CREATION

OF OUR HOLY FATHER

ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE

DISCOURSES ON THE BOOK OF GENESIS

VOLUME FOUR

BOOK ONE

PREFACE. Place and time of their pronunciation; the biblical Greek text in these discourses and its importance; the need to compare it with the text of other Greek copies of the Bible and some manuals for this.

CONVERSATION 1. The joy of Chrysostom at the sight of the multitude of people gathered in the temple of God before the onset of the Holy Forty Days. The purpose of church meetings and the need to prepare for fasting. The great harm of intemperance from the days of the first man and the beneficial effects of fasting, experienced by the Old Testament righteous, and the example of the Savior. The effect of fasting on the human soul and the denunciation of luxury in Fr. Amos. The transience of worldly pleasures and the immutability of spiritual pleasures.

CONVERSATION 2. The joy of Chrysostom at the onset of Lent, which is the best time for church teachings from the Divine Scriptures. The opening words of the first book of Moses must be taken as the words of the Lord Himself, not by testing what is above us, but by humbly believing. Moses does not speak of the creation of invisible powers, and the reason for this. Great power of words: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth against false teachers and solved the perplexity about the creation of the universe from something that does not exist. Why is the primordial earth called invisible and unformed? A Christian must not only know and preserve the true teaching of the faith, but also arrange his life in accordance with them.

CONVERSATION 3. Great is the richness and depth of the Divine Scriptures. Explanation of the words: And darkness was on the top of the deep, and the Spirit of God was on the top of the waters. The creation of light and the madness of those who say that matter existed before heaven and earth. Why didn't God create everything in one day? Against those who say that everything happened by itself. A Christian must take care not only of his own fear, but also of his neighbors, and constantly struggle with the full armor of faith against the wiles of the devil and his passions, maintaining constant vigilance and giving alms.