Priest John Pavlov

20. The Parable of the Two Sons

People look at the outside, but God looks at the heart, at the inner essence of a person. And it must be said that often this inner essence very different from the appearance, from the external way of behavior. We care a lot about our outward appearance and make efforts to appear good, kind and righteous to people, but our true inner state does not always correspond to the favorable impression that our appearance, our outward behavior makes.

An example of such a discrepancy can be seen in the Gospel parable of the two sons. One man had two sons, and he approached the first one and asked him to work in his home vineyard. The son at first said: I do not want to, but after repenting, he went. The father turned to another son, and he said: yes, I will go, but he did not keep his word and did not go. And to the question of which of these two sons fulfilled the will of his father, the Gospel answers that her first son did, despite the fact that initially he so sharply or even rudely refused to listen to his father.

This parable of Christ directly referred to the Pharisees, who, like the second son, outwardly seemed righteous to people, but according to God's judgment they were placed below obvious sinners - tax collectors and harlots. But it has a relation to all of us, and the most direct relation. The fact is that in our country, as once among the Pharisees, there is often a glaring discrepancy between the outward appearance and the inner state. All of us, church people, like the second son, say “yes” to our Heavenly Father - we say with external deeds: by going to church, reading the morning and evening rule, confessing and taking communion, observing fasts. We pay all our attention to these external affairs, and if we manage to fulfill them at least somehow, then we consider that this is enough for us and that we have "fulfilled the will of the father." As a rule, we pay much less attention to the inner state of our soul.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of God, according to the Gospel word, must first of all be within us - it consists in the Lord coming into our soul and dwelling in it. And if this is not the case, then we need to be afraid, no matter how they treat us famous words Christ about the Pharisees: these people honor Me only in words, but their hearts are far from Me. To avoid such a disaster, we need to carefully look inside ourselves, into our soul - what is happening there? For if passions live in it - envy, condemnation, anger, unwillingness to reconcile, pride, greed, and the like - then external affairs will help us little. In this case, on the scales of God's judgment, we can be lower than obvious sinners, drunkards and harlots, for God looks first of all at the internal, and not at the external.

It should be added to what has been said that the parable of the two sons also teaches us humility - for there are no and cannot be any guarantees that we will certainly enter the Kingdom of God for outward deeds of piety - for going to church, observing fasts, even helping people and the like. Without a proper inner arrangement, all external affairs are worth little. And therefore we should always humble ourselves and consider ourselves worse than all people, even obvious sinners. You need to say to yourself like this: although I go to church, keep fasts and so on, but these people do not go and do not observe, however, this is only an external difference, and according to my internal state - who knows - maybe I will be worse before God than they are. ? And if I am worse, then I should expect salvation not as a reward for my labors, but as the grace of God, which I am not worthy ...

And truly, we are deeply unworthy of God's mercy, unworthy of the Paradise of God, where the Lord is calling us. However, although they are unworthy, it is still necessary to strive to enter there. We must try to correct ourselves in order to receive mercy from God and be with the beloved Lord. Elder Paisius of Athos says that we need to ask for the very last place in Paradise for ourselves. At the same time, even such a place, we should consider ourselves unworthy and ask for it only so that Christ would not be upset, seeing that we ended up in hell, after everything that He did for us. This is how humbly one should think of oneself.

Glory to God, brothers and sisters, that He called us into His Church, brought us, according to the word of Scripture, into His chambers. Thank God that we go to church, pray, fast, confess and take communion - for all this we must thank the Lord until the end of our days. But we must also always remember that outward appearances alone are not enough, that outward piety must certainly correspond to the true inner disposition of the soul, that the Kingdom of God must first of all be found within us. Amen.

Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria:

The Lord brings here two kinds of people, of which one first made a promise - such were the Jews, who once said: “We will do everything that God said, and we will be obedient”, and others are people who initially did not submit, such as harlots and tax collectors, likewise pagans; all these people at first did not obey the will of God, but, in the end, they repented and obeyed.
Note here the wisdom of Christ: He did not first say to the Pharisees: “The publicans and sinners are better than all of you,” no, He first caught them.
They themselves admitted that of the two sons, the more obedient was the one who actually carried out the will of his father.

When they acknowledged this, the Lord added: “John came in the way of righteousness,” that is, he lived faultlessly; you cannot say that his life was in any way reprehensible.
Yet while the harlots listened to him, you did not; that is why they precede you, that is, they enter the Kingdom of God first.
Try also you, having believed, to enter at least after them. If you do not believe, then you will not enter at all.<...>

Saint John Chrysostom:

Christ again denounces the Jews with parables, alluding both to their disobedience and to the humility of the previously outcast pagans.
Here by two sons is meant what happened to the Gentiles and Jews.
The former, not giving promises of obedience and not hearing the law, rendered obedience by the very deed; and the latter though they said: all, the tree has spoken God, let us create and listen(Ex. 19, 8), in fact did not show obedience to the law. Therefore, lest the Jews should think that the law benefits them, Christ shows that this is the very thing and condemns them. Accordingly, Paul says: not the hearers of the law of righteousness before God, but the makers of the law, these will be justified(Rom. 2:13).
Therefore, in order for the Jews to condemn themselves, the Savior forces them to pronounce the sentence themselves.

<...>It is bad not to do good at the very beginning; but even greater condemnation is worthy of the one who does not correct himself even after.
This especially makes many wicked.
Even now I see the same thing happen to some because of their extreme hardness of heart.
But let no one be so insensitive, and even if one fell into the greatest wickedness, let him not then despair of his correction; it is easy to come out of the deepest abyss of wickedness.
<...>So the first will be last, and the last first!
Thus, we must always be zealous, and then nothing will prevent us from becoming great and marvelous.

Therefore, no sinner should despair, just as a virtuous person should not indulge in heedlessness.
And let the latter not rely on himself, as it can happen, and very often happens, that a prostitute will forestall him.
Likewise, let the sinner not despair, and it is still possible for him to surpass even the first.<...>
When we turn to God with fiery love, He does not remember our previous sins. God is not like a man:
He no longer reproaches for what has passed, and when we repent, He does not say to us: Why have you been away from Me for so long?
but already loves us when we come to Him, if only we come to Him as we should.
So, let us unite with the Lord with fiery love; nail him to fear our hearts.

<...>The Lord says to the presumptuous: who thinks he is standing, beware not to fall(1 Cor. 10, 12),
and to the fallen: don't they get up when they fall?(Jer. 8, 4). Strengthen the weakened hands and strengthen the trembling knees(Isaiah 35:3).
Watch, He says to the godly, but to the wicked: “arise, sleeper, and rise from the dead…” (Eph. 5:14).<...>
So incomprehensible are the ways of God! The Magi pleased God, the publican became an evangelist, the persecutor of God became an apostle.

Imagine this and never despair, but always hope and encourage yourself.
Hurry, but quickly enter the path that leads to heaven, so that the doors are not closed for you and the entrance is not blocked.
The present time is short, and labor is not great, but even if it were great, then even in this case it is not necessary to renounce it.
<...>
He who despises earthly blessings already finds a reward for himself in the fact that he is free from anxiety, hatred, slander, deceit, envy.
He who leads a life blameless and honest, even before departing from real life crowned and consoled, freed from all dishonor, ridicule, danger, accusation, and all other evils. In the same way, all other kinds of virtue here still bring us a reward. So, in order to achieve present and future blessings, let us flee vice and strive for virtue. In this way, we will be comforted here as well, and in the future we will be rewarded with blessings, which we all will be able to receive by the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Rev. John of Damascus:

Scripture says that a father had two sons, and to the first of them the father said: go and work in the vineyard.
The son made a promise, but did not keep it. The father said the same thing to his other son.
But this one, refusing in words, fulfilled the will of his father in deeds; therefore the first deserved reproach, and the last praise (see: Mt. 21, 28-31).

So we too must remember that renunciation and that combination to which we pledged ourselves in Baptism.
Let us begin to reject the devil, his Aggels, and every ministry, in order to remain faithful to our obligation.
The works of the devil are: adultery, fornication, envy, enmity, quarrels, hypocrisy, slander, ridicule, anger, malice, condemnation, slander, magic.
Signs of disbelief: mercilessness, hatred, carnal love, lust for the flesh, avarice, luxury, drunkenness.
Serving the devil: arrogance, vanity, pride, arrogance, pride, attachment to body ornaments.
Rejecting all this, let us cling to Christ and zeal for the virtues - purity, chastity, poverty, patience, peace, love, compassion, mercy, generosity to the poor, propriety in manners, dress and behavior, justice, humility, and especially , about the humiliation of Christ, so that, having become participants in Christ in suffering, we could participate in His glory, and offer a living, immaculate sacrifice to God and the Father in the Church of the Firstborn, in the dwelling of those who rejoice!

St. Theophan the Recluse:

In the parable of the two sons, the second of them quickly said, “I am going,” and did not go.
This is an image of all hasty good intentions, which then lack constancy, will and patience to carry out.
A light heart is immediately ready for every good that presents itself to it, but an unsteady and industrious will refuses to do it at the very first stages.
This infirmity occurs in almost everyone.
How can one avoid such failure before oneself and before others?
And here's how: don't start anything without thinking it over and not calculating that there will be enough strength for what you are doing.
So the Lord commanded in the parable of the one who starts a war and starts building a house.
What is this calculation?
In that, according to the words of the same inflowing suggestions of the Lord, in order to arm yourself in advance with self-sacrifice and patience.
See if you have these supports of all the workers in good, and if you have, start the business, and if not, then stock up on them in advance.
If you stock up, then whatever you meet on the way to the intentional, you will endure and overcome everything, and you will finish what you started.
Calculation does not mean that as soon as the work is too difficult - drop it, but that it means to inspire yourself for any kind of work.
From here firmness of will and constancy of doing will come.<...>

Archbishop Averky (Taushev):

"One Man Had Two Sons"- as can be seen from the following, by a man is meant God, by the first son - publicans and harlots, that is, in general, sinful people, and by the second son - scribes and Pharisees, that is, in general, all who consider themselves righteous.
"Go and work in my vineyard": the vineyard is the church, and the work in it is the deeds of piety, the fulfillment of the commandments of God.

To God's demands, sinners respond: "Don't want" by their very lives, but then they repent, as publicans and harlots repented after the preaching of John the Baptist, and they begin to do the will of God.
Pharisees and imaginary righteous say "I'm going", that is, in words they seem to fulfill the will of God, but in reality they do not, for they do not accept the Lord's preaching about repentance.

Not understanding the meaning of the parable, the curious, naturally, to the question of the Lord, which of the two fulfilled the will of the father, answered Him: "The first."
It was then that the Lord revealed to them the meaning of the parable aimed at condemning them.
He pointed out to them that those people whom they despise as sinners turned out to be more worthy than they to enter the Kingdom of the Messiah - the Church of Christ.

Priest Konstantin Parkhomenko:

There were people who were considered clean: the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders, Jews in general, who considered themselves clean, faithful children of God.
And there were those who considered themselves unclean, sons-traitors: publicans, harlots...
The paradox is that the first ones, who all the time declared their loyalty to God, did not go the way of God.
And the second, despite their unworthiness, followed Christ and accepted His preaching.

The parable sharpens the issue: the Jewish leaders seemed to be doing the right thing. It seemed that they were with God ...
They tried to fulfill the Commandments of God, they even fulfilled the unimportant details.
But… when the question was bluntly put - to accept the teachings of Jesus and follow Him, they did not go.
So, despite their chosenness, they lose priority.
And those who seemed to be hopeless, unfaithful, who only occasionally, contrary to the general trend, came up, I’ll even put it - sneaked up- to Christ, with prayer and hope, they went ...

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32 "the path of righteousness"- a biblical expression. John the Baptist acted according to the will of God and called to obey it in order to embark on the path of righteousness.

1. The Evangelist Matthew (which means “gift of God”) was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Acts 1:13). Luke (Lk 5:27) calls him Levi, and Mark (Mk 2:14) calls him Levi of Alpheus, i.e. son of Alpheus: it is known that some Jews had two names (for example, Joseph Barnabas or Joseph Caiaphas). Matthew was a tax collector (collector) at the Capernaum customs house, located on the coast of the Sea of ​​Galilee (Mk 2:13-14). Apparently, he was in the service not of the Romans, but of the tetrarch (ruler) of Galilee - Herod Antipas. Matthew's profession required knowledge of the Greek language from him. The future evangelist is depicted in Scripture as a sociable person: many friends gathered in his Capernaum house. This exhausts the data of the New Testament about the person whose name is in the title of the first Gospel. According to legend, after the Ascension of Jesus Christ, he preached the Good News to the Jews in Palestine.

2. Around 120, the disciple of the Apostle John Papias of Hierapolis testifies: “Matthew wrote down the sayings of the Lord (Logia Cyriacus) in Hebrew (Hebrew here should be understood as the Aramaic dialect), and he translated them as best he could” (Eusebius, Church History, III.39). The term Logia (and the corresponding Hebrew dibrei) means not only sayings, but also events. Papias' message repeats ca. 170 St. Irenaeus of Lyons, emphasizing that the evangelist wrote for Jewish Christians (Against Heresies. III.1.1.). The historian Eusebius (4th century) writes that “Matthew, having first preached to the Jews, and then, intending to go to others, expounded in the native language the Gospel, now known by his name” (Church History, III.24). According to most modern scholars, this Aramaic Gospel (Logia) appeared between the 40s and 50s. Probably, Matthew made the first notes when he accompanied the Lord.

The original Aramaic text of the Gospel of Matthew has been lost. We have only the Greek translation, apparently made between the 70s and 80s. Its antiquity is confirmed by the mention in the works of "Apostolic Men" (St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius the God-bearer, St. Polycarp). Historians believe that the Greek Ev. from Matthew originated in Antioch, where, along with Jewish Christians, first appeared large groups Gentile Christians.

3. Text Ev. from Matthew indicates that its author was a Palestinian Jew. He is well acquainted with the OT, with the geography, history and customs of his people. His Ev. is closely related to the OT tradition: in particular, it constantly points to the fulfillment of prophecies in the life of the Lord.

Matthew speaks more often than others about the Church. He devotes considerable attention to the question of the conversion of the Gentiles. Of the prophets, Matthew quotes Isaiah the most (21 times). At the center of Matthew's theology is the concept of the Kingdom of God (which, in accordance with Jewish tradition, he usually calls the Kingdom of Heaven). It resides in heaven, and comes to this world in the person of the Messiah. The gospel of the Lord is the gospel of the mystery of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:11). It means the reign of God among people. In the beginning, the Kingdom is present in the world "in an inconspicuous way", and only at the end of time will its fullness be revealed. The coming of the Kingdom of God was foretold in the OT and realized in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Therefore, Matthew often calls Him the Son of David (one of the messianic titles).

4. Plan MF: 1. Prologue. Birth and childhood of Christ (Mt 1-2); 2. Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of the sermon (Mt 3-4); 3. Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7); 4. Ministry of Christ in Galilee. Miracles. Those who accepted and rejected Him (Mt 8-18); 5. The road to Jerusalem (Mt 19-25); 6. Passion. Resurrection (Mt 26-28).

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Holy Scriptures of the New Testament were written in Greek, with the exception of the Gospel of Matthew, which is said to have been written in Hebrew or Aramaic. But since this Hebrew text has not survived, the Greek text is considered the original for the Gospel of Matthew. Thus, only the Greek text of the New Testament is the original, and numerous editions in various modern languages all over the world are translations from the Greek original.

The Greek language in which the New Testament was written was no longer the classical Greek language and was not, as previously thought, a special New Testament language. This is the colloquial everyday language of the first century A.D., spread in the Greco-Roman world and known in science under the name "κοινη", i.e. "common speech"; yet the style, and turns of speech, and way of thinking of the sacred writers of the New Testament reveal the Hebrew or Aramaic influence.

The original text of the NT has come down to us in a large number of ancient manuscripts, more or less complete, numbering about 5000 (from the 2nd to the 16th century). Before recent years the most ancient of them did not go back beyond the 4th century no P.X. But lately, many fragments of ancient manuscripts of the NT on papyrus (3rd and even 2nd c) have been discovered. So, for example, Bodmer's manuscripts: Ev from John, Luke, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude - were found and published in the 60s of our century. In addition to Greek manuscripts, we have ancient translations or versions into Latin, Syriac, Coptic and other languages ​​(Vetus Itala, Peshitto, Vulgata, etc.), of which the oldest existed already from the 2nd century AD.

Finally, numerous quotations from the Church Fathers in Greek and other languages ​​have been preserved in such quantity that if the text of the New Testament were lost and all ancient manuscripts were destroyed, then specialists could restore this text from quotations from the works of the Holy Fathers. All this abundant material makes it possible to check and refine the text of the NT and to classify its various forms (the so-called textual criticism). Compared with any ancient author (Homer, Euripides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Cornelius Nepos, Julius Caesar, Horace, Virgil, etc.), our modern - printed - Greek text of the NT is in an exceptionally favorable position. And by the number of manuscripts, and by the brevity of time separating the oldest of them from the original, and by the number of translations, and by their antiquity, and by the seriousness and volume of critical work carried out on the text, it surpasses all other texts (for details, see "The Hidden Treasures and New Life, Archaeological Discoveries and the Gospel, Bruges, 1959, pp. 34 ff.). The text of the NT as a whole is fixed quite irrefutably.

The New Testament consists of 27 books. They are subdivided by the publishers into 260 chapters of unequal length for the purpose of providing references and citations. The original text does not contain this division. The modern division into chapters in the New Testament, as in the whole Bible, has often been ascribed to the Dominican Cardinal Hugh (1263), who elaborated it in his symphony to the Latin Vulgate, but it is now thought with great reason that this division goes back to Stephen the Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton, who died in 1228. As for the division into verses now accepted in all editions of the New Testament, it goes back to the publisher of the Greek New Testament text, Robert Stephen, and was introduced by him into his edition in 1551.

The sacred books of the New Testament are usually divided into statutory (Four Gospels), historical (Acts of the Apostles), teaching (seven conciliar epistles and fourteen epistles of the Apostle Paul) and prophetic: the Apocalypse or Revelation of St. John the Theologian (see the Long Catechism of St. Philaret of Moscow).

However, modern experts consider this distribution outdated: in fact, all the books of the New Testament are law-positive, historical, and instructive, and there is prophecy not only in the Apocalypse. New Testament science pays great attention to the exact establishment of the chronology of the gospel and other New Testament events. Scientific chronology allows the reader to follow the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles and the original Church according to the New Testament with sufficient accuracy (see Appendixes).

New Testament books can be distributed in the following way:

1) Three so-called Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and, separately, the fourth: the Gospel of John. New Testament scholarship devotes much attention to the study of the relationship of the first three Gospels and their relation to the Gospel of John (the synoptic problem).

2) The Book of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul ("Corpus Paulinum"), which are usually divided into:

a) Early Epistles: 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

b) Greater Epistles: Galatians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Romans.

c) Messages from bonds, i.e. written from Rome, where ap. Paul was in prison: Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon.

d) Pastoral Epistles: 1st to Timothy, to Titus, 2nd to Timothy.

e) The Epistle to the Hebrews.

3) Catholic Epistles ("Corpus Catholicum").

4) Revelation of John the Theologian. (Sometimes in the NT they single out "Corpus Joannicum", i.e. everything that ap Ying wrote for a comparative study of his Gospel in connection with his epistles and the book of Rev.).

FOUR GOSPEL

1. The word "gospel" (ευανγελιον) in Greek means "good news". This is how our Lord Jesus Christ Himself called His teaching (Mt 24:14; Mt 26:13; Mc 1:15; Mc 13:10; Mc 14:9; Mc 16:15). Therefore, for us, the "gospel" is inextricably linked with Him: it is the "good news" of salvation given to the world through the incarnate Son of God.

Christ and His apostles preached the gospel without writing it down. By the middle of the 1st century, this sermon had been fixed by the Church in a strong oral tradition. The Eastern custom of memorizing sayings, stories, and even large texts by heart helped the Christians of the apostolic age to accurately preserve the unwritten First Gospel. After the 1950s, when eyewitnesses to Christ's earthly ministry began to pass away one by one, the need arose to record the gospel (Lc 1:1). Thus, the “gospel” began to denote the narrative recorded by the apostles about the life and teachings of the Savior. It was read at prayer meetings and in preparing people for baptism.

2. The most important Christian centers of the 1st century (Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Ephesus, etc.) had their own gospels. Of these, only four (Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn) are recognized by the Church as inspired by God, i.e. written under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. They are called "from Matthew", "from Mark", etc. (Greek “kata” corresponds to Russian “according to Matthew”, “according to Mark”, etc.), for the life and teachings of Christ are set forth in these books by these four priests. Their gospels were not brought together in one book, which made it possible to see the gospel story from different points of view. In the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus of Lyon calls the evangelists by name and points to their gospels as the only canonical ones (Against Heresies 2, 28, 2). A contemporary of St. Irenaeus, Tatian, made the first attempt to create a single gospel narrative, composed of various texts of the four gospels, the Diatessaron, i.e. gospel of four.

3. The apostles did not set themselves the goal of creating a historical work in the modern sense of the word. They sought to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ, helped people to believe in Him, correctly understand and fulfill His commandments. The testimonies of the evangelists do not coincide in all details, which proves their independence from each other: the testimonies of eyewitnesses are always individual in color. The Holy Spirit does not certify the accuracy of the details of the facts described in the gospel, but the spiritual meaning contained in them.

The minor contradictions encountered in the presentation of the evangelists are explained by the fact that God gave the priests complete freedom in conveying certain specific facts in relation to different categories of listeners, which further emphasizes the unity of meaning and direction of all four gospels (see also General Introduction, pp. 13 and 14) .

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28 The first question in considering this parable is whether or not it has anything to do with the preceding words of Christ? Or that new speech and a new denunciation? The answer must be given in the sense that it has, as can be seen, especially from verses 31 and 32. But this relationship and this connection were expressed so subtly that the enemies of Christ could not immediately understand what it meant, to whom the parable referred, and what connection it had with the previous speech. In the speech of Christ spoken in 27, 28 ff. poems, it is difficult and even impossible to assume any break. The parable, set forth only in Matthew, is here quite in its place, and it cannot be artificially transferred somewhere else. Whether the son, to whom the father first turned with a request, was the eldest or the youngest, is unknown.

29 The words of the son did not agree with the deeds. In words, he answered his father in the negative and even rudely. But then he changed his mind, he began to feel ashamed that he had not obeyed his father, and, without saying a single word about it, he went to work in the vineyard.

30 After the (verbal) refusal of the first son, the father had to go to the second son and ask him to go to the vineyard to work. Here such simple worldly relations are depicted, which are often understandable to everyone. The second son verbally expresses his readiness to fulfill the will of his father, but in fact he does not fulfill it. Instead of "I'm going" in Greek. “I, sir” (ἐγώ κύριε ) is an ellipsis, or abbreviated speech, the meaning of which is quite clear.

31 The chief priests and elders said to Christ, First. So over the best codes and readings. The rightness of the first was not unconditional, but compared to his brother, he was right. By the first and second sons one should understand not Jews and Gentiles, but publicans and harlots and high priests. And to the chief priests, the elders, and the leaders of the Jews in general, on the one hand, and to the tax collectors and harlots, on the other hand, a call was sent to the vineyard. But here the voice of John, as it were, merges with the early call from the Father through the prophets. John and Christ Himself were the last persons to call into the vineyard. The leaders, as religious people, responded to this call, but in fact did not go; publicans and harlots refused, for them the call initially seemed strange, but then they went.

32 A reminder of the historical ministry and activity of John, having a connection with v. 24 and, as it were, a rounding off of the thoughts set forth after this verse. By "the way of righteousness" here one should understand the image, way, custom, method. They did not believe him - they did not believe what he said and preached. " The Lord applies the response of the rulers to their own conduct by contrast. They said that the son did the will of the father, who, at first not wanting to go, then went to the vineyard. But the Baptist came as a preacher of righteousness, calling people to go to the vineyard of God by repentance, and they did not heed his preaching. In this respect they were like the first son of the parable, who said, I will not go. But, unlike him, they later did not repent and did not obey the call of the Baptist. On the other hand, the publicans and harlots were also like the first son, but they changed their minds when John preached and obeyed his call. So publicans and harlots go forward into the Kingdom of God". The meaning of the second part, verse 32, apparently, is this: you, having seen all this, did not take care, after the publicans and harlots believed, to believe John. Theophylact says: and now many make a vow to God and the Father to become monks or priests, but after the vow they do not keep zeal, while others did not make a vow of monastic or priestly life, but spend their lives like monks or priests; so that they turn out to be obedient children, since they do the will of the Father, although they did not promise anything».

Gospel

The word "Gospel" (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον) in classical Greek was used to designate: a) the reward given to the messenger of joy (τῷ εὐαγγέλῳ), b) the sacrifice sacrificed on the occasion of receiving some kind of good news or a holiday made on the same occasion and c) the good news itself. In the New Testament, this expression means:

a) the good news that Christ accomplished the reconciliation of people with God and brought us the greatest blessings - mainly establishing the Kingdom of God on earth ( Matt. 4:23),

b) the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, preached by Himself and His apostles about Him as the King of this Kingdom, the Messiah and the Son of God ( 2 Cor. 4:4),

c) all New Testament or Christian teaching in general, primarily the narrative of events from the life of Christ, the most important ( 1 Cor. 15:1-4), and then an explanation of the meaning of these events ( Rome. 1:16).

e) Finally, the word "Gospel" is sometimes used to refer to the very process of preaching the Christian doctrine ( Rome. 1:1).

Sometimes the designation and content of it is attached to the word "Gospel". There are, for example, phrases: the gospel of the kingdom ( Matt. 4:23), i.e. joyful tidings of the kingdom of God, the gospel of peace ( Eph. 6:15), i.e. about the world, the gospel of salvation ( Eph. 1:13), i.e. about salvation, etc. Sometimes the genitive following the word "Gospel" means the originator or source of the good news ( Rome. 1:1, 15:16 ; 2 Cor. 11:7; 1 Thess. 2:8) or the identity of the preacher ( Rome. 2:16).

For quite a long time, stories about the life of the Lord Jesus Christ were transmitted only orally. The Lord Himself left no record of His words and deeds. In the same way, the 12 apostles were not born writers: they were “unlearned and simple people” ( Acts. 4:13), although they are literate. Among the Christians of the apostolic time there were also very few "wise according to the flesh, strong" and "noble" ( 1 Cor. 1:26), and for the majority of believers, oral stories about Christ were much more important than written ones. Thus the apostles and preachers or evangelists "transmitted" (παραδιδόναι) tales of the deeds and speeches of Christ, while the faithful "received" (παραλαμβάνειν), but, of course, not mechanically, only by memory, as can be said of the students of rabbinical schools, but whole soul, as if something living and giving life. But soon this period of oral tradition was to end. On the one hand, Christians must have felt the need for a written presentation of the Gospel in their disputes with the Jews, who, as you know, denied the reality of the miracles of Christ and even claimed that Christ did not declare Himself the Messiah. It was necessary to show the Jews that Christians have authentic stories about Christ of those persons who were either among His apostles, or who were in close communion with eyewitnesses of Christ's deeds. On the other hand, the need for a written presentation of the history of Christ began to be felt because the generation of the first disciples was gradually dying out and the ranks of direct witnesses of the miracles of Christ were thinning out. Therefore, it was necessary to fix in writing individual sayings of the Lord and His whole speeches, as well as the stories about Him of the apostles. It was then that separate records of what was reported in the oral tradition about Christ began to appear here and there. Most carefully they wrote down the words of Christ, which contained the rules of the Christian life, and were much freer in the transfer of various events from the life of Christ, retaining only their general impression. Thus, one thing in these records, due to its originality, was transmitted everywhere in the same way, while the other was modified. These initial notes did not think about the completeness of the narrative. Even our Gospels, as can be seen from the conclusion of the Gospel of John ( In. 21:25), did not intend to report all the words and deeds of Christ. This is evident, among other things, from what is not included in them, for example, such a saying of Christ: “it is more blessed to give than to receive” ( Acts. 20:35). The Evangelist Luke reports such records, saying that many before him had already begun to compose narratives about the life of Christ, but that they did not have the proper fullness and that therefore they did not give sufficient “confirmation” in the faith ( OK. 1:1-4).

Evidently, our canonical gospels arose from the same motives. The period of their appearance can be determined at about thirty years - from 60 to 90 (the last was the Gospel of John). The first three gospels are usually called synoptic in biblical science, because they depict the life of Christ in such a way that their three narratives can be easily viewed in one and combined into one whole narrative (forecasters - from Greek - looking together). They began to be called gospels each separately, perhaps as early as the end of the 1st century, but from church writing we have information that such a name was given to the entire composition of the gospels only in the second half of the 2nd century. As for the names: “The Gospel of Matthew”, “The Gospel of Mark”, etc., then these very ancient names from Greek should be translated as follows: “The Gospel according to Matthew”, “The Gospel according to Mark” (κατὰ Ματθαῖον, κατὰ Μᾶρκον). By this, the Church wanted to say that in all the Gospels there is a single Christian gospel about Christ the Savior, but according to the images of different writers: one image belongs to Matthew, the other to Mark, etc.

four gospel

Thus the ancient Church looked upon the depiction of the life of Christ in our four gospels, not as different gospels or narratives, but as one gospel, one book in four forms. That is why in the Church the name of the Four Gospels was established behind our Gospels. Saint Irenaeus called them "the fourfold Gospel" (τετράμορφον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον - see Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus haereses liber 3, ed. A. Rousseau and L. Doutreleaü Irenée Lyon. Contre les hérésies, livre 3, vol 2, Paris, 1974, 11, 11).

The Fathers of the Church dwell on the question: why did the Church accept not one gospel, but four? So St. John Chrysostom says: “Is it really impossible for one evangelist to write everything that is needed. Of course, he could, but when four people wrote, they did not write at the same time, not in the same place, without communicating or conspiring among themselves, and for all that they wrote in such a way that everything seemed to be pronounced by one mouth, then this is the strongest proof of the truth. You will say: "However, the opposite happened, for the four Gospels are often convicted in disagreement." This is the very sign of truth. For if the Gospels were exactly in agreement with each other in everything, even regarding the very words, then none of the enemies would believe that the Gospels were not written by ordinary mutual agreement. Now, a slight disagreement between them frees them from all suspicion. For what they say differently about time or place does not in the least impair the truth of their narration. In the main thing, which is the foundation of our life and the essence of preaching, not one of them disagrees with the other in anything and nowhere - that God became a man, worked miracles, was crucified, resurrected, ascended into heaven. ("Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew", 1).

Saint Irenaeus also finds a special symbolic meaning in the fourfold number of our Gospels. “Since there are four parts of the world in which we live, and since the Church is scattered throughout the earth and has its affirmation in the Gospel, it was necessary for her to have four pillars, from everywhere emanating incorruption and reviving the human race. The all-arranging Word, seated on the Cherubim, gave us the Gospel in four forms, but imbued with one spirit. For David also, praying for His appearance, says: "Seated on the Cherubim, reveal Yourself" ( Ps. 79:2). But the Cherubim (in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel and the Apocalypse) have four faces, and their faces are images of the activity of the Son of God. Saint Irenaeus finds it possible to attach the symbol of a lion to the Gospel of John, since this Gospel depicts Christ as the eternal King, and the lion is the king in the animal world; to the Gospel of Luke - the symbol of the calf, since Luke begins his Gospel with the image of the priestly service of Zechariah, who slaughtered the calves; to the Gospel of Matthew - a symbol of a person, since this Gospel mainly depicts the human birth of Christ, and, finally, to the Gospel of Mark - a symbol of an eagle, because Mark begins his Gospel with a mention of the prophets, to whom the Holy Spirit flew, like an eagle on wings "(Irenaeus Lugdunensis, Adversus haereses, liber 3, 11, 11-22). In other Church Fathers, the symbols of the lion and calf are moved and the first is given to Mark, and the second to John. Starting from the 5th c. in this form, the symbols of the evangelists began to join the images of the four evangelists in church painting.

Reciprocity of the Gospels

Each of the four Gospels has its own characteristics, and most of all - the Gospel of John. But the first three, as already mentioned above, have extremely much in common with each other, and this similarity involuntarily catches the eye even with a cursory reading of them. Let us first of all speak of the similarity of the Synoptic Gospels and the causes of this phenomenon.

Even Eusebius of Caesarea in his "canons" divided the Gospel of Matthew into 355 parts and noted that all three forecasters have 111 of them. IN modern times exegetes worked out an even more precise numerical formula for determining the similarity of the Gospels and calculated that the total number of verses common to all weather forecasters goes up to 350. Matthew then has 350 verses peculiar only to him, Mark has 68 such verses, and Luke has 541. Similarities are mainly seen in the transmission of the sayings of Christ, and differences - in the narrative part. When Matthew and Luke literally converge in their Gospels, Mark always agrees with them. The similarity between Luke and Mark is much closer than between Luke and Matthew (Lopukhin - in the Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia. T. V. C. 173). It is also remarkable that some passages of all three evangelists go in the same sequence, for example, the temptation and speech in Galilee, the calling of Matthew and the conversation about fasting, the plucking of ears and the healing of the withered hand, the calming of the storm and the healing of the demoniac of Gadarene, etc. The similarity sometimes extends even to the construction of sentences and expressions (for example, in the citation of the prophecy Mal. 3:1).

As for the differences observed among weather forecasters, there are quite a few of them. Others are reported only by two evangelists, others even by one. So, only Matthew and Luke cite the conversation on the mount of the Lord Jesus Christ, tell the story of the birth and the first years of Christ's life. One Luke speaks of the birth of John the Baptist. Other things one evangelist conveys in a more abbreviated form than another, or in a different connection than another. The details of the events in each Gospel are different, as well as the expressions.

This phenomenon of similarity and difference in the Synoptic Gospels has long attracted the attention of interpreters of Scripture, and various assumptions have long been put forward to explain this fact. More correct is the opinion that our three evangelists used a common oral source for their narrative of the life of Christ. At that time, evangelists or preachers about Christ went everywhere preaching and repeated in different places in more or less extensive form what it was considered necessary to offer to those who entered the Church. In this way a well-known definite type was formed oral gospel, and this is the type we have in writing in our synoptic gospels. Of course, at the same time, depending on the goal that this or that evangelist had, his gospel took on some special features, only characteristic of his work. At the same time, one cannot rule out the possibility that an older gospel might have been known to the evangelist who wrote later. At the same time, the difference between synoptics should be explained by the different goals that each of them had in mind when writing his Gospel.

As we have already said, the synoptic gospels are very different from the gospel of John the Theologian. Thus they depict almost exclusively the activity of Christ in Galilee, while the apostle John depicts mainly the sojourn of Christ in Judea. In regard to content, the synoptic gospels also differ considerably from the gospel of John. They give, so to speak, a more external image of the life, deeds and teachings of Christ, and from the speeches of Christ they cite only those that were accessible to the understanding of the whole people. John, on the other hand, omits a lot of Christ's activity, for example, he cites only six miracles of Christ, but those speeches and miracles that he cites have a special deep meaning and the extreme importance of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, while the synoptics portray Christ primarily as the founder of the kingdom of God and therefore direct their readers' attention to the kingdom he founded, John draws our attention to the central point of this kingdom, from which life flows along the peripheries of the kingdom, i.e. on the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom John depicts as the Only Begotten Son of God and as the Light for all mankind. That is why even the ancient interpreters called the Gospel of John predominantly spiritual (πνευματικόν), in contrast to synoptic ones, as depicting a predominantly human side in the face of Christ (εὐαγγέλιον σωματικόν), i.e. bodily gospel.

However, it must be said that weather forecasters also have passages that indicate that, as weather forecasters, the activity of Christ in Judea was known ( Matt. 23:37, 27:57 ; OK. 10:38-42), so John has indications of the continuous activity of Christ in Galilee. In the same way, weather forecasters convey such sayings of Christ, which testify to His divine dignity ( Matt. 11:27), and John, for his part, also in places depicts Christ as a true man ( In. 2 etc.; John 8 and etc.). Therefore, one cannot speak of any contradiction between the synoptics and John in the depiction of the face and deed of Christ.

Reliability of the Gospels

Although criticism has long been expressed against the authenticity of the Gospels, and recently these attacks of criticism have become especially intensified (the theory of myths, especially the theory of Drews, who does not at all recognize the existence of Christ), however, all objections of criticism are so insignificant that they are shattered at the slightest collision with Christian apologetics. . Here, however, we will not cite the objections of negative criticism and analyze these objections: this will be done when interpreting the text of the Gospels itself. We will only speak about the main general grounds on which we recognize the Gospels as completely reliable documents. This is, firstly, the existence of the tradition of eyewitnesses, of whom many survived until the era when our Gospels appeared. Why should we refuse to trust these sources of our gospels? Could they have made up everything that is in our gospels? No, all the Gospels are purely historical. Secondly, it is incomprehensible why the Christian consciousness would want - so the mythical theory asserts - to crown the head of a simple rabbi Jesus with the crown of the Messiah and the Son of God? Why, for example, is it not said about the Baptist that he performed miracles? Obviously because he did not create them. And from this it follows that if Christ is said to be the Great Wonderworker, then it means that He really was like that. And why could one deny the authenticity of the miracles of Christ, since the highest miracle - His Resurrection - is witnessed like no other event ancient history(cm. 1 Cor. 15)?

Bibliography of Foreign Works on the Four Gospels

Bengel J. Al. Gnomon Novi Testamentï in quo ex nativa verborum VI simplicitas, profunditas, concinnitas, salubritas sensuum coelestium indicatur. Berolini, 1860.

Blass, Gram. - Blass F. Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch. Göttingen, 1911.

Westcott - The New Testament in Original Greek the text rev. by Brooke Foss Westcott. New York, 1882.

B. Weiss - Wikiwand Weiss B. Die Evangelien des Markus und Lukas. Göttingen, 1901.

Yog. Weiss (1907) - Die Schriften des Neuen Testaments, von Otto Baumgarten; Wilhelm Bousset. Hrsg. von Johannes Weis_s, Bd. 1: Die drei alteren Evangelien. Die Apostelgeschichte, Matthaeus Apostolus; Marcus Evangelista; Lucas Evangelista. . 2. Aufl. Göttingen, 1907.

Godet - Godet F. Commentar zu dem Evangelium des Johannes. Hanover, 1903.

Name De Wette W.M.L. Kurze Erklärung des Evangeliums Matthäi / Kurzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch zum Neuen Testament, Band 1, Teil 1. Leipzig, 1857.

Keil (1879) - Keil C.F. Commentar über die Evangelien des Markus und Lukas. Leipzig, 1879.

Keil (1881) - Keil C.F. Commentar über das Evangelium des Johannes. Leipzig, 1881.

Klostermann A. Das Markusevangelium nach seinem Quellenwerthe für die evangelische Geschichte. Göttingen, 1867.

Cornelius a Lapide - Cornelius a Lapide. In SS Matthaeum et Marcum / Commentaria in scripturam sacram, t. 15. Parisiis, 1857.

Lagrange M.-J. Études bibliques: Evangile selon St. Marc. Paris, 1911.

Lange J.P. Das Evangelium nach Matthäus. Bielefeld, 1861.

Loisy (1903) - Loisy A.F. Le quatrième evangile. Paris, 1903.

Loisy (1907-1908) - Loisy A.F. Les evangeles synoptiques, 1-2. : Ceffonds, pres Montier-en-Der, 1907-1908.

Luthardt Ch.E. Das johanneische Evangelium nach seiner Eigenthümlichkeit geschildert und erklärt. Nürnberg, 1876.

Meyer (1864) - Meyer H.A.W. Kritisch exegetisches Commentar über das Neue Testament, Abteilung 1, Hälfte 1: Handbuch über das Evangelium des Matthäus. Göttingen, 1864.

Meyer (1885) - Kritisch-exegetischer Commentar über das Neue Testament hrsg. von Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, Abteilung 1, Hälfte 2: Bernhard Weiss B. Kritisch exegetisches Handbuch über die Evangelien des Markus und Lukas. Göttingen, 1885. Meyer (1902) - Meyer H.A.W. Das Johannes-Evangelium 9. Auflage, bearbeitet von B. Weiss. Göttingen, 1902.

Merckx (1902) - Merx A. Erläuterung: Matthaeus / Die vier kanonischen Evangelien nach ihrem ältesten bekannten Texte, Teil 2, Hälfte 1. Berlin, 1902.

Merckx (1905) - Merx A. Erläuterung: Markus und Lukas / Die vier kanonischen Evangelien nach ihrem ältesten bekannten Texte. Teil 2, Hälfte 2. Berlin, 1905.

Morison J. A practical commentary on the Gospel according to St. Morison Matthew. London, 1902.

Stanton - Wikiwand Stanton V.H. The Synoptic Gospels / The Gospels as historical documents, Part 2. Cambridge, 1903. Toluc (1856) - Tholuck A. Die Bergpredigt. Gotha, 1856.

Tolyuk (1857) - Tholuck A. Commentar zum Evangelium Johannis. Gotha, 1857.

Heitmüller - see Jog. Weiss (1907).

Holtzmann (1901) - Holtzmann H.J. Die Synoptiker. Tubingen, 1901.

Holtzmann (1908) - Holtzmann H.J. Evangelium, Briefe und Offenbarung des Johannes / Hand-Commentar zum Neuen Testament bearbeitet von H. J. Holtzmann, R. A. Lipsius etc. bd. 4. Freiburg im Breisgau, 1908.

Zahn (1905) - Zahn Th. Das Evangelium des Matthäus / Commentar zum Neuen Testament, Teil 1. Leipzig, 1905.

Zahn (1908) - Zahn Th. Das Evangelium des Johannes ausgelegt / Commentar zum Neuen Testament, Teil 4. Leipzig, 1908.

Schanz (1881) - Schanz P. Commentar über das Evangelium des heiligen Marcus. Freiburg im Breisgau, 1881.

Schanz (1885) - Schanz P. Commentar über das Evangelium des heiligen Johannes. Tubingen, 1885.

Schlatter - Schlatter A. Das Evangelium des Johannes: ausgelegt fur Bibelleser. Stuttgart, 1903.

Schürer, Geschichte - Schürer E., Geschichte des jüdischen Volkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi. bd. 1-4. Leipzig, 1901-1911.

Edersheim (1901) - Edersheim A. The life and times of Jesus the Messiah. 2 Vols. London, 1901.

Ellen - Allen W.C. A critical and exegetical commentary of the Gospel according to st. Matthew. Edinburgh, 1907.

Alford - Alford N. The Greek Testament in four volumes, vol. 1. London, 1863.

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Section comment

29 Or: changed my mind.

31 Or: instead of you; Friend. possible trans.: will enter,You are not.

32 a) Or: came to you in accordance with the will of God.

32 b) Lit.: did not repent.

The author of the first Gospel in the New Testament, Matthew, was a collector of taxes and duties in favor of the authorities of the Roman Empire. One day, as he was sitting in his usual tax collection area, he saw Jesus. This meeting completely changed the whole life of Matthew: from that time on he was always with Jesus. He walked with Him through the cities and villages of Palestine and was an eyewitness to most of the events that he tells about in his Gospel, written, as scholars believe, between 58 and 70 years. according to R.H.

In his narrative, Matthew often quotes the Old Testament to show readers that Jesus is the same Savior promised to the world, whose coming was already foretold in the Old Testament. The Evangelist presents Jesus as the Messiah, sent by God to build the Kingdom of Peace already on this earth. As the One who came from the Heavenly Father, Jesus can and does speak like God, with the consciousness of His divine authority. Matthew gives five great sermons, or speeches, of Jesus: 1) the Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7); 2) the commission given by Jesus to His disciples (ch. 10); 3) parables about the Kingdom of Heaven (ch. 13); 4) practical advice to students (ch. 18); 5) the judgment of the Pharisees and the prediction of what awaits the world in the future (ch. 23-25).

The third edition of the "New Testament and Psalter in modern Russian translation" was prepared for publication by the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky at the suggestion of the Ukrainian Bible Society. Recognizing their responsibility for the accuracy of the translation and its literary merits, the staff of the Institute used the opportunity of a new edition of this Book to make clarifications and, where necessary, corrections to their previous long-term work. And although in this work it was necessary to keep the deadlines in mind, maximum efforts were made to achieve the task facing the Institute: to convey to the readers the sacred text, as far as possible in translation, carefully verified, without distortion or loss.

Both in previous editions and in the present, our team of translators has strived to preserve and continue the best that has been achieved by the efforts of the Bible Societies of the world in the translation of Holy Scripture. In an effort to make our translation accessible and understandable, however, we still resisted the temptation to use rude and vulgar words and phrases - the vocabulary that usually appears in times of social upheaval - revolutions and unrest. We have tried to convey the message of Scripture in common, established terms and in terms that would continue the good traditions of the old (now inaccessible) translations of the Bible into native language our compatriots.

In traditional Judaism and Christianity, the Bible is not only a historical document that should be preserved, not only a literary monument that can be admired and admired. This book was and remains a unique message about God's proposed resolution of human problems on earth, about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who opened the way for mankind into an unending life of peace, holiness, goodness and love. The news of this should sound to our contemporaries in words directly addressed to them, in a language that is simple and close to their perception. The translators of this edition of the New Testament and the Psalter have done their work with prayer and the hope that these holy books in their translation will continue to support the spiritual life of readers of all ages, helping them to understand the inspired Word and respond to it by faith.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

Almost two years have passed since the "New Testament in modern Russian translation" was published at the Mozhaisk printing plant by order of the Dialog Educational Foundation. This edition was prepared by the Bible Translation Institute in Zaoksky. It was received warmly and with approval by readers who love the Word of God, readers of various confessions. The translation was met with considerable interest by those who were just getting acquainted with the primary source of Christian doctrine, the most famous part of the Bible, the New Testament. Just a few months after the publication of The New Testament in Modern Russian Translation, the entire circulation was sold out, and orders for publication continued to arrive. Encouraged by this, the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky, whose main goal was and remains to promote the familiarization of compatriots with the Holy Scriptures, began to prepare the second edition of this Book. Of course, at the same time, we could not help but think that the translation of the New Testament prepared by the Institute, like any other translation of the Bible, needed to be checked and discussed with readers, and our preparations for a new edition began with this.

After the first edition, along with numerous positive comments, the Institute received valuable constructive suggestions from attentive readers, including theologians and linguists, who prompted us to make the second edition as popular as possible, naturally, without compromising the accuracy of the translation. At the same time, we tried to solve such problems as: a thorough revision of the translation we had previously made; improvements, where necessary, of the stylistic plan and easy-to-read layout of the text. Therefore, in the new edition, in comparison with the previous one, there are significantly fewer footnotes (footnotes that had not so much practical as theoretical significance were removed). Former letter designation footnotes in the text are replaced by an asterisk to the word (expression) to which a note is given at the bottom of the page.

In this edition, in addition to the books of the New Testament, the Institute for Bible Translation publishes its new translation of the Psalms - the very book of the Old Testament that our Lord Jesus Christ so loved to read and often referred to during His life on earth. Over the centuries, thousands and thousands of Christians, as well as Jews, considered the Psalter to be the heart of the Bible, finding for themselves in this Book a source of joy, consolation and spiritual enlightenment.

The translation of the Psalter is taken from the standard scholarly edition Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, 1990). A.V. took part in the preparation of the translation. Bolotnikov, I.V. Lobanov, M.V. Opiyar, O.V. Pavlova, S.A. Romashko, V.V. Sergeev.

The Institute for Bible Translation brings to the attention of the most a wide range readers of "The New Testament and the Psalter in a modern Russian translation" with due humility and at the same time with the confidence that God has more New World and truth, ready to illumine the reader of His holy words. We pray that, with the blessing of the Lord, this translation will serve as a means to that end.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

The meeting with any new translation of the books of Holy Scripture gives rise to any serious reader a natural question about its necessity, justification and an equally natural desire to understand what can be expected from new translators. This circumstance dictates the following introductory lines.

The appearance of Christ in our world marked the beginning of a new era in the life of mankind. God entered history and established a deeply personal relationship with each of us, showing with obvious clarity that He is on our side and is doing everything possible to save us from evil and destruction. All this manifested itself in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The world was given in Him the ultimate possible revelation of God about Himself and about man. This revelation is striking in its grandeur: He who was seen by people as a simple carpenter, who ended his days on a shameful cross, created the whole world. His life did not begin in Bethlehem. No, He is "He Who was, Who is, Who is to come." This is hard to imagine.

Yet all sorts of people steadily came to believe this. They were discovering that Jesus is God who lived among them and for them. Soon the people of the new faith began to realize that He lives in themselves and that He has the answer to all their needs and aspirations. This meant that they acquire a new vision of the world, themselves and their future, a new, previously unknown experience of life.

Those who believed in Jesus were eager to share their faith with others, to tell everyone on earth about Him. These first ascetics, among whom were direct witnesses of the events, clothed the biography and teaching of Christ Jesus in a vivid, well-remembered form. They created the Gospels; in addition, they wrote letters (which became “messages” to us), sang songs, prayed, and recorded the divine revelation bestowed upon them. To a superficial observer it might seem that everything written about Christ by His first disciples and followers was by no means specially organized by anyone: it was all born more or less arbitrarily. For some fifty years, these texts amounted to a whole Book, which later received the name "New Testament".

In the process of creating and reading, collecting and organizing recorded materials, the first Christians, who experienced the great saving power of these sacred manuscripts, came to the clear conclusion that all their efforts were led, guided by Someone Mighty and Omniscient - the Holy Spirit of God Himself. They saw that there was nothing accidental in what they recorded, that all the documents that made up the New Testament are in a deep inner relationship. Boldly and resolutely, the first Christians could call and called the existing code "the Word of God."

A remarkable feature of the New Testament was that the entire text was written in simple, colloquial Greek, which at that time spread throughout the Mediterranean and became an international language. However, for the most part, "it was spoken by people who were not accustomed to it from childhood and therefore did not really feel the Greek words." In their practice, "it was a language without soil, a business, commercial, official language." Pointing to this state of affairs, the outstanding Christian thinker and writer of the 20th century K.S. Lewis adds: “Does this shock us?... I hope not; otherwise we should have been shocked by the Incarnation itself. The Lord humbled Himself when He became a baby in the arms of a peasant woman and an arrested preacher, and according to the same Divine plan, the word about Him sounded in the folk, everyday, everyday language. For this very reason, the early followers of Jesus, in their testimony of Him, in their preaching and in their translations of the Holy Scriptures, sought to convey the Good News about Christ in a simple language that was close to the people and understandable to them.

Happy are the peoples who have received the Holy Scripture in a worthy translation from the original languages ​​into their native language that they can understand. They have this Book can be found in every, even the poorest family. Among such peoples, it became not only, in fact, a prayerful and pious, soul-saving reading, but also that family book that illuminated their entire spiritual world. Thus, the stability of society, its moral strength and even material well-being were created.

It pleased Providence that Russia should not be left without the Word of God. With great gratitude we, Russians, honor the memory of Cyril and Methodius, who gave us the Holy Scripture in the Slavic language. We also preserve the reverent memory of the workers who introduced us to the Word of God through the so-called Synodal Translation, which to this day remains our most authoritative and best known. The point here is not so much in his philological or literary characteristics, but in the fact that he remained with Russian Christians in all the difficult times of the 20th century. In many respects, it was thanks to him that the Christian faith was not completely eradicated in Russia.

Synodal translation, however, with all its undoubted merits, is not considered quite satisfactory today due to its well-known (obvious not only for specialists) shortcomings. The natural changes that have taken place in our language over more than a century, and the long absence of religious enlightenment in our country, have made these shortcomings sharply palpable. The vocabulary and syntax of this translation are no longer accessible to direct, so to speak, "spontaneous" perception. The modern reader in many cases cannot do without dictionaries in his efforts to comprehend the meaning of certain formulas of the translation that was published in 1876. This circumstance responds, of course, to the rationalistic "cooling" of the perception of that text, which, being spiritually uplifting by its nature, must not only be understood, but also experienced by the whole being of a pious reader.

Of course, to make a perfect translation of the Bible "for all times", such a translation that would remain equally understandable and close to readers of an endless succession of generations, is impossible, as they say, by definition. And this is not only because the development of the language we speak is unstoppable, but also because over time, the very penetration into the spiritual treasures of the great Book becomes more and more complicated and enriched as more and more new approaches to them are discovered. This was rightly pointed out by Archpriest Alexander Men, who saw the meaning and even the need for an increase in the number of Bible translations. In particular, he wrote: “Today pluralism dominates the world practice of biblical translations. Recognizing that any translation is, to one degree or another, an interpretation of the original, translators use a variety of techniques and language settings ... This allows readers to experience different dimensions and shades of the text.

In line with this understanding of the problem, the staff of the Institute for Bible Translation, established in 1993 in Zaoksky, found it possible to make their own attempt to make a feasible contribution to the cause of familiarizing the Russian reader with the text of the New Testament. Driven by a high sense of responsibility for the cause to which they have devoted their knowledge and energy, the project participants have completed this translation of the New Testament into Russian from the original language, taking as a basis the widely accepted modern critical text of the original (4th revised edition of the United Bible Societies, Stuttgart , 1994). At the same time, on the one hand, the orientation towards Byzantine sources, characteristic of the Russian tradition, was taken into account, on the other hand, the achievements of modern textual criticism were taken into account.

The employees of the Zaoksky Translation Center, naturally, could not but take into account in their work foreign and domestic experience in translating the Bible. In keeping with the principles that govern Bible Societies around the world, the translation was originally conceived as free from confessional bias. In accordance with the philosophy of modern biblical societies, fidelity to the original and preservation of the form of the biblical message wherever possible, while being ready to sacrifice the letter of the text for the sake of an accurate transmission of the living meaning, were recognized as the main requirements for translation. At the same time, it was impossible, of course, not to go through those torments that are completely inevitable for any responsible translator of the Holy Scriptures. For the inspiration of the original obliged us to treat with reverence the very form of it. At the same time, in the course of their work, translators had to constantly convince themselves of the validity of the thought of the great Russian writers that only that translation can be considered adequate, which, first of all, correctly conveys the meaning and dynamics of the original. The desire of the staff of the Institute in Zaoksky to be as close as possible to the original coincided with what V.G. Belinsky: “Closness to the original does not consist in conveying the letter, but the spirit of creation ... The corresponding image, as well as the corresponding phrase, do not always consist in the apparent correspondence of words.” Looking back at other modern translations that convey the biblical text with severe literalness, forced to recall the well-known saying of A.S. Pushkin: " Interlinear translation can never be true."

The team of translators of the Institute at all stages of work was aware that not a single real translation cannot equally satisfy all the demands of different readers, which are varied in nature. Nevertheless, the translators strove for a result that could, on the one hand, satisfy those who turn to Scripture for the first time, and, on the other hand, satisfy those who, seeing the Word of God in the Bible, are engaged in its in-depth study.

In this translation, addressed to the modern reader, words, phrases and idioms that are in living circulation are mainly used. Obsolete and archaic words and expressions are allowed only to the extent that they are necessary to convey the color of the narrative and to adequately represent the semantic shades of the phrase. At the same time, it was found expedient to refrain from using sharply modern, fleeting vocabulary and the same syntax, so as not to violate that regularity, natural simplicity and organic majesty of presentation that distinguish the metaphysically non-futile text of Scripture.

The Bible message is of decisive importance for the salvation of every person and in general for his entire Christian life. This Message is not a mere report of facts, events, and a straightforward exposition of commandments. It is able to touch the human heart, induce the reader and listener to empathize, arouse in them the need for living and sincere repentance. Zaoksky's translators saw it as their task to convey such power of the biblical narrative.

In those cases when the meaning of individual words or expressions in the lists of books of the Bible that have come down to us does not lend itself, despite all efforts, to a certain reading, the reader is offered the most convincing, in the opinion of the translators, reading.

In striving for clarity and stylistic beauty of the text, translators introduce into it, when it is dictated by the context, words that are not in the original (they are marked in italics).

The footnotes offer the reader alternative meanings for individual words and phrases in the original.

To help the reader, the chapters of the biblical text are divided into separate semantic passages, which are supplied with subheadings typed in italics. While not part of the translated text, subheadings are not intended for oral reading or interpretation of Scripture.

Having completed their first experience of translating the Bible into modern Russian, the staff of the Institute in Zaoksky intend to continue searching for the best approaches and solutions in translating the original text. Therefore, all those involved in the appearance of the completed translation will be grateful to our highly respected readers for any help they can provide with their comments, advice and suggestions aimed at improving the text now proposed for subsequent reprints.

The employees of the Institute are grateful to those who, during all the years of work on the translation of the New Testament, helped them with their prayers and advice. Especially should be noted here V.G. Vozdvizhensky, S.G. Mikushkina, I.A. Orlovskaya, S.A. Romashko and V.V. Sergeev.

The participation in the now implemented project of a number of Western colleagues and friends of the Institute, in particular, W. Ailes, D.R. Spangler and Dr. K.G. Hawkins.

For me personally, it was a great blessing to work on the published translation together with highly qualified employees who devoted themselves entirely to this matter, such as A.V. Bolotnikov, M.V. Boryabina, I.V. Lobanov and some others.

If the work done by the Institute's team helps someone in knowing our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, this will be the highest reward for everyone who was involved in this translation.

January 30, 2000
Director of the Institute for Bible Translation in Zaoksky Doctor of Theology M. P. Kulakov

EXPLANATIONS, SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

This translation of the New Testament is made from the Greek text, mainly according to the 4th edition of the Greek New Testament (The Greek New Testament. 4th revision edition. Stuttgart, 1994). The translation of the Psalter was taken from the edition of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Stuttgart, 1990).

The Russian text of this translation is divided into semantic passages with subtitles. Subheadings in italics, which are not part of the text, are introduced to make it easier for the reader to find the right place in the proposed translation.

In small capital letters in the Psalms, the word "LORD" is written in those cases when this word conveys the name of God - Yahweh, written in Hebrew with four consonants (tetragrammaton). The word "Lord" in its usual spelling conveys another appeal (Adon or Adonai), used in relation to both God and people in the sense of "Lord", friend. transl.: Vladyka; see Dictionary Lord.

In square brackets words are concluded, the presence of which in the text of modern biblical studies is considered not fully proven.

In double square brackets words are concluded that modern biblical studies consider inserts into the text made in the first centuries.

Bold quotes from the books of the Old Testament are highlighted. At the same time, poetic passages are placed in the text with the necessary indents and breakdown in order to adequately represent the structure of the passage. A note at the bottom of the page indicates the address of the citation.

Words in italics are actually absent in the original text, but the inclusion of which seems justified, since they are implied in the development of the author's thought and help to clarify the meaning of the text.

An asterisk raised above the line after a word (phrase) indicates a note at the bottom of the page.

Individual footnotes are given with the following conventional abbreviations:

Letters.(literally): a formally accurate translation. It is given in those cases when, for the sake of clarity and a more complete disclosure of the meaning in the main text, it is necessary to deviate from a formally accurate transmission. At the same time, the reader is given the opportunity to come closer to the original word or phrase and see conceivable translation options.

In the meaning(in meaning): is given when a word translated literally in the text requires, in the translator's opinion, an indication of its special semantic connotation in this context.

In some manuscripts(in some manuscripts): used when quoting textual variants in Greek manuscripts.

Greek(Greek): used when it is important to show which Greek word is used in the original text. The word is given in Russian transcription.

Ancient per.(ancient translations): used when it is necessary to show how a particular passage of the original was understood by ancient translations, possibly based on a different original text.

Friend. possible per.(another possible translation): is given as another, although possible, but, according to translators, less well-founded translation.

Friend. reading(other reading): is given when, with a different arrangement of signs denoting vowel sounds, or with a different sequence of letters, a reading is possible that is different from the original, but supported by other ancient translations.

Heb.(Hebrew): used when it is important to show which word is used in the original. It is often impossible to convey it adequately, without semantic losses, into Russian, so many modern translations introduce this word in transliteration into their native language.

Or: is used when a note gives a different, well-founded translation.

Some manuscripts are added(some manuscripts add): is given when a number of copies of the New Testament or Psalms, not included in the corpus of the text by modern critical editions, contain an addition to what was written, which, most often, is included in the Synodal translation.

Some manuscripts are omitted(some manuscripts are omitted): it is given when a number of copies of the New Testament or the Psalms, not included in the corpus of the text by modern critical editions, do not contain an addition to what was written, but in some cases this addition is included in the Synodal translation.

Masoretic text: text accepted as the main one for translation; a footnote is given when, for a number of textological reasons: the meaning of the word is unknown, the original text is corrupted - in translation, one has to deviate from the literal transmission.

TR(textus receptus) - an edition of the Greek text of the New Testament, prepared by Erasmus of Rotterdam in 1516, based on lists of the last centuries of existence Byzantine Empire. Until the 19th century this edition served as the basis for a number of well-known translations.

LXX- Septuagint, translation of the Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) into Greek, made in the III-II centuries. BC References to this translation are given according to the 27th edition of Nestle-Aland (Nestle-Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27. revidierte Auflage 1993. Stuttgart).

ABBREVIATIONS USED

OLD TESTAMENT (OT)

Life - Genesis
Exodus - Exodus
Leo - Leviticus
Number - Numbers
Deut - Deuteronomy
Is Nav - Book of Joshua
1 Kings - First Book of Kings
2 Kings - 2 Kings
1 Kings - 1st Book of Kings
2 Kings - Fourth Book of Kings
1 Chron - First Book of Chronicles
2 Chron - Second Book of Chronicles
Job - Book of Job
Ps - Psalter
Proverbs - Book of Proverbs of Solomon
Eccles - The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Preacher (Ecclesiastes)
Isaiah - The Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Jer - The Book of Jeremiah
Lamentations - Book of Lamentations of Jeremiah
Ezek - The Book of Ezekiel
Dan - Book of Daniel
Os - Book of the Prophet Hosea
Joel - The Book of the Prophet Joel
Am - The Book of the Prophet Amos
Jonah - Book of Jonah
Micah - The Book of Micah
Nahum - The Book of the Prophet Nahum
Avv - The book of the prophet Habakkuk
Haggai - The Book of the Prophet Haggai
Zech - The Book of Zechariah
Mal - The Book of the Prophet Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT (NT)

Matthew - Gospel according to Matthew (From Matthew the gospel)
Mk - The gospel according to Mark (From Mark the holy gospel)
Luke - Gospel according to Luke (From Luke the holy gospel)
Jn - Gospel according to John (From John the holy gospel)
Acts - Acts of the Apostles
Rome - Epistle to the Romans
1 Corinthians - First Epistle to the Corinthians
2 Corinthians - Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Galatians - Epistle to the Galatians
Eph - Epistle to the Ephesians
Php - Epistle to the Philippians
Col - Epistle to the Colossians
1 Thess - First Epistle to the Thessalonians
2 Thess - Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
1 Timothy - First Epistle to Timothy
2 Tim - 2 Timothy
Titus - Epistle to Titus
Heb - Epistle to the Hebrews
James - The Epistle of James
1 Peter - First Epistle of Peter
2 Peter - Second Epistle of Peter
1 Jn - First Epistle of John
Revelation - Revelation of John the Evangelist (Apocalypse)

OTHER ABBREVIATIONS

app. - apostle
aram. - Aramaic
V. (centuries) - century (centuries)
g - gram
year(s) - year(s)
ch. - chapter
Greek - Greek language)
others - ancient
heb. - Hebrew (language)
km - kilometer
l - liter
m - meter
note - note
R.H. - Nativity
Rome. - Roman
Syn. per. - Synodal translation
cm - centimeter
see - see
Art. - poem
cf. - compare
those. - that is
t. - so-called
h - hour

The Lord told this parable: a man had two sons; and he, going up to the first, said: Son! go and work today in my vineyard. But he said in response: I do not want; and then, repentant, he went. And going to another, he said the same. This one said in response: I am going, sir, and did not go. Which of the two carried out the will of the father? They say to Him: the first. Jesus says to them: Truly I say to you, the publicans and harlots go before you into the kingdom of God, for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and harlots believed him; but when you saw it, you did not repent afterwards to believe him.

The Lord said, "What do you think?" The parable, which begins with these words, is addressed to the spiritual leaders of Israel, the high priests and elders. Christ had just driven the merchants out of the Temple, then, at His word, the barren fig tree withered. The authorities of Jerusalem indignantly ask Him by what right He does this. The Lord answers with three parables - the parable of the two sons, the parable of the evil vinedressers, and the parable of those invited to the feast. The Passion of the Lord draws near. Those who should have received Him reject Him. But we must see that the parables of the gospel are not only about others. They are addressed to each of us. Not someone, but us, Christ asks: “What do you think?”

“One man had two sons; and he, going up to the first, said: Son! go and work today in my vineyard. But he said in response: I do not want; and then, repentant, he went. What do you think about it? Our first reaction is to be indignant at a young man who talks so casually to his father. But then we are filled with sympathy for him. He decides to do as he was told, and goes to fulfill the will of his father. In this very simple story, no explanation is given to us. We are only shown how a person repents and changes.

And this can be comfort and strength for us. Modern philosophy and mass media try to assure us: everything is so conditioned and predetermined in our life that it makes no sense to talk about human freedom and responsibility. Our failures and our mistakes should be attributed to society, our circumstances, other people. Christ, on the contrary, raises us to our responsibility, repeating that our fate can never be decided in advance. No matter how many falls we have in our lives, no matter how far we have moved away from God, change is always possible. Christ never imprisons anyone in his past. He gives a chance to every person, the most sinful.

And it is also revealed to us that God does not look upon us as those who have been sealed once and for all, but as those who are always in the making. Among today's general atmosphere hopelessness, maybe in someone very hopeless a new person is born. We should thank God for this hope He gives us. And don't rush to label people, but give them the opportunity to change.

“And coming to another, he said the same. This one said in response: I am going, sir, and did not go. Which of the two carried out the will of the father? It becomes clear to us that the Lord wants to put the second son in the center of the parable. The Lord's question sounds like a rebuke. Christ addresses the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem. But He asks us the same question today. What do you think? Which of the two sons did the will of the Father? "They say to Him: the first." Truly so. We cannot answer otherwise. Not enough alone beautiful words. We can't get away from the merciless truth. Our deeds matter, not just our intentions. These words of the Lord are as relevant today as ever. The world is tired of beautiful and false promises. Ideologies that make sense only in theory are collapsing before our eyes, one after another. The authenticity of words is judged by the results. However, it is easy to pass judgment on others. Doesn't this second son sometimes remind us of ourselves? How many of us call ourselves Orthodox, almost 70% in our country according to official statistics - but in fact they don’t even think about repentance and participation in the sacraments of the Church, without which there can be no salvation. With our lips we say, “Yes, Lord,” but with our deeds, “No.” We can sing together with everyone the "Symbol of Faith" and "Our Father" at every Sunday Liturgy, say these holy words every morning, and then live as if we had never said them. How many times in our lives have we said to God, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done,” without relating our lives to these great mysteries. But we are warned by the Lord: it is not so important to speak as to do. “Not everyone who says to me: Lord! God! He constantly reminds us, “He will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven” ( Matt. 7, 21). And the Apostle John the Theologian echoes Christ: “Let us not love in word or tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).

“Jesus says to them, “Truly, I say to you, publicans and harlots are going into the kingdom of God before you.” When the Lord uses these solemn words, "Amen, I say to you, I truly say to you," He wants to announce something extremely important. But what He proclaims here may be a temptation to some. How? Does he give us an example of hardened sinners, known to the whole world for their shameful sins? However, it would be foolish to assume that Christ stands in defense of the sin of publicans with their dishonest incomes and the sin of harlots with their debauchery. As in the parable of the two sons, He wants us to see their repentance when they turn to God.

The worst of all sins is to think that you can do without God. Have no need of God. And we know that during the time of the Lord's earthly life, those who considered themselves righteous did not feel the need for the salvation that Christ offered. And sinners fled to Him as to their Savior. The Pharisees and the scribes were sure of their self-sufficiency. Christ came to save the perishing, and those who believed that they lacked nothing naturally could not receive anything from Him.

Oh that we, like the sinners of whom Christ speaks, could bring true repentance and turn our sins into striving for grace, which saves us from our limitation by the earth! Are we not judging too many outwardly, forgetting about the unheard-of opportunity that the Lord opens up to all penitents? “The publicans and harlots go ahead of you into the kingdom of God.” Whom does Christ mean today when he says "you"? Who are these people who imagine themselves to be righteous, who will be expelled from the Kingdom of God? Are we sometimes like them? How can we learn the publican's prayer, which St. Seraphim of Sarov prayed for a thousand days, standing on a stone: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!"

"For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the publicans and harlots believed him." The parable of the two sons contrasts the words and deeds of the "yes" of our lips and the "no" of our lives. And now the Lord contrasts faith and unbelief. Just now he asked: “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from people?”, and now through the Forerunner, through the Church and all His saints, the Lord calls us to say “yes” to our faith, which works by love. And this “yes” of our faith is, first of all, repentance, a decisive change in our life.

“But you, even when you saw this, did not repent afterward to believe him.” Our faith is not just the mental acceptance of the truths we believe. This is, first of all, bringing our will into obedience to the Divine will, to the call of the Lord: "Go and work today in My vineyard." We either follow this call, or - in our specific actions - we do not follow it. In our Christian faith, there is one short word that defines everything, understandable to all believers. That word is Amen. Yes, truly, I believe, unshakably, firmly, in all the circumstances of my life I accept. How many times, standing at the Sunday service, do we pronounce this word with our lips, and how many times do we actually fulfill it during the week following this? “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was not yes and no; but in Him was "yes" - for all the promises of God in Him are "yes" and in Him "Amen" - to the glory of God through us" (2 Cor. 1, 19-20).