| Sometimes the prophecies are dim, but understandable to us when we view them through the New Testament records as glasses, as in Gen. 3:15 , where it is merely stated that the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent while the serpent would merely bruise the heel of the promised Seed; but in many of them the promise is clear and assuring. A great many of the prophecies promise a glorious kingdom presided over by a God-sent King who would deliver His people from their enemies and reign in righteousness; and repeatedly it was foretold that this king would be of the lineage of David ( Ps. 89:3–4 ; Isa. 11:1–10; Jer. 23:5–6 ). The Jews of the Intertestamental Period, suffering from misrule and oppression of the Greeks and the Romans, found comfort and inspiration in anticipation of the promised King and His Kingdom; and many of the scribes gave themselves to a careful study of those prophecies. As a result of that study some of the scribes had outlined a program of the messianic age. From Matthew 16:14 and John 1:21 , it is evident that their program included the appearance of an Old Testament prophet, the reappearance of Elijah, and the appearance of the Messiah. Before the time of Jesus false messiahs had arisen (Acts 5:36–37), who, while enticing multitudes of followers, came to disastrous ends. The scribes could readily inform Herod that the Christ would be born at Bethlehem (Matt. 2:5–6), and without hesitation they answered Jesus that the Christ would be a descendant of David (Matt. 22:42). At the time of the ministry of John the Baptist the people were in expectation (Luke 3:15), which was shared even by the Samaritans ( John 4:25 ). There were many pious ones who were waiting for the redemption of God’s people; notably Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25–38), and Joseph of Arimathaea (Luke 23:50–52). Besides those prophecies which promised a royal Messiah, there are others ( Ps. 22:1–21 ; Isa. 53, and others) which portray a suffering One, who would bear the sins of the people. |
| What are we to make of all this? Is certainty possible in any particular case? In a few cases, I suggest that such certainty is possible—namely, in the cases of Judas Iscariot, the devil, and his angels, the demons. I say this on the basis of Christ’s words. Regarding Judas He said that he was “a devil” (John 6:70), and a “son of perdition”—i.e. someone lost (John 17:12), and that it would have been better for him if he had never been born (Mark 14:21). By any plain and unbiased reading of these texts, Christ is saying that Judas will not be saved. It is the same with the damnation of the devil—the Scripture plainly states that he will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Similarly with the demons: Christ spoke of Gehenna as having been “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), which would be odd if the devil and his angels will somehow avoid it. Note that in these cases, one is not left guessing because one possesses a clear and authoritative word from Christ on the very subject. Speaking with certitude in these cases does not indicate hubris on the part of the speaker, but humility: Christ has given His verdict, and a humble heart will accept it, even if it trembles all the while. But, it seems to me, all other cases must partake of less certitude. The New Testament tells us who will be lost in the sense of “what kind of person” will be lost, but that is all. It does not attach an authoritative list. Thus we read that a person will be lost if he is one of those who is “selfishly ambitious and who [does] not obey the truth, but [obeys] unrighteousness” (Romans 2:8), if he who “practice such things” as “the works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21), if he hates his brother (1 John 3:15), if he “[does] not obey the Son” (John 3:36). That is, we are offered the profile of the damned, but not God’s verdict on any particular individual about whether or not they fit that profile. And surely it is easy to see why? God wants us to look mostly at our own sins, not the sins of others; the Judge of all the earth does not require our help in this regard. |
| Christ the Savior in the Sermon on the Mount quotes, though without any references, the words from the book of Tobit (compare Tob. 4with Math. 7:12 and Luke 4:31, Tob. 4with Luke 14:13), from the book of Sirach (comp. 28with Math. 6and Mark 2:25 ), from the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon (comp. 3with Math. 13:43). The Apostle John in his Revelations takes the words and images from the book of Tobit (comp. Rev. 21:11–24 with Tob. 13:11–18). In Apostle Paul’s Epistles to the Romans (1:21), to the Corinthians ( 1Cor. 1:20–27; 2:78 ), to Timothy ( 1Tim. 1:15 ), we find the words of the Prophet Baruch. Apostle James has many phrases in common with the book of Jesus, Son of Sirach. The Epistles to the Hebrews of the Apostle Paul and the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon are so similar, that some moderately negative critics considered them to be the works of one and the same author. All the countless legions of the Christian martyrs of the first centuries were inspired for their exploit by the holiest example of the Maccabees’ martyrs, which is described in the second book of Maccabees. Metropolitan Anthony absolutely precisely determines: «The holy books of the Old Testament are divided into canonical, which are recognized by Christians and Jews, and non-canonical, which only the Christians recognize, but which the Jews have lost» (The Experience of the Christian Orthodox Catechism, page 16) All this unquestionably testifies to the high authority and Divine inspiration of the holy books of the Bible, which are incorrectly, or to be more precise, ambiguously called non-canonical. We discussed this question in detail, because Protestantism obediently following the Judean canon, rejects all the books, rejected by the Jews. The Language of the Bible The Holy Scripture was originally written in 3 languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The greater part of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew. The following were written in Aramaic: in the Old Testament, chapters 2–8 of the book of the Prophet Daniel, chapters 4–8 of the 1 st book of Ezra and the book of Sirach; and in the New Testament, the Gospel of St. Matthew. |
| CREATION (Gr. ktisis) Everything made by God. The term creation is applied to the cosmos in general and to mankind in particular. Our regeneration in Christ and the resurrection of the dead are both often called the " new creation. " Creation has no existence apart from God, but is nevertheless distinct from God. (That which is not created, such as divine grace, the divine energies, belongs to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.) CREED A statement of belief. Creeds in their earlier forms were used by the apostles, and many are recorded in the New Testament (Eph. 5:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:11-13). The creed used throughout the Church was adopted at the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325 and expanded at the Council of Constantinople in a.d. 381. The Nicene Creed is used at baptisms, the Divine Liturgy, and in personal daily prayers. CRUCIFIXION A form of execution of criminals used by the ancient Romans in which the offender is nailed through his wrists and ankles to a cross. A crucified person usually died from suffocation after becoming too exhausted to pull himself up in order to breathe. Besides Christ Himself (Matt. 27:35-50), the Apostles Peter, Andrew, James the Less, and Simon were also crucified. CURSE (Gr. anathema) To cut off, separate; the opposite of blessing. A divine curse is God’s judgment. Christ delivers believers from the curse caused by their inability to live by the law of God (see Gen. 3:14-19; 9:25; Mark 11:21; Gal. 3:10-14). THEOPHANY . EPISCOPACY The order of bishops in the Church (from Gr. episkopos, " overseer " ). See also BISHOP . ESCHATOLOGY The study of the last days (Gr. eschaton). According to the Holy Scriptures, Christ will come again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, destroy the power of evil, and fully reveal the everlasting Kingdom (Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20:10—21:1). See also SECOND COMING . ESSENCE (Gr. ousia) Also translated as substance, nature or being. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are " of one essence. " Jesus Christ is " of one essence " with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in His divinity, and " of one essence " with all human beings in His humanity. God’s essence is beyond the understanding and of His creatures. God can be known by humans through the divine energies and operations of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Ex. 33:18-23). See also ENERGY . |
| 271 Sent. Pauli, v. 21. 1. This text distinguishes clearly between expulsion from a city and relegation from a province. Mommsen hesitated to maintain that even an Italian municipality had the power of expulsion from its own territory, in the Republican period. Gf. D. Pen. R. i. 264 n. 3, citing obscure implications of Tab. Her. 118. 119. 274 Cf. H. I. Bell, JRS xxxi (1941), 1 ff., ‘Antisemitism in Roman Alexandria’, with Philo, In Flaccum, generally. 279 Cf. art. cit. 200, 207, with H. M. Last, JRS xxvii (1937), 80 ff. ‘The study of the persecutions’, as a characteristic exposition. 280 Livy, 39. 16. 8–9, esp. ‘iudicabant… nihil aeque dissolvendae religionis esse quam ubi non patrio sed externo ritu sacrificaretur’. 281 S. L. Guterman, Religious Toleration and Persecution in Ancient Rome (London, 1951), esp. 27–48. 283 The existence of the supposed rule has been freely assumed, cf., e.g., Cadbury, op. cit., appendix xxv. S. L. Guterman, op. cit. 106. But the evidence commonly cited proves little. Only Dio, 57.18.5a – which is merely a citation from John of Antioch – mentions proselytism: ‘as many Jews were settling in Rome and converting many of the natives to their customs, he [Tiberius] expelled most of them’. Nothing in Tacitus’ version (Ann. ii. 85) or in Suetonius’ (Tib. 36. Claud. 25.4) suggests a legal bar of this sort. Dio, 60. 6.6, describing Claudius’ veto on public assemblage, says nothing about proselytism. There is no sign of such a rule even after the first Jewish rebellion. The charges against Roman citizen converts under Domitian were on the older principle of incompatibility. Dio, 67. 14. 2; 68. 1. 2. The text in Suet. Dom. 12. 2, refers only to those who tried to dodge the poll tax by failing to register as Jews and were prosecuted for that; CAH, xi. 42, n. 2. The classical lawyers, as represented by D. 48. 8. 11 pr. (Modestinus) and the late Sententiae Pauli, v. 22. 3, know at most a rule against the circumcision of Romans, which was in intention not against proselytism but against its by-product. Characteristically the surgeon was liable to punishment for the offence against the person. In the fuller of the two texts Jews were liable to punishment only in the case of circumcision of slaves; the rule aimed at the protection of the person of the slave, who had no choice, unlike the free man, who was punished for his own act. This rule dates back to Pius, and possibly to Hadrian (SHA Hadr. 14), i.e. to the time of the second revolt. But the earliest trace of a rule against proselytism as such is only under Severus (SHA Sept. Sev. 17). See now E. M. Smallwood, Cl. Phil. (1956), 1 ff. |
| John may be making a theological statement: both Romans and Jews bore responsibility for Jesus» arrest; 9618 here, as in the rest of the Passion Narrative, «the Jews,» that is, the Jewish leaders, have shown their character as part of the «world.» This also fits the Gospel " s setting. Yet even within the story world of John, it remains unclear that Pilate was involved at this point, 9619 and hence Roman participation seems unlikely (unless the logic of the narrative, as understood within a framework intelligible to its likely first-century audience, deconstructs at this point). 2C. Judas " s Responsibility Judas «receives» the cohort in 18:3. John may allow his language to do double duty here: first, on the historical level, Judas led the police to Jesus. Second, while John " s wording does not demand that Judas himself commanded the cohort, 9620 it does allow that interpretation. Such an interpretation would seem absurdly implausible to anyone familiar even exclusively with John " s own narrative, whether the cohort is Jewish or Roman, if pressed literally. But the strength of John " s expression makes more sense as graphic Johannine irony: those who betray God " s servants are as responsible for their executions as if they had killed them themselves (16:2). John nowhere mentions Judas " s kiss, so striking in the Synoptics. 9621 Instead, although Judas remains the betrayer, Jesus identifies himself for those who came to arrest him, in order to protect his followers (18:4–9); John reminds his audience that Jesus died on their behalf, and did so purposely (10:18), a theme prominent in most of John " s adaptations of the traditional passion narrative. 3. Jesus» Self-Revelation (18:4–9) Jesus is aware of all things that are coming on him (18:4); " 9622 he knows «all things» (16:30; 21:17), including the «coming things» such as those the Paraclete will reveal (16:13; on implications for John " s Christology, see comment on 2:24–25). John " s depiction also illustrates that Jesus remained in control of the events; no one takes his life from him, but he lays it down freely (10:18). Even in the Synoptics, Jesus» responses to the Sanhédrin and to Pilate are calculated to secure his execution; here, however, Jesus theologizes on the matter (18:4–8, 36–37). This picture of Jesus» confidence in his Father " s mission pervades the Fourth Gospel; thus, for example, instead of pointing out that one dipped with him in the dish ( Mark 14:20 ), Jesus himself gives Judas the sop ( John 13:26 ). |
| The foolishness of greed, our hoarding possessions, is exactly what Jesus addressed in the parable of the man with the plentiful harvest (Luke 12:16-21). This farmer planned to build bigger barns to store his crops and goods, but his life was suddenly taken from him (another example of how “deadly” greed is). Jesus told his disciples, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15; emphasis added). Yet, there is a place for abundance in a Christian’s life: an abundance of spiritual understanding (Matthew 13:12; Philippians 1:9-11); an abundance of spiritual gifts (Matthew 25:29); and, an abundance of grace (Romans 5:15-17; 2 Corinthians 9:8-14), peace (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2), and love (1 Timothy 1:14, Jude 1:2). Jesus can provide us a spiritually abundant life (John 10:10); yet, this abundance from God is usually only available to us in proportion to how much we spurn the abundance the world offers (Matthew 5:3). What Can Be Done? Those of us possessing a worldly abundance need to confess our sin and repent. We would do well to heed Holy Scripture’s warning that the greedy will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 5:5). Second, we need to go on a lifestyle diet and shed some material possession weight. A business growing in popularity presently is that of renting storage units. Despite the fact the average house built today is 2-3 times larger than those built 50 years ago, we seemingly do not have enough room in our dwellings for all our things. Even if we don’t have a storage unit, many of us are on a continual quest for “home improvement”—renovating and replacing our functional fixtures and furnishings with more expensive decor. Yet, Solomon warned, “He who makes his own house lofty seeks destruction” (Proverbs 17:18). Third, we should severely limit how often we go shopping. Perhaps the biggest leisure activity today is that of browsing the malls, the internet, mail order catalogs, or TV shopping networks for new things to entice our eyes. This activity is contrary to what St. Paul stated as one of the distinctions of being a Christian: |
| 16 Ср.: еп. Феофан, Толкование на Рим. Иначе Williams N.P в: The Epistle to the Romans in A New Commentary on Holy Scripture (edited by Charles Gore). Part III. London, 1928, pp. 442–484, но приводимые им соображения не представляются достаточно убедительными. 18 Sat. I, 5, 100. Цит. по: Q. Horatii Flacci. Opera omnia (instruxit Guil. Dillenburger). Editio quinta. Bonnae, MDCCCLXV1I, p. 377. 19 Точная дата смерти Иакова Праведного определяется различно, в зависимости от того, принимаем ли мы свидетельство Игисиппа, сохраненное у Евсевия, или свидетельство Иосифа Флавия (ср. мою статью в «Православной мысли», вып. 2). 20 Ст. 2–3 при этом было бы правильно связывать со ст. 4, а не со ст. 1, как это сделано в нашем русском переводе. В служении Иоанна Крестителя получает свое исполнение ветхозаветное пророчество. 21 См.: Turner С. Н. The Gospel according to St. Mark в: A New Commentary on Holy Scripture (edited by Charles Gore). Part III. London, 1928, p. 52. 22 Наше чтение: «Евангелие Царствия Божия» отвечает греческому тексту кодексов A, D и некоторых других. Наряду с этой формой есть другая: εαγγλιον το Θεο, которая дана в кодексах , В, L, , Syr. Sin. и др. В критических изданиях эта вторая форма обычно предпочитается, но историки текста считают нашу форму почти равноценной, и в контексте обе формы имеют тот же смысл. Εαγγλιον το Θεο, может быть, сильнее, в духе вводных стихов, подчеркивает контраст Бога и мира. 23 Наша форма текста ст. 34 опирается на кодексы В, С, L и некоторые другие. Ей обычно предпочитают краткую форму без τν Χριστν Θεν. Так , A, D. По-русски она звучала бы: «Не позволял бесам говорить, что они знают Его». По существу, различия нет, т. к. содержание знания вытекало бы из Мк.1:25 . 24 Dibelius Μ (Die Formgeschichte des Evangeliums. Tubingen, 1919, cc. 64–65) понимает всё Мк. как Geheime Epiphanie. He могу не отметить этого совпадения термина, являющегося косвенным подтверждением правильности предполагаемых терминологией наблюдений. 30 |
| In no sense, therefore, was it of this class of servants that the Lord said, Where I am, there shall also my servant be, and If any man serve me, him will my Father honor; for we see that Judas, who served in this way, became an object of reprobation rather than of honor. Why, then, go elsewhere to find out what this serving of Christ implies, and not rather see its disclosure in the words themselves? For when He said, If any man serve me, let him follow me, He wished it to be understood just as if He had said, If any man does not follow me, he serves me not. And those, therefore, are the servants of Jesus Christ, who seek not their own things, but the things that are Jesus Christ’s. Philippians 2:21 For let him follow me is just this: Let him walk in my ways, and not in his own; as it is written elsewhere, He that says he abides in Christ, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. 1 John 2:6 For he ought, if supplying food to the hungry, to do it in the way of mercy and not of boasting, seeking therein nothing else but the doing of good, and not letting his left hand know what his right hand does; Matthew 6:3 in other words, that all thought of self-seeking should be utterly estranged from a work of charity. He that serves in this way serves Christ, and will have it rightly said to him, Inasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of those who are mine, you did it unto me. Matthew 25:40 And thus doing not only those acts of mercy that pertain to the body, but every good work, for the sake of Christ (for then will all be good, because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes Romans 10:4), he is Christ’s servant even to that work of special love, which is to lay down his life for the brethren, for that were to lay it down also for Christ. For this also will He say hereafter in behalf of His members: Inasmuch as you did it for these, you have done it for me. And certainly it was in reference to such a work that He was also pleased to make and to style Himself a servant, when He says, Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto [served], but to minister [serve], and to lay down His life for many. |
| Jesus Christ will judge people based on what they have done and not done, not whether they believed – “I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in”, etc. Those who have not done these things will “go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:31-46). “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The judgment will be according to one’s works – not faith or membership in the Church: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done , whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). “He shall reward every man according to his works ” (Matthew 16:27). “The righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds ” (Romans 2:5-6). “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works . And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works ” (Revelation 20:12-13). There can be found even a few Old Testament quotes about redemption (forgiveness of sins) as a result of works: “Water will quench a flaming fire; and alms maketh an atonement for sins” (Sirach 3:30). “For alms doth deliver from death, and shall purge away all sin” (Tobit 12:9). And, of course, there is a strong Patristic consensus pointing to the necessity of works for one’s salvation. In the 2nd-century text “The Shepherd” by Hermas , that even enjoyed the status of Scripture in some parts of the early Church, here are the commandments given to the author by the Divine visitor (“the Shepherd”): “Abstain not from any good works, but do them. Hear, he said, what the virtue of those good works is which you must do, that you may be saved . The first of all is faith and the fear of the Lord, then charity, concord, equity, truth, patience, and chastity” (Part II, “Commands”, Command 8, Verse 8). Interestingly, faith is mentioned in this list as one of the works. “But now I say to you, if you will not observe these commands, but will neglect them, you will not be saved ” (Part II, “Commands”, Command 12, Verse 16). Neglecting the commandments will result in the loss of salvation. |
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