Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy: The Law of God (textbook). The law of God, or the foundations of Orthodoxy The law of God, the history of the Orthodox Church

They relied, on the one hand, on the creative experience of their predecessors, on the other, they sought to respond to the challenges of modern life, taking into account the profound changes that have occurred in our society over the past half century.

Human life must be built according to the laws established by God. To live by them, you need to study and know them. The new book “The Law of God” is designed to acquaint its reader with the Christian gospel of God and salvation, with the Sacred history and spiritual experience of the Church.

In recent decades, several publications have been published in our country under the same title, “The Law of God.” However, the need for a new book is long overdue. Unlike the famous work of Father Seraphim Slobodsky, published more than half a century ago, and other publications published both in pre-revolutionary Russia and abroad, the book published by the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House was written by modern priestly authors and is addressed to the current domestic reader.

The phrase “The Law of God” is often associated in our minds, first of all, with lessons in Sunday schools or gymnasiums, but this book is not aimed only at children. Its authors find a common language with both teenagers and mature readers. If in presentation for children the Bible is usually presented as a set of plots, then in the new book the authors, in addition to presenting biblical events, also introduce their readers to the general meaning of Sacred history: both the Old Testament and the Gospel. Such a presentation can serve as a good guide to future, more in-depth study of the Holy Scriptures. Of particular interest is the chapter “Religion in the Life of the Chosen People.” Old Testament holidays, rituals and traditions, which many of us have only heard about, find their spiritual, symbolic and educational explanation in this chapter.

In the section devoted to the history of the Church (a similar section was absent in the well-known work of Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky and in other lesser-known publications), biographies of saints who labored in various eras from the Apostolic Age to our time are given. This approach shows spiritual continuity in the history of our Church.

A significant part of the book is devoted to the spiritual life of man. The teaching about God, the One in three Persons, about the Incarnation and about the Church of Christ is presented on the basis of the Creed and in accordance with the centuries-old Christian tradition. In the “Christian Faith” section, the authors offer a meaningful conversation about faith in God and the meaning of human life. A separate part of the new book is devoted to issues of the spiritual life of a modern Christian, which can be extremely useful in our time - a time of general loss of meaning and substitution of moral concepts.

We hope that the new book “The Law of God,” prepared by the publishing house of the Sretensky Monastery in the year of the twentieth anniversary of the revival of monastic life at the monastery, will serve both the spiritual enlightenment of everyone who wants to know about the Christian faith and the Church, and will help to learn how to build their lives in accordance with the Divine Law.

Examples of book spreads

INTRODUCTION Man and his faith

PART 1. Basic concepts about God and spiritual life

  • God is our Heavenly Father
  • Without God you can't reach the threshold
  • How do we know about God
  • Properties of God
  • Where and how to communicate with God. Sign of the Cross
  • Temple - house of God
  • About the Mother of God
  • Man is the image of God
  • Family - small Church
  • Orthodox - rightly praising God

PART 2. Prayer - the breath of the soul

  • Prayer Rule
  • Children's prayer
  • First prayers and their explanation
    • Lord's Prayer
    • Prayer to the Holy Spirit
    • Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary (“Theotokos Virgin”)
    • Song of praise to the Mother of God (“It is worthy to eat”)
    • Arkhangelsk Song
    • Prayer to the Guardian Angel
    • Prayer for the living
    • Prayer for the departed
    • Prayer before studying
    • Prayer after eating food
    • Jesus Prayer

PART 3. Sacred and church history

  • Divine Revelation
  • Scripture
    • Inspiration of Holy Scripture
    • Who wrote the Bible
    • Canon of Scripture
  • Biblical manuscripts

Sacred History of the Old Testament

  • Creation of the world
    • First day of creation
    • Second day of creation
    • Third day of creation
    • Fourth day of creation
    • Fifth day of creation
    • Sixth day of creation
    • Seventh day
  • Creation and science
  • Earthly paradise and the Fall
  • The First Promise of the Messiah
  • The fallen ancestors are expelled from paradise
  • Children of Adam
  • Flood
  • Renewal of the Covenant. Divine blessing
  • Babel
  • The emergence of idolatry
  • Calling of Patriarch Abraham
  • Patriarch Isaac
  • Patriarch Jacob (Israel)
  • Patriarch Joseph
  • Righteous Job: the mystery of the suffering of the righteous
  • Prophet Moses
  • Exodus from Egypt. First Easter
  • God gave the people a law
  • Tabernacle - camp temple
  • Old Testament priesthood
  • Forty years of wandering in the desert
  • On the Moab Plains
  • Census of the people
  • Death of the Prophet Moses
  • Joshua led the people into the promised land
  • The Lord sends judges
  • Prophet Samuel
  • King Saul - first king of Israel
  • David is elected to the kingdom
  • The persecuted anointed one
  • David is king over all Israel
  • Pestilence - the king's last sorrow
  • Psalm 90
  • “Behold, I am going on the journey of all the earth.”
  • Psalms of King David
  • Reign of Solomon
  • Jerusalem Temple
  • Book of Ecclesiastes
  • Two kingdoms
  • “And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
  • New capital of the Kingdom of Israel
  • Ahab introduces the cult of Baal
  • “And Elijah the prophet rose up like fire...”
  • The punishment for wickedness is drought
  • Pious widow
  • Test of Faith
  • Prophet of God Elisha
  • Prophet Jonah
  • End of the Kingdom of Israel
  • Kingdom of Judah
  • King Jehoshaphat
  • King Hezekiah
  • "Old Testament Evangelist" - Prophet Isaiah
  • King Manasseh: Wickedness and Repentance
  • Godly King Josiah
  • The Last Kings of Judah
  • Prophet Jeremiah
  • Babylonian captivity
  • Prophet Ezekiel
  • Prophet Daniel
  • The end of captivity
  • Second Temple of Jerusalem
  • Nehemiah: Rebuilding the Walls of Jerusalem
  • Malachi - the last prophet
  • Religion in the life of the chosen people
  • Between Two Testaments: Waiting for the Messiah
  • The pagan world is waiting for the Savior

Gospel story

  • An angel announces the birth of John the Baptist
  • Archangel Gabriel announces the birth of Christ
  • The Virgin Mary hurries to Elizabeth
  • An angel informs Joseph of the birth of Christ
  • Birth of John the Baptist
  • Christmas. Worship of the Shepherds
  • Circumcision of Christ. Presentation of the Lord
  • Adoration of the Magi and Flight to Egypt
  • The Child Jesus in the Jerusalem Temple
  • Sermon of John the Baptist
  • Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ
  • The Forty Day Fast and the Temptations of the Lord
  • The first disciples of Christ. Miracle at Cana
  • Expulsion of traders. Conversation with Nicodemus
  • Conversation with the Samaritan woman
  • Capture of John the Baptist
  • Sermon on the Mount
    • Gospel beatitudes
    • The Old Law and the Law of Love
    • How to do almsgiving, prayer and fasting
    • About wealth and earthly cares
    • Relationships with neighbors
    • About listening and fulfilling the words of Christ
  • Miracles of Christ
    • Healings of the possessed
    • Miracles and faith
    • God's mercy in miracles
    • Miracles and Sabbath Rest
  • Assassination of John the Baptist
  • Message to the Sermon of the Twelve Apostles
  • The Teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven in Parables
    • Parable of the Sower
    • Parable of the Tares
    • Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven
    • Parables of the Treasure Hidden in the Field and the Pearl of Great Price
  • Miracle of feeding with five loaves
  • Christ walks on the waters for His disciples
  • Christ talks about the bread of life
  • Apostle Peter confesses Jesus as Christ
  • Transfiguration
  • Healing a demon-possessed youth
  • The Lord leaves Galilee and goes to Judea
  • Parable of the Good Samaritan
  • Healing of ten lepers
  • Parable and teachings about prayer
    • Lord's Prayer
    • Perseverance in prayer
    • Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee
  • Conversion of the Publican Zacchaeus
  • Parables and teachings about repentance
    • To save the dead
    • About the Prodigal Son
    • Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
  • Conversation with a rich young man
  • The Lord blesses the children
  • Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
  • Raising Lazarus
  • Bethany anointing
  • Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
  • The Lord rebukes the Jews
  • The Jews Ask the Lord Tempting Questions
    • Question about tribute to Caesar
    • Question about the resurrection of the dead
    • About the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses
  • The Lord's Discourse on the Mount of Olives
    • Signs of the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ
    • Calls to wakefulness. Parable of the Ten Virgins
    • Parable of the Talents
    • Parable of the Last Judgment
  • Judas decides to betray the Lord
  • Last Supper
  • Prediction of Peter's denial
  • Gethsemane prayer. Taking the Lord into custody
  • The Trial of Jesus Christ
    • Interrogation with Anna
    • Trial before the High Priest Caiaphas
    • Peter's denial
    • Death of Judas
    • Trial of Pilate and Herod
  • Crucifixion. Death and Burial of the Lord
  • Burial. Guard at the coffin
  • Myrrh-bearing women at the tomb. Appearance of Angels
  • Appearances of the Risen Lord
    • Appearance to Mary Magdalene
    • Appearance to the myrrh-bearing women
    • Appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus
    • Appearance to the apostles on the same day in the evening
    • Appearance to the apostles on the eighth day with Thomas
    • Apparition on Lake Tiberias. Wonderful catch. Returning Peter to Apostolic Dignity
    • Appearance on a mountain in Galilee and the command to the apostles to go to world preaching
  • Ascension of the Lord

Church History

  • Birth of the Church of Christ
  • Church of Christ in Apostolic Time
    • Persecution of the Apostles by Jewish Leaders
    • On the socialization of property and the election of seven deacons
    • Death of the First Martyr Stephen. The beginning of the persecution of the Jerusalem Church
    • Conversion of Saul
    • Baptism of the centurion Cornelius. Arrival of the first pagans in the Church
    • Missionary Journey of Paul and Barnabas
    • Apostolic Council
    • Apostolic Works of Paul
    • Jacob, brother of God, and his martyrdom
    • Persecution of Nero. Martyrdom of the Apostles Peter and Paul
  • Spread of the Church of Christ
    • Spread of the Church of Christ in the Roman Empire
    • Education of Georgia. Equal to the Apostles Nina
    • Enlightenment of the Slavic peoples. Saints Cyril and Methodius
    • Baptism of Rus'
    • Herman of Alaska and Orthodoxy in America
    • Birth of the Japanese Orthodox Church. Equal to the Apostles Nicholas of Japan
    • The Ecumenical Orthodox Church today
  • Martyrs and Confessors of Christ
    • Persecution of the Church in the Roman Empire
    • Church of the Martyrs
    • New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia
  • Saints - stewards of the mysteries of God
    • Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia
    • Three saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom
    • Moscow saints: Peter, Alexy, Jonah, Macarius, Philip, Job, Hermogenes, Philaret and Tikhon
  • Monasticism. Reverends and ascetics
    • History of ancient monasticism
    • Monasticism in Russia
    • Reverends and ascetics in Russia in the 20th century
  • Salvation in the world. Holy righteous people
    • Righteous Juliana Lazarevskaya
    • Righteous Simeon of Verkhoturye
    • Blessed Xenia of Petersburg
    • Righteous warrior Feodor Ushakov
    • Blessed Matrona of Moscow

PART 4. Christian faith

  • Belief in God and the meaning of human life
  • Creed
    • First member of the Creed
    • Second Creed
    • Third Article of the Creed
    • Fourth Article of the Creed
    • Fifth Article of the Creed
    • Sixth Article of the Creed
    • Seventh Article of the Creed
    • Eighth Article of the Creed
    • Ninth Article of the Creed
    • Tenth Article of the Creed
    • Eleventh Article of the Creed
    • Twelfth Article of the Creed
  • Briefly about Church Councils
    • I Ecumenical Council
    • II Ecumenical Council
    • III Ecumenical Council
    • IV Ecumenical Council
    • V Ecumenical Council
    • VI Ecumenical Council
    • VII Ecumenical Council
  • Heterogeneity and heterodoxy
  • Thoughts of Saint Theophan the Recluse
  • Faith and Science

PART 5. Spiritual life

  • Sin and the fight against it
  • Why is it harder to do good deeds?
  • What are passions
  • Fasting and its spiritual meaning
    • Multi-day posts
    • One-day posts
  • God's commandments
    • First commandment
    • Second Commandment
    • Third Commandment
    • Fourth Commandment
    • Fifth Commandment
    • Sixth Commandment
    • Seventh Commandment
    • Eighth Commandment
    • Ninth Commandment
    • Tenth Commandment
  • Gospel beatitudes
    • First commandment
    • Second Commandment
    • Third Commandment
    • Fourth Commandment
    • Fifth Commandment
    • Sixth Commandment
    • Seventh Commandment
    • Eighth Commandment
    • Ninth Commandment

PART 6. About the temple and worship

  • Why do we pray in temple?
  • Temple and its structure
  • Internal structure of the temple
  • Bell ringing
  • Degrees of the priesthood
  • Monasticism and monasteries
  • Divine services of the daily cycle
  • All-night vigil
  • Divine Liturgy
    • Origin of the liturgy
    • What are the liturgies?
    • Sequence and symbolic meaning of the liturgy
    • Proskomedia
    • The meaning of commemoration at the Proskomedia
    • Liturgy of the Catechumens
    • Liturgy of the Faithful
  • Seven Sacraments of the Church
    • Sacrament of Baptism
    • Sacrament of Confirmation
    • Confession, or the Sacrament of Repentance
      • How to prepare your child for his first confession
    • Sacrament of Communion
    • Sacrament of Anointing (unction)
    • Sacrament of wedding
    • Sacrament of the Priesthood
  • Prayer service
  • Consecration of the home
  • The afterlife of the soul and commemoration of the dead
    • How to pray for the dead
    • Days of special remembrance of the dead

PART 7. Church holidays

  • A holiday in the life of an Orthodox Christian
  • Easter and the moving liturgical circle
    • Lent
    • Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
    • Holy Week
    • Easter and Bright Week
    • Ascension of the Lord
    • Pentecost. Trinity Day
  • Holidays of the month (non-transitionable)
    • Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
    • Exaltation of the Holy Cross
    • Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple
    • Christmas
    • Baptism of the Lord
    • Presentation of the Lord
    • Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
    • Transfiguration
    • Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Days of remembrance of saints. Orders of holiness
  • Icon - image of the invisible heavenly world

PART 8. Spiritual world

  • Angelic world
  • Spirituality true and dark
    • Orthodox prayer against the occult
  • Orthodox miracles
    • Descent of the Holy Fire
    • Cloud on Mount Tabor
    • Miracle of Epiphany water
  • Myrrh-streaming icons and holy relics
  • Shroud of Turin

Part two. Prayers.
Angelic greeting to the Mother of God
Song of praise to the Mother of God
The shortest prayer to the Mother of God
Prayer to the Life-Giving Cross
Prayer to the Guardian Angel
Prayer to the saint
Prayer for the living
Prayer for the dead
Prayer before teaching
Prayer after teaching
Prayer before eating food
Prayer after eating food
Morning prayer
Evening prayer
Learn to read and pray in Church Slavonic
Comparison table of numbers

Part three. Sacred History of the Old and New Testaments

Old Testament
Creation of the sky - the invisible world
Creation of the earth - the visible world
Discourse on the first day of creation
Discourse on the second day of creation
Discourse on the third day of creation
Discourse on the Fourth Day of Creation
Discourse on the fifth day of creation
Discourse on the sixth day of creation

Election of the Apostles
Sermon on the Mount:

The Beatitudes, about God's Providence, about non-judgment of one's neighbor, about forgiveness of one's neighbor, about love for one's neighbor, the general rule for dealing with neighbors, about the power of prayer, about almsgiving, about the need for good deeds

The power of faith and prayer for others - the healing of the paralytic in Capernaum
Resurrection of the son of the widow Nainskaya
Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Parable of the Leaven
Parable of the Wheat and Tares
About the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth

Part four. About faith and Christian life.
Person's appointment
On Natural Revelation
About supernatural Divine revelation. About Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture
Brief information about the Ecumenical Councils

1. About the Christian faith.

Discourse on the eternal birth of the Son of God

About the third member of the Creed

Conversation about the incarnation of the Son of God Conversation about the miracles of God Conversation about the Cross of Christ Conversation about three providential acts of God revealed to us on our sinful earth. About the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher The Holy Fire of Holy Saturday

About the fifth member of the Creed

Conversation on the Resurrection of Christ The Sacrament of Baptism The Sacrament of Confirmation The Sacrament of Repentance The Sacrament of Communion The Sacrament of Marriage The Sacrament of the Priesthood The Sacrament of Anointing A Conversation on the General Resurrection of the Dead

About the Twelfth Article of the Creed

2. About Christian life

Ten Commandments of God's Law

About the first commandment of God's law About the second commandment of God's law About the third commandment of God's law About the fourth commandment of God's law About the fifth commandment of God's law About the sixth commandment of God's law About the first beatitude About the second beatitude About the third beatitude About the fourth beatitude About the fifth beatitude About the Sixth Beatitude About the Seventh Beatitude About the Eighth Beatitude About the Ninth Beatitude

Part five. About the Divine Services of the Orthodox Church

Daily circle of Divine Services Weekly circle of Divine Services Annual circle of Divine Services 1. Vespers 2. Matins I. Proskomedia II. Liturgy of the Catechumens III. Liturgy of the Faithful Great Lent Weeks of Great Lent Holy Week Great Thursday Good Friday Great Saturday Easter Feast. - Bright Resurrection of Christ, Feast of Pentecost. - Holy Trinity Day Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Feast of the Nativity of Christ Feast of the Epiphany
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Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy
God's Law

© Yauza-press LLC, 2008

© LLC Publishing House “Lepta Book”, 2008

© Eksmo Publishing House LLC, 2008

* * *

Preface to the new edition

Before you is a new edition of the textbook on the Law of God, compiled by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodsky, first published in the middle of the last, 20th century at the Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville) and gaining unprecedented popularity. The total circulation of this book is already more than one million copies. In the current edition, we have completely preserved the structure and content of the book, as well as the special style. Seraphim, was supplemented by some natural scientific information given by the author in the first editions, but outdated or clarified by scientists over the past 50–60 years. In addition, in this edition the chapters devoted to God’s creation of the world and the Flood were partially revised, in accordance with the modern scientific and theological view of these problems, in order to give the reader a clearer patristic interpretation of the origin of the world. This decision is dictated by the fact that in modern Russia the pseudo-scientific evolutionary theory of the origin of the world continues to dominate in this matter, which is in no way compatible with Orthodox dogma. Criticism of this hypothesis in the original text of “The Law of God” was not given enough attention, since the dominance of the evolutionary concept did not pose a big problem for Arch. Seraphim Slobodsky, who lived in exile and initially wrote for Russian emigrants. We dared to fill this gap without essentially changing anything, but only supplementing the information available in the book.

In addition, we have supplemented the information regarding the Shroud of Turin and the descent of the Holy Fire on the Holy Sepulcher, since during the time that has passed since the first edition of the “Law of God”, science has been significantly enriched with data in this area.

The need to have an extensive manual in teaching the Law of God is dictated by modern, special, unprecedented conditions:

Firstly, in the overwhelming majority of schools the Law of God is not taught, and all natural sciences are taught in a purely materialistic manner.

Secondly, the majority of Russian people - both adults, children and youth - are surrounded by a non-Orthodox environment, among various religions and sects. All these specified conditions and other circumstances of our difficult time impose enormous responsibility on parents, on all educators of children, and especially on teachers of the Law of God. In addition, educational programs are constantly being modified, and this does not give us the opportunity to limit ourselves to simple (without any explanation) telling the events of Sacred History, as was done before, in pre-revolutionary times, when the programs remained unchanged for many years.

In our time, it is necessary to avoid telling the Law of God in the form of a naive fairy tale (as they say, “in a childish way”), because in our time, adults often begin to study the Law of God. Knowledge in the field of the Law of God in a primitive form, of course, cannot satisfy all the demands of the mind of modern people with higher education. If you tell the Law of God in the form of a fairy tale to a child, then the child will understand it as a fairy tale. When he becomes an adult, he will experience a gap between the teaching of the Law of God and the perception of the world, as we often observe in the life around us. Children growing up in modern conditions and developing faster than in previous generations often have the most serious and painful questions that many parents and adults are completely unable to answer.

All these circumstances put forward a primary task: to put into the hands not only the children in the church school, but also the parents themselves, teachers and educators, or better yet, the family, the school of the Law of God. To do this, as practice shows, it is necessary to give one book that contains all the fundamentals of Christian faith and life.

In view of the fact that many of the students may never pick up the Holy Bible, but will be content with only one textbook, this situation requires the textbook to convey the Word of God absolutely correctly. Not only distortion, but even the slightest inaccuracy should not be allowed in the presentation of the Word of God.

Such inaccuracies and sometimes even incorrectness in the transmission of the Word of God are not uncommon. Here are a few examples, starting with small ones. In textbooks they often write: “The mother of Moses wove a basket out of reeds...” The Bible says: “she took a basket of reeds and tarred it with asphalt and pitch.” At first glance, this seems like a “trifle,” but this “trifle” has an impact later on in a larger one.

In most textbooks they write that Goliath reviled and blasphemed the name of God, when the Word of God says this: “Am I not a Philistine, and you are the servants of Saul?.. today I will disgrace the armies of Israel, give me a man, and we will fight together”... And The Israelites said: Do you see this man speaking? He comes forth to reproach Israel”... And David himself testifies when he says to Goliath: “You come against me with sword and spear and shield, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have reproached.” It is quite clearly and definitely said that Goliath did not laugh at God at all, but at the Israeli regiments.

But there are errors and distortions that were fatal for many people, for example, the story of the flood. The overwhelming majority of textbooks are content to say that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights and filled the earth with water, covering all the high mountains. The Holy Bible itself says completely differently: “... on that day all the sources of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened; and the rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights”... “And the water increased on the earth for one hundred and fifty days.” And the next chapter says: “... and the waters began to subside at the end of one hundred and fifty days...” “on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains appeared.”

With utmost clarity, Divine Revelation says that the flood intensified for almost six months, and not at all 40 days. Then the water began to decrease, and only in the 10th month the tops of the mountains appeared. This means that the flood lasted at least one year. This is especially important and essential to know in our rationalistic times, because scientific geological data fully confirm this.

Or this example. The writer Mintslov with his book “Dreams of the Earth” again evokes painful days of bewilderment and doubt. The fact is that Mintslov, describing the dispute between students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, through the mouth of a student of the Exaltation of the Cross, says:

– You can’t turn a blind eye to the achievements of science in the study of the Bible: three-quarters of it is a falsification of the priests!

- For example?

- For example, at least the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - the Bible tells that they themselves left there, that the army of the Egyptians died along with Pharaoh Merneft in the Red Sea, and recently in Egypt they found the tomb of this same pharaoh, and from the inscriptions in it it is clear that He didn’t even think of dying anywhere, but died at home...”

We do not intend to argue with Mr. Mintslov that Pharaoh Mernefta is precisely the pharaoh under whom the Jews left Egypt. For this is a matter for historians, especially since the name of Pharaoh is not indicated in the Bible. But we want to say that in this matter Mr. Mintslov turned out to be completely ignorant, but at the same time, without hesitation, he boldly casts “poison” of doubt into the reliability of the Word of God.

There is no definitive historical indication in the Holy Scriptures about the death of the pharaoh himself. In the book “Exodus”, which contains a historical description of the passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, in chapter 14 of this book the following is said: “The Egyptians pursued, and all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots and all the horsemen went after them (the Israelites) into the middle of the sea his. And in the morning watch the Lord looked upon the camp of the Egyptians from a pillar of fire and cloud and threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion; and he took away the wheels of their chariots, so that they could hardly draw them. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the Israelites, because the Lord will fight for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters turn on the Egyptians, on their chariots and on their horsemen. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and by morning the water returned to its place; and the Egyptians ran towards the water. Thus the Lord drowned the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the water returned and covered the chariots and horsemen of all the army of Pharaoh, who went into the sea after them; not a single one of them remains."

As can be seen from the above text, nothing is said about the pharaoh himself that he died. But at the same time, it is quite clearly said that the entire army of Pharaoh perished; at the same time, Moses clarifies that the water “covered the chariots and horsemen of the entire army of Pharaoh, who entered the sea after them.” Also, in other places in the Bible where this event is mentioned, there is no mention of the death of Pharaoh himself.

Only in the 135th psalm of praise, in which the omnipotence of God is glorified, it is said: “And he cast down Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever.” But there is no historical description of the event. This is a psalm-hymn that speaks of the overthrow of Pharaoh himself into the sea figuratively, symbolically, as the final overthrow of his power and authority over the people of Israel.

For the Israelites themselves, Pharaoh died, “drowned.”

The power of God is also expressed in the previous verses of this psalm, when it is said that the Lord brought Israel out “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever.” The Church sings in exactly the same way about the death of Pharaoh at sea. Just as on Sundays she sings of the victorious power of Christ: “For you have broken the gates of brass, and you have erased the chains of iron”...

So, we - Christians - believe and know that “All Scripture is inspired by God” and is the immutable truth.

Often atheists, taking advantage of the ignorance of believers in the Word of God, boldly begin to ridicule what the Holy Scriptures say nothing about. So, they like to claim that the Bible allegedly says that the earth stands on four pillars, that God molded man from clay, etc. The writer Mintslov did the same, perhaps without knowing it. Therefore, if atheists try to refute the truth of God in the name of supposed science, then let each of us first carefully check whether this atheist knows what he is talking about and what he is refuting. It is absolutely clear: whether the tomb of Pharaoh, under whom the Jews came out of Egypt, has been found or not, this does not in the least refute the truth of the Word of God.

Unfortunately, there are many inaccuracies in the retellings of Holy Scripture. These inaccuracies, for the most part, are those “stumbling blocks” that play a fatal role for those who are not affirmed. When compiling our textbook, we tried, with God’s help, to remove all these “stumbling blocks” and convey as accurately as possible the words of Divine Revelation.

Our time requires special attention and careful presentation of the Word of God. In modern conditions, it is necessary to prove the truth of God’s Law, to prove the spiritual and moral foundations of human life. It is necessary to teach believers to give answers to questioners, according to the instructions of the Apostle Peter: “Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15). It is especially necessary in our time to give answers to the crafty questions of the godless world, which is attacking the truth of God supposedly in the name of science. But this is precisely where the atheists suffer constant defeat. Because true science not only does not contradict, but, on the contrary, undoubtedly confirms the truth of God.

Nowadays, it is necessary that in the teaching of the Law of God there be elements of apologetics (defense of the faith), which previously, with the constant and solid foundations of life, was not required.

Stories from the Law of God should be confirmed by examples of the lives of saints and other examples from everyday life, so that a person understands and learns that the Law of God is not a theory, not a science, but is life itself.

In conclusion, it is necessary to point out a very strange, incomprehensible and completely unacceptable distortion in all the textbooks that we have seen. This distortion concerns the sign of the cross. These textbooks say that the sign of the cross should be applied to oneself with the right hand as follows: on the forehead, then on the chest (not on the stomach) and on the right and left shoulders. It seemed strange to us that the lower end of the cross turns out to be shorter than the upper, i.e. the cross turns out to be upside down. But, having looked through the pre-revolutionary textbooks approved by the Holy Synod, we retained these instructions with some hesitation. Subsequently, we corrected this terrible mistake according to the instructions given in the holy book “Psalms,” according to which Orthodox people have been taught and educated since ancient times. Here in the “brief statement” it is stated “about how an Orthodox Christian, according to the ancient tradition of the saints, the Apostle and Holy Father... should depict the sign of the cross on himself”: “... I believe: the first is on our forehead (on our forehead), and the one above touches it the horn of the cross, the second on our belly (on our stomach), the lower horn of the cross reaches it, the third is on our right frame (shoulder), the fourth is on our left, they also mark the ends of the cross stretched transversely, on it is our Lord Jesus crucified for us Christ has a long hand, all the tongues are scattered at the ends into one gathering.”

And may the Lord help us to ease the work of raising the younger generation in the eternal truth, righteousness and love of God. And if this modest work brings some benefit to the Christian soul, then it will be a great joy for us.

May the Lord God and His Most Pure Mother show us His mercy in this, and may He protect us, by the power of His Honest and Life-giving Cross, from all evil.

The following works were used in compiling this book:

1. “The first book on the Law of God,” compiled by a group of Moscow teachers of the law and republished under the editorship of Archpriest. Kolcheva.

2. “Instruction in the Law of God,” Rev. A. Temnomerova.

3. “The Law of God”, prot. G. Cheltsova.

4. “A Brief Sacred History”, Archimandrite. Nathanael.

5. “Instruction in the Law of God,” Archbishop. Agathodora.

6. “The Sacred History of the Old and New Testaments,” prot. D. Sokolova.

7. “The Sacred History of the Old and New Testaments”, sacred. M. Smirnova.

8. “The history of the earthly life of the Savior”, A. Matveeva.

9. “History of the Christian Orthodox Church”, prot. P. Smirnova.

10. “Guide to the study of the Orthodox Christian faith,” prot. P. Mazanova.

11. “Orthodox Christian Catechism”, Archimandrite. Averkiya.

12. “The Experience of Christian Orthodox Catechism”, Metropolitan. Antonia.

13. “Short Orthodox Catechism”, ed. Russian school at the Church of Sorrow, Paris.

14. “Teaching about Orthodox worship,” prot. N. Perekhvalsky.

15. “A Brief Teaching on the Divine Service of the Orthodox Church,” Prot. A. Rudakova.

16. “Teaching about Orthodox worship,” prot. V. Mikhailovsky.

17. “Collection of teachings”, prot. L. Kolcheva.

18. “In the Royal Garden”, T. Shore.

19. “The Reliability of Biblical Miracles,” Arthur Hooke.

20. “Did Jesus Christ live?”, Rev. G. Shorets.

21. “Science of Man”, prof. V. Nesmelova.

22. “Synopsis for the study of the Bible of the Old Testament,” archbishop. Vitaly.

23. “Lessons and examples of the Christian Faith”, prot. Grigory Dyachenko, and others. Some sources are indicated in the text of the textbook itself.

In addition, in the new edition, when correcting information related to Creation and the Flood, materials from the books were used:

24. “Genesis: The Creation of the World and the First Old Testament People,” Jerome. Seraphim (Rose)

25. “Orthodox doctrine and the theory of evolution,” prot. Konstantin Bufeev.

To supplement the information regarding the latest research on the Shroud of Turin and the Descent of the Holy Fire, the following was used:

26. “The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin. New Scientific Evidence,” Jonah Iannone.

27. “On the issue of dating the Shroud of Turin,” A. V. Fesenko, A. V. Belyakova, Yu. N. Tilkunov and T. P. Moskvina.

Data from Internet resources “Orthodoxy. ru", "Russian Line", "Interfax-religion", "Miracles of Orthodoxy", "Miracle of the Descent of the Holy Fire", etc.

Part 1
Preliminary Concepts

About the world

Everything we see: the sky, the sun, the moon, stars, clouds, the earth on which we live, the air we breathe, and everything on earth: grass, trees, mountains, rivers, seas, fish, birds, beasts, animals and, finally, people, that is, ourselves - God created all this. The world is God's creation.

We see the world of God and understand how beautifully and wisely it is structured.

Here we are in the meadow. The blue sky with white clouds stretched high above us like a tent. And on the ground there is thick green grass dotted with flowers. Among the grass you can hear the chirping of various insects, and moths flutter over the flowers, bees and various midges fly. The whole earth here looks like a big beautiful carpet. But not a single carpet woven by human hands can compare with the beauty of God’s meadow.



Let's walk through the forest. There we will see many different types and structures of trees. There is a mighty oak, and a slender spruce, and a curly birch, and a fragrant linden, and a tall pine, and a thick hazel tree. There are also clearings with bushes and all kinds of herbs. The voices of birds, the buzzing and chirping of insects can be heard everywhere. Hundreds of different breeds of animals live in the forest. And how many berries, mushrooms and different flowers there are! This is your own big, forest world.

And here is the river. It smoothly carries its waters, glistening in the sun, among forests, fields and meadows. How nice it is to swim in it! It's hot all around, but the water is cool and light. And how many different fish, frogs, water beetles and other living creatures there are in it. It also has its own life - its own world.

And how majestic the sea is, having its own huge and rich underwater world of living creatures.

And how beautiful the mountains are, with their peaks, covered with eternal snow and ice, high above the clouds.



The earthly world is wonderful in its beauty, and everything in it is filled with life. It is impossible to count all the plants and animals that inhabit the earth, from the smallest, invisible to our eyes, to the largest. They live everywhere: on land, in water, in the air, in the soil, and even deep underground. And God gave all this life to the world.

The world of God is rich and diverse! But at the same time, in this huge diversity reigns a marvelous and harmonious order established by God, or, as is often called, “the laws of nature.” All plants and animals are distributed on the earth according to this order. And those who are supposed to eat what they eat, eat that. Everything has a definite and reasonable purpose. Everything in the world is born, grows, ages and dies - one thing is replaced by another. God gave everything its time, place and purpose.

Only man lives everywhere on earth and reigns over everything. God endowed him with reason and an immortal soul. He gave man a special, great purpose: to know God, to become like Him, that is, to become better and kinder, and to inherit eternal life.

In appearance, people are divided into white, black, yellow and red-skinned, but they all equally have a rational and immortal soul. Through this soul, people rise above the entire animal world and become like God.

Now let's look, in the deep dark night, from earth to sky. How many stars will we see dotted around it? There are countless of them! These are all separate worlds. Many of the stars are the same as our sun or moon, and there are also those that are many times larger than them, but are so far from the earth that they appear to us as small points of light. They all move harmoniously and in harmony along certain paths and laws around each other. And our earth in this heavenly space seems like a small bright point.

Great and vast is the world of God! It can neither be counted nor measured, but only God himself, who created everything, knows the measure, weight and number of everything.

God created this entire world for the life and benefit of people - for each of us. God loves us so endlessly!

And if we love God and live according to His law, then much that is incomprehensible in the world will become understandable and clear to us. We will love the world of God and live with everyone in friendship, love and joy. Then this joy will never cease anywhere, and no one will take it away, because God Himself will be with us.

But in order to remember that we belong to God, to be closer to Him and to love Him, that is, to fulfill our purpose on earth and inherit eternal life, we need to know more about God, to know His holy will, that is, the Law of God.

About God

God created the whole world out of nothing with one word. He can do whatever he wants.

God is the highest being. He has no one equal anywhere, neither on earth nor in heaven.

We humans cannot fully comprehend Him with our minds. And we ourselves could not know anything about Him if God Himself had not revealed Himself to us. What we know about God is all revealed to us by Him Himself.

When God created the first people - Adam and Eve, He appeared to them in paradise and revealed to them about Himself: how He created the world, how to believe in the One True God and how to do His will.

This teaching of God was first transmitted orally from generation to generation, and then, at the inspiration of God, it was written down by Moses and other prophets in the sacred books.

Finally, the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ, appeared on earth and completed everything that people need to know about God. He revealed to people the great secret that God is one, but three in persons. The first Person is God the Father, the second Person is God the Son, the third Person is God the Holy Spirit.

These are not three Gods, but one God in three Persons, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible.



All three Persons have the same Divine dignity, there is neither elder nor younger between them; Just as God the Father is true God, so God the Son is true God, so the Holy Spirit is true God.

They differ only in that God the Father is not born from anyone and does not come from anyone; The Son of God is born from God the Father, and the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father.

Jesus Christ, through the revelation of the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, taught us not only to truly worship God, but also to love God, since all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - eternally abide with each other in continuous love and constitute one Being. . God is all perfect Love.

The great secret that God revealed to us about Himself - the mystery of the Holy Trinity - our weak mind cannot contain or understand.

St. Cyril, the teacher of the Slavs, tried to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity in this way: he said: “Do you see a brilliant circle in the sky (the sun) and from it light is born and heat emanates? God the Father is like a solar circle, without beginning and end. From Him the Son of God is eternally born, just as light is born from the sun; and just as warmth comes from the sun along with the bright rays, the Holy Spirit emanates. Everyone distinguishes separately the solar circle, and light, and heat (but these are not three suns), but one sun in the sky. So is the Holy Trinity: there are three Persons in It, and God is one and indivisible.”

St. Augustine says, “You see the Trinity if you see love.” This means that the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity can rather be understood with the heart, that is, with love, than with our weak mind.

The teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, were written down by His disciples in a sacred book called the Gospel. The word "Gospel" means good or good news.

And all the sacred books, combined together into one book, are called the Bible. This word is Greek, and in Russian it means book.

In difficult times, many people turn to God for help and find solace and peace in faith. And others live with faith in their hearts day after day, and cannot imagine themselves without it. One of the popular religious teachings is Christianity. Orthodoxy is one of the areas of Christian teaching that is preached by a large number of people. The book “The Law of God” was written in the middle of the last century and since then has been republished many times; it has become one of the most popular Orthodox textbooks. Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy created the most complete textbook, which examines all the features of Orthodoxy and talks about church life.

This book can be considered a real encyclopedia, from which anyone, both adults and children, can learn everything they need. There is all the important information here, as well as some additions in the natural science part of the story, taking into account what discoveries have been made in science. The book has beautiful illustrations. It can be studied within the family circle, cultivating the necessary qualities in children, introducing them to the culture of the family, and it can also be studied in Sunday schools. The textbook will be of interest to those who have recently converted to Orthodoxy or are just thinking about it, who want to get acquainted with the Orthodox faith or study it well.

On our website you can download the book “The Law of God” by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskaya for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.

Sacred History of the Old Testament 1
The Old Testament refers to the ancient union of God with man. It consists in the fact that God promised people a Savior and prepared them to accept Him.
Chapter 1
Creation of the world and man

The creation of the world and man began with God creating heaven and earth out of nothing. B (Under the sky here we mean the invisible world, the spiritual - Angels, under the earth - the substance from which the entire visible world was later created.)

The earth was at first unstructured; water and darkness covered her, and the Spirit of God hovered over her. Then God gave the earth a structure in six days.

On the first day, at the command of God, light appeared. And God called the light day and the darkness night. On the second day, God created the firmament, or the visible, did not divide the water from the earth and commanded the earth to produce plants. In the fourth, God created the heavenly bodies: the sun, moon and stars. In the fifth - fish and birds. In the sixth - animals and, finally, humans.

Before creating him, God said: Let us create man in Our image and likeness. And He created the body of man from the earth and breathed into his face the breath of life, that is, a rational, free and immortal soul. With this soul, God distinguished man from the irrational animals and likened him to Himself.

God named the first man Adam and settled him in paradise (a beautiful garden), in which there was every tree that was pleasant to the eye and good for food; in the middle of it were two extraordinary trees: the tree of life 2
The fruits of the tree of life had the power to save a person from disease and death.

And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God said to man: You will eat from every tree, but you must not eat from the tree of good or evil: if you eat from it, you will die. After that, God put Adam into a deep sleep, during his sleep he took out his rib and created a wife similar to him - Eve (life).

On the seventh day, God rested from His works, that is, did not create anything, and commanded that this day be spent holy, in prayer and good deeds.

Having created the world, God does not leave it without His care. He keeps it and manages it, sends rain and dew to our fields. We call on God in our prayers, ask Him for help in good deeds, thank Him for His mercies and glorify Him for His perfections.

Angels were created by God before man and by their nature are higher than us.

They live in heaven and serve God. Angels have the most beneficial attitude towards people; The Guardian Angel is especially close to us. The prayer to the Guardian Angel begins with the words: “To the Angel of Christ, my holy guardian...”

Chapter 2
The fall of the first people, the promise of the Savior and the punishment for sin. Cain and Abel

THE FALL OF THE FIRST PEOPLE, THE PROMISE OF THE SAVIOR AND THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN. Living in paradise, the first people were blissful. But this did not last long. One of the highest Angels, with some others, rebelled against God, his Creator, and did not listen to Him, becoming an evil angel - the devil. God deprived the indignant angels of bliss and removed them from Himself. Then the devil began to envy the first people and decided to destroy them.

One day Eve was near the forbidden tree. The devil entered the serpent, and the serpent said to Eve: Is it true that God forbade you to eat the fruits of all the trees of paradise? Eve answered: no, God ordered us to eat fruits from all the trees of paradise, and forbade us to eat only from the fruits of the tree that is in the middle of paradise, so as not to die. The serpent said: no, you will not die, but God knows that if you taste them, you yourself will be like gods and will know good and evil. Eve liked the serpent's speech; She looked at the fruits, and the fruits seemed good. She took the fruit, ate it, and then persuaded her husband to do the same. Thus both sinned.

Having committed sin, Adam and Eve immediately saw that they were naked. They felt ashamed and scared. They made clothes from leaves and covered their nakedness. In the evening, when they heard that God was walking in paradise, they hid among the trees. The Lord said to Adam: Adam, where are you? Adam answered: I am here, Lord, but I am naked and therefore I hid. The Lord asked: who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the forbidden tree? Instead of repenting of their sin and asking God for forgiveness, the first people began to lay aside the blame. Adam said that his wife seduced him, and Eve said that she was seduced by the serpent.

Then the Lord condemned the perpetrators of sin. He cursed the seducer - the devil, saying that there would be a struggle between him and people, in which people would remain winners, namely: a Descendant would come from his wife 3
The descendant is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Who will crush the power and might of the devil and return lost bliss to people. Then the Lord determined punishment for people too. He told Adam that he would earn bread for himself by the sweat of his brow until he died, and told Eve that she would give birth to children in illness. After this, people were expelled from paradise; they suffered from illness, various misfortunes and death. From the first people, sin, with its consequences, passed on to all their descendants.

The Lord forbids us evil thoughts and desires, because bad sinful deeds arise from them. We must protect ourselves from evil thoughts and be afraid of violating the will of God. Every bad deed entails bad consequences - we saw an example of this in our ancestors.


CAIN AND ABEL. After their expulsion from paradise, Adam and Eve began to have children: Cain and Abel were the first to be born. Cain was of a stern disposition and had an evil heart; Abel was meek and pious. He pleased his parents, but not for long. One day the brothers made a sacrifice 4
Sacrifice is a gift.

To God: Cain - from the fruits of the earth, Abel - from animals. God saw that Abel made a sacrifice with faith and zeal, but Cain did not have them, and therefore he accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not Cain’s. Then Cain, out of envy and vexation, killed his brother Abel and, tormented by his conscience, fled from his parents to another land. Instead of Abel, God gave them a third son - Seth. 5
After Seth, Adam and Eve had other children - sons and daughters.

Human life is a gift from God; therefore, a person has no right either to deprive himself of it or to take it away from others. Taking the life of a neighbor is called murder, it is a grave sin.

Chapter 3
Flood

From the sons of Adam, the human race soon multiplied. From Seth came good and pious people 6
Remarkable among them are: Enoch, who for his holy life was taken up to heaven alive; Methuselah, who lived on earth longer than anyone else - nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and Noah, whom the Lord saved from the Flood.

And from Cain - the evil and wicked. The descendants of Seth first lived apart from the descendants of Cain, retaining faith in God and the future Savior; but later they began to take their daughters as wives, adopted bad customs from them, became corrupted and forgot the true God; only the righteous Noah and his family remembered Him. God appeared to Noah and said: preach to the people so that they will repent and reform, for which I will give them one hundred and twenty years. Noah told people about this, but they did not want to listen to him. Then God decided to destroy sinners with a flood. He told Noah to build an ark (a large, four-cornered vessel) that could accommodate his family and animals. When the ark was ready, Noah, at the command of God, entered it with his wife, three sons and their wives, and took with him animals and birds that cannot live in water, clean - seven pairs, and unclean - one pair.

After this it rained for forty days and forty nights. The water overflowed the banks of rivers and seas, rose higher than the highest mountains and drowned all animals and people. Noah and those with him in the ark floated safely on the surface of the water.

The flood continued for a whole year. In the seventh month, the water began to subside, and the ark stopped on the mountains of Ararat (in Armenia). On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains appeared. By the end of the year, the water entered the banks and the land dried out. Then Noah, at the command of God, left the ark and for his salvation offered a sacrifice to God from all clean animals and birds. The Lord mercifully accepted this sacrifice, blessed Noah and his sons and gave him a promise that there would be no such flood in the future; as a sign of His promise He placed a rainbow in the sky 7
Before the Flood, the Lord did not send rain to the earth, so there was no rainbow.

The Lord rewards righteous people who lead a pious life, but punishes sinners who do not care about their repentance and correction. Therefore, children, try to be kind, pious, and avoid sinful deeds. When you fall into sin, hurry to confess and ask the Lord God to forgive your sins and not punish you for them.

Chapter 4
Children of Noah. Pandemonium. The emergence of idolatry

Children of NOAH. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, Japheth. Upon leaving the ark, Noah planted a vineyard and began to cultivate it. One day, after drinking grape wine, Noah became drunk and lay naked. At this time Ham passed by him. He was a bad man, disrespectful to his father. Seeing his father's nakedness, he began to laugh at him, then he went and told his brothers about it. But Ham's brothers were not so rude and disrespectful. Instead of laughing at their father, they took clothes and carefully covered his nakedness.

When Noah woke up and found out that Ham was laughing at him, he cursed him and condemned all his descendants to serve and serve as slaves to his brothers. He blessed Shem and Japheth, saying that the true faith would be preserved in the descendants of Shem, and the descendants of Japheth would spread throughout the earth and accept the true faith from the descendants of Shem.

Honor your father and your mother so that you may receive a blessing from them, for the blessing of your parents establishes the homes of your children. Disrespect for parents is a terrible sin and entails bad consequences. An example of this is Ham and his descendants.


PANDEMONIUM. After the flood, people began to multiply very quickly. At first they lived together in one country, not far from the Ararat mountains, which was called the Chaldean country; They had one language and one dialect. Then, when it became crowded for them to live in one place, they began to disperse. But first they agreed to build a city, and in it a tower as high as heaven, in order to gain glory for themselves. They made bricks and began construction. But God was not pleased with this enterprise. He mixed the language of the builders so that they could not understand each other. They stopped building the city and dispersed across the earth in different directions. This is how peoples speaking different languages ​​arose. The unfinished city was called Babylon, which means “confusion.”


THE APPEARANCE OF IDOLATRY

When people scattered in different directions, they forgot the invisible, true God, the Creator of the world. Many tribes invented their own gods. Instead of the true God, they began to worship the sun, moon, stars and various animals; They began to make idols for themselves and all sorts of likenesses of creatures, to worship them and make sacrifices. These people are called idolaters, and their faith is idolatry.

The Lord does not tolerate the vain and proud deeds of men. You must always have the fear of God in your soul and strive for God-mindedness. Laziness and carelessness should be avoided: these vices lead to wickedness and forgetfulness of God.

Chapter 5
Abraham's Calling. The appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham in the form of three wanderers. Sacrifice of Isaac

ABRAHAM'S CALLING. When almost all people became idolaters, God chose one pious man named Abraham, son of Terah, from the tribe of Shem, to preserve the true faith on earth. Abraham lived in the land of the Chaldeans, was rich, had many slaves and livestock, but was childless and grieved about it. One day God appeared to him and said: leave your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you; I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great. Abraham was seventy-five years old at that time. Obeying God, he took with him his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, all his property and all his slaves and went to the land that the Lord showed him. This land was called Canaan and was very fertile. Entering it, Abraham built an altar and offered a thanksgiving sacrifice to God.


THE APPEARANCE TO ABRAHAM OF THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE FORM OF THREE WANDERERS. In the land of Canaan, Abraham settled near Hebron. One day, sitting near his tent, he saw three wanderers not far away. Abraham loved to entertain strangers. He immediately went to meet them, bowed to the ground and began asking them to come to him to rest under a tree and refresh themselves with food. The wanderers agreed. According to the custom of that time, Abraham washed their feet, gave them bread, milk and the best roasted calf. While the strangers were eating, one of them said: in a year I will be with you again; Sarah your wife will have a son. Sarah, standing behind the entrance to the tent, heard these words. Surprised inwardly, she said: Should I have such consolation in my old age? But the stranger said: is there anything difficult for God?


SACRIFICE OF ISAAC. A year has passed since this event. Abraham was a hundred years old, and his wife Sarah was ninety when their son Isaac was born. Abraham loved his son with all his soul; The Lord saw this. When Isaac grew up, God, wanting to test Abraham's faith, told him: take your only son, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him on one of the mountains that I will show you 8
The sacrifice of Isaac was a type of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Abraham obeyed. The next day, early in the morning, he prepared firewood, saddled the donkey, took two slaves and his son Isaac, and set off. On the third day of his journey, a place for sacrifice was indicated to him from afar. Leaving his slaves under the mountain, Abraham gave Isaac firewood, he himself took fire and a knife, and they went up the mountain. Dear Isaac asked Abraham: My father, we have fire and wood, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered: The Lord will provide for Himself a lamb. Abraham built an altar on the mountain, laid out the wood, bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar. He had already raised the knife to stab Isaac. Suddenly the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: Abraham, Abraham! do not raise your hand against your servant! Now I know that you fear God, for you did not spare your only son. Looking around, Abraham saw a ram entangled in a bush with its horns, and sacrificed it.

One must have firm faith in God and perfect obedience: without this it is impossible to please God, to be happy and to be worthy of the promises of God. There is no need to be cowardly in trials. Everything that the Lord does, he does for our well-being.

Chapter 6
Jacob's vision of the mysterious staircase

Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Esau loved to be in the field and hunt. Jacob was meek, obedient to his parents and lived near his home. One day Jacob went to Mesopotamia to visit relatives. Night overtook him in the middle of the field. Having prayed to God, he put a stone under his head, lay down and fell asleep. And then he sees in a dream: there is a ladder 9
The ladder seen in Jacob's dream symbolized the Mother of God, through whom the Son of God descended to earth.

On the ground, and its top touches the heavens. Angels of God ascend and descend along it, and at the top of the stairs the Lord Himself stands and says to him: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac; I will give this land to you and your descendants, and your descendants will be as numerous as the sand of the earth; in him (through the Savior) all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Waking up, Jacob said: This place is scary; this is the house of God, this is the gate of heaven. Jacob set up the stone on which he slept and poured oil on it as a sacrifice to God. He called this place Bethel, which means “house of God.”

Chapter 7
Joseph

Jacob, called Israel 10
Israel means God-fighter.

He lived in the land of Canaan, was rich, pious and pleasing to God. He had twelve sons 11
The sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issaha, Zebulun, Dan, Nephealim, Gad, Asher, Joseph and Benjamin.

Of these, he loved Joseph most of all for his meekness and sincerity. The brothers were unpleasant that their father loved Joseph more than them: they hated their brother for this, and even more for his dreams. At different times, Joseph had two dreams, which he told his father and brothers. First dream: as if he and his brothers were knitting sheaves in a field; Joseph's sheaf stood up, and the brothers' sheaves surrounded his sheaf and bowed down to him. Second dream: as if the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed to him. After listening to these dreams, the father said to Joseph: Do you really think that we will all bow to you?

Joseph's brothers tended their father's flocks and often went far from home. One day Jacob, having not heard from them for a long time, sent Joseph to find out if his brothers were healthy and if the cattle were safe. Joseph put on his beautiful clothes and went. The brothers saw him from afar and said: here is our dreamer coming; let's kill him! But the elder brother, Reuben, advised it was better to throw him into a well, where he himself could die. Joseph was lowered into the well. At this time, Izmail merchants with goods were passing by. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him into slavery to merchants, and told his father that a predatory beast had torn him to pieces.

Merchants took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to a nobleman named Potiphar. Living in Egypt among the pagans, Joseph firmly maintained his faith in the true God and was afraid of sinning before Him. He served his new master honestly. Potifar loved him for this and made him the steward of his house. But Potiphar's wife was not a good woman. She slandered Joseph to her husband, and he was thrown into prison. However, God, who does not abandon virtuous people even in the midst of misfortune, revealed to Joseph the understanding of interpreting dreams and through this glorified him.

One night the Egyptian king, pharaoh 12
Egyptian kings were called pharaohs.

I saw two dreams. The first dream: as if he stood by a river and seven fat cows came out of it, and after them seven skinny cows came out. The skinny cows ate the fat ones, but they themselves did not gain weight. Then he saw another dream: seven full ears grew on one stalk, and after them seven dry ears grew; the full ones were eaten dry, but even then they did not gain weight. In the morning, Pharaoh called all the wise men and interpreters, but no one could explain these dreams to him. One courtier said to Pharaoh: we have a young Jew in our prison who interprets dreams well. Pharaoh ordered Joseph to be brought. Joseph, having listened to Pharaoh's dreams, said: Sir, both dreams mean the same thing; seven fat cows and seven full ears of corn mean seven fertile years, and seven lean cows and seven dry ears of corn mean seven years of famine; So you, sir, choose for yourself a wise and sensible husband, who could prepare bread for the hungry years in the fertile years. Pharaoh liked Joseph's interpretation of dreams and sound advice. He said to Joseph, “If God has revealed all this to you, then there is no one wiser than you,” and he made Joseph commander over the entire land of Egypt and instructed him to prepare grain.

Joseph's prediction came true. First came seven fertile years, and then seven hungry years. During the fertile years, Joseph prepared so much grain for the hungry years that it could be sold to foreign lands. People from all the neighboring countries began to come to buy bread, because at that time there was famine throughout the entire land. Jacob, hearing that grain was being sold in Egypt, sent his children to get it. The brothers did not recognize Joseph and bowed to the ground. Joseph involuntarily remembered the dreams of his childhood, but before opening up to his brothers, he experienced them. He received them sternly, like spies, and even ordered one of them, Simeon, to be detained. When the brothers arrived for the second time and Joseph learned that they had improved and become better, he revealed himself to them. Having sent out his servants, he said: I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt; do not be sad or regret the past; God sent me here; go to your father and tell him to come live with me.

Jacob rejoiced when he heard that his beloved son Joseph was alive. Having prayed to God and received a command from Him, he immediately went to Egypt with his entire family, which consisted of seventy-five people.

Joseph died at a very old age 13
Joseph, who suffered from his brothers, then became glorified and saved their lives, was a prototype of Christ the Savior, who suffered from people, was glorified and saved them.

The Holy Church remembers him on Monday of Holy Week.

Love each other, children, avoid hatred, lies and deception, as sins contrary to the commandments of God. Like Joseph, try to be meek, frank and honest. These virtues are pleasing to God and people. Forgive the grievances and sorrows of your neighbors. In adversity, be patient and firm. The Lord does not abandon pious people even in the midst of misfortune.

Chapter 8
Birth of the prophet Moses. Moses' Call for the Liberation of the Jews

BIRTH OF THE PROPHET MOSES. After Jacob's death, his descendants lived in Egypt for about two hundred years. At this time they multiplied so much that they formed an entire nation, which was called Jewish or Israeli. The kings of Egypt, fearing that this people would become stronger than the Egyptians and rebel against them, began to exhaust them with various hard jobs; and one of them ordered all newborn Jewish boys to be killed or thrown into the river.

At this time, an unusually handsome son was born to one pious Jew. The mother first hid him for three months at home, and when it became impossible to hide, she took a tarred basket, put the baby in it and placed it in the reeds on the bank of the river, where the Pharaoh’s daughter went to swim. She saw a baby in a basket, took pity on him, took him to her, raised him as a son and named him Moses, which means “taken from the water.”

Moses lived in Egypt for forty years, was taught all the wisdom of Egypt and could have taken a high position at the court of Pharaoh, but worldly glory did not attract him.

He knew that he was a Jew and that he had a brother Aaron and a sister Mariamne, and often visited them. One day, while visiting his relatives, he saw that an Egyptian was beating a Jew, stood up for the Jew and killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses for this. Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, settled there with the priest Jethro and married his daughter Zipporah.


MOSES' CALL TO THE LIBERATION OF THE JEWS. Living in the land of Midian, Moses tended his father-in-law's sheep and constantly thought about the unfortunate Jews. One day he led the flock far into the desert, to the mountain of God Horeb, and saw a thorn bush that was burning and not being consumed. Moses came closer to see this miracle. Suddenly a voice was heard from the bush: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; I see the suffering of My people in Egypt and I know their sorrows. Go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and bring out my people. Moses said: Lord, they will not believe me that You sent me. The Lord gave him the power to perform various signs and wonders 14
Miracles: God ordered Moses to throw his rod to the ground, and the rod turned into a serpent; then he ordered to take the serpent by the tail, and the serpent became a rod. Also: God told Moses to put his hand in his bosom, and it became covered with leprosy; then God again ordered her to put her hand in her bosom, and she became healthy.

Moses went to Egypt and told Pharaoh the will of God. But Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and did not agree to let the Jews go. Then God struck Egypt with ten different plagues 15
These executions are as follows: 1) turning water into blood; 2) toads (frogs); 3) midges; 4) dog flies; 5) death of livestock; 6) purulent scabs on people; 7) heavy hail; 8) locusts that destroyed the greenery; 9) three-day darkness; 10) slaughter of the firstborn of Egypt.

The last of which was the extermination of all the firstborn of Egypt, from man to cattle.