| Favorites | Correspondence | Calendar | Charter | Audio | |
| Name of God | Answers | divine services | School | Video | |
| Library | Sermons | The mystery of St. John | Poetry | A photo | |
| Publicism | Discussions | Bible | Story | Photobooks | |
| Apostasy | Evidence | Icons | Poems of Father Oleg | Questions | |
| Lives of the Saints | Guestbook | Confession | Archive | site `s map | |
| Prayers | Father's word | New Martyrs | Contacts | ||
Question #1487What is the chronological sequence of the gospel events from the crucifixion to the resurrection of the Lord?
Kirill , Jerusalem, Israel
09/06/2004Hello, dear father Oleg!
A few more questions about the contradictions that have arisen at first glance:
1. What were the last words Jesus Christ said on the cross?
A. “My God, my God! Why did you leave me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
B. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” and having said this, he gave up his spirit. (Luke 23:46)
V. “Said: “It is done!”. And bowing his head, he gave up the spirit” (John 19:30).2. Who was the first to come to the tomb of Jesus Christ on Sunday?
A. One Mary Magdalene (John 20:1).
B. Two Marys (Matthew 28:11).
C. Two Marys and Solomia (Mark 16:1).
D. Four women, and take off more (Luke 24:10).3. What did the women who came see?
A. Earthquake. The angel rolls away the stone (Matthew 28:2-4).
B. The stone has already been rolled away. One young angel sits on a rock (Mark 16:4).
B. The stone is rolled away. Two young angels sit (Luke 24:4).
D. The stone is rolled away. There is not anyone. They saw nothing (John 20:1-2).4. What were the first words and from whom did the women hear?
A. Angel who rolled away the stone: “Christ is risen. Let the apostles go to Galilee, where Jesus Christ is waiting for them” (Matthew, 28:5-7; Mark, 16:6-7).
B. Two men spoke about the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:6-7).
C. Christ Mary: “Why are you crying?” (John 20:13)5. What did the women do after that?
A. They ran and met Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:8).
B. Mary spoke to Jesus Christ (John 20:14).
C. Mary told the apostles about the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:9).
D. Jesus was not seen, the apostles were not told (Mark 16:8).Father Oleg Molenko's answer:
There is no contradiction among the Evangelists. There are different accounts of the same event by different eyewitnesses.
1. It is known that the Lord Jesus Christ uttered seven sayings being crucified on the cross. Of these seven sayings, different Evangelists give different ones. The last saying before death (the departure of the soul from the body) leads Luke: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." The fact that it is the latter indicates the very meaning of it and the further words of the Evangelist: “And having said this, he gave up his spirit,” which clearly indicate that it was after these words that the Lord gave up his spirit, i.e. died.
The Evangelist John cited the Lord's word "It is finished!" which points not to death, but to the accomplishment of the great work of redeeming people. John omits the words "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit", since they are already in the Gospel of Luke, and immediately tells about the death of the Lord, adding a detail about the bowing of His head. It is important to note that the Gospel of Luke was written before John. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark were also written earlier. The words "My God, my God! Why did you leave Me?" were spoken by Jesus before the above words. These words were taken by some of those present as a call to Elijah. After these words, one of the soldiers wet his lip with vinegar and applied it with a cane to the mouth of Jesus. After the mention of drinking vinegar, both Matthew and Mark say that the Lord exclaimed loudly and gave up his spirit, but what exactly He exclaimed is not given. Luke made up for this. Thus, the sequence of the sayings you cited is clear: 1 - "My God ...", 2 - "It is finished", 3 - "Father, into the hands ...".2. St. John Chrysostom well explained the sequence of women visiting the Holy Sepulcher by the four Evangelists. He noted that each Evangelist pointed to a different time of one period: from darkness to the rising of the sun, that the named and other women did not come to the tomb together, but who was able to reach when, and that some of them were at the tomb several times. These circumstances explain the whole picture of the events of the morning of the resurrection, eliminating the apparent contradictions in the narrations of the Evangelists. There are no contradictions, but only different fragments of a single event that had the character of a process. About the journey of the wives of the mitron-bearers to the tomb and about what happened to them there, the Evangelist Mark tells in general terms, according to Matthew, but with some very significant, for brevity, features that supplement the legend of Matthew. In terms of time, the sequence of visits is as follows: Mary Magdalene visited the tomb first, together with the Most Holy Theotokos Mary: John 20, 1-2: "On the very first day of the week, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early, when it was still dark, and sees that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb. So, she runs and comes to Simon Peter and to another disciple whom Jesus loved ...". John the Theologian omits the mention of the Mother of Jesus, for the testimony of the Mother who lost her Son about His resurrection is not reliable. His appearance could easily be attributed to the imagination of the Mother, disturbed by fierce grief. That is why the main figure in John is Mary Magdalene. But we must understand that the Mother of Jesus could not stay away from the march of the myrrh-bearing wives to the tomb and rushed there first, taking Mary Magdalene as her companion. Matthew confirms this, saying that Mary Magdalene and another Mary came to the tomb only to look at the tomb, and not to anoint the body of Jesus with myrrh. The Most Holy Theotokos, unlike other women, was sure that Her Son would rise according to the promise of the prophets and Himself. She went to the tomb to verify this fact, and not at all to anoint the dead man with the world. Mary Magdalene, on her first visit with the Mother of God, saw nothing but a rolled stone and an empty coffin. With this news, she ran to Peter and John and said to them: "They took the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." We see that she does not say "I don't know" in her own person, but "I don't know" in the plural. This confirms that she was not alone on the coffin for the first time. Then she went back to the tomb after Peter and John. This is not directly stated, but it is clear that upon the return of the disciples to her, she continued to stand alone at the tomb and cry about the absence of the body of Jesus: John 20, 11. Since the decision to go to the tomb and anoint the body of Jesus with fragrances was taken jointly by all in the evening (Luke 23:56), Mary Magdalene knew about this and joined the group of women going to the tomb, already having a notice of the resurrection from two angels and from communion with the resurrected Jesus, whom she at first mistook for a gardener. She hid this from the rest of the women, in the hope that they themselves would see the Angels or confirmation of the resurrection of the Lord, which happened. She already had the bitter experience of distrusting her words when she ran to the disciples at the word of the Lord and announced that she had seen Him.
3, 4, 5. The first thing that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Mother of God) saw was a rolled away stone and an empty coffin. Angels appeared or became visible at different times to the women who came to the tomb in different ways and in different numbers. So Mark mentions one angel, and Luke mentions two. To explain this, I note that there were several angels here, and some of the wives saw one outside, others two inside, others one inside; therefore, the speeches of the Angels, which are essentially similar, are transmitted somewhat differently: some Angels spoke this way, others differently, but they spoke about the same thing and in agreement, differing only in particular features, or more precisely, pointing to certain particular features of the event. The whole coffin and the whole circumference of the coffin was filled with the faces of angels invisibly. There were not only two or three Angels, but thousands, and they did not always appear to the wives the same or the same two. Now one appeared, then another, then two together; now in this place, now in another; now with such a speech, now with another.
In fact, one must understand that the Evangelists in this case, as in many others, do not describe the events in full, but set forth certain aspects of the event, certain details, and it is very possible that there are still details not mentioned by them. , so that even a detailed history of the event does not come out of the totality of their legends. Setting out one such primary particular, another another, a third another, etc., they, no doubt, do not disagree with each other, but only complement each other. For example, pointing to a local earthquake near the tomb, the Evangelist Matthew explains by this the reason that the stone fell off the tomb and knocked out the guards. The women who approached in a group did not see the earthquake and the falling off of the door stone by the Angel, but only saw the Angel sitting on the stone and speaking to them.
The above and similar understanding explains your points 4 and 5.
1. Myrrh-bearing women (Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18). Church tradition says that the first Christ appeared to the Theotokos.
The first messengers of the Resurrection were women, the very ones who were present at the burial. At the empty tomb, the angels told them the mystery of the Resurrection (Matt. 27:61; 28:1-8; Mark 15:47 - 16:8; Luke 23:55 - 24:11; cf. John 20:1- 2). As has already been pointed out, according to the testimony of the Gospel, they were the first to see the Risen One [Cassian].
Names of myrrh-bearing women: Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacobleva, Salome, Mary Iosiev, John, according to legend - Martha and Mary - the sisters of Lazarus, Mary Cleopova and Susanna.
The first to come to the tomb was Mary Magdalene, then the other myrrh-bearing women, then the apostles John and Peter.
In patristic literature, there are many versions for coordinating the names of the myrrh-bearing women, the time of their arrival at the tomb. For example, the coordination scheme is holy. Theophan the Recluse (omitting reasoning) can be represented as follows [Emelyanov]:
1) Not everyone came to the coffin at once, but in groups and at different times:
a) Mary Magdalene (Jn.).
b) John with others (Lk).
c) Mary Jacobleva and Salome (Matthew and Mark).
2) Time of arrival to the tomb:
a) Mary Magdalene "still existing darkness."
b) John with others - "the morning is deep."
c) Maria Iakovleva and Salome - "to the sun that has risen".
3) Graduality:
a) Mary Magdalene for the 1st time - "they took the Lord."
b) John with others - they saw angels who said that the Lord had risen.
c) Mary Magdalene for the 2nd time and Mary Jacobleva and Salome claim that they saw not only Angels, but also the Lord Himself.
The meaning of Christ's prohibition to touch Him, addressed to Mary Magdalene, is set forth in the morning verse of the 8th tone: "Even the earthly woman is wise: the same is sent not to touch Christ." "Interpreters have often tried to explain her touch as too human" [Cassian].
Appearance of the Risen Lord to the Seven Disciples on the Sea of Tiberias. Restoration of Peter in apostolic dignity (John 21:1-23).
Even before His suffering, the Lord warned His disciples that after His resurrection He would appear to them in Galilee. The same was said by the angels who were at the tomb of the Lord to the myrrh-bearing women (Mt. 26:32; 28:7). So, having spent all eight days of the Easter holiday in Jerusalem, the apostles went to Galilee, where they took up their usual work - catching fish, the work that gave them food. It was here that the third phenomenon took place, according to St. John, to the seven disciples on Lake Tiberias, when they were fishing on the high seas (John 21:6-22). But the disciples did not recognize Christ: "the disciples did not know that it was Jesus" (John 21:4). This is explained by the fact that the appearances of Christ are in reality not just His presence, but the essence of revelation, the revelation of Himself by Him. Metropolitan Hierofei (Vlachos) writes that the literal Greek text “Jesus Revealed Himself” (John 21:1) clearly says that Christ revealed Himself when He Himself wanted it and that the revelation of Christ takes place according to the spiritual state of people. Therefore, after an extraordinary fishing: “They threw, and could no longer pull out [nets] from a multitude of fish” (John 21, 6), the first to recognize Him was John, who announced this to the Apostle Peter: “Then the disciple, whom Jesus loved, says to Peter: This is the Lord” (John 21:7). Peter immediately girded himself with clothes and threw himself into the sea in order to quickly get to Christ. Here it is clear, the metropolitan writes, that the beloved disciple, who is the personification of contemplation, recognizes Christ, and the repentant Peter, who is still in the process of spiritual formation, due to his renunciation and repentance, hurries to Christ [Hierofei]. Already on the shore after the meal offered by Jesus: “None of the disciples dared to ask Him: who are you?, knowing that this is the Lord” (John 21, 12) - “the disciples saw something unusual in the Lord who appeared. He was obviously not quite like the one they were always accustomed to seeing Him" [Averky], probably also for this reason the disciples could not immediately recognize the Lord when they saw Him on the shore of Lake Tiberias, "since His body after the Resurrection was special, glorified, full of special greatness and Divinity, but they knew that it was undoubtedly He ”[Averky]. As in the previous apparition, the Lord eats food with the disciples, then after three confessions of the fallen Peter, he restores him to his former dignity. The miracle with a huge catch of fish, created by the Lord at the time of His appearance on Lake Tiberias, had the goal not only to assure the disciples of the truth of His resurrection, but also to represent their future fruitful apostolic activity, in which they, working themselves, should at the same time in everything be guided by the instructions of the Lord [Averky].
Appearance of the Risen Lord on Mount Galilee. Blessing of the apostles for preaching throughout the world (Mt. 28:16-20; Mk. 16:15-18; 1 Cor. 15:3-8).
The next appearance of the Lord to the eleven apostles was on a mountain near Galilee: “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus commanded them, and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him, while others doubted” (Matthew 28, 16-17). Since the angels told the myrrh-bearing women that the Lord would precede the disciples in Galilee, it must be assumed that not only the apostles rushed to Galilee to see the Lord there. Many believe that the appearance of the Lord on the mountain was exactly what the Apostle Paul speaks of (1 Cor. 15:6): that the Lord then appeared “to more than five hundred brethren at one time” [Averky]. The Apostle Paul also tells about the appearance of the Lord to His brother “according to the flesh” James, to all the apostles, and also to himself, saying: “and after all he appeared to me as to a certain monster” (1 Cor. 15, 8). As is known, the Apostle Paul at first “persecuted the Church of God” (1 Cor. 15:9), and turned to Christ only after Pentecost, therefore, the appearance of the resurrected Christ to the Apostle Paul occurred later than the Ascension and Pentecost. “This incident shows us that the vision of the resurrected Christ is directly dependent on the spiritual state of a person, and this is typical for the entire history of mankind” [Hierofey].
The Apostle Matthew makes a characteristic remark that some of the disciples "doubted" when they saw the Risen Lord on a mountain near Galilee. This suggests that the phenomenon he describes could not be a mass hallucination, as some are trying to present. The Lord, in order to dispel any doubts, approached them (Matt. 28:18) and, entrusting the apostles with the hard work of spreading the gospel gospel throughout the world, said: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19), - as St. Matthew, or: “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), as St. Mark; “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer, and rise from the dead on the third day, and preach to be in His name repentance and forgiveness of sins in all nations, beginning with Jerusalem. But you are witnesses to this (Lk. 24:46-48), - thus conveys this authority given by the Lord to His apostles, St. Luke. The words of the Risen One at eleven (Matt. 28:16-20) directly refer to the Church: “the eleven apostles and the Risen One on the mountain are the image of the Church” [Cassian]. And the words of the Lord, “and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age (Matt. 28:20) – they say that this promise applies to all the apostolic successors and mean that until the end of the age He Himself will undoubtedly be to be invisibly among the true believers, at the head of the Church founded by Him and to lead it to salvation [Averky]. The Resurrection of Christ is the beginning of our resurrection. This is the theme of the app. Paul in 1 Cor. ch. 15: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. Moreover, we would also be false witnesses about God, because we would testify about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if, [that is,] the dead do not rise; for if the dead do not rise, then Christ has not risen. And if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain: you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:13-17). Here is the dogmatic essence of the Resurrection and its significance in the matter of our salvation.
9. Ap. Peter (see item 2).
10. 12 disciples (see item 4 “Appearance to disciples without Thomas” - very often identified, although, perhaps, Cassian incorrectly considers).
11. 500 brethren [see. p.7 "on a mountain in Galilee" - Averky].
12. Ap. Jacob.
13. To all the apostles.
14. Ap. Pavel.
[According to Cassian]: In the list of ap. Paul are worth apparitions that have no parallel in the Gospel: the apparition to more than 500 brethren and the apparition to James, which marks the conversion of the brother of the Lord (cf. John 7:5). The phenomenon of "all the apostles" is also not easy to identify with any of the gospel phenomena.
The Resurrection of Christ is the beginning of our resurrection. This is the theme of the app. Paul in 1 Cor. ch. 15: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain. Moreover, we would also be false witnesses about God, because we would testify about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if, [that is,] the dead do not rise; for if the dead do not rise, then Christ has not risen. And if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain: you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:13-17). Here is the dogmatic essence of the Resurrection and its significance in the matter of our salvation [Cassian].
Of course, Christ was resurrected before the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb, and the stone was rolled away by the angel after, as can be seen from the message of the holy evangelist Matthew, who says that the women, having arrived early in the morning, saw how the angel flew down to the tomb with lightning , then rolled away the stone and sat on it.Indeed, the Savior took up residence in the womb of the Most Pure Virgin and was born without violating the keys of virginity; after being taken down from the Cross, Christ was laid in a new tomb, in which no one has yet never was not allowed(John 19: 41), - a symbol of birth from the Virgin. And just as He entered the womb of His Most Holy Mother, He also came out of the tomb without breaking the stone covering it.
The angel rolled away the stone so that the myrrh-bearing women would see that the tomb was empty, and so that Peter and John, who would come to the tomb after the announcement by the myrrh-bearing women of the Resurrection, could see the empty tomb and untouched linen.
Indeed, Peter denied the Lord three times: the first time simply denying that he knew Him, the second time he denied with an oath, and the third time with a curse. And when the rooster crowed, he remembered the rebuke of the Lord and wept in repentance.
We see that, having come ashore, the disciples found a fire and a fish on it, although they, in their haste to meet the Teacher, did not bring with them the fish they had caught. Perhaps this fish was supposed to remind the disciples of their doubt when Christ appeared to them on the night of the Resurrection, and they did not believe that it was Him until He ate the fish. And the fire was supposed to remind Peter of his renunciation by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest.
The second part of the meeting with Christ on the Sea of Galilee is very tense both in a mystical sense and because what happened here is interpreted differently by Orthodox and Catholics, affirming the primacy of Peter and, as a result, the pope. Catholics take this fragment out of the context of the situation with Peter's denial and ignore the Savior's reproaches for the haste with which he makes big promises and does not fulfill them, and even that He calls him Satan.
But let us follow further the text of Saint John. As soon as Christ revealed himself to the apostles in, complete silence reigned, everyone ate in silence, and everyone waited for what would happen next. It seems to me personally that both Peter and the rest of the disciples guessed what was about to happen. Some heaviness was felt in the mysterious atmosphere of the meeting.
Peter's position among the apostles after his denial was rather doubtful, and they knew that the Lord had to clarify it one way or another. Peter was the chief apostle for a long time. Age gave him an advantage over the rest, and they did due honor to his age and position before Christ. However, the Savior had never before taken with Him only Peter, but also James and John.
At the Last Supper, it was obvious that the Lord preferred John, not only because he was reclining at the Teacher’s chest: John was young, and the Teacher patronized him, but especially because, when the Lord said that one of betray them, Peter asked John to ask who the traitor was, which the Savior revealed to John in a whisper, and he, no doubt, passed it on to Peter.
But then Christ said something much more important about the salvation of Peter from the sin of renunciation - we read about this in the holy evangelist Luke (22: 31-32):
– Simon! Simon! Behold, Satan asked to sow you like wheat, but I prayed for you that your faith would not fail; and once you have turned back, strengthen your brethren.
These firm words still resounded in their hearts, just like the prophecy: If a rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you do not know me.. I think that because of these words of Christ, the disciples did not doubt at all whether to accept Peter again into their ranks. This is my opinion, it is not found, as a rule, in Orthodox interpretations of Peter's denial.
When the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples finished the meal (John 21:15 et seq.), the Savior asked Peter suddenly - and He knew the thoughts of everyone, and this question was a continuation of those thoughts to which Christ had to give an explanation. Christ's question was directly related to Peter's statement at the Last Supper. Christ asked him now:
– Simon Ionin! do you love me more than they do?
And the impulsive nature of Peter again made itself felt in the haste with which he answered, forgetting for a moment about his denial:
 |
Jesus entrusted him to feed His lambs without any explanation or allusion to his primacy among the apostles. On the contrary, as if at a judgment where the first testimony must be confirmed in order to be accepted (in such situations three certificates were needed), He asks him a second time, no longer comparing him with other apostles:
Peter confirms this without adding anything else - saying all the same words:
- Yes, Lord! You know I love you.
The Savior asks a third time, as if testing his first statement for the last time:
- Simon Ionin! do you love me?
Peter confirms by saying the same words:
- You know I love you.
Christ entrusts him to feed His sheep.
Despite the conviction of Peter and the apostles that Christ was restoring Peter to the apostleship, this third question deeply saddened Peter, because the Master addressed him for the third time with the words: “Do you love Me?”, and he answered with great sadness in voice:
- God! You know everything; You know I love you.
Thus, Peter indirectly confirms that all these questions, uttered three times, are connected with his three denials, and they blot out the sin he committed, and he is again restored among the apostles. It is obvious to any person of sound faith that no special authority is now given to Peter, because in that case why would he have become sad when he was questioned a third time?
When Christ addressed the apostles after the Resurrection and said: go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature(Mark 16:15) The Master did not address Peter with anything in particular, so that his position remained somewhat obscure compared to the others. Christ intended to restore the one who had denied Him by a solemn reunion, similar to the acceptance of a heretic into Orthodoxy in our time.
When Catholics claim that he is now given special authority, they are deliberately deceived: Peter is now given the authority that the rest of the apostles had originally, which they did not lose, like Peter, and which was confirmed on the day of Resurrection. Now Peter was restored to the apostolate, and the right to preach to all creation was restored to him:
- Feed my lambs, feed my sheep!
If during this whole mysterious period after the Resurrection of the Lord there was something special for one of the apostles, then two were singled out: Thomas, for whose sake Christ came specially to assure him of His Resurrection, and John, about whom He told Peter at His appearance, which we are discussing:
“If I want him to stay until I come, what is it to you? you follow me(John 21:22).
Thus, Jesus rebukes Peter again for his insolence.
There is something else connected with Peter. When Mary Magdalene announces to the apostles that she spoke with the Lord at the tomb and He is alive, they began to doubt, and only Peter and John ran to the tomb to see what had happened there. John, being younger, ran faster, he looked into the tomb, saw an empty shroud, but did not enter out of respect for the age of Peter. After a short time, Peter also ran to the tomb, and they went inside one by one.
There they saw a shroud lying on the ground, and the kerchief with which the face of Jesus was covered was not together with the shroud, but was bundled and lay in another place. Then, adds the evangelist John, they saw and believed(cf. John 20:8).
If the shroud had been opened and lay straight on the ground, as a piece of cloth is usually laid, I think it would not have made such a stunning impression on both apostles. Without a doubt, there was something strange in the way the shroud lay on the ground, if St. John wrote that they saw the shroud and believed, for they did not yet know from Scripture that Christ had to rise from the dead(John 20:9).
Taking into account ... the Jewish tradition associated with burial, let us remember that after the death of the Savior on the Cross, the Jews tried to get rid of the bodies of the crucified, because the next day was Easter, and Judaism did not allow the dead to remain unburied on Easter. Joseph of Arimathea, the secret disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked him for the body of Jesus. He was surprised that the Teacher had already died, called the centurion and asked him, and he confirmed the death. It was probably the same centurion who exclaimed upon seeing the supernatural phenomena that accompanied the death of the Savior:
- He was truly the Son of God(Matthew 27:54).
We know from the story of St. John that Pilate nevertheless sent soldiers to check this, and when they saw that the two robbers were not dead, they broke their legs - this caused shock and instant death; but they did not break Jesus' legs, but only pierced his heart with a spear.
Joseph of Arimathea removed the body of Jesus from the Cross; Nicodemus also approached, who came to Jesus at night to question Him (see: John 3), he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloe; the shroud was soaked in this composition, then, wrapping the body of the Lord with this cloth, soaked in incense, they laid the Savior in the tomb, in which no one has yet been laid(John 19:42).
These incense, like desiccant, had the property of stiffening the fabric. What Peter and John saw was an unfolded shroud that retained the shape of Jesus' body, which meant that the Lord came out of the shroud without disturbing the form that it had taken on His body.
Confirming all supernatural phenomena - from before His Resurrection, we see a chain of symbols leading to the highest final goal - the Deity of Jesus. He was born of the Virgin without a husband, and She no longer bore anyone in Her womb - so at the burial, Christ was laid in a new tomb, in which no one had ever been buried. The Savior emerged from the shroud without tearing or unrolling it, and then he also emerged from the grave through the stone without breaking it, just as He emerged from the womb of His Mother without causing birth pains and without damaging the keys of virginity.
All this is connected with the theological idea that everywhere everything that God touches comes to life, goes out of its natural order and enters another order - Divine, higher, incomprehensible to us.
The joy of the feast of the Resurrection is different from that which we experience at the birth of Christ, when we try to make our heart a spiritual cave in which the Infant Jesus will be born. There, at Christmas, we all stand together before a miracle in which God, the incomprehensible, without beginning, who created this wonderful world, heaven and earth, limits Himself to the scale of a tiny and fragile Infant, lying in a manger and warmed only by the breath of animals and the love of His Mother and righteous Joseph.
At Christmas we did not seem to have accepted Christ into ourselves; He is still a wondrous Infant who descended from heaven, and we have a certain feeling of being outside of God the Son. At Easter, thanks to the redemptive fast and the fact that we saw God among us, having our form and size, suffering like us, bleeding, calling His Father from heaven, praying for those who tormented Him - among whom, perhaps, were and we—our joy becomes inward. Christ has united us through suffering and forgiveness.
People are more relaxed at Easter, more interiorized. Sunday brings quieter joy, we don't have to run, as we do at Christmas, to reach the cave of the Nativity. The God-Man is in us, in our suffering, our repentance, our purification through fasting, and in our new conversion to God. Frequent and longer worship services, heartache about the sins we have committed, all-night vigils and passions gradually elevate and bring us closer to God. And our spirit becomes zealous for repentance and more fervent for prayer.
I would very much like that all those who are in this temple reach the Resurrection bright, like angels, and cleansed of sins. I would very much like you to forget about all evil, I would like your mind to be directed towards God alone, from your mouth came out, as the holy Apostle Paul says, psalms, doxologies and spiritual songs. I do not mean that from now on you begin to recite psalms, but that you see, according to the psalmist, how your heart rejoices with joy about the Resurrection of the Savior.
And then this temple will really become the habitation of Christ. And I would be very happy if you all became taller than me, everyone would be saints in this temple.
Ticket 19: The gospel story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as evidence of His victory over death (Mt.28.-10; Mk.16.1-8; Lk.24.1-11; Jn.20.1-10). The problem of the chronological sequence of the appearances of the Resurrected Lord, described in the Gospel (Mt.28.9-10; 16-20; Mk.16.9-20; Lk.24.13-35; 35-53; Jn.20.11-18; 19-29 ; 21.1-14; 15-23).
Appearances of the Risen Lord to His Disciples
Narrating the greatest event of the Resurrection of Christ, all four Evangelists say nothing about the mysterious and incomprehensible side of this event for us, do not describe exactly how it happened, and how the Risen Lord came out of the tomb without breaking its seals. They only talk about the earthquake that occurred, due to the fact that the Angel of the Lord rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb (already after the Lord had risen, which is also emphasized in our church hymns, and not in the way it is usually thought that the Angel rolled away the stone in order to so that the Lord could come out of the tomb), about the speech of the Angel addressed to the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb, and then about a whole series of appearances of the Risen Lord to the myrrh-bearing women and His disciples.
The arrival of the myrrh-bearing women to the tomb
(Mat. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12 and John 20:1-10)
It seemed to the women who were present at Golgotha, and then at the burial of the Lord, that His priceless Body was too hastily prepared for burial, and they were sad that they did not take part in the anointing of His with the world, which is usual among the Jews. Therefore, having spent, according to the commandment, the whole Saturday in peace, on the first day of the week, already at dawn, they hastened to the tomb in order to fulfill their pious desire and the last duty of love in relation to their Beloved Teacher. At the head of these women deeply devoted to the Lord, who went down in history with the name of “myrrh-bearing women,” as all four Evangelists testify to this, was Mary Magdalene; she was followed by “another Mary,” or Mary of Jacob, Salome, and other women who followed the Lord from Galilee (Luke 23:55). It was a whole host of wives, some of whom walked quickly, almost ran, perhaps others walked more slowly, not with such great haste. There is nothing surprising, therefore, that the time of their arrival at the tomb is determined differently by the Evangelists, which, at first glance, creates the impression of some kind of contradiction between them, which, in reality, does not exist.
First of all: who is this “other Mary,” about whom St. Matthew, telling about the burial of the Lord (Matt. 27:61), and then about the resurrection (Matt. 28:1). According to the ancient tradition of the Church, set forth in the Synaxaria on the day of Easter, it was the Mother of God herself. Why is this not said with complete certainty? As the Synaxarius explains, “lest it seem doubtful” (due to the fact that the testimony of such a great event is assigned to the Mother), the evangelists say: Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9), who saw an Angel on a stone.
Salome was the mother of the "sons of Zebedee" - the apostles James and John. John, mentioned by St. Luke (24:10), was the wife of Chuza, the steward of King Herod. The rest of the myrrh-bearing women are not mentioned by name, but St. Luke clearly says that there were “And the rest with them” (Luke 24:10). Among these “others”, church tradition also indicates: Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, resurrected by the Lord, Mary Cleopova and Susanna, as well as many others, “As the divine Luke narrates: serving Christ and His disciples with their estates” (Synaxarion in Week of the Myrrh-bearing Women).
The myrrh-bearing women were waiting for the end of the Sabbath rest, and some of them bought fragrances on Friday evening, as St. Luke (23:56), and others already “after the Sabbath,” that is, on Saturday evening (Mark 16:1).
The Evangelists then speak in different expressions about the time of the arrival of the myrrh-bearing women to the tomb.
St. Matthew - “After the Sabbath, at the dawn of the first day of the week ...”
St. Mark - “very early, on the first day of the week, ... at sunrise ...”
St. Luke - “On the first day of the week, very early...”
St. John - “On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb early, when it was still dark...”
Thus, all these indications of time coincide, speaking only about different moments of the onset of morning, from which it is clear that the myrrh-bearing women did not all come at the same time at the same time. What differs most from other Evangelists is the description of St. John, which is understandable, because, as always, he omits what was told by the first three Evangelists and fills in their narrations with that which refers only to Mary Magdalene and the two disciples. From the demolition of the narrative of all four Evangelists, a complete picture of everything that happened is obtained. Of course, described only by St. Matthew, the earthquake, due to the descent of the Angel of the Lord, who rolled away the stone from the doors of the tomb, was even before the arrival of the myrrh-bearing women. Its meaning is to put the guards to flight and show the coffin empty. The Lord has risen before this, as it is sung about this in our church hymns: “I am sealed to the tomb, the belly [Life] from the tomb shone thou, O Christ God…” (troparion in the week of Fomin). “Lord, the tomb was sealed from the wicked; you do not feel when thou hast risen, the warriors guarding Thee…” (stichera in praise on Sunday morning 5 tones). Therefore, the image of the resurrection of Christ, which has spread among us recently, under the influence of the West, does not at all correspond to reality - the stone is rolled away, Christ comes out of the tomb, and the soldiers fall on their faces in fear. An angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone after Christ had risen. This led to awe and stupor of the guards, who then fled to Jerusalem.
From a comparison of all four gospel narratives, a clear picture of the sequence of events is created. The first came to the tomb, as can be seen from the story of St. John, Mary Magdalene, “While it was still dark” (John 20:1). But she did not go alone, but with a host of myrrh-bearing women, as the first three Evangelists narrate. She only, due to her special love for the Lord and liveliness of temperament, got ahead of the other wives and came when it was still dark, while the other wives approached the tomb when it was already beginning to get light. The fact that she did not go alone is also evident from the saying of John, for returning to the apostles Peter and John, she says not in the singular, but in the plural: “We do not know where they laid Him” (John 20:2). So clearly seen in the Greek text and so translated into Russian. Seeing that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb (she did not see the Angel, who later appeared to the wives), she thought that the Body of the Lord had been carried away, and immediately ran to inform the apostles Peter and John about this. On the way back, of course, she met with other women, who, meanwhile, were occupied with the idea of who would roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for them (Mark 16:3), and told them her fear. While she went to the apostles, the rest of the myrrh-bearing women approached the tomb, saw the angels, heard from them the good news of the resurrection of Christ, and hurriedly went to the apostles to share this joy with them. All this is described in detail by the first three Evangelists (Mat. 28:5-8; Mark. 16:4-8 and Luke 24:3-8).
Meanwhile, two of the Apostles, Peter and John, as a result of the message brought to them by Mary Magdalene (and perhaps by other myrrh-bearing women whom they did not believe) - “And their words seemed to them empty, and did not believe them” (Luke. 24:11), hurriedly went or even ran to the tomb. John, being younger than Peter, ran faster, and therefore ran to the tomb earlier, when the wives were no longer there, but did not enter the tomb. It can be assumed that timidity in the solitude of the garden kept him from this. Leaning, however, into the hole from which the stone had been rolled away, he saw the sheets lying.
Following him comes Simon Peter, who, as a bolder and more courageous one, decides to enter the tomb, and sees there only the linens lying and the veils with which the head of the Lord was entwined, “not lying with linens, but especially holy in another place” ( John 20:3-7). Then “another disciple who had first come to the tomb,” that is, John, “and he saw and believed,” that is, he believed in the truth of the resurrection of Christ, entered, for when the body was stolen, there would be no need to untie and take off the veils from it, and besides put them here in that order. “For they did not yet know from the Scriptures that He had to rise from the dead” - before the Lord “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45), they did not clearly understand much: they did not understand the Lord’s words about the coming He suffered and resurrected (as can be seen, for example, from Luke 18:34 and Mark 9:10), and therefore needed material evidence. Such a proof of the truth of the resurrection of Christ was for John the fact that the linen and kerchief remained in the tomb carefully folded. But this only convinced John of the truth of what had happened. About Peter St. Luke says that he “went back, marveling at himself at what had happened” (Luke 24:12). The state of his spirit, after denying the Lord three times, was very difficult and did not favor living faith. And so, probably, when he returned from the tomb, the merciful Lord appeared to him to comfort and appease his heart, which is only briefly mentioned by St. Luke at 24:34 and St. app. Paul in 1 Corinth. 15:5. As can be seen from these passages, the Lord appeared to Peter in private and before the other Apostles.
Appearance of the Lord to Mary Magdalene
(John 20:11-18; Mark 16:9-11; Matt. 28:9-10)
After the Apostles Peter and John left the tomb, only Mary Magdalene remained there, perhaps who came with them or immediately after them. Her soul was in turmoil, and she wept, believing the body of the Lord had been stolen. Weeping, she leaned over to the opening of the coffin and saw there two angels sitting on the bed on which the bodies of the dead were laid in the tomb caves. The sorrow for the Lord was so great that it drowned out all other feelings, and therefore Magdalena, apparently, was not even particularly shocked by this appearance of the Angels, and to their question, of course, with a desire to console her: “Woman! Why are you crying?" she simply, as if speaking to earthly beings, touchingly expresses her grief in the same words as before to the Apostles Peter and John: “They carried away my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid Him.” Having said this, she, perhaps by chance, in confusion of feelings, or perhaps driven by an instinctive inner feeling, turned back and saw Jesus, but did not recognize Him. She didn’t recognize, probably because He appeared “in a different way,” as later to the Emmaus travelers, in a “humble and ordinary” form (St. John Chrysalis), which is why she mistook Him for a gardener. Or maybe she didn’t recognize it because her eyes were weeping, she was overwhelmed with grief and did not expect to see the Lord alive. She did not recognize Him at first even by His voice, when He asked her: “Woman! Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? Taking Him for a gardener, which is quite natural, for who should be in the garden so early as not a gardener, she says to Him: “Lord,” in the sense of “lord,” “if you carried Him away, tell me where you are.” lay Him down, and I will take Him,” without even thinking whether she, a weak woman, would be able to lift Him up.
Then the Lord revealed himself to her, pronouncing her name, apparently in a special, well-known and well-known to her voice intonation: “Mary!” “Having turned” - this shows that after her words to the imaginary gardener she again turned her eyes to the coffin, - “She says to Him: Rabbi! - which means: "Teacher!" and at the same time, apparently, in indescribable joy, she fell at the feet of the Lord, wanting to cling to them, to touch them, perhaps in order to make sure that she sees the real living Jesus, and not a ghost. The Lord forbade her to do so, saying, “Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to my brothers and say to them: I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.” “Believe not your touch, but my word,” the Lord seemed to say to her. The meaning of this prohibition is that the Lord wanted to say to Mary: “Leave Me, for you cannot be with Me inseparably, do not hold Me back, but go and preach My Resurrection, but now I must no longer remain with you, but ascend to Heavenly Father." We find a good explanation of the meaning of this prohibition to touch the Lord in the morning stichera of the 8th tone: “An earthly woman is still wise: in the same way it is sent not to touch Christ.”
“Mary Magdalene goes and announces to the disciples that she saw the Lord, and that He said this to her” - comparing these words with the story of St. Matthew, we must assume that on the way Mary Magdalene met “another Mary,” and the Lord appeared to both of them together again (second appearance), “says: rejoice!” They prostrated themselves before Him, falling down at His feet, and He again repeated His command to them to go to the disciples, calling them “My Brothers,” and to announce to them about His resurrection, repeating the same thing as before. said the angel, "Let them go to Galilee." Touching is the name “brothers,” which is given by the resurrected Lord, the already glorified Messiah, ready to go to the Father, His disciples - He is not ashamed to call them the way He emphasized it later in His Epistle to the Hebrews 2:11-12 ap. . Paul.
St. Mark says that the myrrh-bearing women were seized with such trepidation and horror, of course, reverent, that they “told nothing to anyone.” This must be understood in the sense that they were running along the road, saying nothing to anyone about what they saw and heard. About the same thing that, having come home, they told about everything to the apostles, the Evangelist Mark himself further narrates (Mark. 16:8 and 6:10) and other Evangelists (Luke 24:9).
According to the gospel legends, the first appearance of the Lord after the resurrection was, as it were, to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-10). But St. The Church from ancient times keeps the tradition that before Mary Magdalene, the resurrected Lord appeared to His Most Pure Mother, which is quite natural and understandable. In Jerusalem, in the Church of the Resurrection, they still indicate the place of the appearance of the resurrected Savior of His Most Pure Mother not far from the cuvuklia. Tradition, sanctified by centuries, cannot but be based on a real fact. And if the Gospels do not say anything about this, then this is because the Gospels generally do not record much, as St. John (21:25; 20:30-31). It must be assumed that the Most Pure Mother of God, in Her humility, did not want to divulge the cherished secrets of Her life - that is why the Gospels say very little about Her at all, except for the most necessary facts related directly to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. . Apparently, the Evangelists did not want to mention the Most Holy Theotokos at all as a witness to the truth of the event of the Resurrection of Christ, because the testimony of the mother could not be accepted with confidence by the doubters (see the synaxarium on Easter week). Evangelists say that the stories of the myrrh-bearing women about what they saw and heard at the tomb and about the appearance of the Risen Lord Himself seemed empty to them, they did not believe them (Luke 24:11). If even the apostles did not believe the myrrh-bearing women, could outsiders believe the testimony of the Mother?
Bribing the guards of the coffin
(Matthew 28:11-15)
“Some of the guards,” who fled from the tomb of the Lord, probably those in charge, as those responsible for leaving the place of the guard, reported everything that had happened to the high priests. Precisely to them, and not to Pilate, for they were appointed by their order, and not by the order of the procurator himself. The high priests gathered the Sanhedrin and decided to bribe the soldiers so that they would slander the truth of the Resurrection of Christ. “They bought His blood,” says St. Chrysostom, - when He was alive, and after His crucifixion and resurrection, again with money they try to undermine the truth of the resurrection. “Say that His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we were sleeping,” they taught the soldiers to say. “Their words are absolutely unbelievable and had no plausibility,” says St. Chrysostom: “How did His disciples steal, these poor and simple people who did not even dare to show themselves? And wasn't there a seal on the coffin? Were not that place surrounded on all sides by so many guards, warriors, and ordinary Jews? … And why should they steal? Is it to invent the doctrine of the resurrection? But how would it come to the idea to invent something similar to people who wanted to live in the unknown? And how did they roll away the sealed stone? How did you hide from such a multitude? And what use would it be to them if Jesus Christ had not been resurrected?” All the interpreters of the Gospel rightly point out that all the Sanhedrin's undertakings - to protect the Most Pure Body of the Lord in the grave, as strong as possible, were invented and carried out as if on purpose in order to confirm with all historical clarity the authenticity of the event, which the members of the Sanhedrin wanted to obscure and present as false. After all, the theft of the dead was completely unheard of among the Jews, who were afraid to defile themselves by touching a dead body (Numbers 19:11-12).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref1" “Note, perhaps, the dignity of priests, it is Divine. For remission of sins is the work of God. Thus they should be revered as God. Even though they were unworthy; what of it? they are ministers of divine gifts, and grace works through them, as it once spoke through Balaam's donkey (Numbers 22:28-30). So, our unworthiness does not hinder grace. And as grace is given through the priests, they should be honored” (Blessed Theophylact, on John).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref2" From this word it is obvious that the wound inflicted on the Lord by the warrior on the cross was very deep (architect Averky).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref3" extremely stubborn mind. That is why Thomas is censured” (Chrysostom, on John).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref4" “The body (of the Resurrected Lord), which entered through locked doors, and therefore thin and light, was free from any coarseness. And in order to assure in the resurrection, the Lord shows him like this, and for this he rose again, having the signs of the cross and wounds. Also, what He ate, He ate not for the needs of the body, but for the assurance of the resurrection. Therefore, just as before the crucifixion, walking on the waves (Mk. 6:48), He had a body of no other nature, so now He shows it tangible and having wounds. However, although it is tangible and visible, it is imperishable” (Blessed Theophylact, on John)
The Appearance of the Risen Lord to the Disciples on the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-25)
From Jerusalem, the apostles went to Galilee, since they were all from there, to take up their former trade, fishing.
Here again Jesus appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1). There were seven disciples: Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John of Zebedee, and two more, whom Jn. does not name. The apostles worked all night, fishing, but caught nothing.
And when the morning had already come, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Children! Do you have any food? (John 21:4-5) - the Lord addressed them. In response to their denial, He ordered a net to be thrown, and what they had already experienced once was repeated (cf. HYPERLINK "http://azbyka.ru/biblia/?Lk.5:5" Lk 5:5): they were unable to network because of the many fish caught HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "5" .
The disciple whom Jesus loved says to Peter: This is the Lord (John 21:7). Then Peter, girded himself with outer clothing to put it on himself when leaving the water, and rushed to swim towards Jesus. “Here again we find an indication of the peculiarities in the disciples: John was more insightful, and Peter more ardent. Therefore, John was the first to recognize the Lord, and Peter the first hastened to Him. Having girded himself, Peter expressed reverence for Jesus, and throwing himself into the sea, he showed his love ”(Blessed Theophylact, on John).
In the meantime, the other disciples came to the shore in a boat, bringing with them a net of fish, which were so numerous that they did not dare to drag them into the boat.
When they came out on the ground, they saw a decomposed fire and fish and bread lying on it (John 21:9). The Lord miraculously prepared food for them, but wishing that they would also taste from the fruits of their hands, He said: Bring the fish that you have now caught (John 21:10). Simon Peter returned to the boat and, probably with the help of other students, pulled a net ashore, in which there were one hundred and fifty-three fish HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "6" . Described below, Jn. testifies that the disciples saw something extraordinary in the appeared Christ. “Seeing the changed face, filled with extraordinary grandeur, they were very amazed and would like to ask something about it; but fear and the consciousness that it was not someone else, namely He, kept them from questioning ”(Chrysostom, on John).
When they were eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon of Jonas! Do you love me more than they do? (John 20:15) Since Peter denied the Lord and through this deprived himself of his apostolate, the Lord needed to restore him to this rank. Three times Peter denied, three times the Lord makes him ask: Do you love me? answer: Yes, Lord! You know I love you! (John 21:16). After each assurance, he instructs him, as an apostle, to feed the lambs and sheep of His HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "7" .
Having restored Peter to the apostolic countenance, the Lord predicts to him: When you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wanted; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you up and lead you where you do not want to (John 21:18). This is a prophecy about the martyrdom that Peter will end his life HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "8" . “He hints to him that he, too, will be crucified. For the words: "You will stretch out your hands, and another will gird up," point to nothing else than to the stretching out on the cross and to the bonds ”(Blessed Theophylact, on John).
After that, Peter, seeing the beloved disciple of the Lord John, desired to know what kind of death awaits him (see John 21:21). However, the Savior rather cryptically answered Peter's question: If I want him to remain until I come, what is it to you? (John 21:22). These words gave reason to other disciples of Christ to think that John would not die, but would live until the very second coming of Christ. The Evangelist John himself refutes this opinion: But Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but: if I want him to remain until I come, what is it to you [before that] (John 21:23). It is noteworthy in this regard to note that, according to the testimony of ancient church tradition, the Apostle John the Theologian, having reached an age beyond the limits of ordinary human longevity, had a mysterious death, being buried at his own request alive in a burial cave and disappearing from it on the third day.
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref5" This miracle, like the first one, undoubtedly, was supposed to represent their future fruitful apostolic activity, in which they, working themselves , at the same time, they should have been guided in everything by the instructions of the Lord (architect Averky).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref6" "Some people explain it in such a way that a hundred fish meant those who should be caught in Christianity from the pagans, and fifty fish - those who are to be caught out of the Jews, since more of the Gentiles had faith in Christ than of the Jews. And the three fish pointed to the Most Holy Trinity, in which these people must believe ”(Evfimy Zigaben, on Ying).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref7" "By" lambs "perhaps, beginners are meant, and by "sheep" - more advanced ones. Therefore, whoever loves Christ must take care of the lambs and the sheep” (Blessed Theophylact, on John).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref8" The Apostle Peter, according to the oldest tradition of the Church, was indeed crucified in Rome on a cross head down under Emperor Nero in 68 AD.
The Appearance of the Risen Lord to His Disciples in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18)
Eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "9" , where Jesus commanded them, and when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; while others doubted (Matt. 28:16-17). “Some of them doubted, fearing to be deceived. It is not necessary to ask who exactly these some were, because they are not indicated here; you only need to know that these also were convinced when Jesus Christ approached them ”(Euphemius Zigaben, on Matt.). To dispel doubts that it was really He, Jesus, approaching, said to them: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Matt. 28:18). Through the resurrection, the Lord assumed the fullness of divine authority.
And he said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). The Lord no longer limits the preaching of the apostles to Jews alone (see Mt. 10:5-6, Mt. 15:24), but sends them to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28, 19). Those who baptize, therefore, do not act on their own, but according to the authority bestowed upon them by the Holy Trinity. Those who receive baptism impose on themselves the obligation to believe in Her, dedicating their lives to Her: observing everything necessary that the Lord commanded to be done for salvation (see Matt. 28:20). “Baptism and education alone are not enough for salvation, unless a life worthy of God is added to it” (Euphemius Zigaben, on Matt).
Mk. adds that in order to confirm people in the faith, they will be given great miracles and signs from God: In My Name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will take snakes; and if they drink something deadly, it will not harm them; lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:17-18). In other words, those who believe in Christ will receive power to overcome all evil. As the history of the Church testifies, the miracles performed by the apostles and true believers, throughout its entire length, confirmed the truth of the words spoken by the Savior.
And lo, I am with you all the days until the end of time (Matthew 28:20): The Lord, entrusting the apostles with the feat of spreading the gospel teaching throughout the universe, promises them through His invisible constant presence with them to lead the Church for the salvation of people. Of course, this promise must also apply to all the apostolic successors: “Jesus Christ was not only with His disciples, but abides with all their followers, since the apostles could not abide until the end of the age. Through the intermediary of the disciples who were at that time, He proclaimed this joy to their followers, conversing with all believers as if with one body ”(Euphemius Zigaben, on Matt.).
HYPERLINK "http://mpda-dl.ru/mod/lesson/view.php" \l "ref9" "It is not known what kind of mountain this is, but it is very likely that it was Mount Tabor of Transfiguration, on which the disciples were able to see the transfiguration of that glorious state of the Lord in which He appeared to them now” (architect Averky).
The problem of the chronological sequence of the appearances of the Resurrected Lord, described in the Gospel (Mt.28.9-10; 16-20; Mk.16.9-20; Lk.24.13-35; 35-53; Jn.20.11-18; 19-29 ; 21.1-14; 15-23) according to Ep. Cassian (Bezobrazov)
Coordination of the gospel stories about the Resurrection (Mt. 28; Mk. 16; Lk. 24; Jn. 20-21) is fraught with exceptional difficulties. We must openly admit that bringing together
four gospel testimonies of the Resurrection is an unsolvable task.
However, two provisions leave no room for doubt. First, the women who came to the Tomb on the first day of the week found it empty. Second: The Lord repeatedly appeared to the myrrh-bearing women
and students. The Empty Tomb and the apparitions of the Crucified speak of the Resurrection. Against this conclusion,
rationalistic science tried its best to explain these facts by natural causes. We do not need to enter into a review of all the hypotheses put forward by her. Enough
bring some, to be immediately convinced of their inconsistency. So, for example, the era
Enlightenment returned to the old Jerusalem rumor about the theft of the body of Jesus by the disciples
(cf. Matt. 28:11-15). Those who stole the body were, according to this explanation, distributors
rumors about the Resurrection. Others hesitated to question the students' integrity.
Whatever the explanation for the disappearance of the body, the students allegedly fell victim to hallucinations:
seeing Jesus in bodily form, they were imbued with faith in His resurrection and this faith
distributed to others. Both of these explanations, which are most widespread in radical circles, do not take into account the significance that
Resurrection in the history of Christianity. Faith in the Resurrection led to the restoration of the community,
the core from which the universal Church has grown. This belief was perhaps
greatest creative force in human history. There would be no place for her if the Body
The crucified was stolen by the disciples themselves. But it is impossible to build it on the painful and
purely subjective experience of hallucinations. The Resurrection of Christ is the only
explanation of both the empty Tomb and the appearances of the Crucified.
We have the following information about the appearances of the Lord after the Resurrection. First Apparitions
myrrh-bearing women (Matt. 28:9-10; Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18) and all appearances to the disciples, oh
which is narrated in Mk. (16:12-19) and Luke. (24:13-51), as well as the first two appearances
disciples told in Jn. (20:19-29) took place in Jerusalem. The last John's appearance (21:1-23) and the only appearance to the disciples in Mt. (28:16-20) refer to Galilee.
The first messengers of the Resurrection were women, the very ones who were present at the burial. The mystery of the Resurrection was told to them at the empty Tomb by the angels (Matt. 27:61; 28:1-8; Mark 15:47-16:8; Luke 23:55-24:11; cf. John 20:1 -2). As already mentioned, according to the evidence
Gospels, they were the first to see the Risen One. In the list of phenomena, which ap. Paul gives
in 1 Cor. (15:3-8), appearances to the myrrh-bearing women are omitted. Phenomenon comes first
Lord Peter, to which there is an indication in Lk. (24:34), then the appearance of the Twelve must be
identical with the one told in Lk. (24:36ff.), and to which, in all probability,
include the instructions of Mk. 16:14-18. With him very often, although it may be wrong,
identify the phenomenon of Jn. 20:19-23. Next on the list. Paul stand phenomena that do not have
parallels in the Gospel: the appearance to more than five hundred brethren, and the appearance to Jacob, who
marks the conversion of the Brother of the Lord (cf. John 7:5). Appearance to “all the apostles” is also not easy
identify with any of the gospel phenomena. For its part, the appearance of the Lord to two
disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35; cf. Mark 16:12-13), His appearance to Thomas (John 20:26-29)
and to the seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-23), the Galilean apparition Matt. (28:16-20) and
perhaps the first appearance of Jn. (20:19-23) were not included in the list of ap. Paul. In this way,
comparison of sources allows us to assert that the Lord repeatedly and in different places
appeared, after His Resurrection, to those with whom He communed in the days of His public ministry.
Concordant testimony of Mk. (16:19) and the writings of Luke (Gospel, 24:50-5126, Acts 1:1-11) says that the last appearance of the Risen One, about which these writers narrate,
ended with His ascension to heaven. Very often, the only appearance to the disciples in Mt. (28:16-20). This, of course, is wrong. Not to mention that in this passage Matt. not a word is said about the Ascension, the appearance of Matt. took place in Galilee, and
the Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives in the vicinity of Jerusalem (Acts 1:12; cf. Luke 24:50:
referring to Bethany). The exact date of the Ascension is indicated only in Acts, where it says (1:3) about
appearances of the Risen One for forty days. This date is accepted, in all Christian
world: the memory of the Ascension takes place on the fortieth day after the Resurrection. Nonetheless,
juxtaposition of Acts. with Lk. causes some confusion. From Lk. it can be deduced that the Lord
ascended on the second day after the Resurrection. There is no doubt that the Emmaus disciples returned to Jerusalem with joyful news of the appearance of the Risen One on the very first night after the Resurrection.
A new appearance of the Lord takes place right there, while the Emmaus disciples are talking with the apostles.
The reader of the Gospel has the impression that this phenomenon ends with the ascension.
Does this impression correspond to historical chronology? It must be admitted that communication
Lord with the disciples in Lk. 24 is told in such a way that we have the right to think in it alone, or maybe
be, and two spaces: after Art. 43 and after Art. 49. In that case, this communication could
stretch out for a longer time: maybe forty days. But requires
attention and first impression. Luka was a master of words and would not allow readers to endure
this impression, if it were not part of his intention.
Were the appearances of the Risen One after the Ascension possible? App. Paul
obliges us to answer this question in the affirmative. In that list of the appearances of the Risen One,
which he gives in 1 Cor., he puts in the last place (15:8) the appearance of the Lord to him, Paul. We
we know that this phenomenon (cf. Acts 9), which turned the persecutor into an apostle, took place
after Ascension. The appearance of the Lord to Saul proves the possibility of His appearances after the Ascension. It is remarkable that the apostle puts this phenomenon on a par with those who
belong to the time before the Ascension. He does not pass between the Damascus apparition and
early phenomena no difference. In modern Orthodox science, it has been stated
the opinion that all the appearances of the Lord to the disciples in John, as well as His appearances on the mountain in Galilee in Matt.
must be delivered after Ascension. This is not the place to enter into a discussion of this
hypotheses. There is no doubt that the experience of the saints throughout the two thousand years of the history of the Church
continues the experiment. Paul. The appearances of Christ after the Ascension are immutable
witnessed in history. Thus, in the saving ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ
Ascension takes on the significance of a facet not so much historical as dogmatic. It
was the completion of His earthly ministry (cf. Luke 9:51), in the sense of the fullness of glorification.
The Teaching of the Farewell Conversation makes us understand the Ascension as the ultimate point of that
the process of Jesus' ascension to the Father, which begins in His Passion, and ends
which the sending down of the Spirit-Comforter is conditioned (cf. also John 7:39). But a vision of glory is given
already in the victory of Christ over death.
The Resurrection of Christ is a manifestation of another being. First of all, other being refers to
overcoming space in the manifestations of the Risen One. And this applies not only to the “shut door” appearances of John (cf. 20:19, 26). The Lord and the weathermen is nobody
longed for and just as suddenly becomes invisible (Luke 24:15, 31). From the testimony of Lk. too
it follows that He entered the closed room invisibly (cf. 24:36). With overcoming
space bound and overcoming time. This is probably what I wanted to express.
Evangelist Luke, presenting, in his Gospel (24), events that stretched out for forty days
(Acts 1:3), so that the reader gets the impression that they happened during
days. And, finally, the Resurrection of Christ, to an even greater extent than Christmas and the Transfiguration,
marked by the manifestation of luminous glory. The descent of an angel, whose appearance was like lightning, and
clothing is like snow, accompanied by an earthquake and causes the horror of the guards and
women (Matthew 28:2-5). The youth mentioned in Mk. (16:5), also dressed in white clothes and inspires
trembling. Two men in sparkling clothes are also mentioned by Luke at the empty Tomb. Seeing them
the myrrh-bearing women are seized with fear (24:4-5). Are the two husbands the same or different? - in white
robes appear to the apostles after the Ascension (Acts 1:10). In the Resurrection of Christ the sky
descends to the ground. The fulfillment of glory is the Ascension. It is no coincidence that it is accompanied
the manifestation of a luminous cloud (Acts 1:9). This is the cloud of glory that once overshadowed the tabernacle
(Exodus 40etc.) and a temple (1 Kings 8etc.), to commemorate the presence of God. For app. Paul
it was clear that the body of the Risen Lord, as a spiritual body (cf. 1 Cor. 15:44-49), is a body
glorified (cf. Philipp. 3:21), thus it already belongs to another being. Highly
it is likely that the impossibility of historical coordination of the gospel narratives about
resurrection must be understood as evidence that the mystery of the resurrection
exceeds human understanding and cannot be expressed by a human word. Other
the being manifested in the Resurrection will also be our portion in the life of the next age. Sunday
Christ's is the beginning of our resurrection. This is the theme of the app. Paul in 1 Cor. 15. Here
the dogmatic essence of the Resurrection and its significance in the matter of our salvation.
But the Resurrection has a meaning not only of dogmatic truth. Sunday
happened in history, and its historical significance cannot be overestimated. nearest
The result of the Resurrection was the restoration of the disintegrated community of Christ's disciples.
"It was impossible for death to hold" the Crucified One (Acts 2:24). The Resurrection of Christ proved
that the Jewish leaders triumphed too soon. Appearing among the disciples,
The Lord again gathered them around Himself, gathered them - Triumphant and led them to victory. But
the gathering of disciples around the glorified Lord and the development from the small flock of the Universal Church no longer belongs to the history of the gospel. It is the subject of history.
apostolic age. The end of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ is precisely defined by two
Evangelists: this is the Ascension of the Lord, according to Lk. (9:51), or, using the term of Johannine theology (20, 17), the ascension of the Son to the Father.
