| A good wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her .?.?. she does him good and not harm all the days of her life. Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, he praises her, saying: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is greatly to be praised ( Prov 31.10–31 ). This teaching of Wisdom is found also in the writing of the apostles of Christ. I desire then that in every place .?.?. women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire, but by good deeds as befits women who profess piety (1?Tim 2.8–10). Likewise, you wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chaste behavior. Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of robes, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. So once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you (1?Pet 3.1–6). Thus in the “small church” of the family, with each member living according to God’s will, the Kingdom of God is already present and active, waiting to be perfectly fulfilled in the Kingdom of heaven which never will end, where all are God’s children, the bride of His Son. Sickness, Suffering, and Death Sickness Sickness exists in the world only because of sin. There would be no sickness at all, neither mental nor physical, if man had not sinned. According to Christ sickness is bondage to the devil ( Mt 8.16, 12.22 ; Lk 4.40–41, 13.10–17 ). And Christ has come to “destroy .?.?. the devil” (Heb 2.14). With Jesus, the forgiveness of sins, the healing of the body, the destruction of the devil and the raising of the dead are all one and the same act of salvation. |
| 2A. Johns Witness (5:33–35) When they had sent to John (1:19, 22), he had testified to the truth (1:19; cf. 1:6–8,15; 10:41), as 5reminds the audience. John was not the light (1:8–9), but a temporary lamp (5:35). Handheld Herodian lamps, which could quickly deplete their oil, were no match for the brilliance of celestial lights. 5915 The passive voice of «kindled» may also imply that the initiative for John " s mission did not stem from John himself ( 1:6). 5916 Jewish tradition had already emphasized that Elijah " s message came burning like a lamp (ς λαμπς εκαετο, Sir 48:1 ), which is probably in view here. 5917 Jesus» appeal to John " s witness provides a strong implicit argument: 5918 if Jesus» opponents listened to John (as they did in 1:19–27), even «rejoicing» in his light (5:35), should they not accept John " s testimony about Jesus? Their rejoicing (cf. also John " s rejoicing in Jesus other witnesses rejoicing in Jesus in John was only temporary (προς ραν; cf. 2Cor 7:8 ; Gal 2:5 ; Phlm 15 ; μαν ραν, Rev 17:12), but it allowed them the opportunity to hear a little from a witness who honored Jesus. Jesus did not need human witness (5:34; cf. 5:41), but offered it for their sake (cf. the strategy in 1Cor 9:19–22 ). 5919 Jesus may here adapt a fairly familiar rhetorical device, paralipsis, in which one brings to bear evidence while denying that one can afford to do so, or at least to do so with adequate thoroughness (cf. also Heb 11:32). 5920 In making an argument, speakers or writers sometimes would point out that further evidence was unnecessary, yet provide it anyway. 5921 2B. The Father " s Witness (5:36–44) Jesus introduces the topic of the Father " s witness in 5:36–37 and then expounds more thoroughly in a probable chiastic structure in 5:38–47: A They reject God " s word in his shaliach Jesus (5:38) Β Scriptures witness to Jesus (5:39–40) [Life in the Scriptures (5:39)/life in Christ (5:40)] C Jesus does not receive glory from people (5:41) |
| It is a sad fact of life that small sins are as unavoidable as dust in the air. Just as it is necessary to wash every day and to clean one " s room, it is equally necessary to repent constantly for one " s daily failings. Who would consider himself holier or more perfect than Christ " s Apostles? Yet even they did not regard themselves as being sinless. " In many things we offend all, " wrote St. James the Apostle (Jas. 3:2). " If we say that we have not sinned, then we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us...If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, " wrote St. John the Apostle (1 John 1:10, 8-9). St. Paul the Apostle is painfully aware of his own unworthiness: " Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief " (1 Tim. 1:15). Note that he does not say " I was, " but " I am, " evidently because he continued to repent for having once persecuted believers. Tradition tells us that the Apostle Peter " s eyes were always somewhat reddened, for, when he heard roosters crow at night, he would wake up, remember his denial of Christ and begin to weep. St. John the Apostle teaches Christians to look after their spiritual state in these words: " My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world....But if we walk in the light...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin....And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure " (1 John 2:1-2; 1:7; 3:3). Similarly, St. Paul writes: " Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God " (2 Cor. 7:1; cf. Heb. 9:13-14). Clearly, in these passages the Apostles are not summoning pagans to repentance, but Christians, and the words they use, " cleanseth " and " let us cleanse, " suggest that moral purity has its gradations, as does sinfulness. For the same reason another scripture says: " He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still " (Rev. 22:11). |
| 550 I Pet. 5: 5; Prov. 3: 34. 551 Cf.: Mt. 19: 6; 24: 37—39; Lk. 17: 26—30; 18: 8; 21: 23. 552 Lk. 21: 23; Mt. 24: 19. 553 Plato, Leges, VIII 840 a; Aelianus, De natura animalium VI 1; Varia historia III 30. 554 Diog. Laert. V 35. 555 Истр Киренский был учеником Каллимаха и писателем второй половины третьего века до н. э. Фрагменты см.: FGrH 3 B 334. 556 I Tim. 4: 1—3. 557 Col. 2: 18.23; I Cor. 7: 27. 2—3. 558 I Reg. 17: 6; I Sam. 9: 24. 559 Mt. 11: 18—19. Петр действительно был женат (Mk 1: 30; I Cor. 9: 5), однако в Новом завете ничего не говорится о детях и семейном положении Филиппа. 560 Phil. 4: 3. Место неоднозначное и толкование Климента спорно. Здесь действительно упоминается некая сотрудница (или сотрудник по имени Сизигос). 561 В действительности, имеется в виду первое послание (I Tim. 5: 9—15). 562 Mt. 25: 35.40; Prov. 19: 17; 3: 27. 563 Prov. 3: 3; 10: 4; Ps. 14: 5; Prov. 13: 8. 564 Mt. 19: 19—21; Lev. 19: 18 et. al. 565 Prov. 13: 11; 11: 24; Ps. 111: 9. 566 Mt. 6: 19; Hag. 1: 6. 567 Cf. Mt. 11:19. Заметим, что из фрагмента непосредственно не следует, что Иисус имел тело психической или духовной природы. Все сказанное вполне укладывается в схему, предложенную в Евангелии от Матфея. Контекст высказывания показывает, что Климент цитирует здесь Валентина скорее в подтверждение своих мыслей, нежели в целях полемики. 568 Mt. 19: 12; Heb. 9: 14. 569 FGrH 3 A 99, fr. 18. 570 Возможно, лакуна в тексте. 571 Вероятно имеются в виду буддийские «ступы» — священные сооружения где обычно замуровываются различные священные предметы, от текстов мантр до останков святых. Однако обнаженными буддисты обычно не ходили. Источником Климента здесь скорее всего также является Александр Полигистор. Упоминание о Будде см. в первой книге Стромат (Strom. I 21). 572 II Cor. 5: 10.17; 6: 14—16; 7: 1. 573 Ср. трехчастное деление души у Платона (Rep. IV 435 b — 441 c). 574 II Cor. 6: 16. 575 Cf. Mt. 5: 27—28. 576 II Cor. 6: 16—18. 577 II Cor. 7: 1; 11: 2. 578 II Cor. 11: 3. 579 I Pet. 2: 11—12; 15—16. |
| Orthodox Christians throughout the world sympathize with their fellow Christians and all those subjected to persecution in this region, and call for the working out of a just and final solution to the region’s problems. Also condemned are wars inspired by nationalistic motives and which lead to ethnic cleansing, the changing of state borders and the seizure of territory. 5. The Attitude of the Church Towards Discrimination. 1. The Lord as King of peace (Heb. 7:2-3) rejects violence and injustice (Ps. 10:5) and condemns the inhuman treatment of one’s neighbour (Mk. 25:41-46; James 2:15-16). In his Kingdom, which is reflected in and is present on earth in his Church, there is no place for division, enmity or intolerance (Is. 11:6; Rom. 12:10). 2. The Orthodox Church takes a firm position on this issue. She believes that God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation (Acts 17:26) and that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). To the question Who is my neighbour? Christ replies with the parable of the merciful Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37), thereby teaching us to reject barriers built up by hatred and prejudice. The Orthodox Church confesses that every person, regardless of the color of his skin, religion, race, gender, nationality and language, is created in the image and likeness of God and is an equal member of the human community. In following this belief, the Orthodox Church rejects discrimination according to the aforementioned reasons which presuppose a difference in dignity between people. 3. The Church, in respecting, the principles of human rights and equal treatment of people, values the application of these principles in the light of her teaching on the sacraments, the family, the position of both genders in the Church and the value of Church Tradition as a whole. |
| 2: 9-10). And St. Paul says: “Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light; (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth)” (Eph. 5:8-9). Of course, all this presupposes irreproachable morality and a closeness to God. “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16; Lev. 11:45). Holiness is given by a gift of the Holy Spirit, but each Christian must guard this gift and increase it in his own life. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). The Gospels and the letters of the Apostles are unanimous in calling all to become more and more like God in His moral perfections. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Eph. 5:1). More concretely, we are required to follow the incarnate Son of God. Our ideal is to become Christlike, or, so to speak, to clothe ourselves in Christ. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Therefore, the Apostle teaches: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1 John 2:6). And he writes, “I beseech you, be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ … For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; 2:16). The more a Christian struggles and receives grace to become like his divine Prototype, the deeper his mystical union with Him. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23). The goal is to become “partakers of the Divine Nature” before our death (2 Pet. 1:4). This goal is such a lofty one that a man is naturally afraid of it at first; he considers it unattainable. Yet God helps him on the path to perfection and gradually leads him up higher and higher, towards Himself. |
| David 18 октября 2014, 09:00 Look more closely at the first picture. You " ll just be able to read that the covers of the magazines held by the children have the word WATCHTOWER. The magazine title reflects the name of the publishing and teaching organization of the Jehovah " s Witnesses. Marcos de Abreu 18 октября 2014, 03:00 No, Peter. They hold Watchtoewers magazines on their hands! Evan L 18 октября 2014, 01:00 Funny enough my mother of all people stumped a couple that came to her and she didn " t even do it on purpose. They came to her while she was gardening and she declined them. She said she " s already a believer in the Lord and that she " s an Orthodox Christian. So they said " Oh, are you Russian? " She replied " no no, i " m Greek " JW: " Oh well then you must see how your bible says the same things that we say " Mother: " No it doesn " t really " At that point the Witnesses stopped dead in their tracks and didn " t proceed further. Amazing how my mother who is not a theologian but just a Greek person who " s been reading the Greek scriptures since she was a child was able to stump two followers of a heretic. CJ 17 октября 2014, 23:00 @Peter, The children are holding copies of the Watchtower, which is a JW publication. I see Orthodox Answers has already made the point about I John 5:7. The better strategy is to ask why their translation of scripture interpolate an indefinite article into John 1:1 (the Word was " a " god). Samuel 17 октября 2014, 22:00 Peter, They have " Watchtower " magazines in their hands, indicating that they are Witnesses, not Mormons. Orthodox Answers . org 17 октября 2014, 21:00 With due respect to Fr Alexei Young, " For example, how do Jehovah’s Witnesses explain 1 John 5:7 " is a good example of how many Christians, including our own Orthodox clergy, are unable to deal with Jehovah " s Witnesses. Mention 1 John 5:7 and Jehovah " s Witness will gleefully tell you that there is no such passage in the authentic New Testament. And they are right, as this particular sentence " There are three that bear record in Heaven: The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one? " is a late interpolation, and all NT scholars agree. So we have to do our homework to help our Jehovah " s Witness visitors think outside the box. For example, why does the New Testament apply verses about YHWH to Jesus Christ? (e.g. Heb 1:10-12) How do they know that their Biblical canon and underlying text is reliable? From what source? How can they reconcile the wise builder (Mat 7:25) building the Church on the Rock (Mat 16:16-18) to be the " pillar and foundation of Truth " (1 Tim 3:15) and yet support their Mormon-like Great apostasy theory. It takes a lot of respect and preparation and prayer to avoid a disaster... |
| Él les dice que Moisés, en quien ellos depositaron su confianza, será quien los acuse durante el Juicio de Dios. Moisés acusará a los judíos por su incredulidad en Cristo, pues fue él quien escribió las profecías y las promesas sobre la Venida de Cristo en los libros del Génesis ( Gen. 3:15, 12:3, 49:10 ), del Deuteronomio (Dt. 18:15) y en general, sobre la ley que fue la sombra de los bienes futuros en el Reino de Cristo (Heb. 10:1), y guía para llevarnos a Él ( Gal. 3:24 ). Las espigas arrancadas en sábado. ( Mt. 12:1–8 ; Mk. 2:23–28 ; Lk. 6:1–5 ). Jesús dejó Judea para dirigirse a Galilea. De regreso a Galilea Él y Sus discípulos atravesaron un campo sembrado. Era un día sábado y, como dice san Lucas: «era un sábado segundo del primero» es decir, el primer sábado después del segundo día de la Pascua. Los discípulos sintieron hambre y comenzaron a arrancar las espigas, y restregándolas entre las manos, las comían. Esto estaba permitido por la ley de Moisés, la cual solo prohibía pasar la hoz en la mies del prójimo (Dt. 23:25). Sin embargo, los fariseos consideraron esto como una violación del reposo sabático y no dejaron pasar la oportunidad de increpar al Señor por haber autorizado las acciones de Sus discípulos. Para defenderlos de tales reproches, Nuestro Señor cita a los fariseos el ejemplo de David ( I Sam. 21:2–7 ). David huyendo de Saúl, llegó a la sagrada ciudad de Nob, pidió al sacerdote Abimélek que le diese cinco panes o lo que tuviese a mano. Abimélek le dio los panes consagrados que solo los sacerdotes podían consumir. La eficacia del ejemplo reside en el hecho de que nadie condenó a David, quien atormentado por el hambre, comió aquellos panes. De igual modo, los discípulos de Cristo no debían ser condenados, pues estaban sirviendo a Su Señor y en ocasiones como ésta, sorprendidos por el sábado, transgredieron la ley de manera insignificante, pues no tenían que comer y decidieron arrancar las espigas. Nuestro Señor justificó el proceder de Sus discípulos para luego revelar la fuente de la que surgió la injusta acusación. Esto es, el falso entendimiento de las exigencias de la ley Divina. Si los fariseos comprendiesen que, el amor compasivo por el hambriento es superior a las tradiciones y costumbres rituales, entonces no acusarían a quienes inocentemente cortaron las espigas para saciar su hambre. El hombre no ha sido creado para observar el sábado, sino que el sábado ha sido dado al hombre para su beneficio. Mas importante que la ley del reposo sabático es el ser humano, y el cuidado de que sus fuerzas no se agoten, evitando así su muerte. |
| Although hope for an eschatological anointed leader or leaders ran high, and the Davidic Messiah remained prominent in many expectations, «son of God» was not a common designation of the Messiah; it was probably no more common than an association with Daniel 7 when people used the more generic expression «son of man.» 2548 But in at least some circles, 2Sam 7was interpreted with direct reference to the Davidic Messiah as «son of God» (4QFlor 1.10–11; lQSa 2.11–12). 2549 4Q369 frg. 1,2.6–7 may apply the image in the same way, 2550 and perhaps also 4Q246 co1. 2, line l, 2551 but recovery of the context (4Q246 1.5–9; 2.2–3) suggests to some that 4Q246 is simply polemic against pagan claims for divine sonship. 2552 Hints may suggest that others also understood Ps 2 messianically in the period of formative Christianity. 2553 As in the NT generally (Acts 13:33; Rom 1:3–4 ; Heb 1:5; 5:5), the OT title applied especially to enthronement rather than birth. 3. Early Christian and Johannine Sonship Many NT texts explicitly associate the title «son of God» with «Christ,» 2554 probably reflecting the earliest Jewish-Christian use of the term. Jesus himself at the very least used implied intimacy with the Father when he addressed God as «Abba» ( Mark 14:36 ), 2555 an Aramaic title which carried over into the early church ( Rom 8:15 ; Gal 4:6 ) and must be original with Jesus. 2556 In the messianic context of Jesus» ministry (see above), however, the title surely meant more. Among the Gospels, «Son of God» becomes particularly prominent in John and Matthew. 2557 In none of the Jewish senses listed above does «son of God» imply «God the Son,» nor necessarily divinity at all, nor biological relation to God (it is not biological even in Luke 1:35), those senses of the Christian term to which Islam, for example, so strenuously objects. 2558 Vermes is plainly correct when he declares that Judaism could use «son of God» to refer in an ascending order, to any of the children of Israel; or to a good Jew; or to a charismatic holy Jew; or to the king of Israel; or in particular to the royal Messiah; and finally, in a different sense, to an angelic or heavenly being. In other words, " son of God» was always understood metaphorically in Jewish circles. In Jewish sources, its use never implies participation by the person so-named in the divine nature. 2559 |
| Appealing on this present " joyful day " to " the assembly of the faithful " to this praise of the Most Holy Virgin, the Holy Church together with those present " on this all honorable feast " the example the Saints Joachim and Anna teaches us to fulfill pious vows. And the deeply instructive example of the upbringing of the Most Holy Virgin explains to us our duties to our children that we must as early as possible and to take them to the temple of God more often, to accustom them to the full complement of prayers at home, teaching them in the law of the Lord, particularly in their growth to properly use their time to develop in them love for their neighbor and diligence to inspire obedience in them to the church rules (Ustav), and to waken and strengthen in them the spirit of piety and the fear of God. The beginning of the establishment of this feast of the Entry of the EverVirgin Mary into the Temple is not known with complete accuracy. Saint Gregory of Nyssa (IV Century) first mentioned. In the IX century St. Gregory of Nicomedia composed the stichera, which we now sing on this feast. . Troparion, tone 4 Today is the prelude of the good will of God, Of the preaching of the salvation of mankind. The Virgin appears in the temple of God, In anticipation proclaiming Christ to all. Let us rejoice and sing to her: Rejoice, O Fulfillment of the Creator " s dispensation. Kontakion, tone 4 The most pure Temple of the Savior: The precious Chamber and Virgin; The sacred Treasure of the glory of God, Is presented today to the house of the Lord. She brings with her the grace of the Spirit, Which the angels of God do praise. Truly this woman is the Abode of Heaven. Magnification We magnify you. We magnify you. O Most Holy Virgin, Maiden chosen of God, And we honor your entry into the temple. Paramoeas: 1) Ex. 40:1-5, 9-10, 16, 34-35; 2) 3 Kings 8:1, 3-7, 9-11; 3) Ezek. 43:27, 44:1-4. Matins Gospel: See Mar. 26. Epistle: Heb. 9:1-7; sel. 320. Gospel: See May 21. Refer to the Chapter in the Rubrics (Ustav) and the Menaion: If the feast of the Entry falls on a Sunday. |
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