All biblical names are speaking names, which were most often given to people in some kind of prophetic insight.
No translation is capable of fully revealing the beauty of the palette of biblical names and images. For what is read in Hebrew has a different meaning when translated into another language.(Sir. 0, 4).
By carefully reading the biblical names, we discover new horizons for ourselves in the knowledge and revelation of the secrets of the Bible that do not lie on the surface of the letters and words of the biblical Revelation. The Spirit gives life; the flesh does not benefit at all. The words that I speak to you are spirit and life(John 6:63).
For example, we can cite two different names, which in the Russian-Slavic tradition, unfortunately, are transliterated in the same way.
Methuselah, who lived on earth longer than all people ( nine hundred sixty nine years- Life. 5, 27) - in the Synodal translation this name is transliterated, like the name of the “Cainite” Methuselah (4, 18), the son of Mechiael, the father of Lamech (Gen. 4, 18). In fact, the name of the “Cainite” Methuselah is pronounced as Methushael - “asking for death” (who lived an indefinitely small number of years), and the name of the “Sithite” Methuselah, the son of the righteous Enoch, is pronounced as Matushalah - “sending away”, “driving away death”.
“Many names are descriptive, for example: Laban ("White"), Dibri ("Talkative", "Talkative"), Edom ("Red", "Red"), Doeg ("Caring"), Geber ("Man", “Husband”), Ham (“Hot”), Gharan (“Highlander”), Kharif (“Sharp”), Hiresh (“Deaf”), Ivri (“Jew”), Matri (“Rainy”), Kareah (‟ Bald”, “Bald”, Naara (“Girl”, “Lady”). People were often named after animals: Caleb (“Dog”), Nachash (“Snake”), Shaphan (“Hare”), Hulda (“Rat”), Arad (“Wild Ass”), Tzipporah (“Bird”), Dvora (“Bee”), Hamor (“Donkey”), etc.”
And there are many such examples...
So, the genealogy of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew:
Abraham gave birth to Isaac; Isaac gave birth to Jacob; Jacob begat Judah and his brothers; Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar; Perez begat Hezrom; Hezrom begat Aram; Aram gave birth to Abminadab; Amminadab begat Nahshon; Nahshon begat Salmon; Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab; Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth; Obed begat Jesse; Jesse begat David king; David the king begot Solomon from Uriah; Solomon begat Rehoboam; Rehoboam gave birth to Abijah; Abijah begat Asa; Asa begat Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat begat Joram; Jehoram begat Uzziah; Uzziah begat Jotham; Jotham begat Ahaz; Ahaz begat Hezekiah; Hezekiah begat Manasseh; Manasseh begat Amon; Amon gave birth to Josiah ... (Matt. 1:2–10).
Usually, when the genealogies of the Bible are read, the reader rushes to quickly skim these texts with his eyes, without even realizing the spiritual secrets that are hidden in these genealogies themselves.
...Josiah begat Joachim; Joachim gave birth to Jeconiah and his brothers before moving to Babylon. After moving to Babylon, Jeconiah gave birth to Salathiel; Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel; Zerubbabel begat Abihu; Abihu begat Eliakim; Eliakim begat Azor; Azor begat Zadok; Zadok gave birth to Achim; Achim begat Eliud; Elihu begat Eleazar; Eleazar begat Matthan; Matthan gave birth to Jacob; Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ (Matt. 1:11–16).
According to the very genealogy of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, three main questions arise:
- Why, in addition to the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the genealogy contains the names of only those women who committed sexual impurity (or were close to such a fall)?
- Why is the genealogy divided into three parts?
- Why is it said: “from the migration to Babylon to Christ there are fourteen generations”; We count and find only 13 names?
On the first question- about the presence in the Genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ of some sinful women - we must remember that, as is known, the Lord Jesus Christ and came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance(Matthew 9:13), which directly follows (in this case) from His own Genealogy.
Tamar (“palm tree”) – the sin of incest with one’s father-in-law (cf. Gen. 38:16);
Rahab (“broad”) – the harlot from Jericho (cf. Joshua 2:1);
Ruth (“friend”, “girlfriend”) - an attempt to enter into premarital relations (Ruth. 3, 9).
Bathsheba, ex for Urie(“daughter of an oath”) – adultery while the husband is alive (cf. 2 Kings 11:3-4). – Each of these women is the foremother of the Lord Jesus Christ in a straight line!
Blessed Jerome wrote: “It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that in the genealogy of the Savior not a single holy woman is indicated, but only those of them are mentioned whom the Holy Scripture condemns, in order to show that He who came for the sake of sinners (i.e. Christ - O.S.), coming from sinners, blotted out the sins of all."
Saint John Chrysostom calls out to the Evangelist Matthew with an exclamation (about the incest of Tamar): “What are you doing, inspired man, reminding us of the history of lawless incest? What's wrong with that? he answers (i.e. Matthew - O.S.). If we began to list the genus of any ordinary person, then it would be decent to remain silent about such a matter. But in the genealogy of the incarnate God, not only should one not remain silent, but one should also announce this loudly, in order to show His providence and power. He came not to avoid our shame, but to destroy it. Just as we are especially surprised not by the fact that Christ died, but by the fact that he was crucified (although this is blasphemous, but the more vilified, the more love for mankind is shown in Him), so we can say about His birth: Christ should be surprised not only because He took on flesh and became a man, but also because He deigned to be His relatives, not at all ashamed of our vices. Thus, from the very beginning of His birth, He showed that He did not disdain anything of ours, thereby teaching us not to be ashamed of the evil behavior of our ancestors, but to seek only one thing - virtue.”
And all this is of great importance for us! For if, according to True Humanity, Christ emerges from this genealogy, and according to True Divinity (unmerged) enters it, not alienating its turbidity, this means that He (Christ) is able to enter into our lives, despite its turbidity. For Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever(Heb. 13:8), He is also at a certain time he died for the wicked. For hardly anyone will die for the righteous(Rom. 5, 6, 7).
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the migration to Babylon to Christ fourteen generations (Matt. 1:17).
On the second question Chrysostom explains: “The Evangelist divided the entire genealogy into three parts, wanting to show there that the Jews did not become better with the change of government; but even in the times of the aristocracy, and under the kings, and during the oligarchy, they indulged in the same vices: under the control of judges, priests and kings, they showed no success in virtue.”
No amount of political speculation can protect a person from the power of sin.
And one cannot think that what was said about the Jews does not apply to ourselves, for St. Paul wrote about them and us (Christians) that All this happened to them(i.e. Jews - O.S.) as images; but it is described for our instruction(i.e. Christians - O.S.), reaching the last centuries(1 Cor. 10, 11). – And in our time, many people attach too much importance to different forms of political structure of society. However, we see, and this is obvious, - people don't get better with a change of government. The Jews also sinned under the patriarchs (the time from Abraham to David) - the communal-tribal, or nationalistic period of governance. They also sinned under kings (from David to Babylon) - the monarchical period of government. They also sinned under the rule of various religious oligarchic parties - a period of political pluralism. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ needed to come into this world, because no political and nationalistic speculation can protect a person from the power of sin, fear of death and the devil.
The Scripture says: Stop relying on a man whose breath is in his nostrils, for what does he mean?(Isa. 2:22); and further: Do not trust in princes, in the son of man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, and he returns to his land: on that day his thoughts disappear(Ps. 145: 3–4).
All forms of human government are vicious to one degree or another... When the Jews wanted to replace the theocratic monarchy with an ordinary monarchy, the Lord God said to the prophet Samuel: ... listen to the voices of the people in all that they say to you; for they did not reject you, but they rejected Me, so that I should not reign over them(1 Kings 8:7). And the entire period of the kings was a period of spiritual decline. Said: because such a Passover was not kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, and in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah(2 Kings 23, 22). That is, all these kings were so busy with themselves that Easter was not celebrated on all their days. Isn't this a decline? Isn't this a spiritual crisis? What about other forms of government...
Russia, although it emerged from the godless “Egyptian captivity,” but what met it on the way to Orthodox Canaan was the cult of the golden calf in the spiritual desert of nihilism. And they want to make us all jump and rejoice around this new golden “god” (idol). Now the national idea for many Russians is one - enrichment and mutual wild competition.
Orthodox Christians must distance themselves from the collective sins of their own contemporaries and not in any way identify with them. Adulterers and adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So, whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God(James 4:4); and further: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.(Rom. 12:2).
Saint John Chrysostom teaches: “Whether you point to wealth, fame, physical beauty, pleasure, everything else that people consider great - all this is only an image, and not a real thing, a phenomenon - a guise, and not any permanent essence . But do not conform to this, says (the apostle), but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. He did not say: transform externally, but transform yourself essentially, showing by this that the world has only an external image, and virtue does not have an external, but a true, essential image... So, if you throw away appearances, you will immediately achieve the (real) image.”
Christ entered this world by Divinity, but by Humanity he left it.
On the third question: why is it said in the Evangelist Matthew that from the migration to Babylon to Christ fourteen generations ; We count, we find only thirteen genera, - St. John Chrysostom explains: “it seems to me that he (i.e. Matthew - O.S.) counts among the generations the time of captivity, and Jesus Christ himself, copulating Him with us everywhere.” Blessed Jerome interpreted it similarly: “Count from Jeconiah to Joseph and you will find thirteen births. Thus, the fourteenth birth appears to be the birth of Jesus Christ.” In other words, Christ entered this world according to Divinity, but according to Humanity, He left it. He united and became completely related to us and thus became one of us (part of His Own Genealogy). The Apostle Paul wrote that He, being the image of God... emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross(Phil. 2:6-8).
Thus, from the entire Genealogy of Christ it becomes obvious that the Son of God does not disdain our depravity and defilement (remember defiled women). If the Lord did not disdain them, this means that He does not disdain you and me. On the other hand, the fact that at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew the names of sinners are indicated is evidence that this entire Gospel itself was written for those who consider themselves sinful and defiled. You who justify yourself by law(i.e. good deeds and merits - O.S.), were left without Christ, fell from grace, but we in spirit expect and hope for righteousness from faith(Gal. 5:4).
So, the Gospels were written, and the Son of God came into this world for the salvation of sinners, “for us for man’s sake and for our salvation”!
Now let's look at the spiritual meaning in the translation of all the names of the Genealogy of Christ in their order of 14 genera. As is known, biblical names were given under the influence of the prophetic spirit and, as a rule, were a characteristic for an entire generation. 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. 1:21).
Abraham is the “father of multitudes”;
Isaac - “laughter”;
Jacob (Israel) – “deceiver” (“soldier of God”);
Judas – “praised”;
Fares - “gap”, “hole”;
Esrom – “blooming”;
Aram – “high”;
Aminadab – “generous”;
Naason - “sorcerer”;
Salmon – “dark”;
Boaz – “witty”;
Ovid – “worshipper”;
Jesse - “wealth”;
David – “father’s brother”, “beloved”.
The general spiritual characteristics of the period from Abraham to David are as follows: (Abraham) – blessing through one is given many; (Isaac) - this blessing turns around joy, but also bewilderment for posterity; (Jacob) – the hopes placed on the descendants turned out to be deceptive, but over time (Israel) - the situation has changed for the better; (Judas) – glorification God continued; (Fares) – but gap has already been formed from the sins committed; (Esrom) – bloom spirituality continued; (Aram) – heights spiritual beckons; (Aminadab) - and generous mercy was poured out; (Naason) – spirituality could not stop sorcery and sorcery, dual faith, magic and monotheism coexisted; (Salmon) – from such coexistence and duality dark descended into this world; (Boaz) – but intelligence suggested another direction; (Ovid) - the worship of God was preserved; (Jesse) - and it brought wealth spiritual life; (David) - as the fruit of the riches of spiritual life, Love increased.
The next 14 births:
David – “father’s brother”, “beloved”;
Solomon – “prosperity”, “prosperity”, “peace”;
Rehoboam – “increasing the people”;
Abijah – “(my) father is Yahweh”;
Asa – “doctor”;
Jehoshaphat – “Yahweh judges”;
Joram - “Yahweh exalts”;
Uzziah – “my strength is Yahweh”;
Jotham - “Yahweh perfect”;
Ahaz - “he grabbed”;
Hezekiah – “Yahweh will strengthen”;
Manasseh – “who lets one forget”;
Amon – “master”;
Josiah – “Yahweh sustains.”
The spiritual characteristics of the generations from David to Babylon were as follows: (David) - brotherly love flourished; (Solomon) - from this world And prosperity reigned in peace; (Rehoboam) – the people grew and strengthened both spiritually and physically; (Avia) – awareness sonship God continued; (Asa) - and this healed the hearts of the people; (Jehoshaphat) – we had to remember about courts God's; (Joram) – one had to remember that the genuine greatness (elevation) – only from God; (Uzziah) – seek the genuine force it was possible only in God; (Jotham) - perfection one had to look only in God, without relying on one’s own strength; (Ahaz) - the enemy could take possession everyone's soul; (Hezekiah) – strengthen only God could; (Manasseh) – He (God) betrayed oblivion the sins of the repentant; (Amon) – wonderful in this way the Creator showed His care; (Josiah) – thus, God supported the life of entire generations.
Last 14 names:
Jehoiachin – “established by Yahweh”;
Salafiel - “I asked God”;
Zerubbabel – “born in Babylon”;
Abihu – “(my) father is He”;
Eliakim - “God has established”;
Azor – “helper”;
Zadok - “He (God) showed Himself righteous”;
Achim – “brother”;
Eliud - “God praised”;
Eleazar - “God helps”;
Matfan - “gift”;
Jacob – “deceiver”;
Joseph - “He will add”;
Jesus – “Yahweh saves.”
The mosaic of the meaning of names brought us to the very Coming of Christ and His Nativity
The spiritual characteristics of the generations from Babylon to Christ were as follows: (Jechoniah) - hope for perseverance and statement it was possible only in God; (Salafiel) – therefore it was necessary multiply prayers; (Zerubbabel) - after all, the spirit Babylon continued to live among the people; (Abihu) - but we had to remember the Spirit of God; (Eliakim) - after all, only He (the Lord) could approve in truth; (Azor) – humanity needed help; (Zadok) - He (the Lord) affirmed in righteousness; (Achim) – the believer became brother for another believer; (Eliud) – it was necessary praise God; (Eleazar) – help from God was approaching; (Matthan) - promised by God gift salvation was approaching; (Jacob) – true faith could change destiny and name for everyone; (Joseph) – God Himself could replenish All; (Jesus) – salvation from God it has arrived.
Such a mosaic of the meaning of different names led us to the very Coming of Christ and His Nativity, revealing the spiritual meaning of the expectations and experiences of the human race on the eve of the manifestation of its Salvation. The name as a symbol for biblical exegesis is a common phenomenon; for example, the following words of the Apostle Paul can be cited: There is an allegory in this. These are two covenants: one from Mount Sinai, giving birth to slavery, which is Hagar, for Hagar means Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem...(Gal. 4:24–25).
As the Scripture says: He gave us the ability to be ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, because the letter kills, but the spirit gives life(2 Cor. 3:6); and further: The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness; and cannot understand, because this must be judged spiritually(1 Cor. 2:14).
We asked visitors to our portal whether and how often they read the Holy Scriptures. About 2,000 people took part in the survey. It turned out that more than a third of them do not read the Holy Scriptures at all or do so extremely rarely. About a quarter of those surveyed regularly read the Holy Scriptures. The rest - from time to time.
The Holy Scripture itself says: “Search the Scriptures, for by them you think you have eternal life; and they testify of Me” (John 5:39); “Dig into yourself and into the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you” (1 Tim. 4:16). As we see, reading and studying the Holy Scriptures is considered the main activity and duty of a believer.
We turned to Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev.
If a Christian does not turn to the Holy Scriptures, then his prayer, not combined with reading the word of God, is most likely a monologue that does not rise above the ceiling. In order for prayer to become a full-fledged dialogue with God, it must be combined with the reading of the Holy Scriptures. Then, turning to God in prayer, through reading His word, we will receive an answer to our questions.
The Scripture says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God (see: Deut. 8:3). We must remember that a person needs not only physical, material food, but also spiritual food. The Word of God is food for our inner, spiritual man. If we do not feed a physical person for a day, two, three, four, and if we neglect to take care of him, then the result will be his exhaustion, dystrophy. But a spiritual person can also find himself in a state of dystrophy if he does not read the Holy Scriptures for a long time. And then he wonders why his faith is weakening! The source of faith is known: “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, it is absolutely necessary for every person to cling to this source.
By reading the Holy Scriptures, we immerse our consciousness in the commandments of God
Psalm 1 begins with the words: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the way of sinners, and does not sit in the seat of the wicked, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1: 1-2). Here, in the first verse, we are shown three positions of the human body: not walking, not standing, not sitting. And then it says that the believer abides in the Law of God day and night. That is, the Law of God tells us with whom we cannot walk together, with whom we cannot stand together, with whom we cannot sit together. The commandments are in the word of God. By reading the Holy Scriptures, we immerse our consciousness in the commandments of God. As David said: “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Ps. 119:105). And if we do not immerse our consciousness in the word of God, then we walk in darkness.
Addressing instructions to the young bishop Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Let no one despise your youth; but be an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Until I come, keep busy with reading, instruction and teaching” (1 Tim. 4: 12-13). And Moses, the seer of God, setting up Joshua, said to him: “Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; but study therein day and night, so that you may do exactly everything that is written in it: then you will be successful in your ways and will act wisely” (Joshua 1:8).
How to study the Holy Scriptures correctly? I think that we need to start with the Gospel and Apostolic readings of the day, indications of which are in every church calendar - and today everyone has such calendars. In the old days, it was customary: after the morning rule, a person opened the calendar, looked at what the Gospel reading was today, what the Apostolic reading was, and read these texts - they were a kind of edification for him for that day. And for a more intensive study of the Holy Scriptures, fasting is a very good time.
You should definitely have a Bible at home, choose a copy for yourself that will be comfortable for your eyes and pleasant to hold in your hands. And there must be a bookmark. And as a bookmark, you need to read a fragment of Holy Scripture from beginning to end.
Of course, it is recommended to start with the New Testament. And if a person is already a church member, he needs to read the entire Bible at least once. And when a person uses the time of fasting for intensive study of the Holy Scriptures, this will bring him God's blessing.
It has long been noted that, no matter how many times a person reads the same biblical text, at different periods of life it opens up with new facets. In the same way, a gemstone, when you turn it, shines blue, turquoise, amber. The Word of God, no matter how many times we turn to it, will open to us more and more new horizons of knowledge of God.
The Monk Ambrose of Optina recommended that novices become acquainted with the New Testament according to the interpretations of Blessed Theophylact. These interpretations, although brief, convey the very essence of the text. And in his comments, Blessed Theophylact does not deviate from the topic. As is known, he took as a basis the works of St. John Chrysostom, but from them he singled out only what relates directly to the text that is being commented on.
When reading the biblical text itself, one must always have either the Explanatory Orthodox Bible or the same commentary of Blessed Theophylact at hand, and when something is not clear, turn to them. The commentary itself, without the biblical text, is quite difficult to read, because it is, after all, reference literature; you need to turn to it when you are faced with an incomprehensible or difficult fragment of the Bible.
Parents should study the Holy Scriptures with their children
How to teach children to read the Holy Scriptures? I think parents should study the Holy Scriptures together with their children. The Bible repeatedly says that it is the father who must teach the Law of God to his children. And, by the way, it is never said that children should study. This means that whether they want it or not, they still need to study the Law of God and read the Bible.
OLD TESTAMENT
Introduction to the Old Testament (lecture notes) St. Lev Shikhlyarov
The word “Bible” translated from Greek means “books” (papyri for ancient books were produced in the Asia Minor city of Byblos). The plural in this name initially emphasized the structure of the Holy Scriptures of the Jews, consisting of many books, but over time it acquired a different, majestic meaning: something like “The Book of Books,” or “to all books a Book.” After many years of atheistic ideology and in the years of spiritual pluralism that replaced it, a correct understanding of the Bible becomes for an Orthodox Christian not so much a sign of education as one of the conditions of salvation. In spiritual literature the term “revelation” is often used.
Lectures on the Old Testament by Archpriest N. Sokolov
Today we are starting a series of lectures dedicated to one of the greatest books existing in the world - the Bible, or rather its first part, which is called the Old Testament. The theme of our lectures over the course of two years will be the experience of theological comprehension and disclosure of the meaning of the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament as an enduring value in the realm of spiritual values, as a value that receives its interpretation in the light of the Holy Scripture of the New Testament and in the general context of the church’s understanding of the ways of saving Divine Providence.
Lectures on an introduction to the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament by D.G. Dobykin
This course of lectures does not pretend to be original and is a compilation from a number of pre-revolutionary and modern studies and publications on the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. The compiler’s goal is a course that would be of interest to all those who do not yet know, but want to know, what the Old Testament is….
The Bible and the science of the creation of the world, Arch. Stefan Lyashevsky
This experience of theological analysis of the Biblical tale represents the first part of a scientific study (narration) about the creation of the world and man. The second part of the study is devoted exclusively to the first people on earth, whose lives are examined in the light of modern archaeological data about prehistoric man.
In the field of geological and archaeological knowledge, there are known provisions that are the absolute truth, and there are controversial provisions, on which there are several judgments and theories.
Turning exclusively to the scientific data of geology and paleontology, and in the second part of the book to archaeological research, I could, of course, freely make a choice between various hypotheses, and in some cases express my personal judgments. The degree of convincingness of this research can be judged by everyone who wants to look at the world and man from the point of view of revealed knowledge, which is narrated in the first pages of the book of Genesis.
Tit for tat Andrey Desnitsky
Executions, fines, compliance with harsh laws - how can the God of Love demand this from a person? But this is precisely how the Old Testament appears to many of our contemporaries, which demands “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”
Is the Old Testament cruel? Deacon Andrey Kuraev
Today it is easier to understand the mystery of Israel than a hundred years ago, because to understand it we must imagine a world in which only pagans live. We must imagine a world in which the Gospel has not yet been preached, and magicians, sorcerers, shamans, spirits and “gods” swarm around. Today this is easier to do. Once again, ordinary people scare each other with hexes and evil eyes; again, wandering shamans offer their services for “love spells” and “turnarounds.” Again there is a fair abundance of names and masks of various spirits and deities, occult words denoting all kinds of “planes”, “eons” and “energies”. People have forgotten that you can simply stand before God and, without any complex rituals, spells and eloquent names, say: “Lord!”
And as rarely as it is today in bookstores to find a book about Orthodoxy, it was just as rare three thousand years ago to hear a word about the One God on earth.
Lifting the veil of time Ekaterina Prognimak
“And I will say to them: if it pleases you, then give Me My wages; if not, don’t give it; and they will weigh out thirty pieces of silver as payment to Me.” No, this is not a quote from a hitherto unknown gospel text describing the betrayal of Judas. All this was predicted by the prophet Zechariah 500 years before the birth of Christ. And the words about the thirty pieces of silver, and other equally accurate predictions of Zechariah can be easily found in any edition of the Old Testament.
But how could the prophet Zechariah know about the impending betrayal if he lived long before the events described in the Gospel?
Conversations on the Book of Genesis by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev
Why read the Old Testament? Deacon Roman Staudinger
The book is compiled from conversations of the famous Moscow priest Oleg Stenyaev - cleric of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and Joy of All Who Sorrow on Ordynka in Moscow, head of the Rehabilitation Program for victims of non-traditional religions of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, a regular participant in the programs of the Radonezh radio station.
In his conversations, Father Oleg shows that Biblical Revelation is the key to understanding and solving many of our political, social, family and personal problems.
The Old Testament in the New Testament Church, Archpriest. Mikhail Pomazansky
MANY CENTURIES separate us from the time of writing the books of the Old Testament, especially its first books. And it is no longer easy for us to be transported to that structure of the soul and to that environment in which these divinely inspired books were created and which are presented in these books themselves. From here arise the perplexities that confuse the thought of modern man. These perplexities arise especially often when there is a desire to reconcile the scientific views of our time with the simplicity of biblical ideas about the world. General questions also arise about how consistent the Old Testament views are with the New Testament worldview. And they ask: why the Old Testament? Isn't the teaching of the New Testament and the Scriptures of the New Testament enough?
As for the enemies of Christianity, it has long been the case that attacks against Christianity begin with attacks on the Old Testament. And today's militant atheism considers the stories of the Old Testament the easiest material for this purpose. Those who went through a period of religious doubt and, perhaps, religious denial, especially those who underwent Soviet anti-religious training, indicate that the first stumbling block to their faith was thrown at them from this area.
This brief review of the Old Testament Scriptures cannot answer all the questions that arise, but I think it indicates guiding principles by which a number of misunderstandings can be avoided.
Why do they make sacrifices? Andrey Desnitsky
Why do the Bible describe all kinds of sacrifices? In primitive ancient paganism, of course, people thought that it was inconvenient to approach a deity or spirit as a boss without a gift or bribe. But why did the One God, to Whom the whole universe already belong, demand sacrifices? And why, finally, is the death of Christ on the cross described as a sacrifice of a special kind - who brought it, to whom and why?..
Why is the Old Testament so petty? Andrey Desnitsky
When opening the Bible, a person expects first of all great revelations. But if he reads the Old Testament, he is usually amazed by the abundance of petty instructions: eat the meat only of animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud. What is all this for? Does God really care what kind of meat people eat? Why these endless ritual details: how to offer different sacrifices to Him? Is this the main thing in religion?...
Historical and cultural context of the Old Testament V. Sorokin
The question of the origin of the Torah is one of the most complex and confusing in modern biblical studies. In this case, we have to keep in mind two aspects of the problem: the question of the sources of the Torah, that is, those texts that preceded the appearance of its final version, and the question of codification, that is, the recognition of a known text or group of texts as the Torah...
Unfortunately, today many people come to churches who either have never opened the Gospel at all or have read it superficially. But if reading the New Testament is nevertheless recognized by the majority of Christians as a necessity - it would be strange if it were otherwise, then familiarity with the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament is limited to the “Law of God” of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky...
How to read the Bible? Archpriest Alexander Men
The book is an anthology of biblical texts compiled by the famous theologian and Orthodox priest Alexander Men. The sequence of texts corresponds to the chronology of the history of Salvation. The book consists of three parts. The proposed first part begins with the Pentateuch and ends with the Book of Song of Songs, traditionally attributed to Solomon. All biblical texts are provided with a brief scientific commentary. The introductory section explains the history of the Bible and its influence on world culture.
The book is accompanied by a short bibliography, a diagram of biblical sources, chronological tables of the history of the Ancient East and maps. Intended for a wide range of readers interested in the world of the Bible...
How to read the Old Testament? Protopresbyter John Breck
Speech delivered by priest John Breck, professor at the St. Sergius Theological Institute, at a meeting of participants in the Nepsis youth movement of the Archdiocese of the Romanian Patriarchate in Western Europe on April 21, 2001. Published in: Mensuel Service Orthodoxe de Presse (SOP). Supplement No. 250, juillet-out 2002.
The Christian tradition of reading and understanding1 the Old Testament is dear to me. It has infinite significance for us, since we acutely feel that for many years, if not centuries, as Orthodox Christians, we have somehow neglected reading the books of Holy Scripture and, in particular, the books of the Old Testament.
I think we should begin with the main statement: this is a conviction that places us in a certain connection with the great church tradition represented both by the Fathers of the Church and by the holy writers of the books of the New Testament. This conviction boils down for us to understanding the Old Testament in accordance with the Apostle Paul (cf. 2 Cor.), namely, as a collection of deeply and essentially Christian books.
Reading the Old Testament Konstantin Korepanov
Very often one hears that for a full Christian life a Christian needs only the Sacred History of the New Testament - Christ said everything with which one can completely nourish one’s spiritual life. On the one hand, this is true, but, nevertheless, there is a certain derogation of the entire fullness of the Revelation of God and the Holy Scriptures...
NEW TESTAMENT
Interpretation of the Gospel by B.I. Gladkov
Review of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt on the book “Interpretation of the Gospel” by B. I. Gladkov
January 18, 1903
Beloved brother Boris Ilyich in Christ!
I read with the greatest interest both your preface to the highly esteemed work of explanation of the Gospel, and excerpts of the explanation. The previous time of your delusion and the state of spiritual dissatisfaction and longing for the truth of God served to the amazing sophistication of your logical, philosophical mind and to the purification of the heart's eye, to the most subtle distinctness and clarity in judgments and objects relating to faith. I received great spiritual satisfaction from reading your explanation.
Your sincere admirer
Archpriest John Sergiev
Introduction to the New Testament Ioannis Karavidopoulos
The first edition of the Introduction to the New Testament textbook, which began the Bible Library series, has served the needs of both theology students and all who read the Holy Scriptures for more than 20 years. During this period, from 1983 to this day, the list of books on biblical studies in Greek was replenished with works that, although they do not contain anything revolutionary new in solving general and specific issues of New Testament biblical studies, nevertheless offer fresh material and new aspects to explore. This material was included in the current, third edition of the textbook, with the limitation, of course, so as not to deviate from the purpose of the “Biblical Library” series, and therefore new data is presented mainly in the section of editions of the text and translations of the New Testament. It goes without saying that all old and new special bibliography is given at the beginning of each chapter of this Introduction to the New Testament.
Introduction to the New Testament V. Sorokin
The Bible has been and is being read by many people, and everyone reads it in their own way. For some it is a historical source, for others it is a wonderful example of the poetic genre...
Heritage of Christ. What was not included in the Gospels? Deacon Andrey Kuraev
The book by Deacon Andrei Kuraev, professor at the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, is devoted to the issue that is at the center of Orthodox-Protestant discussions - the question of what place the Bible occupies in the life of the Church. Was it only the Bible that Christ left to people? Is it only through the Bible that Christ comes and speaks to us?
The book raises questions about the relationship between Scripture and Church Tradition, about the Christian perception of history, and about the relationship between matter and Spirit.
The purpose of the book is to protect people (both Protestants, Orthodox, and secular researchers) from an overly simplified understanding of Orthodoxy and to explain what exactly makes Orthodoxy a religious tradition significantly different from Protestantism.
New Testament. Introductory part. Lectures by A. Emelyanov
The study of the New Testament traditionally begins with an introductory section, which is often referred to by the Greek word “isagogy.” Isagogy includes the study of the history of the New Testament, the study of parallel civil history to complete the presentation of Sacred history, the study of the textual criticism of the New Testament, i.e. study of the origin of the text and other auxiliary sections. But before turning to this introductory part, I will make a very brief excursion into Old Testament history. To make it easier for you to structure the sacred history that you need to know in order to fully understand New Testament history, I offer you Biblical History Atlases, now available and sold by the Bible Society.
Interpretation of John Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew
The first and second books of the seventh volume of the collected works of John Chrysostom. That is, the proposed book contains the complete Interpretation of John Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew.
“Matthew rightly called his work the gospel. In fact, he proclaims to everyone - the enemies, the ignorant, sitting in darkness - the end of punishment, the remission of sins, justification, sanctification, redemption, sonship, the inheritance of heaven and affinity with the Son of God. What can compare with such gospel? God is on earth, man is in heaven; everything is united: the angels have formed one face with people, people have united with angels and other heavenly forces. It has become obvious that the ancient warfare has ceased, that the reconciliation of God with our nature has been accomplished, the devil has been put to shame, demons have been cast out, death has been bound, heaven has been opened, the oath has been abolished, sin has been destroyed, error has been removed, truth has returned, the word of piety is sown and growing everywhere...
Interpretation of the Gospel of John by Euthymius Zigaben
Compilation of patristic texts, mainly by John Chrysostom.
Men wrote about Zigaben’s interpretations of the New Testament: “His commentary on the NT seems more independent. He tried to resolve some exegetical difficulties, for example: were there three anointings of Christ with chrism or two? Where did Peter's denial take place: in the house of Annas or Caiaphas? Why did the Lord say: “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28)? In all these cases, Zigaben resorts to his own. conclusions. Unlike St. John Chrysostom Zigaben counts two anointings; the question of Peter is resolved by the hypothesis that Caiaphas and Anna lived in the same house, and the words of the Savior in John 14 are explained by the fact that He was forced to take into account the degree of understanding of His words by the disciples. Sometimes Zigaben used the allegorical method in interpreting the Gospels. In general, “his explanations are short and concise; attempts to reconcile evangelical differences are often very...
Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev was born in 1961 in the town of Orekhovo-Zuevo near Moscow. Famous missionary, preacher, master of theology, publicist and writer. Specialist in the field of sect studies and rehabilitation of persons who have suffered from the actions of non-traditional religious cults. Presenter and author of several radio programs, participant in numerous open debates with representatives of various faiths and polemics on the Internet.
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Biography
Oleg Viktorovich is a graduate of the school for working youth, after which he got a job at a factory as a lathe-borer. Before becoming a church reader, he served in a company of internal troops. Since the early 1980s, he has been a student at the capital’s theological seminary. I did not have time to complete my studies due to family circumstances.
After his official ordination to the rank of deacon, he began active work related to missionary work. Since 1990, he has been a member of the publishing team of the Christian magazine Ambon, where he served as editor-in-chief.
From the beginning of the 90s he served the ROCOR, whose parish he created in the city of Kainsk (Novosibirsk region). After arriving back in the capital, he accepted the position of confessor of the central branch of the national-patriotic front “Memory”. In 1994 he began serving in the Russian Orthodox Church as a priest. In parallel with his work in the temple, he headed the public Center named after A.S. Khomyakov, specializing in helping victims of the actions of non-traditional religious cults.
Since 2000, Oleg Viktorovich has held the position of rector of the temple erected in honor of St. Nicholas. Since 2004 – minister of the Church of the Resurrection Deanery. The following year he graduated from the Pererva Theological Seminary, and then joined the ranks of students at the Moscow Theological Seminary. In 2007 he defended his diploma, becoming a Bachelor of Theology.
In 2010, Daniil Sysoev, Stenyaev’s friend and associate, was killed during a sermon. However, Oleg Viktorovich continued the work he had begun and took upon himself the organization of Bible talks, which took place on Thursdays in one of the Moscow churches.
Where does Oleg Stenyaev serve?
Today the archpriest is a minister of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in the capital's Sokolniki district. Every Monday at 5 pm Oleg Viktorovich attends Bible talks held in the Church of St. Nicholas. In addition to educational activities, Stenyaev regularly takes part in missionary trips, publishes new books and preaches Orthodox teachings to followers of non-traditional religious cults.
The archpriest is one of the chief editors of the “Missionary Review” (supplement to the printed publication “Orthodox Moscow”). In the early 2000s, he served in Chechnya, where he preached Christian teaching among military personnel and civilians.
Interpretation of the Apocalypse
Stenyaev considers “Apocalypse” (or “Revelation of John the Theologian”) the most difficult to understand and controversial biblical book. It contains revelations concerning the end times and the signs of the coming of the Antichrist.
A series of conversations by the archpriest was recorded between 2006 and 2007, when he conducted edifying and moral sermons for parishioners. Stenyaev set himself the task of highlighting not so much the historical events of the Apocalypse, but rather apocalyptic issues relating specifically to human souls.
The idea of organizing conversations of this kind came to Oleg Viktorovich for the reason that a lot of books about the Apocalypse have appeared, the authorship of which belongs to people far from Orthodoxy. The conversations were delivered impromptu by the archpriest and recorded by parishioners using voice recorders and video cameras.
Later they appeared on the World Wide Web in audio format. The conversations are not distinguished by a strict chronological order and sequential presentation, but they trace the author’s attempt to “reach out” to modern people, deafened and “shell-shocked” by the hellish rhythm of today’s realities.
“Conversations on the Apocalypse” was published in the format of a collection, including interpretations of prophecies and conversations between the archpriest and parishioners. The book was blessed by the Bishop of Kuril and Sakhalin, His Eminence Daniel.
Video: interpretation of the apocalypse by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev, first conversation
Video: interpretation of the apocalypse by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev, second conversation
Bible Interpretation
In addition to the interpretation of the Apocalypse, Oleg Stenyaev is the author of several works that examine the Gospel of Matthew, the book of the Holy Prophet of God Daniel, the Sermon on the Mount, the Epistle of James and the Book of Genesis.
The archpriest examines in his written works the family life of the Old Testament patriarchs, the problem of Satanism and man in the face of all kinds of temptations. He examines in detail the Gospel of Luke, the creation of man, the Fall and the destruction of the first world. Several cycles of Stenyaev’s conversations are devoted to disputes with Hare Krishnas, representatives of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other non-traditional religions.
Video: Bible interpretation