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We asked the visitors of our portal whether they read the Holy Scriptures and how often. 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 it extremely rarely. About a quarter of the respondents regularly read the Holy Scriptures. The rest are from time to time.

The Holy Scripture itself says: “Search the Scriptures, for you think in them you have eternal life; but they testify of Me” (John 5:39); “Dig into yourself and into the teaching; do this constantly: for by doing this you will save yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). As we can see, the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures is imputed to the main work and duty of a believer.

With a request to comment on the results of the survey and answer the questions why it is so important for a Christian to constantly refer to the Holy Scriptures, how to make the reading and study of the word of God the norm, how to teach children to do this, how to properly study the Holy Scriptures, whether it is necessary to use interpretations, we turned to Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev.

If a Christian does not turn to the Holy Scriptures, then his prayer, not connected with the reading of 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 Holy Scripture. Then, turning to God in prayer, through reading His word, we will receive an answer to our questions.

Scripture says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds 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, if we neglect to take care of him, then the result will be his exhaustion, dystrophy. But a spiritual person can also be in a state of dystrophic if he does not read the Holy Scripture for a long time. And then he still 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.

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 go to the council of the ungodly and does not stand in the way of sinners and does not sit in the assembly of corrupters, but his will is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on his law day and night” (Ps. 1:1-2). Here, in the very first verse, we are shown three positions of the human body: not walking, not standing, not sitting. And then it says that the believer in the Law of God abides day and night. That is, the Law of God tells us with whom it is impossible to walk together, with whom it is impossible to stand together, with whom it is impossible to sit together. The commandments are in the word of God. 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 are walking in darkness.

Addressing the young Bishop Timothy with admonition, the apostle Paul wrote: “Let no one despise your youth; but be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Until I come, be occupied with reading, exhortation, and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:12-13). And the God-seer Moses, placing Joshua, said to him: “Let this book of the law not depart from your mouth; but meditate on it day and night, so that you can do everything that is written in it exactly: then you will be prosperous in your ways and you will act prudently” (Josh. 1: 8).

What is the right way to study the Holy Scriptures? I think that we should start with the Gospel and Apostolic readings of the day, indications of which are in every church calendar - and everyone has such calendars today. 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 to him for that day. And for a more intensive study of the Holy Scriptures, fasting is very good.

Be sure to have a Bible at home, choose for yourself such a copy that will be convenient for your eyes, which is pleasant to hold in your hands. And be sure to bookmark it. And under the 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 churched, he needs to read the entire Bible at least once. And when a person uses fasting time for intensive study of the Holy Scriptures, this will bring him God's blessing.

It has long been observed 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 precious stone, when you turn it, shines either blue, or turquoise, or 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 beginners get 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 you know, he took as a basis the works of St. John Chrysostom, but from them he singled out only that which relates directly to the text that is being commented on.

When reading the biblical text itself, one must always have at hand either the Explanatory Orthodox Bible, or the same commentary of blessed Theophylact, and when something is not clear, turn to them. The commentary itself, without the biblical text, is quite difficult to read, because it is still reference literature; it is necessary to refer to it when faced with an incomprehensible or complex passage of the Bible.

Parents should study the Holy Scriptures with their children

How to teach children to read the Holy Scriptures? It seems that parents should study the Holy Scriptures together with their children. The Bible repeatedly says that it is the father who should 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 to or not, they still need to deal with the Law of God and read the Bible.

OLD TESTAMENT

Introduction to the Old Testament (lecture notes) Fr. Lev Shikhlyarov

The word "Bible" in Greek means "books" (papyri for ancient books were produced in the Asia Minor city of Byblos). The plural in this name originally emphasized the structure of the Holy Scriptures of the Jews, consisting of many books, but over time acquired a different, majestic meaning: something like "The Book of Books", or "to all books - the Book." After many years of atheistic ideology and in the years of spiritual pluralism that came to replace it, a correct understanding of the Bible becomes for an Orthodox Christian not so much a sign of education as one of the conditions for salvation. The term "revelation" is often used in spiritual literature.

Lectures on the Old Testament by Archpriest N. Sokolov

Today we begin a series of lectures on one of the greatest books in the world - the Bible, or rather its first part, which is called the Old Testament. The theme of our lectures for two years will be the experience of theological understanding and disclosure of the meaning of the Holy Scriptures 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 Scriptures of the New Testament and in the general context of the church's understanding of the ways of the saving Divine Providence.

Lectures on the Introduction to the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament by D.G. Dobykin

This course of lectures does not claim to be original and is a compilation of a number of pre-revolutionary and contemporary studies and publications on the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. The aim of the compiler is such a course that would be interesting 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 Fr. Stefan Lyashevsky

The real experience of theological analysis of the Biblical story is the first part of scientific research (narrative) about the creation of the world and man. The second part of the study is devoted exclusively to the first people on earth, whose life is considered in the light of modern archaeological data on prehistoric man.

In the field of geological, archaeological knowledge, there are well-known positions that are absolute truth, and there are controversial positions, according to 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 choose between various hypotheses, and in some cases express my personal opinions. The degree of persuasiveness of this study can be judged by everyone who wants to look at the world and man from the point of view of divinely revealed knowledge, which the first pages of the book of Genesis tell about.

Tooth for a tooth Andrei Desnitsky

Executions, fines, observance of harsh laws - how can the God of Love demand this from a person? But this is exactly how many of our contemporaries see the Old Testament, which requires "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."

Is the Old Testament cruel? Deacon Andrei Kuraev

It is easier to understand the mystery of Israel today than it was a hundred years ago, because in order to understand it, one must imagine a world in which only Gentiles live. It is necessary to imagine a world in which the Gospel has not yet been preached, and magicians, sorcerers, shamans, spirits and "gods" are swarming around. Today it is easier to do this. Again, the townsfolk scare each other with corruption and evil eye, again wandering shamans offer their services in "love spell" and "lapel". Around the fair again there is an 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 how rare it is to find a book about Orthodoxy in bookstores today, just as rarely three thousand years ago one could 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; and they will weigh thirty pieces of silver in payment for 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 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 Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev

Why read the Old Testament? Deacon Roman Staudinger

The book is compiled from the conversations of the famous Moscow priest Oleg Stenyaev, cleric of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and All Who Sorrow on Ordynka in Moscow, head of the Program for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-traditional Religions of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, and a regular participant in the programs of the radio station Radonezh.
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 Mikhail Pomazansky

MANY AGES 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 into that structure of the soul and into that environment in which these divinely inspired books were created and which are presented in these books themselves. This gives rise to perplexities that confuse the thought of modern man. Especially often these perplexities arise when there is a desire to harmonize the scientific views of our time with the simplicity of the biblical ideas about the world. There are also general questions about the extent to which Old Testament views correspond to the New Testament worldview. And they ask: why the Old Testament? Are not the teachings of the New Testament and the Scriptures of the New Testament sufficient?
As for the enemies of Christianity, from time immemorial, attacks against Christianity begin with attacks on the Old Testament. And today's militant atheism considers the legends 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 went through Soviet anti-religious studies, indicate that the first stumbling block for their faith was thrown to them from this area.
This brief review of the Old Testament Scriptures cannot answer all the questions that arise, but I think it indicates guidelines in which a number of misunderstandings can be avoided.

Why make sacrifices? Andrey Desnitsky

Why are there sacrifices in the Bible? In primitive ancient paganism, of course, people thought that it was inconvenient to address a deity or spirit as a boss without a gift-bribe. But why did the One God demand sacrifices, to Whom the whole universe already belongs? And why, finally, the death of Christ on the cross is described as a sacrifice of a special kind - who brought it to whom and why?..

Why is the Old Testament so petty? Andrey Desnitsky

Opening the Bible, a person expects first of all great revelations. But if he reads the Old Testament, he is usually struck by the abundance of petty prescriptions: eat meat only from animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud. Why all this? Does God really care what kind of meat people eat? And why these endless ritual details: how can He offer different sacrifices? 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. At the same time, two aspects of the problem must be kept in mind: 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 never opened the Gospel at all, or read it superficially. But if the reading of the New Testament is nevertheless recognized by the majority of Christians as a necessity - it would be strange if it were otherwise, then acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament is limited to the "Law of God" by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky...

How to read the Bible? Archpriest Alexander Men

The book is an anthology of biblical texts, compiled by the famous theologian, Orthodox priest Alexander Men. The sequence of the texts corresponds to the chronology of the Salvation story. The book consists of three parts. The proposed first part begins with the Pentateuch and ends with the Song of Songs traditionally attributed to Solomon. All biblical texts are provided with a brief scientific commentary. The introductory section tells about the history of the creation of the Bible and its impact on world culture.
The book is accompanied by a brief bibliography, a diagram of biblical sources, chronological tables of the history of the Ancient East and maps. Designed for the widest range of readers interested in the world of the Bible ...

How to read the Old Testament? Protopresbyter John Brek

Speech delivered by Priest John Brek, professor at the St. Sergius Theological Institute, at a meeting of participants in the youth movement Nepsis at 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 boundless significance for us, because we acutely feel that for many years, if not centuries, being Orthodox, we somehow neglected to read the books of Holy Scripture and, in particular, the books of the Old Testament.
I think that we should start with the main statement: this is a conviction that puts 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 an understanding of the Old Testament in accordance with the Apostle Paul (cf. 2 Cor.), namely, as a collection of books deeply and essentially Christian.

Reading the Old Testament Konstantin Korepanov

Very often one hears that for a full-fledged Christian life, only the Holy History of the New Testament is necessary for a Christian – Christ has said everything with which one can fully saturate one's spiritual life. On the one hand, this is true, but, nevertheless, there is a certain belittling of the entire fullness of the Revelation and Holy Scripture ...

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 in Christ brother Boris Ilyich!

I read with the greatest interest both your preface to the highly esteemed work of explaining the Gospel, and excerpts of the explanation. The former time of your delusion and the state of spiritual dissatisfaction and yearning for the truth of God served to an amazing sophistication of your logical, philosophical mind and to the purification of the eye of the heart, to the most subtle distinctness and clarity in judgments and subjects relating to faith. I received great spiritual satisfaction from reading your explanation.
Your sincere admirer
Archpriest John Sergiev

Introduction to the New Testament by Ioannis Karavidopoulos

The first edition of the Introduction to the New Testament, which began the Bible Library series, has served the needs of both theology students and anyone who reads Scripture for over 20 years. During this period, from 1983 to the present day, the list of books on biblical studies in Greek has been replenished with works that, although they do not contain anything revolutionary new in solving general and particular issues of New Testament biblical studies, nevertheless offer fresh material. and new aspects to explore. This material has been included in the present, third edition of the textbook, with the restriction, of course, so as not to deviate from the goal of the "Bible Library" series, and therefore new data are 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, this is a historical source, for others - a wonderful example of a poetic genre ...

Legacy of Christ. What is not included in the Gospels? Deacon Andrei Kuraev

The book by Deacon Andrey Kuraev, professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Institute, is devoted to an issue that is at the center of Orthodox-Protestant discussions - the question of what place the Bible occupies in the life of the Church. Did Christ leave only the Bible 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, about the relationship between matter and Spirit.

The purpose of the book is to protect people (both Protestants and Orthodox and secular scholars) from an overly simplistic understanding of Orthodoxy and to explain what exactly makes Orthodoxy a religious tradition that is essentially different from Protestantism.

New Testament. Introductory part. Lectures A. Emelyanov

The study of the New Testament traditionally begins with an introductory part, 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 for the completeness of the presentation of Sacred history, the study of textual criticism of the New Testament, i.e. the study of the origin of the text and other auxiliary sections. But before turning to this introductory part, I will make a very brief digression into the history of the Old Testament. 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 the Atlases of Bible History, which are 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 Commentary of John Chrysostom on the Gospel of Matthew.
“Matthew rightly called his work a gospel. In fact, he announces to everyone - enemies, ignoramuses, sitting in darkness - the end of punishment, the resolution of sins, justification, sanctification, redemption, sonship, inheritance of heaven and kinship with the Son of God. What can be compared to such an evangelism? God on earth, man in heaven; everything is in unity: the angels made up one face with people, people 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 taken place, the devil has been put to shame, the demons have been expelled, death has been bound, paradise 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 grows everywhere...

Interpretation of the Gospel of John Euthymius Zigaben

Compilation of patristic texts, mainly John Chrysostom.
Men' wrote about Zygaben's interpretations of the New Testament: “His commentary on the New Testament seems to be more independent. He tried to solve 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 Anna or Caiaphas? Why did the Lord say: “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28)? In all these cases, Sigaben resorts to his own. inferences. Unlike St. John Chrysostom Zigaben has two anointings; The question of Peter is solved 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 the differences of evangelicals 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 sectology and rehabilitation of persons who have suffered from the actions of non-traditional religious cults. Host 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 working youth school, after which he got a job at a factory as a turner-borer. Before becoming a church reader, he served in a company of internal troops. Since the beginning of the 1980s, he has been a student at the Metropolitan 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 missionary work. Since 1990, he has been a member of the publishing team of the Christian magazine Amvon, where he served as editor-in-chief.

From the beginning of the 1990s he served as ROCOR, whose parish he created in the city of Kainsk (Novosibirsk Region). After arriving back in the capital, he accepted the post 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 A.S. Khomyakov Public Center, which specializes in helping victims of non-traditional religious cults.

Since 2000, Oleg Viktorovich has been the rector of the church, erected in honor of St. Nicholas. Since 2004 - minister of the Church of the Resurrection Deanery. The following year he graduated from the Theological Perervinskaya Seminary, and then joined the ranks of the students of the Moscow Theological Seminary. In 2007 he defended his diploma, becoming a bachelor of theology.

In 2010, during a sermon, Daniil Sysoev, a friend and associate of Stenyaev, was killed. However, Oleg Viktorovich continued the work he had begun, and took upon himself the organization of Bible talks that 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 Sokolniki district of the capital. Every Monday at 5 pm Oleg Viktorovich is present at the Bible talks taking place in the church of St. Nicholas. In addition to educational activities, Stenyaev regularly takes part in missionary trips, publishes new books and preaches Orthodox teaching to followers of non-traditional religious cults.

The archpriest is one of the chief editors of the Missionary Review (an appendix to the printed edition Orthodox Moscow). In the early 2000s, he served in Chechnya, where he preached Christian doctrine among military personnel and civilians.

Interpretation of the Apocalypse

Stenyaev considers "Apocalypse" (or "Revelation of John the Theologian") the most difficult to understand and ambiguous biblical book. It contains revelations concerning the end times and the signs of the coming of the Antichrist.

The cycle of conversations of the archpriest was recorded in the period from 2006 to 2007, when he conducted edifying and moral sermons for the parishioners. Stenyaev set himself the task of highlighting not so much the historical events of the Apocalypse as the apocalyptic issues relating specifically to human souls.

The idea of ​​organizing conversations of this kind arose from Oleg Viktorovich for the reason that a mass of books about the Apocalypse appeared, the authorship of which belongs to people who are far from Orthodoxy. The conversations were delivered impromptu by the archpriest and recorded by the parishioners with the help of 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 a consistent presentation, however, they trace the author's attempt to "reach out" to modern people, stunned and "shell-shocked" by the infernal rhythm of today's realities.

"Conversations on the Apocalypse" was published in the format of a collection, which includes the interpretation of the prophecies and the conversations of the archpriest with the parishioners. The Bishop of Kuril and Sakhalin His Grace Daniel blessed the book.

Video: Interpretation of the Apocalypse by Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev, conversation one

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 deal with 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 considers in his written writings the family life of the Old Testament patriarchs, the problem of Satanism and man in the face of all sorts of temptations. He analyzes in detail the Gospel of Luke, the creation of man, the fall and the death 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

All biblical names are speaking names, which were most often given to people in some kind of prophetic insight.

No translation can fully reveal the beauty of the palette of biblical names and images. For what reads in Hebrew has a different meaning when it is translated into another language.(Sir. 0, 4).

Carefully reading the biblical names, we discover new horizons in the knowledge and disclosure of the mysteries of the Bible, which do not lie on the surface of the letters and words of the biblical Revelation. Spirit gives life; the flesh is of no use. The words that I speak to you are spirit and life(John 6:63).

For example, two different names can be given, which, unfortunately, are transliterated in the same way in the Russian-Slavic tradition.

Methuselah, who lived on earth more than all people ( nine hundred sixty nine years- Gen. 5, 27) - in the synodal translation, this name is transliterated, as is 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 Metushael - "asking for death" (who lived an indefinitely small number of years), and the name of the "Sephite" Methuselah, the son of the righteous Enoch - as Matushalakh - "refusing", "chasing away death".

“Many names are descriptive, for example: Laban (‟White”), Dibri (‟Loquacious”, ‟Loquacious”), Edom (‟Red”, ‟Red”), Doeg (‟Caring”), Gever (‟Man”, ‟Husband”), Ham (‟Hot”), Garan (‟Highlander”), Kharif (‟Sharp”), Hiresh (‟Deaf”), Ivri (‟Jew”), Matri (‟Rainy”), Kareh (‟ Bald”, ‟Bald”, Naara (‟Girl”, ‟Maid”). Often people were named after animals: Kalev (‟Dog”), Nakhash (‟Snake”), Shafan (‟Hare”), Hulda (‟Rat”), Arad (‟Wild Ass”), Tzipora (‟Bird”), Yard (‟Bee”), Hamor (‟Donkey”), etc.”

And there are many such examples...

So, the genealogy of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew:

Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat Jacob; Jacob begat Judah and his brothers; Judah begat Perez and Zerah by Tamar; Perez begat Esrom; Esrom begat Aram; Aram begat Aminadab; Aminadab begat Nahshon; Nahshon begat Salmon; Salmon begat Boaz by Rahava; Boaz begat Obed by Ruth; Obed begat Jesse; Jesse begat David the king; David the king gave birth to Solomon from the former after Uriah; Solomon begat Rehoboam; Rehoboam begat Abijah; Abijah begat Asa; Asa begat Jehoshaphat; Jehoshaphat begat Jehoram; Jehoram begat Uzziah; Uzziah begat Jotham; Jotham begat Ahaz; Ahaz begat Hezekiah; Hezekiah begat Manasseh; Manasseh begat Amon; Amon begat Josiah ... (Matthew 1:2-10).

Usually, when genealogies of the Bible are read, the reader hurries to run through these texts quickly with his eyes, not even guessing about the spiritual secrets that are hidden in these genealogies themselves.

... Josiah gave birth to Joachim; Joachim begat Jeconiah and his brothers before moving to Babylon. After moving to Babylon, Jehoiachin gave birth to Salafiel; Salafiel begat Zerubbabel; Zerubbabel begat Abihu; Abihu begat Eliakim; Eliakim begat Azor; Azor begat Zadok; Zadok begat Achim; Achim begat Elihu; Elihu begat Eleazar; Eleazar begat Matthan; Matthan begat Jacob; James begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus, called Christ, was born (Matthew 1:11-16).

According to the very genealogy of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, three main questions arise:

1. Why, besides the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the genealogy are the names of only those women who allowed sexual impurity (or were close to such a fall)?
2. Why is the pedigree divided into three parts?
3. Why is it said: “From the migration to Babylon to Christ there are fourteen generations”; we think we 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 you know, the Lord Jesus Christ and came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance(Mt. 9, 13), which directly follows (in this case) from His own genealogy.

Tamar ("palm") - the sin of incest with a father-in-law (cf. Gen. 38, 16);

Rahab ("broad") - a harlot from Jericho (cf. Joshua 2, 1);

Ruth ("friend", "girlfriend") - an attempt to enter into a premarital relationship (Ruth. 3, 9).

bathsheba, former for Uriah("daughter of the oath") - adultery while her husband is alive (cf. 2 Sam. 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 whom the Holy Scripture condemns, in order to show that He who came for the sake of sinners (i.e. Christ - O.S.), descending from sinners, blotted out the sins of all.

St. John Chrysostom with an exclamation appeals to the Evangelist Matthew (about the incest of Tamar): “What are you doing, God-inspired man, reminding us of the history of lawless incest? What's in that? he answers (i.e. Matthew - O.S.). If we began to enumerate the genus of any ordinary person, then it would be decent to keep silent about such a matter. But in the genealogy of the incarnated God, not only should not be silent, but it should also be publicly announced about this, in order to show His providence and power. He did not come to avoid our disgrace, but to destroy it. Just as we are especially surprised not because Christ died, but because he was crucified (although this is disgusting, but the more disgusting, the more humanity shows in Him), so it can be said about the birth: Christ should be surprised not only because took on the flesh and became a man, but also because he honored vicious people to be His relatives, not being ashamed in the least of our vices. So, from the very beginning of His birth, He showed that He does not disdain anything of ours, teaching us not to be ashamed of the evil temper of our ancestors, but to seek only one thing - virtue.

And all this is of great importance to us! For if, according to True Humanity, Christ comes out of this genealogy, and according to True Divinity (unmistakably) enters into it, not shying away from its turbidity, this means that He (Christ) is also powerful to enter our life, despite its turbidity. For Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever(Heb. 13:8), He is also died for the ungodly at the appointed time. 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 migration to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the migration to Babylon to Christ fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17).

On the second question Chrysostom explains: “The Evangelist divided the entire genealogy into three parts, wishing to show there that the Jews did not become better with the change of government; but also in the days of the aristocracy, and under the kings, and during the time of the oligarchy, they indulged in the same vices: under the control of judges, priests and kings, they did not have any success in virtue.

No political speculation can secure a person from the power of sin

And one must not think that what was said about the Jews does not apply to us ourselves, for St. Paul wrote about them and us (Christians) that All this happened to them.(i.e. Jews - O.S.), like images; but described as an instruction to us(i.e. Christians - O.S.), reached the last centuries(1 Cor. 10, 11). - And in our time, many people attach too much importance to various forms of the political structure of society. However, we see, and it is obvious, - changing government doesn't make people better. The Jews also sinned under the patriarchs (the time from Abraham to David) - a communal-tribal, or nationalist period of government. They also sinned under the 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 still, 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, the fear of death and the devil.

In Scripture it says: Stop relying on a man whose breath is in his nostrils, for what does he mean?(Isaiah 2:22); and further: Do not rely on princes, on the son of man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit goes out, and he returns to his land: on that day [all] his thoughts perish(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 everything they say to you; for they did not reject you, but they rejected me, so that I would not reign over them(1 Sam. 8, 7). And the whole period of the kings was a period of spiritual decline. It is said: because such a passover was not kept from 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 downfall? 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 - the cult of the golden calf in the soulless 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 the same - enrichment and mutual wild competition.

Orthodox Christians must distance themselves from the collective sins of their own contemporaries and in no way associate with them. Adulterers and adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy to God(James 4:4); and further: And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may know what is the will of God, which is good, acceptable, and perfect.(Rom. 12:2).

St. John Chrysostom teaches: “Will you point to wealth, fame, bodily beauty, pleasure, everything else that people consider great - all this is only an image, and not a real thing, a phenomenon is a mask, and not any permanent essence . But do not be conformed to this, says (the apostle), but be transformed by the renewal of the mind. He did not say: be transformed outwardly, but be transformed in essence, showing by this that the world has only an external image, and virtue belongs not to an external, but to a true, essential image ... So, if you discard the appearance, you will immediately reach the (real) image.

Christ entered this world according to Divinity, and left it according to Humanity.

On the third question Why does the Evangelist Matthew say that from the migration to Babylon to Christ fourteen generations ; we believe that we find only thirteen genera, - St. John Chrysostom explains: “It seems to me that he (i.e. Matthew - O.S.) classifies the time of captivity, and Jesus Christ himself, everywhere mating Him with us ” . Blessed Jerome interpreted similarly: “Count from Jehoiachin to Joseph and you will find thirteen births. Thus, the fourteenth birth represents the birth of Jesus Christ. In other words, Christ entered this world according to Divinity, and left it according to Humanity. 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 in the form of God... made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; humbled himself, being obedient even unto death, and the death of the cross(Philippians 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 abhor them, it means that He does not abhor us either. 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 yourselves by the law(i.e. good deeds and merits - O.S.), were left without Christ, fell away from grace, but we wait and hope in spirit for righteousness from faith(Gal. 5:4).

And so, the Gospels were written, and the Son of God came into this world for the sake of the salvation of sinners, “for the sake of man and ours for the sake of salvation”!

Now consider the spiritual meaning in the translation of all the names of the Genealogy of Christ in their order of 14 genera. As you know, biblical names were given under the influence of the prophetic spirit and, as a rule, were a characteristic for a whole 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 - "father of the multitude";

Isaac - "laughter";

Jacob (Israel) - "deceiver" ("warrior of God");

Judas - "praised";

Fares - "gap", "hole";

Esrom - "blooming";

Aram - "high";

Aminadav - "generous";

Nahson - "sorcerer";

Salmon - "dark";

Boaz - "witty";

Ovid - "worshipper";

Jesse - "wealth";

David - "brother of the father", "beloved".

The general spiritual characteristic of the period from Abraham to David is 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 already formed from the committed sins; (Esrom) - bloom spirituality continued; (Aram) - heights spiritual beckons; (Aminadav) - and generous mercy poured out; (Naahson) - 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 wealth of spiritual life, love increased.

The next 14 genera are:

David - "father's brother", "beloved";

Solomon - "prosperity", "prosperity", "peace";

Rehoboam - "enlarging the people";

Abiya - "(my) father is Yahweh";

Asa - "doctor";

Jehoshaphat - "Yahweh judges";

Joram - "Yahweh exalts";

Uzziah - "My strength is Yahweh";

Jotham - "Yahweh perfect";

Ahaz - "he seized";

Hezekiah - "Yahweh will strengthen";

Manasseh - "giving to forget";

Amon - "master";

Josiah - "Yahweh supports."

The spiritual characterization of the generations from David to Babylon was as follows: (David) - brotherly love flourished; (Solomon) - from this world and prosperity reigned in the world; (Rehoboam) - the people grew and strong both spiritually and physically; (Avia) - awareness sonship God continued; (Asa) - and this healed the hearts of the people; (Josaphat) - it was necessary not to forget about courts God's; (Joram) - it was necessary to remember that the authentic greatness (elevation) - only from God; (Uzziah) - to seek the real force it was possible only in God; (Joatham) - perfection one had to seek only in God, not relying on one's own strength; (Ahaz) - the enemy could take possession the soul of everyone; (Hezekiah) - strengthen only God could; (Manasseh) - He (God) betrayed oblivion the sins of the penitents; (Amon) - miraculous in a way the Creator showed His care; (Josiah) - so God supported life of entire generations.

Last 14 names:

Jeconiah - "established by Yahweh";

Salafiel - "I asked God";

Zerubbabel - "born in Babylon";

Aviud - "(my) father is He";

Eliakim - "God has established";

Azor - "helper";

Zadok - "He (God) showed Himself righteous";

Achim - "brother";

Eliud - "God is praised";

Eleazar - "God helps";

Mattan - "gift";

Jacob - "deceiver";

Joseph - "He will add";

Jesus - "Yahweh saves."

The mosaic of the meaning of the names led us to the very Coming of Christ and His Nativity

The spiritual characteristic of the generations from Babylon to Christ was this: (Jeconiah) - to hope for steadfastness 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; (Aviud) - but it was necessary 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; (Ahim) - the believer became brother for another believer; (Eliud) - it was necessary praise God; (Eleazar) - help approached from God; (Matfan) - Promised by God gift salvation drew near; (Jacob) - true faith could change fate and name for everyone; (Joseph) - God Himself could replenish all; (Jesus) - salvation from God came.

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 their Salvation. The name as a symbol for biblical exegesis is a common occurrence, for example, the following words of the Apostle Paul can be cited: There is an allegory in this. These are two testaments: one from Mount Sinai, giving birth into 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 what is from the Spirit of God, because he considers it foolishness; and cannot understand, because this must be judged spiritually(1 Cor. 2:14).