| Marky ho habary Giri Bu kitap Isany döwründe ýaan Mark atly adam tarapyndan ýazyldy. Ol IsaMesihi resuly Pawlus bilen täze ýygnaklary düýbüni tutmakda (Res 13-nji bap), resul Petrus bilen Ho Habary ýaýmakda (1Pet 5:13) arman-ýadaman zähmet çekenleri biridir. Mark Isany durmuyny, eden ilerini we wagyzlaryny ilkinji bolup ýazga geçiren adam diýen pikir Mukaddes Ýazgylary öwrenýän alymlary arasynda örän ýörgünlidir. Olary çaklamalaryna görä, Mark bu kitaby Rim äherinde tussaglykda saklanan Pawlusa kömek beren döwründe, ýagny b.e. 55 — 65-nji ýyllary ýazypdyr. Kitapda arameý dilini sözlerine, ýahudy halkyny däp-dessurlaryna düündiri berilýär. eýle düündiriler bu kitaby ýahudy däl halklar üçin ýazylandygyny aýdy görkezýär. Mark ony Rimdäki ýygnak üçin ýazypdyr, sebäbi ol döwürde ýygnagy agzalary ýahudy we ýahudy däl halklary wekillerinden ybaratdy. Marky esasy maksady Isany Mesihdigini, ýagny Hudaýy pygamberler arkaly wada berlen Patyadygyny mälim etmekden ybaratdy. Ol öz kitabynda Isany ilkibadan Mesih, ýagny Hudaýy Ogly diýip atlandyrýar. Mark Isany il içinde görkezen gudratlary, adamlary haýrana galdyran mugjyzalary barada aýat hökmünde ýazýar. Mark eýle gudratlary we mugjyzalary Hudaýy güýji arkaly amala aýandygyny nygtap, adamlary kem-kemden Isany kimdigine düünilerini görkezýär. Isa Öz ägirtlerinden: «Siz Maa kim diýýärsiiz?» diýip soranda, Petrus «Sen Mesihsi» diýip jogap berýär (Mar 8:29). eýle-de Mark Mesih bolmagy die ygtyýarlylyk däl, eýsem hyzmat we özüi gurban etmeklikdigini hem görkezýär. Ol Isa Mesihi ýönekeý adamlary söýüp, olara hyzmat ediini, olary ugrunda Özüni gurban etmäge-de taýyndygyny beýan edýär. Isa Mesih eýle diýýär: «Ynsan Ogly hem Özüne hyzmat edilmegi üçin däl-de, eýsem, bagalara hyzmat etmek üçin, köpleri ugrunda janyny gurban edip, olary azat etmek üçin geldi» (Mar 10:45). Isa Özüni Ynsan Ogly diýip atlandyrýardy. Mark Isa Mesihe iman edip, Onu güýjüne ynanan islendik adamy keselden gutulýandygyna, jynlardan azat bolýandygyna we ebedi ýaaýa eýe bolýandygyna aýatlyk edýär. Ýöne ol Isa Mesihe eýermegi asat däldigini hem aýdýar. Isany hakyky ägirtleri öz Halypalary ýaly adamlara hyzmat etmeli, ejir çekmäge we Ol kimin özüni gurban etmäge-de taýyn bolmaly. |
| – Russian Minister Ivanov of Foreign Affairs, Address to the VIII World Russian People’s Council, 2004. Incompatibility of the Church with Absolute Statehood Regarding Revelations 13:1: The beast in the given case clearly indicates the state, not just in the sense of the state’s organization of legal order, which assists mankind on its ways (about which the Apostle speaks, when he says “there is no authority, except from God,” Rom. 13:1 ), but totalitarian statehood attempting to become the sole determining and all-fulfilling principle of human life. Such a state that falsely exaggerates its own importance, constitutes by the very same not just a pagan principle but a demonic one, the earthly face of Satan or the multitude of his faces. Such a state as an earthly kingdom affronts the Kingdom of Christ, wages war against it, and by the force of things constitutes – consciously or unconsciously – an anti-Christian force, a tool of the “prince of this world,” his kingdom, and the heads of such states become his masks. Only in the Revelation of the New Testament, the antagonism and struggle between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the prince of this world reach their final incompatibility, and this is specifically expressed in the Revelation of St. John. Other texts of the New Testament, such as the letters of the Apostles Paul and Peter ( Rom. 13:1–7 ; Tit. 3:1 ; 1Tim. 2:12 ; 1Pet. 2:13–17 ) search and find a certain measure of reconciliation with the state, its recognition as the rightful order of things, which guarantees external peace. The state, here, serves humanity as a means and is not an end in itself; it is submitted to the norms of morality. In this sense, indeed, it was possible to say, “There is no authority, except from God.” (…) When considering the Christian state – for as far as it has ever existed and can possibly exist – or more precisely, the state of the Christians, new boundaries and tasks appear, namely: serving Christian morality. However, such a service presupposes a certain spiritual equilibrium, where the state does not go beyond its own, legal tasks. Still even this situation always remains unstable; when the state crosses these boundaries, it turns into the beast. |
| 8296 E.g., 1Pet. 5:5 ; t. Meg. 3:24; c Abod. Zar. 1:19; 4 Bar. 5:20; Ps.-Phoc. 220–222; Syr. Men. 11–14, 76–93 (but cf. 170–172); Homer II. 1.259; 23.616–623; Aulus Gellius 2.15; Diodorus Siculus 1.1.4; 2.58.6; Pythagoras in Diogenes Laertius 8.1.22–23. 8300 Among philosophers, cf. Epicurus (Culpepper, School, 107, cites Lucretius Nat. 3.9); Epictetus Diatr. 3.22.82; Nock, Christianity, 30. 8302 E.g., Philostratus Vit. soph. 1.490; 1.25.536, 537; Iamblichus V.P. 35.250; 2 Kgs 2:12; 4 Bar. 2:4, 6, 8; 5:5; t. Sanh. 7:9; Matt 23:9; cf. Gen. Rab. 12(Simeon b. Yohai of the sages of Beth Hillel and Shammai); for Christian usage from the second to fifth centuries, see Hall, Scripture, 50. 8303 E.g., Ahiqar 96 (saying 14A); Sir 2:1 ; Did. 5.2; 1 John 2:1; cf. Babrius pro1.2; Babrius 18.15. This included astronomical and other revelatory wisdom (1 En. 79[esp. MS B]; 81:5; 82:1–2; 83:1; 85:2; 91:3–4; 92:1). 8304 E.g., Jub. 21:21; Tob 4:3,4, 5,12; 1Macc 2:50, 64; 1 En. 92:1; T. Job 1:6; 5:1; 6:1; T. Jud. 17:1; T. Reu. 1:3; T. Naph. 4:1; Pesiq. Rab. 21:6. 8305 E.g., m. B. Mesía 2:11; Ker. 6:9; Sipre Deut. 32.5.12; p. Hag. 2:1, §10; among Gentiles, Theon Progymn. 3. 93–97. 8307 Malina, Windows, 55. One may compare the frequent topic of unity in Greek speeches (e.g., Dionysius of Halicarnassus R.A. 7.53.1; Livy 24.22.17). Some characterized loving one another (φιλλληλους) as more naturally a rural phenomenon that could include sharing resources (Alciphron Farmers 29 [Comarchides to Euchaetes], 3.73, par. 2). 8308 Though Segovia, Relationships, 179, is correct that the Gospel, unlike 1 John, is involved in polemic with the synagogue rather than «intra-church.» 8309 «Commandment(s)» appears frequently in the Johannine Epistles (1 John 2:3–4, 7–8; 3:22–24; 4:21; 5:2–3; 2 John 4–6 ; cf. also Rev 12:17; 14:12); the commandment specifically concerns love (1 John 3:23; 4:21) and accurate faith (1 John 3:23). 8310 It was new in the sense of realized eschatology (1 John 2:8). The Johannine Epistles may employ «from the beginning» meaning «from the beginning of the gospel tradition,» however (1 John 2:24; 3:11; 2 John 6 ), perhaps as a double entendre with the beginning of creation (1 John 1:1; 2:13–14; 3:8). |
| The Apostle Peter writes: «For Christ also hath once suffered for sins…By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water» ( 1Pet. 3:18–20 ). Thus, fulfilling the commandment of same Apostle Peter, according to his word «be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.» The Ancient Mesopotamian Notes and Narrations of the Holy Bible In 1872, the famous English Asyrriologist George Smith, who earned the title of founder of the British Assyriology, reported that among the cuneiform tablets, which were brought to the British Museum from the library of the Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, he discovered an ancient Babylonian legend about the Universal Flood, which greatly corresponded to the Biblical narration of it. The enemies of our faith, which even then were numerous, and which had significant influence over social and scientific circles, readily snatched up this news and interpreted it as a testimony of the non-independence of the Biblical Scriptures and their full dependence on the ancient Mesopotamian legends. Most of the Christian apologetics, defending the irreproachable truth and the originality of the Holy Scripture, tried to disparage the new discovery by calling it unreliable. But new discoveries in Mesopotamia only proved the authenticity of G. Smith’s discovery. New versions of the legend about the Flood appeared not only in the Babylonian (Akkadian) language, but in the most ancient one – Sumerian (in the town of Nippur), then ancient translations of this legend (before 1700 BC) appeared in the Hittite and Horite (Hurrian) languages, so that the authenticity of the legend about the Flood in the Mesopotamian cuneiform was confirmed. The Holy Scripture does not say how it was written. The holy fathers spoke differently concerning this question, but they all unanimously agreed, as the Apostle Paul said, " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,» ( 2Tim. 3:16 ) i.e. was compiled with the participation of the Holy Spirit. But some of the holy fathers think that the holy words of the Bible were not written before the Holy Spirit directly dictated them to holy prophet Moses, who conveyed them in this form in our holy books. But then, with this notion, everything in the Holy Scripture, including punctuation and division into verses, is God-inspired and holy. Any translation of the holy books can then easily upset the Divine inspiration. Then it becomes clear, why only three languages were considered legitimate for translating the Holy Scriptures in the Middle Ages. |
| Question 35. What Sins are caused by this inveterate Anger or Remembrance of Injuries? Answer. From this Desire of Revenge arises an Inclination to Strife, Grudging at another’s Good, Bloodshed, Raving, Mischief, and doing of Injuries, and the like. The Virtue of Patience is opposed to this Vice, as the Apostle declareth in these Words (Heb.10:36), Ye have need of Patience, that, after ye have done the Will of God, ye might receive the Promise. Question 36. What is Sloth and Listlessness? Answer. Sloth is a Coldness and Negligence in obtaining the eternal Salvation of our Souls, causing one to do good Actions with Unwillingness and Aversion, and to avoid taking Pains to do anything that is good. Against this Vice the Apostle writes (Heb.6:12), Be not slothful, but Followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherit the Promises. Our Saviour, also, speaking of such idle and slothful Servants, saith (Mat.25:26), Thou wicked and slothful Servant, thou knewest that I reap where I solved not, and gather where I have not strawed. And again (Mat.25:30), Cast ye the unprofitable Servant into outer Darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth. Question 37. What Sins arise from Sloth? Answer. Voluntary Dissoluteness, Pretences for Sinning, Scandal, a Voluptuous Life, Haughtiness, and such like. The Virtue opposite to this Vice is Diligence and Wakeful Industry. To which Christ thus exhorteth us (Mat.25:13), Watch, therefore; for ye know neither the Day nor the Hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. And the Apostle saith (1Pet.5:8), Be sober, be vigilant; because your Adversary the Devil, as a roaring Lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the Faith. Question 38. What are the Sins that are committed against the Holy Ghost? Answer. An over-great and ill-grounded Confidence in the Grace of God; i.e., Presumption, and likewise Despair, which is when any one entirely distrusts the divine Mercy; for this is to contradict the manifest and established Truth, and a Denial of the orthodox Faith of Christians. |
| Question 23. What are those you call general mortal Sins? Answer. These: Pride, Avarice, Whoredom, Envy, Gluttony, Desire of Revenge or bearing Malice, and Sloth. Question 24. What is Pride? Answer. Pride is an inordinate and unjust Ambition of its own Glory and Exaltation, by Right or Wrong, over others. This Sin, first of all, sprang from Lucifer; and from this, as from an infected Fountain, flow all the Streams of Wickedness. The Scripture saith of it (Prov.8:13), The Fear of the Lord is to hate Evil: Pride and Arrogancy, and the evil Way, and the froward Mouth, do I hate. And another Scripture saith (Eccl.10:7), Pride is hateful before God and Man. Opposite unto this Vice is the Virue of Humility, which our Lord Jesus Christ, commending and exhorting us to embrace, speaketh of thus (Mat.11:29), Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in Heart, and ye shall find Rest unto your Souls. Question 25. What further Sins arise from this? Answer. Namely, these; to wit, Man’s thinking Evil of his Neighbour; Rashly Condemning of others, whether Clergy or Laymen; Disobedience to the Church and our Spiritual Rulers; also Boasting, Hypocrisy, Fondness for Contention, Frowardness, Strife, Unseasonable Curiosity, Arrogancy, Neglecting of God’s Commandments, Familiar and habitual Practice of Sin, and the like. Wherefore, whosoever desireth to be free from this Sin, let him always bear in Mind the Words which God spake unto Adam (Gen.3:19), Dust thou art, and unto Dust thou shall return. Let him, likewise, be ever mindful of the Last Judgment, and of everlasting Torments; and also of these Words of the Apostle (Jas.4:6 and 1Pet.5:5), God resisteth the Proud, but giveth Grace unto the Humble. Question 26. What is Avarice? Answer. Avarice is the unbounded Coveting of Riches and Possessions. Of this Sin the Scripture speaketh thus (Prov.28:16), He that hateth Covetousness shall prolong his Days. And the Apostle (2Pet.2:14), An Heart they have exercised with covetous Practices; accursed Children. The Virtue opposite to this Vice is Liberality; as the Psalmist saith (Ps.112:9), He hath dispersed abroad and given to the Poor; his Righteousness remaineth for ever. Question 27. What Sins arise from Avarice? Answer. From Avarice do arise Rapine, Slaughter, Fraud, Lying, Rebellion, Oppression and Cruelty, Unmercifulness, Inhumanity, Hard-heartedness, Envy, Treachery, Injuries done to the Poor and others, Niggardliness, Theft, and the like of these. Whoever, therefore, desireth to avoid this Vice, let him constantly reflect upon the voluntary Poverty of Christ our Lord, who saith of himself (Mat.8:20), The Foxes have Holes, and the Birds of the Air have Nests, hut the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head. Let him also be mindful that he is the Steward only, and not the Lord of that which he possesseth; and that God will require an Account of his Stewardship when he cometh to Judgment. |
| The most sophisticated treatise of pastoral literature in the Orthodox tradition is the Treatise on Pastoral Care (Liber regulae pastoralis) by Pope Gregory the Great (540–604), which was the only Latin treatise of the Middle Ages to be translated into Greek and disseminated by imperial order during the author’s lifetime. Like Chrysostom, Pope Gregory borrowed directly from Gregory the Theologian’s concept of the active contemplative. He also greatly expanded the earlier Gregory’s list of spiritual characteristics, which required individualized spiritual remedies. Indeed, the Liber pastoralis describes 72 spiritual personality traits set in pairs of opposites, for which he offers a corresponding regimen for spiritual therapy. The pastoral solutions, especially, demonstrate Gregory’s extensive familiarity with the patterns of spiritual direction then operative in the ascetic community and represent a direct bridging of the monastic and lay patterns of spiritual direction. In the modern Orthodox world the most thorough treatment of the priesthood came indirectly through the work of Fr. Nicholas Afanasiev (1893–1966), a prominent Russian theologian and member of the St. Sergius faculty in Paris. Afanasiev’s Eucharistic ecclesiology radically challenged contemporary bifurcations between lay and cleric, priest and bishop, and local church versus institutional church. Afanasiev viewed the local Eucharistic community as a complete embodiment of the entire Christian community and held that the clergy and laity were ontologically equal. Relying on the biblical concept of a priesthood of all believers (cf. 1Pet. 2.9 ) and the interchangeability of presbyter and bishop in the pastoral epistles, Afanasiev took aim at what he perceived to be an Orthodox form of clericalism that had initially developed in the Byzantine period, but also later seeped into the Orthodox tradition from Roman Catholic sources. The ritual for Orthodox priestly ordination states: “The divine grace which always heals that which is infirm and completes that which is wanting elevates through the laying on of hands, the Reverend Deacon -N- to be a priest» The secret prayers of the bishop accompanying the laying on of hands speak also about the “great grace of the Holy Spirit” which is to be conferred, the advancement to the degree of priesthood, the standing at the altar, the ministry of the word, the proclamation of the gospel, the offering of gifts, and the renewing of the people through baptismal regeneration. |
| 50 . If we who have been given the honour of becoming the house of God (cf. Heb. 3: 6) by grace through the Spirit must patiently endure suffering for the sake of righteousness (cf. Heb. 10: 36) in order to condemn sin, and must readily submit like criminals to insolent death even though we are good, ‘what will be the fate of those who refuse to obey the Gospel of God?’ ( 1Pet. 4: 17 ). That is to say, what will be the fate or sentence of those who not only have diligently kept that pleasure-provoked, nature-dominating Adamic form of generation alive and active in their soul and body, will and nature, right up to the end; but who also accept neither God the Father, who summons them through His incarnate Son, nor the Son and Mediator Himself, the ambassador ofthe Father (cf. 1Tim. 2: 5 )? To reconcile us with the Father, at His Father’s wish the Son deliberately gave Himself to death on our behalf so that, just as He consented to be dishonoured for our sake by assuming our passions, to an equal degree He might glorify us with the beauty of His own divinity. 51 . God is the limitless, eternal and infinite abode of those who attain salvation. He is all things to all men according to their degree of righteousness; or, rather, He has given Himself to each man according to the measure in which each man, in the light of spiritual knowledge, has endured suffering in this life for the sake of righteousness. Thus He resembles the soul that reveals its activity in the members of the body according to the actual capacity of each member, and that itself keeps the members in being and sustains their life. This being the case, ‘where will the ungodly and the sinner appear’ ( 1Pet. 4: 18 ) if he is deprived of such grace? For if a man cannot receive the active presence of God on which his wellbeing depends, and so fails to attain the divine life that is beyond age, time and place, where will he be? 52 . If a person refuses to allow God, the abode of all who are saved and source of their well-being, to sustain his life and to assure his well-being, what will become of him? And if the righteous man will be saved only with much difficulty (cf. |
| It is clear that only all-knowing and ever-good God could similarly remember of all existing persons. So, we see that only God could be the Savior of people, the One, Who had the similarity with our nature, i.e. Human God and with that the Sufferer, sympathizing with us. If my conversion from the evil to the good was not a suffering, then Christ would have had no need to suffer. But in that case, i.e. if the man could convert himself from a villain into a saint with one momentary desire, the Divine truth, which separated the good from the evil through sufferings, would have been left unsatisfied; and our conscience would have remained unsatisfied as well. It depended on the Lord to arrange such laws of existence and spiritual life, that the transfer from the evil to the good is possible only through the sufferings of a sinner; but these sufferings remain unbearable and fruitless, if they are not combined with the compassion of the holiest Son of God, Who accepts our grieves not for the sake of Him, but for us; He suffered for us, and therefore became the victim of reconciliation, our Atoner, participating in His sufferings ( 1Pet. 4:13 ). He had no need to fight, like we do, against the decrepit nature, for He was free of it, but those were our sins, our decrepit nature, which were defeated and crucified by Him (Rom. 6and 1Pet. 2:24 ). These sufferings of His because of my sins are my atonement; and His long-lasting patience – my salvation ( 2Pet. 3:15 ); not only in the meaning of the encouraging example. It is in the sense that I know Jesus Christ, Who had mourned over my sinful state because of his love for me, and I make Him the part of my being through my desire to go along the path of His holiness, live with Him, revive my new man thanks to Him, tolerate my, so painful before, sufferings and my deviation from the virtuous path because of them, for now I think them to be a sacred bridge towards the best unity with the Lord, because the Apostles taught me to participate in His sufferings. The same way did the martyrs, who felt neither fire, nor iron, sticks, nor their bodies, being cut in parts, in the state of spiritual delight. |
| Question 51. What is the fourth spiritual Work of Mercy? Answer. That we should pray unto God for each other. And although this Duty more particularly obligeth the Priests of the Church and spiritual Fathers, yet are Laymen also bound by it. Concerning which we spake more at large when we treated concerning the sixth Precept of the Church. Question 52. What is the fifth spiritual Work of Mercy? Answer. To comfort the Sorrowful. And in order to this, we must first take care that no one suffers Affliction or Damage through our Means, and that we do not become grievous unto any: as saith the Apostle to the Romans, Rom.12:18 , If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably unto all Men. Dearly Beloved, avenge not yourselves, hut give Place unto Wrath; for it is written, Revenge is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. But most especially are we bound to the Observance of this Duty when any one either labours under any grievous Crime, or is afflicted with any dangerous Sickness, or is oppressed with any great and uncommon Calamity: In all which Cases we must not fail to comfort and relieve our suffering Brethren with our Consolation and good Offices. Question 53. What is the sixth spiritual Work of Mercy? Answer. That we bear with Injuries patiently. And we discharge this Duty when we cheerfully and meekly suffer for Christ’s Sake, remembering that he endured much more grievous Things for our Sakes: As it is written (1Pet.2:21), Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an Example, that we should follow his Steps. Wherefore we must not wish Evil to those who tyrannically vex and afflict us, nor return Evil for Evil: According to the Apostle (1Pet.3:9), Not rendering Evil for Evil, but rather giving Thanks unto God that we are thought worthy to suffer for his Sake, we should pray unto him earnestly that he would forgive our Enemies. Question 54. What is the seventh spiritual Work of Mercy? Answer. That we readily and heartily forgive those that offend us. And in order to discharge this Duty effectually we must forgive unto our Enemies whatsoever they have done against us; and not only so, but we must, moreover, sincerely endeavour to obtain the Peace and Forgiveness of God for those who have injured us, as we have before said. And this, our Forgiveness, must not be confined to once, but even unto seventy Times seven; according as our Lord and Saviour taught unto Peter, saying (Mat.18:22), I say not unto thee, until seven Times, but until seventy Times seven. |
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