| So, two cheers to the translators of the Septuagint for their fidelity to the text they received. 4. THE CASE OF THE MISSING PROPHECY In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we read the following prophetic passage: “ And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, and take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. So he got up, took the child and his motherduring the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON .” (Matt. 2:12-15) Many Protestants believe that this prophecy is found in the Old Testament book of the Prophet Hosea (chap. 11, verse 1). But this cannot be true. Why? If you read the Hosea passage in its entirety, you realize that this particular passage is speaking about God’s disobedient son, the nation of Israel. This cannot be said of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There is only one Old Testament passage that clearly fulfills all the qualifications for being the prophecy that the Gospel of St. Matthew is referring to. That is Numbers 24:2-9, in the Septuagint text: “ And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable and said: Balaam says to the sons of Beor, the man who sees truly says, He who hears the oracle of the Mighty One speaks, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened: How goodly are thy habitations, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel! As shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters. There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased. God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy. He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who has stirred him up? They that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed .” |
| The Church, it is true, may not be removed completely from the world, for people enter her who are still living on the earth, and therefore the “earthly” element in her composition and external organization is unavoidable; yet the less of this “earthly” element there is, the better it will be for her eternal goals. In any case this “earthly” element should not obscure or suppress the purely spiritual element—the matter of salvation of the soul unto eternal life—for the sake of which the Church was both founded and exists. The first and fundamental criterion, which we may use as a guide to distinguish the True Church of Christ from the false Churches (of which there are now so many!), is the fact that it has preserved the Truth intact, undistorted by human sophistries, for according to the Word of God, “the Church is the pillar and ground of truth” (I Tim. 3: 15), and therefore in her there can be no falsehood. Any which in its name officially proclaims or confirms any falsehood is already not the Church. Not only the higher servants of the Church, but the ranks of believing laymen must shun every falsehood, remembering the admonition of the Apostle: ”Wherefore, putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25), or “Lie not to one another” (Col. 3:9). Christians must always remember that according to the words of Christ the Savior, lying is from the devil, who “is a liar, and the father of lies” (St. John 8:44). And so, where there is falsehood there is not the True Orthodox Church of Christ! There is instead a false church which the holy visionary vividly and clearly depicted in his Apocalypse as “a great whore that sitteth upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication” (Rev. 17:1-2). Even in the Old Testament from the prophets of God we see that unfaithfulness to the True God frequently was represented by the image of adultery (see, for example, Ezek. 16:8-58, or 23:2-49). And it is terrifying for us not only to speak, but even to think that in our insane days we would have to observe not a few attempts to turn the very Church of Christ into a “brothel,”—and this not only in the above figurative sense, but also in the literal sense of this word, when it is so easy to justify oneself, fornication and every impurity are not even considered sins! We saw an example of this in the so-called “Living Churchmen” and “renovationists” in our unfortunate homeland after the Revolution, and now in the person of all the contemporary “modernists” who strive to lighten the easy yoke of Christ (St. Matt. 11:30) for themselves and betray the entire ascetic structure of our Holy Church, legalizing every transgression and moral impurity. To speak here about Orthodoxy, of course, is in no way proper despite the fact that the dogmas of the Faith remain untouched and unharmed! |
| We remember that the fall of Adam and Eve occurred through eating in disobedience to the commandment of God (Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-24), and that the restoration and victory in Christ was realized through His overcoming the temptation of eating (Matt. 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). But what does our incarnate God offer to us as the ultimate possibility of union with Him? He gave us His Body and His Blood to be eaten. He said to us, “ τργων μου τν σρκα κα πνων μου τ αμα ν μο μνει, κγ ν ατ.” ”He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:56). Here is the ultimate paradox: During Lent, abstinence from food, i.e. fasting, is accompanied by partaking of the imperishable food, i.e. the Body and Blood of Christ. Adam and Eve fell away from paradise and from their connection to God through eating, and we are restored and united to God in the highest way through the Holy Communion by eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ. This is much more than being Christocentric. This is having Christ dwelling in us in a palpable way. 8. Cultivate human relationships The season of Lent is also an opportunity to cultivate our human relationships in more authentic ways. Looking again at the hymnology of the Triodion, we clearly ascertain that there is an emphasis on loving and caring for each other, on moving away from evil and wrong things, on forgiving one another, and on being reconnected with our fellow human beings. The Book of Isaiah, read in its entirety during Lent, begins with a condemnation of the people of Israel because they had abandoned God, and then continues with an admonition to the Israelites to return to God and to be fair and to establish proper relationships with their fellow human beings. So we are called to think of any relationships that are not in the proper condition and make every effort to remedy them. This is a very integral part of living our lives during Lent. 9. Practice almsgiving Almsgiving is a vital aspect of the Lenten period. On one of the multiple occasions speaking about the need to be a person who takes care of others, St. John Chrysostom said that we are all called to give alms. He continued to say that even those who claim to be poor are not free from offering alms. Poverty is a poor excuse not to give. Indeed there are poor people who give the half of what they have (see Mark 12:41-44). It could be said that almsgiving is a requirement for living our life as Christians. Christ said, “when you give alms” (Matt. 6:3), not if you give alms. Almsgiving is especially emphasized during this Lenten period, evidenced again by the hymnology of our Church. 10. Make this Lent a time for transformation |
| The Forerunner of the coming of the Messiah is also mentioned in the Old Testament. " Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts " (Mal. 3:1). Dwellers in Palestine knew the Holy Scripture and saw in John, who preached repentance, the Angel of the Covenant predicted by the prophets. Thus, people from all of Jerusalem and all the outskirts of the Jordan came to him (see Mark 1:5). In the holy books of the Old Testament, there are prophecies of all of the main events in the life of Jesus the Messiah. The prophet Micah identified the place of birth: " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting " (Mic. 5:2). The Word of God demonstrated the great spiritual gifts of the future Anointed One. " And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord " (Isa. 11:1-2). All of this was fulfilled by Jesus: " ... the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes " (Matt. 7:28-29). Through the prophets, the Holy Spirit indicated a special distinguishing feature of the Messiah, the extraordinary power of wonderworking: " He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert " (Isa. 35:4-6). When the two men came to Jesus from John the Baptist to ask, " Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? " (Luke 7:20), the Lord before all else points to the miracles he has performed: " The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me " (Luke 7:22-23). The people knew that the Messiah would be characterized by the miracles he performed. " Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” (Matt. 12:22-23). |
| We should also bear in mind that, in non-dogmatic areas, disobedience is often thinly veiled idolatry : it’s a worship of our ego. Where We Go from Here Obedience is hard because it requires humility. In our sinful state, with corporations and American culture telling us we’re entitled demi-gods, obedience and humility feel unnatural. But they’re salvific. St. John of the Ladder tells us, “It is impossible for those who have not first lived in obedience to obtain humility” ( The Ladder , Step 26.72). Obedience is not listening to those who tell us to do what we would have done anyway. It is “absolute renunciation of our own life, clearly expressed in our bodily actions” ( The Ladder , Step 4.3). The path of salvation for today’s Orthodox Christian has not changed the slightest since St. Ignatius of Antioch told people to cling to their local priests and bishops. We are still called to fast and pray, to read the Scriptures and the Fathers, to attend divine services locally, to receive the sacraments regularly, to not think highly of ourselves or our ability to discern the times (cf. The Ladder , Step 25.11), to serve in our local parish, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to love God with all our heart. If we do these things, staying out of Church politics, worldly politics, and unrevealed mysteries, then we will be walking the path of salvation. We will participate in a sane and stable Orthodoxy that is able to weather storms (both theological and cultural). There are undoubtedly serious problems happening in the world, and unfortunately, even in the Church. If I’m not careful, I easily fall into anxiety, worry, or anger when I see what’s going on. But we must be patient in these uncertain times, and “In your patience possess ye your souls” (Lk. 21:19). The Lord has given us the Church Fathers and the Scriptures. These are more than sufficient for our salvation. We need not seek the latest word descending from the lips of a white-haired guru on a mountain, filtered through an internet Orthodox personality. Instead, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33). And in another place, “Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually” (1 Chron. 16:11). |
| Sacred Scripture. By “sacred scripture” are to be understood those books written by the holy Prophets and Apostles under the action of the Holy Spirit; therefore they are called “divinely inspired” They are divided into books of the Old Testament and the books of the New Testament. The Church recognizes 38 books of the Old Testament. After the example of the Old Testament Church (Although the Church in the strict sense was established only at the coming of Christ (see Matt.16:18), there was in a certain sense a “Church” in the Old Testament also, composed of all those who looked with hope to the coming of the Messiah. After the death of Christ on the Cross, when He descended into hell and “preached unto the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19), He brought up the righteous ones of the Old Testament with Him into Paradise, and to this day the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast days of the Old Testament Forefathers, Patriarchs, and prophets as equal to the saints of New Testament.), several of these books are joined to form a single book, bringing the number to twenty-two books, according to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. (The 22 “canonical” books of the Old Testament are: 1. Genesis, 2. Exodus, 3. Leviticus, 4. Numbers, 5. Deuteronomy, 6. Joshua, 7. Judges and Ruth considered as one, 8. First and Second Kings (called First and Second Samuel in the King James Version), 9. Third and Fourth Kings (First and Second Kings in the KJV), 10. First and Second Paralipomena (First and Second Chronicles in the KJV), 11. First Esdras (Ezra) and Nehemiah, 12. Esther, 13. Job, 14. Psalms, 15. Proverbs, 16. Ecclesiastes, 17. The Song of Songs, 18. Isaiah, 19. Jeremiah, 20. Ezekiel, 21. Daniel, 22. The Twelve Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi). This is the list given by St. John Damascene in the Exact Exposition of the Christian Faith, p. 375) These books, which were entered at some time into the Hebrew canon, are called “canonical.” (The word “canonical” here has a specialized meaning with reference to the books of Scripture, and thus must be distinguished from the more usual use of the word in the Orthodox Church, where it refers not to the “canon” of Scripture, but to “canons” or laws proclaimed at church councils. |
| Заповедь первая . Taken from Faber, Dominica 17 Post Pentecosten, No. 9 «Mysteria [on the Gospel for the day, viz. Matt. 22.35–46]», sect. 4 «Cur praeceptum dilectionis primum et maximum». 11. 1–I0 cf Faber: «Cur praeceptum dilectionis primum et maximum dicitur? Resp. Primo, quia finis praecepti charitas, inquit Apostolus 1. Tim oth. Nec solum praeceptorum omnium finis est charitas, verum etiam omnium sacramentorum et virtutum totiusque religionis Christianae, quae ultim ate eo tendit, ut hominem cum Deo bonorum omnium fonte perfecte coniungat, quod per charitatem solam fieri potest.» 11. 11–14 cf Faber: «Secundo. Quia omnia alia mandata comprehendit... Si vero diligat proximum, legem implevit, Roman. ac proinde malum non operabitur, nec ulla in re offendet proximum.» 11. 15–18 cf Faber: «Tertio. Quia maximum et praestantissimum est, quod Deo dare possumus; Charitas enim radix et fons est omnium bonorum et donorum.» 11. 19–20 cf Faber: «Quarto. Quia Charitas ostendit, quis et quantus sit homo.» 11. 21–4 cf Faber: «Quinto. Quia est vinculum perfectionis sicut nihil prosunt, inquit S. Chrysost. in cap. 3. ad Coloss, sed diffluuni partes navis, si desini tabulata, et contignationes, et ligamenta, quibus inter se devinciantur; ita nec virtutes caeterae aut virtutum opera, nisi in charitate fiant.«» 11. 25–8 cf Faber: «Sexto, quia maximam habet mercedem. Sic enim ait Apost. 1. Cor. 2. Oculuus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus diligentibus se.» Греси противу Духу Святому . Taken from Faber, Dominica 4 Post Pascha, No. 1 «Iniuriae in Spiritum Sanctum quadruplices», sect. 1 «Quidam resistunt Spiritui Sancto». 11. 1–4 cf Faber: «Quidam resistunt Spiritui S... Huiusmodi vero obices numerantur a D Thoma 2.2. q. 14. ar. 2. sex.» 11. 5–8 cf subsect. 1 «qui desperant»: «Resistunt ergo Spiritui S. Primo qui desperant de Dei misericordia.» II. 9–12 cf subsect. 2 «qui praesumunt de misericordia Dei»: «Secundo, qui praesumunt de Dei indulgentia. Hi enim cum ad sua peccata abutantur Dei misericordia, reddunt se ilia indignos.» 11. 13–16 cf subsect. 3 «impoenitentes»: «Tertio, inpoenitentes, qui dolere de peccatis et resurgere ad gratiam nolunt.» 11. 17–20 cf subsect. 4 «obstinati»: «Quarto, obstinati, qui monitis Spiritus S. Ecclesiae et pastorum eius, nec non parentum aliorum que superiorum aures occludunt.» 11. 21–4 cf subsect. 5 «qui impugnant agnitam veritatem»: «Quinto, qui impugnant veritatem sibi perspectam. Quid enim hoc est aliud, quam lucem meridianam excludere et velle in tenebris errare?» 11. 25–8 cf subsect. 6 «qui fraternae gratiae invident»: «Sexto, qui fraternae gratiae invident. Hi enim ligare volunt manus Spiritus S. datori bonorum omnium, ne in alios sit liberalis.» |
| Крестообразное благословение . Taken from Faber, In Festo Ascensionis Domini, No. 2 «Triumphus ascendentis Christi», sect. 7 «Cum purpura, diadem ate, et annulis»: «Crucem denique in manu gerit, quia elevatis manibus benedixit suis per signum crucis, opinor; quo modo etiam Iacob cancellatis in crucis formant manibus benedixit moriturus Ephraim et Manasse, Gen. 48 ut sentit Gretserus 1. de Cruce.» Любовь 23 . Taken from Faber, Dominica 17 Post Pentecosten, No. 9 «Mysteria [on the Gospel for the day, viz. Matt. 22.35–46]», sect. 5 «Quomodo oportet diligere proximum sicut teipsum»: « " Charitas vera est, inquit S. Greg. hom. 38. in Evang. cum et in Deo diligitur amicus, et cum propter Deum diligitur inimicus.» Любовь ко врагом . This poem is located in A immediately after Любовь 23 and is loosely based on the same passage in Faber. Молитва 41 . Taken from Meffreth, Dominica 5 Post Pascha, No. 3. The poem expresses the moral at the end of an anecdote similar to the one which is the basis of Молитва 42 (cf vol. II, p. 619). The elder says to the monk who is beset by sinful thoughts: «Impossibilie est a te discedere spiritum fornicationis alijs pro te orantibus, nisi tu ipse laborem assumas, ieiunijs, orationibus & vigilijs orans Dominum cum gemitu» (Pars aestiv., p. 120). Молитва грешнаго . Taken from Meffreth, Dominica 5 Post Pascha, No. 2. 11. 1–4 cf Meffreth: «Sed diceret aliquis, Nunquid orantes peccatores Deus exaudit?» 11. 5–12 cf Meffreth: «Primo, Deus non exaudit peccatores ad salutem.» 11. 13–16 cf Meffreth: «Alio modo Deus exaudit peccatores propter triplicem rationem. Primo, propter eorum faciliorem conuersionem.» 11. 17–18 cf Meffreth: «Secundo, propter prosperiorem successum rerum temporalium, ita vt eis eo prosperius succédât in temporalibus, & per hoc priuabuntur aeternis.» 11. 19–20 cf Meffreth: «Tertio, propter maiorem alleuiationem aeternae damnationis, quam habebunt in futuro» (Pars aestiv., P- И З). Мудрость 2 . Taken from Faber, Feria 2 Pentecostes, No. 4 «Eadem Spiritus Sancti dona aliter exponuntur», sect. 1 «Donum sapientiae, Doctrice Aquila». The poemsummarises this section without quoting it verbatim: «Laboramus plerique stultitia in congnoscendo summo bono et ultimo fine, Deo rebusque ad eum ordinandis. Communiter enim de rebus nostris iudicamus secundum rationes humanas, mundi opinionem, et hominum iudicia, ac si his conformentur actiones nostrae, rem bene gestam arbirtramur: ad Deum, divinam et aeternam regulam non attendimus, utrum ipsi placeant ipsiusque voluntati sint conformes. Atque haec mundi sapientia, quae secundum terrena et corporalia iudicat, terrena et animalis sapientia vocatur, ut docet D. Thomas 2.2. q. 45. art 1.» |
| But the fact remains that another extant tradition places the priests» question here on the hearts of «the people» (Luke 3:15), and despite the Fourth Gospel " s fuller report of other details in the narrative, it is easier to understand why the Fourth Gospel would have narrowed this question to messengers of the Pharisees than to hypothesize why the Third Gospel or its traditions would have softened the question " s source to the crowds (cf. similarly Luke 3:7; Matt 3:7). 3823 2. John " s Denials (1:20–23) John " s questioners ask him about Elijah and the Prophet (a new Moses figure), both of whom were end-time prophetic figures expected in this period. 3824 Earlier tradition concurs with the Fourth Gospel " s claim that some thought John the Christ (Luke 3:15), and that he responded that one mightier than he would come after him to bestow the Spirit (Matt 3:11; Luke 3:16), but the Fourth Gospel elaborates the discussion more fully than our other extant traditions do. The language of the denial may reflect a deliberate contrast with the confession the tradition reports for Jesus before the Jerusalem elite ( Mark 14:61–62 ; cf. 8:28). John " s emphatic «I» in his denial of his messiahship in the Greek text of 1(also 3:28) may suggest that John is about to confess another as the Christ (cf. 1:23, 27). 3825 Certainly John " s confession contrasts with Jesus» positive «I am» statements in this Gospel (e.g., 4:26; 11:25), fitting the running contrast created by John " s abasement and Jesus» exaltation (1:15; 3:28–30). 3826 That John both «confessed» and «denied not» is more than mere Semitic parallelism at work; 3827 it is varied repetition for the sake of emphasis, sounding almost like a response to the charge that John claimed to be more than a prophet. 3828 The reader will later learn that the leaders who sent messengers to John prove unwilling to confess Christ or permit others to do so (9:22; 12:42); John himself, however, «confesses» him openly (cf. Matt 10:32; Luke 12:8, a tradition likely known to the Johannine community–Rev 2:13; 3:5). 2A. Not Elijah (1:21a) |
| 6 It is useless to fast from food, protests St. Basil, and yet to indulge in cruel criticism and slander: ‘You do not eat meat, but you devour your brother’ . 7 The same point is made in the Triodion, especially during the first week of Lent: As we fast from food, let us abstain also from every passion. . . Let us observe a fast acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. True fasting is to put away all evil, To control the tongue, to forbear from anger, To abstain from lust, slander, falsehood and perjury. If we renounce these things, then is our fasting true and acceptable to God. Let us keep the Fast not only by refraining from food, But by becoming strangers to all the bodily passions. 8 The inner significance of fasting is best summed up in the triad: prayer, fasting, almsgiving . Divorced from prayer and from the reception of the holy sacraments, unaccompanied by acts of compassion, our fasting becomes pharisaical or even demonic. It leads, not to contrition and joyfulness, but to pride, inward tension and irritability. The link between prayer and fasting is rightly indicated by Father Alexander Elchaninov. A critic of fasting says to him: ‘Our work suffers and we become irritable. . . . I have never seen servants [in pre-revolutionary Russia] so bad tempered as during the last days of Holy Week. Clearly, fasting has a very bad effect on the nerves.’ To this Father Alexander replies: ‘You are quite right. . . . If it is not accompanied by prayer and an increased spiritual life, it merely leads to a heightened state of irritability. It is natural that servants who took their fasting seriously and who were forced to work hard during Lent, while not being allowed to go to church, were angry and irritable.’ 9 Fasting, then, is valueless or even harmful when not combined with prayer. In the Gospels the devil is cast out, not by fasting alone, but by ‘prayer and fasting’ (Matt. 17: 21 ; Mark 9: 29); and of the early Christians it is said, not simply that they fasted, but that they ‘fasted and prayed’ (Acts 13: 3; compare 14: 23). In both the Old and the New Testament fasting is seen, not as an end in itself, but as an aid to more intense and living prayer, as a preparation for decisive action or for direct encounter with God. Thus our Lord’s forty-day fast in the wilderness was the immediate preparation for His public ministry (Matt. 4: 1-11). When Moses fasted on Mount Sinai (Exod. 34: 28) and Elijah on Mount Horeb (3 Kgs. 19: 8-12), the fast was in both cases linked with a theophany. The same connection between fasting and the vision of God is evident in the case of St. Peter (Acts 10: 9-17). He ‘went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour, and he became very hungry and wanted to eat; and it was in this state that he fell into a trance and heard the divine voice. Such is always the purpose of ascetic fasting – to enable us, as the Triodion puts it, to ‘draw near to the mountain of prayer’. 10 |
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