Approved for distribution by the Publishing Board of the Russian Orthodox Church PB 13-314-2075 48 pp. Priest Daniel Sysoev. The Divine Names. Daniel Sysoev Inc, New Jersey, 2018. ISBN: 978-5-4279-0074-7
The essence of God is fully known to three alone: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All others know only what God reveals to them about Himself, diminishing His power, as it were, in order to become accessible to us. We address Him by the names “He That Is,” “Ancient of Days,” “Life,” “Most Wise,” “Good,” and others, each of which emphasizes a particular facet of divine perfection. Through learning the names of the Most High, Whose existence is beyond comparison with anything in the universe, a person enters the crucible of meaning, and his understanding is enabled to enrich the whole world by supernatural revelations.
Booklet 2 of 12 from a series of talks given by Priest Daniel Sysoev entitled “How to Inherit Eternal Life.”
Protected by USA Federal copyright law. Reproduction of this book in whole or in part is prohibited. Any attempt to violate the law will be prosecuted. © Daniel Sysoev Inc, 2018 © Yulia Sysoeva, 2018
CONTENT
THE DIVINE NAMES The Meaning and Significance of Names �������� 4 Heretical and Irreligious Understandings of Names ������������������������������������������������������������������ 5 The Biblical Meaning of Names �������������������������� 6 How Can a Person Learn the Names of God? ������������������������������������������������ 8 We Learn to Know God by Grace ���������������������� 15 The Names of God Who Gives Life ������������������ 18 The Names of God Most Wise ��������������������������22 Other Names of God ������������������������������������������24 Anthropomorphism in Holy Scripture ������������ 27 Prayerful Contemplation of the Divine Names �������������������������������������������� 31
THE DIVINE NAMES
The Meaning and Significance of Names
Each
time at the services we hear various names of God, such as “Sabaoth,” “Adonai” (Holy), and when we say, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.” Thus, we know, particularly from Holy Scripture, the divine names that the Lord Himself has given men, revealing His own nature, but we do not know how to make proper use of these riches. In order to discuss the names of God it is first important to state what a name is. How does it differ from other words, and where do names come from? Ordinarily names are given by those in authority. For example, parents give their children names, exercising their authority over them. The abbot of a monastery, when performing the monastic tonsure, gives the monk a new name as a sign that the former man who had lived in the ways of the world has died, and a new man has been born, to a new life, and 4
with a new name. Thus, on the one hand the name signifies personal contact, and on the other—a subordinate status. Hence, strictly speaking, our God is a nameless God. If we ask what God’s sole, absolute name is, the answer is that there is none! For there is no one greater than He. There is no one who has greater authority than He Himself who could assign Him a name by right of authority. For this reason one of the greatest saints of the Orthodox Church, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, says that God is called the Nameless One that is above every Name. He has a multitude of names, but there is no one name that could confine Him. Heretical and Irreligious Understandings of Names
There have been various heresies, false teachings, that have given a distorted interpretation to the concept of the name. This is because in various teachings, in magic, sorcery, and various pagan religions, the name signifies the very essence of the individual. In certain tribes it is believed that one’s name must never be revealed to anyone, to avoid evil spells or the evil eye, since by knowing a person’s real name one 5
supposedly gains power over his being. It was also believed that learning the name of any object would enable one to control it. The Holy Church rejected this delusion, however. The Church does not believe that the name possesses any particular energy capable of functioning independently. The Biblical Meaning of Names
The name is an extremely important symbol,
without which we would be unable to interact with others. Suppose a person asks me how to get to St. Thomas Church at Kantemirovskaya. And so I tell him, “You go that way, then turn this way, then go past that and turn there.� How much of this will he understand? Not a word. I need to tell him that you get off the subway at such and such a stop, then cross such and such a street, go past such and such a river, turn onto such and such a street, and there you will find such and such a church. In other words, names enable us to find our way around in the world. And this ability was instilled in us by God. He gave our mind the ability to learn about the world and to assign symbols to it and to its parts. On the one hand these sym6
bols serve as our link to the object, and on the other they demonstrate our authority over this world. You and I know that when the Lord created the first men He said, Let Us make man in Our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Gen. 1:26). This authority that God has given men over the earth, and over the creatures that live therein, is manifested in the giving of names. In the biblical accounts of creation we see God Himself assigning names to heaven and earth, and to the sea. This does not mean that God is producing symbols of some kind. In the words of one of the great fathers of the Church, Gregory of Nyssa, �God does not create words, He creates works.� When God does something, the result is not a word, but a deed. It is men who are accustomed to talk much and do little. With God, the word immediately becomes deed, but when God says that He gives names to heaven and earth this means that it is He alone Who rules the planet earth, and it is He alone Who rules the heavens. But the plants and animals, for 7
example, God did not name. Adam named them, by right of the authority given him by the Lord God. This is why the first thing a person does upon coming to any new land is to name everything around him. He names the rivers, the fields, and the villages. This naming marks the beginning of his assumption of authority over the territory. Then the world becomes identifiable. How Can a Person Learn the Names of God?
This raises a question: how can a person give
names to God? Or, how can God reveal Himself to man? After all, when a person interacts with another person he calls him by name. Scripture says that God calls His sheep by name: He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers (Jn. 10:2–5). 8
But how can a person commune with God? God is a Person, and He is self-aware. Thus, when our mind encounters the mind of God, our mind begins to identify God as a Life, a Power, a Reality, that is distinct from our own selves. And depending on how God manifests Himself, a name is born. The names of God may be called icons, which fortify our mind when we encounter God. Hence, we may and must say that God’s names are revealed to us by the Creator, because the Divine Reality reveals Himself to us. The actual sound and meaning of the name, however, is the product of our own mind. Thus, the Name of God is an icon, a reflection of God that arises in our minds upon encountering God. God Himself sees to it that man has sufficient and correct knowledge of Him. Possessing this knowledge is possible because the human mind is created in God’s image, and, having a certain kinship with God, is able to come to know Him. As the apostle Peter says, we are the generation of God, we are like the Lord God in our nature. It is due to this that people are able to come to know God. Human nature is what is common to all men, and it is similar to the divine nature. We have an immortal soul, created in the image of the immortal God. God possesses freedom, and 9
men too have access to a certain degree of freedom. God is the Creator, and we, being at once both spiritual and physical beings, are capable of doing something new. This is a manifestation of our kinship with God, that is, our likeness, the similarity of our nature to the Divine Nature. But is man capable of coming to know everything? Scripture answers this. If we open Psalm 17, which is read at the Sunday all-night vigil on Saturday evening, we read: I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength; the Lord is my foundation, and my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and I will hope in Him, my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper (Ps. 17:21–3). Incidentally, notice how many names of God David has just listed! Because he loves God, David loves His names. David has collected them, and they are upon his lips. But how did he come to know God? The pangs of death surrounded me, and the torrents of iniquity sorely troubled me. The pangs of hades encircled me, round about the snares of death have overtaken me. And in mine affliction I called upon the Lord, and unto my God I cried; He heard my voice out of His holy temple, and my cry before Him shall enter into His ears. And the earth shook and was made to tremble, 10
and the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were shaken, because God was angry with them. There went up smoke in His wrath, and fire from His countenance set all aflame; coals were kindled therefrom. And He bowed the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under His feet. And He mounted upon cherubim and flew, He flew upon the wings of the winds. And He made darkness His hiding place, His tabernacle round about Him, dark water in the clouds of the air. From the far-shining radiance that was before Him there passed by clouds, hail, and coals of fire. And the Lord thundered out of heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice (Ps. 17:5–14). Thus, we see that when God comes down a terrible fire blazes up around him, and fiery red-hot stones rain down. God is surrounded by darkness. One of the most mysterious passages of Holy Scripture, in the book of Exodus, describes Moses’ ascent to God on Mount Sinai: And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, 11
lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was (Ex. 20:18–21). In both cases God is called a Dweller in darkness. The apostle Paul calls him a Dweller in unapproachable light: Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see (1 Tim. 6:16). Is this a contradiction? No, it is one and the same thing. When light constantly intensifies there comes a point at which it becomes blinding, and a person’s mind, coming into contact with the supreme mystery of God, with His own brilliance and with the unimaginable glory radiating from His essence, is blinded. Saint Maximus the Confessor expressed it well when he wrote, “And the brilliant mind You have forsaken, and the knowledge of those that are. For the sake of the immortal night, which cannot be named ...”—that is, the mind has ceased to function, because it has encountered knowledge that can no longer be contained. It has encountered wisdom that is beyond the 12
mind’s comprehension, and it has encountered might that can no longer be merely seen. There is a paradox in that physicists consider the sun a completely black body, since it reflects nothing, and only shines with its own light. This is similar to God’s exceeding brilliance, which stays the process of coming to know Him. Hence, there is a border at which the names end. Here man encounters the invisible, immortal nature of God: he encounters God Himself. At first he gives names to God, seeing that God gives him all good things. A Christian asks that the Lord heal his illnesses: He heals them, and so that person calls him “Physician of souls and bodies.” Or he asks the Lord to help him in a hopeless financial situation: God does so, and so that person then calls Him “Rich,” “Bountiful,” “Bestower.” God gives a person intelligence, and hence He is called “Wise One,” “Most Wise,” “Supremely Wise.” As a person continues interacting with God he begins to know Him better and better. He comes to know Him as the Source of Life, the Immortal, Incomprehensible, Eternal, Infinite, Holy, Most Pure, Supremely Powerful, Omnipotent, Omnipresent Creator of the universe. 13
But this is still not enough. At times a person comes into contact with actual manifestations of God. These are what Holy Scripture calls the energies of God—the light of Tabor. But as man continues to interact with God he eventually reaches a limit, and God reveals to him the mystery of the Holy Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A person sees the eternal love of all three Persons, all three egos, which God has had since before time began and will have eternally. The supreme name of God is revealed to the person, and he understands that there is nothing that can compare with God’s essence. The process of learning the names ends: man has nothing left to say, because his intellect is now contemplating a certain super-reality that by definition cannot be ascribed a name. One’s intellect is as though blinded by this superpower, for which there is nothing to which it could be compared, and it simply cannot be likened to anything. This is the highest point on the path, and no created being is capable of reaching it, whether man or angel. Angels too can ascend no higher, because even angels are blinded when they come into contact with the divine essence. 14
We Learn to Know God by Grace
The
Church teaches that we come to know God by grace. What then is grace? It is that good gift, that power, that glory, that light, that exudes from Him. The gifts that He gives us are the means by which we know God, but in His essence God is unknowable. There is one name only that can be applied to God’s nature: the name He gave at the great revelation on Mount Horeb. Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover He said, I am the God of thy 15
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God (Ex. 3:1–6). When a person arrives at the archetypal mystery, the original reality, his intellect is afraid of catching fire and burning up in the presence of the flame, of the unthinkable fire of the divine life, the power of which a man encounters, and he hides his face, fearing to look upon God. Even the seraphim, the fiery spirits that stand round about God in the heavens, hide their faces with their wings. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My 16
people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And [God] said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am [Jehovah] hath sent me unto you (Ex. 3:7–14). The Lord reveals Himself as He That Is. What does “He That Is” mean? This means “The Only Existing One.” Compared to God’s existence we are a mere shadow. People are not aware of themselves in their infancy or when they sleep. Our existence always depends on something; it is merely a gift. Not so God’s existence. There is nothing that can compare with His existence, precisely because when Moses saw God he knew that God is He That Is. God has revealed that His existence cannot be com17
pared with anything in all the universe. As the book of the prophet Isaiah says, I the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am He (Is. 41:4). Likewise, in the book of Psalms: In the beginning, O Lord, Thou didst lay the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou abidest; and all like a garment shall grow old, And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail (Ps. 101:26–28). Indeed, what a person must ultimately understand is that nothing can be compared to God’s existence. It is the boundary beyond which understanding ceases, because man encounters what cannot be described in the language of words, that simply cannot be named. There are things that are impossible to convey, that defy the limited capacity of description. The Names of God Who Gives Life
The essence of God in its fullness is known by
Three alone: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it is said, No man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him (Lk. 10:22), and the Holy Spirit experiences the 18
depth of God. The Holy Trinity knows His own Self. All others know only what God reveals of Himself, but He does not reveal Himself in anything created. He reveals Himself in His own being, only in what has been manifested. He diminishes His power, so to speak, that He might become accessible to us. The relationship within the Trinity is a complete enigma for us, for the Father begets the Son, but the Son is the Wisdom of the Father. One of the names of Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of the Father. He is His own Power, His own Word. The Word of the Father is the Son: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1). Regarding the divine names, God is called He That Is, firstly because He exists of His own Self. As the Lord said in the Gospel of John, For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself (Jn. 5:26). That is, the cause of His existence lies in Himself alone. There is none who could be older than He, and so one of His names is the Ancient of Days. He is God most aged, God Who is ancient, God Who is from before the ages, yet despite this He is a young God. A fascinating peculiarity may be noted in theology: 19
when any statement is made regarding God, simultaneously that same statement is, in a certain sense, negated. While speaking positively of God, we emphasize the limitations of the statement we have made. One of the meanings of the name “He That Is” (in Hebrew, Yaweh) is “I Am That I Am.” God’s existence by definition cannot be reduced to any other. There is nothing similar to God. Further, the name “He That Is” means “He Who gives life and breath”—He Who breathes life into every being that exists, Who enlivens people, who enlivens angels. There is another meaning: “God Who is true to His Word”—God Who upholds His end of the Covenant. The psalms speak of God ... Who keepeth truth unto eternity (Ps. 145:6). Now when we speak of God we have already reached the conclusion that He is He That Is, because He brings all creation into being. God has a superpowerful existence; He brings all into being. He began this bringing into being by creating the world, instilling His design into all men and leading them to its fulfillment, and in accordance with this design these beings must go with Him voluntarily. In Him are the roots of being, the roots of existence, and the world 20
itself exists only because God gave it existence. Regarding His power it may be said that all things exist through participation in the power of Him That Is. All there is comes from Him That Is. This is in fact the primary attribute, since where there is no existence there is no life. We go on to say of God that He is life. The Lord said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me (Jn. 14:6). Christ also says, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live (Jn. 11:25). This name of God—Life—is frequently encountered in the Bible. He is called either simply Life, or the Living God: Jesus, the Son of the living God (1 Tim. 4:10, Heb. 3:12, Rev. 7:2).* God the Father is the Living God, the Son is Life and the Lord of Life, and the Holy Spirit is the Life-creating Spirit. He is “living” because He enlivens all. Saint Cyril of Alexandria said that the might of the Son of God lies in that by His will new generations of animals and men are continually born. It is God the Son who in the * Translator’s note: Not a direct quote from these passages, except for the words the living God.
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beginning of our existence said, Let there be (Gen. 1:3, 1:6, 1:14–15). He touched us with His life-creating hand when we had only just come into being. He touched us, therefore we came to be. This plan was thought out even before the creation of the universe. And when God created the universe He guided it, like an enormous ship, toward its goal. God planned each one of us—who would be born and when, and what each of us would receive at birth. He gave life at the moment of conception. But the Bible says more! The book of Job says, Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews (Job 10:10). The prophet Jeremiah says, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord (Jer. 18:6). God “molds” a person, and His living power continues molding man to this day. The human body is a tremendous enigma, in which processes sometimes occur that we do not yet entirely understand, and which science cannot fully explain.
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P R I E S T S H AV E D I E D , L E ПОГИБЛИ A V I N G F A MСВЯЩЕННИКИ ILIES BEHIND …
Together we can helpСЕМЬИ… them! У НИХ ОСТАЛИСЬ
May the Lord grant His faithful servants eternal rest in the tabernacles of the righteous! им For your generous donations: Поможем вместе!
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«Миссионерский центр имени иерея Даниила Сысоева» 2. PayPal: ssv379@gmail.com ОАОchoose «Промсвязьбанк», Москва, Please “Send to friendsг.and family.” ИНН/КПП 7725256926/772501001 3. Credit or debit card: On our web-site, к/с 30101810400000000555 в ОПЕРУ Московского ГТУ http://mission-center.com there is a button in the left column: Банка России “Donation: For all countries with PayPal or credit card.” БИК 044525555 р/с 40703810140390553501 Подробная информация по каждой семье на сайте mission-center.com в разделе «Благотворительность».
T H E R E V. D A N I E L S Y S O E V MISSIONARY CENTER Benevolent Fund was established in 2010 by Rev. Daniel Sysoev’s wife, Yulia Sysoev, to aid the needy families and widows of clergy. Unfortunately, there are many financially disadvantaged clergy families in Russia, but the greatest financial need is felt by the widows of priests who have fallen victim to murder or tragedy, and we Christians have a duty to care for them. In recent times we have seen a rise in sudden deaths among our intercessors before God – those who pray for us more often than others, through whom the Lord forgives our sins, from whom we receive comfort. At present the Fund has learned of and established contact with 45 such families, and is constantly searching for clergy families in need so as to provide them with uncompensated aid. We call on Orthodox Christians to contribute their two mites to support the work of the Fund. Contact information and donation options are located on our website, www.mission-center. com, in the “Charity” section. Donors, as the Word of God says, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven and robe your hearts in works of charity; and you who are in need, offer up prayers for your benefactors’ salvation! For your generous donations: 1. Wire transfers: Account number: 9345081388; Citibank, N.A. BR. #764 1760 Market street, Philadelphia, PA, 19130; Routing number: 021272655; SWIFT code: CITIUS33; 2. PayPal: ssv379@gmail.com Please choose “Send to friends and family.” 3. Credit or debit card: On our web-site, http://mission-center.com there is a button in the left column: “Donation: For all countries with PayPal or credit card.”
P R I E S T D A N I E L S Y S O E V. D E A C O N G E O R G I Y M A X I M O V. HOW OF T EN SHOU L D ON E COMMUNE?
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very Christian gives thought to the question of how often one should commune. In asking the advice of various priests, one may hear opinions that discourage frequent communion by the laity, or on the contrary one may be advised to approach the Holy Chalice as often as possible, especially on holy days. In certain churches it has been the practice since Soviet times not to commune parishioners on Pascha and Bright Week. But what does the Church say about this? What canons and rules exist to determine the frequency with which the faithful take part in the sacrament of Holy Communion? This booklet explains the necessity of frequent communion, presenting the reader with detailed supporting arguments from the works of the Holy Fathers and the church canons.
INST RUC T IONS FOR T HE IMMORTA L, OR W H AT TO D O I F YOU S T I L L DI E
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n the few months since it appeared, this unusually-titled book by the famous priest and missionary Fr. Daniel Sysoev has quickly become a bestseller. What should you do if you end up dying after all? Unfortunately, many people try to avoid the question of death; yet death, like it or not, is unavoidable. Following divine revelation and the experience of the Church, Fr. Daniel paints a perfectly logical picture of the human soul transitioning from mortality to eternity. The author gives us advice on how to behave correctly at this most important of events for every person, how not to be afraid, how to pass through the Aerial Toll-houses, and what will await us after death. The author likewise describes the church doctrines regarding heaven and hell.
Except where otherwise noted, scriptural quotes are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Quotes from the book of Psalms are taken from The Psalter According to the Seventy, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline MA; all rights reserved. Quotes from St. John of Damascus are from An Exposition of the Orthodox Faith by St. John of Damascus, Frederic H. Chase, Jr., trans., in The Fathers of the Church, vol. 37 (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1958). Quotes from Dionysius the Areopagite are taken from The Works of Dionysius the Areopagite, John Parker, trans. (London: James Parker and Co., 1897). Quotes from The Ladder are taken from The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St. John Climacus (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959).
Priest Daniel Sysoev
THE DIVINE NAMES Translator and Editor in Chief Priest Nathan Williams Layout and design Kyrill Zubchenko Daniel Sysoev Inc was founded as a USA-based subsidiary of the Rev. Daniel Sysoev Missionary Center Benevolent Fund in 2014. The company offers a wide assortment of Orthodox literature in Russian and English, liturgical items, and jewelry. We distribute our products throughout the USA and Canada, on attractive terms and with significant discounts for wholesalers, Orthodox church bookstores, and monasteries. Detailed descriptions of our products may be found at mission-shop.com, with e-book editions of our titles available at danielsysoev.com mission-shop.com danielsysoev.com mission379@gmail.com +1(609)605-70-76