And yet, you will say, the opposite happened, since they are often convicted of disagreement. But this is the surest sign of the truth. For if they had been in exact agreement in all things, in the time, in the place, and in the words themselves, none of the enemies would have believed that they had written the Gospels without agreeing with each other and not by ordinary agreement, and that such agreement was the result of their sincerity. Now the disagreement that appears in trifles frees them from all suspicion and speaks brilliantly in favor of the writers. If they wrote something differently in relation to place and time, this does not in the least harm the truth of their narratives, which we will try to prove, with God's help, hereafter. Now we ask you to note that in the main thing, which is the foundation of our life and constitutes the essence of preaching, they nowhere disagree with one another. In what exactly? In the fact that God became man, worked miracles, was crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended to heaven and will come to judge; that He gave saving commandments, introduced a law that was not contrary to the Old Testament; that He is the Son, only-begotten, true, consubstantial with the Father, and so on. In all this we find complete agreement among the Evangelists. If, however, not everyone has said everything about miracles, but one has described some, the other others, then you should not be confused. If one evangelist had said everything, then the others would have been superfluous; if each had written different and new in comparison with the others, then the proof of their agreement would not have been obvious. That is why they said many things and together, and each of them chose something special, so as not to be superfluous, on the one hand, and to write without purpose, and on the other hand, in order to present us with a sure proof of the truth of his words.

3. Thus Luke also indicates the reason why he begins to write the Gospel. So that you may have, he says, "a firm foundation of the doctrine in which you have been taught" (Luke 1:4), that is, that you may be convinced of what you have often been taught, and that you may be firmly convinced. John himself was silent about the reason (for writing the Gospel), but, as the tradition that has come down to us from the Fathers says, he did not begin to write without reason. Since the first three Evangelists primarily tried to tell the story of Christ's earthly life, and the teaching about His divinity was in danger of remaining unrevealed, John, prompted by Christ, finally began to write the Gospel. This is evident both from the story itself and from the beginning of the Gospel. He does not begin with earthly things, like the other Evangelists, but with heavenly things, which he had in mind primarily and for this purpose he compiled the whole book. However, not only in the beginning, but throughout the Gospel, he is more exalted than the others. In the same way, Matthew, as they say, at the request of the believing Jews who came to him, wrote to them what he spoke orally, and composed the Gospel in the Hebrew language. Mark did the same, at the request of his disciples, in Egypt. That is why Matthew, as a writer for the Jews, did not try to show anything more than the descent of Christ from Abraham and David; while Luke, who wrote for everyone in general, raises the genealogy higher, reaching Adam. Then, the first begins with the birth of Jesus Christ, since nothing could be more pleasant for a Jew than to tell him that Christ is a descendant of Abraham and David, and the second does not begin in this way, but mentions beforehand many other events and then proceeds to the genealogy. As for the agreement of the evangelists, we can prove it both by the testimony of the whole universe, which has accepted their writings, and by the testimony of even the enemies of the truth themselves. After the Evangelists, many heresies were born, teaching contrary to their writings; some of them accepted all that was said in the latter, while others accept only a part, separating it from the rest. If there were disagreement in the writings of the Evangelists, then neither the heresies that assert the contrary to them would accept everything, but only that part which would seem to them to be in agreement, nor those who accepted only a part would not be exposed by this part, since even the smallest parts in the writings of the Evangelists clearly reveal their affinity with the whole. Just as if you take, for example, a part of a rib, and in this part you find everything that makes up a whole animal, nerves, sinews, bones, arteries, and blood, in a word, all the essential parts of the bodily composition, so in the Scriptures you can see the same thing: here also every part of what is written clearly shows an affinity with the whole. If the Evangelists had disagreed, then there would have been no such affinity, and their very teaching would have collapsed long ago, since "every kingdom divided against itself" will not stand (Matt. 12:25; Mk. 3:24). Now, if they have any disagreements, this only clearly reveals the power of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit), which persuades people that, holding on to what is necessary and essential, they should not be in the least embarrassed by trivial disagreements.

4. Where each of the Evangelists wrote, there is no particular need for us to deal with this question; but that they did not contradict each other, we shall endeavour to prove in all our interpretations. If you accuse them of disagreement, you do nothing else than make them speak in the same words and use the same way of expression. Not to mention the fact that many of those who boast of knowledge of rhetoric and philosophy, having written many books on the same subjects, not only disagreed, but also contradicted each other - for it is one thing to disagree, and another thing to contradict. Of this I do not speak: I have no need to use their foolishness for the defense (of the evangelists), and I do not want to confirm the truths with lies. But this is what I would gladly ask: how did the dissenting writings deserve faith? How did they win? How could people who contradicted one another deserve wonder, faith, and glory throughout the universe? Many were witnesses to their preaching; moreover, many were enemies and adversaries. Having written the Gospels, they did not hide them in one corner of the world, but spread them everywhere, on land and sea, in the ears of all; as now, they were read in the presence of enemies, and nothing that was said in them offended anyone. And quite naturally, because everything in everyone was produced and accomplished by the divine power. Otherwise, how could a publican, an unlearned fisherman, be so philosophical? What the pagan sages once could not even imagine in their dreams, they preach with great confidence and persuasiveness, not only in life, but also in death, not to two, not to twenty men, not to hundreds, not to thousands, not to tens of thousands, but to cities, tribes, and peoples, to land and sea, to Greece and barbarian countries, to the inhabited land and to the desert, proclaiming a doctrine far beyond our nature. Leaving earthly things, they speak only of heavenly things, offer us another life and a new way of life, another wealth and another poverty, another freedom and another slavery, another life and death, another world, another rule of life - everything is different. (They teach the rules of life) not in the same way as Plato, who composed the notorious "Politeia", or Zeno, and others who wrote about the social structure and made laws. All of them proved by their very works that their souls were inspired by an evil spirit, a fierce demon that fights against our nature, an enemy of purity, an opponent of good morals, and a destroyer of all order.

And they wrote about it not in the midst of persecution, not in the midst of dangers, not in the midst of strife, but with complete security and freedom, often using, in addition, many other embellishments. And yet the preaching of fishermen, persecuted, scourged, and living in the midst of dangers, was eagerly accepted by simpletons and sages, slaves and freemen, barbarians and Greeks.

5. And you cannot say that the teaching of these fishermen was acceptable to everyone because it is unimportant and low. No, it is even much higher than the teaching of the philosophers. For example, they could not even think of virginity in their dreams, nor of non-acquisitiveness, nor of fasting, nor of any other higher virtue. Meanwhile, our teachers not only eradicate lust, not only punish (criminal) action, but also condemn shameless looks, insulting words, and obscene laughter, and clothing, and stepping, and shouting, and extend severity even to the slightest. Throughout the universe, they planted the seeds of virginity. Of God and the things of heaven they inculcate such notions as no philosopher could ever have imagined. And how could people who idolized images of beasts, reptiles, and other contemptible creatures have such notions? And yet, such a lofty teaching (of the apostles) was accepted and deserved faith, flourishes to this day and grows every day, while the teaching of the philosophers has become obsolete, perished, disappeared like a spider's web. And quite rightly, since it was preached by demons. That is why, in addition to shamelessness, it presents much that is obscure and difficult to understand. What can be more ridiculous, for instance, than that doctrine in which a philosopher, after spending thousands of words to show what justice is, still tries to explain the subject in a long and most obscure speech? If he had indicated something useful, then even this would have been completely useless for human life.

And our teaching is not like that. In brief and clear words, Christ taught us what is just, and honest, and useful, and every virtue in general. Thus He said, for example, that in the two commandments "all the law and the prophets are established" (Matt. 22:40), that is, in love for God and neighbor, or again: "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also unto them: for in this is the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12). All this is comprehensible and easily comprehensible for the farmer, and for the slave, and for the widow, and even for the lad and the most foolish. Such is the truth! The proof is experience. Everyone really learned what to do, and not only did they learn, but they also tried to fulfill (what they had learned), and not in the cities, not only in the marketplaces, but also on the tops of the mountains. And there you will see great wisdom, and there shine the faces of angels in human flesh, and heavenly life appears on earth. The fishermen have drawn the way of this life for us, commanding us to take up (to teach it) not from childhood, as the philosophers did, and not to legislate a certain number of years for the study of virtue, but to instruct every age without exception. The teaching of the philosophers is child's play, and the teaching of the apostles is the truth itself. They appointed heaven as the place for this life, and recognized God as its leader and lawgiver, as it should be. The rewards for this life are not a laurel wreath, nor an olive branch, nor a feast in the Prytaneum,[1] nor brass images, nor such empty and useless things, but eternal life, adoption as sons of God, rejoicing with the angels, standing before the royal throne, and constant abiding with Christ.

6. The leaders in this life are the publicans, fishermen, and skin-makers, who did not live for a short time, but always live, so that even after their death they can render the greatest help to their followers. Those who struggle in this life will have to fight not with people, but with demons and bodiless forces. That is why their leader is not some man, not an angel, but God Himself. And the weapons of these warriors correspond to the nature of the battle: they are made not of leather and iron, but of truth, righteousness, faith and every kind of wisdom. This very life is also written in the Gospel of Matthew, of which we are now to speak. And so, let us listen carefully to the clear words of the Evangelist about it. Everything he says is not his words, but Christ Himself, Who legitimized this life. Let us be attentive, so that we too may be worthy to be inscribed in this life and shine together with those who have already passed through it and received unfading crowns. For many, we note, this book seems easy to understand in comparison with the prophets, who are difficult to understand. But this is said by people who do not know the depth of the thoughts hidden here. Therefore, I ask you to follow me with all zeal, so that we may enter into the very depths of the Scriptures; and Christ Himself will be our guide on this journey. And in order that our word may be more comprehensible, we beseech and persuade you (as we did in the explanation of the other Scriptures) to re-read in advance that part of the book which we will explain; let understanding be preceded by reading, as was the case with the eunuch (Acts 8:28ff.); This will give us great relief. In fact, questions arise here in great numbers at every step. Look, for example, how many perplexities arise immediately at the very beginning of the Gospel.

And yet, the Evangelist, omitting all the others, placed only these women in the genealogy. If it was necessary to mention wives, then it was necessary to mention all; but if not of all, but only of some, then of those who are famous for their virtues, and not for their vices. You see how much attention we need already at the very beginning of the Gospel, although for some this beginning seems clearer than the rest, and for many even superfluous, because it is only a simple enumeration of names. Further, it is also worth investigating why Matthew kept silent about the three kings. If he had kept silent about them as too wicked, he would not have had to mention others like them. Here is another question: why did the Evangelist, dividing the genealogy into parts of fourteen generations each, not observe this number in the third part? Then: why did Luke mention other names, and not only not all those that Matthew has, but also indicated many more, and Matthew gave fewer and other names, although he also ended with Joseph, on whom Luke also stopped genealogy. See how much vigilance we need, not only to resolve perplexities, but also to find out what needs to be solved. After all, it is important to be able to find perplexing questions. For example, there is another perplexing question: how could Elizabeth, descended from the tribe of Levi, be a relative of Mary?

7. But in order not to burden your memory with a multitude of questions, let us stop here. To arouse your attention, it is sufficient if you only know what questions are presented here. But if you wish to know the solution, then this too will depend on yourselves before our instruction. If I see in you attention and a desire to learn, then I will try to offer a solution, but if I notice laziness and inattention, then I will not show either the questions themselves or the solution to them, following the divine commandment, which says: "Do not give holy things to dogs, and cast not your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet" (Matt. 7:6). Who is this trampler? He who does not consider the Scriptures precious and important. But who, you will say, is so unhappy as not to consider it important and most precious? Someone who does not devote as much time to it as he spends for promiscuous women on satanic spectacles. Many spend whole days there, completely neglect household chores for the sake of such a useless pastime, and what they hear there, they try to remember with accuracy and preserve for the destruction of their souls, but here, where God Himself speaks, they do not want to stay even a little time. That is why we have nothing in common with heaven, and our (heavenly) life is only in words. However, for this, God threatens us with hell – not in order to plunge us into it, but in order to give us the opportunity to escape this grievous punishment. And we do the opposite, and every day we strive on the path that leads to hell: God commands not only to hear, but also to do what is said to us, and we do not even want to listen. When, tell me, will we begin to do what we are commanded, when we set to work, if we do not even want to hear about them, if we are indignant and vexed even at the shortest stay in the temple? When, talking about worthless subjects, we notice inattention in our interlocutors, we consider it an offense to ourselves. Do we not think that we offend God when He speaks to us about such important things, and we disregard His words and look away? An old man who has traveled many lands tells us with all accuracy about the distances and the position of the cities, about their views, harbors, squares (and we listen to him with pleasure), and yet we ourselves do not know how far we are from the heavenly city. Otherwise, if we knew this distance, we would try to shorten the path. If, after all, we are careless, then the distance of this city from us is not only the same as that between heaven and earth, but even much greater; on the contrary, if we make an effort, we can reach its gates in an instant, because this distance is determined not by the extension of space, but by the state of our morality.

8. You know very well the affairs of this life, both new and old, and ancient, and you can enumerate the commanders for whom you used to serve in the army, and the masters of the games, and the victors in them, and the leaders, from which it is of no use to you. And who is the ruler in the heavenly city, who is the first, who is the second, who is the third, how long each has served and what glorious things have been done, you have never dreamed of this. Of the laws which govern this city, you do not wish to listen attentively when others speak of them. Tell me, how, then, do you hope to receive the promised blessings, if you do not want to heed when they speak of them? But if we didn't care about it before, we'll at least try to do it now. Here we intend to enter, if God wills, into the golden city, and even the most precious of all gold. Let us consider its bases and gates, made of sapphire and margaritas. Our best leader is Matthew. Through His door we enter now; only great effort is needed on our part, because in whom he does not see zeal, he expels him from the city. This is a royal and glorious city; there is no division of the market from the royal palaces, as in our cities; in it is all the king's palace. And so, let us open the doors of the mind, let us open our ears, and approaching with great trembling the threshold of this palace, let us worship the King who dwells in it, because even the first step can strike the spectator with fear. The gates are now still closed for us; but when we see them opened (i.e., when perplexing questions are resolved), then we will see within him a great light. Enlightened by the spirit, this publican promises to show you everything: where the King sits, and what kind of soldiers stand before Him, where are the angels and where are the archangels; what place is assigned in this city for new citizens, what path leads there; what lot was received by those who entered it first, what lot was received by those who entered it second, what lot was received by those who entered it later; how many ranks among the citizens there, how many councils, and how different are the virtues. And so, let us enter this city not with noise and confusion, but with reverent silence. If the royal letters are read in the theater when complete silence falls, then all the more so in this city should everyone calm down and stand with a tense soul and hearing, because here the commands will be read, not of the earthly king, but of the Lord of the angels. If we dispose ourselves in this way, then the grace of the Spirit itself will most surely show us the way, and we will come to the very Royal Throne and receive all the blessings, according to the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

[1] Prytaneum was a building where ceremonial dinners were given in honor of honored citizens.

CONVERSATION 2

1. Do you remember the instruction we have recently given you, asking you to listen to everything that will be said with deep silence and reverent silence? Today we must enter the sacred vestibules; That is why I remind you of this instruction.

You will not see darkness, nor smoke, nor a storm, but the King Himself, sitting on the throne of His ineffable glory, the angels and archangels standing before Him, and the host of saints with countless thousands of heavenly hosts. Such is the city of God, containing within itself the church of the firstborn, the spirits of the righteous, the triumphant assembly of angels, the blood of sprinkling, through which all things are united, heaven has received earthly things, earth has received heavenly things, and the peace long desired for angels and saints has come. In this city is hoisted the brilliant and glorious banner of the cross: there is the prey of Christ, the beginnings of our nature, the acquisition of our King. We learn about all this with certainty from the Gospels. And if you will follow us with due calmness, we will be able to lead you everywhere and show you where death lies nailed (to the cross), where sin is hanged, where are the numerous and wondrous monuments of this war, this battle. You will see there the bound torturer, accompanied by a crowd of captives, and the stronghold from which this vile demon used to make his raids everywhere; you will see the refuges and caves of the thief, already ruined and open, because the King came there also. Do not be tired, beloved! You cannot hear enough if someone tells you about an ordinary war, about trophies and victories, and you will not prefer such a story to food or drink. If such a story is so pleasant to you, then much more so is mine. Imagine, indeed, what it is like to hear how God, having risen from heaven and royal thrones, descended to earth and to hell itself, how He took up arms for battle, how the devil wrestled with God – not with the undisguised God, however, but with the God hiding under the veil of human flesh. And, what is surprising, you will see how death is destroyed by death, how the oath is abolished by the curse, how the torment of the devil is overthrown by the very thing through which he gained power. Therefore, let us arise, and let us not give way to slumber! I can already see how the gates are opening before us. Let us enter with full decency and trembling. Now we are entering the very threshold. What is this vestibule? The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1). What do you say? You promised to speak about the only-begotten Son of God, but you mention David, a man who existed after thousands of generations, and you call him father and progenitor? Wait, don't try to learn everything at once, but learn gradually and little by little. For you are still standing in the vestibule, at the very threshold: why hasten to the sanctuary? You haven't had a good look outside yet. And I am not yet telling you about the first, heavenly birth, or rather, I am not even talking about the second, earthly birth, because it too is inexplicable and ineffable. The prophet Isaiah also told you about this before I did, when, proclaiming the Lord's sufferings and His great care for the world, being amazed at the sight of Him who He was, and what He had become, and whither He had descended, he cried out loud and clear: "Who shall explain His generation" (Isaiah 53:8)?