Vladimir Degtyarev
The word revelation comes from the Greek word apocalypse, which means opening, uncovering or removing the veil. Therefore, revelation means that God has revealed Himself to mankind. Through God's revelation, theology, or the study of God, of His nature, became possible. If God had not revealed Himself, we would not have any knowledge of Him and could not understand Him even in the slightest. In a broad sense, the word revelation means that God has revealed Himself through His creation, the history of the world, the conscience of man, and through the Bible. Thus, one can conclude that God's revelation is twofold:
□ General or natural revelation - God has revealed Himself through human history, the world(universe) and conscience.
□ Special or supernatural revelation - God reveals Himself through Scripture and in His son Jesus Christ.
A. General or natural revelation.
First, God's general revelation constantly reminds us of the Creator. Through general revelation, God reveals Himself, firstly, through the surrounding world, the universe (Ps. 18:2-7; Rom. 1:18-21). These passages indicate that the universe points to the existence of God and reveals God's glory, and also that the creation of God, that is, the world around us, shows us the omnipotence of God and speaks of the coming judgment. Thus, the revelation of God in nature reveals to us the important truth that God exists and that He has such attributes as power, glory, divinity, and goodness. But the revelation of God through the world around us is limited and insufficient for salvation.
Secondly, God reveals Himself in the history of the human race through the care and control of His creation. In theology, this is called God's providence. The word providence comes from the Latin word providere, and means to foresee, anticipate, predict. God, as the creator of everything, including time, is outside of time. He sees and knows everything that was, is, will be, and even what can happen. The following passages of Scripture confirm this: Matthew 5:45 - reveals God's favor to all people, Acts 14:15-17 - reveals that God provides food for all mankind. Dan. 2:21 - reveals that God sets up rulers and removes them from power.
And third, God speaks of Himself through the conscience of man (Rom. 2:14-15). Conscience is an internal law that God has placed in the heart of every person. This inner law, present in the heart of every sane person, points to the presence of a single Legislator.
The biblical doctrine of general revelation leads to the following important conclusions: (1). Many facts that can be found in the surrounding world indicate that the Creator really exists. (2). Conscience points a person to a common moral law for all and his responsibility before God. It testifies that every person can be justly condemned, because each of us, to one degree or another, acted contrary to the voice of conscience. (3). The world around us (Rom. 1 and Ps. 18), the history of the human race (Acts 14:17), as well as the internal moral law - conscience (Rom. 2:14-15), confirm the existence of God. (4). General revelation leads us to the truth about the existence of God, but fails to give us everything we need to know about God. For example, general revelation fails to reveal the doctrine of the Trinity or that God loves and desires to save man. (5). Moreover, sin has deprived man of the ability to "read" and understand the revelation of God in nature in full measure.
B. Special or supernatural revelation.
Special revelation is more narrowly focused than general revelation and focuses on Jesus Christ and the Scriptures. Of course, everything that is known about Christ comes from Scripture, since the truth about Him is central to Scripture, so we can say that special revelation is entirely concentrated in the Word of God. In a special revelation, God, as we have already said, reveals himself in the Person of Christ in particular (John 1:18; 14:9 - revealed to us God the Father; Heb. 1:1-2) and in Scripture in general. God's love, compassion, power, and attitude toward man are most fully revealed in the description of the life of Christ, His character, His works, and His teachings. Only through revelation from above can a person reach the true and most complete knowledge of God. This is true for two reasons:
1. God, by His Essence, is inaccessible to creation. Its indescribable attributes, such as omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and so on, are incomprehensible to the human limited mind. If man himself could comprehend God in all His fullness, he would then be a god.
2. It is also necessary to take into account the fact that through the fall man lost contact with God and therefore is in a state of spiritual death. A sinful, unregenerate person, without being born again, is unable to see the Kingdom of God, understand it, or enter into it (John 3:3, 5).
We have enough facts to assert that the Bible is a special revelation from God for all mankind. For example, in the Bible itself we find confirmation that the Bible is the Word of God, that is, a supernatural revelation from God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21). The history of the Bible tells us about its supernatural nature, so all attempts to destroy it were unsuccessful. Scripture contains many fulfilled prophecies. According to statistics, about 20% of the total text of the Bible is occupied by prophecies. Many of them have already been fulfilled, some have been partially fulfilled, and some are yet to be fulfilled.
Based on all of the above, we can come to the conclusion that the Bible is not a book that a person could write himself, without help from above, since a person could not describe the origin of the world, sin and the punishment for sin, as well as salvation given by the grace of God. Man could not describe the high standards of God's holiness because they are foreign to his old nature. He would not have been able to predict accurately the events that would take place in the future. I could not understand the essence of infinity and, compiling such a book as the Bible, avoid contradictions, if the Holy Spirit did not take part in the compilation of Scripture. Man could never write about the trinity of God, since this teaching surpasses the capacity of the human mind. Therefore, we have the right to assert that the Bible is God's special revelation, given by the grace of God to us humans. God has not revealed to us everything that we, in our inquisitive nature, would like to know (Deut. 29:29). But He gave us everything we need, and we must be satisfied with this so that we can live worthily in this world, serve God and glorify Him (John 20:30-31; 2 Pet. 1:3).
Vladimir Degtyarev, Fundamentals of Christian Theology. (DMin Dissertation), Ukraine, Zaporozhye 2007
Individual lesson Sunday School was devoted to the question of Divine Revelation as the basis Orthodox worldview and spiritual experience of the Orthodox believer.
And Daniel said, Blessed be the name of the Lord from everlasting to everlasting! for he has wisdom and power; He changes times and seasons... gives wisdom to the wise and understanding to the prudent; He reveals the deep and hidden, knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
The book of the prophet Daniel (Dan 2. 20-22)
1. Divine Revelation and its main features.
Revelation in the most general sense is "the manifestation of the Supreme Being in our world, in order to tell us more or less complete truth about himself and about what he requires of us." According to this interpretation, two points are combined in Revelation. First, "the fact of theophany (theophany), through which the Divine is revealed to us." And, secondly, - "the religious and moral content of this fact", or "what is revealed in it." Emphasizing this second point, Metropolitan Filaret (Drozdov) defines Divine Revelation as "that which God Himself revealed to people so that they could rightly and savingly believe in Him and worthily honor Him."
In modern theology, based on communicative-dialogical understanding of being, there has been a tendency to move from understanding Revelation as “knowledge” about God to an interpersonal, dialogic understanding of its essence - as “knowledge” of God. As J. O᾿ Collins writes: “Instead of interpreting revelation, first of all, as truths that reveal God, revelation began to be understood as Divine self-disclosure ... Revelation is a meeting of personality with Personality, subject with Subject, I with You. Accordingly, the initial question of revelation is: “ Who opens?” rather than “ What opens?"
With this approach, the following features of Divine Revelation come to the fore.
Divine Revelation, first of all, personalistically. As Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) expresses such a position: “Created from nothing, taken from the earth (see: Gen. 2.7), we are not able to know God. And it is absolutely essential that God Himself reveal Himself to us.” And, speaking further about the need for the manifestation-revelation of the hypostatic God, he asserts: “The last stage of revelation is the revelation of the personal, hypostatic God. The hypostatic God cannot be known otherwise than through revelation, which takes the form of the manifestation of God to man in the act of direct communication “face to face”. According to Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), God reveals himself to man "as a living Being - speaking, hearing, seeing, thinking, helping." He "reveals Himself that man may meet Him." The pinnacle of Divine Revelation is the God-man Jesus Christ, "the living revelation of God"
One of the ways of God's Self-Revelation is the way through the revelation of His Names. As Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) writes: “God revealed himself to Moses as a Person: I AM EXISTING. Of course, we believe that it was Christ Himself who said to Moses: I AM I AM. The subsequent revelation gradually elucidates the properties of this “AZ AM”: “He Who is above every Name in His Essence, is revealed to rational beings in a multitude of names: Eternal, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipotent; Light, Life, Beauty, Wisdom, Goodness, Truth, Love, Righteous, Saving, Holy, Sanctification and others… Revelation brought us a new Name: JESUS, Savior, or GOD-SAVOR… First of all, the Name Jesus reveals to us the meaning and purpose of the coming of God in the flesh: "for our salvation." What is remarkable about the Sinai Revelation to the prophet Moses? - Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) asks a question and answers: “It is the One Who created this whole world, suddenly says:“ It is I, ”and introduces himself to a person, and speaks to him.”
But, while revealing Himself in revelation, the hidden God remains at the same time an infinite mystery for those to whom He revealed Himself. In other words, Divine Revelation apophatic. It "not only reveals, but together also indicates an undiscovered and undiscovered mystery ...".
And finally, Divine Revelation historically. God reveals Himself and His plans about the world and man in historical time - the time of Sacred History. In Christianity, there are three historical phases of Divine Revelation. This is the preparatory Revelation revealed in the Old Testament. Further - the central Revelation contained in the New Testament and supplementing the Old Testament Revelation . And, finally, the Revelation is final, or eschatological, Revelation in all its fullness, expected at the outcome of the world process, in which "knowledge by faith will be replaced by people by direct contemplation of the mystery of God."
These three phases of Divine Revelation refer to supernatural revelation. In addition to supernatural Revelation, natural Revelation is also singled out as the initial stage of the knowledge of God. Describing this way of knowing God, Priest O. Davydenkov writes: “For a Christian who believes that the whole world was created by the creative Divine Word, the universe opens up as a Revelation of eternal divine ideas. Therefore, it is possible to know God through beauty, harmony, expediency, dissolved in the world.
Christianity proceeds from the fullness and immutability of the Revelation that dwells in the Church, and the gradualness of its theological expression and interpretation along the historical path of the Church. According to church teaching, Divine Revelation is not limited to Holy Scripture, and Holy Tradition - with some chronological framework: "The Holy Spirit acts through people of all times ...". The revelation of Jesus Christ, who is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb 13:8), "illumines the whole history of the world from beginning to end."
2. Divine Revelation as Theophany (Epiphany).
In Orthodox Christian thought, Divine Revelation as Theophany is considered in the context of the doctrine of communion with God. This is how the communication between God and man appears in the course of Sacred History in the vision of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov): “At the beginning of man’s existence in Paradise, he spoke directly with God. After the fall, the state of conversation with God was interrupted, and people living on earth are not all equally capable of hearing the voice of God, invisible and without beginning. And God was revealed to man already through separate personalities - prophets or righteous people, and from them mankind perceived the knowledge of God and, believing in His Existence, arranged its life accordingly. The New Adam, the God-Man Jesus Christ, who came, began His sermon with the call: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). And in this sermon, “the continuation of His conversation with Adam in Paradise (Genesis 3:8 et seq.)” is seen.
As stated in the "Epistle to the Hebrews" of the Apostle Paul: God "many times" and "in many ways" spoke in ancient times in the prophets (Heb 1.1). Indeed, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) notes: “Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, many righteous people and prophets did not just think about God, prayed to Him - they saw Him with their own eyes, talked with Him face to face.” The Bible testifies to numerous ("multiple") cases of such Communion with God. Here is one of them: “... The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him: I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless; and I will establish my covenant between me and you... And Abram fell on his face. God continued to speak with him and said: I am my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations, and you will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham ... I will be your God and your descendants after you ... ”(Genesis 17 .1-4, 7).
But what does this “diversely” mentioned by the apostle Paul mean in relation to the Theophany? The Old Testament, this “pre-Christian” humanity, was characterized by Revelation in some external images (the Burning Bush, the ladder that Patriarch Jacob saw in a vision, etc.). God appeared both in fire, and in the "voice of the cold thin", and in a thick cloud, and in pillars of light. This is how the Bible symbolically depicts the appearance of the Lord to the prophet Elijah on Mount Horeb. 1 Kings says: “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him Lord: why are you here, Elijah? ... And he said: go out and stand on the mountain before the face of the Lord, and, behold, the Lord will pass away, and a great and strong wind that tears apart the mountains and crushes the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord is not in the wind; after the wind there is an earthquake, but the Lord is not in the earthquake; after the earthquake there is fire, but the Lord is not in the fire; after the fire, a breath of still wind, [and the Lord is there]” (1 Kings 19:9:11-12). “The breath of a quiet wind” - this is in the Church Slavonic sound that “voice of the cold is thin”, where the Lord is.
Sometimes, as was the case with Moses on Mount Sinai when he received the Ten Commandments, the Lord reveals himself in thunder, flashing lightning, and trumpeting. The book “Exodus” says: “And the Lord said to Moses: behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people will hear how I will speak to you, and believe you forever ... On the third day, when morning came, there were thunders and lightning, and a thick cloud over Mount [Sinai], and a very strong trumpet voice ... Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire; and smoke ascended from her like smoke from a furnace... and the sound of the trumpet grew stronger and stronger... Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice... And God spoke [to Moses] all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God... let it not be you have other gods before me... And [all] the people stood afar off, but Moses entered into darkness, where God is" (Exodus 19:9:16:18-19; 20:1:21).
Some saints already in the New Testament time were honored with a genuine Epiphany in bodily form. According to Tradition, Rev. Alexander Svirsky, as once forefather Abraham, the Holy Trinity appeared. The Life of the Monk Alexander of Svir says: “In the 23rd year of the settlement of the Monk, in 1507, in the desert not far from the Svir River, on the shore of Lake Roshchinsky, a great light appeared in his temple and he saw three men who entered him. They were dressed in bright clothes and illuminated with the glory of heaven "more than the sun." From their lips the saint heard the command: Beloved, as you see in the Three Persons Who speaks with you, build a church in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Consubstantial Trinity. But I leave my peace to you, and I will give you my peace.
Sometimes the Divine Revelation is accomplished with only one vision without words. According to Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), Rev. Silouan of Athos (then Simeon), “during vespers, in the church of the Holy Prophet Elijah ... to the right of the royal doors, where the local icon of the Savior is located ... saw the living Christ. “The Lord incomprehensibly appeared” to the young novice, and his whole being, and his very body, was filled with the fire of the grace of the Holy Spirit ... From the vision, Simeon became exhausted, and the Lord hid. Then Elder Silouan “tried all his life to keep in spirit the revelation given to him without words.”
Hagiographic literature does not often mention the language in which the Revelation was received. But sometimes this is mentioned, as in the testimony of the Apostle Paul about the appearance of Jesus Christ Himself to him. This is the testimony: “In the middle of the day, on the road, I saw ... from the sky a light exceeding the sunshine, shining on me and those who were walking with me. At this point we fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew: Saul, Saul! why are you chasing me? It's hard for you to go against the pricks. I said, who are you, Lord? He said: I am the Jesus you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet: for to this end I have appeared to you, to make you a servant and a witness of what you have seen, and what I will reveal to you” (Acts 26:13-16).
Often, however, Divine Revelation occurs without any vision, so that people who receive such a Revelation cannot even say how they received it. This may include the experiences of prayerful contemplation-revelation, or "intelligent Revelation", in the spiritual practice of Hesychasm. Such a Revelation occurs "without any outward image" and is "higher than any image and any word." During such revelations, God is "felt and experienced by man in himself." Man "sees God because he (man) is already in Him and God's power acts in him."
3. Divine Revelation as a Message: content and its perception.
The truths of Divine Revelation include two classes. These are truths of doctrine and truths of practical conduct.
To doctrinal Truths include, first of all, dogmas perceived as truths discovered by God Himself: "Every system of dogmas is built on Revelation." The Christian faith is based on two fundamental dogmas. This is the dogma of "one Divinity in Three Persons - the Trinity, consubstantial and inseparable", and the dogma of "two natures and two wills, Divine and human, in a single Hypostasis of the incarnate Word."
to truths practical behavior include the commandments of Christ, perceived in the Orthodox Christian self-consciousness as "the self-revelation of God." “When a person keeps these commandments, and keeps them really, with the feeling that the Lord spoke them as the last revelation to people about how God Himself lives,” says Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), “then our whole life becomes different.”
Both classes of revealed truths are closely related. On the path of keeping the commandments of Christ, the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed - "not abstractly, rationalistically, but in being itself." And there is no other "way to comprehend the Divine mysteries."
A number of God-revealed truths concern the eternal plan of God about creation and man as its pinnacle. These include, firstly, the God-hidden truth about the creation of man in the image and likeness of God: “The revelation about God tells us that after this Cosmos was created with all the material and animal world, God says: Let us make man in Our image [and] in Our likeness(Gen 1.26)." And, secondly, the God-revealed truth about the calling of a person to become a god by grace: “Cutting the words of the psalmist, the Lord gives us Revelation: you are gods(Ps 81.6).
Divine Revelation gradually reveals "hidden from the creation of the world" and "mystery of the last times." In the Old Testament era, God revealed to His people "the meaning of those events that they were given to experience." The Gospel Revelation of the New Testament, addressed to the whole world, speaks of "eternity and the ways to it." In addition to Divine Revelation, recognized by the ecumenical ecclesiastical authority and obligatory for all believers, Orthodoxy also distinguishes between private Revelations concerning individuals.
Unlike human information messages, Divine Revelation has the character of absolute truth and eternal novelty. The content of Revelation is immeasurable. By figurative expression Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), the Gospel Revelation is “a boundless and deepest ocean, in spiritual sense one might say, bottomless, for there is no end to the Divinity of Christ.” And in this ocean there are different measures of depth. But for any level of perception of Divine Revelation, it is necessary that between God and man there is "a certain commensurability with all incommensurability." Without this, communion with God and the perception of the meaning of Divine Revelation would not be possible. Such commensurability, according to the Orthodox Christian doctrine, exists. Man, created in the image and likeness of God, is a "verbal being." And "in all ages, theologians have searched for words that could express clearly the Revelation of God received in Christ Jesus."
According to Fr. G. Florovsky, an integral feature of the true Theophany is anthropomorphism. In the article “Revelation and Interpretation”, Florovsky speaks in detail about this beginning in relation to Holy Scripture as the unity of the Word of God and the response of man to it. He writes: “We cannot fully understand how exactly the “holy people of God” heard the Word of the Lord, how they were able to express it in words of their own language. But even in their human transmission, the voice of God sounds. Holy Scripture "preserves and transmits the Word of God precisely in human words," emphasizes Florovsky. And although God spoke, man listened and perceived all this. Giving us the Divine Word does not require abandoning "our language as 'too human'." The human principle is not eliminated by divine inspiration, but is transformed. From the moment when God "dignified man with fellowship, the human word itself was transformed, acquired new depth and strength."
Human language, according to Florovsky, "does not distort or diminish the glory of Revelation", "does not weaken the power of the Word of God", which "does not fade when it sounds human". After all, man was created in the image and likeness of God. And it is this connection "in the likeness" that makes communion with God possible. It makes possible theology itself as a word about God, which "always bears witness to Revelation."
In the divinely revealed and divinely inspired texts of Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition and dogma proper, "language" and "logic" (mind), however, have their own specifics. How does P.N. Evdokimov: “... dogmas are not really “human words”… The heroic efforts of the fathers-martyrs reveal in dogmas “crucified words”… where the wisdom of God dwells.” Therefore, a true understanding of church dogmas is possible only when "we get rid of the habitual way of thinking inherent in the human mind."
Divine Revelation in terms of revealing its content has different degrees of expression. In the Old Testament, the essence of the final fulfillment of God's plan was indicated "only by types." Jesus Christ, addressing the people, still clothes His teaching with symbols, but to His disciples He already “clearly reveals the mystery of this Kingdom (Mk 4:11)” as the fulfillment of God’s plan.
According to one of the definitions of Divine Revelation, under supernatural revelation is understood as "a special action of God on man, giving him true knowledge about God, about man, about salvation." The question arises as to the nature of such an impact. The peculiarity of such influence is determined, first of all, by the fact that Orthodoxy is a religion of freedom. And this means that Divine Revelation does not have the character of coercion. It presupposes the freedom of its acceptance and in no way has the character of suggestion. Developing this idea, Fr. P. Florensky writes: “And God - the fullness of reality - always only more or less clearly reveals, but never inspires. Revelation presupposes freedom, suggestion - inner slavery, hypnosis. Revelation is the revelation of truth. And it liberates, makes free.”
The essence of the difference between revelation and suggestion by Fr. P. Florensky explains by the example of the attitude to Platonov's "idea". Florensky writes: “But are “suggested” and “open” synonyms? A certain reality can be revealed, until then, according to the conditions of its being or according to the conditions of being of the one to whom it is revealed, it is hidden from him. But both before the discovery and after the discovery, this reality is something independent of the cognizing mind, - not a mode of the mind, but an objective being ... Discoverable, i.e. in dan<ном>In this case, the discovered Platonic “idea” (or revealed) is in eternity. It was, is, and will be, and is only revealed in time.”
In Orthodox Christian self-consciousness, Divine Revelation is the true foundation of worldview and spiritual life. According to Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), our life "in everything must be based on the Biblical Revelation, and, above all, the Gospel." "After the Revelation, filled with Christ and the Holy Spirit," he asserts, "we no longer look forward to any other." The question is: "How to realize what God has revealed to us." And at the same time - not to reduce the fullness of the Revelation received through Christ.
The material was prepared according to the lectures of the Sunday School
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Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 1. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2003. S. 81.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 2. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2007. S. 130.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 2. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2007. S. 21.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 2. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2007. S. 149.
Florovsky G., prot. Dogma history. M., 1998. S. 28-29.
Florovsky G., prot.
Florovsky G., prot. Dogma history. M., 1998. S. 29.
Florovsky G., prot. Dogma history. M., 1998. S. 29.
Florovsky G., prot. Dogma history. M., 1998. S. 29.
Florovsky G., prot. Dogma history. M., 1998. S. 29.
Evdokimov P. [N.]. Orthodoxy. M., 2002. S. 248, 251.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Birth into the Kingdom Immovable. M., 2000. S. 61-62.
Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Bruxelles, 1990, p. 738.
Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Bruxelles, 1990, p. 738.
Osipov A.I. The path of the mind in search of truth. M., 1997. S. 171.
Florensky P., priest. Works in 4 volumes. Vol. 3 (1). M., 1999. S. 320.
Florensky P., priest. Works in 4 volumes. Vol. 3 (1). M., 1999. S. 319.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 1. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2003. S. 218.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim.
Sofroniy (Sakharov), archim. Spiritual Conversations. T. 1. St. John the Baptist Monastery, 2003. S. 173.
divine revelation
The Creator of the Universe and our Creator revealed Himself to mankind in the Holy Scripture, the Bible.
God wrote three books to man: the book of nature, the book of our conscience and the book of Revelation, the Written Word, confirming the reliability of all this with the Living Word, the Incarnate Son of God. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth"... (John 1st chapter).
If we talk about the presence of the REVELATION of the Divine Truth, then it must be said that this revelation can be seen only in the Bible and nowhere else. Not a single book in the world, except the Bible, either by its general consistency of ideas, laws and principles, or by its historical foundations, can claim to possess the fullness of Divine Revelation.
Let us take, for example, only the stories of the Bible and delve into the miraculous effect that these stories have had on the lives of all those people who came into close contact with them. The content of the Bible contains such an internally clear, irrefutable and irresistible possibility that we simply cannot escape such a soul-pacifying insight that visits us in moments of reverent reading. In such blissful moments, who among us has not said to himself: "Yes! such words can be words that come only from the mouth of God; they cannot be the product of human genius or the invention of the human mind" ...
The Bible strikes every thoughtful reader with two things: its amazing variety and its singular unity. Its variety in the languages in which it was written, the variety of places where it was written, the variety of authors by whom it was written, the variety of literary themes and forms, etc. And with all this amazing diversity, the Bible testifies to its greatest connection, harmony and unity: unity in its structure, historical unity, prophetic unity, doctral unity, spiritual unity… The Bible was written, or rather dictated by the writer, by the Spirit of God, and only in this same Spirit can it be known and interpreted.
The Bible amazes us with its one purpose. Containing a variety of works written by 40 writers over 1500 years, the Bible is a consistent presentation of God's progressive plan for the salvation of fallen mankind, a plan incomparably more magnificent and accurate than all the works of epic and drama in the world.
The Bible manuscripts were so far the most complete and closest to the historical events that are described in them. No author of ancient Greek literature can boast of this. The manuscripts of the Bible have always been considered by scientists, and until now remain in their eyes, a unique documentary, bordering on a clear miracle.
There is no other God in the world but the True, One, Living God. There is no other Truth in the world, except for the one about which it is said: "I am the Truth!" And, finally, there is no other Divine Revelation in the world, except for the Bible.
The Bible is the only book in the world that can be said to be inspired by God. "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Tim. 3:16). Therefore, "no prophecy in Scripture can be resolved by oneself. For prophecy was never uttered by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Pet. 1st chapter). The Bible itself is the best proof of its inspiration. Nowadays, General history is the story of fulfilled prophecy in the Bible.
The prophecies of the Bible refer not only to the people of Israel, but to all ancient peoples and dominant empires, to the incarnation, ministry, suffering, death and resurrection of the Only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, to the founding of the Church, to the universal preaching of the Gospel, to the last ages, to the end of earthly history humanity, to our age and to the Second Coming of Christ.
The best politicians of the world, ignoring Biblical prophecies, wander in darkness, groping, not knowing "what the coming day has in store for them," while believers, "being sons of light," "have the surest prophetic word," which "shines like a lamp, in a dark place" and gives them the necessary wisdom to understand the meaning and purpose of contemporary events.
God revealed himself to people, using not only prophecies, but also miracles. And how else could God reveal himself to a limited being, being Himself a supernatural being in every respect. Therefore, everything that is connected with God must logically be connected with a miracle.
The Bible contains scientific truths that God has revealed to His servants for. many millennia before they became known to modern scientists. The Bible is inspired by God and there is no reason to be afraid that some new scientific discoveries can refute the scientific claims of the Bible.
Geologists say that there is red-hot lava inside the globe. Job knew this before all the scientists. Job says: "The earth on which bread grows is dug up inside, as if by fire" ... (Chapter 28).
In the remote eras of Job and Moses, there were different "scientific theories" on the question: on what does the Earth stand and rest? Can you imagine what would have happened to the Bible if Job had written in his book that the earth was standing on a huge tortoise or on four white elephants? But, Job didn't; for he received from God a special revelation on this subject, which he expressed in one phrase: "God hung the Earth on nothing." (26th chapter). How did Job know the law of gravity, which was discovered by scientists only in the last century?
Scientists learned that the earth is round only at the beginning of the 16th century. Magellan and Columbus confirmed this scientific truth by discovering new oceans, straits and continents. How did the prophet Isaiah know this truth, who 700 years before Christ said: "God is the one who sits above the circle of the Earth" (above the globe, - it is said in the original). (Isaiah 40th chapter).
Scientists have discovered that the Earth rotates around its axis, but this is said in the first chapter of the Bible: "And there was evening and there was morning the first day" ... On one side of the Earth, evening, and on the other morning. If there was no rotation of the Earth, we would not have day and night. Christ had the same truth in mind when he said about the moment of the rapture of the Universal Church: “I tell you: that night there will be two on the same bed: one will be taken, and the other will be left; two will grind together: one will be taken, and the other will be left; two will be in the field: one will be taken, and the other will be left" ... (Luke 17th chapter). From these words of Christ it is clear that when He appears for His Church, on one part of the Earth people will sleep, and the other side will be busy with their daily work.
The learned astronomers say that the stars, in their motion, produce the vibration of the ether, and thus emit their own specific sound, which is not perceptible to our human hearing. The Bible refers to these varied star sounds as their musical delight, saying: The Lord established the foundations of the Earth "with the general rejoicing of the morning stars" ... (38th chapter of Job).
With powerful modern telescopes, astronomers have discovered that the entire universe is littered with stars, with smaller or larger clusters of them in different places, and that only the north is an exception. general rule. In this respect, the north was, as it were, an empty place. Scientists were extremely intrigued by this fact, but could not explain this phenomenon in any way. One and a half thousand years before Christ, when people had no idea about telescopes, and the naked human eye could not see many planets and nebulae, Job, by the inspiration of God, wrote: "God spread the north over the void." (Job 25th chapter). By the way, some theologians associate this fact of emptiness over the north with the fall of Satan, who “said in his heart: I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of God I will exalt my throne and sit on a mountain in the assembly of the gods, ON THE EDGE OF THE NORTH; I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High"… (Isaiah 14th chapter).
The Bible says that God created not only the world that we see, as many thought, but also other worlds that are inaccessible to our vision; for it is said: God "spoke to us in the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the Ages (worlds)" ... "By faith we know that the Ages (worlds) were arranged by the word of God, so that out of the invisible came the visible" ... (Heb. 1 -I and 11th chapters).
The Bible contains some incomprehensible places for us, but this does not mean that everything that we do not understand is wrong. Often things that are incomprehensible to one generation are understandable to another.
Not so long ago, learned atheists scoffed at the fact that Moses "took the golden calf, which the sons of Israel had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to dust, and scattered it on the water, and gave it to the sons of Israel to drink." (Ex. 32 chapter). Later, scientists established that the pulverization of gold was practiced in Egypt. Moses "taught all the wisdom of Egypt", possessed this art, which has reached to our days. The transformation of gold into powder is carried out at a high temperature of heating, crushing and grinding this metal. Gold dust poured into the water, gives the water the color of a scarlet rose.
Why did Moses "give" this drink to "the sons of Israel?" This happened during the murmuring of the Israelites and their decision to return back to Egypt, where the golden drink was used as a means of punishment. A mixture of gold powder with water causes the most nauseating effect in those who drink it. The same mixture is used in the right doses in modern medicine.
This case is neither exceptional nor unique. It seems that there was no time when the Bible was not attacked and ridiculed by people who called themselves "scientists" and claimed that they "discovered" in the Bible this or that fact that did not correspond to the data of science; this or that event is not historical. But, subsequent research and excavations only confirmed the authenticity of the Biblical records.
Let people "painfully smart" continue to argue about the reliability of Biblical truths and events, The World History This issue has been resolved for a long time. History has repeatedly confirmed that it cannot be a "fairy tale" that overthrew the temples of idols and forced the peoples of the earth to prostrate themselves before God and the Calvary sacrifice of Christ. That which has always sowed and still continues to sow Truth, Freedom, Justice and Love among all the peoples of the earth cannot be a "fable". That which destroys the "deeds of darkness" and brings to people "words of life and light" cannot be "priestly inventions". It cannot be "opium" that which granted countless dead sinners, deliverance from terrible vices, brought peace, joy and eternal salvation to their souls; saddened - consolation; desperate - a new hope; dying - courage and hope. That which, without any civil power, military might, external threats and violence, has reigned and will always reign in people's hearts cannot be "stupefying the working people." Secular and ecclesiastical history, nations and individuals, family and society, young and old all unanimously testify that the Bible still has healing and regenerating power and has countless spiritual benefits and blessings for those who choose to walk in the way of Christ.
The Bible is a spiritual waterfall, never cut, which has quenched the spiritual thirst of millions of souls who have lived before us and will continue to satisfy the needs of mankind until the end of time.
The Bible is a world book, the only one read by peoples, races, tribes... It has crossed all boundaries: national, class, church... The Bible is read by princes and beggars, workers and manufacturers. It is read by people of all cultural levels of development: professors and students, scientists and commoners.
In the world in which we "live, move and have our being", there is nothing unshakable, strong, stable: everything changes, collapses, passes, and it is said about the Bible: "heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." No one can ever destroy the Bible. "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is established in heaven; Thy Truth is unto generation and generation"... (Ps. 118).
In the Bible we see the Finger of God, vividly manifested by Him in the destinies of individual peoples and all mankind. The fulfillment of numerous prophecies confirms the fact of God's repeated intervention in the salvation or punishment of nations. The prophecies about Babylon, Akron, Escalon, Tire, Sidon, Egypt, Israel, and others have been fulfilled exactly. “For I am God, and there is no other God like Me. I proclaim from the beginning what will be at the end from ancient times that which has not yet been done, I say: my council will take place, and I will do everything that pleases me” ... (Is. 46th chapter). "The Lord does whatever He wants, in heaven and on earth" (Ps. 134). "Why do you compete with God? He does not give an account of any of His deeds" ... (Job. 33rd chapter).
The Bible is a book of Truth, not only a symbol of Truth, but its treasury, "pillar and ground"... Putting their hand on the Bible, the witnesses at the trial promise to speak "the truth and only the truth"; kings and presidents, rulers and various other authorities put their hand on the Bible and take an oath of allegiance to the state in the performance of their high duties.
The Bible is an exceptional, special, unique book in every way. Not a single work of world literature depicts the Creator of the Universe as so holy and, at the same time, accessible, so just and loving. Nowhere in another book, except the Bible, is a person presented to us with such truthful features of his past greatness and actual insignificance, his strength and impotence, his wisdom and madness, characteristic of him.
From the beginning of the creation of the world to the present day, the Bible has never changed its view of God and man, of sin and holiness, of life on earth and on earth. afterlife. The truths expressed in the Bible are unchangeable and immutable. Throughout the centuries-old history of mankind, the views of the Bible on the origin of the Universe, light, life, energy, movement, space, earth and man have not changed one iota, while the truths that were declared by science, as completely proven by it, were later changed, denied and cancelled. With each new such "discovery" of science, the textbooks of natural science, geology, archeology, etc. had to be replaced by others, while the Bible always accepted new discoveries as confirmation of its correctness.
No book has ever penetrated the recesses of the human soul like the Bible. No book can so disturb the sinner and comfort him again as the Bible. The Bible touches our hearts to tears, humbles and humiliates us to the dust. It kindles a person who is indifferent to spiritual questions with sacred enthusiasm, fills his heart with readiness to obey the will of God in everything, disposes his heart to holiness, to purity of thoughts, words, deeds and all character. It enlightens the darkness of the human soul, inspires it with hope. It weighs our feelings and our judgments, gives orders to our heart, issues a peremptory sentence that decides the eternal fate of our soul.
That is why the godless and the wicked do not like to read the Bible. They know that by reading the Bible they are putting themselves at great risk. The Bible can begin to read their hearts, can awaken their dormant vicious conscience and put them in the dock before the Almighty and Just Judge.
Without the Bible, our soul would not be able to experience neither the depths of spiritual sorrow, nor the heights of spiritual delight, nor trembling reverence, nor blissful compunction, nor powerful upswings of bold faith, nor amazing God's love and caresses to us, to which, unfortunately, it is impossible to devote a proper speech here.
Isn't it amazing that the most complex and subtle construction of human thought and the deepest penetration of human wisdom have never been able to penetrate those facets of Divine Revelation that are so simply, accessible and clearly revealed to us by the Bible.
And what other book in the world, besides the Bible, offers humanity the only true solutions to all puzzling questions and opens the only, most reliable, tried and tested Path of Salvation for centuries?
Despite the mockery of the ignorant and the mockery of fools, despite the doubts of skeptics and the open unbelief of the atheists, the Holy Scripture remains true and faithful, pure and holy, deep and miraculous.
Anyone who has ever experienced the beneficial influence of the Bible, without hesitation and with deep confidence, accepts everything that God says about the afterlife, "on the dilapidated pages" of this most wonderful book.
The Bible recognizes two principles: material and spiritual, visible and invisible: "What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the spirit is spirit"...
The Bible says that "God himself is a spirit" and "the Father of spirits," for whom "there are no dead" people, - "for him all are alive" ... If all the people who have ever lived on earth are still spiritually alive, then there is an afterlife.
We learn from the Bible that belief in an afterlife was the bright hope of the most the best people who lived in all ages of human history. Someone correctly noted that the idea of immortality and the afterlife is the main idea of mankind, from which all other ideas flow.
Patriarch Abraham "believed that God is strong and from the dead to raise" his son Isaac. (Heb. 11th chapter).
The long-suffering Job thus testifies to his belief in the afterlife: “Oh, if my words were written down! If they were inscribed in a book with an iron chisel with tin, they were carved on a stone for eternity! And I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day He will raise up from the dust this decaying skin of mine, and I will see God in my flesh. I will see Him myself; my eyes, not the eyes of another, will see Him" (Job 19th chapter).
To continue the list of men and women of God who lived by faith in the afterlife would mean rewriting the Bible in this book - they are so numerous.
We see that in response to the question: "Is there an afterlife?" Holy Scripture gives God's complete answer. Behind every text of Scripture, stands God Himself. Before each phrase of Scripture that affirms the truth of the afterlife, you can put: "Truly, truly, I say to you!", And at the end of it: "Thus says the Lord!"
Unfortunately, for scientific materialists, and atheists in general, it does not matter at all what God said. What matters to them is what they think and say.
A great connoisseur of the Russian soul, F. M. Dostoevsky wrote: “It is easy for a Russian person to become an atheist, easier than for everyone else in the whole world! And Russians do not just become atheists, but will certainly believe in atheism, as if in a NEW faith, without noticing it who believed in ZERO"...
Fortunately, this cannot be said about people who have believed in Divine revelation, in the Word of God, the Bible.
The Bible answers every question of the soul. She is a source whose waters are always pure and plentiful. She is the sun that never sets and shines for everyone. It warms hearts frozen in human selfishness. It awakens the conscience of those sleeping in sin. She uplifts and ennobles those who obey her truths. Whether youth appeals to her, she leads. Does old age need a staff - it supports. Whether a hungry soul seeks food, it satisfies. Does weakness call to her - she clothes with strength. The Bible leads to Christ and regenerates to eternal life. Centuries pass, generations change - it remains unchanged. Empires... dynasties rise and fall - she abides. Agnostics and fools cynically ridicule her - she is invulnerable. Ignorance and false science renounce it - it is indispensable. Over the centuries, its value does not decrease, but increases. It is the revelation of God for all nations. It contains the treasures of eternal wisdom, It stands above all human layers. She removes the mask from the most dexterous hypocrite. She directs the gaze of the most sinful person to heaven. Read the Bible and be wise! Follow her commandments and you will be holy! Trust her testimony and you will be saved!
“And what kind of book is this, the Bible! – majestic and vast as the world, rooted in the depths of the Universe and ascending to the mysterious azure of heaven!.. Truly, it is the Word of God, while all other books of the world express only their human art,” said Heinrich Heine.
"Let the world progress and develop as it pleases, let all branches of human research and knowledge be revealed to the highest degree, nothing can replace the Bible; it is the basis of all education and all development!" - said J. F. Goethe.
CONTENT
One of the most important and inalienable provisions of any religious doctrine is the belief in the possibility and necessity of Divine Revelation. In each religion, the teaching about it has its own characteristics, due to the specific understanding of God and man. Christianity is completely based on Revelation, it owes its origin to Christ, He "lives and moves, and exists." In order to see the main features of the Christian doctrine of Revelation, a number of questions must be considered.
It is necessary to distinguish supernatural Revelation from the so-called. natural knowledge of God, often also called revelation.
Supernatural Revelation means such an action of God, which gives a person the knowledge necessary for salvation. In this regard, Revelation is divided into general and individual.
General Revelation is given through specially chosen people - prophets and apostles - to proclaim the truths of faith and life to a wide circle of people (a separate people, all mankind). Such, firstly, in significance is the Holy Scripture and the Holy Tradition of the New Testament, and secondly, “the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12) - the Old Testament Bible.
Individual revelation is given to a person for the purpose of his edification (and, sometimes, those closest to him). Many of these revelations, especially given to the saints, “cannot be told” (2 Cor. 12:4) to another person. Therefore, in the patristic writings and in hagiographic literature, although they talk about various experiences, visions and states of the saints, however, only their external side is transmitted. In individual revelations, no fundamentally new truths are communicated, but only a deeper knowledge of what is already in the general Revelation is given.
Natural revelation, or natural knowledge of God, usually refers to those ideas about God, man and being in general that arise in a person. naturally on the basis of his knowledge of himself and the world around him. The Apostle Paul wrote about this: “For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, are visible from the foundation of the world through the contemplation of the creatures” (Rom. 1:20). This process of natural search for God and knowledge of God has always taken place in history, it is inherent in man. Even today, many come to faith in God and in Christ, in fact, knowing nothing about religion, about Christianity, without even reading the Gospel.
Christianity claims that the general Revelation was given only through the Old Testament prophets and the Gospel of Christ. What special signs are present in the Christian Revelation that make it possible to distinguish it from human conjectures, fantasies, intuitions, philosophical insights, etc.?
The first thing that catches the attention of every reader of the Gospel is holiness, the moral and spiritual height of his teaching and a stunning example of the ideal to which a person is called - Jesus Christ, clearly distinguishes Christianity from all the teachings of the world and its ideals. Not a single religion (including the Old Testament), not a single philosophy knew this.
Of a similar nature are its fundamental doctrinal truths about:
- Trinity God,
- incarnation,
- Savior crucified and risen,
- general resurrection, and others.
These central truths of Christianity are as different in essence from the religious and philosophical counterparts that preceded it, as, figuratively speaking, the child is different from the doll with which the woman played in her childhood. It is no coincidence that the Apostle Paul exclaims: “But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, but foolishness to the Greeks” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The subsequent history of Christianity has fully confirmed this idea. The fact that the Christian creed has constantly tried and is trying to “correct” and make it or, in order to avoid “ temptation”, a natural continuation of Judaism, deleting from it the belief in the Divine and messianic dignity of Jesus Christ, or, to get rid of “ insanity”, one of the teachings of this world (paganism), is a clear evidence that the New Testament Revelation is not the fruit of human wisdom or fantasy. The unique, in its own way, otherness of Christianity among all other religions, its philosophical “absurdity” (remember Tertullian’s: credo, quia absurdum est) once again point to the unearthly source of Christian teaching, to that “unwise God”, which turned out to be “wiser than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Clear evidence of the supernatural nature of Christian Revelation is prophecies. Under the prophecies this case predictions are meant that were not and could not be based either on scientific calculations or on any special knowledge of psychology, history, economics, politics, etc. This foreknowledge of future events, inexplicable by any natural causes and extending for many years, decades, centuries and millennia, has always been one of the serious arguments for the truth of the Christian religion. Here are some examples of such predictions.
In the Gospel of Luke (written in 63), it is reported that the Virgin Mary, in a state of special spiritual uplift, says: “From now on, all generations will please Me” (Luke 1:48). The Evangelist did not hesitate to write down these words of the young Girl, although in a natural order to do such a thing, and even more so to accept it by subsequent generations of Christians, was tantamount to madness. And what do we see? From that time to the present, all Christian nations truly glorify Her.
In the Gospel of Matthew we find the prophecies of the Lord Jesus Christ about the future of His gospel: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14); about the fate of the Jewish people and Jerusalem: “Truly I say to you: there will not be left stone on stone here; everything will be destroyed” (Matt. 23:35-38; 24:2; Luke 21:20-24, 32) (“Matthew compiled his gospel, in all likelihood, about 62 A.D.”, but the destruction of Jerusalem took place in 70 AD); about the Church: “And on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18); about the future of Christianity: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8); about the appearance of false Christs and false prophets (Matt. 24:23-26; Luke 21:8); about future persecution of Christians (Luke 21:12-17); that “some ... will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come in power” (Mark 9:1; here we are talking about all the saints, starting with the Virgin Mary and the apostles, who “saw” before their death, the glory and bliss of the Kingdom of Christ, who came within them in power). The fulfillment of these prophecies can be seen (not just believed in) by everyone modern man. We find the prophecy about the end of the world in the Apostle Peter (The day of the Lord will come, like a thief in the night, and then the heavens will pass away with a noise, the elements, having flared up, will be destroyed, the earth and all the works on it will burn. - 2 Pet. 3:10), which in the light of modern scientific and technical “capabilities” sounds quite relevant. Many of the prophecies of the Revelation of St. John the Theologian have a similar meaning (see, for example, ch. 16).
But, of course, it is not always easy to distinguish true prophecy from false. This is well illustrated, for example, by the case cited by St. Hippolytus of Rome (3rd century). He writes about one quite pious bishop: “There was a primate of the church in Pontus, a God-fearing and humble man, but not diligently studying Scripture, but trusting more in his visions. Having tried his luck in one, another, third dream, he ... once said in self-delusion that in a year there would be a [Terrible] Judgment ... And he brought these brothers into such fear and trembling that they left their farms and fields, and many of them also destroyed their property ... and later found themselves in the position of beggars. Another no less revealing incident occurred with the brothers who came to ask the Rev. Anthony the Great about some prophetic phenomena that came true, but which, as it turned out, were also from demons.
In this regard, it is necessary to point out the differences between various kinds of predictions and true prophecies. False predictions, firstly, do not contain the main thing - an incentive for a person's moral change and his spiritual renewal (repentance); secondly, they, with rare exceptions, simply do not come true (it is enough, for example, to check the percentage of fulfillment of astrologers' predictions); thirdly, the overwhelming majority of them are of such an indefinite, vague nature that they can be understood in any way and be attributed to a multitude of very different events. In this regard, the confessions of one of the most famous predictors are very indicative - Nostradamus(XVI century).
“I testify,” he writes, “that ... most of the prophecies were accompanied by the movement of the firmament, and I saw as if in a shining mirror in a misty vision, great, sad, amazing and unfortunate events and adventures that approached the main cultures ..”.
“I think I can predict a lot if I manage to reconcile the innate instinct with the art of long calculations. But this requires great spiritual balance, predisposing to divination, the state of mind and the release of the soul from all worries and worries. I foretold most of my prophecies with the help of a bronze tripod “ex tripode oeneo”, although many attribute to me the possession of magical things..”.
“All calculations are made by me in accordance with the movement of heavenly bodies and interactions with feelings that gripped me during the hours of inspiration, and my moods and emotions were inherited by me from my ancient ancestors” (Nostradamus was a Jew).
“And much in the Divine I connect with the movement and course of the heavenly bodies. One gets the impression that one is looking through a lens and seeing, as if in a fog, great and sad events and tragic incidents ..”.
This “confession” of Nostradamus leaves no doubt about the source of his astrological and computational “prophecies”. This is magic and cabalism.
How far his specific predictions came true is shown by the following fact. In his book "Centuries" he indicated the exact date of the end of the world. It will take place in the year when Good Friday falls on St. George, Easter on St. Mark and the feast of the body of Christ on the day of St. John the Baptist. This coincidence has already happened more than once.
However, how to explain that some of these predictions do come true? One of the reasons for this is that every person, as the image of God, has a natural property of foresight, foreboding. And in some people it manifests itself in a particularly strong degree. However, in a person who has not been cleansed of sinful passions (carnal, vanity, pride, etc.), this property acts like this, “ as if looking through a lens and seeing as if in a fog". At the same time, the vast majority of soothsayers, due to their sinfulness, fall (some unconsciously, others consciously) under the influence of dark spirits of lies with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, all such predictions (of magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, fortune-tellers, etc.), as a rule, are not only erroneous, but also destructive. Many people who believed them ended badly. For this reason, the consonant voice of the holy fathers forbids turning to them, believing them, and spreading their "prophecies." “If the blind lead the blind, then both will fall into a pit” (Matt. 15:14) of deceit, mental and spiritual disorder, delusion, despair, up to and including suicide.
Of great importance to the contemporaries of Christ and the apostles and retaining their significance for the conviction of the divinity of the Christian Gospel to this day are wonders.
A miracle is understood as such an extraordinary effect of God on a person or nature, which, as a rule, goes beyond the boundaries of known natural laws and places a person with all obviousness and certainty in the face of the real presence of God. Miracles are external (the resurrection of the dead, the cessation of a storm, the healing of the incurable) and internal (moral regeneration, the unexpected emergence of a firm faith in God, etc.). A genuine miracle is always associated with a certain spiritual and moral change in a person (repentance, turning to the thought of God, or, on the contrary, bitterness, fighting against God) (cf. Luke 19:8 and John 12:10). In this it differs from tricks, hallucinations, hypnosis, extrasensory perception, and from “miracles” composed by human imagination (Buddha, for example, to prove the truth of his teaching, pulled out his head with the tip of his tongue; or, according to one apocrypha, little Jesus Christ made birds from clay and revived them; etc.), which act only on the imagination, psyche, nerves of a person, but do not change his moral and spiritual state, the nature of his life.
Rev. John Cassian the Roman names three reasons for miracles. “The first reason for healings,” he writes, “is grace, which works miracles and is bestowed on the chosen and righteous men ... The second reason is the edification of the Church, or the faith of those who bring the sick for healing, or those who wish to receive healing. In this case, the power of healing sometimes comes from the unworthy and from sinners, about whom the Savior speaks in the Gospel... (Matt. 7:22-23) ... Healings of the third kind happen through the seduction and trickery of demons. A person betrayed to obvious vices can sometimes perform amazing actions and therefore be revered as a saint and a servant of God ... From this it happens that demons, with a cry naming people who do not have any properties of holiness and any spiritual fruits, show the appearance that their holiness burns them, and they are forced to flee from those possessed by them.
In this regard, it should be noted that one of the most important features true a miracle is the truly holy life of the one through whom it is performed. If there is no such life, especially if there are facts that testify to the contrary, then such a miracle, on the advice of the holy fathers, cannot be accepted (see, for example, St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov “On Miracles and Signs” Vol. IV) . There may be exceptions when a true miracle is also performed through a sinful person, even an animal (for example, the biblical case with Balaam's donkey) in the presence of faith and the remaining ability to repent in those with whom or in whose face the miracle occurs. That is why miracles are being performed both in the non-Orthodox environment and up to the present time, for “God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Saint Ignatius cites, for example, the fact that water from the washed feet of a robber, mistaken by the nuns for a holy hermit, healed a blind woman.
At present, thousands of cases of the appearance of drops (transparent, blood, etc.) are reported on icons and icon-painting images of persons not even glorified by the Church (although an icon is an image only declared by the Church to be a saint), statues of Catholic saints. So, in the USA, in one Catholic family for 11 years, an immovable 16-year-old girl has been lying. And so, the statues of saints (Catholic) in her room began to stream myrrh. In Italy, quite a few cases of the so-called. myrrh-streaming statues of Catholic saints. (It is worth remembering that such ascetics of our Church as Saints Ignatius and Theophanes, Saint Ambrose of Optina and Righteous John of Kronstadt spoke resolutely about “pr e flattery” of Catholic saints). And there were many similar cases in history (Compare Exodus, ch. 7-8). However, what does all this say? The fact that even obvious supernatural facts in themselves do not at all confirm the holiness of those (a person, denomination, religion), through whom and where they are performed, and that such phenomena can occur either by virtue of faith - “according to your faith, let it be to you ” (Matt. 9:29), or by the action of another spirit (see, for example, Acts 16:16-18), “to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24), or, It is not excluded, and for other, yet unknown to us reasons.
But false miracles, as a rule, happen to those who either seek miracles, or internally consider themselves worthy to see and receive them, who have fallen into conceit (charm).
Here, for example, is a wonderful incident that happened in the life of one of the spiritual children of the twentieth-century ascetic Bishop Vasily (Preobrazhensky, †1945).
“For one of the spiritual daughters of the saint, Evdokia, at midnight a lampada began to light up by itself in front of the image. It is clear that the Lord is calling me to get up for prayer, she thought, however, doubting whether to accept this manifestation as grace-filled or more flattering. And she already felt the flattering spirit with her heart - so, they say, what a prayer book you are, the Lord Himself lights the lamp for you.
The next night, Evdokia invited her friend Ekaterina Dmitrievna. But even in her presence the lamp was lit. Then she invited a third witness to spend the night with her. And the same thing happened in her presence. At midnight the lamp lit itself. This finally convinced Evdokia to accept the phenomenon as blessed ...
After listening to her, the saint said sternly:
No, this phenomenon is not grace-filled, but from the enemy, and because you accepted it as grace-filled, I impose penance on you - do not start communion of the Holy Mysteries for a year. And the lamp will no longer light up. Indeed, since that day the lamp has not been lit.”
Therefore, it becomes understandable such great caution and judicious distrust with which all kinds of miracles, visions, dreams, revelations, myrrh streams, etc. have always been treated. all saints. They persistently warn believers against haste in accepting all this as a miracle of God, so that, due to their gullibility, accepting a lie for the truth, they would not fall into a demonic trap.
St. Ignatius persistently warns of the fatality of gullibility in miracles and the search for them: “In the course of time, with the gradual weakening of Christianity and damage to morality, standard-bearing men diminished. Finally, they dried up completely. Meanwhile, people, having lost reverence and respect for everything sacred, having lost humility, recognizing themselves unworthy not only to perform signs, but also to see them, are thirsting for miracles more than ever. People, intoxicated by self-conceit, arrogance, ignorance, aspire indiscriminately, recklessly, boldly towards everything miraculous, do not refuse to be participants in miracles themselves, they decide to do this without any hesitation. This direction is more dangerous than ever. We are gradually approaching the time when a vast disgrace of numerous and amazing false miracles should open up, dragging to destruction those unfortunate pets of carnal wisdom who will be deceived and deceived by these miracles.
True miracles are rare. For church recognition of a miracle requires a thorough study (Compare: Luke 1:3) of an unusual phenomenon by a competent church commission and official approval of its conclusions by the Holy Synod (in extreme cases, by the ruling bishop). This is necessary to protect the people from believing in hoaxers, psychics, mentally handicapped people, just crooks and, of course, diabolical obsessions. As long as there is no such certification, the question of this phenomenon for a member of the Church must remain open, for “God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. So it is in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
In the history of the Church there were many true miracles, and at all times of its existence they were one of those forces, thanks to which Christianity, surrounded on all sides mortal enemies: Jews and Gentiles, kings and commoners, slaves and free - conquered most of the universe. Until now, one of the most amazing miracles is revealed to a person who gets acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, with the history of Christianity - the miracle of the preservation and spread of the Christian faith in the midst of terrible persecution, the miracle of the existence of the Church.
These are the main signs of true general Revelations and some arguments confirming its “unnatural” origin. Of course, his recognition is due not only to the weight of external arguments and evidence, but also to the sincerity of a person’s quest and his determination to follow the shrine that is revealed in the Gospel.
From the recognition of the Divine origin of the New Testament Revelation naturally follows the recognition of the Old Testament Revelation (Matthew 5:17-18). Although "another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon ..". (1 Cor. 15:41).
No less important is the question of the truth of those religious experiences, phenomena and revelations that a believer may have. This question concerns the understanding of the essence of spiritual life and the conditions for cognition of “that” world, which is always fraught with great risk: whoever enters it through the wrong door is exposed to the fate of a thief and a robber (John 10:1)! Curiosity, dreaminess, frivolity in this area, attempts to penetrate the spiritual world by any means are tantamount to suicide. It is well known, for example, that those actively involved in spiritualism, as a rule, end their lives either by suicide or by a complete mental breakdown. Man and all other kinds of occultism lead to this.
Illegal entry into the spiritual world is extremely dangerous. Moreover, it certainly gives rise to false revelations that captivate inexperienced people, unfamiliar with the basics of spiritual life, and destroy them spiritually and bodily. Of the recent vivid examples of such “revelations”, one can point to divinations emanating from the so-called. “Mother of God Center” or “white brothers”, whose fantastic arbitrariness in the interpretation of Christianity quite eloquently testifies to the nature and dignity of these “revelations”.
What by Orthodox teaching, is necessary for "discerning spirits"? A thorough and precise answer to this question was given by St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) in his article “A Sermon on the Sensual and Spiritual Vision of Spirits.” Let's take a look at the most important ideas.
The legitimate way to enter the spiritual world and receive true knowledge (revelation) about it is the correct spiritual life, which presupposes knowledge of the fundamentals Orthodox faith and principles of spiritual life. The main condition and sign of a correct spiritual dispensation of a person is his awareness of the abnormality, disastrous nature of his current spiritual state and impotence without God's help to become a new person in the image of Christ. From this comes contrition of the heart, sincere repentance, and the most important thing in spiritual life is humility. St. Ignatius writes: "... the first spiritual vision is the vision of one's sins, hitherto hidden behind oblivion and ignorance." “The vision of our shortcomings is a safe vision! The vision of our fall and our redemption is the most necessary vision.” “All the saints recognized themselves as unworthy of God: by this they showed their dignity, which consists in humility.”
In the Gospel all this is called spiritual poverty (Matt. 5:3). Spiritual poverty is topics absolutely necessary state of mind, in which it is only possible for a person to receive true revelation, a true indication of the path to the Kingdom of God. The Lord gives this revelation to man only for the purpose of his salvation, but not to satisfy the curiosity of an idle mind and an empty heart, thirsting to know “what there".
But “only to the most perfect Christians,” writes St. Ignatius, “mostly from the monks, who were able to see with the eyes of their souls, was the world of spirits revealed: but there were very few such Christians even in the most flourishing times of monasticism, according to the testimony of Reverend Macarius Great. The property of all the visions sent by God, - says St. John of the Ladder, - lies in the fact that they bring humility and compunction to the soul, fill it with the fear of God, the consciousness of one's sinfulness and insignificance. On the contrary, visions into which we intrude arbitrarily, contrary to the will of God, lead us into arrogance, into self-conceit, give us joy, which is nothing else than the satisfaction of our vanity and self-conceit, which we do not understand.
The very nature of the revelations also speaks volumes in the question of determining their truth. If before the fall a person was capable of direct vision of spirits and communion with them, then in the present state their appearances are possible for him only at the special discretion of God and in times of extreme need for the purpose of correcting and saving man. Therefore, all the holy fathers and ascetics, experienced in the spiritual life, strongly warn the Christian about the possibility of falling into the so-called. charm, that is, into spiritual self-deception, in which a person takes his neuropsychic, and often demonic, excitations and false visions generated by them for revelations of God.
Yes, Reverend Simeon New Theologian(XI century) says that “those are deceived who see the light with their bodily eyes, smell incense with their scent, hear voices with their ears, and the like.” The Monk Gregory of Sinai (XIV century) reminds: “Never accept, if you see something sensual or spiritual, outside or inside, even if it is the image of Christ, or an Angel, or some saint ... He who accepts it ... is easily seduced. .. God is not indignant at the one who carefully listens to himself, if, out of fear of deception, he does not accept what is from Him, .. but rather praises him as wise. St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov (XIX century) warns: “Christian ascetic mentors command not to pay special attention to all phenomena in general that appear to feelings of soul and body; they command to observe prudent coldness, saving caution in all phenomena in general. “The Holy Fathers command the ascetic of prayer in case of occurring phenomena outside and inside himself to remain indifferent to them and not to heed them, not recognizing himself worthy of the vision of the saint. They bequeath, on the one hand, do not blame appearances, so as not to condemn the holy, and on the other - never trust phenomenon, hastily recognizing it as true, so as not to fall into the network of the evil spirit.
At present, when false mysticism and all sorts of "miracles" wide river spill over all countries of the world (in the USA, for example, almost 70% of the population claim to have experienced extrasensory perceptions, and 42% communicated with the dead), it is especially important to remember these patristic appeals. For what reason can a person fall into such a state? The Fathers answer: “All kinds of demonic delusions ... arise from the fact that repentance is not put at the basis of prayer, that repentance has not become the source, the soul, the goal of prayer.”
Rev. Isaac the Syrian points to another important reason. This is a search, an expectation of blessed sensations, visions and other things. Pointing to the words of the Savior: “The kingdom of God will not come with observance” (Luke 17:20), i.e. in a perceptible way, - this great teacher of monasticism says: “What we seek with observance, I mean God's high gifts, is not approved by the Church of God; and those who received it gained pride and fall for themselves. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but a mental illness.”
Saint Ignatius, continuing the thought of St. Isaac, wrote: “All the self-deluded considered themselves worthy of God; this revealed the pride and demonic charm that had seized their souls. Some of them received demons, which appeared to them in the form of angels, and followed them; to others the demons appeared in their own form and seemed to be conquered by their prayer, which led them into arrogance; others aroused their imagination, inflamed their blood, made nervous movements in themselves, took it for grace-filled pleasure and fell into self-delusion, into complete stupefaction, and were numbered among the outcast spirits in their spirit.
We find very striking examples of what kind of “revelations” those who are in delusions come to in the life of Roman Catholic mystics.
The state of charm is characterized by fanaticism, exaltation. According to the firm assurance of St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov and Feofan Govorov, as well as the Optina elders, the famous book “On the Imitation of Christ” by Thomas of Kempis (XV century) and a host of other Catholic and Protestant-sectarian religious literature were written from a state of delusion. The reasons for this assessment will become clear.
So, Francis of Assisi (†1226), one of the most famous Catholic saints, prays for a long time (the subject of prayer is extremely indicative) “for two graces”: “The first is that I ... could ... survive all those sufferings, which You, Sweetest Jesus, experienced in Your tormenting passions. And the second mercy... is so that... I can feel... that unlimited love with which You, the Son of God, burned. (It was not the feelings of his sinfulness and unworthiness that bothered Francis, but frank claims to equality with Christ!) During this prayer, Francis “felt himself completely transformed into Jesus,” whom he immediately saw in the form of a six-winged seraph. After the vision, Francis developed painful bleeding wounds (stigmas) - traces of the "suffering of Jesus".
The nature of these stigmas is well known in psychiatry: the continuous concentration of attention on the sufferings of Christ on the Cross extremely excites the nerves and psyche of a person, and during prolonged exercises can cause this phenomenon. There is nothing grace-filled here, for in such compassion (compassio) Christ has no true love, the essence of which the Lord directly said: “He who keeps My commandments loves Me” (John 14:21). Therefore, replacing the struggle with one's old man with dreamy experiences of "compassion" is one of the gravest mistakes in spiritual life, which has led and still leads many ascetics to conceit, pride - to obvious delusion, often associated with direct mental disorders(cf. Francis' sermons to birds, wolves, turtledoves, snakes, flowers, his reverence for fire, stones, worms).
The very goal of life that Francis set for himself (“I worked and want to work ... because it brings honor”, I want to suffer for others and atone for the sins of others), testifies to his ignorance of his fall, his sins, that is, of his complete spiritual blindness. His words at the end of his life are not accidental: “I am not aware of any sin in myself that I would not atone for by confession and repentance.” And dying words: "I did what I had to do."
For comparison, let us cite the same dying moment from the life of the Monk Sisoy the Great (5th century). “Surrounded at the moment of his death by the brethren, at that moment when he seemed to be talking with invisible faces, Sisa answered the question of the brethren: “Father, tell us, with whom are you talking?” - answered: "It is the angels who came to take me, but I pray to them that they leave me for a short time to repent." When the brethren, knowing that Sisoy was perfect in the virtues, objected to him: “You do not need repentance, father,” Sisoy answered this way: “Truly, I don’t know if I even created the beginning of my repentance.” This deep understanding of one's imperfection is the main hallmark of all true saints and the most important sign of the truth of the revelations they receive.
And here are excerpts from the "Revelations of Blessed Angela" - also a Catholic saint († 1309).
The Holy Spirit tells her: “My daughter, My sweet one, I love you very much” (p. 95): “I was with the apostles, and they saw Me with bodily eyes, but did not feel Me as you feel” (with .96). And Angela herself reveals this: “I see the Holy Trinity in the darkness, and in the Trinity itself, which I see in the darkness, it seems to me that I stand and abide in the middle of It” (p. 117). She expresses her attitude towards Jesus Christ, for example, in the following words: “I cried out from His sweetness and from grief about His departure and wanted to die” (p. 101) - and at the same time she began to beat herself in a rage so that the nuns they were often forced to carry her away from the church (p. 83). Or: “I could bring all of myself inside Jesus Christ” (p. 176).
A sharp but correct assessment of Angela's "revelations" is given by one of the largest Russian religious thinkers of the 20th century, A.F. Losev. He writes, in particular: “The temptation and deception of the flesh leads to the fact that the Holy Spirit appears to the blessed Angela and whispers to her such loving words: “My daughter, My sweet, My daughter, My temple, My daughter, My delight, love Me, for I love you very much, much more than you love me.” The saint is in sweet languor, cannot find a place for herself from love languor. And the lover is and is, and more and more inflames her body, her heart, her blood. The Cross of Christ appears to her as a marriage bed...
What could be more opposed to Byzantine-Muscovite stern and chaste asceticism than these constant blasphemous statements: “My soul was accepted into the uncreated light and ascended”, these passionate gazes at the Cross of Christ, at the wounds of Christ and at the individual members of His Body, it is forcibly causing blood stains on one's own body, etc. etc.? To top it all, Christ embraces Angela with his hand, which is nailed to the Cross, and she, all proceeding from languor, torment and happiness, says: “Sometimes from this closest embrace it seems to the soul that she enters the side of Christ. And it is impossible to tell the joy that she receives there, and the insight. After all, they are so big that sometimes I could not stand on my feet, but lay and my tongue was taken away from me ... And I lay, and my tongue and members of the body were taken away from me.
No less indicative is the experience of another great Catholic saint, "Doctor of the Church" Teresa of Avila (XVI century) (elevated by Pope Paul VI (†1978) to the dignity of a Doctor of the Church). She was so carried away by the "revelations" that she did not see the devil's deceit even in such an ugly vision as the following.
After his numerous appearances, "Christ" says to Teresa: "From this day forward you will be My wife... From now on, I am not only your Creator, God, but also Spouse." “Lord, either suffer with You or die for You!” - Teresa prays and falls exhausted under these caresses, rolls her eyes, breathes more and more quickly and a shudder runs through her whole body. If a wicked but experienced woman in love, - writes Merezhkovsky, - saw her at that moment, she would understand what it all means, and would only be surprised that there is no man with Teresa; and if this woman were experienced in witchcraft, she would have thought that with Teresa, instead of a man, that unclean spirit, which sorcerers and witches call "incubus." “The Beloved calls the soul with such a piercing whistle,” Teresa recalls, “that it is impossible not to hear it. This call affects the soul in such a way that it is exhausted from desire. Before her death, she again exclaims: “Oh, my God, my Husband, at last I will see You!” It is no coincidence that the famous American psychologist William James, assessing her mystical experience, wrote that "her ideas about religion were reduced, so to speak, to an endless love flirtation between a fan and his deity."
Another illustration of the complete loss of patristic criteria in the understanding of spiritual life by Catholicism is the revelations of 23-year-old Teresa of Lisieux (Teresa the Little, Teresa of the Infant Jesus) - the last of the highest Catholic saints. In 1997, in connection with the centenary of her death, by the “infallible” decision of Pope John Paul II, she was declared a Teacher (!) of the Universal Church. What she teaches the Church is eloquently evidenced by her autobiography, The Tale of a Soul. Here are some quotes from there.
“During the interview that preceded my tonsure, I told about the work that I intended to do in Carmel: “I came to save souls and, above all, to pray for the priests.” (She did not come to save herself in the monastery, but others!)
Speaking, as it seems, words about her unworthiness, she immediately writes: “I invariably keep the bold hope that I will become great saint... I thought that I was born for fame and was looking for ways to achieve it. And so, the Lord God ... revealed to me that my glory will not be revealed to mortal eyes, and its essence is that I will become a great saint!” (None of the saints ever had the “daring hope” of becoming a “great saint.” Macarius the Great, whom his associates called an “earthly god” for his rare height of life, only prayed: “God, cleanse me a sinner, as if I had never (= never) created good before You). Teresa would later write even more candidly: “In the heart of my Mother Church I will be Love...then I will be everything...and through this my dream will come true!”
And here is the love that her Teacher Teresa lives and teaches her church. “It was a kiss of love. I felt loved and said, "I love You and entrust myself to You forever." There were no petitions, no struggles, no sacrifices; long ago, Jesus and little poor Teresa, looking at each other, understood everything ... This day brought not an exchange of glances, but a merger, when there were no more two, and Teresa disappeared like a drop of water lost in the ocean depths. This love needs no comment.
On the methodological development imagination based on the experience of one of the pillars of Catholic mysticism, the founder of the Jesuit order and the great Catholic Saint Ignatius of Loyola (XVI century). His book "Spiritual Exercises", in which, in his words, "even the gospel becomes redundant", enjoys very great authority in Catholicism. The imagination of the crucified Christ, an attempt to penetrate into the world of His feelings and sufferings, mental conversations with the Crucified, etc. - all this fundamentally contradicts the foundations of spiritual achievement, as it is given in the life of the saints of the Ecumenical Church. Loyola's method leads to complete spiritual and, not infrequently, to mental breakdown of the ascetic, and hence to any kind of "revelations". Here are some brief excerpts from Spiritual Exercises.
The contemplation of the “First Day of the Incarnation of God the Word” consists of several preludes. The first prelude is "to introduce to yourself, as if it were before your eyes, the whole historical course of the mystery of the incarnation, namely: how the Three Divine Persons of the Holy Trinity look at this earth ... how the Holy Trinity, touched by suffering, decides to send down the Word ... like ... the Archangel Gabriel appeared as a messenger to the blessed Virgin Mary.
The second prelude is "in a live imagination area... where the Holy Virgin lives.”
The third prelude is “this is a plea for me to know ... the mystery of the incarnation of the Word ..”.
Another example of contemplation is a conversation with Christ. “This conversation,” Loyola instructs, “is done when a person imagine in front of me is Jesus Christ crucified on the cross. “Looking thus at the crucified Jesus, I will tell Him everything that my mind and my heart tell me... A real conversation can be compared to a conversation between two friends..”.
The authoritative collection of ascetic writings of the ancient Church “Philokalia” strongly forbids such “spiritual exercises” that are associated with imagination, imagination, conversations with the crucified Jesus. Here are some quotes from there.
The Monk Nilus of Sinai (5th century) warns: “Do not want to see sensually Angels or Forces, or Christ, so as not to go crazy, mistaking a wolf for a shepherd, and bowing to demon enemies.”
The Monk Simeon the New Theologian (XI century), speaking about those who in prayer “imagines the blessings of heaven, the ranks of angels and the abodes of saints,” directly says that “this is a sign of prelest.” “Standing on this path, those who see the light with their bodily eyes, smell the incense with their scent, hear voices with their ears, and the like are also deceived.”
The Monk Gregory of Sinai (XIV century) reminds: “Never accept, if you see something sensual or spiritual, outside or inside, even if it is the image of Christ, or an Angel, or some saint ... He who accepts it ... is easily seduced. .. God is not indignant at the one who carefully listens to himself, if he, out of fear of deception, does not accept what is from Him ... but rather praises him as wise.
The above examples show that the violation of the laws of spiritual life will certainly entail deep distortions of the consciousness and feelings (heart) of a person. He joins the world of fallen spirits, the spirits of lies and delusion. This leads to false visions, false revelations, to delusion. And since no one is protected from spiritual blindness and hidden pride, then the unchanging and firm rule of the Church is accept no revelations but remain in repentance and humility.
Charm, i.e. a high opinion of oneself, a lack of vision of one's spiritual wretchedness, a "humble" sense of the ability to receive revelations manifests itself in a wide variety of forms. Most often, these are daring attempts at prophecy, at unquestioning spiritual control of people (false eldership), at performing miracles and signs, etc. One such act is the so-called scolding(exorcism).
Individual priests are engaged in it, who, as a rule, do not have blessings of the bishop without which, as is known, a priest, in principle, has no right to perform no one sacred rites. The references of modern exorcists to the blessing of the confessor are frank self-justification, since without the blessing of the bishop, any sacred action, and even more so reprimanding (as an exceptional matter, not included in the usual scope of duties of a priest), turns into an anti-canonical and sinful act, having a detrimental effect on both the exorcist and the sick. The Council of Laodicea (364) decreed: “ Those who have not been made from bishops should not conjure either in churches or in houses..”.(right. 26). A very important indicator of the spiritual state of the chastening priests is the fact that it is not the confessors who bless them for this, but they themselves ask the confessors for blessings.
Exorcisms took place among early Christians in an age of extraordinary gifts. However, even then, only those Christians who received this gift of the Holy Spirit cast out demons. They acted according to the command of God, and not according to their own will. In the epistle under the name of St. Clement of Rome (I century) “On virginity”, ascetic exorcists are ordered “... to visit the possessed evil spirits and pray over them. Let them conjure with fasting and prayer, not with red, selective and refined words, but as men who have received the gift of healing from God. This gift of the Holy Spirit was rare, and even in those days there were many who were thirsty to cast out demons, in connection with which the “Apostolic Decrees” (III century) already forbid the supply of exorcists, motivating this by the fact that “the glorious feat of a spell is a matter of voluntary goodwill and the grace of God through Christ, by the influx of the Holy Spirit, because he who has received the gift of healing is shown through revelations from God, and the grace that is in him is manifest to everyone. In the 5th century exorcists are no longer mentioned in the East.
Orthodox Church always followed the words of the Savior: “ this kind is driven out only by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21), that is, a strict ascetic life. Right living leads a Christian to humility, to the attainment of dispassion. And of those only few The Lord sent down gift the victory of evil spirits. All other exorcists, regardless of their rank, according to the teachings of the Fathers, are deceived and seductive, covering up their lack of this with only begged-for blessings. gift God's.
In Lavsaik we read: Abba Pitirion “conversed with us a lot and spoke with particular force about the discernment of spirits, saying that some demons watch our passions and often turn them to evil. So, children, he told us, whoever wants to cast out demons must first enslave the passions: for what kind of passion whoever conquers, such a demon will he cast out. Little by little you must enslave the passions in order to drive out the demons of these passions.” Rev. Barsanuphius the Great said: “It is not appropriate for everyone to contradict the devil, but only for those who are strong about God, whom the demons obey; if one of the weak ones contradicts, the demons swear at him, that, being in their power, he contradicts them. Also, to forbid them is the work of great men who have power over them. How many of the saints forbade the devil, like Michael the Archangel, who did this because he had power? We, the weak, can only resort to the name of Jesus.”
Without reaching, it turns out, dispassion and without receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit to cast out demons, one cannot engage in such a terrible deed, externally imitating the great saints! Only a dispassionate person is capable of entering into an open struggle with the spirits of darkness without harm to the sick and to himself. However, there were only a few of them in ancient times, but there is no need to talk about the present tense. Wherein the Saints, as a rule, they healed and cast out demons “simply” by prayer, mostly internal, invisible to others, less often external (see the prayers of Sts. - or a special incantational rite, since such took place before the sacrament of Baptism.
Great Ascetic St. Isaac the Sirin (VII century) warned unauthorized spellcasters: “You go out to teach those who are already six thousand years old. And this (your impudent contradiction) serves as a weapon for them, with which they will be able to strike you, despite all your wisdom and all your prudence. In another word, he says: “Whoever ... prays to God and desires miracles and powers in his hands, he is tempted in his mind by a scolding demon and turns out to be boastful and weak in his conscience.”
The following is also important. According to the Fathers, possession is allowed by God to those people for whom this path is the best in acquiring humility and salvation. Therefore, the saints did not pray for the healing of everyone in a row, but only those whom the Lord Himself pointed out to them and to whom healing would serve for the good. For the liberation of the body from the power of an evil spirit, without a corresponding liberation of the soul, can have the most negative consequences for a person. “Those who have been freed from demons,” according to the thought of the blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, “become even worse later if they are not corrected.” Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) wrote in one of his letters: “Remember in your prayers the ailing D., who is betrayed by the fate of God to Satan, may her spirit be saved... many great saints of God... Possession is much more unimportant than the acceptance of any enemy thought that can destroy the soul forever.” St. John Chrysostom said: “Meanwhile, the burden of a demon is not at all cruel, because the demon cannot at all cast him into hell, but if we are awake, then this temptation will bring us brilliant and glorious crowns when we endure such attacks with gratitude.”
Very instructive in this regard is the conversation of one novice with the elder Archpriest Alexy Zaraisky about a demon-possessed girl. “I asked about. Alexy, why doesn’t he cast the demon out of her, and he answered me: why can he know that this is the will of God? She takes communion at St. Mystery, and if it is necessary, then Christ, received by her, is Himself strong to expel him; and if this serves her as a cleansing cross, then why cast him out?
It is necessary to pay attention to the following. The Lord forbade demons to speak through possessed people, and the holy fathers categorically forbade listening to them. At the present time, when many people gather for “reprimanding”, demons get great opportunities to “preach” and infect them with the spirit of deceit, pride, carnal passions, etc. Their “sermon” is widely distributed through television, newspapers, magazines, in which the false witnesses of these spirits are quoted at length. At the same time, it is not uncommon for demons to portray fear of the chastising “elders”, publicly calling them holy, strong, God’s servants, which leads both the “elders” themselves and simple-hearted believers into outright deception (charm). The results of demonic lies, as always, are deplorable. Rev. John Cassian the Roman has a serious warning about this: “Sometimes demons work miracles to lift up into arrogance a person who believes that he has a wonderful gift, in order to prepare him for an even more wonderful fall. They pretend that they are on fire and flee from the bodies of those where they have been, thanks to the alleged holiness of people whose impurity they know.”
The cited statements of the saints eloquently testify to their attitude to the serious question of our time, the healing of the demon-possessed. An obvious conclusion follows from these patristic thoughts: modern exorcism (reprimanding) is a spiritually very dangerous phenomenon. It does not come at all from the charismatic age of Christianity, when the Holy Spirit obviously acted in believers, but from a source about which St. Cassian spoke well: miraculous signs, although he calls on the name of Christ, he is a stranger to Christ, because, arrogant with pride, he does not follow the Teacher of humility ... Therefore, our fathers never called those monks good and free from the infection of vanity, who wanted to be known as spellcasters.
A great temptation for a person is the desire to achieve health and other earthly blessings by any means, regardless of the harm that may be for his soul. The so-called reprimand clearly illustrates this. Modern people they simply do not know what risk they expose their loved ones and themselves by coming to the “reprimand”. The priest, however, who has not received the gift of exorcising demons from God by “prayer and fasting,” and who tries to defeat evil spirits by reading prayers and other actions, eloquently testifies of himself. St. Ignatius wrote bitterly about such “wonderworkers”: “Soul-destructive acting and the saddest comedy are the elders who take on the role of the ancient holy elders, not having their spiritual gifts.”
The conjuration of spirits in our time, when the “oscude reverend”, can have the most destructive spiritual, mental and physical consequences, both in personal and social relations, both for the sick themselves, and, of course, for the one who reprimands. Rev. Ambrose of Optinsky said: “If you do not want to bear sorrow, do not undertake to help those possessed by demons. The Monk Simeon of Euchait advises to evade those possessed by evil spirits. A priest who dares to cast out (chastise) evil spirits “by Jesus, whom Paul preaches” (Acts 19:13), risks exposing himself to a similar reproach from them, about which the book of the Acts of the Apostles providentially narrates, and plunge the demoniac into even more serious illnesses and suffering.
Although it was left to the pagan nations to "go their own ways" (Acts 14:16), yet God "ceased not to testify of Himself" to them (Acts 14:17). And in paganism, people “sought for God, whether they would feel Him, and whether they would find Him” (Acts 17:27). Some researchers believe that paganism, with the exception of certain and limited eras and social groups, is distinguished by "intense religiosity, which excites and directly strikes when in contact with it." In the hearts of the Gentiles there always remained “a lawful deed,” a “conscience that obeys them” (Rom. 2:15), proclaiming their moral obligations to God and neighbors. God revealed Himself to the Gentiles as well, according to their understanding.
St. Justin the Philosopher says that the Logos acted not only "through Socrates, among the Hellenes", but also "among the barbarian peoples"". "Everyone has the seeds of Truth." “Christ is the Word in which the whole human race participates. Those who lived in accordance with the Word are Christians, even if they were considered atheists - such are Socrates, Heraclitus and the like among the Hellenes.
Divine Revelation- the manifestation of God in the world, revealing to people the knowledge of Him and true faith into Him; self-disclosure of God to man. Differs in natural visible world, the history of mankind, the conscience in man, and the supernatural, when God reveals about Himself directly Himself (the coming of the Savior to earth) or through righteous people - prophets, apostles and holy fathers of the Church.
Divine Revelation is God's revelation of Himself to man in response to the human desire to know his Creator. The creation of man by God presupposes an active search for God on the part of man. God created the entire human race so that people would look for Him, “whether they feel Him or find Him, although He is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:26, 28). Aspiring to God, a person cannot know God by his own efforts, but the very desire of a person has a price before God, Who is revealed to a person in response to his free search.
Natural Revelation is that God reveals Himself in His creation, just as an artist reveals himself in his painting or an author in his composition. But such a method of cognition of God is very limited, because the Divine being is uncreated. In His superexistence, God transcends all His creatures. Not being an intelligible object or a phenomenon perceived by the senses, He cannot be known by the efforts of the human mind or senses as part of this world. That is why, revealing Himself, God descends to man Himself. “The Savior did not at all say that it was absolutely impossible to know God,” teaches St. Irenaeus of Lyons, - but said only that no one can know God without Divine will, without learning from God, without His revelation (“and to whom the Son wants to reveal”). But since the Father deigned that we should know God, and the Son revealed Him to us, then we have the necessary knowledge about Him.
Revealing itself to man, God informs him of knowledge about Himself in a supernatural way. “Supernatural knowledge is that which enters the mind in a way that exceeds it. natural ways and strength, says St. Theodore Studite. - But it happens from the one God, when He finds the mind cleansed from all material addiction and embraced Divine love". Supernatural knowledge about God is communicated to the human soul by Divine grace, proceeding from the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. It is through the Divine grace of the Holy Spirit that man assimilates the truths of Divine Revelation. The Apostle Paul states that: "...no one can call Jesus Christ Lord, except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). This means that only those whose mind and heart have been affected by Divine grace can confess Christ as Lord.
Divine grace abides in the Church, is served in the Holy Mysteries. Therefore, the Church is also the guardian of Divine Revelation. “God is known only by the Holy Spirit,” St. Silouan of Athos. “It has been given to our Most Glorious Church by the Holy Spirit to understand the mysteries of God.” All the fullness of the truth received from Christ, the apostles proclaimed to the Church (Acts 20:27). According to St. Irenaeus of Lyon, the apostles put into the Church everything that relates to the truth. Being “the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14), the Church preserves divinely revealed doctrinal truths, called dogmas.