Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer in the words of the Holy Fathers

St. Feofan the Recluse

2) Separation

Long Christian Catechism. To more conveniently consider the Lord's Prayer, we can divide it into: invocation, seven petitions and doxology.

A) Summoning

"Our Father, who art in heaven"

St. Gregory of Nyssa. Who will give me wings like a dove?(Ps. 54:7) the great David speaks in one place of psalmody. I dare to say the same word: who will give me these wings, so that I can soar with my mind to the height of the greatness of these sayings - and leaving the earth, cross all the air spilled in the middle, touch the ethereal beauty, reach the stars, see all their decoration, and not to stop at them, but to pass this too, to stand outside of this movable and changeable, to embrace a constant nature, an immovable force, installed in itself and directing and supporting everything that has being, everything that depends on the ineffable will God's wisdom, so that, having become a thought far from everything changeable and perverse, in an immutable and unwavering state of the soul, I could first become akin in thought to the Immutable and Unchangeable, then call upon the most related name and say: “Father!”

St. Cyprian. Oh, what condescension towards us, what an abundance of favor and goodness of the Lord, when He allowed us, when praying before the face of God, to call God Father, and to call ourselves sons of God, just as Christ is the Son of God! None of us would have dared to use this name in prayer if He Himself had not allowed us to pray so.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem. In the prayer that the Savior gave to His disciples, we, with a clear conscience, calling God Father, say: “Our Father!” What great love of God for mankind! Those who have fallen away from Him and reached the extreme of evil are given such oblivion of all evil, and such a communion of grace, that they call Him Father: “Our Father!”

St. Zlatoust. "Our Father!" Oh, what extraordinary philanthropy! Oh, what a wonderful honor! What word will be able to render gratitude to the One who gives us such blessings? Look, beloved, at the humiliation of your and my nature, delve into its affinity - into this earth, dust, dirt, clay, ashes; because we were created from the earth, and again finally decompose into the earth. Having imagined this, marvel at the unsearchable wealth of God’s great goodness to us; according to which you are commanded to call Him “Father,” - the earthly - the heavenly, the mortal - the immortal, the corruptible - the incorruptible, the temporary - the eternal, who was yesterday and before dirt - the God who existed before the age.

blzh. Augustine. In every petition, they first try to gain the favor of the person to whom the petition is addressed, and then they present the petition itself. Favor is usually gained by praise to the one whom you intend to ask, and it is always supplied at the beginning of the request. In this sense, of course, the Lord commanded us to cry out at the beginning of our prayer: “Our Father!”

There are many sayings in Scripture that express praise to God; but you will not find that Israel was ordered to cry out: “Our Father!” The prophets, however, called God the father of the Israelites, even on behalf of God himself as: they gave birth to sons and raised them up, but they rejected Me(Isa. 1:2), - and: If I am the Father, then where is My glory?(Mal. 1:6), but they called it so obviously in order to expose them that they did not want to be sons of God, working in sins. They themselves did not dare to turn to God as to their father; for they were still in the state of slaves, although they were destined for sonship, as the Apostle says: At any time there is little heir, there is no one better than a slave(Gal. 4:1). This advantage was granted to the new Israel, the Christians; them given the region to be children of God(John 1:12) and they received the spirit of sonhood, about it They cry out: “Abba father!” (Rom. 8:15).

Tertullian. When we say: “Our Father”, we are praying to God and together expressing faith, the fruit of which is such a name. For it is written: the little ones received Him, and gave them the realm of being children of God who believe in His name(John 1:12). The Lord often called God our Father; He even commanded us not to call anyone on earth father except Him whom we have in heaven (Matt. 23:9). Thus, by crying out like this in prayer, we fulfill the commandment. Blessed are those who recognize God the Father. - The name of God the Father has not been announced to anyone before; and even Moses, who asked about him, heard another certain name; it is revealed to us in the Son. For the Son is already giving a new name to God - the name of the Father. But He says directly: I came in the name of the Father(John 5:43) - and again: Father, glorify Your name(John 12:28) - and more clearly: reveal the name Yours as a person (John 17:6).

St. Cyprian. The new man, reborn and restored by his God, by His grace, first of all says: “Father,” because he has already become His son. On my own, - it is said, - He came and did not receive His own. The little ones received Him, and gave them the realm to become children of God, believing in His name(John 1:11-12). So, whoever believed in His name and became the son of God must begin by offering thanksgiving and confessing himself to be the son of God, calling God Father; must, from the very beginning of his rebirth, testify in words that he renounced his earthly and carnal father and began to know and have one Father, Who is in heaven... And the Lord in His Gospel commands us not to name a father on earth, because we have one Father in heaven (Matt. 23:9).

blzh. Augustine. Calling at the beginning of the prayer: “Our Father!” By this name we testify to love: for what is sweeter for children than the name of the Father? and we express confidence in receiving what we ask when, before any request, we imagine ourselves having already received that great mercy to call God our Father. For what kind of request will God refuse to His sons, having first granted them the region to be His children?

He's the same. Say “Our Father” if you have begun to have God as your father. They begin to have God as their father when they are born again from Him. You were born of Him in the womb of the Church. Remember that you have a Father in heaven. Remember that in Adam you were born into death, but from God the Father you were reborn into life. And what you say, feel, is in your hearts. What is in the heart of the one who prays, according to the strength of it, the One who hears his prayer accepts it.

St. Zlatoust. Sitsa, you pray- continued the Savior: Our Father, who art in heaven. See how He immediately encouraged the listener, and at the very beginning remembered all the good deeds of God. In fact, the one who calls God Father, by this one name already confesses forgiveness of sins, and liberation from punishment, and justification, and sanctification, and redemption, and sonship, and inheritance, and brotherhood with the Only Begotten, and the gift of the Spirit, so just as someone who has not received all these benefits cannot call God Father. So, Christ inspires His listeners in two ways - both by the dignity of what is called, and by the greatness of the benefits that they received.

St. Cassian. The Lord's Prayer presupposes in the person praying the most sublime and perfect state, which consists in the contemplation of the one God and in fiery love for Him, and in which our mind, embraced and imbued with this love, converses with God in the closest way and with special sincerity, as with its father. That we must carefully try to achieve this state is what the words of this prayer inspire us with. We say: “Our Father!” If in this way we confess God, the Lord of the universe, with our own lips as our Father, then at the same time we confess that we have been completely transferred from a state of slavery to the state of adopted children of God.

St. Maxim the Confessor. (The first word of the prayer leads to the confession of the Holy Trinity). The Father does not possess this Name as a newly acquired one... If He is the Ever-Bearing One and is always the Father, then this means that both the Son and the Holy Spirit always essentially coexist with the Father. They naturally exist from Him and in Him in such a way that they transcend (all) reason and (all) reason. Therefore, by starting this prayer, we learn to honor the Consubstantial and Pre-Existent Trinity as the creative Cause of our existence. At the same time, we learn to proclaim the grace of adoption in us, being worthy to call our Creator by nature Father by grace. And this is so that, experiencing reverent fear of the name of (our) Parent by grace, we would try to imprint in (our) life the features of the One who gave birth to us, sanctifying His name on earth, becoming like Him, revealing ourselves through the deeds of our children (His) and glorifying with our thoughts and deeds the Self-performer of adoption (ours) - by nature the Son of the Father.

blzh. Theophylact. The disciples of Christ compete with the disciples of John and want to learn how to pray. The Savior does not reject the desires of the disciples, and teaches them prayer. Our Father, - he says, - like you and in heaven. Notice the power of prayer. She immediately leads you to what is above, and, since you call God Father, she convinces you in every possible way not to lose your likeness to the Father, but to try to become like Him.

He's the same. The word “Father” shows you what blessings you have received by becoming the son of God.

Simeon of Thessalonica. "Our Father!" - And because He is our Creator, who brought us into being from things that are not, and because by grace He is our Father, through the Son by nature, made like us.

Saint Tikhon. From the words: “Our Father!” we learn that God is the true Father of Christians, and they are sons God's faith about Christ Jesus(Gal. 3:26). Consequently, as a Father, they should call upon Him with hope, just as the children of the flesh call upon their parents and stretch out their hands to them in all their needs.

"Our"

St. Cyprian. The Teacher of the world and the Teacher of unity, first of all, did not want prayer to be performed separately and privately, so that the one praying only for himself. In fact, we do not say: “My Father, who art in heaven, give me my bread this day”; each of us does not ask for the abandonment of only his debt, does not pray for himself alone, so as not to be led into temptation and to get rid of the evil one. We have a nationwide and common prayer, and when we pray, we pray not for one person, but for the whole people, because we - the whole people - are one. God, the Teacher of peace and harmony, who taught unity, wanted one to pray for everyone, just as He alone carried us all. This law of prayer was also observed by the three youths thrown into the fiery furnace: they agreed in prayer and were unanimous in the spirit of agreement. This is confirmed by Divine Scripture, which, showing how they prayed, gives us an example to follow, so that we too can become like them. Said: Then these three, as if with one mouth, I will bow and bless God(Dan. 3:51). They spoke as if with only their lips, although it was not Christ who taught them to pray like that. And that is why the speech of them - those praying - was convincing and valid: peaceful, simple and spiritual prayer was pleasing to the Lord. After the Ascension of the Lord, we find the apostles and disciples praying in a similar way. These are all, - it is said, - I prayed and endured with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus and with His brethren(Acts 1:14). They remained in prayer with one accord, showing both the urgency of their prayer and mutual agreement, because God, bringing like-minded people into the house(Ps. 67:7), accepts into His divine and eternal home only those whose prayer is unanimous. Oh, what, beloved brothers, are the secrets of the Lord’s Prayer! How much and how great is contained in in short words, but prayer abundant in spiritual power!

…We say together: “Our Father,” that is, believers, those who, having been sanctified and restored by a grace-filled spiritual birth, have become sons of God.

St. Zlatoust. He teaches us to pray for all the brothers. He does not say: My Father, who art in heaven, but - “Our Father,” and thereby commands us to offer prayers for the entire human race, and never have in mind our own benefits, but always try for the benefits of our neighbor. And in this way he destroys enmity, and overthrows pride, and destroys envy, and introduces love - the mother of all good things; destroys the inequality of human affairs and shows complete equality between the king and the poor, since we all have equal participation in the highest and most necessary matters. Indeed, what harm comes from low kinship, when by heavenly kinship we are all united, and no one has anything more than another: neither the rich more than the poor, nor the master more than the slave, nor the boss more than the subordinate, nor the king more than the warrior, nor the philosopher more than the barbarian, nor the wise more than the ignorant? God, who honored everyone equally to call Himself Father, through this gave everyone the same nobility.

blzh. Augustine. It is suggested by this - “our” - that the rich and noble in this world, having become Christians, should not be proud before the poor and ignorant, since they also cry out to God in the same word as they do: “Our Father!” What they cannot say sincerely from the heart if they do not recognize themselves as their brothers.

blzh. Theophylact. You do not say: My Father, but “Our Father,” because you must look at everyone as brothers, children of one Father.

He's the same. (The Lord in prayer) did not say my father, but “Our Father,” inciting you to brotherly love, and compelling you to love everyone as brothers in general.

"Who art in heaven"

St. Chrysostom When the Lord says in prayer: “who art in heaven,” then with this word he does not imprison God in heaven, but distracts the one praying from the earth and places him in high places and mountain dwellings.

He's the same. Wanting to teach us to leave the earth and earthly things and not bow down, but take the wings of faith and, soaring above the air and rising above the ether, strive for the so-called Father, He commanded to say: “Our Father who art in heaven,” - not because , so that God is only in heaven, but so that we, reptiles on the earth, are disposed to strive for heaven and, illuminated by the beauty of heavenly blessings, turn all our desires there.

blzh. Theophylact. Having said “in heaven,” the Lord does not limit God to them, but raises the listener to heaven and takes him away from earthly things.

He's the same. In a word - “in heaven” the Lord pointed you to your fatherland and to your father’s house: therefore, if you want to have God as your Father, look at heaven, and not at earth, like dumb people.

Saint Tikhon. It is said: “in heaven,” - not as if God is in heaven, but he takes the one who prays from the earth and raises him to the heavenly abodes, says St. Chrysostom; in the same way (and therefore this word is said), because there is a fatherland of the elect, and God in His glory shows Himself there, and delights the souls of His saints. Otherwise, God is essentially in every place, both in heaven and on earth, as the Psalmist sings: Our God is in heaven and on earth(Ps. 113:11).

St. Cassian. We add in prayer: “those who are in heaven,” so that, avoiding in every possible way caring thoughts about this earthly life, as it is a wandering one and takes us very far from our Father, we rush with extreme desire to the region in which, as we confess, our Father dwells, and they did not allow anything that, making us unworthy of such our rank and the nobility of such sonship, would deprive us, as degenerates, of our fatherly heritage and subject us to the full severity of God’s righteous judgment.

St. Gregory of Nyssa. With the words: “who art in heaven,” we are reminded from what fatherland we have fallen and what nobility we have lost. With the story of a young man who left his father's house and indulged in a pig-like life, Scripture, historically describing his departure and dissolute life, shows the disastrous state of humanity, and not before returning this young man to his original state, as after he sensed a real disaster, when he came to his senses and brought thoughts of words of repentance. And they somewhat agree with the words of the prayer. For there the young man said: Father, I have sinned in heaven and before you(Luke 15:21); but He would not have mentioned in the confession about sin “to heaven” if he had not been sure that heaven was his fatherland, leaving which he fell into sin. Therefore, the thought of such a confession makes the father accessible to him, who rushes to his son, greeting him with a kiss on his neck. So, how the reason for the love shown to the young man by his father was his return to his father’s house (and this is “heaven”, the sin he admits to his father); So, it seems to me, here too the Lord, teaching you to call on your father “who is in heaven,” reminds you of the good fatherland, so that by arousing the strongest desire for the beautiful, he will put you on the path that again leads to the fatherland. The path that elevates human nature to heaven is nothing other than retreat and flight from earthly evils; and the means to escape from these evils is nothing else, I think, than becoming like God; to become like God means to become righteous, holy, good, and all the like. If someone, as much as possible, clearly imprints in himself the features of these perfections, then, as if by natural order, without labor, he will move from earthly life to the heavenly land; because it is not local what kind of distance the Divinity has with humanity, so that we would need some kind of tool or device to introduce this heavy, burdensome and earthly flesh into a non-physical and spiritual way of life. But according to the reasonable separation of virtue from vice, it depends on human will alone to be where a person is inclined to desire. Therefore, since there is no difficulty in choosing what is good, and election is followed by the acquisition of what is chosen by someone, then it is possible for you to immediately be in heaven, having declared God in your mind. If, as Ecclesiastes says: God in the mountain skye (5:1), and you, according to the word of the Prophet, cleave to “God” (Ps. 72:28): then, by all necessity, one who is in unity with God must be where God is.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Heaven can be those who carry within themselves image of heaven(1 Cor. 15:49), to whom God promised: I will inhabit you and look like you(2 Cor. 6:16).

Simeon of Thessalonica. “Like you in heaven.” For God, as it is written, being holy, rests in the saints. The angels who live in heaven are holier than us, just as heaven is purer than earth. This is why it is thought that God is in heaven.

blzh. Augustine. So let the new New Testament people, called to an eternal inheritance, cry: “Our Father who art in heaven,” that is, among the saints and the righteous. God is not limited to any local space. No matter how bright the sky may appear, it is all a material terrain, limited. If God lived only in the higher parts of the world, then the birds would be happier than us, because they hover closer to God. But it is not written: The Lord is near to those who have climbed high, high, or to those who live on the mountains, but: The Lord is near with a broken heart(Ps. 33:19), which is the belonging of the humble and humiliated. How a sinner is called earth when it is said to him: you are the earth and to the earth you will go(Gen. 3:19), so by contrast the righteous may be called heaven. The righteous are told: the temple of God is holy, just as you are(1 Cor. 3:17). Therefore, if God dwells in His temple, and the saints are His temple; then it would be fair to understand the words: “like you are in heaven” as follows: “like you are” in the saints. This application is all the more convenient because in spiritual terms the righteous are separated from the sinners, like heaven from earth. So we turn to the east, where the sun rises, when we stand in prayer, not because God dwells there, leaving other parts of the world: for He is always everywhere, and in all His greatness; but in order to thereby dispose his spirit to turn to the highest being, that is, God, when his body - earthly - turns to the body that is higher than it - heavenly. And with the degrees of spiritual age, this (the word: “in heaven”) is more consistent, so that in prayer the hearts of everyone, according to their strength, are filled with feelings worthy of God. For those who are captivated by still visible beauties and cannot think detachedly about the incorporeal, since they necessarily prefer heaven to earth, the thought is more powerful, according to which God is believed to be more in heaven than on earth, because they still know God bodily. But when they understand that the soul surpasses in dignity even any celestial body, then they will begin to place it in the soul more than in any body, even a celestial one. Having realized how far the souls of sinners are from the souls of the righteous, they, as before, when they carnally philosophized, did not dare to posit God on earth, but posited him in heaven, so now, having been enlightened with better knowledge and higher faith, they will begin to posit him and look for him in the souls of the righteous , not sinners. And so it is fair to understand the words: “who art in heaven” as if it were said: “who are in the hearts of the righteous, as in their temple.” The one who utters these words in this sense should desire that He Whom he so calls to abide in himself, desiring this, to maintain a righteous life: for only in this way is God drawn to dwell in the soul.

Lessons from this invocation.

St. Cyprian. Calling God Father, we must remember and know, beloved brothers, that we must also act as sons of God, so that just as we ourselves rejoice in God the Father, so He rejoices in us. Let us remain as temples of God, so that it can be seen that God dwells in us. May our actions not be unworthy of the spirit: having begun to be heavenly and spiritual, let us think and do only spiritual and heavenly things, bearing in mind what God has said: He who glorifies Me will glorify, and he who disparages Me will be dishonest(1 Sam. 1:30) - and written by the blessed Apostle in his Epistle: carry yours, you were bought at a price; glorify the scourge(and wear) God in all your bodies(1 Cor. 6:19-20).

St. Gregory of Nyssa. What kind of soul does the one who says “Father” need? How much boldness does it take? What kind of conscience should one have, so that having known God as much as possible and having understood that the nature of God is goodness, holiness, joy, power, glory, purity, and everything that is similar to this is represented by the thought of God’s nature, then one dares to pronounce this word and name some creature your Father? It is obvious that if someone has any intelligence, then, not seeing in himself the same as in God, he will not dare to utter these words to him and say: “Father!” For it is unnatural for someone who is essentially good to become the father of someone who is evil in deeds, for a saint to become the father of someone defiled in life, for a father of life to become the father of someone killed by sin, for a pure person to become the father of those who have disgraced themselves through the passions of dishonor. If someone, seeing himself still in need of cleansing and recognizing his evil conscience as full of filth, before being cleansed from such evil properties, includes himself in kinship with God, and the unrighteous to the Righteous, the unclean to the Pure, says: “Father,” then this saying will directly be an insult and slander. Therefore, when the Lord teaches us in prayer to call God Father, it seems to me that he does nothing more than legitimize an exalted and lofty way of life; because the truth teaches us not to lie, not to say about ourselves what is not in us, not to call ourselves what we were not, but, calling our Father the Righteous and Good, justify this kinship with life. Therefore, do you see what kind of life we ​​need in order to have the boldness to say to God: Father? For if you love money, are preoccupied with worldly charms, seek human glory, serve the most passionate desires, yet you accept such a prayer in your mouth: what do you think the One who sees your life and hears your prayer will say? These are the words I seem to hear from God himself speaking to such a person: “And you, who have been corrupted in life, call the Father of incorruption your father? Why do you desecrate a pure name with unclean lips? Why are you using this saying falsely? If you are My child, then your life should bear the features of My properties. I do not recognize in you the image of My nature; your features are opposite. Another is the father of the evil qualities in you. My offspring are adorned with good fatherly qualities, the son of the merciful is merciful, the son of the pure is pure, the incorruptible is free from corruption, the good is good, the righteous is just. But I don’t know you, where you’re from.” Therefore, having prescribed to say in prayer that God is our Father, he commands nothing more than to become like the Heavenly Father through a splendid life; as in another place he commands the same thing more clearly, saying: Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect(Matt. 5:48). Just as the signs of likeness to God are obvious, so the evil disposition has its own special signs - and whoever has them, it is impossible for him to be the son of God. This is envy, hatred, slander, arrogance, covetousness, passionate desire, the disease of glory - these and similar traits distinguish the image of the opponent. Therefore, if someone who has denigrated his soul with such filth calls to his father, will such a father hear him? May such impurity be removed from your image. The Divine is not involved in envy and any other defilement, and let such passions not stain you, neither envy, nor arrogance, nor anything else that defiles the godlike beauty. If you become like this, then boldly call upon God and the Master of all, calling him your Father. He will look at you with fatherly eyes and, having clothed you in divine clothing, adorned you with a ring, and equipped your feet for the procession with gospel boots, he will return you to your heavenly fatherland.

St. Zlatoust. It is not in vain that you were taught to pronounce this word (“Our Father!”), but in order to reverence the name of the Father, pronounced by your own tongue, you imitate His goodness, as in another place He says: be like To your Father who is in heaven, as his sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and the unjust.(Matt. 5:45). Therefore, one who has a brutal and inhumane mood of the soul cannot call the man-loving God his Father; because he does not have the properties of goodness that the heavenly Father has, but has changed into a brutal form and has lost his divine dignity. The one who is meek and philanthropic towards his neighbors and does not take revenge on those who sin against him, but repays offenses with good deeds, can irreproachably call God Father. And consider the precision of expression, as He commands us mutual love, and connects everyone with a friendly location. He did not command to say: “My Father who is in heaven,” but “Our Father who is in heaven,” so that, having learned to name the common Father, we would show brotherly affection towards each other.

Saint Tikhon. With this invocation: “Our Father!” we learn: 1) that for all Christians “there is one Father” - God; therefore, they are brothers with each other, as having one Father. 2) Christians, as spiritual brothers, must have love among themselves, pray for each other to God, and, as it were, emit one voice from the heart to their Heavenly Father: “Our Father!” This is what He teaches, - says Saint John Chrysostom in a conversation on this word, - perform a common prayer for the brethren. For he does not say: “My Father,” but says: “Our Father,” to send up prayers for the common body, and everywhere to see not only one’s own benefit, but also that of one’s neighbor.. 3) When Christians are brothers in God, then they all have the same honor and glory. All, I say: masters and slaves, famous and unknown, rich and poor, high-ranking and simple, like brothers. And therefore we should not despise each other, since they are all one in Christ Jesus(Gal. 3:28). So, - says Saint John Chrysostom, - He brings out inequality from us, and shows the great equality of the king with the beggar. 4) How diligently we must guard ourselves from sins, and with more good morals we must become like God, like sons to their father, if without a twinge of conscience they want to call upon Him and call Him Father. 5) It is clear from this that a faulty Christian, until he corrects and purifies himself true repentance, cannot usefully call on God, much less call him Father and pronounce this prayer. It is absolutely necessary to leave sins and carnal desires, repent, and retreat from unrighteousness, according to the teaching of the Apostle: let everyone who confesses the name of the Lord turn away from unrighteousness(2 Tim. 2:19). For how can he say to Him: “Our Father,” but with his morals he himself is likened to cattle or the devil? For those who call God Father and pray: “Our Father” must be the sons of God, and the sons must have properties similar to the father. So, we must certainly, like the prodigal son, come to our senses, turn and return to the Father and before Him with humility admit our sin: Father! I have sinned against heaven and before You and am no longer worthy to be called Your son(Luke 15:17-21) - and henceforth not to separate from the Heavenly Father, but to serve Him with a pure heart, and with His household, that is, with true Christians, to have a part, and so with them together to emit a common voice to Him : "Our Father!".

Collector. "Our Father!". What a sweet proclamation! The Father's Name is both warm and sobering. Whoever has a father feels himself under a powerful wing, completely safe and protected: he also feels that he does not need to worry or bother about anything; everything will be there - food, clothing, and shelter, and all he has to do is turn to his father when he wants what he wants and gets everything.

Those who are able to recognize and feel God as their Father have the same feelings. As soon as the confirmation that God is his Father is reborn in someone, those feelings that children usually have for their father will immediately be established in their hearts, and he will feel himself in a safe shelter, and in carefree contentment, and in the firm hope that everything is for him. whatever the worthy man asks will be done.

So that's where all the power lies! Ascend to the feeling that God our Father exists. How is this possible? By clarifying the relationship in whatever it pleased God to place himself with us. Think about what God is for us, and you will get there.

First. God our Father also exists in the natural order. For, creating man, He breathed into his face the breath of his life. This breath - not carnal, but spiritual - never ceases to revive all people, and the traces of what is divine in it are indelible. Thus we are related to God by nature. Although this thought is abstract, it is not far from the general feeling. And St. Paul did not hesitate to use it to admonish the Athenians, without only bringing to their memory the words of one of their scribes: That's why we are the same kind, but drawing from this a very impressive conclusion: the generation of God is… (Acts 17:28,29). Anyone can reach such a conviction, or rather, restore it in himself, and then say in his heart: the race is of God, you can and should feel related to God and have Him as your ancestor and common Father to all.

Second. God is our Father, in providential care for us. For He created, preserves, holds in His right hands, leads to the end, and surrounds with all kinds of care, more than one’s own father. So, come to the point of seeing and feeling God’s care not only for everyone, but also for yourself; then you will involuntarily cry out: “Our Father!”

How to get to this point? - By thinking. Please consider and trace everything that God has done for the human race; how he placed us in paradise for bliss, how he did not leave us in the fall, but provided for the image of returning to us what was lost, how he later led us to the acceptance of our Restorer, first all equally, then separately - especially the Jews, and especially other languages ​​- how this finally came The restorer accomplished the work of restoration, how then the matter of assimilation of this restoration by our family began, how in this God converted entire nations and attracted countless individuals, how he converted our people and watches over the restorative forces in them. If you want to see more private actions of God's care, trace the history of Abraham, Joseph, Job, David, Hezekiah and other men; look at our national history and her glorious husbands. In all this you cannot help but see that God thinks a lot and cares a lot about us. Isn’t He the Father of our race?

Then turn your thoughts to yourself and trace everything that happened to you. You will see God’s repeated deliverances from troubles and downfalls, and in all life a special beneficial direction by the right hand of God. There are much more hidden blessings of God than obvious ones. They are hidden because they are invisible at the time when they are given and seen later - and this is until tactile evidence. Such understanding and perception of God's care, not seen at one time and seen later, gives the conviction that even now God carefully arranges our existence and well-being, although we cannot definitely indicate this. From here it is impossible not to bear the conviction that the eye of God is favorably turned towards us, and His right hand holds, covers and guides us, and directs the course of our life along a good path. When this is felt, then the heart itself will uncontrollably say: “Our Father!”

Third. God our Father exists by virtue of spiritual rebirth. In this regard, one must marvel at how little or no feeling among us Christians that God is our Father. Christians should have this feeling naturally in their hearts, without much effort to produce it. For they are born of God. St. Evangelist John writes: the elders received Him, - God’s Word, who came into his own through the incarnation, - Gave them the realm to be children of God who believe in His name, who were born neither of blood, nor of carnal lust, nor of the flesh of man, but of God(John 1:12-13). When were you born? When, according to belief, they were baptized. For in baptism one is born of water and spirit. And whoever is not born in this way cannot enter the realm of being a child of God, opened by the incarnate Son of God. Being thus a creation of God in the spirit, we should both feel this in the spirit, and in the spirit have God as our Father, not by thinking about it, but by directly feeling it.

Why is this feeling weak, or is it not there at all? Therefore, we must assume that the state into which birth from God puts us has either completely evaporated and passed, or has weakened. Doesn't this state exist? There is no feeling of being a child of God or patronymic of God.

Therefore, what is the matter? The state of rebirth must be restored to strength; then the feeling of God’s patronymic will be restored. How is this possible?

Here reflection alone is not enough. Thinking about what we should be as a result of being born from God, and about how all this was accomplished, can only be an introduction to this. Start to figure out what you should be by spiritual birth, and compare it with what you actually are. You will see a great disagreement between one and the other, which falls upon you with great humility before your Christian conscience, before God and His Angels. Submission entails condemnation; punishment follows conviction. Deepen these thoughts - showing the true, immutable thing - and you will perk up. Having perked up, you become preoccupied with how to avoid the expected penalty. From here will come repentance and the decision to keep the rest of yourself worthy of being born from God. In the sacrament of repentance, the grace of rebirth returns, or its effect on the heart is purified. The feeling of the patronymic of God should immediately be born here. This happens to all truly repentant people. Having received or felt pardon, they cannot help but feel the father’s embrace, as in the parable of the prodigal. But then this feeling passes. Labor is required in the father's house, sometimes as a slave, sometimes as a mercenary. Whoever passes through these degrees through constant work will finally enter the rank of son. Then the feeling of the patronymic of God settles in the depths of his heart, and remains in him forever.

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St. Theophan the Recluse. Interpretation of the Lord's Prayer in the words of the Holy Fathers. M., 1908

On January 23, the Church celebrates the transfer of the relics of St. Theophan the Recluse. He is known for his ascetic and moral works; less is said about him as an interpreter Holy Scripture. This article will briefly look at his approach to interpretation and in more detail at his method of meditating on Scripture, and will show how his method can be applied within the context of evangelistic group meetings.

Biography

The future Saint Theophan the Recluse was born into a priestly family. He read the Bible from an early age, and it was his erudition in the Holy Scriptures that played an important role in the fate of the future saint. At the request of Bishop Nikodim (Bystritsky) of Oryol and Sevsky, Georgy Govorov, as one of the best students, was sent to the Kyiv Academy, which was then experiencing a period of growth. Bishop Nicodemus knew the Word of God well and valued students who had such knowledge.

After graduating from the academy, being tonsured and taking priestly orders in 1841, his “career” began - from the rector of the Kiev-Sophia Theological School to the rector of the St. Petersburg Academy, then the archbishop of Tambov and even later of Vladimir. Saint Theophan, thanks to his hard work, education and meek disposition, was transferred from position to position so often that the longest he stayed was only as part of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem - 6 years. Archpriest Georgy Florovsky, historian and patrolologist, assesses the result of the saint’s stay abroad: “The trip to the East was an event in the life of Theophan. His church horizons expanded greatly. In Feofan’s worldview there is some kind of universal courage, great spiritual freedom and flexibility, freedom from everyday life.” Here he had access to the Jerusalem, Savvinskaya, Athos libraries, the book depositories of the Sinai Monastery of St. Catherine. During his stay with the Mission, he learned Greek well and studied Hebrew. His knowledge of Greek and Hebrew was later useful to him in interpreting the Holy Scriptures.

Saint Theophan is a bookish man, a scientist. This is what he writes, under the threat of being appointed to the post of head of the Mission, to the envoy in Constantinople V.P. Titov: “... I will consider it a great blessing for myself if the Government returns me again to my former place - a teacher at the Academy. Books are not people. I cannot call myself incapable of managing them, although not to a very large extent.”

In 1866, the saint settled in the Vyshinskaya Hermitage, which he fell in love with very much during his episcopal visit. He remained in seclusion for about 28 years, until his death in 1894. Saint Theophan wrote that his seclusion “ not in the forms of the strictest asceticism, but in the types of unhindered bookishness", because, in addition to solitude for prayer, he pursued the goal of solitude for theological works. It was in the retreat that most of his creations were created.

Writings concerning the Holy Scriptures
and biblical studies

1. Interpretations of all the epistles of St. Pavel
2. “Thoughts for every day of the year according to church readings from the word of God” (1871)
3. “The Gospel story of God the Son, who became incarnate for our salvation, in sequential order of presentation in the words of the holy evangelists” (1885)
4. “Lessons from the deeds and words of the Lord.”
5. Interpretation of the prayer “Our Father” in the words of the holy fathers (a selection of patristic interpretations).
6. Commentaries on Psalms 33 (published in 1869), on the sixth psalm (1871), on Psalm 118 (1874-77), on Psalms 1, 2, 51 (1881).
7. Articles about the problems of Russian translation of the Bible: “Concerning the publication of sacred books Old Testament in Russian translation”, “The Bible according to the translation of seventy interpreters is the legitimate Bible”, “Which text of the Old Testament Scriptures must be adhered to”, “On the extent of the Orthodox use of the current Jewish text according to the instructions of church practice” - in which, as can be seen even from the names, St. Theophan defends the Septuagint (translation of 70 interpreters) as the true text of the Old Testament, accepted by the Church, and only a Russian translation can be made from it.
8. “Instructions for preaching the word of God,” addressed by Bishop Feofan to priests (“Vladimir Diocesan Gazette”, 1865)

Features of the interpretations and reflections of St. Theophan

The holy bishop managed to complete his work only on the interpretation of the epistles of the Apostle Paul and some psalms, and interpreted the Gospel only partially. The saint interprets the Epistles of Paul or Psalm 119, i.e. explains, gives historical and geographical context, dwells on each verse or name, applies his knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, refers to ancient interpreters: St. John Chrysostom, blessed. Theodoret of Cyrus, blessed. Augustine, Rev. John of Damascus, Ecumenius, Ambrosiastes and Blessed. Theophylact of Bulgaria. True, quoting abundantly from St. fathers and other church writers - sometimes the entire interpretation of a verse is a list of patristic quotations - he does not provide links to their works.

He is not afraid to use the works of modern Western commentators (again, however, without referring to anyone in particular, without giving any names or titles), but he argues more with them:
« The new Western commentators looked at this too thoughtfully. In their opinion, entire communities were formed between the Corinthian Christians, each with its own name: now Pavlova, now Apollos, now Kifina, now Christ; and not only with the name, but also with their special teaching, which they try to portray as best they can. But the very content of those chapters in which Saint Paul speaks about the zeal of the Corinthians does not allow us to look at it this way. True, at the very beginning he listed that in Corinth they seem to say: I am Pavlov, I am Apollosov, I am Kifin, I am Christov (-1, 12); but further in his entire speech, which extends over four chapters, you will not find a single word that would directly relate either to Pavlov, then to Apollosov, or to Kiefin’s teaching. There is only a discussion about the unreliability of human wisdom and its blindness in the affairs of God. If the simplest person, having made a division similar to the above, would not leave it aside in order to talk about a completely different subject, then much less can one expect this from St. Paul. From this we conclude that there were no supposed communities with the aforementioned names among the Corinthian Christians» .
« Foreign interpreters, as they are, are worthless, writes Bishop Theophan in one of his letters. - We need to think about it and redo it ourselves. I would like to study this subject and I do» .

From the point of view of Hieromonk Irenaeus (Pikovsky), “Theophanes’ interpretations are not detached from the life of his contemporaries. Often the Right Reverend moves from distant discussions about Abraham or other Old Testament righteous people to a conversation about the practical application of faith, addresses the reader with instructions and even unites himself with a possible interlocutor. In one of the places you can see such an interesting transition: Abraham - we - Abraham - we - conclusions.
A. What did Abraham believe? The fact that God, who raises the dead and calls things that do not exist as though they exist, is able to revive the deadness of his and Sarah’s flesh and give them living fruit.
B. What do we believe in? And we believe in the same God who raised our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
A. What did Abraham receive for his faith? - Verova, and impute to him the truth.
B. How can you doubt that we, believers, are credited with our faith in the truth?
S. God said this about Abraham in order to foretell in his person what he wanted to do to us and what he is now doing - namely: whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, his faith is credited to the truth... (Interpretation on Rom. 4:24).<…>

In terms of the genre of presentation, Feofan’s comments are not abstract reasoning. For the most part, they represent a lively edifying conversation between an author who is wise in spiritual life and the reader. In these conversations there are many images and comparisons; the writer often turns to the human soul, refers to the exploits of the ancient fathers and teachers of the Church, and sometimes to his own experiences of spiritual life.”

The saint reflects on the Gospel, just as Saint Tikhon does - forcing his reader to think, turn to personal experience: « St. Peter with what enthusiasm assured that he would not deny the Lord; and when it came down to it, he denied Him, and three more times. Such is our weakness! Do not be arrogant, and when entering the midst of enemies, place all your hope in the Lord to overcome them. That is why such a high person was allowed to fall, so that after that no one would dare to correct anything good on his own or overcome any enemy, internal or external. However, trust in the Lord, but do not give up your hands. Help from the Lord comes to our efforts and, uniting with them, makes them powerful. Without these efforts, there is nothing for God’s help to descend upon, and it will not descend. But again, if you have arrogance and, therefore, no need for help and no search for it, it will not come down again. How can she descend to where she is considered superfluous?! And in this case there is nothing to accept it with. She accepts it with her heart. The heart opens to receive with a feeling of need. So both are needed. God help me! but don’t lie down yourself» .

Saint Theophan’s reflections were created in the same way as he prepared his sermons: “ The peculiarity of my sermons - both these and all others - is that they are not composed. It usually happened in the evening, after the all-night vigil, I’d drink a glass of tea, read tomorrow’s Gospel, then the Apostle, and whatever thought came in and occupied my attention and heart, I took it into the topic, and the sermon built itself up within itself [bold font - S.P.]. An hour, an hour and a half, maybe two, and the sermon is ready, you can read it in the morning and tweak it a little. Sometimes the theme is given by external circumstances, as happened when visiting monasteries, but the production is still the same. These are written improvisations; since they didn’t come out of my head, they represent something sweetened". In the experience of the author of this article, this method is very similar to the method of reflection on the Gospel in some groups: not idle curiosity, but “ what thought will come in and occupy your attention and heart...".

How Saint Theophan read the Holy Scriptures

The method of Saint Theophan the Recluse regarding reading the Word of God is not so much to interpret it as to reflect on it.

“It is not necessary to write interpretations of the Gospels, but reflections, so that every word and every movement of the Lord will be a solemn testimony of His Divinity.”

Interpretation is significantly different from reflection. For example, in one letter, Saint Theophan speaks of his interpretations as something that should be based on the works of Sts. fathers: " The interpretation seemed like Lenten dry food to you. But this is the kind of writing that expressed the apostle’s thought, clarified its connection with others, and further. I still have a lot of unnecessary things against interpretation. And what about the extracts [from St. There are many fathers] because according to the law in our Orthodoxy, that which stands on the holy fathers is solid. For Protestants it’s a different matter; for them, whatever comes to their mind, everything goes". In the same letter, he advises his addressee to reason about Holy Scripture: “ Accustom yourself to think in the morning, having done everything usual, and take a poem and chew it until the taste is found. See how good it is!" Interpretation answers the questions: “What does this mean in general, how is it connected with the previous text?”, and reflections are aimed not at explaining Holy Scripture, but at understanding it for oneself and, thanks to this, changing it in the Gospel spirit. Saint Theophan was not afraid to reflect on the Gospel, and did not believe that this could lead to delusion. This is due to his spiritual freedom and courage, which was mentioned above.

Nevertheless, Saint Theophan distinguished between soulful reflection on Scripture and idle curiosity. How are they different? Reflections that say nothing to the heart and do not evoke a response in it are empty.

« There is a test of the Scriptures that is worthless; it is a fruitless inquisitiveness of the mind. How can you find out? Here's how: if you see that all the thoughts that are born in you, how bubble Although they are red in appearance, they are empty and soon burst from the light touch of the air of sound reasoning, then know that they are the work of idle inquisitiveness. And if you find that such thoughts sit on the heart and are pressed into it, and crush it, crushing it, or expand it, delighting with unearthly hopes, then they are not a matter of idle inquisitiveness, but a truth discovered by experience. For others, testing the Scriptures can be a great temptation. You will be surprised, but it is so. Abba Serid once beat Dosifei because he began to unnecessarily inquire what it meant, why it was written this way and not otherwise.» .

St. Theophan's approach to the Holy Scriptures lies in the same vein as that of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Bishop Theophan revered Saint Tikhon from childhood and sought to imitate his life and works. Perhaps this is where the idea of ​​meditating on the Holy Scriptures originates. Saint Tikhon also wrote reflections on the words of Holy Scripture, giving them practical advice or offering to think about it and apply it in life. These are, for example, his “Reflections and remarks from texts”:

In the 17th meditation “On how and what should be read,” St. Tikhon advises doing this:

« The reader of the Holy Scripture must do the following: 1) He must not read many sheets and pages, for it is impossible for someone who has read a lot to understand everything and keep it in memory. 2) It is not enough to read and think a lot about what is read, for this way what is read is better understood and deepened in memory, and our mind is enlightened» .

It is quite natural that Theophan the Recluse himself used this advice and gave it to his spiritual children:

If you encounter incomprehensible passages, you need to turn to the interpretations of St. fathers:

« If he encounters something incomprehensible, he seeks a solution not in his own mind, not in his guesses, but in the common guardian of all truth - the Church; he seeks, that is, a ready-made solution, recognized by everyone and offered to everyone by the Holy Church. For example, the Gospel says: you are Peter, and on this stone, and so on (Matthew 16:18). It is not clear how the Church can be founded on Peter, when its foundation is our Lord Jesus Christ, and, moreover, such that there can be no other foundation. Without further ado in resolving this perplexity, turn to the Church, and she will tell you that here the word Peter does not mean the person of the Apostle Peter, but a firm confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This firmness turned every martyr into a stone: they beat and beat, but they will not break» .

For a more effective assimilation of the words of Holy Scripture, the saint advises memorizing “ the words of the Lord and the holy Apostles, while trying to more clearly and fully embrace the thought of the Savior and penetrate deeper into its meaning and connection with the whole sum of our beliefs". Reading, thinking and memorizing should not only contribute to the development of the mind, but should also nourish, and from these activities the character, feelings, and behavior of a person should change:

« Do not leave anything you have memorized as bare knowledge, but arrange it in such a way that it influences your character, your feelings and dispositions, and serves as a guide in your behavior. You can easily achieve this if you apply what you are learning to yourself when thinking.» .

In order for the Word of God to be truly leaven for the human person, it requires reflection on it, memorization and application to the personal life of the reader. And in order for the leaven of the Word to penetrate deeply into the soul, it must also be deeply received. Here the saint gives one more piece of advice:

"Z Take a notebook and write down in it the thoughts that arise when reading the Gospel and other books, in this order: the Lord says this and that in the Gospel; From this it is clear that we need to do this and that; for me it is doable in such and such cases; I will do this; help, Lord!»

Using the advice of St. Theophan when leading an evangelical group

For meaningful reflection, the passage of Scripture should be short. It is best to read 1 semantic passage. It is also possible to read and discuss just one verse for an hour: for example, the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer or the Beatitudes.

When reading the Word of God, you need to respond to it not with your mind, but with your heart. Likewise, in evangelical groups, the main thing is to pay attention to what the heart responds to. If the heart does not respond, you need to think precisely in order for it to respond.

If there are dark places, you need to turn to patristic interpretations. It is advisable for the presenter to review the interpretations of these dark places in advance and be able to voice Orthodox point perspective on the question.

You need to think about the clear passages yourself. Without this, it is impossible to assimilate what is written in Holy Scripture in such a way that it changes our heart. Therefore, the facilitator should encourage participants to think for themselves by asking questions ranging from “what did you notice in this passage?” to “what do we have in common with... (Abraham, John the Baptist, Apostle Paul)?” Questions need to be thought of in advance and it is better for them to ask general direction reflections (what do we have in common with so-and-so? In what ways can we imitate so-and-so? How can we fulfill this commandment? In whose place do you most easily place yourself in this passage? How is the Fatherhood of God expressed in relation to us?) , and did not contain a veiled answer (How did Christ command us to turn to God? - when thinking about “Our Father”).

For better spiritual assimilation of Scripture, you can memorize verses. As a group, the facilitator invites participants to memorize at home those verses from the passage that particularly resonated with them and reflect on them as they apply to their lives over the next week.

Thoughts that come to mind while meditating on Scripture should be written down. To make this task easier for participants, there may be sheets of writing paper and pens on the table. Many people willingly take advantage of the opportunity to write down their thoughts.

There should be no idle curiosity. Gently stopping it by asking us to think about how God’s words are connected to our lives is the task of the leader.

“The Lord says this and that in the Gospel; From this it is clear that we need to do this and that; for me it is doable in such and such cases; I will do this; help, Lord." This is a possible sequence of discussion that the facilitator needs to follow. First you need to figure out what exactly is said in the Gospel (especially if there are unclear passages). It is appropriate here for your own reflection and the use of interpretations, dictionaries and historical and cultural commentaries. But this is only the first step. The next step is to discuss what follows from this for us and what we should do. The next step is to invite each participant to think about in what specific situation he could act as the Lord says. Here you need to give time for reflection - about 10 minutes. Then everyone can, if desired, in a circle, voice situations in which he personally is now going to act as it is said in Scripture. After this, you can move on to prayer in your own words (for those who wish), in which each participant will personally ask for God’s help in fulfilling what was said. You can use prayers from the service if they make sense.

Think not about the fact that we do not fulfill the commandments, but about how and in what situations we can fulfill them. Sometimes people in the group begin to sadly say that they don’t perform this and they don’t perform that. This is not at all how Saint Theophan advises us to think about the commandments. He suggests focusing on what needs to be done, what can be done, suggests looking forward, not back and not the present. If group members (or one person) are immersed in thoughts that he does not do anything, does not want to do anything and does not know how to do it, the task of the leader is to draw his attention to the fact that those bad actions are not so important. what we have done in the past, how much is our determination to act differently in the future, as Christ says. Thinking in detail about in what circumstances and how we can fulfill this commandment can be very helpful here.

By creatively following the approaches and methods used by the Holy Fathers when reading the Holy Scriptures, we will be in line with the patristic tradition. Let us make efforts so that the experience of St. Theophan becomes our experience.

Sofia Puchkova,
Tatiana Zaitseva

Holy Bible, given to a person divine revelation, shows him the universal goal - the path of unity with God. In the understanding of the Holy Fathers, this unity received the name “deification” (θέωσις) - the greatest divine gift to man and the goal of human life. And although we will not find this expression in the Bible, the God-enlightened writers of the Word carried this thought like a “red thread” throughout Scripture.

The idea of ​​deification began its development from the first centuries of Christianity, but for the first time it was clearly formulated in the form of a brief and clear theological formula by Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century): “For for this purpose the Word of God became man, and the Son of God the Son of Man, so that ( Man), having united with the Son of God and received adoption, became the Son of God.” Or briefly: the Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the son of man could become the son of God.

These theological formulas became fundamental for subsequent Church Fathers, who developed the doctrine of deification, revealing the economy of the Holy Trinity. With their thoughts, the Holy Fathers wanted to show that the goal and limit of our salvation is not only moral purification and not only an eschatological act, but an unlimited, continuous deepening into God, possible only in the greatest possible approach to Him. The Holy Fathers, seeing this truth in the Holy Scriptures, embodied it in their lives and revealed it in their creations.

One of the most prominent Russian ascetics of word and spirit is St. Theophan the Recluse. He left us a classic example of patristic interpretation of the letters of the Holy Apostle Paul. Based on this interpretation, the author of the report will try to show how Saint Theophan understood the teaching of the Holy Apostle Paul on the adoption and glorification of man, on which patristic thought developed the idea of ​​deification.

The Apostle Paul, being one of the evangelists of divine teaching to people, described in his letters the understanding and purpose of this new communication. According to one of the Apostle’s thoughts, the communion of the faithful with Jesus Christ begins with their adoption (υἱοθεσία) to God through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:5), as a result of which the adopted children can become glorified (δόξα) with God and glorify God Himself. This anthropological thought of the Apostle is revealed in the most voluminous and dogmatically most important of his messages - in the Epistle to the Romans (see: Rom. 8:15-23), as well as in his other messages.

The very term “υἱοθεσία - adoption” is found five times in the New Testament and exclusively in the letters of the Apostle Paul (Rom 8:5, 23; 9:4; Gal 4:5-7; Eph. 1:5). Meaning this term can also be transmitted by the Apostle as such phrases as “sons of God - υἱοὶ θεο̑υ” (Rom. 8:14) and “children of God - τέκνα θεο̑υ” (Rom. 8:16).

So, let's look at some examples of interpretation of this teaching by Saint Theophan the Recluse. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Because you did not receive the spirit of slavery in order to live in fear again, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry: “Abba, Father! “This very Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:14-17; see also Gal. 4:5-7). In these words of the Apostle, Saint Theophan sees a deep thought: “having said: sons,” verse 14, (chap. 8) – the Apostle could directly conclude: if (sons - Priest A.M.), then heirs - verse 17. But The Apostle, - St. Theophan draws attention, - considered it necessary to reinforce the conviction of sonship, in addition to indicating the mysterious birth from God and the reception of the Spirit in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, also with evidence of our inner feeling, certifying that we are children of God (v. 16) " Saint Theophan wants to show here main idea Apostle, which indicates that the true sons of God are those who are led by the Spirit of God. That is, they not only received the Holy Spirit in the sacraments, but also are flaming with inner love for God as the Father. They desire an eternal inheritance and walk earnestly in the Spirit.

As you know, the Jews also adopted the adoption of God (see Isa. 1:2: “I have raised and raised up sons” and also: Exodus 4:22: “Israel is my son, my firstborn”). Saint Theophan, pointing to the content of this adoption, shows what difference exists between our sonship and the sonship of the Jews. There, says the Saint, they did not accept any spirit, but such was the spirit of the law that it kept slaves and captives in obedience through fear, so it was the spirit of working out of fear. But “the spirit of the gospel life is not like this: here they serve God in spirit not as slaves, but as sons in the house, understanding all the plans of the master of the house - their Father, entering into them, sympathizing with them, desiring them and loving them.” And the gospel spirit of sonship, according to St. Theophan, is not inspired by the content of the Gospel alone, like the spirit of Old Testament slavery by the content of the law, but is created in the depths of our spirit, by the Holy Spirit, accepted by us in Christ Jesus. “Carrying this Spirit,” says St. Theophan, - we dare to cry out to God: Abba Father! Our Father! - as the Only Begotten Son of God and God taught us all this.”

The saint develops a similar thought when interpreting the Epistle to the Galatians: “And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying: “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son...(Gal. 4:6-7). Here the Saint points out the fundamental aspect by which both Jews and pagans are introduced into the freedom of the sons of God - this is faith. The Spirit of God does not regenerate everyone, but only those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, make it a rule to follow Him in everything, and for the sake of these dispositions are accepted into God’s favor. The Spirit of God, coming through the sacraments, makes them essentially sons and abides in them and teaches them to ascend to God as to the Father. For such people, according to the Saint, everything internal is adjusted in such a way that they deeply feel themselves to be sons of God and recognize God as their Father. Those who have lost the grace of baptism must, through repentance, the feat of self-sacrifice, asceticism and good deeds, allow grace to prevail over them. Then their sense of sonship will also be revived.

From the above thoughts of Saint Theophan it is clear that in this case the Saint understands the teaching of the Apostle Paul on adoption not only ecclesiologically. For example, in his work “The Path to Salvation,” he says that the acquisition of grace and the sanctification of our nature by it is accomplished in the Sacraments and calls those baptized children of God, as the Lord himself gave them the name and being of the region. But here, the Saint specifically points to key moment– sincere faith and life by faith, through which a Christian becomes a child of God and is led by the Spirit of God. Only he can be a son of God who loves God with sincere filial love. This love is love not out of fear, not for the sake of self-interest, but for the sake of love itself. This thought of the Saint is fundamental, just as the Apostle’s theological thought about adoption to God is fundamental, on which he builds the “paradigm” of human salvation.

In the 16th verse of the 8th chapter, the Apostle tells us that we are children of God, and in the 17th he shows what awaits the children of God: “And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only with Him we suffer so that we may also be glorified with Him (συνδοξασθ͡ωμεν)” (Rom. 8:17). The Apostle Paul in his letters reveals to us the divine plan for our glorification as a possible consequence of adoption. Possible because glorification is not an automatic consequence of adoption, which a person may lose, but is a continuous dynamic process of a person’s spiritual life, aimed at maximum unity with God. Moreover, the Apostle divides glorification both into the real action that begins in the earthly life of a Christian, and into its eschatological completion, which will come with the second coming of Christ the Savior. In the patristic tradition, the Apostle Paul’s teaching on glorification received the name “deification.”

It is important to find out how Saint Theophan understands the words of the Apostle Paul about inheritance and glorification. In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle writes: “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of righteous judgment from God, who will reward everyone according to his deeds: to those who seek glory by persistence in good deeds (δόξαν ), honor and immortality, - eternal life; and to those who persist and do not submit to the truth, but indulge in unrighteousness - rage and anger. Sorrow and distress to every soul of a person who does evil, first the Jew, [then] the Greek! On the contrary, glory (δόξα) and honor and peace to everyone who does good, first to the Jew, [then] to the Greek!” (Rom. 2:5-10). The apostolic words, says Saint Theophan, show us that to those who decide to live godly, patiently and unswervingly to follow this good path, inspired by the hope of a future blessed state, God will reward them with eternal life - He will give them eternally to taste the ineffable blessings of heaven. But this path, according to the Apostle himself, is associated with our short-term light suffering and produces eternal glory in immeasurable abundance (αἰώνιον δόξης)” (2 Cor. 4:17). Short-term and easy, explains Saint Theophan, because all these sufferings will pass, but eternal glory will never pass. And these sufferings are nothing compared to eternal glory. The Apostle Paul also pursues this thought in his Epistle to the Romans: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth anything in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). It is very important to understand that this suffering renews inner man, since by faith and grace they place the sufferer in close communion with the suffering and death of the already glorified Christ and, accordingly, serve as the basis for the glorification of those who suffer for His sake. Thus, according to the Saint, suffering is the guarantee of eternal salvation. However, having said that the glory of the future, notes Saint Theophan, the Apostle proves that it has already begun: “For he did not say: in comparison with that which will be, but: which will be revealed.” Consequently, the Saint concludes, and now it exists , but hidden, which the Apostle expressed more clearly in another verse, saying: “your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). People do not see it, since it is accomplished in the spirit and heart. It is hidden for the time being for others, and often even for those involved in it, and even for angels, who can only know the general state of souls, and not the very essence of life according to God. “Hope,” the saint urges, following the thought of Paul, “to receive this glory, it is already ready and awaits your labors.” To receive this glory, a person must, firstly: “put off the old man (ὁ παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος) with his deeds” (Col. 3:9). That is, explains Saint Theophan, to reject self-indulgence, from which passions arise, securing this with the sacraments. Apparently, following from the above thoughts of the saint, for those who are not baptized - to be baptized, for those who have lost grace - to repent and take on the image of the “heavenly man” (ὁ ἐπουράνιος ἄνθρωπος) (Cor. 15:49). Although it is here that the saint only says that we are spiritually clothed in the image of the Heavenly One in the font of baptism, and we will fully appear as such after the resurrection in the next century, becoming “conformed to the image of the Son” of God (Rom. 8:29). The saint says that there is no need to seek special meaning here about such an image of the Son, seeing in it only the strengthening of the transformation of believers into Christ, or their complete conformity with Him, which the Apostle stated more clearly in the Epistle to the Philippians: “But our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body (μετασχηματίσει) so that it will be conformed to His glorious body, by the power [by which] He works and subdues all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21) .

It now remains to understand how Saint Theophan understood the Apostle Paul’s thought about “inheritance”: “And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8: 17), as well as in the Epistle to the Galatians: “and if a son, then an heir of God through Jesus Christ” (Gal. 4:7). One thing is clear, notes Saint Theophan, that this inheritance will not be like that of people, after the death of the father , but on the contrary, children become heirs of God after their death, according to their rank - a son. The saint connects this heritage with the above thought about suffering. “How Christ suffered, but now in glory. Just as He entered into glory after suffering, so we too will enter. Then we suffer in order to be glorified with Him. We get nothing here in order to get everything there.” And what this heritage is, even the Apostle himself could not describe, saying: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). According to the thoughts of St. Theophan, these words of the Apostle can be understood as an ineffable act of building salvation, performed by God in order to adopt people, spiritualize them, deify them, and reveal them not only as light, but also luminous, in order to lead the earthly and heavenly within themselves.

So we see that in his interpretations of the teaching of the Apostle Paul on adoption and glorification, Saint Theophan the Recluse is not only patristicly traditional, but also fundamentally spiritual. In his interpretations, he seems to introduce exegetical thought into the soul, into the very recesses of the heart, and from there he raises it up to God. In other words, it looks at the root, revealing the essence of what is happening. And it seems that without such a revealed essence it would be difficult to understand the theological thought of the Apostle about our adoption and glorification.

Irenaeus of Lyons, Holy Martyr. Christ was not just a man born of Joseph, but true God, born of the Father, and true Man, born of the Virgin. Creations. Book III, ch. 19, St. Petersburg, 1900. // Pilgrim. Library of the Fathers and Teachers of the Church. 1996. pp. 292-293.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretations of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. Chapter 8. M. 2006. P.645.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretations of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. Chapter 8. P. 648.

Right there. P. 648.

Right there. P. 648.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretations of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians. Chapter 4. Creations. Spiritual heritage. Series III. M. 1996. pp. 294-295.

Right there. P. 296.

Theophan the Recluse, St. The path to salvation. M. 2000. P. 31.

Right there. P. 35.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. P. 189.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the second letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. M. 1894. P. 63.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. P. 663.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. Creations. Spiritual heritage. Series III. M. 1998. pp. 163-165.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. P. 663

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. Decree. Op. P. 181.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. M. 1893. P. 596.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. P. 704.

Right there. P. 659.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. 660.

Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. P. 105.

Bibliography

1. Irenaeus of Lyons, holy martyr. Christ was not just a man born of Joseph, but true God, born of the Father, and true Man, born of the Virgin. Creations. Book III, ch. 19, St. Petersburg, 1900. // Pilgrim. Library of the Fathers and Teachers of the Church. 1996.

2. Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretations of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans. Chapter 8. M. 2006.

3. Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretations of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians. Creations. Spiritual heritage. Series III. M. 1996.

4. Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the second letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. M. 1894. P. 163.

5. Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. Creations. Spiritual heritage. Series III. M. 1998.

6. Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the first letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. M. 1893.

7. Theophan the Recluse, St. The path to salvation. M. 2000

About the saint, Father Theophan, a glorious and wonderful recluse to the bishop, God's chosen one and servant of the Mysteries of Christ, a God-wise teacher and a fair expounder of the apostolic words, a copyist of fatherly philanthropic legends, an elegant preacher of Christian piety and a skilled mentor of spiritual life, a zealous zealot of monastic deeds and an intercessor of grace for all people yu !

Now to you, the God who stands in Heaven and prays for us, we fall down and cry out: ask the All-Bountiful God of the Russian Church and our country for peace and prosperity, the saint of Christ - worthy protection of Divine truths, good feeding of the flock, fair shame for false teachers and heretics; to those who strive - humility, fear of God and purity of soul and body; for the teacher - knowledge of God and wisdom, for the students - zeal and God's help.

And to all Orthodox Christians - confirmation on the path to salvation, so that together with you we will glorify God's Power and the Wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, with His Originless Father, with His Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer to Saint Theophan the Recluse

Oh, Saint Father Theophan, glorious and wonderful recluse bishop, God's chosen one and servant of the Mysteries of Christ, God-wise teacher and the Gospel great interpreter, clerk of the Fatherly Philokalia, Christian piety a skillful preacher and a talented teacher of spiritual life, a zealous zealot for monastic exploits and a giver of grace to all people!

To you, who stands before God in Heaven and prays for us, we fall down and cry: ask the All-Bountiful God of the Russian Church and our country for peace and prosperity, for the clergy - worthy protection of the Divine Truth, for the parishioners - good spiritual guidance, great shame for false teachers and heretics, humility, fear of God, purity of soul and body for ascetics, knowledge of God and wisdom for teachers, zeal and God’s help for students.

And to all the Orthodox - confirmation on the path to salvation, may we glorify with you the Power and Wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, with His Beginningless Father, with His Most Holy, Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion of St. Theophan, tone 8

Teacher of Orthodoxy, / teacher of piety and purity, / Vyshinsky ascetic, St. Theophanes the God-wise, / with your writings you explained the Word of God / and you showed all the faithful the path to salvation, / / ​​pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion of Saint Theophan, tone 4

Theophan of theophany, / Saint Theophan, / with Your teachings you have enlightened many people, / with the Angels now standing before the Throne of the Holy Trinity, / / ​​pray unceasingly for all of us.

Oh, Saint, Father Theophan, glory and joy to our land! Accept these humble and warm prayers of us sinners who worship you with love. It is in vain that the Lord’s verb was fulfilled on you: “I will glorify those who glorify Me,” we fall with tenderness before your holy relics, having the healing power, like the chosen one of Divine Grace, we cry to you: bless you and have mercy, the bishop of the true God, our Russian power, unshakable courage for the warrior grant and keep all people carefree and bring them to repentance, give a good upbringing to infants, teach young people, ask for health to the sick and mourning, grant us all everlasting joy in the Lord, and let us all please you with gratitude, saying this: We magnify you, Holy Hierarch Father Theophan and honor Holy memory of yours, pray for us to Christ our God. Amen!

Oh, Saint, Father Theophan, glory and joy to our land! Accept these humble and warm prayers of us sinners who worship you with love. In vain? the Lord’s verb fulfilled on you: “I will glorify those who glorify Me,” with tenderness we fall before your holy relics, having healing power, as the chosen one of Divine Grace leading, we cry to you: bless you and have mercy, the bishop of the true God, our Russian power, grant unshakable courage to the warriors and keep all people carefree and bring them to repentance, give a good upbringing to babies, teach young people, give health to the sick and mourning, grant us all everlasting joy in the Lord, and let us all gratefully please you, saying this: We magnify you, Father Theophan and honor the saint your memory, pray for us to Christ our God. Amen!

interpretation

Commemoration: January 10/23, June 16/29 (transfer of relics) In 1872, Saint Theophan went into seclusion in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. From this time on, his great literary and theological works began: interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, translation of the works of ancient fathers and teachers, numerous correspondence with various people who turned to him with perplexed questions, asking for help and guidance. He noted: “Writing is a necessary service for the Church. The best use of the gift of writing and speaking is to use it to admonish sinners.” Saint Theophan had and is now having a profound influence on the spiritual state of society. Saint Theophan the Recluse is the patron saint of church teachers, missionaries, and seminarians. They pray to him to admonish those of little faith and loved ones who have fallen into sects, people of other faiths, in temptations to strengthen their faith.

“Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as it is in Heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

INTERPRETATION OF THE OUR FATHER PRAYER

The most main prayer, it is called the Lord’s because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave it to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to pray (see Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).

Our Father, who art in heaven! With these words we turn to God and, calling Him Heavenly Father, we call upon Him to listen to our requests or petitions. When we say that He is in heaven, we must mean the spiritual, invisible sky, and not that visible blue vault that is spread over us and which we call heaven.

Hallowed be your name - that is, help us to live righteously, holyly and glorify Your name with our holy deeds.

Thy Kingdom come - that is, honor us here on earth with Your Heavenly Kingdom, which is truth, love and peace; reign in us and rule us.

Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth - that is, let everything not be as we want, but as You please, and help us to obey this Your will and fulfill it on earth as unquestioningly and without grumbling as it is fulfilled, with love and joy, by the holy Angels in heaven . Because only You know what is useful and necessary for us, and You wish us good more than we ourselves.

Give us our daily bread today - that is, give us for this day, for today, our daily bread. By bread here we mean everything necessary for our life on earth: food, clothing, housing, but most importantly the Most Pure Body and the Honorable Blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, without which there is no salvation in eternal life. The Lord commanded us to ask for ourselves not wealth, not luxury, but only the most necessary things, and to rely on God in everything, remembering that He, as a Father, always cares and takes care of us.

And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors. ("debts" – sins;"our debtor"– to those people who have sinned against us) - that is, forgive us our sins just as we ourselves forgive those who have offended or offended us. In this petition, our sins are called our debts, because the Lord gave us strength, abilities and everything else in order to do good deeds, and we often turn all this into sin and evil and become debtors to God. And if we ourselves do not sincerely forgive our debtors, that is, people who have sins against us, then God will not forgive us. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself told us about this.

And do not lead us into temptation – temptations are a state when something or someone draws us to sin, tempts us to do something lawless or bad. We ask - do not allow us to be tempted, which we cannot bear, help us overcome temptations when they happen.

But deliver us from evil - that is, deliver us from all evil in this world and from the culprit (chief) of evil - from the devil ( evil spirit), who is always ready to destroy us. Deliver us from this cunning, crafty power and its deceptions, which is nothing before you.

OUR FATHER - ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

The Lord's Prayer is also called the Lord's Prayer, because Christ Himself gave it to the apostles in response to their request: “teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Today Christians say this prayer every day in the morning and evening rules, in churches during the Liturgy all parishioners sing it out loud. But, unfortunately, when we often repeat a prayer, we do not always understand what exactly is behind its words?

"Our Father, who art in heaven"

1. We call God Father because He created us all?
No, for this reason we can call Him - Creator, or - Creator. The appeal Father presupposes a very definite personal relationship between children and the Father, which must be expressed primarily in likeness to the Father. God is Love, therefore our whole life should also become an expression of love for God and for the people around us. If this does not happen, then we risk becoming like those about whom Jesus Christ said: Your father is the devil; and you want to fulfill the lusts of your father(John 8:44). The Old Testament Jews lost the right to call God Father. The prophet Jeremiah speaks about this bitterly: And I said: ...you will call Me your father and will not depart from Me. But truly, just as a woman betrays her friend treacherously, so you, O house of Israel, have dealt treacherously with Me, says the Lord. ...Come back, rebellious children: I will heal your rebellion(Jer 3:20-22). However, the return of the rebellious children took place only with the coming of Christ. Through Him, God has again adopted all who are ready to live according to the commandments of the Gospel.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria:“Only God himself can allow people to call God Father. He granted this right to people, making them sons of God. And despite the fact that they withdrew from Him and were in extreme anger against Him, He granted oblivion of insults and the sacrament of grace.”

2. Why “Our Father” and not “mine”? After all, it would seem, what could be a more personal matter for a person than turning to God?

The most important and most personal thing for a Christian is love for other people. Therefore, we are called to ask God for mercy not only for ourselves, but for all people living on Earth.

Saint John Chrysostom: “...He does not say: “My Father, who art in Heaven,” but “Our Father,” and thereby commands us to offer prayers for the entire human race and never have in mind our own benefits, but always try for the benefits of our neighbor. And in this way he destroys enmity, and overthrows pride, and destroys envy, and introduces love - the mother of all good things; destroys the inequality of human affairs and shows complete equality between the king and the poor, since we all have equal participation in the highest and most necessary matters.”.

3. Why “in Heaven” if the Church teaches that God is omnipresent?

God is truly omnipresent. But a person is always in a certain place, and not only with his body. Our thoughts also always have a certain direction. Mentioning Heaven in prayer helps to distract our mind from earthly things and direct it to Heavenly things.

“And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors.”

8. Does God forgive sins only to those who have forgiven their offenders? Why shouldn't he forgive everyone?

Resentment and revenge are not inherent in God. At any moment, He is ready to accept and forgive everyone who turns to Him. But remission of sins is possible only where a person has renounced sin, seen all its destructive abomination and hated it for the troubles that sin has brought into his life and into the lives of other people. And forgiveness of offenders is a direct commandment of Christ! And if we, knowing this commandment, still do not fulfill it, then we are sinning, and this sin is so pleasant and important for us that we do not want to give it up even for the sake of Christ’s commandment. With such a burden on the soul it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God. Only it is not God who is to blame, but ourselves.

Saint John Chrysostom: “This absolution initially depends on us, and the judgment pronounced on us lies in our power. So that none of the unreasonable, being convicted of a great or small crime, has any reason to complain about the court, the Savior makes you, the guilty one, a judge over yourself and, as it were, says: what kind of judgment do you pronounce on yourself, I am the same judgment I will say about you; If you forgive your brother, then you will receive the same benefit from Me.”.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

9. Does God tempt anyone or lead anyone into temptation?

God, of course, does not tempt anyone. But we are not able to overcome temptations without His help. If we, receiving this gracious help, suddenly decide that we can live virtuously without Him, then God takes His grace away from us. But He does this not for the sake of revenge, but so that we can be convinced from bitter experience of our own powerlessness before sin, and again turn to Him for help.

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: “With this word: “Lead us not into temptation,” we pray to God that He may preserve us with His grace from the temptation of the world, the flesh and the devil. And although we fall into temptations, we ask that he does not allow us to be overcome by them, but helps us to overcome and conquer them. From this it is clear that without God's help we are powerless and weak. If we ourselves could resist temptation, we would not be commanded to ask for help in this. By this we learn, as soon as we feel a temptation coming upon us, to immediately pray to God and ask Him for help. From this we learn not to rely on ourselves and our own strength, but on God.”.

10. Who is this evil one? Or is it evil? How to correctly understand this word in the context of prayer?

Word sly - opposite in meaning to the word straight . Onion (like a weapon), from Ray other rivers, the famous Pushkinskoe onion omorye - all these are words related to the word onion avy in the sense that they denote a certain curvature, something indirect, twisted. In the Lord's Prayer, the devil is called the evil one, who was originally created as a bright angel, but by his falling away from God he distorted his own nature and distorted its natural movements. Any of his actions also became distorted, that is, crafty, indirect, incorrect.

Saint John Chrysostom: “Here Christ calls the devil evil, commanding us to wage irreconcilable warfare against him, and showing that he is not such by nature. Evil does not depend on nature, but on freedom. And the fact that the devil is primarily called evil is due to the extraordinary amount of evil that is found in him, and because he, without being offended by anything from us, wages an irreconcilable war against us. That is why the Savior did not say: deliver us from the evil ones, but from the evil one, and thereby teaches us never to be angry with our neighbors for the insults that we sometimes suffer from them, but to turn all our enmity against the devil, as the culprit of all angry".