Some Guiding Principles for the Correct Interpretation of the Bible (Hermeneutics)

Some Guiding Principles for the 

Correct Interpretation of the Bible 

(Hermeneutics)

1) Accounting for inspiration.

Since the Bible was written under the inspiration of God by men filled with the Holy Spirit, it should be trusted. If any biblical fragment seems incomprehensible or inconsistent with natural scientific knowledge, this does not mean that it is false. The Bible contains science and history, but it is not a scientific or a historical text, since in these areas it is bound by the knowledge of its time and uses them to convey a deeper purpose. It would be a scientific and historical text only if that was its primary message and aim. However, the primary message and aim of the Bible is the salvation of the human race and how this salvation is achieved, with the ultimate goal of human beings uniting with God. 

 

Comprehending sacred texts should be based on the interpretations of the holy fathers, who are the successors of the holy apostles and who combined the height of their theological thoughts with the holiness of their life. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the fathers could focus on different facets of understanding this or that passage.

2) Accounting for the entire text.

Taking quotes out of context is considered bad form in any area of human knowledge. An example of incorrect quoting from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles: "Great Artemis of Ephesus" (Acts 19:28), or from the Psalter: "There is no God" (Ps. 13:1; Ps. 52:2). Obviously, Holy Scripture does not glorify a pagan deity and does not preach atheism. Or the episode of the trial of the Savior (Mt. 26:63-66), where the high priest bases the verdict on a fragment of the Mosaic law on blasphemy, not wanting to see any other quotes, or the fact that Christ is obviously the Messiah (fulfilled prophecies, miracles, etc.). Those who take quotes out of context and distort the meaning of Scripture are to some extent likened to this high priest.

Text always suggests context. It is impossible to consider this or that expression of the Bible (especially this or that thought, quotation) as an intrinsically valuable unit. It must be considered in conjunction with the context and with all of Scripture. Then any quotation gets its "place" and meaning as an element of the grandiose and beautiful mosaic of the word of God.

3) The criterion for considering any quote: who, when and where (historical setting), to whom, for what reason and for what purpose he said it.

Over the hundreds of years since the Bible was written, the historical and cultural background has changed significantly. The psychology of people is changing, and their way of knowing and describing the world. Ancient texts are often difficult to understand without knowledge of historical realities. A common mistake is to judge the actions of people and historical events only from the vantage point of our time.

For example, the episode of the healing by the Savior of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician (Mark 7:25-30) may confuse the modern reader. It helps to resolve this confusion by knowing that the Jews called the Gentiles "dogs" because of their idolatry (which included sacrificing children to an idol) and depraved life. The purpose of Christ's refusal was both to test the love of this woman for her daughter, and to confess the true faith.

4) Knowledge of literary genres.

The Bible contains many genres: epistles, parables, hymns, riddles, prayers, apocalyptic literature, love lyrics. Accounting for the genre is the basis for the interpretation of a particular fragment.

Let us recall the words of the Apostle Paul: "Everything is permissible to me, but not everything is useful; everything is permissible to me, but nothing should possess me" (1 Cor. 6:12 and 10:23). Did the Apostle really hold such liberal views as "everything is lawful to me"? Most likely, this is a method of ancient writing - a diatribe - a conversation with an imaginary opponent.

5) Linguistic aspect.

Often in discussions of amateurs concerning biblical verses, only the English text is considered. English is not the original language. Translation cannot always fully and accurately convey the content of the original.

Examples.

a) All the evangelists speak of the brothers and sisters of the Savior (Mark 6:2-4). In Hebrew, the meanings of the words "brothers and sisters" are much broader than in English and include all relatives of a person, more or less equal in age, those whom we call distant relatives, for example, cousins. These could be the children of Joseph the Betrothed from his first marriage and Jacob, the son of Mary, who was a relative of the Virgin Mary.

b) The Virgin Mary "gave birth to her firstborn Son" (Mt. 1:25) and (Lk. 2:7). As for the word "firstborn", this is how the Greek word (prototokos) is translated, literally meaning "firstborn". This concept is not genealogical, but legal (the first-born had priority rights among children). All this is confirmed by the fact that on the 40th day the parents brought the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem (we celebrate this event on the feast of the Reception on February 2nd), because only the first-born male infant was brought to the temple.

c) “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and, moreover, his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:25-27). There are no degrees of comparison in Semitic languages. Here, as often in the Bible, the verb "hate" has the comparative meaning of "love less".

6) Accounting for literary devices.

The Bible uses types, prophecies, comparisons, metaphors, sayings, parables, allegories, so not all of its text should be taken literally.

An example of a prophecy (from Matthew 1:21-23): “... and you will call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And all this happened, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would come true, who said: Behold, the Virgin will give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Is. 7:14). The evangelist uses this prophecy, in particular, because the inner meaning of these names coincides (Jesus - "The Lord saves", Emmanuel - "God is with us"). In the Bible, sometimes a name not only defines, but also characterizes a person. This is confirmed by another quote from the same Prophet Isaiah through one verse: “For a child is born to us ... and His name will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6).

An example of hyperbole (poetic exaggeration): “If your right eye offends you, tear it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members perish, and not your whole body be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:27-30).

Interpreting the Bible

One Saint wrote about the Bible: “There is found depth, there is found inexhaustible meaning. Just as you can remove one scale from an onion, then another, then a third, etc. - it is the same in Holy Scripture: a person understands one meaning, behind this meaning there is another deeper one, then a second one, a third one, etc."

Holy Scripture speaks a human language, but we must not forget that we have before us a sacred text: along with historical and everyday information, it contains doctrinal information that is "not of this world." The latter are only gradually revealed to man based on following guided principles and listening to experienced exegetes, as well as allowing for divine grace to inform us when we have attained the purification of our hearts and subsequent illumination.

The depth of the Bible makes possible (at least) five levels of its reading: literal, allegorical, moral, representative and spiritual.

The need for interpretation is related to:

- changes in the linguistic, cultural and historical environment. The language of the Bible is highly figurative. Figurative language sometimes has the purpose of conveying theological thought more clearly and more precisely, and in other places, on the contrary, it is used to make the truth hidden.

- the fact that events sometimes do not only have a literal meaning. For example, in the episode of the healing of the blind man by the Savior, who “received his sight and followed Jesus” (Mark 10:51-52), blindness is understood not only as physical, but also as spiritual.

These are the following branches of scientific study of Holy Scripture:

- hermeneutics - a science that develops rules, principles and methods of interpretation;

- textual criticism - an attempt to clarify the edition of the original text;

- isagogy - a branch of theology that is preliminary to actual exegesis and deals with the literary and external history of the Bible;

- exegesis - extracting the exact meaning, the interpreter tries to extract understanding from the text, and does not bring his own meaning to the text.

Are there errors and contradictions in the Bible?

Opponents of Christianity speak of so-called "biblical contradictions". Clearly, educated Christians know the Bible as well as educated skeptics. And they recognize that the understanding of the same passage from the Bible can be different. One and the same passage can have several quite legitimate interpretations: literal meaning and allegorical meaning. For example, there are many poetic pages in the Bible that no one would ever think of taking literally. It is easier to accuse the Bible of contradictions than to accuse oneself of not knowing the principles of its understanding or ignoring the Holy Tradition of the Church.

For example, in the Gospel according to John, Christ says things that seem to be opposite: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) and “My Father is greater than Me” (John 14:28). One of these expressions can be understood through the prism of the other: since Jesus Christ is both God and Man, the first speaks of the consubstantiality of God the Son and God the Father, and the second speaks of the economy of the Son in the incarnation .

“If we are confused by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, then this does not allow us to say that the Author of this book was mistaken. But either the manuscript is corrupted, or the translation is wrong, or you just didn’t understand,” said Saint Augustine.

Some rules for reading the Bible.

- For a Christian it is equally important to know the Gospels and to live according to them; reading by itself, apart from the Church, is not beneficial.

- The Bible is not just read, but studied. Christ says: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39). It cannot be read from beginning to end and put on the shelf like a historical novel.

- It should be read after praying, with reverence, thoughtfully, using, first of all, the interpretations of the holy fathers. Only with discretion should one treat the interpretations of authors who are outside the Church. They can be interesting, informative, but a different spirit reigns in them. In addition, one must have a certain amount of experience in order to discern the lies contained in the interpretations of heretics.

- In Orthodoxy, a student's correct understanding of the Bible comes through a teacher and a preacher - "faith comes by hearing" (Rom. 10:17), and not from one's own opinion.

- The Bible mainly talks about key characters and principle episodes. An example (from Gen. 4), when Cain says to God: "the first comer will kill me", although earlier in the same chapter only two children of Adam and Eve were mentioned, Cain and Abel. Only the essentials have been said about Christ's childhood. Or the killing of a thousand Philistines by Samson's donkey jaw (Judges 15:15) should be understood in the same vein as the phrase "Marshal Zhukov occupied Berlin."

- The truths of the Gospels are extremely concentrated, indicating that Christ gives us a perfect model, an ideal of Christian life ("Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" - Matt. 5:48). For example, He calls us not to worry about the future, or only adultery is established as a valid reason for divorce. This is why personal guidance with an experienced and trusted guide in the spiritual life is essential.

Source: Translation by John Sanidopoulos. 

 

 

Reflection on the Eighth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 Eighth Sunday of Luke

Luke 10:25-37

By St. Theophan the Recluse

To the man who asked how to be saved, the Lord on his part offered a question: "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" By this He showed that to resolve all perplexity one must turn to the word of God. And so that there will not be such perplexity at all it is best to always read Divine Scripture attentively, with discernment and sympathy, applying it to your own life, and fulfilling in your own thoughts what relates to thoughts, in your own feelings and dispositions what relates to the senses, and in your deeds what relates to deeds. One who hearkens to the word of God gathers bright understanding of all that is in him, what is near to him, and what is above him; he clarifies his obligations in all aspects of life, and holy rules, like valuable pearls, are strung onto the thread of his conscience, which then precisely and definitely indicate how and when to act so that he please the Lord. He tames the passions—something reading the word of God always acts to assuage. No matter what passion troubles you, begin to read the word of God and the passion will become quieter and quieter, and at last it will be entirely calmed. He who enriches himself through knowledge of the word of God is overshadowed by the pillar of cloud which guided the Israelites in the desert.

 

 

Homily for the Epistle Reading on the Seventh Sunday After Pentecost (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Homily on Romans 15:4 

"...by patience and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

Man is distinguished for his ability to change, because easily, after the fall, his whole psychosomatic organism changes. As the body can change from cold to warm, so it becomes in the soul and mind of man. Sometimes man is happy and sometimes sad, sometimes he is filled with optimism and sometimes he is possessed by hopelessness and despair. Faith in God and His providence, love for Him and the hope of being united with Him balance man and make him face all the difficult problems of his life.

In our time there are many things - social, national and family - that make man despair, especially when his faith in God is inactive. In such a case we can gain the hope, patience, and encouragement of the Scriptures.

Holy Scripture and the Church

 

Metropolitan Paul of Siatista (+ 2019) once met with a famous singer who was a Jehovah's Witness.

"What is the subject you want to talk about, sir?" asked the Metropolitan.

"But of course the Bible," the singer replied.

"And from where did you get the Bible for us to talk about?

"What do you mean, Father?"

Homily Two on the Sacred Liturgical Books of the Orthodox Church: "The Apostolos" (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Sacred Liturgical Books of the Orthodox Church:
The Apostolos

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Disciples of Christ are also called Apostles, because they were sent by Christ, first to Palestine and after Pentecost to all nations to preach the message of the Kingdom of God. Thus, the Apostles preached what they heard, what they saw, what they touched, what the Holy Spirit enlightened their minds with.

Some of the Apostles wrote Epistles to various local Churches, some wrote Catholic Epistles which were sent to all the Churches, and some others, such as the Disciples of Christ in the broadest sense of the word, recorded the events of the distribution of the gospel preaching and these texts are called the Acts of the Apostles.

Homily One on the Sacred Liturgical Books of the Orthodox Church: "The Gospel" (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Sacred Liturgical Books of the Orthodox Church:
The Gospel

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

This year's sermons will refer to the Sacred Books that are in the Sacred Temples and are for the use of our worship, and without them we cannot perform the Sacred Services and the Mysteries of our Church. We must know of them, as our Church has chosen them through the ages. The first sacred and liturgical book is the Sacred Gospel, which is always on the Holy Altar, and in fact in the center of the Holy Altar, as the most sacred book of our Church.

Cyril Loukaris and the Codex Alexandrinus

The Codex Alexandrinus is an early fifth-century manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Septuagint and the New Testament. It is one of the four Great uncial codices. Along with the Codex Sinaiticus and the Vaticanus, it is one of the earliest and most complete manuscripts of the Bible.

It derives its name from Alexandria where it resided for a number of years before it was brought by the Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Loukaris from Alexandria to Constantinople. Then it was given to Charles I of England in the 17th century. Until the later purchase of Codex Sinaiticus, it was the best manuscript of the Greek Bible deposited in Britain. Today, it rests along with Codex Sinaiticus in one of the showcases in the Ritblat Gallery of the British Library. A full photographic reproduction of the New Testament volume (Royal MS 1 D. viii) is available on the British Library's website.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian as a Model for our Lives

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Ephraim was born in the early fourth century in Nisibis of Syria from parenta who were Confessors and Martyrs, as he wrote, "I am from a family of martyrs," for during the period of harsh persecution under Diocletian they gave their bold confession for the true God and they sealed it with the blood of their martyrdom. For a teacher he had Bishop James, a man of great theological education, who also ordained him a deacon. He received no other ordination. He was a true ascetic, a fiery orator and a famous writer. They called him a prophet of Syrians, a pillar of Orthodoxy, the mouth and lyre of the Spirit, and vessel of compunction. Shortly before his repose he visited Basil the Great in Caesarea of Cappadocia. He reposed in peace.

Gregory the Theologian on the Canon of Holy Scripture

Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389) was one of the great defenders of the orthodox faith (as defined in the Nicene Creed) during the second half of the fourth century. His famous discourses on the Trinity did much to revive the strength of the orthodox party in Constantinople, where he served as archbishop from 378 to 382. His pronouncement on the canon was given towards the end of his life, in the form of a poem: "Concerning the Genuine Books of Divinely Inspired Scripture," reproduced below. Like Athanasius, his enumeration of the Old Testament books omits Esther. The Revelation of John is also missing from his list of the New Testament books, due to a general reaction against this book in the east after excessive use was made of it by the Montanist cults.

How Saint Porphyrios Studied in his Youth

By St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva

When I was at Mount Athos, all I occupied myself with was study.

I was seven or eight years old and I didn't know about spiritual things. I would read the Apocalypse of Christ and the Apocalypse of the Panagia. I had learned them by heart. But who knows how I twisted them, since I did not yet know the meaning of the word "oikos," that it meant "house." This is how I learned them, without knowing their meaning, but because they were holy books, I learned them and, when I came across them again, I understood them, since I compared them with the first.

Amphilochios of Iconium on the Canon of Holy Scripture

Amphilochios of Iconium was a cousin of Gregory the Theologian, and served as Bishop of Iconium (in Galatia) from A.D. 373 to 394. He wrote several books, but only a few poems and some other fragments from his writings have come down to us. His teaching on the canon is preserved in his Iambics for Seleucus (Iambi ad Seleucum), a didactic poetic work formerly attributed to Gregory the Theologian.

The Greek text reproduced below is from vol. 37 of Migne's Patrologia Graeca, where the Iambics of Seleucus is printed among the works of Gregory the Theologian.

Recommended Reading from Saint Porphyrios

In the following conversation, the Holy Elder Porphyrios offers some reading recommendations. He asked a certain visitor:

"Honestly, what books do you read?"

"I have no particular preference. I read all kinds."

"Do you read the lives of Saints?"

"I have read many. And I like them a lot!"

The Location of the Stoning of St. Stephen in Jerusalem

Acts says “Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him”, but the location where he was buried is not specified. In 415 AD a priest named Lucian had a dream that revealed the location of Stephen’s remains. The relics of the martyr are said to be preserved in the Church of St Stephen in Jerusalem, built by the Empress Eudocia. The adjoining Monastery complex was so large that by the beginning of the sixth century it housed close to 10,000 monks. Having been destroyed in the 12th century by crusaders not wanting to give Salah id-Din a base outside the walls, the new church was re-dedicated in 1900 by Dominicans, based considerably upon the remains of the old.

How To Interpret Holy Scripture as an Orthodox Theologian

By Protopresbyter Fr. John Romanides

I remember someone I met in America - we gave lectures together. We were in Denmark and we used to eat together, and we were going to eat with some other people. I joked with him - I would have been twenty-four years old then - and said: "The Protestants will only understand Holy Scripture when they understand sacred relics," by which I meant glorification.

The Sacred Number of 40

By Sergei V. Bulgakov

The number 40 relates to those few significant numbers (3, 7, 9), which have become known all over the world from deep antiquity, even from the time before Christianity. The number 40 was pointed out and determined by God Himself, and was revealed from above as the appointed measure of fulfillment of some ascetical feats and even the preoccupations in the life of the forefathers, the prophets. At all times, from the beginning of the world, the term of repentance and correction of sinners was usually determined by the number of forty days, and sometimes even by a year (Gen. 6:4-16; Acts 7:22-36; Ex. 34:28; 3 Kings 19:8; Ezek. 4:6). In Christian history the number 40 is sacred and confirmed anew, with even much greater and sacred examples. The Savior Himself, fulfilling the law, is brought into the temple on the fortieth day. Preparing to announce the good news of the Gospel to the world, He leaves for the desert and fasted there for forty days. After His resurrection He willed to remain on earth for forty days before His ascension into heaven. Following this great example, the Holy Church in the very beginning blessed the number forty, as a specially significant number: such as, the fortieth day after birth, the fortieth day after death, the forty day repentance, and, finally, established the forty-day fast, the Holy Forty Days. Besides this, the Holy Forty Days is actually 36 days (when we exclude Sundays which, strictly speaking, cannot be ranked as days of contrition and fasting), is, by approximate calculation, a tenth part of the whole year. Therefore the Holy Forty Days is not like other periods in the Old Testament, from of old a torah tithe to God. There are divinely determined tithes in every year, and consequently even all our life is a tithe, in which we, being released by this time from everyday amusements, dedicate our primary service to God.

"In the law", teaches the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, "it is written that God has enjoined the Sons of Israel to give a tithe of everything they have every year, and, doing so, they have been blessed in all affairs. Knowing this, the holy apostles have established and turned over help to us, and as blessing for our souls, something still greater and higher, that we separate a tithe from the days of our life and consecrate it to God. That we also, thus, received a blessing on all our affairs and every year cleansed the sins made by us during the whole year. Having judged so, they have consecrated these seven weeks of the Holy Forty Day Fast out of the three hundred sixty five days of the year for us. Thus, they have set apart these seven weeks; but in due course the fathers wisely decided to also add one more week to them. First, they wished to enter into an ascetic effort of the fast they were already accustomed to during the course of these weeks as if they prepared for this. Second, to honor the fast of the Holy Forty Days, which our Lord Jesus Christ fasted. For, having taken away Saturdays and Sundays from the eight weeks, we have forty days, and the fast of Holy Saturday is regarded special because it is the most sacred and unique fast of all the Saturdays of the year. And seven weeks without Saturdays and Sundays make thirty-five days. Then having applied the fast of holy and great Saturday and half of the bright and light-bearing night, we have thirty six and a half days, that accurately makes the tenth part of the three hundred sixty five days of the year."

Source

A Theological Comparison of Patmos and Sinai

Monastery of St. John the Theologian at Patmos

"When I compare Patmos to Sinai, I set the former as far above the latter, and account it first, as I set grace above the shadow, truth above appearances, the spirit above the letter and the Gospel above the Law of the Tablets."

- St. Christodoulos the Wonderworker of Patmos   

Monastery of St. Katherine of Alexandria at Sinai

Saint Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod (+ 1505)

St. Gennadii of Novgorod (Feast Day - December 4th)

Saint Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, was descended from the Gonzov family and was, in the testimony of contemporaries, "dignified, intelligent, virtuous and learned in the Holy Scripture." His was made a monk at the Valaam monastery, under the spiritual guidance of St Sabbatius of Solovki (September 27). From the year 1472, he was Archimandrite of the Chudov (Miracle of the Archangel Michael) monastery in Moscow. Zealous for celebrating divine services according to the Typikon, he and Bassian, Archbishop of Rostov, and later his successor Joasaph, fearlessly rose up in defense of the ancient Rule during a dispute about moving "like the sun" (from east to west) at the consecration of the Dormition cathedral in Moscow during the years 1479-1481.

In 1483 St Gennadius began construction of a stone church at the Chudov monastery in honor of St Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow (February 12), the founder of the monastery. On December 12, 1484 St Gennadius was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. Already in Novgorod, but still honoring the memory of St Alexis, Gennadius did not cease to concern himself with the construction of the church, even contributing silver for the completion of this temple.

The time of holy Archbishop Gennadius as hierarch at Novgorod coincided with a terrible period in the history of the Russian Church. In 1470, Judaizing preachers, who traveled to Novgorod in the guise of merchants, had already begun to plant the weeds of heresy and apostasy among the Orthodox.

The first reports about the heresy reached St Gennadius in the year 1487. Four members of a secret society, in a state of intoxication, opened up and told the Orthodox of the existence of the impious heresy. As soon as it became known to him, the zealous archpastor immediately began an inquiry and with deep sorrow became convinced that the danger was a threat not only to local Novgorod piety, but also in Moscow, the very capital of Orthodoxy, where the leaders of the Judaizers had journeyed in 1480.

In September 1487 he sent to Metropolitan Gerontius at Moscow all the material from the inquiry, together with a list of the apostates he had discovered, as well as their writings. The struggle with the Judaizers became the main focus of St Gennadius' archpastoral activity. In the words of St Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9), "this archbishop, angered by the malevolent heretics, pounced upon them like a lion from out of the thicket of the Holy Scriptures and the splendid heights of the prophets and the apostolic teachings."

For twelve years St Gennadius and St Joseph struggled against the most powerful attempts of the opponents of Orthodoxy to alter the course of history of the Russian Church and the Russian state. By their efforts the Orthodox were victorious. The works of Gennadius in the study of the Bible contributed to this victory. The heretics in their impious cleverness used texts from the Old Testament, but which were different from the texts accepted by the Orthodox. Archbishop Gennadius undertook an enormous task: bringing the correct listings of Holy Scripture together in a single codex. Up until this time Biblical books had been copied in Russia, following the example of Byzantium, not in their entirety, but in separate parts - the Pentateuch (first five books) or Octateuch (first eight books), Kings, Proverbs, the Psalter, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and other instructive books.

The holy books of the Old Testament in particular often were subjected to both accidental and intentional errors. St Gennadius wrote about this with sorrow in a letter to Archbishop Joasaph: "The Judaizing heretical tradition adheres to the Psalms of David, or prophecies which they have altered." Gathering around himself learned and industrious Biblical scholars, the saint collected all the books of the Holy Scripture into a single codex, and he gave his blessing for the Holy Books which were not found in manuscripts of the traditional Slavonic Bible to be retranslated from the Latin language. In 1499 the first complete codex of Holy Scripture in Slavonic ("the Gennadius Bible," as they called it after its compiler; photo above) was published in Russia. This work became an integral link in the succession of Slavonic translations of the word of God. From the God-inspired translation of the Holy Scripture by Sts Cyril and Methodius, through the Bible of St Gennadius (1499), reproduced in the first printed Bible (Ostrozh, 1581). The Church has maintained a Slavonic Biblical tradition right through the so-called Elizabethan Bible (1751) and all successive printed editions.

Together with the preparation of the Bible, the circle of church scholars under Archbishop Gennadius also undertook a great literary task: the compilation of the "Fourth Novgorod Chronicle." Numerous hand-written books were translated, corrected and transcribed, bringing the Chronicle up to the year 1496.

Dositheus, the igumen of the Solovki monastery who was at Novgorod on monastery matters, worked for several years with St Gennadius compiling a library for the Solovki monastery. It was at the request of St Gennadius that Dositheus wrote the Lives of Sts Zosimas (April 17) and Sabbatius (September 27).

The majority of the books transcribed with the blessing of the Novgorod hierarch (more than 20), were preserved in the collection of Solovki manuscripts. Ever a zealous advocate for spiritual enlightenment, St Gennadius founded a school for the preparation of worthy clergy at Novgorod.

The memory of St Gennadius is preserved also in his work for the welfare of the Orthodox Church.

At the end of the fifteenth century many Russians were concerned about the impending end of the world, which they believed would take place at the end of the seventh millenium from the creation of the world (in 1492 A.D.). Therefore, in 1408, it was decided not to compute the Paschal dates beyond the year 1491. In September 1491, however, the Archbishops' Council of the Russian Church at Moscow, with the participation of St Gennadius, decreed that the Paschalion for the eighth millenium be calculated.

Metropolitan Zosimas at Moscow on November 27, 1492 "set forth a cathedral Paschalion for twenty years," and asked Bishop Philotheus of Perm and Archbishop Gennadius of Novgorod each to compile their own Paschalion for conciliar review and confirmation on December 21, 1492. St Gennadius finished calculating his Paschalion, which in contrast to that of the Metropolitan, extended for seventy years. It was distributed to the dioceses, with the approval of the Council, as the accepted Paschalion for the next twenty years. Included with the Paschalion was St Gennadius's own commentary upon it in an encyclical entitled, "Source for the Paschalion Transposed to the Eight Thousandth Year."

In his theological explanation of the Paschalion, based upon the word of God and the holy Fathers, the saint wrote: "It is proper not to fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at every moment. For just as God might deign to end the world, so also might He deign to prolong the course of time."

No one knows when the world created by God will end, "not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father "(Mt. 24:36). Therefore, the holy Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, explained the cycle of years from the creation of the world precisely as a cycle. "This occurs in a circular motion, not having an end." The saint contrasts the heretical methods of calculating the times with the way hallowed by the Church, a constant spiritual sobriety. St Gennadius expounded on the theological fundamentals of the Paschalion. He explained that on the basis of the cycle of years from the world's creation, it is possible to determine a Paschalion for the future, as may be required. The Paschalion of St Gennadius, by his own testimony, was not something new that he created, but rather was based on a former tradition; in part, on the basis of the Paschalion for 1360-1492 under St Basil Kalika, Archbishop of Novgorod (July 3).

In 1539, under Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod, a Paschalion was compiled for the eighth millenium, based on the principles of the Paschalion of St Gennadius.

A prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, which he composed in 1497, also demonstrates his deep spiritual life and prayerful inspiration. In addition to his letters to Metropolitans Zosimas and Simon, to Archbishop Joasaph, to Bishops Niphon and Prochorus, and a letter to the 1490 Council, Archbishop Gennadius also wrote a church "Small Rule" and the "Tradition for Monks," who live according to the monastic Rule of skete life.

Leaving his archpastoral service in 1504, the saint lived in retirement at the Chudov monastery, where he peacefully fell asleep in the Lord on December 4, 1505. In the Stepen-Ranks book we read: "Archbishop Gennadius served as archbishop for nineteen years, beautifying the churches, improving the behavior of the clergy, and proclaiming the Orthodox Faith among the heretics. Then he lived at Moscow for a year and a half at the Chudov monastery, dedicated to the Miracle of the Archangel Michael and to St Alexis the Metropolitan and wonderworker, where he had been Archimandrite, and then he fell asleep in the Lord."

The holy relics of St Gennadius were put into the church of the Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae (September 6), in that place particularly venerated by him, where the relics of St Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow rested. St Gennadius is also commemorated on the third Sunday after Pentecost, when the Church remembers all the Saints who shone forth at Novgorod.

Source

Christ - the Beginning, Middle and End of Holy Scripture

"And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." - Luke 24:27

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." - Luke 24:44

Elijah, the “Still Small Voice”, and Scripture

By St. Maximus the Confessor

The meaning of Holy Scripture reveals itself gradually to the higher senses of the more discerning mind when the mind has put off the complex bodily form of the words which are formed in it.

This revelation is like a still small voice.

Through a supreme abandonment of its natural activities, such a mind has been able to perceive the meaning only in a simplicity which reveals the divine Word.

This is the way that the great Elijah was granted the vision in the cave at Horeb.

For ‘Horeb’ means ‘newness’, which is our virtuous condition in the new spirit of grace.

The cave is the hiddenness of spiritual wisdom in which the one who enters will mystically experience the knowledge which goes beyond the senses.

This is the knowledge in which God is found.

Therefore anyone who truly seeks God, as did the great Elijah, will come upon him not only on Horeb – that is, as an ascetic in the practice of the virtues.

He will also encounter him in the cave of Horeb – that is, as a contemplative in the hidden place of wisdom which can exist only in the habit of the virtues.

When the mind shakes off the many distractions about things which are pressing on it, then the clear meaning of truth appears and gives it pledges of genuine knowledge.

These are given after it has driven off its recent preoccupations which were like scales on the eyes, just as in the case of the great and holy Apostle Paul.

For thoughts about the mere letter of Scripture and the consideration of those visible things that hinder understanding are indeed scales which cling to the clear-sighted part of the soul and hinder the passage to the pure meaning of truth.

From Gnostic Chapters 74-75.

St. Nilus of Sora: Life at the Sora River

Ten Miles from St. Cyril's White Lake Monastery is the Sora (or Sorka) River, where St. Nilus of Sora (May 7) chose to establish his Skete. It was a wild, dark and desolate place. The River Sora barely flows through this marshy, low-lying region, and it resembles more a swamp than a river. There is forest all around. Here, having erected a cross, St. Nilus built at first a chapel and a solitary cell and dug a well. And when several brothers had gathered together to live with him he built a wooden church in honor of the Meeting of the Lord. Later another wooden church dedicated to St. John the Forerunner was added. Nearby he built a mill.

From this skete St. Nilus wrote to his friend St. Innocent:

"When we were living together with you in the Monastery of St. Cyril, you know how I avoided worldly ties and strove to live according to the Holy Scripture, even though in my slothfulness I did not succeed in this. At the end of my wandering I came again to the Monastery, built a cell near it, and lived as best as I could. Now I have resettled far from the Monastery and have found by God's grace a place according with my ideas, a place little accessible to worldly people, as you yourself have seen. Living in solitude, I occupy myself with searching the spiritual writings: above all I search the Lord's commandments and their commentaries, and the Apostolic tradi­tions; then the Lives and instructions of the Holy Fathers. I reflect on all this, and whatever I find after reflection to be God-pleasing and useful for my soul, I copy out for myself. In this is my life and breath. As for my infirmity and sloth, I place my hope in God and the Most Pure Mother of God. If there is something for me to undertake, and if I find nothing about it in Scripture, I lay it aside for a time until I do find some­thing. I do not presume to undertake anything at all on my own will and according to my own judgement. Whether you live as a hermit or in coenobitic life, pay heed to the Holy Scripture and follow in the footsteps of the Fathers, or be in subjection to one who is known to you as a spiritual man in word, life and judgement. The Holy Scripture is harsh only for earthly ways of thinking, who rather desires to live according to his own passionate will. Others do not wish humbly to search the Holy Scripture, do not wish even to hear of how one should live, as if the Scripture were not written for us or need not be put in all times. The words of the Lord will always be words as pure as refined silver; the Lord's commandments for them are dearer than gold and precious stones, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb."