Information about the original source

When using library materials, a reference to the source is required.

When publishing materials on the Internet, a hyperlink is required:

"Orthodoxy and Modernity. Electronic Library." (www.lib.eparhia-saratov.ru).

Convert to epub, mobi, fb2 formats

"Orthodoxy and the World. Electronic Library" (lib.pravmir.ru).

The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the World

Preface to the Gospel: Its Reliability and Purpose

The preface to the entire Four Gospels can be considered the 1-4th verses of the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, in which Ap. Luke speaks of a thorough examination of all that he communicates, and indicates the purpose of writing the Gospel: To know the firm foundation of Christian doctrine. To this end, Ap. John the Theologian in verse 31 of the 20th chapter of his Gospel adds: "That ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing ye may have life in His name" (John 20:31)As can be seen from this preface of St. Luke, he undertook to compile his Gospel because by that time there had already appeared quite a few works of this kind, but not sufficiently authoritative and unsatisfactory in content; and he considered it his duty (out of a desire to confirm in the faith a certain "sovereign Theophilus", and with him all Christians in general) to write an account of the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, carefully checking all the data from the words of "eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word". Since he himself was apparently only one of the 70 disciples of Christ and therefore could not have been an eyewitness to all the events, such as, for example, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Annunciation, the Nativity of Christ, the Meeting of the Lord, he undoubtedly wrote a significant part of his Gospel from the words of eyewitnesses, that is, on the basis of tradition (this is where the importance of the tradition rejected by Protestants and sectarians is visible). At the same time, it seems quite indubitable that the first and main eyewitness to the earliest events of the Gospel history was the Most Holy Virgin Mary, of whom St. Luke remarks twice, not without reason, that She kept the memory of all these events, composing them in Her heart (Luke 2:19 and 2:51). that existed before him, in that he wrote only after a thorough verification of the facts and in a strict sequence of events. The same privilege belongs to our other three Evangelists, since two of them, Matthew and John, were disciples of the Lord from among the 12, that is, they themselves were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, and the third, Mark, also wrote from the words of the Lord's closest disciple, an undoubted eyewitness and close participant in the events of the Gospel, the Apostle Peter. which is full of solemn testimonies about the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, but, of course, the other three Gospels have the same purpose.

The Eternal Birth and Incarnation of the Son of God

While the Evangelists Matthew and Luke narrate the earthly birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, St. John begins his Gospel with an exposition of the teaching about His pre-eternal birth and incarnation as the Only-begotten Son of God. The first three Evangelists begin their narratives with the events through which the Kingdom of God received its beginning in time and space, and St. John, like an eagle, ascends to the pre-eternal foundation of this Kingdom, contemplating the eternal existence of Him Who became man only in the "last days" (Hebrews 1:1). It is important to know and remember that the Greek "logos" means not only a word that has already been pronounced, as in the Russian language, but also a thought, reason, wisdom expressed in a word. Therefore, calling the Son of God "the Word" means the same as calling Him "Wisdom" (see Luke 11:49 and cf. Matt. 23:34). St. Up. Paul in (1 Cor. 1:24) calls Christ "the Wisdom of God" in this way.The teaching about the "Wisdom of God" is undoubtedly set forth in the same sense in the book of Proverbs (see a particularly remarkable passage in (Prov. 8:22-30). After this, it is strange to assert, as some do, that St. John borrowed his teaching about the Logos from the philosophy of Plato and his followers, in particular, Philo. St. John wrote that what he knew from the sacred books of the Old Testament, and what he, the beloved disciple, had learned from his Divine Teacher Himself, and what had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit." In the beginning was (be) the Word" means that the Word is co-eternal with God, and then St. John explains that the Word is not separated from God in relation to His being and that, consequently, He is of one essence with God, and, finally, he directly calls the Word God: "And the Word was God." Here the word "God" is used in Greek without a conomial, and this gave rise to the Arians and Origen to assert that the Word is not the same God as God the Father. However, this is just a misunderstanding. In fact, here is hidden the deepest thought about the non-merging of the persons of the Most Holy Trinity. The absence of a joint indicates that it is about the same subject that was discussed before; therefore, if the Evangelist had also used the co-clause "O Theos" (in Greek) in the phrase "The Word was God", then the wrong idea would have been obtained that the "Word" is the same God the Father of Whom we have spoken above. Therefore, speaking of the Word, the Evangelist calls Him simply "Theos", thereby indicating His Divine dignity, but also emphasizing at the same time that the Word has an independent hypostatic existence, and is not identical with the hypostasis of God the Father. St. Theophylact, St. John, revealing to us the teaching about the Son of God, calls Him the Word, and not the Son, "so that when we hear about the Son, we do not think about a passionate and carnal birth. For this reason I called Him the Word, that you might know that just as the Word is born of the mind without passion, so He is born of the Father without passion."The words "all things were made through Him" do not mean that the Word was only an instrument in the creation of the world, but that the world came from the First Cause and First Source of all existence (including the Word Himself) — God the Father through the Son, Who in Himself is already the source for everything that came to be, but not for Himself and not for the other persons of the Godhead." In Him was life" — here we do not mean life in the usual sense of the word, but spiritual life, which impels rational beings to strive to the Author of their existence, to God. This spiritual life is given only through communion and union with the hypostatic Word of God. The Word, therefore, is the source of genuine spiritual life for every rational creature." And life was a light to men" — here it is meant that this spiritual life, which comes from the Word of God, enlightens man with full, perfect knowledge." And the light shines in the darkness"... The Word, which gives people the light of true knowledge, does not cease to guide them even in the midst of sinful darkness, but this light is not received by darkness; People who persist in sin chose to remain in the darkness of spiritual blindness. But "darkness did not envelop him [the light]" — did not limit his action and spread.Then the Word took extraordinary means to unite people in sinful darkness to His divine light: John the Baptist was sent, and finally the Word itself became flesh." There was a man sent from God; his name is John" — "was" in Greek it is said "egeneto" ("became"), and not "in", as it is said about the Word; that is, John "came into being," was born in time, and did not exist eternally as the Word. "He was not a light, but was sent to bear witness to the Light." That is, the prophet John the Baptist was not an original light, but shone only with the reflected light of that one True Light, which by Itself "enlightens every man who comes into the world." "He came to his own," that is, to his chosen people Israel, "and his own did not receive him"—not all, of course." And to those who received Him" by faith and love, He "gave them the power to become children of God," that is, He granted them the beginning of a new spiritual life, which, like the carnal, also begins through birth, but birth not from carnal lust, but from God, by power from above." And the Word was made flesh." The flesh here does not mean one human body, but the whole, complete man, in the sense in which the word "flesh" is often used in Scripture (e.g., Matt. 24:22). That is, the Word became a complete and perfect man, but without ceasing to be God. "And it dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." By grace we must understand both the goodness of God and the gifts of God's goodness, which open people access to a new spiritual life, i.e. the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Word, dwelling among us, was also filled with Truth, the perfect knowledge of everything that concerns the spiritual world and spiritual life." And we have seen His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father." The Apostles did indeed see His glory in His transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension into heaven; glory in His teachings, miracles, works of love and voluntary self-abasement. He is "the only-begotten of the Father," for He alone is the Son of God in essence, in His divine nature. These words indicate His immeasurable superiority over the sons and children of God by grace, believing people, of which it was said above.

Note by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky

Note by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky