We are confident that this book will help every reader to believe Orthodoxly, truly and salvificly.

Bishop Irinej (Bulović) of Bačka

Символ Веры

Верую во единаго Бога Отца Вседержителя, Творца небу и земли, видимым же всем и невидимым. И во единаго Господа Иисуса Христа, Сына Божия, Единороднаго, Иже от Отца рожденнаго прежде всех век: Света от Света, Бога истинна от Бога истинна, рожденна, несотворенна, единосущна Отцу, Имже вся быша. Нас ради человек и нашего ради спасения сшедшаго с Небес и воплотившагося от Духа Свята и Марии Девы, и вочеловечшася. Распятаго же за ны при Понтийстем Пилате, и страдавша, и погребенна. И воскресшаго в третий день по Писанием. И возшедшаго на Небеса, и седяща одесную Отца. И паки грядущаго со славою судити живым и мертвым, Егоже Царствию не будет конца. И в Духа Святаго, Господа, Животворящаго, Иже от Отца исходящаго, Иже со Отцем и Сыном спокланяема и сславима, глаголавшаго пророки. Во едину Святую, Соборную и Апостольскую Церковь. Исповедую едино крещение во оставление грехов. Чаю воскресения мертвых, и жизни будущаго века. Аминь.

Верую во единаго Бога...

Who will sow good seed in the unplowed field? A wise man will not sow.

He who is prudent will do according to the word of God: he will first clear the field of weeds, and in the ploughed field he will sow good seed. The field is the human soul, the weeds are polytheism, the good seed is faith in one God.

Now faith in one God seems simple and natural to us, and polytheism seems ridiculous and insane, but this was not always the case. There was a time when only a few people in the whole world believed in Him, and then there came a time when only one people on earth believed in one God. The idolaters, who had gods for every need, looked upon believers in one God with the contempt of a rich man who looked upon the poor: they believed that such faith was defective and poor. Believers in one God looked at the pagans with wonder and pity, as they look at those who, having much, have nothing.

Faith in one God had to be drawn from the true source, received from a reliable witness, and then sown in human souls as if in a field. The most reliable Witness of monotheism is God Himself, living and true. He Himself bears witness to Himself through His elect, saying: "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods besides Me" (cf. Exodus 20:2-3).

The One, the Living, and the True One revealed Himself gradually. Among the weeds of polytheism, He found small fields and sowed on them the good seed of faith. These were the souls of the righteous, souls like tall candles, which He lit with the flame of faith so that they would shine in the darkness of polytheism. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not enveloped it (John 1:5). Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, Joseph, Moses, Isaiah, Daniel – these are the candles of God, kindled by faith!

The only living and true one revealed Himself to the people of Jacob, or Israel. By His mercy He manifested Himself first in Egypt, in a foreign land (Psalm 136:4), then in the wilderness, and finally in Canaan, in the Promised Land. And once upon a time all the people of Israel confessed faith in one God.

But the people of God began to waver in the true faith, and the darkness of idolatry again began to threaten the light in the darkness (cf. John 1:5).