What was before Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, biography, miracles, deeds

(Yeshua bin Nun) (c. -XIV centuries BC).

Often short name Yeshua reduced further to Yeshu. In Jewish religious controversy, the founder of Christianity is most often referred to as such. Some see the abbreviation as disparaging. It should be noted that Yeshua, Yeshua or Yeshu- one of the most common Jewish names of that period.

Birth

Almost immediately after his birth, Jesus was taken to Egypt by His mother Mary and stepfather Joseph. They spent very little time there (The Gospels testify to us that Jesus returned to his homeland as an infant.) (Matthew 2:14-15)

Baptism

After the death of Herod, Jesus settled in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). Growing up, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist on the Jordan River, after which he retired to the wilderness for 40 days, where he endured temptations from Satan. After the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus settled in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13), where at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23) he delivered a sermon on repentance in the face of the advent of the Kingdom of God.

Sermon

He gathered around him a group of 12 supporters. Jesus is also praised as a healer of incurable diseases and a prophet.

Court

The main legal norm relevant to the case is the norm of W. 18:20-22: “The prophet who dares to speak maliciously a word in My name - that which I did not command him to speak, and who begins to speak in the name of other gods - let this prophet die. (21) And if you say in your heart: How can we know a word that Yahweh did not speak? - (22) what the prophet will say on behalf of Yahweh, and this word will not come true, this is the word that Yahweh did not say; maliciously spoke his prophet; do not be afraid of him ”(translated by I. Sh. Shifman). The Sanhedrin interpreted Jesus as a false prophet, while Christians considered the prophecies to be evidence to the contrary.

According to Mark 14:62, “the high priest asked Him again: Are you the Anointed One, the Son of the Blessed One? “I am,” Jesus answered [and quoted Dan. 7:13] "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty and walking with the clouds of heaven." (63) The high priest, tearing his clothes, said: Why do we need more witnesses? (64) You yourself have heard blasphemy! What will be your decision? And everyone found Him guilty and sentenced Him to death. "(translated by Ros. Bibl. ob-va, 2000) In other gospels, Jesus dissuades with the phrases:" it is you who speak, "but the verdict testifies in favor of the truth of Mark's version.

After unsuccessful attempts by the High Priest to accuse Jesus of any outward violation of the Jewish law (see the Old Testament), Jesus was betrayed by him to the Roman ruler, procurator Pontius Pilate, who, finding no fault in him, was inclined to let him go. But at the insistence of a crowd of Jews gathered to watch the execution, directed by the elders, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion (according to Islamic beliefs, Jesus was taken to heaven alive) for trying to impersonate God. Some Jews considered him possessed by Beelzebub (Mark 3:22). Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, and at the end of time he will come to earth again to judge the living and the dead, and there will be no end to his kingdom (Creed).

Jesus Christ before execution.

Jesus really did not violate the Jewish law and did not call for it to be violated, since he himself was (by origin) a Jew, was born into a Jewish family, was circumcised (Luke 2:21), obeyed the Law of Moses (Gal. 4:4) and in sermons said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until all is fulfilled. So, whoever breaks one of these least commandments and teaches people so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Mat. 5:17-19).

crucifixion

According to the New Testament, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus Christ to crucifixion, in whose death the Sanhedrin headed by the high priest Caiaphas was interested. According to the gospel story, Pilate “took water and washed his hands before the people”, thus using the old Jewish custom, symbolizing innocence in shedding blood (hence the expression “wash your hands”). For his preaching work, Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified on the cross on Friday.

Sunday

The moment of the discovery of the empty tomb of Christ in different gospels is described with differences. According to John: Mary Magdalene alone (according to other versions there were more myrrh-bearing women) came after Saturday to the tomb of Christ and saw that it was empty. She had visions of two angels and Jesus, whom she did not immediately recognize. In the evening Christ appeared to his disciples (among whom there was no Thomas the Twin) and breathed the Holy Spirit (Jo 20:1-15). When Thomas arrived, he did not believe in the stories about his resurrection until he saw with his own eyes the wounds from the nails and the ribs of Christ pierced by a spear.

Biblical criticism claims that in the oldest of the canonical Gospels (from Mark) - the description of the resurrection of Christ was initially absent. The corresponding chapter of the Gospel of Mark is very different in style from all the others, and the first Christian writers do not mention it.

With this, skeptical scholars of the New Testament argue for the opinion that the legend of the resurrection does not date back to the time of the death of Jesus, but appears no earlier than the 60s of the 1st century.

Ascension

Acts of the Apostles 1:2-11. Jesus gathered the apostles in Jerusalem and told them not to disperse, but to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. "Having said this, He arose before their eyes, and a cloud took him out of their sight." The Ascension, which took place on the Mount of Olives, was accompanied by two "men in white clothes" who announced the second coming "in the same way."

Second coming

Appearance

in the bible

Fragment of the Shroud of Turin, retouched with a graphic editor

The New Testament says the following about Jesus' appearance: "His head and hair are white" (Revelation 1:14). In the Old Testament, in the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah, it is said: “For He ascended before Him, as an offspring and as a sprout out of dry ground; there is neither form nor majesty in Him; and we saw Him, and there was no form in Him that drew us to Him” (Isaiah 53:2). The icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which is the canon for writing the face of Christ, according to legend, was painted from a towel with which He wiped His face and on which His face was imprinted. There is a version according to which the image of the body of Jesus Christ during His resurrection from the dead was miraculously imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, known to the whole world.

Critics of Christianity

Another author who mentions Christ is the greatest Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus. In Annals (chronicles) book 15, paragraph 44: But Nero, in order to overcome the rumors, found the guilty and betrayed the most sophisticated executions of those ... whom the crowd called Christians. Christ, from whose name this name comes, was executed under Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate; suppressed for a while, this malicious superstition began to break out again, and not only in Judea, where this destruction came from, but also in Rome ... Their killing was accompanied by mockery, for they were dressed in the skins of wild animals, so that they would be torn to death by dogs, crucified on crosses , or those doomed to die in fire, were set on fire at nightfall for the sake of night lighting. For this spectacle, Nero provided his gardens. This testimony was written about 115 AD.

Another famous Roman historian, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, in his book Life of the Twelve Caesars, in Claudius 25:4 writes: The Jews, constantly worried about Christ, he expelled from Rome. This news was written several years earlier than the testimony of Tacitus.

The correspondence of the ruler of Bithynia and Pontus Pliny the Younger with the emperor Trajan has reached our time. From Pliny's letter to Trajan: All the best to you! It has already become a habit of mine to bring for your consideration every case of which I am uncertain or doubtful. Because who better than you can manage my indecisive judgments or replenish my incompetence in knowledge? Prior to my taking over the administration of this province, I had never interrogated Christians. I am incompetent in this and cannot decide what is the purpose of a judicial investigation and punishment in this case ... Meanwhile, I dealt with those who were brought to me as Christians in this way: I asked if they were really Christians. If they stubbornly insisted on their own, then I ordered them to be destroyed ... Others first declared that they were Christians, and then denied Him ... They spoke about their former religion ... and reported the following: they had to gather together on a certain day before sunrise and to sing together hymns to Christ as to God, to make vows before Him never to do wickedness, not to engage in theft, theft or fornication, not to break the given word, not to keep the pledge given to them. After this, it was their custom to take part in a harmless meal, at which they all acted without any disturbance of the order. And this last custom they fulfill, despite the fact that, at your command, I promulgated a decree forbidding all communities to do so ... The number of the accused is so great that the case deserves serious consideration ... Not only cities, but also small villages, and semi-desert places are overflowing with these infidels …

Teachings of Jesus Christ

As a result of the preaching of Jesus Christ in Palestine, a new religious direction arose called Christianity. At present (2007) there are more than 1 billion people in the world who call themselves Christians.

• Faith in God. "Worship the Lord thy God, and serve Him alone" (4:10)
• Rejection of other teachings and beliefs. “He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with me squanders" (12:30)
• Repentance for sins and the need to be born again (baptism) (Chapter 3)
• First of all - Love for God, love for all people (22:37-40)
• “Therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets” (7:12)
• Criticism of hypocrisy: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (12:1)
• The need to renounce oneself (self-sacrifice).
• Patience "love your enemies" (5:44); "by your patience save your souls" (21:19)
• The doctrine of the end times (24:3-44).
• To accept the gift of salvation from a person, personal will is also required, which is manifested in the application of one's own efforts and the creation of good deeds (11:12).
• Prediction of the end of troubles in a new light: “Do you think that I have come to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but separation; For from now on five in one house will be divided, three against two, and two against three” (12:51-52)
• Divorce for the purpose of concluding a new marriage union and marriage with divorced people is a violation of the commandment "Do not commit adultery." “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman with her husband commits adultery” (16:18)

Jesus in other religions

The Talmud mentions several preachers named Jesus (Yeshua/Yeshu). Most often, the founder of Christianity is identified (following the pagan philosopher Celsus) with Yeshu ben Pantira, the son of a Roman soldier Panthera or Pandira and a hairdresser (who curls women's hair (מגדלא נשיא - a reflection of the nickname "Magdalene"?) Miriam (). Modern French historian Roger Ambelain suggests that the father of Jesus was the leader of the Jewish rebels, Judas the Galilean.

In Islamic tradition, Jesus (Isa) is considered one of the greatest prophets, not the son of God, but his messenger.

Jesus in literature and art

Literature

The first works about Jesus were the works of 3 evangelists-forecasters - the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, which were written in 50-60 AD. e. Around the same time, the epistles of the apostles James, Peter and Paul were written. At the end of the 1st century, the Epistles of the Apostle John and the Gospel of John were written.

At the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, many apocryphal works appeared in which the image of Jesus and His doctrine differed significantly from those described in the canonical books of the New Testament. The church recognized the falsity of these works, but not all of them were rejected as heretical, some influenced the formation of the so-called. "Holy Tradition". The most famous of the apocrypha about Jesus Christ is the so-called. "The Gospel of Childhood", the full title of which in the manuscripts is "The Tale of Thomas, the Israeli philosopher, about the childhood of Christ."

Painting

Films

Movies about Jesus Christ:

• Jesus (film) is a film released in 1979. According to the biblical presentation of the Gospel of Luke.
• Jesus of Nazareth (film) is a film released in 1979.
• Jesus Christ Superstar (film) is a film based on the musical of the same name.
• The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 film about the life and person of Jesus.

see also

Literature

• Men A. "Son of Man"
• Mauriac Francois Life of Jesus
• Renan E. Life of Jesus
• White, E. "The Desire of Ages" ("Christ the Hope of the World")
• Farrar F. Life of Jesus Christ
• Sapunov B. V. "Earthly life of Jesus" 2002, St. Petersburg
• Thomas a Kempis, "On the Imitation of Christ"
• Nemirovsky A. I. Evangelical Jesus as a man and a preacher // Questions of history. - 1990. - No. 4. - S. 112‒132.

Links

• Electronic Bible and Bible Study Software
• Bible quotes used to justify that Jesus Christ is God

Notes

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16).

Jesus Christ- The Son of God, God, who appeared in the flesh, who took upon Himself the sin of man, by His sacrificial death made his salvation possible. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called Christ, or Messiah (χριστός, μεσσίας), the son (υἱός), the son of God (υἱὸς θεοῦ), the son of human (ἱὸνθρώπου), the lamb (ἀμνός, ἀρνίον), the Lord (κ Ukrainian) παῖς Θεοῦ), Son of David (υἱὸς Δαυίδ), Savior (Σωτήρ), etc.

Testimonies of the Life of Jesus Christ:

• canonical gospels ( )
• individual sayings of Jesus Christ that were not included in the canonical Gospels, but are preserved in other New Testament books (Acts and Epistles of the Apostles), as well as in the writings of ancient Christian writers.
• a number of texts of Gnostic and non-Christian origin.

By the will of God the Father and out of compassion for us, sinful people, Jesus Christ came into the world and became a man. By His word and example, Jesus Christ taught people how to believe and live in order to become righteous and worthy of the title of children of God, participants in His immortal and blessed life. To cleanse our sins and overcome, Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again on the third day. Now, as the God-man, He is in heaven with His Father. Jesus Christ is the head of the Kingdom of God founded by Him, called the Church, in which believers are saved, guided and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Before the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come to earth again to judge the living and the dead. After that, His Kingdom of Glory will come, a paradise in which the saved will rejoice forever. So it is foretold, and we believe it will be so.

How we waited for the coming of Jesus Christ

AT The greatest event in the life of mankind is the coming to earth of the Son of God. God has been preparing people for it, especially the Jewish people, for many millennia. From among the Jewish people, God put forward prophets who predicted the coming of the Savior of the world - the Messiah, and by this laid the foundation of faith in Him. In addition, God for many generations, starting from Noah, then - Abraham, David and other righteous people, pre-cleansed that bodily vessel from which the Messiah was to take flesh. So, finally, the Virgin Mary was born, Who was worthy to become the Mother of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, God directed the political events of the ancient world to ensure that the coming of the Messiah was successful and that His grace-filled Kingdom spread widely among people.

So, by the time of the coming of the Messiah, many pagan peoples became part of a single state - the Roman Empire. This circumstance made it possible for the disciples of Christ to travel freely throughout all the countries of the vast Roman Empire. The widespread use of one common Greek language helped Christian communities scattered over great distances to maintain contact with each other. The Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles were written in Greek. As a result of the rapprochement of the cultures of various peoples, as well as the spread of science and philosophy, beliefs in pagan gods were severely undermined. People began to yearn for satisfactory answers to their religious questions. Thinking people of the pagan world understood that society was reaching a hopeless dead end and began to express the hope that the Transformer and Savior of mankind would come.

The earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ

D For the birth of the Messiah, God chose the pure virgin Mary, from the family of King David. Mary was an orphan and was cared for by Her distant relative, the elderly Joseph, who lived in Nazareth, one of the small towns in the northern part of the Holy Land. The Archangel Gabriel, having appeared, announced to the Virgin Mary that She had been chosen by God to become the Mother of His Son. When the Virgin Mary humbly agreed, the Holy Spirit descended on Her, and She conceived the Son of God. The subsequent birth of Jesus Christ took place in the small Jewish town of Bethlehem, in which King David, the ancestor of Christ, had previously been born. (Historians attribute the time of the birth of Jesus Christ to 749-754 years from the founding of Rome. The accepted chronology "from the Nativity of Christ" begins from 754 years from the founding of Rome).

The life, miracles and conversations of the Lord Jesus Christ are described in four books called the Gospels. The first three Evangelists, Matthew, Mark and Luke, describe the events of His life, which took place mainly in Galilee - in the northern part of the Holy Land. The Evangelist John, on the other hand, supplements their narratives by describing the events and conversations of Christ, which took place mainly in Jerusalem.

Film "CHRISTMAS"

Until the age of thirty, Jesus Christ lived with His Mother, the Virgin Mary, in Nazareth, in the house of Joseph. When He was 12 years old, He went with His parents to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover and stayed in the temple for three days, talking with the scribes. Nothing is known about other details of the Savior's life in Nazareth, except that He helped Joseph carpentry. As a man, Jesus Christ grew and developed naturally, like all people.

In the 30th year of his life, Jesus Christ received from the prophets. John's baptism in the Jordan River. Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus Christ went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days, being tempted by Satan. Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee by choosing 12 apostles. The miraculous transformation of water into wine, performed by Jesus Christ at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, strengthened the faith of His disciples. After that, after spending some time in Capernaum, Jesus Christ went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. Here, for the first time, He aroused the enmity of the elders of the Jews, and especially of the Pharisees, by driving the merchants out of the temple. After Easter, Jesus Christ called His apostles together, gave them the necessary instruction, and sent them to preach the approach of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ himself also traveled the Holy Land, preaching, gathering disciples and spreading the doctrine of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ revealed His divine mission to many miracles and prophecies. Soulless nature unconditionally obeyed Him. So, for example, at His word the storm stopped; Jesus Christ walked on water as on dry land; having multiplied five loaves and several fishes, He fed a crowd of many thousands; He once turned water into wine. He raised the dead, cast out demons, and healed countless sick people. At the same time, Jesus Christ avoided human glory in every possible way. For His need, Jesus Christ never resorted to His almighty power. All His miracles are imbued with deep compassion to people. The greatest miracle of the Savior was His own Sunday from the dead. This resurrection He defeated the power of death over people and initiated our resurrection from the dead, which will take place at the end of the world.

Evangelists wrote down many predictions Jesus Christ. Some of them were already fulfilled during the life of the Apostles and their successors. Among them: predictions about the denial of Peter and the betrayal of Judas, about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, about the miracles that the apostles will perform, about persecution for the faith, about the destruction of Jerusalem, etc. Some prophecies of Christ related to the last times are beginning to be fulfilled, for example: about the spread of the Gospel throughout the world, about the corruption of people and about the cooling of faith, about terrible wars, earthquakes, etc. Finally, some prophecies, such as, for example, about the general resurrection of the dead, about the second coming of Christ, about the end of the world and about the terrible judgment, have yet to be fulfilled.

By His power over nature and His foresight of the future, the Lord Jesus Christ testified to the truth of His teaching and that He really is the Only Begotten Son of God.

The public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ continued for more than three years. The chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees did not accept His teaching and, envious of His miracles and success, looked for an opportunity to kill Him. Finally such an opportunity presented itself. After the resurrection of the four-day Lazarus by the Savior, six days before Easter, Jesus Christ, surrounded by the people, solemnly, as the son of David and the king of Israel, entered Jerusalem. The people gave Him royal honors. Jesus Christ went straight to the temple, but, seeing that the high priests turned the house of prayer into a "den of thieves," he expelled all the merchants and money changers from there. This aroused the wrath of the Pharisees and the chief priests, and at their meeting they decided to destroy Him. Meanwhile, Jesus Christ spent whole days teaching the people in the temple. On Wednesday, one of His twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, invited the members of the Sanhedrin to secretly betray their Master for thirty pieces of silver. The chief priests happily agreed.

On Thursday, Jesus Christ, desiring to celebrate the Passover with His disciples, left Bethany for Jerusalem, where His disciples Peter and John prepared a large room for Him. Appearing here in the evening, Jesus Christ showed His disciples the greatest example of humility, washing their feet, which the servants of the Jews usually did. Then, lying down with them, He celebrated the Passover of the Old Testament. After the supper, Jesus Christ established the New Testament Pascha - the sacrament of the Eucharist or Communion. Taking the bread, He blessed it, broke it, and, giving it to the disciples, said: Take, eat (eat): this is my body, which is given for you," then, taking the cup and giving thanks, gave it to them and said: " Drink from it all, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.» After that, Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples for the last time about the Kingdom of God. Then He went to the suburban garden of Gethsemane and, accompanied by three disciples - Peter, James and John, went deep into the garden and, falling to the ground, prayed to His Father until bloody sweat that the cup of suffering that was coming to Him would pass.

At this time, a crowd of armed servants of the high priest, led by Judas, burst into the garden. Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss. While the high priest Caiaphas was calling the members of the Sanhedrin, the soldiers took Jesus to the palace of Annas (Ananas); From there He was led to Caiaphas, where His judgment was already held late at night. Although many false witnesses were called, no one could point to such a crime for which Jesus Christ could be sentenced to death. However, the death sentence took place only after Jesus Christ recognized himself as the Son of God and the Messiah. For this, Christ was formally accused of blasphemy, for which, according to the law, the death penalty followed.

On Friday morning, the high priest went with the members of the Sanhedrin to the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, to confirm the verdict. But Pilate at first did not agree to do this, not seeing in Jesus a guilt worthy of death. Then the Jews began to threaten Pilate with a denunciation of him to Rome, and Pilate approved the death sentence. Jesus Christ was given to the Roman soldiers. Around 12 noon, along with two thieves, Jesus was taken to Golgotha ​​- a small hill on the western side of the Jerusalem wall - and there he was crucified on the cross. Jesus Christ meekly accepted this execution. It was noon. Suddenly the sun went dark, and darkness spread over the earth for three whole hours. After that, Jesus Christ loudly called out to the Father: “My God, My God, why did You leave Me!” Then, seeing that everything had been fulfilled according to the Old Testament prophecies, He exclaimed: Done! My Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit! and, bowing His head, gave up his spirit. Terrible signs followed: the veil in the temple was torn in two, the earth shook, the stones disintegrated. Seeing this, even a pagan - a Roman centurion - exclaimed: Truly He was the Son of God.» No one doubted the death of Jesus Christ. Two members of the Sanhedrin, Joseph and Nicodemus, secret disciples of Jesus Christ, received permission from Pilate to remove His body from the cross and buried Joseph in the tomb near Golgotha, in the garden. The members of the Sanhedrin made sure that the body of Jesus Christ was not stolen by His disciples, they sealed the entrance and set up guards. Everything was done hastily, since the Easter holiday began in the evening of that day.

On Sunday (probably April 8th), the third day after His death on the cross, Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead and left the tomb. After that, an angel descended from heaven rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb. The first witnesses of this event were the soldiers guarding the tomb of Christ. Although the soldiers did not see Jesus Christ risen from the dead, they were eyewitnesses to the fact that when the Angel rolled away the stone, the tomb was already empty. Frightened by the Angel, the soldiers fled. Mary Magdalene and other myrrh-bearing women, who went to the tomb of Jesus Christ before dawn to anoint the body of their Lord and Teacher, found the tomb empty and were honored to see the Resurrected Himself and hear from Him a greeting: “ Rejoice!» In addition to Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ appeared to many of His disciples at different times. Some of them even got to feel His body and make sure that He is not a ghost. For forty days, Jesus Christ talked several times with His disciples, giving them final instructions.

On the fortieth day, Jesus Christ, in view of all His disciples, ascended to heaven from the Mount of Olives. As we believe, Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father, that is, he has one authority with Him. Secondly, He will come to earth before the end of the world, so that judge the living and the dead, after which His glorious and eternal Kingdom will begin, in which the righteous will shine like the sun.

About the Appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ

The Saints the apostles, writing about the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, did not mention anything about His appearance. For them, the main thing was to capture His spiritual appearance and teaching.

In the Eastern Church there is a tradition about " miraculous image» Savior. According to him, the artist sent by the King of Edessa Abgar several times unsuccessfully tried to sketch the face of the Savior. When Christ, having called the artist, applied his canvas to His face, His face was imprinted on the canvas. Having received this image from his artist, King Abgar was healed of leprosy. Since then, this miraculous image of the Savior has been well known in the Eastern Church, and copies-icons have been made from it. The ancient Armenian historian Moses of Khorensky, the Greek historian Evargy and St. John of Damascus.

In the Western Church there is a tradition about the image of St. Veronica, who gave the Savior going to Calvary a towel to wipe His face. An imprint of His face was left on the towel, which later fell to the west.

In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to depict the Savior on icons and frescoes. These images do not seek to convey exactly His appearance. They are more like reminders symbols, raising our thought to the One Who is depicted on them. Looking at the images of the Savior, we remember His life, His love and compassion, His miracles and teachings; we remember that He, as omnipresent, abides with us, sees our difficulties and helps us. This sets us up to pray to Him: “Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on us!”

The face of the Savior and His whole body were also imprinted on the so-called "," - a long canvas, in which, according to legend, the body of the Savior taken down from the cross was wrapped. The image on the shroud was seen only relatively recently with the help of photography, special filters and a computer. Reproductions of the face of the Savior, made according to the Shroud of Turin, have a striking resemblance to some ancient Byzantine icons (sometimes coinciding at 45 or 60 points, which, according to experts, cannot be accidental). Studying the Shroud of Turin, experts came to the conclusion that a man of about 30 years old was imprinted on it, 5 feet, 11 inches tall (181 cm - much taller than his contemporaries), slender and strong build.

Bishop Alexander Mileant

What Jesus Christ taught

From the book of Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev “Tradition. Dogma. Rite."

Christ did not perceive Himself as merely a Teacher. Such a Teacher who bequeaths to people a certain "Teaching" that can be carried around the world and through the ages. He not so much "teaches" as "saves". And all of His words are related to how exactly this “salvation” event is related to the mystery of His own Life.

Everything that is new in the teaching of Jesus Christ is connected only with the mystery of His Own Being. One God has already been preached by the prophets, and monotheism has long been established. Can it be said about the relationship between God and man in words higher than the prophet Micah did: “Man! told you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love works of mercy, and to walk humbly before your God” (Micah 6:8)? In the moral preaching of Jesus, practically any of its positions can be referred to as "parallel passages" from the books of the Old Testament. He makes them more aphoristic, accompanies them with amazing and amazing examples and parables - but in His moral teaching there is nothing that would not be contained in the Law and the Prophets.

If we carefully read the Gospels, we will see that the main subject of Christ's preaching is not calls for mercy, for love, or for repentance. The main object of Christ's preaching is Himself. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), “Believe in God, and believe in Me” (John 14:1). “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). “No one comes to the Father, only by Me” (John 14:6); “Search the Scriptures; they testify of Me” (John 5:39).

What place in the ancient scriptures does Jesus choose to preach in the synagogue? “Not prophetic calls for love and purity. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for the Lord hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Isaiah 61:1-2).

Here is the most disputed passage in the Gospel: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37-38). It does not say here - "for the sake of truth" or "for the sake of Eternity" or "for the sake of the Way". "For me".

And this is by no means an ordinary relationship between a teacher and a student. No teacher claimed so completely to power over the souls and destinies of his students: “He who saves his soul will lose it; but he who loses his life for my sake will save it” (Matthew 10:39).

Even at the Last Judgment, the division is made according to people's attitude towards Christ, and not just according to their degree of observance of the Law. “What have they done to me…” - To me, not to God. And the judge is Christ. In relation to Him there is a division. He doesn't say, "You were merciful and therefore blessed," but, "I was hungry and you gave Me food."

Justification at the Judgment will require, in particular, not only an internal, but also an external, public appeal to Jesus. Without the visibility of this connection with Jesus, salvation is impossible: but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

Confessing Christ before people can be dangerous. And the danger will not be for preaching love or repentance, but for preaching about Christ Himself. “Blessed are you when they reproach you and persecute you and slander you in every way for me(Matthew 5:11). “And they will lead you to rulers and kings for me” (Mt 10:18). “And you will be hated by all for my name; whoever endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10:22).

And the reverse: “Whoever receives one such child in my name he receives me” (Mt 18:5). It doesn't say "in the name of the Father" or "for the sake of God." In the same way, Christ promises His presence and help to those who will gather not in the name of the “Great Unknowable”, but in His name: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).

Moreover, the Savior clearly indicates that this is precisely the novelty of religious life that he brought: “Until now you have asked nothing in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (John 16:24).

And in the last phrase of the Bible there is an appeal: “Hey! come, Lord Jesus!” Not "Come, Truth" and not "Overshadow us, Spirit!", but - "Come, Jesus."

Christ asks the disciples not about what people think about His sermons, but about “Whom do people say I am?” Here the matter is not in the acceptance of the system, the doctrine, but in the acceptance of the Personality. The gospel of Christ reveals itself as the gospel of Christ, it carries the Message of a Person, not a concept. In terms of current philosophy, we can say that the gospel is the word of personalism, not conceptualism. Christ did nothing that could be spoken of, distinguishing and separating it from His Self.

The founders of other religions acted not as an object of faith, but as its intermediaries. Not the personality of Buddha, Mohammed or Moses was the real content of the new faith, but their teaching. In each case it was possible to separate their teaching from themselves. But - "Blessed is he who is not tempted about me” (Mt 11:6).

That most important commandment of Christ, which He Himself called “new,” also speaks of Himself: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” How He loved us - we know: to the Cross.

There is another fundamental explanation of this commandment. It turns out that the hallmark of a Christian is not love for those who love him (“for don’t the Gentiles do the same?”), but love for enemies. But is it possible to love the enemy? An enemy is a person whom I, by definition, to put it mildly, do not like. Will I be able to love him on someone's orders? If a guru or preacher says to his flock: Tomorrow at eight o'clock in the morning start loving your enemies - is it really the feeling of love that will be revealed in the hearts of his disciples at ten minutes past nine? Meditation and training of the will and feelings can teach one to treat enemies indifferently, without affect. But to rejoice at their successes as one's own person is unaccommodating. Even the grief of a stranger is easier to share with him. And it is impossible to share the joy of someone else ... If I love someone, any news about him makes me happy, I rejoice at the thought of meeting with my loved one soon ... My wife rejoices at her husband's success at work. Will she be able to meet the news of the promotion of someone she considers her enemy with the same joy? Christ performed the first miracle at the wedding feast. Speaking about the fact that the Savior took our sufferings upon Himself, we often forget that He was in solidarity with people and in our joys...

So what if the commandment to love our enemies is incomprehensible to us - why does Christ give it to us? Or does He not know human nature well? Or does He just want to destroy us all with His rigorism? After all, as the apostle confirms, the violator of one commandment becomes guilty of the destruction of the whole law. If I violated one paragraph of the law (for example, I was engaged in extortion), references to the fact that I have never been involved in horse theft will not help me in court. If I do not fulfill the commandments about loving enemies, what good is it for me to distribute property, move mountains, and even give the body to be burned? I am doomed. And doomed because the Old Testament turned out to be more merciful to me than the New Testament, which proposed such a “new commandment” that subjected to its judgment not only the Jews under the law, but all of humanity.

How can I fulfill it, will I find the strength in myself to obey the Teacher? No. But - "It is impossible for people, but it is possible for God ... Abide in My love ... Abide in Me, and I - in you." Knowing that it is impossible to love enemies with human strength, the Savior unites the faithful with Himself, as branches are united with a vine, so that His love opens and acts in them. “God is Love… Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…” “The Law obligated to that which it did not give. Grace gives what it obliges” (B. Pascal)

This means that this commandment of Christ is inconceivable without participation in His Mystery. The morality of the gospel cannot be separated from its mysticism. The teaching of Christ is inseparable from church Christology. Only direct union with Christ, literally communion with Him, makes it possible to fulfill His new commandments.

The ordinary ethical and religious system is the way that people follow to reach a certain goal. Christ begins with this goal. He speaks of life flowing from God to us, not of our efforts to lift us up to God. What others work for, He gives. Other teachers begin with a demand, this one with the Gift: "The kingdom of heaven has come upon you." But that is precisely why the Sermon on the Mount does not proclaim a new morality or a new law. It heralds the entry into some completely new horizon of life. The Sermon on the Mount not so much expounds a new moral system as it reveals a new state of affairs. People are given a gift. And it says under what conditions they can not drop it. Bliss is not a reward for deeds, the Kingdom of God will not follow spiritual poverty, but will be co-dissolved with it. The link between state and promise is Christ Himself, not human effort or law.

Already in the Old Testament, it was quite clearly proclaimed that only the coming of God into a person’s heart can make him forget all past misfortunes: “Thou hast prepared, by thy goodness, O God, for the needy to have thy coming into his heart” (Ps. 67:11). Actually, God has only two dwelling places: “I live in the heights of heaven, and also with a contrite and humble spirit, to quicken the spirit of the humble and quicken the hearts of the contrite” (Is. 57, 15). And yet, the comforting anointing of the Spirit, which is felt in the depths of a contrite heart, is one thing, and the Messianic time, when the world is no longer separated from God, is another thing ... Therefore, “blessed are the poor”: the Kingdom of Heaven is already theirs. Not “will be yours”, but “your is”. Not because you found it or earned it, but because It itself is active, It itself found you and overtook you.

And another gospel verse, which is usually seen as the quintessence of the gospel, also speaks not so much about good relations between people, but about the need to recognize Christ: “By this everyone will know if you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” So what is the first sign of a Christian? — No, not “to have love”, but “to be My disciple”. “Because everyone will know that you are students, that you have a student card.” What is your main attribute here - the possession of a student card or the very fact of being a student? The most important thing for others is to understand that you are Mine! And here is my seal. I chose you. My Spirit is on you. My love abides in you.

So, “the Lord, having bodily appeared to people, first of all demanded from us the knowledge of Himself and taught this, and immediately attracted us to this; even more: for the sake of this feeling He came and for this He did everything: “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). And since He Himself was the truth, he almost did not say: “Let me show Myself” (St. Nicholas Cabasilas). The main work of Jesus was not His word, but His being: Being-with-people; being-on-the-cross.

And the disciples of Christ - the apostles - in their sermon do not retell the "teachings of Christ." When they go out to preach about Christ, they do not retell the Sermon on the Mount. There are no references to the Sermon on the Mount either in Peter's speech on the day of Pentecost, or in Stephen's sermon on the day of his martyrdom. In general, the apostles do not use the traditional student formula: "As instructed by the Teacher."

Moreover, even about the life of Christ, the apostles speak very sparingly. The light of Easter is so bright for them that their vision does not extend to the decades preceding the procession to Golgotha. And even the event of the resurrection of Christ the Apostles preach not only as a fact of His life, but as an event in the life of those who received the Paschal gospel - because "the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you" (Rom. 8, eleven); “And if we knew Christ according to the flesh, now we know it no more” (2 Corinthians 5:16)

The apostles say one thing: He died for our sins and rose again, and in His resurrection is the hope of our life. Never referring to the teaching of Christ, the apostles speak of the fact of Christ and His Sacrifice and of His influence on man. Christians do not believe in Christianity, but in Christ. The apostles preach not Christ the Teaching, but Christ the Crucified - a temptation to moralists and madness to Theosophists.

We can imagine that all the evangelists would have been killed along with St. Stefan. Even in our New Testament, more than half of the books were written by one ap. Pavel. Let's set up a thought experiment. Suppose all 12 apostles are killed. There are no close witnesses to the life and preaching of Christ. But the risen Christ appears to Saul and makes him his only apostle. Paul then writes the entire New Testament. Who would we be then? Christians or peacocks? Could Paul be called the Savior in this case? Paul, as if foreseeing such a situation, answers quite sharply: why “you say: “I am Pavlov”, “I am Apollos”, “I am Cyphus”, “and I am Christ's”? was Paul crucified for you?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13).

This apostolic focus on the mystery of Christ himself was inherited by the ancient Church. The main theological theme of the 1st millennium is not disputes about the “doctrine of Christ”, but disputes about the phenomenon of Christ: Who came to us?

And at her Liturgies, the ancient Church thanks Christ not at all for what modern textbooks on the history of ethics are ready to render Him reverence for. In ancient prayers, we will not find praise like: “We thank You for the law that You reminded us of”? “We thank You for the sermons and beautiful parables, for wisdom and instructions”? “We thank You for the universal moral and spiritual values ​​preached by You.”

Here, for example, “The Apostolic Ordinances” is a monument dating back to the 2nd century: “We give thanks, our Father, about the life that You revealed to us by Jesus, Your servant, for Your servant, whom you sent for our salvation as a man, to whom you also deigned suffer and die. We also give thanks, Our Father, for the honest blood of Jesus Christ, shed for us and for the honest body, instead of the images of which we offer, as He appointed us to proclaim His death.

Here is the Apostolic Tradition of St. Hippolyta: “We give thanks to Thee, O God, through Thy beloved Servant Jesus Christ, whom in the last times Thou hast sent us as Savior, Redeemer, and Messenger of Thy will, Who is Thy Word, inseparable from Thee, by Whom all things were created according to Thy will, whom Thou hast sent from heaven into the womb of the Virgin. Fulfilling Your will, He stretched out His hands to free those who believe in You from suffering… So, remembering His death and resurrection, we bring You bread and a cup, giving thanks to You for deigning us to stand before You and serve You.” …

And in all subsequent Liturgies - up to the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is still celebrated in our churches, thanksgiving is sent for the Sacrifice of the Cross of the Son of God - and not for the wisdom of preaching.

And in the celebration of the other great Sacrament of the Church, Baptism, we receive a similar witness. When the Church entered into her most terrible battle - into a face-to-face confrontation with the spirit of darkness, she called on her Lord for help. But—again—How did she see Him at that moment? The prayers of ancient exorcists have come down to us. Due to their ontological seriousness, they have hardly changed over the millennia. When approaching the sacrament of Baptism, the priest reads a unique prayer - the only church prayer addressed not to God, but to Satan. He commands the spirit of opposition to leave the new Christian and no longer touch him, who has become a member of the Body of Christ. So what kind of God does the priest of the devil conjure? “Forbids you, devil, the Lord who came into the world, dwelling in people, may he destroy your torment and crush people, Even on the tree, defeat the opposing forces, Even destroy death by death and abolish the one who has the power of death, that is to say to you, the devil ...”. And for some reason there is no call here: “Fear the Teacher, who commanded us not to resist evil by force” ...

And so, Christianity is a community of people who have been struck not so much by some parable or Christ's lofty moral demand, but as a collection of people who have sensed the mystery of Golgotha. In particular, this is why the Church is so calm about “biblical criticism,” which finds insertions, typos, or distortions in biblical books. Criticism of the biblical text may seem dangerous to Christianity only if Christianity is perceived in the Islamic manner - as the "religion of the Book." “Biblical criticism” of the 19th century was capable of generating anti-church triumphalism only under the condition that criteria important for Islam and, to some extent, Judaism were transferred to Christianity. But after all, even the religion of Ancient Israel was built not so much on some teaching inspired from Above, but on the historical event of the Testament. Christianity, all the more so, is not faith in a book that fell from heaven, but in a Person, in what she said, did, and experienced.

For the Church, it is not so much the authenticity of the retelling of the Founder's words that is important, but rather His life, which cannot be faked. No matter how many insertions, omissions or defects crept into the written sources of Christianity, this is not fatal for it, for it is built not on a book, but on the Cross.

So, has the Church changed the “teachings of Jesus”, transferring all its attention and hope from the “commandments of Christ” to the very person of the Savior and the Mystery of His Existence? The Protestant liberal theologian A. Harnack believes that yes, she did. In support of his idea that ethics is more important in the preaching of Christ than the Person of Christ, he cites the logic of Jesus: “If you love Me, keep My commandments”, and from it he concludes: “To make Christology the main content of the Gospel is a perversion, this is clear speaks the sermon of Jesus Christ, which in its main features is very simple and puts everyone directly before God.” But love me, and the commandments are also mine...

The Christocentrism of historical Christianity, so obviously different from the moralistic reading of the Gospel by non-religious people, is not to the liking of many of our contemporaries. But, as in the 1st century, Christianity is now ready to arouse antipathy among the pagans with a clear and unambiguous evidence of its faith in the One Lord, Incarnate, Crucified and Resurrected - “for us for the sake of man and for our sake of salvation”.

Christ is not only the means of revelation through which God speaks to people. Since He is the God-Man, He is also the subject of Revelation. And what is more, He turns out to be the content of Revelation. Christ is the One who enters into communication with man, and the One about whom this communication speaks.

God did not just tell us from afar certain truths that He considered necessary for our enlightenment. He Himself became a man. He spoke about His new unheard-of closeness with people with each of His earthly sermons.

If an Angel had flown in from Heaven and announced some message to us, then the consequences of his visit could well have been contained in these words and in their written fixation. The one who accurately remembered the angelic words, understood their meaning and passed them on to his neighbor, would exactly repeat the ministry of this Messenger. The messenger is identical to his commission. But can we say that the commission of Christ was reduced to words, to the announcement of certain truths? Can we say that the Only Begotten Son of God performed the ministry that any of the angels and any of the prophets could have performed with equal success?

- Not. The ministry of Christ is not limited to the words of Christ. The ministry of Christ is not identical with the teaching of Christ. He is not only a prophet. He is also a Priest. The office of a prophet can be wholly recorded in books. The ministry of the Priest is not words, but action.

This is the question of Tradition and Scripture. Scripture is a clear record of the words of Christ. But if the ministry of Christ is not identical with His words, then the fruit of His ministry cannot be identical with the gospel fixation of His sermons. If His teaching is only one of the fruits of His ministry, then what are the others? And how can people become heirs of these fruits? It is clear how the teaching is transmitted, how it is fixed and stored. But the rest? That which was super-verbal in Christ's ministry cannot be conveyed in words. This means that there must be another way of participation in the ministry of Christ, in addition to Scripture.

This is Tradition.

1 Let me remind you that according to the interpretation of Clement of Alexandria, this word of Christ is about being ready to refuse to follow social prejudices (naturally, even if these prejudices induce parents to raise their son in the spirit of opposition to the Gospel).
“The miracles of Christ could be apocryphal or legendary. The only and main miracle, and, moreover, already completely indisputable, is He Himself. To invent such a Person is just as difficult and unbelievable, and it would be wonderful, as to be such a Person ”(V. Rozanov. Religion and Culture. vol. 1. M., 1990, p. 353).
3 For a more detailed analysis of the Christocentric passages of the Gospel, see the chapter "What Christ Preached" in the second volume of my book Satanism for the Intelligentsia.

Christianity is not made by hands, it is the creation of God.

From the book "The Un-American Missionary"

If we affirm that Christ is God, that He is sinless, and human nature is sinful, then how could He be incarnated, was it possible?

Man is not sinful from the very beginning. Man and sin are not synonyms. Yes, God's world has been remade by people into the disaster world we know. But still the world, the flesh, humanity in themselves are not something evil. And the fullness of love lies in coming not to the one who feels good, but to the one who feels bad. To believe that the incarnation will defile God is like saying: “Here is a dirty barracks, there is a disease, an infection, ulcers; how can a doctor risk going there, he can get infected?!” Christ is the Physician who came into a sick world.

The holy fathers gave another example: when the sun illuminates the earth, it illuminates not only beautiful roses and flowering meadows, but also puddles and sewage. But the sun is not defiled because its beam fell on something dirty and unsightly. So the Lord did not become less pure, less Divine because he touched a man on earth, clothed himself in his flesh.

How could a sinless God die?

The death of God is indeed a contradiction. “The Son of God died - this is unthinkable, and therefore worthy of faith,” Tertullian wrote in the 3rd century, and it was this saying that subsequently served as the basis for the thesis “I believe, because it is absurd.” Christianity is indeed a world of contradictions, but they arise as a trace from the touch of the Divine hand. If Christianity were created by people, it would be quite straightforward, rational, rational. Because when smart and talented people create something, their product turns out to be quite consistent, logically of high quality.

Undoubtedly, very talented and intelligent people stood at the origins of Christianity. It is equally undoubted that the Christian faith nevertheless turned out to be full of contradictions (antinomies) and paradoxes. How to combine it? For me, this is a "certificate of quality", a sign that Christianity is not made by hands, that it is God's creation.

From a theological point of view, Christ as God did not die. The human part of His “composition” passed through death. Death happened “with” God (with what He perceived at earthly Christmas), but not “in” God, not in His Divine nature.

Many people easily agree with the idea of ​​the existence of a single God, the Most High, the Absolute, the Higher Mind, but categorically reject the worship of Christ as God, considering it a kind of pagan relic, the worship of a semi-pagan anthropomorphic, that is, human-like, deity. Aren't they right?

For me, the word "anthropomorphism" is not a dirty word at all. When I hear an accusation like "your Christian God is anthropomorphic," I ask that the "accusation" be translated into understandable Russian. Then everything immediately falls into place. I say: “Excuse me, what are you accusing us of? Is it that our idea of ​​God is human-like, human-like? Can you create for yourself some other idea of ​​God? Which? Giraffe-like, amoeba-like, Martian-like?

We are people. And therefore, whatever we think about - about a blade of grass, about the cosmos, about an atom or about the Divine - we think about it humanly, based on our own ideas. One way or another, we endow everything with human qualities.

Another thing is that anthropomorphism is different. It can be primitive: when a person simply transfers all his feelings, passions to nature and God, not understanding this act of his. Then the pagan myth turns out.

But Christian anthropomorphism knows about itself, it is noticed by Christians, thought out and realized. And at the same time, it is experienced not as an inevitability, but as gift. Yes, I, a man, have no right to think about the Incomprehensible God, I cannot claim to know Him, and even more so to express it in my terrible short language. But the Lord, in His love, condescends to the point that He clothes Himself in the images of human speech. God speaks in words that are understandable to the nomadic nomads of the 2nd millennium BC (which were the Hebrew forefathers Moses, Abraham...). And in the end, even God Himself becomes a Man.

Christian thought begins with the recognition of the incomprehensibility of God. But if we stop there, then religion, as a union with Him, is simply impossible. She falls into a desperate silence. Religion acquires the right to exist only if the Incomprehensible Himself gives it this right. If He Himself declares His desire to be found nevertheless. Only when the Lord Himself goes beyond the boundaries of His incomprehensibility, when He comes to people, only then can the planet of people acquire a religion with an anthropomorphism inherent in it. Only Love can cross all the boundaries of apophatic decency.

If there is Love, then there is Revelation, an outpouring of this Love. This Revelation is given to the world of people, beings that are rather aggressive and slow-witted. So, it is necessary to protect the rights of God in the world of human willfulness. This is what dogmas are for. Dogma is a wall, but not a prison one, but a fortress one. She keeps gift from barbarian raids. Over time, the barbarians will become the guardians of this gift. But for starters gift have to be protected from them.

And that means that all the dogmas of Christianity are possible only because God is Love.

Christianity claims that the head of the Church is Christ Himself. He is present in the Church and leads it. Where does such confidence come from and can the Church prove it?

The best proof is that the Church is still alive. Boccaccio's Decameron contains this evidence (it was planted on Russian cultural soil in Nikolai Berdyaev's well-known work On the Dignity of Christianity and the Unworthiness of Christians). The plot, let me remind you, is the following.

A French Christian was friends with a Jew. They had a good human relationship, but at the same time the Christian could not come to terms with the fact that his friend did not accept the Gospel, and he spent many evenings with him in discussions on religious topics. In the end, the Jew succumbed to his preaching and expressed a desire to be baptized, but before Baptism he wished to visit Rome in order to look at the pope.

The Frenchman perfectly imagined what Renaissance Rome was, and in every possible way opposed the departure of his friend there, but he nevertheless went. The Frenchman met him without any hope, realizing that not a single sane person, having seen the papal court, would wish to become a Christian.

But, having met with his friend, the Jew himself suddenly started a conversation that he needed to be baptized as soon as possible. The Frenchman could not believe his ears and asked him:

Have you been to Rome?

Yes, he was, - the Jew answers.

Did you see dad?

Have you seen how the pope and the cardinals live?

Of course I saw it.

And then you want to be baptized? - asks even more surprised Frenchman.

Yes, - replies the Jew, - just after everything I have seen, I want to be baptized. After all, these people are doing everything in their power to destroy the Church, but if, nevertheless, she lives, it turns out that the Church is still not from people, she is from God.

In general, you know, every Christian can tell how the Lord controls his life. Each of us can give a lot of examples of how invisibly God leads him through this life, and even more so it is obvious in the management of the life of the Church. However, here we come to the problem of Divine Providence. There is a good work of art on this subject, it is called “The Lord of the Rings”. This work tells how the invisible Lord (of course, He is outside the plot) builds the whole course of events so that they turn to the triumph of good and the defeat of Sauron, who personifies evil. Tolkien himself clearly stated this in the comments to the book.

Jesus Christ was perfect, and by studying his qualities as a person, we can better build our lives to become like Him. One quality that comes to mind when reading the stories of the Savior is His concern for the needs of others. He noticed these needs even when those in need did not openly ask for help, and He was always ready to help, no matter how busy or tired He was.

Let's look at a few examples from His life to see what kind of person He was.

Obedience

Perhaps one of the most important qualities Jesus demonstrated was His obedience to His Heavenly Father. This obedience came out of love both for God and for all of us. He showed this obedience every day of His mission, including the day of His baptism.

When Jesus asked his cousin John the Baptist to baptize him, John was initially hesitant. He knew that baptism, in particular, was necessary for the remission of sins, and Jesus lived a sinless life. However, Jesus explained to Him that baptism is a commandment that He must follow. Even though it may not have been so necessary for Him, He chose not to make exceptions from Himself and to fulfill every commandment, even those meant for those of us who are imperfect.

Tempted by Satan

The limits of His obedience were tested immediately after His baptism, when Satan tried to push Him into sin. This would put an end to the Savior's mission, which had not even begun. Satan unsuccessfully tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread because Christ was hungry. He then tried to convince Jesus to jump off the steeple of the temple and command the Angels to save Him in order to prove that He really is who He claims to be. In this case, Satan used self-love as a temptation. Finally, he offered Jesus power and riches if He would worship Satan instead of God. Jesus refused on all three occasions, ordering Satan to leave. No rewards or worldly honors could distract Jesus from His real purpose.

Love for children

There is a story in the New Testament about a group of parents who brought their children to meet Jesus. However, they arrived late, and Jesus had had a long day before. His Apostles asked the parents to leave because Jesus was tired. Jesus heard them and asked the children to come to Him despite their weariness. Perhaps He was already thinking ahead about how difficult it would be for Christians in the coming years, and knew that it would be a little easier for them if they had the opportunity to meet Him personally. He set aside extra time in His schedule to help children grow up to be good Christians.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus spoke of children and encouraged people to treat them well and take care of them spiritually and physically.

Humility

The Savior had every reason to be proud of the great task He was to accomplish and the extraordinary sacrifices He was to make. But He never showed it in His life or teachings. From the moment in the premortal life when He offered Himself to God, until the very end of His life, Jesus continued to glorify God alone, understanding His role in our eternal salvation. He often asked people to praise the Father and explained that He does nothing of Himself, but only what God asks Him to do.

Compassion and love

When John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, was beheaded, Jesus grieved greatly. He went by boat alone to where He could be alone with Himself. His followers, however, went after Him. Forgetting about His grief, He showed them compassion and began to heal the sick. Finally, after a long day, the disciples decided to ask everyone to leave because they had no food, but Jesus performed a miracle and fed everyone present. Only after that, when everyone was fed and healed, did He finally go to pray alone.

Jesus Christ showed us an example of compassion and sacrifice. He never refused those who needed His help, even in difficult hours of sadness.

donation

The greatest example of the Savior's character came in the last days of His ministry, when He did what He came to this earth to do. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and for the first time in His life experienced all the pain and agony of sin, increased to limits we cannot comprehend, because He took upon Himself the sins of every person who has ever lived or will live on earth. The pain was so intense that sometimes He needed the support of the Angels, and blood flowed from every pore.

Mormon Apostle M. Russell Ballard said:

“The image we often see of the Savior kneeling in the Garden of Gethsemane does not help us in the least to understand what the Savior endured on that day, the day He took our sins upon Himself and began the process of redemption. He endured pain that was greater than we can imagine, and He did it alone. His friends were asleep. His earthly family was not there. His Father in Heaven had retired and could not - for us - intervene. The Savior had to do it alone, for us, without anyone's help, and He did it. He could put an end to it. He could have turned away from pain and suffering and gone into the world, but He did not. He stayed and gave us redemption from our sins.”

Gordon Hinckley said:

“He lives, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, whose Atonement has come as an act of mercy to the whole world… He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He gave meaning to our earthly existence. He has given us the gift of eternal life … Let us thank God for the gift of His Son, the Redeemer of the world, the Savior of mankind, the Prince of Life and Peace, the Holy One” (“Testimony of the Son of God,” Liahona, Dec. 2002, pp. 4-5) .

What kind of person was Jesus Christ? He was everything Heavenly Father is and everything Heavenly Father wanted Him to be. He was kind, hardworking, compassionate, obedient to His Father, caring for His earthly family, and focused on doing good every minute of His life. He lived a life that we can all learn from as we strive to become more like God and Jesus Christ.

Pedigree

The gospels of Matthew and Luke show different genealogies of Jesus Christ. Of these, the genealogy of Joseph is considered to be the list given in Matt. 1:1-16.

Eusebius of Caesarea explains the difference by the fact that in Judea generations were counted in two ways: "by nature" and "by law."

The names of generations in Israel were numbered either by nature or by law: by nature, when there was a succession of legitimate sons; according to the law, when, upon the death of a childless brother, his brother gave his child the name of the deceased. Then there was still no clear hope for the resurrection, and the future promise was considered at the same time with the mortal resurrection: the name of the deceased was to be preserved forever. Therefore, of the persons mentioned in this genealogy, some were the legitimate heirs of their fathers by nature, while others were born of one father, and by name belonged to others. They mentioned those and others: both real fathers, and those who were, as it were, fathers. Thus, neither the one nor the other Gospel is mistaken in numbering the names according to nature and according to the law.

Since the Reformation, there has been a widespread view that Luke traces Jesus' maternal lineage (Luke 3:23-38) through Mary. A significant part of the researchers explain the reproduction of the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospels along the line of Joseph the Betrothed by the fact that the Jewish tradition recognized the greater significance of the fact of formal adoption than the fact of physical fatherhood and motherhood.

Christmas

According to Christian doctrine, the appearance of Jesus is the fulfillment of an old prophecy about the Messiah - the Son of God; Jesus was immaculately born of the Holy Spirit by the Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1), where three wise men came to bow to him as the future king of the Jews. After his birth, Jesus was taken by his parents to Egypt (Matt. 2:14). After the death of King Herod, Jesus and his parents returned to Nazareth.

A number of alternative explanations for the story of the birth of Jesus have been proposed at various times. In particular, the prediction of the prophet Isaiah, according to which the Messiah should be born a virgin, was disputed (Jewish interpreters, as a rule, argue that the prophecy of Isaiah has nothing to do with the future of the Messiah and speaks of events contemporary with the moment of pronouncing the prophecy; a number of secular researchers agree with this Bible).

In the ancient period and later in the anti-Christian controversy, a point of view was expressed about the birth of Jesus from an extramarital affair. Such a hypothesis is rejected by Christians as contradicting a number of circumstances, in particular, the New Testament narrative of Jesus and his family regularly visiting the Jerusalem Temple, including the description of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple (“sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them” (Lk. 2 :46)). If such a hypothesis had existed during his lifetime, his presence in the Temple would have been impossible, as this would have been strictly forbidden by the law of Moses (Deut. 23:2).

However, this did not prevent critics from questioning the authenticity of the New Testament, despite the fact that the Gospels were written during the lifetime of eyewitnesses of the events, and two authors, Matthew and John, were disciples of Jesus, who were constantly with him.

Most Christian denominations profess the virgin birth of Christ (from the Holy Spirit). Some consider supernatural not only the conception, but also the birth of Jesus, completely painless, in which the virginity of the Virgin Mary was not violated. So, in the Orthodox meritorious book it is said: “God will pass from your side” - as well as through closed doors. This, in particular, was depicted by Andrey Rublev on the icon of the Nativity, where the Mother of God humbly looked away, bowing her head.

The date of birth of Jesus Christ is determined very approximately. The earliest is usually called 12 BC. e. (the year of the passage of Halley's comet, which, according to some assumptions, could be the so-called Bethlehem star), and the latest - 4 BC. e. (year of death of Herod the Great).

At the direction of the Angel of the Lord, almost immediately after his birth, Jesus was taken by Mary and Joseph to Egypt (Flight into Egypt). The reason for the flight was the murder of babies in Bethlehem, conceived by the Jewish king Herod the Great (in order to kill the future Jewish king among them). In Egypt, the parents did not stay long with Jesus: they returned to their homeland after the death of Herod, when Jesus was still a baby. (Matthew 2:19-21)

Presentation of Jesus

According to the Gospel of Luke, according to the Old Testament tradition, on the eighth day from the birth of the Infant, they circumcised and gave Him the name Jesus, called by an Angel before His conception in the womb. The 40-day-old baby Jesus was brought by his parents to the Jerusalem Temple to perform the ritual of sacrificing two turtledoves or two pigeon chicks, “signifying that every male first-born baby is dedicated to the Lord” (Luke 2:22-24). An old man named Simeon came out to meet Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus in his arms, turned to them with prophetic words “and said to Mary, His Mother: behold, this lies for the fall and the uprising of many in Israel and for the subject of wrangling, - and a weapon will pierce the soul to Yourself, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).

After Simeon the God-bearer pronounced the blessings, the elder Anna, who was at the temple, “the daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, who reached a ripe old age, having lived with her husband from her virginity for seven years” (Luke 2:36), also “praised the Lord and spoke about Him to all who were looking for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

The gospels do not report further events in the life of Christ until His Baptism as an adult, with the exception of the episode given in the Gospel of Luke (2:41-52), where the evangelist tells about the visit of the Jerusalem Temple by the Holy Family with 12-year-old Jesus.

Baptism

According to the gospel story, at about the age of 30 (Luke 3:23) Jesus entered public service, which he began by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. When Jesus came to John, who preached a lot about the imminent coming of the Messiah, John, surprised, said: “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” To this, Jesus replied that "it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness" and was baptized by John. At the time of baptism, “the sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, saying: You are My Beloved Son; My favor is in you!” (Luke 3:21-22).

After his baptism (Mark in his Gospel emphasizes that this happened immediately after baptism), Jesus Christ, led by the Spirit, went into the wilderness in order to prepare in solitude, prayer and fasting for the fulfillment of the mission with which he came to earth. After forty days, Jesus “was tempted by the devil and did not eat anything during these days, but after they had passed, he finally became hungry” (Luke 4:2). Then the devil approached Jesus and tried to tempt Jesus to sin with three seductions, just like any other person. Having withstood all the temptations of the devil, Jesus began his preaching and public service.

Sermon

jesus christ baptism sermon

Jesus delivered a sermon on repentance in the face of the advent of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 4:13). Jesus began to teach that the Son of God would suffer severely and die on the cross, and that His sacrifice was the food that all need for eternal life. In addition, Christ confirmed and expanded the law of Moses: according to the commandment, first of all, love God with all your being, Lk. 18:10-14)) and his neighbors (all people) as himself. At the same time, not to love the world and everything in the world (that is, not to become excessively attached to the values ​​of the material world) and “not to be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28).

Despite the fact that the center of Christ's preaching was the holy city of Jerusalem, He traveled the longest with his sermon in Galilee, where He was received more joyfully. Also, Jesus passed through Samaria, Decapolis, visited Tire and Sidon.

Many followers gathered around Christ, from whom He first chose 12 closest disciples - the apostles (Luke 6:13-16), then another 70 (Luke 10:1-17) less close, who are also called apostles, some of they, however, soon departed from Christ (John 6:66). The Apostle Paul reports that at the time of Christ's death on the cross and resurrection of Christ, He had more than 500 followers (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Jesus supported his teaching with various miracles and is glorified as a prophet and healer of incurable diseases. He raised the dead, calmed the storm, turned water into wine, fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread, and much more.

The Gospel of John indicates that Jesus was in Jerusalem 4 times for the annual celebration of Passover, from which it is concluded that Christ's public ministry lasted approximately three and a half years.

The Jewish high priests, having condemned Jesus Christ to death at the Sanhedrin, could not carry out the sentence themselves without the approval of the Roman governor. According to some researchers, the Sanhedrin recognized Jesus as a false prophet on the basis of the words of Deuteronomy: “But the prophet who dares to speak in My name what I did not command him to say, and who speaks in the name of other gods, put such a prophet to death” (Deut. 18: 20-22).

After the unsuccessful attempts of the chief priests to accuse Jesus of a formal violation of the Jewish law (see the Old Testament), Jesus was handed over to the Roman procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate (25-36). At the trial, the procurator asked: "Are you the King of the Jews?" This question was due to the fact that the claim to power as the King of the Jews, according to Roman law, qualified as a dangerous crime against the Roman Empire. The answer to this question was the words of Christ: “You say that I am the King. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:29-38). Pilate, finding no fault in Jesus, was inclined to let him go and told the chief priests, "I find no fault in this man" (Luke 23:4).

The decision of Pontius Pilate aroused the excitement of the Jewish crowd, directed by the elders and high priests. Trying to prevent riots, Pilate turned to the crowd with a proposal to release Christ, following the old custom of releasing one of the criminals at Easter. But the crowd shouted, "Let him be crucified" (Matthew 27:22). Seeing this, Pilate passed a death sentence - he sentenced Jesus to be crucified, and he himself "washed his hands before the people, and said: I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One." To which the people exclaimed: “His blood is on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:24-25).

crucifixion

According to the verdict of Pontius Pilate, Jesus was crucified on Calvary, where, according to the gospel story, he himself carried his cross. Two thieves were crucified with him:

It was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And there was an inscription of His guilt: King of the Jews. Two thieves were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left. And the word of Scripture came true: and numbered among the wicked.

At the time of Jesus' death, the curtain that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple was torn in the Jerusalem temple.

After Jesus' death on the cross, his body was taken with Pilate's permission by Joseph of Arimathea for burial, which he performed along with several of Jesus' disciples in a previously unused tomb, which was carved into the rock that was on land owned by Joseph, near a garden close to Golgotha .

According to Christian tradition, after the burial, Jesus descended into hell and, having crushed its gates, brought his gospel sermon to the underworld, freed the souls imprisoned there and brought out of hell all the Old Testament righteous, including Adam and Eve.

Sunday

The moment of the discovery of the empty tomb of Christ in different Gospels is described with differences. According to John (John 20:1-15): Mary Magdalene alone (according to other versions, there were more myrrh-bearing women) came after Saturday to the tomb of Christ and saw that it was empty. She had visions of two angels and Jesus, whom she did not immediately recognize. In the evening Christ appeared to his disciples (among whom there was no Thomas the Twin). Thomas, having come, did not believe in the stories about his resurrection, until he saw with his own eyes the wounds from the nails and the ribs of Christ pierced by a spear.

The Sunday stichera of the Octoechos indicates that the moment of the resurrection of Jesus (as well as the moment of his birth) was not seen not only by people, but even by angels. This emphasizes the incomprehensibility of the mystery of Christ.

After his resurrection, Christ gave the apostles the Great Commission to preach his doctrine of salvation in all countries and peoples.

Ascension

Jesus gathered the apostles in Jerusalem and told them not to disperse, but to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:2-11).

“Having said this, He was lifted up before their eyes, and a cloud took Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). The Ascension, which took place on the Mount of Olives, was accompanied by "two men in white clothes" (Acts 1:10), who announced the second coming "in the same way" (Acts 1:11).

Second coming

Jesus repeatedly spoke about His imminent second coming to earth (Matt. 16:27, 24:27, 25:31, Mark 8:38, Luke 12:40), and the apostles clearly teach about it (1 John 2:28 , 1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6) and therefore it has been the general conviction of the Church at all times. The dogma about the second coming of Jesus Christ is recorded in the Nicene-Tsaregrad Creed, in its 7th member:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ<…>again to come with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end

During the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead and the Rapture (ascension) of the Church into heaven to meet Christ will take place. Such ideas are based on the words of both Jesus Christ himself (John 14:1-4, Matt. 24:40-42, Luke 24:34-37) and the Apostle Paul:

Nationality of Jesus

Disputes about the nationality of Jesus are still ongoing. Christians might say that Jesus was born in Galilee, which was a mixed population, so he couldn't be Jewish. But the Gospel of Matthew says that the parents of Jesus always lived in Bethlehem of Judea and only after his birth they moved to Nazareth. In reality, Simon Hashmonai, who threw off the yoke of the Seleucids (1 Macc. 13:41), at the request of the Galileans, expelled the pagans from Ptolemais, Tyre, and Sidon from Galilee and brought those Jews who wished to migrate to Judea “with great joy” (1 Macc. 5: 5:41). 14-23). The assertion that Galilee was "foreign" for Judea is a clear exaggeration. Both were tributaries of Rome, both had the same culture, and both belonged to the temple community of Jerusalem. Herod the Great ruled over Judea, and Idumea, and Samaria, and Galilee, and Perea, and Gaulonitis, and Batanea - in short, all of Palestine. After his death in 4 B.C. e. the country was divided into three regions: 1) Judea, Samaria, Idumea; 2) Gavlonitida and Bataneus; and 3) Perea and Galilee. So Galilee allegedly became a “foreign land” for Judea only because Herod had three heirs, and not one.

From the Gospels: When the Samaritan woman asked Jesus: what kind of a Jew are you from me? (From John, Beginning BI = John 4:9) -- He did not deny his belonging to the Jewish nation. In addition, the Gospels try to prove the Jewish origin of Jesus: according to the genealogies, He was a Semite (Lk.3:36), an Israelite (Mt.1:2; Lk.3:34) and a Jew (Mt.1:2; Lk.3 :33).

Jesus as a historical figure

"Historical Jesus" is a term used in Western scholarship to describe the reconstruction of Jesus using modern historical methods. Historians study biblical texts, historical sources, and archaeological evidence in an attempt to reconstruct the life of Jesus in its historical and cultural context. The "historical Jesus" is a historical figure (English ahistoricalfigure) who must be understood in the context of his own life in Roman Judea in the 1st century, and not the Christian doctrine of subsequent centuries.

Bishop Paul Barnett, a specialist in early Christian history, noted that modern history and ancient history are two different disciplines, with different methods of analysis and interpretation, and pointed out that "the students of ancient history have always recognized the factor "subjectivity" in the sources they have", but they "have so few sources available compared to their modern counterparts that they will readily seize on any scraps of information that come to hand."

In The Historical Image of Jesus, the theologian and church historian Ed Parish Sanders used the figure of Alexander the Great as a paradigm: the available sources tell us much about Alexander's deeds, but nothing about his way of thinking. "The sources about Jesus [seem] better than those that tell us about Alexander," and "the advantage of the testimonies about Jesus becomes clear when we ask what he thought."

Researchers like Sanders, namely the British theologian, a recognized specialist in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Geza Vermes, the American theologian, the priest John P. Meier, the Jewish religious scholar David Flusser, the American philologist James Charlesworth, the American the historian, priest Raymond E. Brown, the American historian and religious scholar Paula Fredriksen, and the American historian and former priest John Dominic Crossan have proved in various ways that the gospel accounts of the baptism of Jesus , his preaching and crucifixion can be considered in general terms as historically reliable, while two stories about the birth of Jesus, as well as some details describing his crucifixion and resurrection, are unreliable.

In his book Jesus, the French historian Charles Guignebert argued that “the conclusions that are supported by the facts can be summarized as follows: Jesus was born somewhere in Galilee during the time of Emperor Augustus, in a simple family, where, in addition to had six or more other children. Elsewhere he adds: "There is no reason to believe that he did not exist."

The latest research is related to the analysis of the Jewish roots of the historical Jesus. The reassessment of the family of Jesus, especially the role played by Brother James after his death, has led scholars such as the Swiss theologian and priest Hans Küng to suggest that there was an early form of non-Hellenistic "Jewish Christianity" like the Ebionites, who did not recognize the divinity of Jesus and were persecuted as Romans. and Christian authorities. Küng believes that these Jewish Christians settled in Arabia, and it is possible that they influenced the story of Christ as depicted in the Qur'an.

Russian historian, Hermitage employee Boris Sapunov is the author of an original theory-study of the life of Christ. He subjected the canonical texts of the Gospels to analysis with the help of the theory of testimonies used by modern criminologists. According to his conclusions, “all four Gospels are indeed written by different people; the discrepancies that do occur are not mutually exclusive, but mainly complement and clarify the information; the texts of the Gospels were not edited. His main conclusion, he points out that "the events described in the New Testament actually took place", as for Christ, Sapunov is sure that "we are talking about a real person"

A map of the Decapolis, or Decapolis, showing the location of the cities of Nazareth and Gadara on both sides of the Jordan River. According to the American theologian Graham Stanton, most historians have no doubts about the existence of Jesus, but some gospel stories require a critical assessment: “At the present time almost all historians, Christian or not, admit that Jesus existed and that the gospels contain much valuable evidence that must be critically weighed and evaluated.

Teachings of Jesus Christ

The teachings of Jesus in the New Testament are presented in the form of separate statements, sermons and parables. His deeds (miracles, healings, resurrections) and way of life are also seen as the expression of teaching through deeds, not through words.

Key Features:

Belief in One God: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone” (Matthew 4:10)

First of all - Love for God and love for all people (Matt. 22:37-40)

The rescue

The Need for Repentance: “From that time on Jesus began to preach and say, Repent” (Matthew 4:17)

The necessity of being born again (born of water and the Spirit): "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5)

Necessity of Baptism: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16)

Necessity of Faith: "Your faith has saved you, go in peace." (Luke 7:50)

The necessity of partaking of the body and blood of Christ in the sacrament of communion (John 6:48-58)

Accepting the gift of salvation also requires a person's personal will, which is manifested in the application of one's own efforts in following God (Matt. 11:12)

The Need for Patience: “By your patience save your souls” (Luke 21:19), (Luke 16:25)

The need to show mercy to others: "as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." (Matthew 25:40).

Personal piety

Love for your neighbor: “Therefore, in everything you want people to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt. 7:12)

Condemnation of hypocrisy: "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1)

The need to renounce oneself (self-sacrifice).

Benevolence: “Love your enemies” (Mt. 5:44), (Mk. 8:34)

Divorce for the purpose of concluding a new marriage union and marriage with divorced people is a violation of the commandment "Do not commit adultery." “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Luke 16:18)

Lord's Prayer

According to the books of the New Testament, Jesus Christ taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer, which to this day probably remains the main prayer of Christianity. The text of the prayer is given in the Gospels of Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4). A variant of the prayer in the Synodal translation: Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be thy name; let your kingdom come; may Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us our daily bread this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matt. 6:9-13)

Teachings of Jesus and Christianity

As a result of the preaching of Jesus Christ in Palestine, a new religious trend called Christianity arose.

In 2008, there are more than 1 billion people in the world who call themselves Christians. There are various Christian denominations that differ from each other in their views on certain issues of dogma.

Conclusion

Based on the foregoing, it is possible to give an answer to the question, how to form a Christian character in yourself as a person created by the Creator? And the answer is: first of all, to realize that your spiritual nature requires changes.

The formation of a Christian character begins from the moment of repentance, when a person gives himself, his life to God, in order to change it under His guidance.

No one can change only by their own efforts. A Christian can curb his flesh with the help of Scripture, the Holy Spirit and the corresponding environment, leaving the former.

It is possible to change one's character only if a Christian strives to live holy. No matter how much he works on himself, if there is sin in his life, there will be no result.

If a Christian is made a remark about his character, this often causes discontent, resentment, and sometimes even aggression.

It is not easy to receive reproof, but it is another instrument that God uses to clothe his chosen one in the robe of holiness.

In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize the relationship between the actions of the Holy Spirit and the formation of Christian character: if a Christian does not form his character, then the fruit of his life does not correspond to the Word of God.

Although he was the son of God, he was born and grew up in an ordinary family, among people.

The birth of Jesus Christ is one of the most important events in the Christian religion. Before talking about his birth, you need to talk a little about his relatives and close people in order to understand what he was like and how he developed in human form.

Grandmother of Jesus Anna was born into a middle-class family. Her parents kept a small herd of cattle, as well as an inn in Nazareth, through which caravans passed from Egypt to India at that time. So there was no shortage of passing merchants, and the family did not live in poverty. Anna was the youngest in the family, she was diligent, helped her parents with the housework and had a kind and cheerful disposition. Love and compassion for all living things, the desire to help, alleviate the suffering of people and animals led her to healing, which she learned from Simeon, the very one who lived to be 113 years old and waited for the birth of Jesus Christ.

Simeon treated people with herbs and knew how to predict the future, which earned him respect. Anna was curious and drawn to the new and unknown, so she often watched his actions, hoping to learn, and eventually became his student and assistant. One day she begged Simeon to reveal her future. The elder scattered the stones, looked at them for a long time and said nothing. Anna was alarmed and for a long time persuaded Simeon to tell her what he saw. It turned out that she would live until the age of 54, die during childbirth, the born girl would be called Mary, and in due time she would give birth to Jesus, the Messiah, who would save the world with a new faith.

Our Lady Mary

As was customary for those times, Anna got married at the age of thirteen. Her husband was nineteen-year-old Joachim. Life went on as usual, a large farm: cattle, an oil mill, children were born, two girls and a boy . Anna had already forgotten about the prediction, the children had grown up, already had their own families, and her husband had a respectable age - 60 years old, when suddenly she became pregnant again. She gathered all her loved ones and told about the prophecy of Simeon, which led everyone into great confusion.

Joachim cannot raise a girl alone, and the children did not want to burden their already numerous families with another mouth. The way out was found in the form of a distant relative of Elizabeth. She and her husband had no children, so they agreed to take Mary, who was soon to be born.

As predicted, Anna, unable to endure a difficult birth, died, and the girl was born weak, and Joachim, fearing that she would not survive without mother's milk, did not write it down. Only two months later, when the child got stronger and recovered, he wrote Mary into the family lists. So they still celebrate her birthday, not on July 21, but on September 21, and all babies born between these two dates are under the auspices of the Virgin Mary.

Elizabeth and Zechariah, who sheltered the newborn, lived in a small city on the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee, not far from the Jordan River, twenty kilometers from Nazareth. The inhabitants of Tarichea, as the city was called, were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding.

Maria took a lot from her mother: both appearance and character. She grew up as a kind and calm girl. She loved to dream, sitting on the shore of the lake and admiring the surface of the water. Respected elders, cared for the weak and infirm. The family loved her, brothers and sisters often visited her.

They did not make a special secret of her future destiny, so the whole district knew that she was the future mother of the Messiah. But people did not really believe this, they often slandered her, saying that the Messiah cannot appear in a family of cattle breeders, he must be of a royal family, they tried to hurt, offend. But Maria did not seem to notice anything and, as before, smiled kindly at everyone, did not harden her heart, but humbly endured all trials.

Very small, three years old, her own father brought her to Jerusalem. He took me to the temple on the Temple Mount. And then something happened that no one could have expected. When Joachim began to pray and left the girl unattended, she went into the yard for men. In the Jewish tradition, men and women pray separately, their places are even fenced off from each other. Seeing Mary in the men's courtyard, people were dumbfounded for a while, and then rushed to take her out of there, when suddenly, despite the clear sky, thunder rumbled and rain poured down. The clergy immediately announced that they were witnesses of God's wrath for the desecration of the temple and punished the girl with five hours of kneeling.

• Maria turned out to be a child with unusual abilities. She saw prophetic dreams, could predict the weather or accidents. At the age of five, she dreamed of a fire in a sheepfold, the adults did not believe it, because there was no fire. Two days later, lightning struck the barn, and a rapidly spreading fire destroyed almost everything. Such evidence could not pass by people's attention. Some listened and believed her words, others considered it nonsense, and still others were afraid to communicate with her.

When Mary was 8 years old, she saw in a dream that Elizabeth, her adoptive mother, would soon have a child, they would call him John, the person would be unusual and famous for centuries, and his fate would be inextricably linked with the fate of her future son. Elizabeth did not doubt the words of Mary, and having met with Simeon, who confirmed her extraordinary abilities, she finally believed. Yes, and after that, Elizabeth began to treat Mary more attentively, stopped screaming at her and giving slaps.

Zechariah, on the contrary, was skeptical about this news. How, for so many years, nothing worked out, and now, when he is 60 years old, and his wife is 56, you need to believe some girl that the dream of their whole life will come true? Two years later, everything happened as Maria predicted. A son was born named John, known to us as John the Baptist. The joy of the parents knew no bounds. And Mary again confirmed her unusual ability to prophecy.

In the meantime, a major change had taken place in her life. She was ten years old, her father Joachim died, and in payment of taxes she was forced to work at the Roman temple in Nazareth, looked after the cattle and did any work that was required. And here she alarmed people with her next prediction. She dreamed that the rector of the temple would soon die, and on this occasion she wept bitterly. Two days later, the abbot really suddenly died. She was feared and shunned. But the Romans gradually got used to her and even consulted about the weather, crops and other domestic issues, since all her predictions came true with accuracy.

Gradually, Maria began to see dreams related to her future. More and more often, in her dreams, she saw a man in brocade robes with a halo over his head, Elijah the prophet, who confirmed the old prophecy of Simeon - the Birth of Jesus Christ, who, with his sermons and example, should lead people to a new faith, but will not be understood, will endure severe trials and will be executed. Elijah the prophet wanted to prepare Mary for her future position. But she was very afraid of the future, she really did not want her child to die for reading sermons.

Maria decided to tell about her dreams only to the Roman priest Pandera, her fellow tribesmen would once again laugh and mock her. The 62-year-old priest decided to use the information received in his own way. He dressed up in white clothes and sneaked into the girl's bedroom at night. Mary, constantly waiting for the arrival of God, did not suspect anything, mistaking for him a lustful priest who did his dirty deed.

Soon a groom was quickly found for her, the carpenter Joseph, forty-eight years old from Bethlehem, recently widowed and having four children. Before the wedding, they lived separately, she is still in the temple, he is in his house. When Joseph saw her again, he discovered that the maiden was pregnant. He neglected all of Mary's explanations about the immaculate conception and categorically did not want to marry, God forbid, to take his feet away from such a shame!

And he sees in a dream Elijah the prophet, who explained to the angry groom that he should take Mary as his wife, the boy who is born will be even closer to Joseph than his own children and will have extraordinary, superhuman abilities and this is the son of God. Joseph, as a believer, did not dare to argue, in addition, at that time people were very attentive to prophetic dreams, it was believed that in this way God talks to you or sends messages.

Despite the difference in age and Mary's fears about relations with Joseph's adult children, at first family life was going well. Maria was accustomed to work from childhood, and a meek disposition and a smile that never left her face helped to smooth out all the bumps in the initial period. Joseph also became attached to her heart, seeing how she takes care of him and his children.

But the adult children were not as tolerant as their father, and they did not really believe in this story with the immaculate conception. In the end, Joseph decided to move from Bethlehem to Nazareth, which pleased Mary, she wanted to return to her native land and be away from rumors. They took four-year-old Joachim with them.

In Nazareth, the family gradually settled in, Mary got part of the property from relatives, childbirth was approaching, when suddenly a stranger came to Joseph in a dream, saying that a son would be born soon, but he would be in great danger, because of the upcoming difficult birth, he might not survive, so for a while you need to hide from people.

Joseph, tremulous about prophetic dreams, immediately moved Mary out of town, to a modest summer house, with small windows, a manger for animals, a bed covered with straw, a table and a stove. Before they had time to get over, the birth began. As predicted, heavy. For three days Maria was between life and death, two midwives helped her and on the morning of January 7, 4 BC a boy was born, weak, with a wrinkled face, weighing 1900 grams. Mary remained a virgin after that.

The shepherds who worked for Joseph were frightened by the unusually bright glow in the sky. They immediately ran to the owner's house to tell about what they saw and learned about the birth of Jesus. Joseph, as a hospitable host and a happy father, generously treated the workers, and soon received a visit from the Indian king, who was returning home from Egypt.

On the way, he met the elder Simeon, who at one time predicted the birth of a son of God, and now advised the king to visit a family with a newborn, mentioning that the baby was destined to become the Messiah and that when the king had a great grief, it was Jesus who would save his beloved son. The king was very impressed by these words and did not stint on gifts: gold, rich clothes and an expensive ring with the family royal coat of arms, by which Jesus would be recognized many years later.

On the eighth day, according to Jewish tradition, the boy was circumcised and given a name. On the fortieth day after birth, the mother should have been cleansed. For this, the whole family went to Jerusalem, to the main temple. There, Simeon, mentioned many times, was already waiting for them, who, according to legend, when he saw Jesus exclaimed: “Praise the Lord that I waited for this,” and the prophetess Anna, who lived to 84 years old and was also expecting a meeting with the baby. She predicted that when Jesus was three and a half years old, the family would make a trip to Egypt that would bring them wealth and good fortune. But that's all later.