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Preface

This textbook is an edited course of lectures on the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, intended for students and listeners of St. Tikhon's Orthodox University of the Humanities, and is an introduction to the study of the Holy Scriptures. The main goal of the course is to prepare students for independent study of the Bible and, if possible, to instill a taste for this activity. In addition to a general overview of the content of the Old Testament books, the lectures consider the data of isagogy and exegesis, give examples of patristic interpretations, and also clarify the soteriological and messianic significance of sacred history.

The limited volume of the lecture course does not allow us to consider in detail the content of the biblical books and the events of Old Testament history. Since students studying this course already have a general understanding of Old Testament history, attention is paid to fundamental issues, the understanding of which is necessary to achieve this goal. At the same time, to facilitate the perception of the educational material, quite voluminous quotes from the Holy Scriptures are included in the text of the synopsis.

In the process of presenting the material at the lectures, the author tried, as far as possible, to draw the attention of the audience to the three inextricably linked semantic layers of the Scriptures. First of all, this is a theological sense – a revelation about God and His economy. Then there is the edifying meaning – the rules of relationships between people, the moral law. And, finally, mystical meaning, which affects the inner life of the soul.

As an epigraph for many modern textbooks on this subject, the words of the Savior have been chosen: "Search the Scriptures, for you think through them to have eternal life; but they bear witness of Me" (John 5:39). His listeners were experts in the Scriptures, which means that the main meaning of this phrase is that the Old Testament testifies to Christ. Within the framework of the course, an attempt was made to demonstrate to students the indissoluble unity of the Old and New Testaments, the Christocentricity of the entire Divine Scripture and, finally, its enduring significance and relevance.

Another fundamental principle, which the author constantly took into account in the preparation of the lectures, is formulated in the 19th canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. It reads: "... if the word of the Scriptures is examined, then they should not explain it in any other way, except as the luminaries and teachers of the Church have set forth in their writings, and by this they should be more convinced than by the compilation of their own words, lest, if they lack skill in this, they deviate from what is proper. For, through the teaching of the above-mentioned Fathers, people, having received knowledge of what is good and worthy of election, and of what is useless and worthy of abhorrence, correct their lives for the better, and do not suffer from the disease of ignorance, but, heeding the teaching, urge themselves to distance themselves from evil, and, by fear of threatening punishments, work out their own salvation."

One of the features of patristic exegesis is the idea of Holy Scripture as a whole, so it is very important to instill in students the ability to analyze a particular passage based on the context of the entire Bible, and not just a specific book or chapter.

The author is deeply grateful to those who contributed to the appearance of this manual, as well as gave their recommendations for improving the text and inspired further work.

Do not neglect, friend, the honeyed hearing of the Divine Scriptures. The devil's trickery is a trick that does not allow us to see the treasure, so that we do not acquire riches. "Hearing Divine thoughts brings nothing," says the enemy, so as not to see the deeds that come from this hearing.

The Monk Isidore Pelusiot