Let us briefly consider how the "Commentaries on the Paremia" are constructed. At the beginning, the author provides a brief understanding of the content of this biblical book, its title and the writer. Then (and this is especially important) the connection between what we have heard in the church reading and the preceding events of biblical (or evangelical) history is revealed. What follows is the "classical" explanation of the biblical text, verse by verse. And, finally, Bishop Bessarion builds a kind of "bridge" between the paremia and the event celebrated (commemorated) by the Church. The latter is a skillful ecclesiastical pedagogical method: let us ask ourselves: how many of us, even with a good knowledge of Church Slavonic, which makes it easier to understand reading, are able to see through the prism of biblical history the Old Testament prototype of a church feast?

The main principle of interpreting biblical verses for Bishop Bessarion is the explanation of the word of God with the help of the word of God itself, that is, the author not only points to parallel passages in the Bible, but also analyzes them in detail, necessarily attaching patristic interpretations to each verse. And only after that he cites the data of contemporary biblical science, which makes such interpretations the most interesting and complete. "The interpretations are set forth with remarkable simplicity and clarity. There are no unnecessary words. The author's goal to edify readers is fully achieved. A clear, bright thought is conveyed in a transparent, clear, sometimes highly artistic language. With brevity of speech, there is a remarkable fullness and depth of thought" (Tserkovnye Vedomosti, 1894, No 30, p. 1041).

That is why, fully sharing the highest assessments expressed in its time to the book, when preparing the reprint of the "Commentaries on the Paremia" in modern orthography, the editors retained all the main features of the structure and language of the work, correcting the shortcomings of the original of 1871.

"You are a talented church preacher, an interpreter of the word of God, and in general a prolific writer, as the olive tree is fruitful in the house of God (Psalm 51:10), in the vineyard of Christ. What a magnificent monument you have built for yourselves, not from plinths (Gen 11:3), but from the books of the spiritual journal which you have been publishing for a long time." These words of recognition of Bishop Vissarion's merits to the Church were pronounced against him at his episcopal consecration (Korsunsky I. N. The Most Reverend Vissarion, Bishop of Kostroma, Moscow, 1898, p. 31). "Commentary on the Paremia from the Book of Genesis" is his first edifying book on the subject of the Holy Scriptures, which was first published in parts in the "Soul-Beneficial Reading". Let us hope that one hundred and thirty years later, having rediscovered the interpretive works of Bishop Bessarion, we, remembering his labors for the benefit of our salvation, will have a good desire to study the literary and theological heritage of the ever-memorable hierarch.

GENERAL REMARKS ON PAREMIAS

Paremias are readings from the Old Testament and sometimes the New Testament books, placed at Great Vespers on feasts with a polyeleos or vigil, at all-day Vespers on the days of the Forty Days, on the so-called Royal Hours, on the Hours on the days of the Forty Days, at certain molebens (for example, in the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, in the thanksgiving moleben on December 25).

Paremia is a Greek word, meaning a parable, i.e. a teaching in which the truth is contained in secret, either under the cover of allegory, or under the guise of a concise, significant saying. A collection of such parables is represented by the well-known book of Solomon – Proverbs. Readings from this book are offered in church services more often than from other Old Testament books. From the book of Proverbs, by its predominant use, the name of the Paremia could have been extended to church readings taken from other sacred books, just as the psalms in the book of Psalms are sometimes called the Psalms of David, not because it included only the Psalms of David, for in it a whole half of the Psalms belong to other singers, but because no one wrote Psalms more than David. In addition, the readings known under the name of paremia, and are so called because many of them, by their content, whether prophesied or transformative, point covertly, like parables, to the persons or events sung in the church service of which they are a part. We do not consider it necessary to dwell on why the paremias require interpretation. The Word of God, which is brought closer to our understanding by means of interpretation, is more salvific for us than if we heard or read it without proper understanding.

There are ordinary paremias, which are taken from one or another book of the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures in succession, for example, paremias from the Book of Genesis, Proverbs, Isaiah's prophecies, read during the Lent of the Forty Days. Other paremias are taken from the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures in relation to this or that event commemorated in the church service. Each of these paremias, in addition to the fact that it must be explained in itself, also requires remarks on why it was introduced into this or that church service, what can be common between the content of the paremia and the event being commemorated. But with regard to ordinary paroemias, there is no need to make such remarks; it is enough to say only a few words about why from the books of St. The Scriptures from which the ordinary paremias are taken are chosen and not the other.

For a closer acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, for the study in sequential order of the revelations of God and events contained in it, we will set forth the paremias in the order of the books of St. John. Scriptures, beginning with the book of Genesis.

PAREMIAS FROM THE BOOK OF GENESIS

The Concept of This Book

The Book of Genesis occupies the first place in the order of the Old Testament sacred books. It was written by Moses. He is also the writer of the books: Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. All these five books of Moses have been known from ancient times under the common name of the Law, the Law of the Lord, and also the Book of Moses (Deuteronomy 31:26, Joshua 6:24, 2 Chronicles 34:14, Luke 24:27, 44). The exposition of the laws given by God through Moses is contained in the books of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, but the name of the Law does not refer to them alone, but together to the Book of Genesis, because it indicates the original foundations for the laws of Moses, for the law of faith in the one true God, the Creator and Master of all, for the moral and ceremonial laws (Gen. 1:1). 14; 2,3; 4,3 — 4; 7,2 — 3; 17:11). From the time of the translation of the Holy Scriptures. books from Hebrew into Greek, the collection of books of Moses is also called the Pentateuch.

The title of the first book of Moses: Genesis, was given to it by those who translated the Holy Scriptures. Scripture from Hebrew into Greek. Being (γενεσις) means birth, origin. The book that bears this name is so called because it depicts the original history of the world, the human race, and the original fate of the chosen people, in the person of its ancestors.

Chapter: I. Paremia at Vespers on the eve of the feasts of the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, Pascha, and also on Monday of the first week of Great Lent (Gen 1:1-13).