, the book published by the publishing house of the Sretensky Monastery was written by modern authors-priests and is addressed to the current domestic reader.

The phrase "Law of God" is often associated in our minds, first of all, with lessons in Sunday schools or gymnasiums, but this book is not aimed at children alone. Its authors find a common language with both teenagers and mature readers. If in a presentation for children the Bible is usually presented as a set of plots, then in the new book, the authors, in addition to presenting biblical events, also acquaint their reader with the general meaning of the Holy history: both the Old Testament and the Gospel. Such an exposition can serve as a good guide to the future, more in-depth study of the Holy Scriptures. Of particular interest is the chapter "Religion in the Life of the Chosen People". Old Testament holidays, rituals and traditions, which many of us have only heard about, find their spiritual, symbolic and representative explanation in this chapter.

In the section devoted to the history of the Church (a similar section was absent in the well-known work of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky, and in other less well-known publications), there are biographies of saints who labored in various eras from the apostolic age to our time. This approach shows the spiritual continuity in the history of our Church.

A significant part of the book is devoted to the spiritual life of man. The doctrine of God, One in three Persons, of the Incarnation of God, and of the Church of Christ is expounded on the basis of the Creed and in accordance with the centuries-old Christian tradition. In the "Christian Faith" section, the authors offer a meaningful conversation about faith in God and the meaning of human life. A separate part of the new book is dedicated to the spiritual life of a modern Christian, which can be extremely useful in our time - a time of general loss of meaning and substitution of moral concepts.

We hope that the new book The Law of God, prepared by the publishing house of the Sretensky Monastery in the year of the twentieth anniversary of the revival of the monastic life of the monastery, will serve both the cause of spiritual enlightenment for all who wish to know about the Christian faith and the Church, and will help them learn how to build their lives in accordance with the Divine Law.

Book spread examples

INTRODUCTION Man and his faith

PART 1. Basic Concepts of God and Spiritual Life

• God is our Heavenly Father
• Without God, not to the threshold
• How do we know about God
• Properties of God
• Where and how to communicate with God. sign of the cross
• The temple is the house of God
• About the Mother of God
• Man is the image of God
• Family is a small church
• Orthodox - the right to glorify God

PART 2. Prayer is the breath of the soul

• Prayer rule
• Children's prayer
• The first prayers and their explanation
  • Lord's Prayer
  • Prayer to the Holy Spirit
  • Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos ("Virgin Mother of God")
  • Song of Praise to the Theotokos ("It is worthy to eat")
  • Arkhangelsk song
  • Prayer to the Guardian Angel
  • Prayer for the Living
  • Prayer for the dead
  • Prayer before study
  • Prayer after eating
  • Jesus Prayer

PART 3. Sacred and ecclesiastical history

• Divine Revelation
• Holy Bible
  • Inspiration of Holy Scripture
  • Who Wrote the Bible
  • Canon of Scripture
• Bible Manuscripts

Sacred History of the Old Testament

• world creation
  • First day of creation
  • Second day of creation
  • Third day of creation
  • Fourth day of creation
  • Fifth day of creation
  • The sixth day of creation
  • Seventh day
• Creation and Science
• Earthly Paradise and the Fall
• The First Promise of the Messiah
• Fallen progenitors are expelled from paradise
• Children of Adam
• global flood
• Renewal of the Covenant. divine blessing
• Babel
• The emergence of idolatry
• Calling Patriarch Abraham
• Patriarch Isaac
• Patriarch Jacob (Israel)
• Patriarch Joseph
• Righteous Job: The Mystery of the Suffering of the Righteous
• Prophet Moses
• Exodus from Egypt. First Easter
• God gave the people the law
• Tabernacle - camping temple
• Old Testament priesthood
• Forty years of wandering in the wilderness
• On the Moabite Plains
• census of the people
• Death of Prophet Moses
• Joshua led the people into the promised land
• The Lord Sends Judges
• Prophet Samuel
• King Saul - the first king of Israel
• David is elected king
• The persecuted anointed
• David is king over all Israel
• Pestilence - the last sorrow of the king
• 90th psalm
• "Behold, I am setting out on the path of all the earth"
• Psalms of King David
• Reign of Solomon
• Jerusalem temple
• Book of Ecclesiastes
• two kingdoms
• "And Judas did evil things in the sight of the Lord"
• New capital of Israel
• Ahab introduces the cult of Baal
• “And Elijah the prophet arose like fire…”
• The punishment for wickedness is drought
• Pious Widow
• Test of Faith
• Prophet of God Elisha
• Prophet Jonah
• End of the Kingdom of Israel
• Kingdom of Judah
• King Jehoshaphat
• King Hezekiah
• "Old Testament evangelist" - the prophet Isaiah
• King Manasseh: Wickedness and Repentance
• Pious King Josiah
• The last Jewish kings
• Prophet Jeremiah
• Babylonian captivity
• Prophet Ezekiel
• Prophet Daniel
• End of captivity
• Second Temple in Jerusalem
• Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem
• Malachi - the last prophet
• Religion in the life of the chosen people
• Between the Two Testaments: Waiting for the Messiah
• The Pagan World Waiting for the Savior

gospel story

• An angel announces the birth of John the Baptist
• Archangel Gabriel announces the birth of Christ
• The Mother of God hurries to Elizabeth
• An angel informs Joseph of the birth of Christ
• Birth of John the Baptist
• Nativity. Adoration of the shepherds
• Circumcision of Christ. Meeting of the Lord
• Adoration of the Magi and Flight into Egypt
• Child Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem
• Sermon of John the Baptist
• Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ
• Forty days of fasting and the temptations of the Lord
• The first disciples of Christ. Miracle at Cana
• Expulsion of merchants. Conversation with Nicodemus
• A Conversation with a Samaritan Woman
• The Capture of John the Baptist
• Sermon on the Mount
  • Gospel Beatitudes
  • The Old Law and the Law of Love
  • How to do charity, prayer and fasting
  • About wealth and earthly cares
  • Relationships with neighbors
  • On Hearing and Fulfilling the Words of Christ
• Miracles of Christ
  • Healing the possessed
  • Miracles and Faith
  • Mercy of God in miracles
  • Miracles and the Sabbath
• Assassination of John the Baptist
• The Epistle of the Twelve Apostles
• Teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven in parables
  • Parable of the Sower
  • The Parable of the Tares
  • Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven
  • Parables of the Treasure Hidden in the Field and the Pearl of Great Price
• Miracle of feeding on five loaves
• Christ Walks on the Waters for His Disciples
• Christ talks about the bread of life
• Apostle Peter Confesses Jesus Christ
• Transfiguration
• Healing a demon-possessed child
• The Lord leaves Galilee and goes to Judea
• Parable of the Good Samaritan
• Healing ten lepers
• Parable and Teachings on Prayer
  • Lord's Prayer
  • Persistence in Prayer
  • The Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee
• The publican Zacchaeus
• Parables and teachings about repentance
  • To save the dead
  • About the prodigal son
  • The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
• Conversation with a rich young man
• Lord bless the children
• The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
• Resurrection of Lazarus
• Bethany anointing
• Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
• The Lord Convicts the Jews
• Jews ask the Lord tempting questions
  • The question of tribute to Caesar
  • Question about the resurrection of the dead
  • On the Greatest Commandment in the Law of Moses
• Discourse of the Lord on the Mount of Olives
  • Signs of the End of the World and the Second Coming of Christ
  • wake calls. The Parable of the Ten Virgins
  • Parable of the Talents
  • The Parable of the Last Judgment
• Judas decides to betray the Lord
• Last Supper
• Prediction of Peter's denial
• Gethsemane prayer. Taking the Lord into custody
• Judgment on Jesus Christ
  • Anna's interrogation
  • Judgment at the High Priest Caiaphas
  • Peter's denial
  • Death of Judas
  • Judgment of Pilate and Herod
• crucifixion. Death and burial of the Lord
• Burial. Guard at the tomb
• Myrrh-bearing women at the tomb. Apparition of Angels
• Apparitions of the Risen Lord
  • Appearance of Mary Magdalene
  • Apparition to the myrrh-bearing women
  • Appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus
  • Appearance to the apostles on the same day in the evening
  • Appearance to the apostles on the eighth day with Thomas
  • The apparition on the Tiberian lake. Great catch. Restoring Peter to Apostolic Dignity
  • The apparition on a mountain in Galilee and the command to the apostles to go on a worldwide sermon
• Ascension of the Lord

Church History

• Birth of the Church of Christ
• Church of Christ in apostolic times
  • The Persecution of the Apostles by the Jewish Leaders
  • On the socialization of property and the election of seven deacons
  • Death of the First Martyr Stephen. The beginning of the persecution of the Jerusalem Church
  • Conversion of Saul
  • Baptism of Centurion Cornelius. Coming to the Church of the First Gentiles
  • The Missionary Journey of Paul and Barnabas
  • Apostolic Council
  • Apostolic writings of Paul
  • James, brother of God, and his martyrdom
  • Persecution of Nero. Martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul
• Spread of the Church of Christ
  • Spread of the Church of Christ in the Roman Empire
  • Enlightenment of Georgia. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina
  • Enlightenment of the Slavic peoples. Saints Cyril and Methodius
  • Baptism of Russia
  • Herman of Alaska and Orthodoxy in America
  • Birth of the Japanese Orthodox Church. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan
  • Ecumenical Orthodox Church today
• Martyrs and Confessors of Christ
  • Persecution of the Church in the Roman Empire
  • Church of the Martyrs
  • New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia
• Saints - stewards of the mysteries of God
  • Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia
  • Three saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom
  • Moscow Saints: Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Macarius, Philip, Job, Hermogenes, Philaret and Tikhon
• Monasticism. Reverends and ascetics
  • History of ancient monasticism
  • Monasticism in Russia
  • Saints and ascetics in Russia in the XX century
• Salvation in the world. Holy righteous
  • Righteous Juliana Lazarevskaya
  • Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye
  • Blessed Xenia of Petersburg
  • Righteous Warrior Feodor Ushakov
  • Blessed Matrona of Moscow

PART 4. Christian Faith

• Faith in God and the meaning of human life
• Symbol of faith
  • First member of the Creed
  • The Second Member of the Creed
  • The Third Article of the Creed
  • Fourth Article of the Creed
  • The Fifth Article of the Creed
  • The sixth article of the Creed
  • The Seventh Article of the Creed
  • The Eighth Article of the Creed
  • The ninth article of the Creed
  • Tenth Article of the Creed
  • Eleventh Article of the Creed
  • The twelfth article of the Creed
• Briefly about Church Councils
  • I Ecumenical Council
  • II Ecumenical Council
  • III Ecumenical Council
  • IV Ecumenical Council
  • V Ecumenical Council
  • VI Ecumenical Council
  • VII Ecumenical Council
• Infidelity and heterodoxy
• Thoughts of St. Theophan the Recluse
• Faith and science

PART 5. Spiritual life

• Sin and the fight against it
• Why is it harder to do good deeds?
• What is passion
• Fasting and their spiritual meaning
  • Multi-day posts
  • One day posts
• Commandments of God
  • First Commandment
  • Second Commandment
  • Third Commandment
  • Fourth Commandment
  • Fifth Commandment
  • sixth commandment
  • seventh commandment
  • eighth commandment
  • ninth commandment
  • tenth commandment
• Gospel Beatitudes
  • First Commandment
  • Second Commandment
  • Third Commandment
  • Fourth Commandment
  • Fifth Commandment
  • sixth commandment
  • seventh commandment
  • eighth commandment
  • ninth commandment

PART 6. About the temple and worship

• Why do we pray in the temple?
• Temple and its structure
• The interior of the temple
• bell ringing
• Degrees of the Priesthood
• Monasticism and monasteries
• Divine services of the daily circle
• All-night vigil
• Divine Liturgy
  • Origin of the liturgy
  • What are the liturgies
  • The sequence and symbolic meaning of the liturgy
  • Proskomedia
  • The meaning of the commemoration at the proskomedia
  • Liturgy of the catechumens
  • Liturgy of the Faithful
• Seven Sacraments of the Church
  • sacrament of baptism
  • Mystery of Chrismation
  • Confession, or the sacrament of repentance
    • How to prepare your child for the first confession
  • sacrament of communion
  • Sacrament of Unction (unction)
  • sacrament of wedding
  • sacrament of the priesthood
• prayer service
• Consecration of the dwelling
• The afterlife of the soul and the commemoration of the dead
  • How to pray for the dead
  • Days of Special Remembrance for the Dead

PART 7. Church holidays

• Holiday in the life of an Orthodox Christian
• Easter of Christ and the movable liturgical circle
  • great post
  • Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
  • Holy Week
  • Easter and Holy Week
  • Ascension of the Lord
  • Pentecost. Day of the Holy Trinity
• Holidays of the month (non-transitory)
  • Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Exaltation of the Holy Cross
  • Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Nativity
  • Epiphany
  • Meeting of the Lord
  • Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Transfiguration
  • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Saints' Days. Orders of Holiness
• Icon - an image of the invisible mountain world

PART 8. Spiritual world

• angelic world
• Spirituality true and dark
  • Orthodox prayer against the occult
• Orthodox miracles
  • Descent of the Holy Fire
  • Cloud on Mount Tabor
  • The Miracle of Epiphany Water
• Myrrh-streaming icons and holy relics
• Shroud of Turin

Sacred History of the Old Testament 1
The Old Testament refers to the ancient union of God with man. It consists in the fact that God promised the people a Savior and prepared them to receive Him.

Chapter 1
Creation of the world and man

The Creation of the World and Man In the beginning, God created heaven and earth out of nothing. B (Under the sky here we mean the invisible world, the spiritual world - the Angels, under the earth - the substance from which the whole visible world was later created.)

The earth at first was not arranged; water and darkness covered her, and the Spirit of God hovered over her. Then God gave the device to the earth in six days.

On the first day, at the command of God, light appeared. And God called the light day, and the darkness night. On the second day, God created the firmament, or the visible did not separate the water from the earth, and commanded the earth to produce plants. In the fourth - God created the heavenly bodies: the sun, the moon and the stars. In the fifth - fish and birds. In the sixth - animals and, finally, man.

Before creating him, God said: let us make man in our image and likeness. And He created the body of man from the earth and breathed into his face the breath of life, that is, a reasonable, free and immortal soul. With this soul, God distinguished man from the unreasoning animals and made him like Himself.

God called the first man Adam and settled in paradise (a beautiful garden), in which there was every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food; in the midst of it were two extraordinary trees: the tree of life 2
The fruits of the tree of life had the power to keep a person from sickness and death.

And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said to man: from every tree you will eat, but from a tree of good and evil do not eat: if you eat from it, you will die. After that, God brought a sound sleep to Adam, during sleep he took out a rib from him and created a wife like him - Eve (life).

On the seventh day, God rested from His works, that is, He did nothing, and commanded that this day be spent holy, in prayer and good deeds.

Having created the world, God does not leave it without His care. He keeps it and manages it, sends rain and dew to our fields. We call on God in our prayers, ask Him for help for good deeds, give thanks for His mercies and glorify for His perfection.

Angels were created by God before man and by their nature stand above us.

They live in heaven and serve God. Angels have the most beneficent attitude towards people; the Guardian Angel is especially close to us. Prayer to the Guardian Angel begins with the words: “Angel of Christ, my holy guardian ...”

Chapter 2
The fall of the first people, the promise of the Savior and the punishment for sin. Cain and Abel

THE FALL OF THE FIRST PEOPLE, THE PROMISE OF A SAVIOR AND THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN. Living in paradise, the first people were blissful. But this did not last long. One of the highest angels, with some others, rebelled against God, his Creator, and did not listen to Him, became an evil angel - the devil. God deprived the rebellious angels of bliss and removed them from Himself. Then the devil began to envy the first people and decided to destroy them.

Once Eve was near the forbidden tree. The devil entered the serpent, and the serpent said to Eve: Is it true that God forbade you to eat the fruits of all the trees of paradise? Eve answered: no, God ordered us to eat fruits from all the trees of paradise, and forbade us to eat only from the fruits of the tree, which is in the middle of paradise, so as not to die. The serpent said: no, you will not die, but God knows that if you eat them, you will be like gods yourself and will know good and evil. Eve liked the serpent's speech; she looked at the fruits, and the fruits seemed good. She took the fruit, ate it, and then persuaded her husband to do the same. Thus, both have sinned.

When they sinned, Adam and Eve immediately saw that they were naked. They were ashamed and scared. They made clothes out of the leaves and covered their nakedness. In the evening, when they heard that God was walking in Paradise, they hid among the trees. The Lord said to Adam: Adam, where are you? Adam answered: I am here, Lord, but I am naked and therefore I hid. The Lord asked: who told you that you were naked? Have you not eaten the fruit of the forbidden tree? Instead of repenting of their sin and asking God for forgiveness, the first people began to absolve themselves of guilt. Adam said that his wife seduced him, and Eve said that she was seduced by the serpent.

Then the Lord condemned the perpetrators of sin. He cursed the seducer - the devil, saying that between him and the people there would be a struggle in which people would remain victorious, namely: a descendant would come from the wife 3
The offspring is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Who will crush the power and might of the devil and restore lost bliss to people. Then the Lord determined punishment for people. He said to Adam that he would earn his bread by the sweat of his brow until he died, and to Eve that she would give birth to children in her illnesses. After that, people were expelled from paradise; sickness, various misfortunes and death befell them. From the first people, sin, with its consequences, passed on to all their offspring.

The Lord forbids us evil thoughts and desires, because evil sinful deeds come from them. We must protect ourselves from evil thoughts and be afraid of violating the will of God. Every bad deed entails bad consequences - we saw an example of this in the ancestors.

CAIN AND ABEL. After being expelled from paradise, children began to be born to Adam and Eve: Cain and Abel were the first to be born. Cain was of a stern disposition, had an evil heart; Abel was meek and pious. He pleased his parents, but not for long. One day the brothers made a sacrifice 4
The sacrifice is a gift.

God: Cain - from the fruits of the earth, Abel - from animals. God saw that Abel offered the sacrifice with faith and diligence, but Cain did not have them, and therefore he accepted Abel's sacrifice, but not Cain's. Then Cain, out of envy and vexation, killed his brother Abel and, tormented by his conscience, fled from his parents to another land. Instead of Abel, God gave them a third son - Seth. 5
After Seth, Adam and Eve had other children - sons and daughters.

Man's life is a gift from God; therefore man has no right either to deprive himself of it or to deprive others of it. The deprivation of one's life is called murder, it is a grave sin.

Chapter 3
global flood

From the sons of Adam, the human race soon multiplied. Good and pious people came from Seth 6
Remarkable among them are: Enoch, who for his holy life was taken into heaven alive; Methuselah, who lived on earth more than all - nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and Noah, whom the Lord saved from the Flood.

And from Cain - evil and wicked. The descendants of Seth at first lived apart from the descendants of Cain, kept faith in God and the future Savior; but afterwards they began to take their daughters as their wives, adopted their bad customs, became corrupted and forgot the true God; only one righteous Noah with his family remembered Him. God appeared to Noah and said: preach to people so that they repent and reform, for which I give them one hundred and twenty years. Noah spoke to the people about this, but they did not want to listen to him. Then God decided to destroy sinners with a flood. He told Noah to build an ark (a large square vessel) that could hold his family and animals. When the ark was ready, Noah, at the command of God, entered it with his wife, three sons and their wives and took with him animals and birds that cannot live in water, clean - seven pairs, and unclean - one pair.

After that it rained for forty days and forty nights. Water overflowed the banks of rivers and seas, rose above the highest mountains and drowned all animals and people. But Noah and those who were with him in the ark floated safely on the surface of the water.

The flood lasted for a whole year. In the seventh month, the water began to subside, and the ark stopped on the mountains of Ararat (in Armenia). On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains appeared. By the end of the year, the water entered the banks and the land dried up. Then Noah, at the command of God, left the ark and for his salvation offered a sacrifice to God from all clean animals and birds. The Lord graciously accepted this sacrifice, blessed Noah and his sons, and gave him a promise that there would be no such flood in the future; as a token of his promise, he placed a rainbow in the sky 7
Before the Flood, the Lord did not send rain to the earth, so there was no rainbow.

The Lord rewards the righteous people who lead a pious life, and punishes sinners who do not care about their repentance and correction. Therefore, try, children, to be kind, pious, avoid sinful deeds. When you fall into sin, hasten to confess and ask the Lord God to forgive your sins and not punish for them.

Chapter 4
Noah's children. Pandemonium. The emergence of idolatry

NOAH children. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth. After leaving the ark, Noah planted a vineyard and began to cultivate it. One day, after drinking grape wine, Noah became drunk and lay naked. At this time, Ham passed by him. He was a bad man, disrespectful to his father. Seeing his father's nakedness, he began to laugh at him, then he went and told his brothers about it. But Ham's brothers were not so rude and disrespectful. Instead of laughing at their father, they took clothes and carefully covered his nakedness.

When Noah woke up and found out that Ham was laughing at him, he cursed him and condemned all his offspring to the service and slavery of his brothers. He blessed Shem and Japheth, saying that the true faith would be preserved in the offspring of Shem, and the descendants of Japheth would spread over the earth and accept the true faith from the descendants of Shem.

Honor your father and your mother so that you may receive their blessing, for the blessing of the parents establishes the children's homes. Disrespect for parents is a terrible sin and entails bad consequences. An example of this is Ham and his descendants.

PANDEMONIUM. After the flood, people began to multiply very quickly. At first they lived together, in one country, not far from the mountains of Ararat, which was called the Chaldean country; They had one language and one dialect. Then, when it became crowded for them to live in one place, they began to settle. But first they agreed to build a city, and in it a tower as high as heaven, in order to gain glory for themselves. They made bricks and started building. But this enterprise was not pleasing to God. He mixed the language of the builders so that they could not understand each other. They stopped building the city and dispersed across the land in different directions. This is how peoples who speak different languages ​​originated. The unfinished city was called Babylon, which means "mixing".

THE APPEARANCE OF IDOLATRY

When people scattered in different directions, they forgot the invisible, true God, the Creator of the world. Many tribes invented their own gods. Instead of the true God, they began to worship the sun, moon, stars and various animals; they began to make themselves idols and all sorts of creatures, worship them and offer sacrifices. These people are called idolaters, and their faith is called idolatry.

The Lord does not tolerate vain and proud human deeds. One must always have the fear of God in one's soul, strive for contemplation of God. Laziness and carelessness should be avoided: these vices lead to impiety and forgetfulness of God.

Chapter 5
Abraham's call. The appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham in the form of three wanderers. Sacrifice of Isaac

CALLING OF ABRAHAM. When almost all people became idolaters, God chose one pious man named Abraham, the son of Terah, from the tribe of Shem, to preserve the true faith on earth. Abraham lived in the land of the Chaldeans, was rich, had many slaves and livestock, but was childless and grieved about it. One day God appeared to him and said: leave your father's house and go to the land that I will show you; I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great. Abraham was seventy-five years old at the time. In obedience to God, he took with him his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, all his property and all his servants and went to the land that the Lord showed him. This land was called Canaan and was very fertile. Upon entering it, Abraham built an altar and offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God.

THE APPEARANCE OF THE HOLY TRINITY TO ABRAHAM IN THE FORM OF THREE WANDERERS. In the land of Canaan, Abraham settled near Hebron. One day, sitting at his tent, he saw three strangers not far off. Abraham loved to receive strangers. He immediately went to meet them, bowed to the ground and began to ask them to rest under a tree and refresh themselves with food. The Strangers agreed. According to the custom of that time, Abraham washed their feet, served bread, milk and the best roast calf. While the strangers were eating, one of them said: In a year I will be with you again; Sarah your wife will have a son. Sarah, standing at the back of the tent door, heard these words. Surprised inwardly, she said: should I have such consolation in my old age? But the stranger said: Is there anything difficult for God?

SACRIFICE OF ISAAC. A year has passed since this event. Abraham was a hundred years old and his wife Sarah was ninety when their son Isaac was born. Abraham loved his son with all his heart; The Lord saw it. When Isaac grew up, God, wanting to test the faith of Abraham, said to him: take your only son, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him on one of the mountains that I will show you 8
The sacrifice of Isaac was a type of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Abraham obeyed. The next day, early in the morning, he prepared firewood, saddled a donkey, took two servants and his son, Isaac, and set off. On the third day of the journey, a place for sacrifice was pointed out to him from a distance. Leaving his slaves under the mountain, Abraham gave Isaac firewood, he himself took fire and a knife, and they went up the mountain. Dear Isaac asked Abraham: My father, here we have fire and wood, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered: The Lord will provide for Himself a lamb. Abraham built an altar on the mountain, laid out the wood, tied his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar. He had already raised the knife to stab Isaac. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: Abraham, Abraham! do not raise your hand against your child! now I know that you are afraid of God, for you have not spared your only son. Looking around, Abraham saw a ram entangled in a bush by its horns, and offered it as a sacrifice.

One must have firm faith in God and perfect obedience: without this one cannot please God, be happy and be worthy of the promises of God. There is no need to be cowardly in trials. Everything the Lord does, he does for our well-being.

Chapter 6
Jacob's vision of the mysterious staircase

Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau loved to be in the field and hunt. Jacob was meek, obedient to his parents, and lived near his home. Once Jacob went to Mesopotamia to visit relatives. Night caught him in the middle of the field. After praying to God, he put a stone under his head, lay down and fell asleep. And now he sees in a dream: there is a ladder 9
The ladder, seen in a dream by Jacob, represented the Mother of God, through whom the Son of God descended to earth.

On the earth, and its top touches the heavens. The angels of God ascend and descend along it, and at the top of the ladder stands the Lord Himself and says to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac; I will give this land to you and your offspring, and your offspring will be as numerous as the sand of the earth; in him (through the Savior) all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Waking up, Jacob said: This place is terrible; this is the house of God, this is the gate of heaven. Jacob placed the stone on which he slept and poured it with oil as a sacrifice to God. He called this place Bethel, which means "house of God."

Chapter 7
Joseph

Jacob called Israel 10
Israel means God-fighter.

He lived in the land of Canaan, was rich, pious and pleasing to God. He had twelve sons 11
Sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issach, Zebulun, Dan, Nephealim, Gad, Asher, Joseph and Benjamin.

Of these, he loved Joseph most of all for his meekness and sincerity. It was unpleasant for the brothers that their father loved Joseph more than them: they hated their brother for this, and even more for his dreams. At different times, Joseph had two dreams, which he told his father and brothers. First dream: as if he and his brothers were knitting sheaves in the field; Joseph's sheaf stood up, and the sheaves of the brethren surrounded his sheaf and worshiped him. Second dream: as if the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed to him. After listening to these dreams, the father said to Joseph: do you really think that we will all bow to you?

Joseph's brothers looked after their father's flocks and often wandered far from home. One day, Jacob, without hearing from them for a long time, sent Joseph to find out if his brothers were healthy and if the cattle were intact. Joseph put on his beautiful clothes and set off. The brothers saw him from afar and said: here is our dreamer coming; let's kill him! But the older brother, Reuben, advised that it would be better to throw him into the well, where he himself could die. Joseph was lowered into the well. At this time, Ishmael merchants with goods were passing by. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him into slavery to merchants, and they told his father that a predatory beast tore him to pieces.

Merchants took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to a nobleman named Potiphar. Living in Egypt among the pagans, Joseph firmly held faith in the true God and was afraid to sin before Him. He served his new master honestly. Potifar loved him for this and made him the steward of his house. But Potiphar's wife was not a good woman. She slandered Joseph in front of her husband, and he was put in prison. However, God, who does not leave virtuous people even in the midst of misfortunes, revealed to Joseph the understanding to interpret dreams and through this glorified him.

In one night Egyptian king, pharaoh 12
Egyptian kings were called pharaohs.

I saw two dreams. The first dream: as if he was standing by the river and seven fat cows came out of it, and after them seven skinny cows came out. The skinny cows ate the fat ones, but they themselves did not gain weight. Then he had another dream: on one stalk seven full ears grew, and after them seven dry ears grew; the full ones were eaten dry, but even then they did not gain weight. In the morning, the pharaoh called all the wise men and interpreters, but no one could explain these dreams to him. One courtier said to Pharaoh: We have a young Jew in prison who interprets dreams well. Pharaoh ordered Joseph to be brought. Joseph, having listened to Pharaoh's dreams, said: sir, both dreams mean the same thing; seven fat cows and seven full ears signify seven fertile years, and seven skinny cows and seven dry ears signify seven years of famine; so you, sovereign, choose for yourself a wise and reasonable husband, who could prepare bread for famine years in fertile years. Pharaoh liked the interpretation of dreams and the sound advice of Joseph. He said to Joseph: if God has revealed all this to you, then no one is wiser than you, - and he made Joseph the head of all the land of Egypt, and instructed him to prepare bread.

Joseph's prediction came true. First came the seven fertile years, and then the seven famine years. Joseph in the fertile years prepared so much bread for the famine years that it could be sold to foreign lands. People from all neighboring countries began to come to buy bread, because at that time there was famine all over the earth. Jacob, hearing that bread was being sold in Egypt, sent his children after it. The brothers did not recognize Joseph and bowed to him to the ground. Joseph involuntarily remembered the dreams of his childhood, but before revealing himself to his brothers, he experienced them. He received them severely as spies, and even ordered one of them, Simeon, to be detained. When the brothers arrived for the second time and Joseph found out that they had improved and become better, he opened himself to them. Having sent out his servants, he said: I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt; do not grieve and do not regret the past; God sent me here; go to your father and tell him to move to live with me.

Jacob rejoiced when he heard that his beloved son Joseph was alive. After praying to God and receiving a command from Him, he immediately went to Egypt with his entire family, which consisted of seventy-five people.

Joseph died at a ripe old age 13
Joseph, who suffered from his brothers, then became famous and saved their lives, was a type of Christ the Savior, who suffered from people, glorified and saved them.

The Holy Church commemorates him on Monday of Holy Week.

Love each other, children, avoid hatred, lies and deceit, as sins contrary to the commandments of God. Like Joseph, try to be meek, frank, and honest. These virtues are pleasing to God and people. Forgive the insults and grief of your neighbors. In adversity, be patient and firm. The Lord does not leave pious people in the midst of misfortunes.

Chapter 8
Birth of Prophet Moses. Moses' call for the deliverance of the Jews

THE BIRTH OF THE PROPHET MOSES. After Jacob's death, his descendants lived in Egypt for about two hundred years. At this time, they multiplied so much that they formed a whole nation, which was called Jewish or Israeli. The kings of Egypt, fearing that this people would not become stronger than the Egyptians and would not rebel against them, began to exhaust them with various hard works; and one of them ordered all newborn Jewish boys to be killed or thrown into the river.

At this time, an unusually handsome son was born to a pious Jew. At first, his mother hid him for three months at home, and when it became impossible to hide, she took a tarred basket, put the baby in it and placed it in a reed on the river bank, where the pharaoh's daughter went to bathe. She saw a baby in a basket, took pity on him, took him to her, raised him as a son and named him Moses, which means "taken from the water."

Moses lived in Egypt for forty years, was taught all the wisdom of Egypt and could have taken a high position in the court of the pharaoh, but worldly glory did not attract him.

He knew that he was a Jew and that he had a brother Aaron and a sister Mariamne, and often visited them. Once, while staying with his relatives, he saw that an Egyptian was beating a Jew, stood up for the Jew and killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses for this. Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, settled there with the priest Jethro and married his daughter Zipporah.

THE CALL OF MOSES FOR THE RELEASE OF THE JEWS. While living in Midian, Moses looked after his father-in-law's sheep and constantly thought about the unfortunate Jews. One day he led the flock far into the desert, to Mount Horeb of God, and saw a bush of thorns that burns and does not burn. Moses came closer to look at this miracle. Suddenly a voice was heard from the bush: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; I see the suffering of my people in Egypt and I know their sorrows. Go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and bring out my people. Moses said: Lord, they will not believe me that You sent me. The Lord gave him power to perform various signs and wonders 14
Miracles: God told Moses to throw his rod on the ground, and the rod turned into a serpent; Then he ordered to take the serpent by the tail, and the serpent became a staff. Also: God told Moses to put his hand in his bosom, and it became covered with leprosy; then God again ordered to put her hand in her bosom, and she became healthy.

Moses went to Egypt and told Pharaoh the will of God. But Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and did not agree to let the Jews go. Then God struck Egypt with ten different plagues. 15
These executions are as follows: 1) the transformation of water into blood; 2) toads (frogs); 3) midges; 4) dog flies; 5) loss of livestock; 6) purulent scabs in humans; 7) heavy hail; 8) locusts that destroyed the greenery; 9) three days of darkness; 10) the slaughter of the firstborn of Egypt.

The last of which was the destruction of all the firstborn of Egypt, from man to cattle.