God, through the sacrament of incarnation, reveals Himself as a Man. How many mysteries are connected with the Nativity of Christ! What year after the Nativity of Christ are we now living in? Why are there different names in the Savior's genealogy in the gospels of Matthew and Luke? What is this mysterious number 14? In our traditional section, we read the Gospel together with the teacher of the MPDA and the Higher Theological Courses of the MPDA, the rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity at the Pyatnitskoye cemetery, the dean of the Trinity District of Moscow, Archpriest Georgy Klimov.

Seven words about the Genealogy of Christ the Savior

Book of New Genesis

The genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ is contained in two Gospels: Matthew (Matt. 1:1-17) and Luke (Luke 3:23-38). The first words of the Gospel of Matthew open the whole book of the New Testament. We read in Church Slavonic: The Book of the Family of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham(Matthew 1:1). In Russian translation: Genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham(Matthew 1:1). In ancient times, books were not titled. The name of the book was given by the first word or by the first words in it. Many interpreters talk about the inaccuracies of both the Slavic and Russian translations: they are not literal. There are two words in the Greek text: vivlos genesisos(gr. βίβλος γενέσεως ). Vivlos means a book, and a big book. Interpreters (in particular, Prof. M.D. Muretov) believe that if the Evangelist Matthew wanted to designate the first word exclusively for genealogy, he would put another Greek word - biblion(gr. βιβλίον ), that is, a relatively small book - a small story; hence the word Bible known to all of us (plural - Greek. βιβλίa) = books, a collection of small books. A genesisos- genus. case from γένεσις - genesis - a word that means the process of origin, emergence, formation. That is how the very first book is called in the Greek Septuagint Bible, the one that in the Slavic and Russian Bibles has the name "Genesis". If the Evangelist Matthew wanted to designate in his narrative that which locally refers only to the genealogy, he would have used a different word. There are words for this in Greek: synodia(gr. συνοδία , hence our synodiks = enumeration of names) or genealogy(gr. γενεαλογία, hence the concept: "family tree").

What meaning does he put into the combination of the very first two words of his gospel - vivlos genesisos - Apostle Matthew? Doesn't he want to force us to understand these words in a broad and general sense: "The Book of Genesis, or History, or the Apparitions" of the Messiah-Christ and see in them an indication of what served as the historical conditions for the appearance of Christ, what this phenomenon itself accomplished in history humanity. Considering the fact that the Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, can we not apply its first two words to the entire New Testament Scripture, calling it the Book of the Appearance-Being of Christ and His Church?

God of salvation

The first words of the Gospel of Matthew indicate that this genealogy Jesus Christ(Matthew 1:1) . The first name, Jesus, is given to the Lord by birth, the second Christ is given by service. Name Jesus(gr. Ἰησοῦς ) corresponds to the Hebrew post-captive truncated name Yeshua(Heb. Yeshua). This name translates God help, God save. For the Jews, since they could not pronounce the word God, simply: Helper is one of the names of God. ( Helper and Patron be to my salvation see Ref. 15:1-19). Coming into the world Jesus is in the proper sense Savior kind of human. Name Christ The Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah (Heb. mashiach), and if translated into Russian: Anointed. It is known from the Old Testament that only kings, prophets, and high priests were anointed among the Jews. As a proper name, it belongs only to Him Who, as the true Savior of mankind, unites these three particular sides in Himself, being the perfect and only Anointed of God.

Vectors

The purpose of the genealogy given by the Evangelists Matthew and Luke is to show the origin of Jesus Christ, the true promised Savior of the world. But the genealogy in Matthew and Luke is different. The Evangelist Matthew gives the genealogy in descending order: Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat Jacob; Jacob begat Judah and his brothers(Matt. 1:2), then the descendants are listed up to Joseph, husband of Mary, from whom Jesus, called Christ, was born(Matthew 1:16). And in the text of the Gospel of Luke, the genealogy is given in an ascending line, that is, from Christ and above, ancestors begin to be listed, and, in the end, the genealogy reaches not only Abraham, like the Evangelist Matthew, but even Adam himself, and it even says, that He is the Son of God... Enosov, Sethov, Adamov, God(Luke 3:38).

Number 14

The Evangelist Matthew distinguishes three periods in the genealogy of Christ, these are the periods of the life of the Jewish people: 14 genera from Abraham to David (the period of patriarchs or promises), 14 genera from David to the captivity of Babylon (the period of kings or prophecies), 14 genera from the captivity of Babylon to Christ the Master (period of high priests or waiting). What does the number 14 mean? Firstly, the number 14 can be understood as the sum of the numerical values ​​of those letters with which the name David is written in Hebrew (in ancient languages, as well as in Church Slavonic, numbers were denoted by letters). The second explanation may be related to the lunar calendar, according to which the Jews lived. Just as the time of the rise and fall of the moon fits into 14 days, so the history of the Jewish people knows periods of rise and fall, and they are depicted by the Evangelist Matthew in segments of 14 generations.

Christmas

Evangelist Matthew in his Gospel gives a revelation about the miraculous immaculate conception and the birth of the Lord. It testifies that the God-man is really like us in everything, but comes into the world in a special way. How is this revelation realized in the text of the Gospel of Matthew? In the genealogy of the Lord, 14 generations are obtained by the following counting: the first mentioned and the last must be listed. However, in order to receive 14 generations in the third period from the Babylonian captivity to Christ the Master, it will be necessary to count as follows: Salafiel - the first, ..., Joseph - the twelfth, Mary - the thirteenth, and Christ - the fourteenth. With this introduction of Mary into the genealogy, although women were not introduced, the Evangelist Matthew wants to say that only the Virgin Mary stands in direct relation to the Nativity of Christ and no one else. And if it says: Abraham begat Isaac; Isaac begat Jacob(Matthew 1:2) and so on, it says here: Joseph is the husband of Mary, from her Jesus is born(Matthew 1:16). Christ Himself is born.

Women

Even in the genealogy of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, contrary to tradition, women are mentioned (but not taken into account when counting). Why did the Evangelist Matthew need this? Let us turn to the testimony of John Chrysostom: “To solve the question of why the evangelist introduces women into the genealogy, he observes that the women mentioned here were either pagans by origin (they really mention Rahab and Ruth in the fifth verse (Ruth. 1:4) - approx. prot. . Georgy Klimov) or - malevolent women. So Chrysostom calls: the harlot Rahab (Josh. 2:1), already mentioned; Tamar, who deceived into sexual intercourse with her father-in-law (Gen. 38:6-30), Bathsheba, who was the wife of Uriah. King David was tempted by her, they fell into adultery, and after the king, as a rival, poisoned her husband to the most dangerous sector of the front and killed her in such a way as to take his widow for himself (2 Kings 11: 2-27). In the intentions of the evangelist, by mentioning them, to expose the Pharisees' conceit. The Jews considered the birth according to the flesh from Abraham and the fulfillment of the deeds of the Law, regardless of the dispositions of the heart, as the only and sufficient conditions for entering the Kingdom of Heaven. And the Evangelist Matthew points out that deeds of faith and repentance are still needed. Only then are you worthy of salvation.

different names

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the Genealogies of the Lord, different names are found in the range from David to Jesus Christ. Why? The simplest explanation: Since both Joseph and the Virgin Mary were from the tribe of David, Matthew gives genealogy along the line of Joseph, because according to the Law, Joseph was His father (and Christ came not to break the Law, but to fulfill it (see Matt. 5 :17)), Luke gives genealogy through the line of the Virgin Mary. However, here a contradiction arises with church tradition. In the genealogy according to the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23), the closest to Christ (not counting the imaginary father of Joseph) is Eli. So he is the father of the Virgin Mary. From tradition it is known that the name of the father of the Virgin Mary is Joachim. But the contradiction can be removed by a simple argument: the Jews of the era of Christ in the order of things had two and even three names. Therefore, the father of the Virgin Mary could have two names: Eli and Joachim.

Dating of the Nativity

Now the year 2015 has come, but modern biblical studies claim that it is at least 2019 in the yard, because a mistake was made in calculating the date of the Nativity of Christ. Is it so?

Bishop Cassian (Bezobrazov) in his book “Christ and the First Christian Generation” writes: “It is clear that the date of the Nativity of Christ should be the line from which all other events are counted. But the fact is that the Christian era, established by Dionysius the Small, a monk who lived in the 6th century, was calculated incorrectly. There are several systems of scientific chronology of the gospel history. The exact date of the Nativity of Christ cannot be considered definitively established. Most often it is attributed to the year 4 BC. What indications of the Gospel and secular world history for establishing the exact date are usually taken into account? What in the Gospel itself speaks in favor of a mistake for at least 4 years?

The first point is traditionally associated with the testimony of the Gospel that Christ was born in the days of King Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1). So, having learned the year of the death of Herod the Great, it will be possible to name the exact date after which Christ could not be born. The Jewish historian of the 2nd century, Josephus Flavius, in his work Antiquities of the Jews, in the 17th and 18th books, describes the last months of Herod the Great. Unfortunately, it does not provide any chronological coordinates. However, many biblical scholars argue that from the descriptions of the last days of Herod it follows that he dies almost on the feast of Passover, shortly before which a lunar eclipse occurs. Knowing the Jewish Paschalia, they calculate the date of the coincidence of the lunar eclipse with Easter in the interval under study: this is 3 years before our calendar. If we also take into account the time of Christ's stay with the holy family in Egypt before the death of King Herod, then we will be forced to say that Christ was born no later than 4 years before our calendar.

The second point is the testimony of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 3: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate ruled in Judea, Herod was tetrarch…”. What are we talking about here? About the fact that in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, John the Baptist goes out to preach on the banks of the Jordan. What does this give us? Almost all researchers believe that the ministry of John the Baptist could not be long, he could not preach for a long time. His activity could last a maximum of six months. This means that during these six months he had to baptize Jesus as well. But at the time of baptism (that is, in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius), the Lord was a little over thirty years old (Luke 3:21-23). When translated into our chronology, the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar falls on the dates: from October 1, 27 A.D. to September 30, A.D. 28, A.D. So, in the year 27 according to our calendar, Jesus was a little more than 30 years old. Then, when trying to calculate when Jesus was born, we will again involuntarily come to the 4th year before our calendar.

Next moment: Gospel of John 2:13-22. Here we are talking about the fact that at the beginning of His ministry, Christ cleanses the Jerusalem temple. "Then the Jews said, 'By which banner will you prove to us that you have the authority to do this?' Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said to this: “This temple took 46 years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?” What does this give us? The fact is that when Jesus began His ministry, the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been completed, the restoration continued. Almost everything was already ready, but still the work had not yet been completed, they were doing the lining. So, Christ begins His ministry, He is 30 years old. The temple was under construction for 46 years. When does it start building? Again, thanks to Joseph Flavius, we know that Herod the Great begins a major reconstruction of the temple in the 18th year of his reign. Herod reigns, according to Josephus Flavius, in the year 37 before the beginning of our reckoning. This means that in the year 19 before our era, reconstruction begins and lasts 46 years. Then the date of the cleansing of the temple by Christ falls on the 27th year according to our calendar. At this time, the Lord is a little over 30 years old. Again, we involuntarily come to the conclusion that the Nativity of Christ should have been about 4 years before our calendar. Earnestly? Certainly.

Fourth moment. Christ suffered on the Cross on the feast of the Jewish Passover. This Easter was from Friday to Saturday. At that moment, when Christ on the Cross suffered, there was a solar eclipse. And we know, finally, that it was at the very end of public service, when, accordingly, Christ was 33.5 years old. With such a mass of data, it is easy to calculate when such an eclipse occurred, which coincided with the Jewish Passover. Scientists calculate: it was April 7, 30. But Christ was then 33.5 years old. Again it turns out that He was born at least 4 years before our era.

The fifth moment, which is also referred to by modern biblical studies, is associated with an attempt to fit the Star of the Magi, known from the Gospel story, into the circle of movement of the heavenly bodies. In December-March 1603-1604, a parade of planets was observed in the sky, when Jupiter, Saturn lined up in one line and a little later Mars, the royal star, joined them. Then a star of unprecedented size appears in the sky. This gave reason to the astronomer Kepler to suggest that this could happen on the eve of the Nativity of Christ. The scientist's calculations for the time of such a parade of planets fell on the 6th year before the birth of Christ. Modern biblical scholars, noting that Herod finds out from the Magi the time of the appearance of a star (Matt. 2:7) and issues a decree to beat all babies from 2 years old and below (Matt. 2:16), subtract from this 6th year these 2 years and, thus, again go to the date of the Nativity of Christ - 4 years before our calendar.

We admit that all the above data sound very convincing. However, it should be noted that not all of our Russian biblical scholars fully accepted all these arguments and arguments. What can be said about the first moment - that Christ is born in the days of Herod the Great? In fact, if we carefully read Josephus Flavius, then the impression that everything happened almost simultaneously: the eclipse of the moon, Easter and the death of Herod the Great - does not necessarily arise. The reader, since the thought of Josephus constantly comes and goes, winding through various palace intrigues in the house of Herod the Great, one gets the impression that between this eclipse of the moon and the death of Herod the Great could have passed, say, 2 years, or even more. That is, this is all a rather blurry base for constructing evidence.

The second point is connected with the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. What is known about Tiberias? Tiberius was the adopted son of Emperor Augustus Octavian. Caesar simply had no heirs. He adopts him in order to make him emperor. It is known that at first Tiberius was co-ruler with Augustus for three years, and then, when he dies, he begins an independent reign. If we take into account the three years of the reign of Tiberius under Augustus, then, indeed, we conclude that the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar was the 27th year according to our calendar. And if we count only the independent years of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, then we will be forced to say that the 15th year of his reign is the 30th year of our calendar. Evangelist Luke, unfortunately, does not specify for us whether he counts three years of co-reigning or not. And so, and so it could be.

Further, as regards the data of Josephus, related to the cleansing of the temple. Flavius ​​Josephus really says that Herod the Great, in the 18th year of his reign, begins the reconstruction of the temple. But Josephus Flavius ​​says - this is a very interesting fact! - that Herod receives a decree on the kingdom from the emperor in the year 37, but because of the unrest, unrest, rebellions and turmoil that were in the Kingdom of Judah, he could only begin to rule after 3 years, that is, in the year 34. And what do we count these 18 years from, from 37 or from 34 years? If from 34, then everything will fall into place here, because the 46th year of the reconstruction of the temple will fall on the 30th year according to our calendar.

Fourth moment. The fact is that there is always a full moon on Easter, which means that at this moment there can be no natural eclipse of the sun. It is no coincidence that the church teachers unanimously said that it was a miraculous eclipse. And if it was wonderful, then it is impossible to calculate it, as astronomers did, using traditional calculations and calculations on the motion of the planets.

The same applies to the fifth moment - the Star of the Magi. The events of the Nativity of Christ were accompanied by many miracles, and one of these miracles is the Star of the Nativity. It is no coincidence that St. John Chrysostom, and after him the blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, say that it was a smart power - an Angel, manifested in the form of a star. An attempt to fit miracles into the framework of a rational explanation that fits into the natural laws of being - isn't there a way to reject faith?

Doesn't the extreme difficulty of calculating the date of the Nativity of Christ testify to us that this Event lies outside of time? The Apostle Paul says that the Coming of God in the flesh is "great piety mystery"(1 Tim. 3:16). The Nativity of Christ is an accomplished sacrament that cannot be absolutely accurately described in the rationalistic parameters of the world. And if the evangelists, who wrote solely to teach us salvation, did not tell us the exact date of the Nativity of Christ. Doesn't this mean that knowledge of this fact or, on the contrary, ignorance in no way determines our salvation? And then doesn't the Lord Himself, who left this mystery, want to suggest to us that we should not deal with counting times and dates (Acts 1:7), but focus exclusively on our salvation through repentance (Matt. 4:17). And this requires not calculations, but faith.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

So, today we are celebrating Pentecost. Today we remember the event, which became, as it were, the last point in the gospel history. In a story that begins with the Annunciation, then Christmas, then Circumcision, Meeting, Baptism, the ministry of Jesus, His preaching, the Lord's entry into Jerusalem, Holy Week, Good Friday, the Cross, Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord, His Ascension - and here is Pentecost. This story could be called the story of the salvation of man, if this story of the salvation of man ended there. The gospel story ends with this event, but not the history of salvation, not what we would call Sacred history, the history of man's relationship with God. These relationships are still ongoing. But in order to understand what this event of Pentecost means for us, why exactly this event is, as it were, the last point, the final touch, we must start from afar.

I'm at a loss, because it is necessary to speak literally from the creation of the world. God creates this world for man. God creates man as the crown of creation. He wants man to become a son of God, He wants man to become a stronghold, for man to become God, for man to share the joy of being, for man to become a partaker of Divine life—He wants man to become God. To do this, probably, a person must go through something, learn something, such is the plan of God. However, a person wants to achieve all this himself. He, as it seems to him, does not need God for this. He wants, as they say today - you know, with respect they say so: “He achieved everything himself! He achieved everything himself! - Here is a man who wants to achieve everything. This is what we call the Fall. Man cuts himself off from the living source of life, from the source of eternal life. Man is out of communion with God. It would seem to come to his senses, to realize the depth of what happened, to repent! No. Man persists in sin, man says - people say: “Let's build a tower to heaven! Let's make a name for ourselves!" How modern does it sound? We know how it ended: it led to the division of the human race, it led to constant wars. But a person cannot calm down, cannot calm down; all over the world, where human civilizations appear, pyramids are built - they try to build up to Heaven. Pyramids in Africa, pyramids in South America, pyramids in Asia, pyramids in India, pyramids in Thailand - pyramids everywhere. Man strives for heaven, man wants to make a name for himself. Remember the Bible story, remember the history of the ancient world, look at the latest history - everything is the same: a man is trying to make a name for himself and build a tower to heaven; the latter is now being built in the Emirates, they say it has already exceeded 700 meters - but it doesn’t matter, that’s not the point. The point is, it's all pointless! This is all blasphemy. It sounds very modern, it sounds like a human being, the whole world today lives by this - but this is theomachism, this godlessness, no matter how we cover it up, no matter how we try to disguise it. This is what the whole world lives on. Unfortunately, people who call themselves believers also live this way. Church people also live by this; This is what entire church communities are concerned about as well: to make a name for themselves, exalt themselves above others, “build a tower to Heaven.”

But God, through the Gospel story, reveals to us that all this should be done differently. The Son of God is not born in one of the world centers of culture, not in the centers of human civilizations. He is not born in palaces - where they "make a name for themselves." He is not born where the pyramids are built. He is born in the backyard of the Roman Empire, in a barn, in a barnyard. His first bed is a cattle feeder. He is born as a defenseless baby, giving Himself into the hands of people. He enters our lives. Remember how the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before Christ was born, said about Him: "He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not quench a smoking flax." He walks humbly, like a beggar preacher, through this land. He brings love into this world, sacrificial love. He gives Himself to the Cross for us. For our exaltation, for the fact that we make a name for ourselves, for the fact that we are trying to build a tower to heaven - He dies for us. He dies for us and - indeed - becomes a tower to Heaven. He is resurrected and ascends to Heaven along with our human flesh. And having bestowed the Holy Spirit, He unites people who speak different languages, live in different countries, belong to different traditions and different cultures. That's how to reach Heaven. Not the way people do it.

And today, celebrating this holiday, we who call ourselves Christians, we who consider ourselves believers in God, believers in Jesus Christ, should think: how do we live? What spirit do we live in? Do we live in the spirit of the Gospel - this spirit of humility, the spirit of sacrificial love, the spirit of unity, or do we, like everyone else, live in the spirit of the prince of this world, building towers to Heaven and trying to make a name for ourselves? Let's think about it - this is the meaning of this holiday. This holiday, this event is a revelation. The revelation of what is the meaning of all human history in general; why God created man, and how this can be done, what is the way to Heaven, what is the way to God, how can a person become God.

There is no person on earth who has not heard about the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore it seems that in the Church the desire to depict this event should have been present from the very beginning. However, this is not at all the case. Why?

An indescribable miracle

In Christian art, the image of the most incomprehensible and main moment of the gospel history - the Resurrection of Christ - is usually absent. The Resurrection of the Savior is the mystery of God's omnipotence, inaccessible to human understanding. The very moment of the Resurrection of Christ no one could see. That is why none of the four Gospels describes it, although all the events that preceded the Resurrection and followed it are detailed. The evangelists, impeccably sincere in their descriptions, do not talk about what the Resurrected Savior looked like, how He rose from the Tomb where He went.

In the art of the ancient Christian period, the Resurrection of Christ was depicted in symbolic forms. The iconography of the holiday has evolved over the centuries, and there are four main plots in it.

"The Descent of Christ into Hell"

This is one of the most mysterious and difficult to explain events in New Testament history. In the II century, the apocrypha became known, which later received the name of the Gospel of Nicodemus. The texts of the apocrypha influenced the composition of the iconography of the Descent into Hell, which serves the idea of ​​depicting the Resurrection of Christ as a victory over death, the rescue of the righteous from hell, the salvation of those who believed in him "from decay in the hellish abyss."

The icon "Descent into Hell" from early Christian times retains the main meaning of the image of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ, and in Russian iconostases it is placed in the festive row. It depicts the coming of Christ from hell. Christ - sometimes with a cross in his hand - is represented as leading Adam, Eve and the Old Testament righteous out of hell. Under the feet of the Savior is the black abyss of the underworld, against which are locks, keys and fragments of the gates that once blocked the dead from the path to resurrection. Although other plots have been used in the past few centuries to create the image of the Resurrection of Christ, it is the described iconographic type that is canonical, as it reflects the traditional teaching about Christ's descent into hell, His victory over death, His resurrection of the dead and bringing them out of hell, in which they kept until His Resurrection.

The fresco of the monastery of Chora in Constantinople "The Descent into Hell", written in the XIV century, is full of internal tension. The Son of God, who suffered torment and death on the Cross, defeated the forces of hell. The demons are bound, the gates of hell are broken, the keys are scattered. Christ in white robes with a swift movement raises Adam and Eve from the graves, whose original sin He atoned for with His blood. The light garments of Christ and the white halo of His glory with golden stars create a physical sensation of light emanating from the Son of God. His face, imbued with spiritual power, also shines. Below on the walls are the fates of the righteous and sinners. On the one hand - the entrance of the chosen ones into Paradise, on the other - "Their worm will not die and the fire will not go out." Along with these scenes, saints are depicted, acting as mediators between the earthly world and the heavenly world. The sharp dynamism of the composition is combined with the special beauty and spirituality of the faces, the festive elegance of silk fabrics, the expressiveness of gestures and movements.

"Myrrh-Bearing Women at the Holy Sepulcher"

Another frequently encountered image is “The Appearance of the Resurrected Christ to Myrrh-Bearing Women”. The Gospel tells that on the third day after the Crucifixion, the wives bought fragrances and went to anoint the body of Christ. At the tomb they were met by an angel who announced the Resurrection.

The gospel story "The Myrrh-Bearing Woman at the Holy Sepulcher" was popular in all forms of art. The popularity of the plot is connected with its significance for the entire gospel story - the myrrh-bearing women, who found the tomb empty, are the first witnesses of Christ's Resurrection.

On the icon, in addition to the Savior standing in “glory” at the Tomb, there are Angels and women: Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobleva, Salome, Susanna and others. They came early in the morning to the Tomb with incense to complete the funeral rite over the Lord. The composition of the icon may include a number of details, for example, sleeping or prostrate warriors set to guard the tomb of Christ.

One of the most interesting images of this story is the fresco of the Church of the Ascension in the monastery of Mileshevo in Serbia, dating from 1228. The composition of the fresco is balanced and majestically calm, conveying the high gospel joy of the Resurrection.

The figures of the myrrh-bearing women are shown smaller in comparison with the Angel, who acts as the main character. The angel in Mileshevo does not address the myrrh-bearing women, but the viewer – the Angel’s gaze and his gesture pointing at the shrouds are designed to perceive the fresco from the outside.

The myrrh-bearing women look surprised - they stand somewhat at a distance, one hides behind the back of the other. The one standing closer to the Angel, who is seated on a large rectangular marble seat, holds back her clothes with an impulsive gesture. This realistic detail is very interesting. The defeated warriors are depicted below the entire scene. The angel is shown with a beautiful face. The wide span of its wings gives the fresco a special dynamism.

In a solemn and at the same time calm mood, the greatness of the accomplished event is conveyed, about which the Angel in snow-white clothes hastens to tell those in the Ascension Church in Mileshevo.

"Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene"

This plot, exciting the heart of a Christian, was repeatedly depicted both in the paintings of the ancient catacombs and in Orthodox icon painting.

Saint Mary Magdalene followed Christ along with other wives healed by the Lord. She did not leave the Lord after His capture by the Jews, when the faith in Him of the closest disciples began to waver. Serving the Lord during His earthly life, she wanted to serve Him after death, giving the last honors to His Body, anointing it with peace and aromas. The resurrected Christ sent Saint Mary with a message from Him to the disciples, and the blessed wife, rejoicing, announced to the apostles about what she had seen - "Christ is risen!" This gospel is the main event of her life, the beginning of her apostolic ministry.

The tradition of painting the icon is represented by a simple composition of two figures - kneeling Mary and Christ aloof, half-turned to her right from the viewer. Against the background of the hill, a grave with shrouds is visible, and the Easter-spring silhouette of the tree further enhances the jubilant, bright, touching mood of this image. It was this development that was used in the painting of the Dionysiat monastery on Athos.

"Assurance of Thomas"

The icon “Assurance of Thomas” also belongs to the Sunday cycle. The plot of the icon goes back to the text of the Gospel of John, which tells about the appearance of Christ to the disciples and the assurance of Thomas, who touched the wounds of the Savior and thereby believed in the truth of His Resurrection.

The story of the assurance of Thomas is a confirmation of the authenticity of the Resurrection, which overcame human doubts. Thomas gains faith by seeing Jesus Christ, touching His wounds, "putting his fingers into them"; but blessed, in the words of the Risen One, "those who did not see, but believed."

In an effort to keep this event in people's memory, ancient Russian icon painters created its images. A wonderful example of a work created on its basis is the icon "Assurance of Thomas", written in 1500 by a master who worked in the workshop of the great Dionysius.

The golden tower with locked doors means the upper room where the apostles gathered. Christ stands before its closed doors. His head is surrounded by a golden halo, crimson and turquoise clothes are regally beautiful, He bared his ribs and chest, making it possible for Thomas to believe. Foma is smitten with doubts. But the higher the truth that overcame this doubt - before him is his resurrected "Lord and God."

The importance of this difficult faith acquired in doubt determines the whole structure of the icon. Solemnly stand around the Teacher and the believing disciple, the apostles filled with reflections. The selection of the colors of the icon is restrained, like a flash of a scarlet-permeated cloak of Thomas who recognized the truth. Icon painters sought to help “those who did not see” strengthen their faith.

In all the plots of the traditional iconography of the Resurrection of Christ, what is most revealed to us is that without which our faith is vain - the reality and effectiveness of the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

Prepared by Oksana Balandina based on materials from Pravoslavie.Ru

This river is a symbolic image of the spiritual depth and greatness of the content of the Holy Gospel.

The Holy Fathers saw another symbol for the four Gospels in the mysterious chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw at the river Khovar. It consisted of four animals, each of which had four faces: a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle. These animal faces, taken individually, became symbols for each of the evangelists.

Christian art, starting from the fifth century, depicts Matthew with a man or an angel, since ap. Matthew in his Gospel speaks more about the human and messianic character of Christ.

The Evangelist Mark is depicted in iconography with a lion, since St. Mark in his Gospel tells mainly about the omnipotence and royal dignity of Jesus Christ (the lion is the king of animals). Evangelist Luke is depicted with a calf, because St. Luke speaks primarily of the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ (calf is a sacrificial animal).

And, finally, the Evangelist John is depicted with an eagle, for just as an eagle rises high above the earth and penetrates deep distances with its sharp gaze, so St. John the Theologian, spiritually rising above everything earthly and human, mainly speaks in his Gospel about Christ as God the Word, the Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity.

Gospel of Matthew

Matthew, the son of Alpheus, was one of the twelve Apostles called by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach the gospel. He also bore the name Levi, and before being called by the Lord, he was a publican, that is, a tax collector, in Capernaum.

A faithful disciple of Christ, Matthew was an eyewitness to many miracles performed by the Savior and a constant listener to His instructions. After the ascension of Jesus Christ, he preached the good news to the Jews in Palestine and wrote the Gospel for them in Hebrew, more precisely, Aramaic. This is evidenced by Papias, ep. Hierapolsky, student of St. John the Evangelist.

But the original Aramaic text of the Gospel of Matthew has been lost, and only a very ancient Greek translation has come down to us. Scientists suggest that the Evangelist Matthew himself translated the Gospel into Greek from Aramaic.

The main goal of the evangelist is to show the Jews that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, promised by God to the chosen people. To this end, he cites many prophecies about the Messiah from the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament and says that they were all fulfilled in Jesus. Therefore, ap. Matthew more often than other evangelists, there is an expression: "May the prophet speak come true ...".

The Jews looked forward to the coming of a Messiah who would establish a mighty kingdom on earth and make the Jews a nation that would rule the world. In contrast to this narrowly earthly understanding of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, the Evangelist Matthew preached to his fellow tribesmen the true Kingdom of Christ, a spiritual, supernatural Kingdom, laying its foundation on earth and ending in heaven. The Gospel of Matthew was written about 50 years. It contains 28 chapters, begins with a presentation of the genealogy of Christ from Abraham and ends with the farewell conversation of the Savior with the apostles on one of the mountains of Galilee.

Gospel of Mark

The Evangelist Mark did not belong to the twelve Apostles of Christ and did not follow the Savior. He was originally from Jerusalem and had two names: in Roman he was nicknamed Mark, and his Hebrew name was John. App was converted to. Peter, who calls him his spiritual son ().

Burning with a desire to spread the faith of Christ among the pagans, St. Mark in 45, together with the apostles Paul and Barnabas, his uncle, travels to Asia Minor, but in Pamphylia he was forced to say goodbye to the apostles and returned to Jerusalem ().

Evangelist Mark from a young age becomes a devoted disciple of St. Peter, is a constant companion in his preaching work and does not part with his teacher until his death in Rome. From the year 62 to the 67th year, St. Mark along with App. Peter is in Rome. Roman Christians even at their first visit to St. Peter asked him to write them a book about the life and teachings of the Savior. In response to this request, St. Mark stated everything that he heard from ap. Peter about the earthly life of Christ, in writing, very clearly and vividly. This is evidenced by St. Clement, Ep. Alexandrian, as follows: "While the Apostle Peter was preaching the gospel in Rome, Mark, his companion, ... wrote ... the Gospel, called the Gospel of Mark." And St. Papias, Ep. Hierapolsky, says: "Mark, the interpreter of the Apostle Peter, wrote down the words and deeds of Jesus with accuracy, but not in order." These testimonies, dating back to the second century, are sufficient to leave no doubt as to the belonging of the second gospel of St. Mark.

In all likelihood, St. Mark wrote the Gospel for Christians converted from paganism and little acquainted with the history and way of life of the Jewish people. Therefore, in the Gospel there are very few references to, but various Jewish customs are often explained, the geography of Palestine is described, Aramaic expressions incomprehensible to Roman Christians are explained.

The main purpose of the gospel is to establish in converted pagans faith in the divinity of the Savior and to show them the divine power of Christ, the Son of God, over all creation.

Gospel of St. The stamp consists of 16 chapters. It begins with the call of St. John the Baptist to repentance and ends with the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and the preaching of St. apostles. We do not have data to accurately determine the time of writing the Gospel of Mark. In any case, it was written later than the Aramaic Gospel of St. Matthew and, in all likelihood, in the fifties, when St. Peter visited the Roman Christians for the first time.

According to ancient tradition, the Evangelist Mark was the first bishop of the Church of Alexandria and died a martyr.

Gospel of Luke

The ancient unanimously names the Apostle Luke as the author of the third Gospel. According to the historian Eusebius (4th century). Luke came from a pagan family native to Syrian Antioch. He received a good Greek education and was a doctor by profession.

Believing in Christ, St. Luke becomes a zealous student and constant companion of St. Paul in his apostolic travels. He relentlessly follows his teacher, shares with him the labors of the second and third apostolic journey () and remains with him during the stay of the apostle. Paul in custody in Caesarea and in Rome (; ). “Luke, the beloved doctor,” says St. Paul is among his companions, who were his consolation during the time of Roman bonds ().

Influenced by the preaching of St. Paul of St. Luke writes the Gospel, addressing it to Theophilus (), a man of high social status, converted from pagans, and in his person to the Christian communities founded by St. Paul, apostle of tongues.

Wishing to give Christians from the Gentiles a solid foundation for the teaching in which they were instructed by St. Paul, St. Luke sets himself the goal: 1) to convey to those who believed, "by careful study" and "in order", the words and deeds of the Savior and 2) to strengthen faith in the Savior of the world by this narrative.

Sources for writing the Gospel of St. Luke was served, as he himself says, by the stories of living persons "who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word from the very beginning" (). He met with them in the company of St. Paul - both in Jerusalem and in Caesarea. At the heart of the gospel narrative about the birth and childhood of Jesus Christ (Ch. 1 and 2) lies, apparently, the Sacred Tradition written in Aramaic, in which the voice of the Virgin Mary herself is still heard. But there is another tradition that says that St. Luke himself met with the Mother of God, heard from Her stories about the Lord and painted the first icon of the Holy Virgin with the Infant Jesus in her arms.

In addition, when writing his gospel, St. Luke also used the previously written Gospels of Matthew and Mark.

In addition to the Gospel, Saint Luke also wrote the book Acts of the Holy Apostles. In both of these creations, the talented hand of the historian is revealed, who, despite the extraordinary accuracy and conciseness of the narrative, was able to give a picturesque and, moreover, historically grounded narrative. But we must not forget that on the whole narrative of Luke and on his very language lies the imprint of the thought and speech of St. Paul.

Gospel of St. Luke has 24 chapters. It begins with the events that preceded the birth of Jesus Christ and ends with the ascension of the Lord into heaven.

Gospel of John

Apostle John the Theologian, younger brother of St. Jacob, was the son of Zebedee the fisherman and Solomia. John was born on the shores of the Lake of Galilee. In his youth, he helped his father to fish, but then he went to the Jordan to St. John the Baptist and became his disciple. When the Savior appeared on the banks of the Jordan, John fell in love with the Messiah with all his heart, became His faithful and beloved disciple, and never parted with Him until the day of His ascension to heaven. After the death of the Savior, St. the apostle accepted the Mother of God into his house and took care of her until her dormition. Then, probably after the death of St. Paul, John the Theologian moved to the city of Ephesus for a preaching purpose, which, after the destruction of Jerusalem, became the center of the Christian Church in the East. There he raised future bishops: Papias of Hierapolis, Polycarp of Smyrna.

Under the emperor Domitian, he was exiled to the island of Patmos, where in visions the Lord showed him the future fate of the world. He recorded all these visions in a book called "Revelation", or "Apocalypse". Only under Emperor Nerva, St. the apostle was able to return from exile to Ephesus.

Having in person ap. John, one of the closest witnesses and eyewitnesses of the "ministry of the Word", the Christians of Ephesus began to ask him to describe to them the earthly life of Christ the Savior. When they brought the books of the first three evangelists to John, he approved of these books and praised the evangelists for their sincerity and truthfulness of the story. But at the same time, he noticed that the three evangelists pay more attention to the human nature of Christ. The Apostle John told his followers that when talking about Christ who came into the world in the flesh, it is necessary to talk more about His Divinity, because otherwise people over time will begin to judge and think about Christ only by what He appeared in earthly life.

Therefore app. John begins his Gospel not with a presentation of events from the human life of Christ, but first of all points to His eternal existence with God the Father. The incarnate Christ is the Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, the Divine Word (Logos), through which everything that exists () happened.

Thus, the goal of writing the Gospel can be expressed in the words of the evangelist himself, addressed to the Ephesian Christians: “These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”() By this, the evangelist wishes to protect Christians from heresies spreading in Asia Minor (Kerinth, Ebionites, Nicolaitans), who denied the Divine nature of the Savior.

Complementing the weather forecasters, St. John describes mainly the activities of Christ in Judea, tells in detail about His visits to Jerusalem on major holidays. The Gospel was written in the nineties of the first century, shortly before the death of St. apostle. Gospel of St. John the Evangelist consists of 21 chapters. It ends with a story about the appearance of the resurrected Lord to the disciples on the Lake of Galilee.

2. Gospel - Book of Life

When embarking on the study of Gospel history, one must remember that knowledge of Sacred History is necessary for every Christian, but even more so for the pastor of the Church of Christ, for whom the Word of God and serving Him is his life.

We must know that Christ is not a mythological, but a very real, historical Person who accomplished on earth the great work of the Redemption of the human race, which no mortal could do either before Him or after Him.

He lived among people, walked this earth, had his followers, visited the cities and villages of Palestine with a sermon, was persecuted by enemies, suffered on the cross, died a shameful death, rose again in glory, ascended to heaven and remains in His Church - "all the days until the end of time" ().

We must know well the geography of Palestine, the historical situation of the time when Christ lived, be interested in archaeological finds confirming the truth of the Gospel narrative - all this is necessary for a future theologian to know, since the Gospel history is the background against which theology is studied.

But when studying Sacred History, one must avoid extremes, one must remember that bare historical knowledge alone is of no essential importance in the matter of faith, in the matter of our salvation. If, for example, we are carried away only by clarifying the date of the birth of Christ and the details of His earthly life, but without faith in Christ, then we, of course, will acquire a lot of historical information, but our heart will remain indifferent to salvation. Isn't that what atheists do? What then is the difference between a so-called me who is interested in the life of Christ without believing in Him, and an atheist who studies Christianity? Of course, none.

Evangelical historical events are essential for us only if they are perceived through a believing heart, through faith in Christ as the God-man, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Only in this way, only through faith in Christ, or, to put it better, in the light of Christ, should we perceive the Sacred Gospel History.

Every Gospel word, every sacred event must be perceived and realized by our mind through the basic meaning of the Gospel, through the "crucible of our faith." Then the gospel events will live in our hearts. Then the image of Christ will become close and dear to our spirit, then the Holy Gospel will become for us the Book of Life, leading us to salvation.

And indeed, no book on earth in its content and effect on the human soul can be compared with the Gospel, much less replace it. As Spourgeon said, “The gospel is the Word, which surpasses all human speech. The Scriptures are above all works of the pen, the inimitable creation of the Holy Spirit; it is suitable for all places, times and countries, for all nationalities, classes and persons. The Gospel is the Book of books, the source of eternal life (), salvation (; ) and comfort for the unfortunate and suffering. This is a book that has no equal on earth, the content of which, like the gaze of God Himself, would penetrate into the depths of the soul of every person, which would contain the truth in everything to a single word, would be wiser than all codes of laws, more instructive than all teachings, more beautiful than poetry. the whole world, and would touch the human heart like the gentle voice of a loving mother. The gospel is a wondrous unearthly light that illuminates our spiritual being stronger than the sun (); this is the breath of the Eternal, awakening in the soul of a happy person, among all earthly pleasures, a sigh for the best and higher, longing for his heavenly homeland; this is the breath of the Holy Spirit - the Comforter, filling the soul of the sufferer with indescribable bliss in the midst of hard life's adversities.

But in order for the Gospel to act gracefully on our mind and heart, for this blessed living Book of the living God to help us fight evil in this world, we need to love it and have deep reverence for this shrine.

We must make the reading of the Holy Gospel our daily need. But one must read with a prayerful mood, for to read the Gospel means to converse with God.

Do not read the Gospel... with the aim of subjecting it to dry criticism of our limited mind, do not read it with poetic imagination, but read it with your conscience, seeking to see the infallible holy truth, so that the commandments of the Gospel would spiritualize your whole being. The Gospel is the Book of Life, and it must be read in deeds. Later, you can apply to the Gospel a measure of sound criticism... But in the name of this Holy Book, which has no equal among the books of the whole world - the works of mankind, in the name of its immeasurable spiritual height and divine wisdom, which blows at you from every page of it , we ask you to read the Gospel first with a simple mind and conscience. Read in this way, the Book of "Verbs of Eternal Life" will make your conscience tremble before the good, before the lofty beautiful morality of the Gospel; you will obey the spirit that lives in the Gospel, touch the living Christ and feel the grace-filled "power emanating" from the holy lines and healing, as the bleeding robe of the Lord healed, your spiritual wounds. This Book will evoke in you a cry of delight and tears of joy, and you will close it, touched and delighted...

May this sacred book be your unchanging companion everywhere and always.

May this book of salvation

Gives you comfort

During the years of struggle and labor.

In the sadness of the earthly vale.

Let them pour into your heart -

And the skies match

With your pure soul.

K. R. (Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov)

3. Path to Passion

Place and Time.

All three forecasters speak of the last journey of Christ the Savior from Galilee to Jerusalem. Mt 19-20, Mk 10 mentions the passage of the Lord through the country beyond the Jordan or Perea, the region that lay east of the Jordan. In Mk (10:1), the text of which has come down to us in several variations, the country beyond the Jordan is mentioned along with Judea. In Mt 19 the correct translation of v. 1 would be "...came into the regions of Judah beyond the Jordan." At the same time, if the healing of the Jericho blind man (Mk 10:46-52, Lk 18:35-43, not one, but two according to Mt 20:29-34) took place already within Judea in the proper sense, we cannot establish with accuracy , whether other episodes refer to Perea, or to Judea, more precisely: when the Lord passed from Perea to Judea. One thing is clear: the path of the Lord leads to Judea, with complete accuracy - to Jerusalem. He passes through Perea, avoiding Samaria, which lay to the west of the Jordan, between Galilee and Judea, heading for Jerusalem. Indirectly, to the path of Christ - even within Galilee - such indications of the first two Evangelists as Mk 9:30, 33, Mt 17:22-24 can also apply: the Lord passes through Galilee and, passing, reaches Capernaum. In the plan of Lk, the parallel passage (9:43-50) is not included in the narrative of the path, but there is no mention of Capernaum in it either. The inevitability of the path also follows from the appearance of the Messiah as the suffering Messiah. The suffering of the Messiah is in Jerusalem, where He must go (with full clarity: Mt 16:21).

With special attention and clarity, which does not allow reinterpretation, the Evangelist Luke narrates about the path. Christ's way from Galilee to Jerusalem in the Third Gospel is devoted to a large passage (9:51-19:28). The opening (9:51) and closing (19:28) instructions are reinforced by repeated reminders throughout the passage (cf. 9:52, 57, 10:1, 38, 13:22, 14:25; 17:11; 18 :31-35, 19:1, 11). In the construction of Lk, the passage containing the narrative of the path is an independent part, exceeding the other parts in volume.

In order to form an idea of ​​the topography and chronology of the path, one must clearly remember its purpose. It was noted above that the goal of the path (9:51) is the ascension and the manifestation of glory. But ascension, as the ultimate goal, implies an immediate goal. And this immediate goal is the Passion. The path of Christ is the path of passion. This is confirmed by separate instructions, which are repeated as we approach Jerusalem with more and more insistence (cf. 12:49-50, 13:31-35, 17:25). Of particular importance is the parable of the mines (19:12-27), told in Jericho on the eve of the Solemn Entrance. Those around the Lord waited for the immediate manifestation of the Kingdom, and the Lord answers their expectation with a parable about a man of high rank, who, before establishing himself in the kingdom, must still go to a distant country. Understanding the path of Christ as the path to the Passion does not allow us to see in the passage Luke 9:51-19:28 stories about the repeated journeys of Christ, as is often done in attempts to scientifically build the gospel history. As soon as the goal was set, the path of Christ to Jerusalem could be only one. He did not allow deviations.

What parts of Palestine did the Lord pass through during His journey? As we have seen, the first two synoptics testify to His passage through Perea (Mt 19:1, Mk 10:1). In Luke, the parallel passage does not mention Perea. A comparison of Lk with the first two synoptics makes it possible to attribute to Perea part of the episodes that make up the content of Ch. 18 (18-30?). Under the condition of a single path, the passage through Perea excludes the path through Samaria. In Luke the story of the journey opens with episode 9:51-56. The Samaritan village, where the Lord sent messengers before His face to prepare the way, refused to receive Him, because the inhabitants saw Him as a pilgrim. The case was not exceptional. Being hostile to the Jews (cf. John 4:9), the Samaritans obstructed Jewish pilgrims passing through Samaria. The Lord stops the wrath of James and John and directs the way "to another village." From what has just been said, it certainly follows that "the other village" was not Samaritan, in other words, the refusal of the Samaritan village prompted the Lord to change the original intention and retreat from the intended route. With the exception of the southern part of Samaria, where the gospel of Christ was lovingly received at the beginning of the Galilean period of His ministry (John 4), Samaria as a whole was not affected by His preaching. The spread of Christianity in Samaria took place at the beginning of the Apostolic Age through the labors of Philip, one of the Seven (Acts 8), after the assassination of Stephen. Most of the episodes belonging to the narrative of the journey in Luke must be attributed to the passage of the Lord through the cities and villages of Galilee. This follows from such indications as 13:32-33 (the region of Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee) and XVII, 11 (the path between Samaria and Galilee, in all likelihood, in the territory of Galilee in the direction of the Jordan, i.e. from west to east ). To Galilee, in particular, to Capernaum, it seems possible to refer a large passage of Luke 11:14-13:9. The passage is one whole, but does not contain indications of place and time. Nevertheless, the introductory episode, the healing of the demoniac, attributed by ill-wishers to the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons (11:14-15 et seq.), returning us to the censures of the scribes Mk 3:22 et seq., provides starting points for the localization of the passage. In the context of Mark (cf. 1:21, 23, 2:1, must be 3:1), the scribes' reproaches must have taken place in Capernaum. As has already been pointed out, the Lord's stay in Capernaum after the confession of Peter and the Transfiguration, mentioned in Matthew (17:24ff.) and Mark (9:33ff.), may refer to the journey. That the path of Christ lay through Capernaum is indirectly confirmed by the prophetic denunciation of Luke 10:15. Along with Capernaum, other recalcitrant cities are denounced (cf. the entire passage of 10:10-15). The denunciation of cities is part of the instructions of the Seventy, which the Lord deliberately delivers at the beginning of the journey and sends “before His face into every city and place where He Himself wanted to go” (10:1). Reproof involves the rejection of the Seventy in the cities of Galilee. In other words, the mission of the Seventy was to capture the cities of Galilee, at least some of them. But the Seventy preceded the path of Christ, one must think, just as exactly as those messengers who were sent by the Lord to the Samaritan village. Prophetic rebuke can refer to the opposition of the Galilean cities not only to the gospel of the Seventy, but also to the word of the Lord Himself on His way to Jerusalem. This path began in Galilee. Basically, the topography of the path is clear: starting in Galilee and bypassing Samaria, he brought the Lord to Judea, a country beyond the Jordan.

There remains the question of reconciliation - and in this part of the gospel story - weather forecasters and Jn. We are talking about the passage of John 7-10. The passage refers to Jerusalem. The absence of internal boundaries and, on the contrary, the very clear boundary of 10:40-42, with which the passage ends, allows us to speak not of several short-term, but of one long stay of Christ in the Jewish capital. To what point in the history of the gospel can this sojourn be attributed? First of all, there is no doubt that this sojourn of the Lord in Jerusalem was not His last visit to the holy city. The Solemn Entrance to Ying is narrated only in ch. 12. On the other hand, it is absolutely certain that the passage of John 7-10 cannot refer to the Galilean period of Christ's public ministry. In the context of the Gospel, the passage stands after the feeding of the five thousand (John 6 = Luke 9:10-17). It is natural to think of it even after the turn of the gospel history. The talk about Animal Bread causes the Jews to be offended and some of the disciples to fall away (John 6:59-66). To the question addressed to the Twelve, whether they also want to depart, Peter answers with a confession (67-69): "... we have believed and know that You are the Holy One of God." Russian translation: Christ, Son of the Living God is the name of the Messiah. “They believed and knew” - by the very meaning of the Greek perfect forms, sounds like a reference to the conviction that the apostles came to and which was firmly rooted in their minds. The confession of Peter John 6:69 is thus naturally understood as a repetition. Synoptic confession is supposed to be. Thus, the chronology of the passage of John 7-10 is determined in general terms: after the appearance of the Messiah and before the Solemn Entrance. In the chronology of weather forecasters for this period of time, the path to the Passion falls. We have seen that the path to the Passion could be only one. To this we can add: he did not allow long breaks and stops. The only exception can be thought at the beginning. Luke 10:17 tells of the return of the Seventy with an account of the fulfillment of their commission. This assignment assumed a certain period of time. It can be assumed that the meeting took place at the appointed place. What did the Lord and the Twelve do during the mission of the Seventy? Luke is silent about this. The answer can be gleaned from John if we: place the passage of John 7-10 in Luke 10 between vv. 16 and 17. During the mission of the Seventy, the Lord, and the Twelve with Him, went to Jerusalem. Thus, the coordination of synoptics and Ying turns out to be not only possible - in these parts, as in others - but also significantly complements our information about this period of the gospel history.

Traces of the Lord's absence to Jerusalem before the start of the journey can also be found in Luke. At this moment, the passage Luke 10:38-42, which tells about the Lord's stay in the house of Martha and Mary, belongs. From John 11:1 it follows that the village of Martha and Mary was Bethany, located fifteen stages (about 2.5 kilometers) from Jerusalem (John 11:18). It is difficult to admit that the Lord was in Bethany and was not in Jerusalem, and it is just as unimaginable, as we have already noted more than once, that the Lord would reach the goal of the path and return again to Galilee. Obviously, within Luke there is no place for episode 10:38-42, and the indication of Art. 38: "in continuation, their ways," if taken literally, would create insurmountable difficulties. These difficulties are eliminated if we refer the episode of Luke 10:38-42 to the Lord's visit to Jerusalem before starting the journey. The Evangelist Luke, passing over this visit in silence, just as he passed over others, gave place to the episode in the house of Martha and Mary for the sake of the inner meaning that is revealed in it and placed it approximately at the time to which it refers.

Chronologically, the Lord's journey to Jerusalem in John 7-10 is determined by the milestones given in the passage itself. The Lord's arrival in Jerusalem refers to the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn 7:2, 8-11, 14, 37 et seq.), which took place according to our account of time. at the end of September - beginning of October. From John 10:22 we see that the Lord remained in Jerusalem until the Feast of Renewal, which fell in mid-December, when the hostile attitude of the Jews forced Him to leave for the country beyond the Jordan (10:39-40). Thus, the content of John 7-10 takes a period of time from the end of September - the beginning of October to the middle of December. For the construction of the chronology of the gospel history, this conclusion is of great importance. But the agreement we have reached between forecasters and Ying is preliminary.

If we allow the entire passage 7-10 to fit in Luke 10 between vv. 16 and 17, we must also admit that the Lord from Perea (cf. John 10:40-42) returned to Galilee in a short time. Evangelist John, passing in silence the return of the Lord to Galilee, narrates in ch. 11 about the resurrection of Lazarus. The event takes place in Bethany, in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem (11:1, 18ff.). The news of Lazarus' illness reaches the Lord outside of Judea (John 11:6-7). Where exactly? The Evangelist does not answer this question. Galilee is not excluded. But the silence of the Evangelist naturally directs the reader's attention to the last topographic indication of 10:40. This indication applies to. Pere. In Perea the Lord was at the end of the road. By comparison with Matthew and Mark, we attributed to Perea the passage of Luke 18:18-30 (with more or less approximation). If the resurrection of Lazarus referred to this time, we would be forced to admit that the Lord, at the end of the journey from Perea, went to Bethany, from there he hid for a while in Ephraim, a city near the wilderness (John 11:54) and only after that - with the return or without returning to Perea - continued His journey to Jerusalem through Jericho (Lk 18:35-19:28, Mt 20:29-34, Mk 10:46-52) and Bethany (Lk 19:29ff., Mk 11 :1ff, cf. John 12:1ff). However, this reconciliation would present the difficulty that it would suggest; a long break at the very end of the path of Christ, moreover, one during which the Lord, directing His path to Jerusalem, would be in the immediate vicinity of the Jewish capital. It must be admitted that for such a break; Incredible in essence, there is no place in the chronological framework of Lk. It remains to be assumed that the Lord had not yet had time to return from Perea to Galilee when he was called to the dying Lazarus. Thus, the absence of the Lord from Galilee, to which the passage of John 7-10 refers, naturally extends to the passage of John 11:1-54. and the gospel texts relating to the path to the Passion are arranged in the following order: Luke 10:1-16, John 7:1-11:54, Luke 10:17-19:28 (with the amendment proposed above, regarding Luke 10: 38-42, and drawing on parallels from Mt 19-20 and Mk 10).