Remarkable is the interpretation of the Orthodox biblical scholar Bishop. Cassian (Yuezobrazova) on the Gospel of John. He is especially distinguished by the harmonious combination of the scientific and spiritual approaches, considered from the point of view of biblical criticism and from the point of view of the Orthodox Church and the Holy Fathers.

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Svyashch. François Rouleau. Bishop Kassian Bezobrazov as an exegete of John's writings

Today, the publication of a new interpretation of the Gospel of John does not need any special justification: each generation of Christians must read the spiritual Gospel for itself and in its own way. However, the question may arise: why did we choose an interpretation that was mainly composed between 1958 and 1960, i.e., taking into account the rhythm in which modern exegesis develops, so long ago? Indeed, since then, the problems have changed, the nature of disputes has changed, and above all, a lot of work has been done. John's studies are numerous and profound. And why

should we not turn to more recent studies, taking into account all modern works on the Gospel of John? For example, to the research of Fr. Xavier Léon-Dufour.

Bishop Kassian Bezobrazov (1892-1965), the author of the work published here, has a double advantage that justifies our efforts to publish his study: he is at one and the same time a witness to tradition and modernity. At first he studied briefly at the Protestant Faculty in Berlin, but above all devoted much of his time to the study of the fundamental works of the German exegetes of the period; then he spent several years, from 1939 to 1946, on Mount Athos, in the Monastery of St. Panteleimon, where the ancient heritage of Russian monasticism has been preserved. In this way, he combined the scientific exegetical search of the modern West and the spiritual tradition of the Byzantine East.

If we remember that throughout the Soviet period not a single study of any significance in the religious field was published in Russia (with the exception of a few liturgical books), because any search in the religious-spiritual field was subjected to strict censorship or ideologically directed from above, then the importance of Bishop Cassian's work will be revealed in its entirety. Indeed, this work reconstructs the link between the original Russian research tradition and our time: the work of Bishop Cassian represents the missing link between exegetical studies in Russia in the period before and after the Soviet era.

The study of the Johannine writings invariably occupied a special place both in the personal spiritual reflection and in the scientific activity of Bishop Cassian. With a high degree of probability, it can be argued that the Apocalypse of John became the first topic of his research. At the same time, the scholar did not separate it from the other Johannine writings, to the study of which he turned in subsequent years.

A special interest in John is evidenced by many publications of the young researcher at that time. In 1930, he published an article in the journal "The Way" entitled "The Book of the Seven Seals", in which four works devoted to the Apocalypse were considered (Alo, Charles, Zahn, Lomeye). In 1939, the scientist published La Pentecote Johannique (Jo XX, 19-23) (St. John's Pentecost [Jn. XX, 19-23]"), which was the topic of his scientific dissertation at the Protestant Faculty of Montpellier (work on it began as early as 1927). After the war, he brought back from Mount Athos a work entitled "By Water, and Blood, and Spirit (I Jn. V, 6-8)", which later became his doctoral dissertation, which he defended at the Paris Theological Institute on June 16/29, 1947. In 1951, in the journal Tserkovny Vestnik, he published a review of Bratsiotis' book dedicated to the Apocalypse. In 1955, in Orthodox Thought (No X, pp. 140-152), he published a review of three books, among which was a study by Dodd (S. N. Dodd. The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel). Finally, he wrote the introduction to the Gospel of John, lectures he gave at the Paris Theological Institute, which later formed the basis of our Commentary on the Gospel of John. The manuscript is dated 1958 and 1960. However, throughout his life, the author constantly returned to this work, supplemented it and made corrections to it.

Of course, Bishop Cassian's publications are not limited to John's studies and cover the entire corpus of the New Testament. However, it can be said that the Evangelist John invariably stood at the center of the author's reflections, being his favorite and chosen topic. As for the "Commentary on the Gospel of John", it occupies a special place

among all the works devoted to John by Cassian Bezobrazov, for, in his own words, "it is a matter of the whole of <his> life."

What are the peculiarities of the approach to the Evangelist John that are characteristic of the exegetical method of Bishop Cassian? What is the essence of the method he uses?

Generally speaking, it can be argued that there are two types of exegesis, modern and ancient: one is scientific, the other spiritual; one is analytical, the other is synthetic; one is historical, the other is symbolic. At the same time, they are not mutually exclusive, but are two approaches that are inseparable from each other and in practice complement each other, since each emphasizes a special aspect of Scripture. That is why their distinction, which is purely theoretical, makes the task easier, since it makes it possible to distinguish better the two tendencies, the two schools that guide the exegetical search for the past and the present.