| 1.3. In the Old Testament death is linked with the underworld, or Sheol, which is located in the bowels of the earth and is the common grave for the whole of humanity. To descend into Sheol or to be buried meant becoming a victim of the mighty power of death. And although the idea of life after death was linked to Sheol, existence in this kingdom of shadows was hopeless, because death is the result of and the punishment for sin (Gen 2, 3; Wisdom 1:13-16; 2:22-24). However at the time of the Maccabees the attitude to death changes in connection with the struggle against foreign enslavement and, for the first time in the Old Testament, in the first book of Maccabees death is portrayed as heroic (1 Macc 13:25-30). From this time onward the idea of the anticipation of the resurrection of the dead gradually develops, an idea that had been expressed already in the book of the prophet Daniel (Dan 12, 13; compare 2 Macc 7, 9, 14). It is subsequently taken up in Jewish apocalyptic writings, in the writings of the wise men of Israel (Sir 15:6; Wisdom 2:23) and in the works of scribes close to the Pharisee faction (Acts 23:8). 2. Death in the New Testament 2.1. In the New Testament Man’s death is viewed through the prism of the death on the Cross and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Immortality belongs only to God (1 Tim 6:16) and it is natural for people to be afraid of death (Matt 4:16; Heb 2:15). However, because God is the life-giving source of all life (Rom 4:17), death could have only appeared as the result of Man having abandoned God, which is what happened with Adam (Rom 5:15, 17-18; 1 Cor 15:22) and which is repeated in the life of every person (Rom 6:23; Heb 9:27). In this manner, death gains power over a person not only at the end of his earthly life, but reigns over him throughout his whole life. This is so-called carnal wisdom, moral or spiritual death (Rom 8:6; 1 John 3:14), because sin, which results in death and is its sting, exists in Man despite the law of God (Rom 7:9, 1 Cor 15:56; James 1:15). For this reason the Scriptures say that the Devil, from whom sin originates, was in possession of the dominion of death (Heb 2:14) and death itself is viewed as a demonic power (1 Cor 15:26-27; Rev 6:8; 20:13-14). |
| Thus is defined the dogma of the Cross. The Cross is the path of the Christian and the Church. At the same time it is also the power of the Church. Looking with one’s mental eyes “Unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith” (Heb. 12:2), the Christian finds spiritual strength in the awareness that after the Lord’s death on the Cross there followed the Resurrection; that by the Cross the world has been conquered; that if we die with the Lord we shall reign with Him, and shall rejoice and triumph in the manifestation of His glory (1 Peter 4:13). The Cross, finally, is the banner of the Church. From the day when the Saviour bore the Cross on His shoulders to Golgotha and was crucified on the material Cross, the Cross became the visible sign and banner of Christianity, of the Church, of everyone who believes in Christ.Not everyone who belongs to Christianity “in general” has such an understanding of the Gospel. Certain large Christian societies deny the Cross as a visible banner, considering that it has remained what it was, an instrument of reproach. The Apostle Paul already warned against such an “offense of the Cross” ( Gal. 5:11 ), “lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are being saved, it is the power of God” ( 1Cor. 1:17–18 ). He exhorted men not be ashamed of the Cross as a sign of reproach: “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach,” he teaches (Heb. 13:13–14). For the reproach on the Cross led to the Resurrection in glory, and the Cross became the implement of salvation and the path to glory. Having always before oneself the image of the Cross, making on oneself the sign of the Cross, the Christian first of all brings to his mind that he is called to follow the steps of Christ, bearing in the name of Christ sorrows and deprivations for his faith. Secondly, he is strengthened by the power of the Cross of Christ for battle against the evil in himself and in the world. |
| Tweet Нравится Pan-Orthodox Council: The Mission of the Orthodox Church in Today " s World Source: DECR Communication Service February 28, 2016 The contribution of the Orthodox Church to the attainment of peace, justice, freedom, brotherhood and love between peoples and the removal of racial and other discrimination. Draft of document of the Pan-Orthodox Council approved by the Synaxis of the First Hierarchs of the Local Orthodox Churches in Chambésy, January 21-28, 2016. Published in accordance with the Resolution of the Synaxis of First Hierarchs . The Church of Christ lives in the world but is not of the world (cf. Jn. 17:11 and 14-15).The Church is the sign and image of the Kingdom of God in history, proclaiming the good news of a " new creation " (II Cor. 5: 17) and of a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness (II Pt. 3:13), of a world in which God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain (Rev. 21:4-5). It is with this hope that the Church lives, and foretastes it in particular when the Divine Eucharist is celebrated, bringing " together " (I Cor. 11: 20) the scattered children of God (Jn. 111: 52) without regard to race, gender, age, social status or any other station into a single body where 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; cf. Col. 3:11). In this foretasting of a " new creation, " of a world transfigured, the Church lives in the countenances of her saints who, through their spiritual endeavors in Christ, have already in this life revealed the image of the Kingdom of God, proving and affirming by this that the hope of peace, justice and love is not a utopia, but the substance of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1), attained through the grace of God by means of the human person’s spiritual endeavors. In finding constant inspiration in this hope and the foretasting of the Kingdom of God, the Church cannot remain aloof from of the problems of the human person in each historical epoch, but shares his concern and everyday problems, taking upon herself, as the Lord did, the pain and wounds, the cause of which is evil that is active in the world and, like the Good Samaritan, with a word of patience and comfort (Rom. 15:4, Heb. 13:22) and through active love, pours upon his wounds oil and wine (Lk. 10:34). Her word, addressed to the world, has as its aim first of all not to judge and condemn the world (cf. Jn. 3:17) and 12:47), but to offer it as guidance the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, hope and the assurance that the last word in history is not evil, no matter what form it may take, and that we should not allow evil to dictate the course of history. |
| Most likely, asking «in his name» signifies asking «as his representative, while about his business,» just as Jesus came in his Father " s name (5:43; 10:25). 8529 It involves prayer «in keeping with his character and concerns and, indeed, in union with him.» 8530 This usage («in the name of» meaning «as onés representative») was common 8531 and fits the context (14:26; 15:21; cf. 15:26–27). (Later rabbis also spoke of passing on traditions in another " s name, i.e., on another " s authority, e.g., m. " Abot 2:8.) 8532 Jesus» promise, «I will do it» (14:13), may well echo God " s word to Moses in Exod 33:17; 8533 this epitomizes the apparent paradox of Johannine Christology: like the Father, Jesus answers prayer (14:13–14), but the Father " s rank remains superior, so that the Father is glorified in the Son (14:13). 8534 Such prayer naturally implied desiring the sort of thing that Jesus would desire–hence praying, as best as one knows, according to God " s will (cf. 1 John 5:14 ). Some other thinkers in antiquity also recognized that people often prayed for what was not best from the divine perspective; 8535 they regarded prayer as conversation with the gods rather than petition 8536 and opined that deities would reward the deserving whether or not they prayed. 8537 An analogous emphasis on intimacy with God did not lead early Christians, however, to avoid praying for themselves as it led some ancient thinkers to do. 8538 Nor did Christians likely expect, as in some myths, 8539 that their deity would grant destructive gifts for which they wrongly asked in their ignorance. As in early Judaism, right motives in prayer mattered. 8540 That anything believers ask in Jesus» name would be granted far exceeds the more specialized guarantees attached to most magical charms. 8541 Such guarantees of answered prayer appear in early Jewish texts but are unusua1. 8542 For the most part, such broad expectations of answered prayer apply to special pietists such as Honi the Circle-Drawer or Hanina ben Dosa, with their Elijah-like faith; but the Jesus tradition invites all believers to that level of bold faith ( Mark 11:23–24 ; Matt 7:7–11; Luke 11:8–13), a confidence continued in early Christianity (Jas 5:16–18; cf. Heb 4:16). 8543 The Johannine circle of believers is no exception (15:16; 1 John 3:22); for them, the Gospel provides models of prayers through the confident example of Jesus (11:41–42; 17:1–26). Perhaps the primary object of asking, under which other enablements are subsumed, is the Holy Spirit, which Jesus will request for them (14:16, admittedly with a different term for asking) as in Luke 11:13 " s adaptation of Q (a more traditional form of which appears in Matt 7:11). 8544 |
| Thus without any death their natural bodies would receive a new quality since they obeyed every command of the spirit that ruled them. With the spirit alone vivifying them, without any help from corporeal nourishment, they would be called spiritual bodies. This could have been if the transgression of God’s command had not merited the punishment of death. On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis 9.3.5–6. 198 The Nuptial Blessing Remained After Sin Appeared. Augustine: Far be it then from us to believe that the couple that were placed in paradise would have fulfilled through this lust, which shamed them into covering those organs, the words pronounced by God in his blessing: “Increase and multiply and fill the earth.” For it was only after man sinned that his lust arose; it was after man sinned that his natural being, retaining the sense of shame but losing that dominance to which the body was subject in every part, felt and noticed, then blushed at and concealed that lust. The nuptial blessing, however, whereby the pair, joined in marriage, were to increase and multiply and fill the earth, remained in force even when they sinned. Yet it was given before they sinned, for its purpose was to make it clear that the procreation of children is a part of the glory of marriage and not of the punishment of sin. City of God 14.21. 199 Gaining Dominion oven the Beasts Within. Gregory op Nyssa: ”You will rule over savage beasts.” How though, you may sale, since I have a beast within. Actually, there are a myriad, a countless number of beasts within you. You should not take offense in these words. Rage is a small beast, yet when it growls in the heart is any 194 FC 84:77–78. 195 Heb 4:15. 196 PG 91:1307–10. 197 Heb 13:4. 198 ACW 42:73–74. 199 LCL 371–73. dog more savage? Is not the treacherous soul like fresh bait staked in front of a bear’s den? Is not the hypocrite a beast?... [Rule] then over the beasts inside you. Rule your thoughts so that you will became a ruler over all things. So the same one who provides the power to rule over all living things provides power for us to rule over ourselves. On the Origin of Man. 200 |
| In the framework of salvation, sanctification and peace are closely aligned and we are instructed to seek them. “Strive for peace with all men, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (eirenen diokete meta panton, kai ton aghiasmon, ou choris oudeis opsetai ton Kyrion) (Heb. 12:14). Further, the New Testament closely associates the term eirene with the powerful salvific term zoe (life), which serves almost as a summary term for the whole consequence of Christ’s saving work, the very opposite of thanatos (death). Its positive, personal, social, holistic and eschatological dimensions are expressed powerfully in 1 Thess. 5:23: “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rarely, the New Testament understands eirene as “peace with God,” mostly in the sense of salvation and the result of reconciliation (katallage), between sinful humanity and God. Not absent, as well, from the New Testament is the sense in which eirene is concord, harmony and order among human beings, for the Kingdom is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” ( Rom. 14:17 ). But there is also the sense of ‘eirene’ as inner peace, much richer than the Greek and Stoic sense of the absence of disturbance (ataraxia). Peter speaks of the “inner person of the heart with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit” ( 1Pet. 3:4 ). The wisdom which comes from above is ‘peaceable,’ according to James 3:17 . By its association with joy, chara ( Rom. 15:13 ) and in the context of the salvation meaning of peace, as the normative human condition, peace of soul points to the content of the spiritual and moral life, and its reflection in our relations with others. Thus, in 1 Timothy, the Christian’s goal is to “lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way” (hesychion kai eremon bion) (2:2). Thus, the disciples are instructed “to keep the peace” (eireneuete) among themselves ( Mark 9:50 ), and with all people ( Rom. 12:18 , 2Cor. 13:11 ). Hebrews teaches that the heavenly Father’s and the earthly parent’s discipline yield “the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). Most significantly, Jesus’ Beatitudes call blessed those who are peacemakers, as establishing peace and harmony among people, in imitation, in the likeness of, and parallel to Christ’s work of salvation and reconciliation, according to which He makes “peace by the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:19). Thus, the making of peace between God and humanity and among human beings becomes a function of the loving and salvific work of God for us, but also a reflection of the will of God for the relations of human beings among each other. On this basis, the Fathers of the Church build their teachings on peace. |
| If, as we have argued above, «the Father " s house» alludes to the temple, some might draw a connection between that house and the «place prepared.» The temple was sometimes spoken of as a place that had been prepared, as the building «which will be revealed, with me, that was already prepared from the moment I decided to create Paradise.» 8413 Whether or not we accept McNamarás contention that «preparing a resting place» for God was a regular expression for God " s sanctuary in this period, 8414 the idea of preparing a place for the disciples in God " s house might connote the places the priests would have in the eschatological temple ( Ezek 45:4–5 ; cf. 40:45–46; 42:13; 44:16); and in the Fourth Gospel, the eschatological temple is clearly in Jesus himself. 8415 Since the temple would naturally be viewed as a dwelling of the deity 8416 and the hope of Israel was God " s covenant-dwelling among them (Rev 21:3, 22), 8417 the point of the text would not have been difficult to grasp. In Scripture, God had promised to dwell among his covenant people ( Lev 26:12 ; Ezek 37:26–28 ); in the new covenant, God would put his laws in their hearts ( Jer 31:33 ). Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether John intends a deliberate allusion to the temple with «prepared.» Other texts speak of eschatological places God prepared for his people (Matt 20:23; 25:34; Heb 11:16), and most significantly, Revelation employs John " s language for the present period of suffering and divine protection between the first and second coming, without reference to the temple (Rev 12:6). 8418 The language of «preparing» was also appropriate for «preparing a house " –for instance, getting things there in order or meeting someone important (Tob 11:3); it so functions in the passion tradition familiar from Mark ( Mark 14:15 ). One may read 14:2, with many versions, as a question: «If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?» Reading the line as a question allows one to take the τι into account. 8419 Others read the line as a statement rather than a question because Jesus had nowhere promised to prepare a place for them earlier in this Gospel and John is too thorough in foreshadowing to have likely omitted the explicit source for a reference here. 8420 If Jesus» «going» to prepare a place for them (14:2–3) meant going to the Father by death (13:33,36; 14:12,28; 16:5,7,10,17, 28), then presumably the preparation was completed on the cross, probably when Jesus declared, «It is finished» (19:30). 2E. Future or Realized Eschatology? (14:2–3) |
Не удалось извлечь искомое из базы ((( |
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Не удалось извлечь искомое из базы ((( |
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| Yet John writes figuratively; of what sort of fruit does the passage speak? In John " s larger usage, one might suppose the fruit of Christian witness (4:36; 12:24), but the immediate context, which bears more weight than John " s usage elsewhere when the usage is so rare (two texts), suggests moral fruit. 8921 This is the most common sense of the metaphor in other traditions about Jesus and John the Baptist with which this Gospel " s first audience may have been familiar (Matt 3:8, 10; 7:16–20; 12:33; Luke 3:8–9; 6:43–44; 13:6–9; probably Mark 11:14; 12:2 ); other early Christian writers also develop it ( Gal 5:22 ; Phil 1:11 ; Eph 5:9 ; Col 1:10; Heb 12:11; Jas 3:18; Jude 12). 8922 In an agrarian society such as ancient Israel " s, the image of fruit bearing naturally proved recurrent, albeit less frequently in the sense of its usage in this passage than one might expect. In Hosea, Israel thought God " s gifts were from other lovers ( Hos 2:5, 8–9 ), and Israel the vine yielded fruit for idolatry (10:1), a fruit of poisonous weeds (10:4). Though his people had sown and reaped sin (10:13), God would make them sow and reap righteousness (10:11–12); God would be the dew and cause Israel to blossom and bear fruit (14:5–7), and he would be the source of their fruit (14:8). One early Jewish text could speak of God " s law bearing fruit in the hearts of the righteous (4 Ezra 3:20). 8923 Greeks also offered such comparisons, although again, perhaps because of the urban setting of much literature preserved for us, moral uses of fruit are less common than one might expect. 8924 Plutarch reports that Socrates wanted to cultivate Alcibiades as a plant so that his «fruit» would not be destroyed. 8925 Given their emphases, it is not surprising that philosophers used the metaphor especially in an intellectual sense. Thus, for example, Epictetus compares figs with «the fruit (καρπν) of human intelligence,» 8926 and Marcus Aurelius expounds on the fruit of reason; 8927 Philo felt that the best fruit of the soul is unforgetful remembering. 8928 On the whole, however, the accepted setting of the vine and the normal agrarian image probably exercised more effect than specific extrabiblical precedent for using fruit as a moral image. |
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