The Orthodox Study Bible by Thomas Nelson Bibles

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THE

ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE

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With gratitude to the individuals who made this Orthodox Study Bible possible Dr. John and Helen Collis and family

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THE

ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE Prepared under the auspices of the Academic Community of St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology, Elk Grove, California. Fr. Jack Norman Sparks, Ph.D., Dean

Metropolitan MAXIMOS, Th.D. Eugen Pentiuc, Th.D., Ph.D. Project Director Jack Norman Sparks

Joseph Allen, Th.D. Jack Norman Sparks, Ph.D. Project Director Peter E. Gillquist

The Old Testament General Editors Michel Najim, Ph.D. Jack Norman Sparks, Ph.D. Managing Editor J. Richard Ballew The New Testament General Editors Michel Najim, Ph.D. Theodore Stylianopoulos, Th.D. Managing Editor Alan Wallerstedt

Overview Committee Fr. Paul Costopoulos Archbishop IAKOVOS (deceased) Fr. Antony Gabriel Archbishop DEMETRIOS Fr. Stanley Harakas Metropolitan THEODOSIUS Fr. Thomas Hopko Metropolitan HERMAN Fr. Martin Ritsi Metropolitan PHILIP Fr. Alexander Veronis Metropolitan CHRISTOPHER Fr. Thaddeus Wojcik Metropolitan ANTHONY (deceased) Mr. Charles Ajalat Metropolitan MAXIMOS Dr. Apostolos Athanassakis Metropolitan NICHOLAS Dr. John Boojamra (deceased) Metropolitan VSEVOLOD Mr. Brian Gerich Archbishop DMITRI Dr. Veselin Kesich Archbishop NICOLAE Dr. Petros Vasiliadis Bishop JOSEPH Mr. Ernest Villas (deceased) Bishop KALLISTOS Fr. Anthony Coniaris

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The text of the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint™ (SAAS™) may be quoted or reprinted without prior written permission with the following qualifications: (1) Up to and including 1,000 verses may be quoted in printed form as long as the verses quoted amount to less than 50% of a complete book of the Bible and make up less than 50% of the total work in which they are quoted; (2) all SAAS quotations must conform accurately to the SAAS text. Any use of the SAAS text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows: “Scripture taken from the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint™. Copyright © 2008 by St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” However, when quotations from the SAAS text are used in church bulletins, orders of service, Sunday School lessons, church newsletters and similar works in the course of religious instruction or services at a place of worship or other religious assembly, the following notice may be used at the end of each quotation: “SAAS.”

The text of the New King James Version® (NKJV®) may be quoted or reprinted without prior written permission with the following qualifications: (1) Up to and including 1,000 verses may be quoted in printed form as long as the verses quoted amount to less than 50% of a complete book of the Bible and make up less than 50% of the total work in which they are quoted; (2) all NKJV quotations must conform accurately to the NKJV text. Any use of the NKJV text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows: “Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” However, when quotations from the NKJV text are used in church bulletins, orders of service, Sunday School lessons, church newsletters and similar works in the course of religious instruction or services at a place of worship or other religious assembly, the following notice may be used at the end of each quotation: “NKJV.”

For more information regarding the quotation permission policy for the New King James Version, please visit thomasnelson.com.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments .................................................................viii Special Recognition.................................................................ix Introduction to The Orthodox Study Bible................................xi The Old Testament Books Listed and Compared ..................xiii Source Abbreviations .............................................................xiv Overview of the Books of the Bible........................................xv Introducing the Orthodox Church........................................xxi

1 The Old Testament 2 Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel) 3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 1 Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon) 2 Chronicles (2 Paraleipomenon) 1 Ezra (2 Esdras) 2 Ezra (Ezra/2 Esdras) Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 3 Maccabees Psalms Job

Gn Ex Lv Nm Dt Jos Jdg Ru 1Kg 2Kg 3Kg 4Kg 1Ch 2Ch 1Ez 2Ez Neh Tb Jdt Est 1Mc 2Mc 3Mc Ps Job

Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians

Mt Mk Lk Jn Acts Rom 1Co 2Co Gal Eph Php Col 1Th 2Th

Proverbs of Solomon Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom of Solomon Wisdom of Sirach Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Isaiah Jeremiah Baruch Lamentations of Jeremiah Epistle of Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel

1 65 117 160 210 256 284 313 319 353 386 422 455 485 521 537 549 566 578 596 609 641 667 681 779

Pr Ecc SS WSol WSir Hos Am Mic Joel Ob Jon Nah Hab Zep Hag Zec Mal Is Jer Bar Lam EJer Ezk Dan

822 870 882 893 917 982 996 1004 1010 1017 1020 1024 1027 1032 1036 1039 1053 1058 1111 1165 1171 1180 1184 1236

1Ti 2Ti Tts Phm Heb Jam 1Pt 2Pt 1Jn 2Jn 3Jn Jude Rev

1632 1640 1645 1650 1652 1673 1682 1690 1696 1704 1706 1708 1711

1 The New Testament 2 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation

1265 1328 1359 1418 1468 1519 1550 1573 1587 1597 1611 1617 1623 1629

The Bible: Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Revelation to Man..................................1753 How to Read the Bible......................................................1757 Lectionary .........................................................................1767 Glossary.............................................................................1775 Morning Prayers ................................................................1791 Evening Prayers .................................................................1794 Index to Annotations.........................................................1797 Index to Study Articles ......................................................1821 The Seventy.......................................................................1822

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Academic Community at St. Athanasius Academy is chaired by Fr. Jack N. Sparks, Dean, and includes Frs. Richard Ballew, Jon E. Braun, Michel Najim, John Finley, Polycarp Whitcomb, and Paul Goetz. Also included are Jerry Cripe, Howard Lange, Dr. David Lewis, Carol McFarland, Christina Tassos, and Alan Wallerstedt. A number of clergy and lay scholars worked on the study material for one or more books of the New Testament and on the other supplemental sections, including Bishop KALLISTOS Ware and Frs. David Anderson, James Bernstein, David Barr, William Caldaroni, Marc Dunaway, John Elias, Antony Gabriel, George Gray, Peter Kreta, Michael Laffoon, John Morris, Constantine Nasr, Paul O’Callaghan, Jonah Paffhausen, Gregory Rogers, and Gordon Walker. Lay scholars Dr. Apostolos Athanassakis, Dr. George Cronk and Paul DeMerritt provided valuable input. Special thanks goes to Dr. Petros Vasiliadis for his work on the initial draft, and later editing by him and his colleagues at the University of Thessalonica. Additional help was supplied by the American Bible Society. Providing help with the Old Testament text, notes and supplemental materials were: Bishops BASIL, JOSEPH, and KALLISTOS; together with Frs. Philip Armstrong, Richard Ballew, Michael Barclay, Jon Braun, William Caldaroni, Ross Caldwell, Joseph Corrigan, Thomas O’Dea, Dale Dickerson, John Elias, John Finley, Titus Fulcher, Sam Gantt, Michael Gillis, Isaiah Gillette, Peter E. Gillquist, George Gray, Daniel Griffith, David Hester, Benjamin Henderson, Don Hock, John Kalantzis, Nathan Kroll, Stephen Lilley, John Morris, Michel Najim, Patrick O’Grady, John Peck, Eugen Pentiuc, Theodore Petrides, John R. Probish, Gabriel Rochelle, Gregory Rogers, Patrick Henry Reardon, John Reeves, Robert Sanford, David Sedor, Jack N. Sparks, Allyne Smith, Gordon Walker, Bartholomew Wojcik, Christopher Wojcik, Thaddeus Wojcik, Stefan Zencuch; Deacons John Chryssavgis, Stephen Holley, Polycarp Whitcomb, Moishe Zorea, Steve Ackley; and lay scholars Peter Bouras, Renie Carr, Andrew Copeland, Shaun Daugherty, Dr. David C. Ford, Dr. Mary Ford, Dr. George S. Gabriel, Anastasia Goetz, Paul Goetz, Denise Greaves, Beryl Wells Hamilton, Margaret Hock, Mickey Hodges, Joel Kalvesmaki, Mark Kern, John Lamberes, Dr. David Lewis, Theron Mathis, Martin McGinty, James Miller, Samuel G. Miller, Tatiana Miller, Newman Nahas, Dr. Michel Quenot, Reader Cyrl Shartz, Dr. Donald Sheehan, Gregory Gray Smith, John Stamps, Dr. Matthew Steenberg, Nancy Tentzeras, Nicholas Tentzeras and Gary Yee. Special thanks to Fr. Robert Sanford, of Thomas Nelson Publishers, for his careful guidance, and to Katherine Hyde for her extensive and thorough copy editing. Computer entry for the final manuscript was done by Shirley Dillon and Carolyn Tanguay, who both deserve sincere gratitude. Undergirding all these efforts were more than three hundred individuals, churches, and organizations who served as benefactors for this historic project. Their gifts were contributed to underwrite the costs of biblical and patristic research, organizational meetings and manuscript preparation. Thanks are due to all these donors including Mr. Sam Moore, retired chairman of Thomas Nelson, Inc., who established a generous matching gift program which motivated the great breadth of financial support for this effort. It is in the memory of his mother, Marie Ziady, that the New Testament edition was published.

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION Special thanks to the following major donors who, along with hundreds of others, underwrote the preparation of the Orthodox Study Bible Old and New Testament manuscripts: Charles and Marilee Ajalat Kevin Allen Family Reagan & Connie Amerine Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church Richard Ayoob John Bahas Daniel & Judy Braun Fr. Jon & Mary Ellen Braun Dean Brunner Dr. John and Helen Collis William Craig & Family John & Cina Daskalakis Family George & Brenda Farah Fr. Peter and Marilyn Gillquist Greek Ladies Philoptochos Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Grand Rapids, MI

Andrew and Katherine Kartalis Spero & Stacy Kinnas Mark Mellis Sam and Peggy Moore William and Josie Morrison Bill & Hazel Nassir Louis & Eleni Nicozisis The Order of St. Ignatius of Antioch His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese Kathleen Pinson Mike Ryan Katherine Strakes John & Patti Truslow

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INTRODUCTION TO THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE The last decade of the twentieth century saw an historic event. In 1993, The Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms was released as the first English Bible with study material reflecting the ancient faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church. St. Athanasius Academy, which had organized this effort, began receiving requests for the completion of the Old Testament—a monumental task which involved not only preparation of the study notes and outlines, but also the presentation of an acceptable Old Testament text. Though the Orthodox Church has never officially committed itself to a single text and list of Old Testament books, it has traditionally used the Greek Old Testament of the Septuagint (LXX). However, in Orthodoxy’s 200-year history in North America, no English translation of the LXX has ever been produced by the Church. The contributors used the Alfred Rahlfs edition of the Greek text as the basis for the English translation. To this base they brought two additional major sources. The first is the Brenton text, a British translation of the Greek Old Testament, published in 1851. The availability of this work, and the respect accorded it, made it an obvious choice as a source document. Secondly, Thomas Nelson Publishers granted use of the Old Testament text of the New King James Version in the places where the English translation of the LXX would match that of the Masoretic (Hebrew) text. The development team at St. Athanasius Academy carefully studied these sources, along with other documents, to produce an English Old Testament text suitable for the project. The organization of the Old Testament books, that is, their canonical order, was taken from The Old Testament According to the Seventy, published with the approval of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. The first edition was released in June, 1928. The Old Testament text presented in this volume does not claim to be a new or superior translation. The goal was to produce a text to meet the Bible-reading needs of English-speaking Orthodox Christians. In some Old Testament books, including the Psalms, the numbering of chapters, and sometimes individual verses is different in the LXX version from the English translation of the Hebrew text (such as the New King James Version and New Revised Standard Version). To help the reader, the LXX psalm number appears first, followed by the alternate number in parentheses, such as Psalm 50 (51). In addition to the difference in the numbering of the Psalms, the books of Jeremiah and Malachi show differences in the chapter and verse numbering when comparing The Orthodox Study Bible alongside English translations based on the Hebrew Old Testament text. The following shows how the Hebrew and LXX texts compare in the books of Jeremiah and Malachi. Jeremiah Hebrew 1:1—25:13 25:14 25:15–38 26:1—43:13 44:1–30 45:1–5 46:1 46:2–25 46:26 46:27, 28 47:1–7 48:1–44 49:1–5 49:6 49:7–22 49:23–27 49:28–33 49:34a, 35–39

LXX 1:1—25:13 —— 32:1–25 33:1—50:13 51:1–30 51:31–35 —— 26:1–24 —— 26:25, 26 29:1–7 31:1–44 30:17–21 —— 30:1–16 30:28–32 30:22–27 25:14–19

Hebrew 49:34b 50:1—51:44 51:45–49 51:50–64 52:1 52:2, 3 52:4–14 52:15 52:16–27 52:28–30 52:31–34

LXX 25:20 27:1—28:45 —— 28:46–60 52:1 —— 52:2–12 —— 52:13–24 —— 52:25–28

Malachi 1:1—3:18 4:1–3 4:4 4:5, 6

1:1—3:18 3:19–21 3:24 3:22, 23

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The New Testament of The Orthodox Study Bible is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible. It is a translation of the Received Text of the Greek New Testament, with notes showing major variants in the Majority Text and the critical text of Nestle-Aland and the United Bible Societies. The introductory material, commentary and notes accompanying the Old and New Testament books are presented in a vocabulary understandable to a high school graduate. This is not a book of scholars addressing other scholars, but rather scholars clearly communicating the treasures of the Orthodox biblical tradition with clergy and laypeople desirous of understanding their Christian beliefs and making them accessible to others. A cross symbol (b) in the text of the Bible indicates a study note at the foot of the page. Further, the decision was made that the notes and commentary which clarify the biblical text would emphasize the major themes of the Christian faith. Thus, the notes give primary attention to: 1. The Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit 2. The Incarnation: The Divine Son of God becoming Man 3. The Centrality of the Church, the “dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:22) 4. The Virtues: God’s call to His people to live righteous and holy lives in Christ To attain these goals, specific attention was given to the biblical interpretations of the fathers of the ancient and undivided Church, and to the consensus of the Seven Ecumenical or Church-wide Councils of Christendom, held from the fourth to eighth centuries. The Holy Scriptures have always been integral to the life of the Church. The liturgical cycle of the year and the days of feasting and fasting are accompanied by Scripture readings from throughout the Bible. The lectionary in the back of The Orthodox Study Bible guides the reader along this biblical path through the Church year. Further, liturgical notes at the foot of the pages of The Orthodox Study Bible relate specific readings to the yearly cycle of prayer and worship. These notes are designated with the symbol d. The prayer of the editors and contributors of The Orthodox Study Bible is that it presents an understandable Bible text and commentary to (1) English-speaking Orthodox Christians the world over and to (2) non-Orthodox readers interested in learning more about the faith of the historic Orthodox Church. Lent, 2008

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THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS LISTED AND COMPARED Orthodox Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel) 2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel) 3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 1 Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon) 2 Chronicles (2 Paraleipomenon)* 1 Ezra** 2 Ezra** (Ezra) Nehemiah Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 3 Maccabees Psalms (151 in number) Job Proverbs of Solomon Ecclesiastes Song of Songs Wisdom of Solomon Wisdom of Sirach Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Isaiah Jeremiah Baruch Lamentation of Jeremiah Epistle of Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel *** * Includes the Prayer of Manasseh **Also known as 1 & 2 Esdras ***“Susanna” is at the beginning of Daniel, “Bel and the Serpent” at the end. Also includes the “Hymn of the Three Young Men.”

Roman Catholic Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Kings 2 Kings 3 Kings 4 Kings 1 Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon) 2 Chronicles (2 Paraleipomenon) 1 Esdras 2 Esdras (Nehemiah) Tobit Judith Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Psalms (150 in number) Job Proverbs of Solomon Ecclesiastes Canticle of Canticles Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Isaiah Jeremiah Baruch* Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel

*Includes Epistle of Jeremiah

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Protestant Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther* Job Psalms (150 in number) Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel** Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

*Esther does not include those sections called “Additions to Esther.” **Daniel here does not include those sections separately labeled as the “Hymn of the Three Young Men,” “Susanna,” “Bel and the Serpent.”

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SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS Source

Abbreviation

Source

Abbreviation

Ambrose of Milan Antony of Egypt Aphrahat the Persian Athanasius the Great Augustine of Hippo Aurelius Basil the Great Caesarius of Arles Cassiodorus Clement of Alexandria Cyprian of Alexandria Cyprian of Carthage Cyprian of Jerusalem Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Jerusalem Dionysius Elias the Presbyter Ephraim the Syrian Epistle of Barnabas Eusebius Eustathius of Antioch Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory of Nyssa Gregory Palamas Gregory the Great (Pope) Gregory the Theologian Hesychius

AmbM AntEg AphP AthanG Aug Aur BasilG Caes Cass ClemA CypA CypC CypJ CyrAl CyrJer Dion ElPres EphS Barn Eusb Eust GrgNa GrgNy GrgPal GrgGt GrgTheo Hesych

Hilary of Poitiers Hippolytus Ignatius of Antioch Irenaeus Isaac the Syrian Jerome John Cassian John Chrysostom John Climacus John of Damascus Justin Martyr Leo the Great Mark the Ascetic Maximos the Confessor Methodius Neilos the Ascetic Nicetas Seraphim of Sarov Symeon the New Theologian Theodore of Mopsuestia Theodoret Theophylact of Bulgaria Vincent of Lerins

HilryP Hippol IgnAnt Iren IsaacS Jerome JohnCas JohnChr JohnCli JohnDm Justin LeoG MkAsc MaxCon Meth Neilos Nic SerSar SymNew TheoMop Theod Theoph VincLer

Nicene Creed Canon of St. Andrew Akathist Service

Creed CanonAnd Akath

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OVERVIEW OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE By The Right Reverend BASIL, Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America 1 THE OLD TESTAMENT 2

This introduction is a brief description of each of the forty-nine books of the Old Testament. It is helpful to keep in mind that, like the earliest Christian community, the Orthodox Church of today continues using the Greek version of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint (LXX). The Septuagint—referencing the seventy finest Jewish scholars, from all twelve Jewish tribes, who made the translation from the Hebrew into Greek—became the universally accepted version of the Old Testament since the time of its appearance some three centuries before the birth of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ, together with His apostles and evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and also Peter and Paul, used this Greek version when quoting the Old Testament in their gospels and epistles. These inspired Old Testament books tell the story of God’s dealings with ancient Israel, from approximately 2000 BC until the time of Jesus. A study of the Old Testament in the light of the authentic apostolic tradition will lead the reader to Him Who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets as He promised: Our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This collection of forty-nine Old Testament books is traditionally subdivided into four sections: 1) the five books of the Law; 2) the books of history; 3) the books of wisdom and; 4) the books of prophecy. The Five Books of the Law First there are the books of the Law: Genesis, meaning “beginning,” since it recounts the beginning of God’s creation; Exodus, which means “exit” or “departure,” referring to the journey of the Hebrews from out of slavery in Egypt; Leviticus, a book detailing worship as led by the priests ordained from the tribe of Levi; Numbers, whose title is derived from the book’s opening account of the census or numbering of the people of Israel; Deuteronomy, meaning “second law,” since it gives a detailed listing of the additional laws given by God through Moses. These first five books of the Old Testament, known jointly as the Pentateuch (penta means “five” in Greek) describe God’s creation of the world, the rebellion of Adam and Eve and the fall of man, and the history of God’s people from the days of Abraham, about 2000 BC, through the days of Moses, dated by many scholars at approximately 1250 BC. The Books of History The second section of the LXX Old Testament is known as the historical books. This group begins with the book of Joshua, the leader of the children xv

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of Israel following the death of Moses, who brings God’s people into the promised land after their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Judges relates to the traditions of the various Hebrew tribes and the exploits of their own particular heroes, the Judges of whom the title speaks, who ruled the nation. The book of Ruth is the charming and heroic account of a Gentile woman who placed herself under the protection of the one true God, and in the process became an ancestor of King David, and of his descendent, Jesus Christ the Messiah of Israel. First and Second Kingdoms (First and Second Samuel), whose principle characters are Samuel the faithful prophet, Saul the first king to rule over God’s people, and David, Saul’s successor and the first king of Judah in the south of Palestine, and Israel to the north. The books of Third and Fourth Kingdoms (First and Second Kings) opens with the enthronement of David’s son Solomon and ends with the fall of the kingdom, including the destruction of its capital city of Jerusalem, and the exile of God’s people from Palestine to Babylon. First and Second Chronicles (First and Second Paraleipomenon) expand on the history recorded in Third and Fourth Kingdoms. The word Paraleipomenon is transliterated from the Greek and means “that which is omitted” in the two preceding books. The books of First and Second Ezra and Nehemiah continue this chronicle of divine history, focusing on the Jewish religious community after its return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon. The final books in the historical section of the Old Testament reveal the stories of people who lived heroic and God-directed lives under foreign domination and during the exile: Tobit, who was taken into captivity by the Assyrians; Judith, the pious and beautiful widow who saved her people from massacre by the invading Assyrian general; Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia who achieved the revocation of Haman’s decree that would have allowed the persecution and mass murder of God’s people; and the Maccabees, the family of the Hasmoneans and their followers, the faithful people who began the revolt and fought the wars of independence against foreign armies occupying their land. The Books of Wisdom The third section of the Old Testament is known as the books of Wisdom. The magnificent Psalms is the hymnal of both ancient Israel and of the Church. The book of Job, which in the canonical Greek LXX comes between Psalms and Proverbs, probes the depths of a man’s unshakable faith in the face of tragedy and innocent suffering. Proverbs is a collection of moral and religious instruction taught to young people after their return from exile in Babylon. Ecclesiastes tells of the preacher who philosophically seeks to understand the meaning of human existence that the good man can find in this life. The moving Song of Songs by Solomon is a collection of lyric poems, written

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in the language of human love and courtship, which also speaks prophetically of God’s love for His beloved Bride, His Church. The Wisdom of Solomon promises reward and immortality to the righteous, praises wisdom and condemns the folly of idolatry. The Wisdom of Sirach consists of lectures to young people on ethical and religious themes. These seven books of Wisdom literature—The Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Sirach—proclaim that happiness (or “blessedness,” in the language of the Bible) is possible only through faith in and obedience to the one true God. The Books of Prophecy The fourth and final section of the LXX Old Testament includes the books of prophecy, which appear in an order different from the Hebrew and Vulgate collections. Hosea gives a message of God’s own redeeming love for His chosen people, even when they spurn Him and prostitute themselves to false gods. Amos is the simple shepherd called by God to denounce a self-satisfied nation for its grave social injustice, abhorrent immorality and its shallow and meaningless piety. Micah foretells the day when nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. He speaks of peace reigning over all who do justice, who love kindness, and who walk humbly with God. Joel is the prophet who foretells the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. Obadiah prophesies the return of the exiles from Babylon. Jonah unwillingly accepts God’s command to preach His mercy and forgiveness to a foreign nation. Nahum prophesies the defeat of the powerful Assyrian enemy. Habakkuk deals with the perennial question, “How long, O Lord, shall I cry out to You, and You will not hear me?” (Hab 1:2). Zephaniah prophesies the dark days of Judah’s destruction, but promises comfort and conciliation to those who wait patiently for the Lord and serve Him. Haggai, following the return of the exiles, exhorts them to rebuild the destroyed temple in order to unify their disrupted religious life and, more importantly, to prepare for the coming of the long awaited Messiah. Zechariah prophesies the image of the messianic Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for the flock. Malachi exhorts God’s people to faithfulness and asserts the fatherhood of God over all nations. He foretells that God will appoint a forerunner, similar to the ancient prophet Elijah (or Elias) who will appear before the Messiah and prepare the world for the coming Day of the Lord. Isaiah exhorts the people of God to place their confidence in the Lord, and to lead private and public lives which manifest this reliance. From Isaiah, we hear the prophecies of a Son to be born of a virgin, and of the Suffering

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Servant—the Messiah—who would be led as an innocent sheep to the slaughter, and by whose stripes we would be healed. Jeremiah severely criticizes God’s people for abandoning the one true God and turning instead to the worship of idols. Baruch was appointed to be read on feast days as a confession of sins. In Lamentations, the author Jeremiah mourns the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The Epistle of Jeremiah is addressed to those about to be carried off into exile in Babylon. Ezekiel, the prophet of the exiles, assures his hearers of the abiding presence of God amongst them, even in exile and servitude. Finally, Daniel writes an apocalyptic or mystical end-time prophecy which is filled with difficult and often obscure signs and symbols. In the Greek LXX, Daniel begins with the heroic story of Susanna and ends with the fascinating account of Bel and the Serpent. These forty-nine God-inspired Old Testament books divided into four sections—books of the Law, of History, of Wisdom, and of Prophecy—which serve as an introduction to John the Baptist’s preparation of the world for the coming of the Messiah, who is Isaiah’s Suffering Servant, Zechariah’s Prince of Peace, and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the flock. 1 THE NEW TESTAMENT 2

The Four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recall the events in the life of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. The first three are called the Synoptic Gospels, in that they set forth a “common viewpoint” of the chronology of events and the message of Christ in His life and ministry. Matthew addresses his gospel primarily to fellow Jews. Mark is likely the first gospel to be written, and speaks of Christ as servant of all (Mk 10:45). Luke, himself a physician, reveals the Incarnate Christ and His earthly ancestry. This Son of Man saves and heals the fallen race. John, the last of the four gospels to be written, emphasizes the divinity of Christ, the eternal Son and Word of God, who became Man. John’s gospel further reveals seven miracles of Christ, not all of them in chronological order. Acts Written by St. Luke, these are the Acts (or accomplishments) of the Apostles, but mainly of Peter (chapters 1—12) and Paul (chapters 13—28). Acts chronicles the earliest history of the Church from Pentecost through approximately AD 65. The Letters (or Epistles) of St. Paul The first nine of Paul’s letters are written to churches. Romans, which begins this section, was the only letter Paul wrote to a community he had not

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previously visited. Thus, the implication is that much of what he wrote to the church at Rome he preached in other places. Most prominent of the cities of first century Greece was Corinth, a center of commerce, immorality and false religion. Predictably, this fledgling church would have to deal with these same matters. First Corinthians is therefore a corrective epistle calling for unity, virtue, forbearance, Eucharistic order and proper use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In contrast Second Corinthians recognizes the repentance within the church on the part of many, and St. Paul defends his apostolic authority. In Galatians, Paul addresses several churches in Asia Minor, defending his apostleship and calling the faithful to live their lives in the strength of the Holy Spirit instead of in submission to the laws of the old covenant. Ephesians is a marvelous discourse on how the Church should conduct itself. This community is rich in dedication to Christ. Yet just a few decades later the Lord tells them, “you have left your first love” (Rev 2:4). Philippians is the epistle of joy. Paul writes from a Roman prison, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Php 4:4). Colossians presents Christ as “the head of the body, the church . . .” (Col 1:18), preeminent in all things. First Thessalonians, the first letter St. Paul penned, was written to the believers at Thessalonica, a beautiful coastal city of Greece in about AD 51, shortly after Paul planted that Church. This is a letter of encouragement. Second Thessalonians acknowledges persecution and warns of lawlessness, urging the Christians to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught . . .” (2Th 2:15). Next, Paul addresses the following letters to individuals. In First Timothy, the aging apostle speaks to his youthful understudy about effective oversight of the church. In Second Timothy, the last letter St. Paul wrote (see 2Ti 4:6–8), he encourages Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2Ti 2:1). Paul is already in prison in Rome (1:8) awaiting martyrdom. Titus is sent by Paul to Crete to set the church “in order,” and “appoint elders in every city” (Tts 1:5). If this sounds like the work of a bishop, it is (Tts 1:7, 8), and Titus is consistently named in early Church records as the first bishop of Crete. Philemon is a Christian slave-holder, and Paul writes him to receive back Onesimus (Phm 10—16), his runaway slave, who has become a Christian with Paul in Rome. Hebrews is the last of the epistles attributed to St. Paul, but with little evidence it was actually written by Paul. It is a general letter to Jewish believers in Christ to continue on in the Faith. It assures them that Christ, the great High Priest in the heavenlies (Heb 8:1), is their once for all sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:10) and victor over death (Heb 12:1, 2).

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The General Epistles James, the brother of the Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem, writes to fellow Jews, “the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (Jam 1:1). His message? “Faith without works is dead” (Jam 1:20). Christianity is a belief that behaves. First Peter, written by the first among the apostles, urges obedience to God and man, willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake, and effective pastoring of the flock. In Second Peter, the apostle discusses divine power for the faithful (deification), divine judgment for false teachers and the Day of the Lord. Next, John the Theologian offers three general epistles. First John is a stirring personal testimonial to God’s forgiveness, His love for His children and His gift of eternal life. In Second John, he addresses an “elect lady and her children” (v. 1), urging them to obey the Lord’s commands and beware of deceivers. Third John commends Gaius and Demetrius, and warns against Diotrephes. Finally, Jude, the Lord’s brother, writes a short letter exhorting the faithful to contend for the truth and to beware of the devil’s servants. He finishes with a stunning benediction. Revelation Written by St. John the Theologian, he entitles his book “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). What the book of Daniel is to the Old Testament, Revelation is to the New Testament. Another title is the Apocalypse, which is a transliteration of the Greek word for “revelation” or “unveiling.” The book speaks prophetically both to current and future events, to judgment and salvation, and ends with the glorious New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven “as a bride adorned for her husband” (21:2).

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INTRODUCING THE ORTHODOX CHURCH The publication of The Orthodox Study Bible begs a question: exactly what is the Orthodox Church? Many people have heard of the Russian Orthodox Church which celebrated its 1000th birthday in 1988, or the Greek Orthodox Church which was born centuries earlier. But Orthodoxy itself—what is it, and what are its historic roots? 1 THE CHURCH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 2 To answer the question, let us go back to the pages of the New Testament, specifically to the Book of Acts and the birth of the Church at Pentecost. For on that day the Holy Spirit descended on the twelve apostles in the Upper Room, and by afternoon some 3000 souls believed in Christ and were baptized. The Scriptures record that when the first Christian community began, “they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). From Jerusalem, the faith in Christ spread throughout Judea, to Samaria (Acts 8:5–39), to Antioch and the Gentiles (Acts 11:19–26). We find new converts and new Churches throughout Asia Minor and the Roman Empire as recorded in Acts and the Epistles. The Church, of course, was not simply another organization in Roman society. The Lord Jesus Christ had given the promise of the Holy Spirit “to lead you into all truth” (Jn 16:13). With the fulfillment of that promise beginning with Pentecost, the Church was born far beyond mere institutional status. She was not an organization with mystery, but a mystery with organization. St. Paul called the Church “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:22). The Church was a dynamic organism, the living Body of Jesus Christ. She made an indelible impact in the world, and those who lived in her life and faith were personally transformed. But we also discover in the New Testament itself that the Church had her share of problems. All was not perfection. Some individuals even within the Church sought to lead her off the path the apostles established, and they had to be dealt with along with the errors they invented. Even whole local communities lapsed on occasion and were called to repentance. The Church in Laodicea is a vivid example (Rev 3:14–22). Discipline was administered for the sake of purity in the Church. But there was growth and maturation, even as the Church was attacked from within and without. The same Spirit who gave her birth gave her power for purity and correction, and she stood strong and grew, eventually invading the whole of the Roman Empire. 1 THE EARLY CENTURIES 2 As the Church moves from the pages of the New Testament and on into the succeeding centuries of her history, it is helpful to trace her growth and development in terms of specific categories. We shall look first at a category important for all Christian people: doctrine. Did she maintain the truth of God as given by Christ and His apostles? Second, what about worship? Is there a discernible way in which the people of God have offered a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to Him? Third, we will consider Church government. What sort of polity did the Church practice? 1. Doctrine: Not only did the Church begin under the teaching of the apostles, but she was also instructed to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle” (2Th 2:15). The apostle Paul insisted that those matters delivered by him and his fellow apostles, both in person and in the writings that would come to be called the New Testament, be adhered to carefully. Thus, followed such appropriate warnings as “in the name of Jesus Christ . . . withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us” (2Th 3:6). The doctrines taught by Christ and His disciples are to be safeguarded by “the Church, the pillar and support of the truth” (1Ti 3:15) and are not open for renegotiation.

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Midway through the first century, a dispute had arisen in Antioch over adherence to Old Testament laws. The matter could not be settled there; outside help was needed. The leaders of the Antiochian Church, the community which had earlier dispatched Paul and Barnabas as missionaries, brought the matter to Jerusalem for consideration by the apostles and elders there. The matter was discussed, debated, and a written decision was forthcoming. It was James, the brother of the Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem, who put forth the solution to the problem. This settlement, agreed to by all concerned at what is known as the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1–35), set the pattern for the use of Church councils in the centuries ahead to settle doctrinal and moral issues that arose. Thus, throughout the history of the Church we find scores of such councils, and on various levels, to settle matters of dispute and to deal with those who do not adhere to the Apostolic faith. The first three hundred years of Christian history were marked by the appearance of certain heresies or false teachings such as secret philosophic schemes for the elite (Gnosticism), dazzling prophetic aberrations (Montanism), and grave errors regarding the three Persons of the Trinity (Sabellianism). Then, in the early fourth century, a heresy with potential for Church-wide disruption appeared, propagated by one Arius, a presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt. He denied the eternality of the Son of God, claiming contrary to the apostles’ doctrine that the Son was a created being who came into existence at a point in time and thus was not truly God. This deadly error struck the Church like a cancer. Turmoil spread almost everywhere. The first Churchwide, or Ecumenical, Council met in Nicea in AD 325 to address this issue. Some 318 bishops, along with many priests, deacons and laymen rejected the new teaching of Arius and his associates, upholding the apostles’ doctrine of Christ, affirming the eternality of the Son and His consubstantiality with the Father. Their proclamation of the Apostolic teaching concerning Christ included a creed, which, with the additions concerning the Holy Spirit made in 381 at the Council of Constantinople, forms the document we today call the Nicene Creed. Between the years 325 and 787, seven such Church-wide conclaves were held, all dealing first and foremost with some specific challenge to the Apostolic teaching about Jesus Christ. These councils, meeting in the cities of Nicea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, and Constantinople, are known as the Seven Ecumenical Councils. For the first thousand years of Christian history, the entire Church, save for the heretics, embraced and defended the New Testament Apostolic faith. There was no consequential division. And this one faith, preserved through all trials, attacks and tests, this Apostolic doctrine, was called “the Orthodox faith.” 2. Worship: Doctrinal purity was tenaciously maintained. But true Christianity is far more than adherence to a set of correct beliefs alone. The life of the Church is centrally expressed in her worship, adoration of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was Jesus Himself Who told the woman at the well, “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (Jn 4:23). At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, the communion service, when He took bread and wine, gave a blessing, and said to His disciples, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Lk 22:19, 21). From the New Testament we know the Church participated in communion at least each Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7, 11). From such first and second century sources as the Didache, the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Justin Martyr, we are assured the Eucharist is the very center of Christian worship from the Apostolic era on. And just as the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets were read in the Temple worship and the synagogue in Israel, so the Church also immediately gave high priority to the public reading of Scripture and to preaching in her worship, along with the Eucharistic meal.

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Even before the middle of the first century, Christian worship was known by the term liturgy which literally means “the common work” or “the work of the people.” The early liturgy of the Church’s worship was composed of two essential parts, (1) the liturgy of the word, including hymns, Scripture reading, and preaching and (2) the liturgy of the faithful, composed of intercessory prayers, the kiss of peace, and the Eucharist. From virtually the beginning, Christian worship has had a definable shape or form which continues to this day. Modern Christians advocating freedom from liturgy in worship are usually shocked to learn that spontaneity was never the practice in the ancient Church! A basic pattern or shape of Christian worship was observed from the start. And as the Church grew and matured, liturgy matured as well. Hymns, Scripture readings, and prayers were intertwined in the basic foundation. A clear, purposeful procession through the year, marking and joining in word, song, and praise the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sancitfying crucial aspects of Christian life and experience, was forthcoming. The Christian life was lived in reality in the worship of the Church. Far from being routine, the worship of the historic Church participated in the unfolding drama of the richness and mystery of the Gospel itself! Further, specific landmarks in our salvation and walk with Christ were celebrated and sanctified. Baptism and the anointing with oil, or chrismation, were there from the start. Marriage, healing, confession of sin, and ordination to the ministry of the Gospel are other early rites in the Church. On each of these occasions Christians understood, in a great mystery, grace and power from God were being given according to the individual need of each person. The Church saw these events as holy moments in her life and called them mysteries or sacraments. 3. Government: No one seriously questions whether the apostles of Christ led the Church at her beginning. They had been given the commission to preach the Gospel (Mt 28:19, 20) and the authority to forgive or retain sins (Jn 20:23). Theirs was by no means a preaching-only mission! They built the Church itself under Christ’s headship. To govern it, three definite and permanent offices, as taught in the New Testament, were in evidence. a. The office of bishop. The apostles themselves were the first bishops in the Church. Even before Pentecost, after Judas had turned traitor, Peter declared in applying Psalm 108:8, “Let his bishopric another take” (Acts 1:20). The word “bishopric” refers, of course, to the office of bishop and its use indicates the apostles themselves are bishops. Some have mistakenly argued the office of bishop was a later invention. Quite to the contrary, the apostles were themselves bishops, and they appointed bishops to succeed them to oversee the Church in each locality. Occasionally, the objection is still heard that the office of bishop and presbyter were originally identical. The terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament while the apostles were present, the bishop being the presiding elder in a local church. But after the apostles’ deaths, the offices of bishop and presbyter soon became distinct throughout the Church. Ignatius of Antioch, consecrated bishop by AD 70 in the Church from which Paul and Barnabas had been sent out, writes just after the turn of the century that bishops appointed by the apostles, surrounded by their presbyters, were everywhere in the Church. b. The office of presbyter. Elders or presbyters are mentioned very early in the life of the Church in Acts and the Epistles. It is evident that in each place a Christian community developed, elders were appointed by the apostles to pastor the people. As time passed, presbyters were referred to in the short form of the word as “prests,” then as “priests,” in full view of the fact that the Old Covenant priesthood had been fulfilled in Christ and that the Church is corporately a priesthood of believers. The priest was not understood as an intermediary between God and the people nor as a dispenser of grace. It was the role of the priest to be the presence of Christ in the Christian community. And in the very

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capacity of being the presence of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the priest was to safeguard the flock of God. c. The office of deacon. The third order or office in the government of the New Testament Church was the deacon. At first the apostles fulfilled this office themselves. But with the rapid growth of the Church, seven initial deacons were selected (Acts 6:1–7) to help carry the responsibility of service to those in need. It was one of these deacons, Stephen, who became the first martyr of the Church. Through the centuries, the deacons have not only served the material needs of the Church, but have held a key role in the liturgical life of the Church as well. Often called “the eyes and ears of the bishop,” many deacons have become priests and ultimately entered the episcopal office. The authority of the bishop, presbyter, and deacon was not anciently understood as being apart from the people, but always from among the people. In turn the people of God were called to submit to those who ruled over them (Heb 13:17), and they were also called to give their agreement to the direction of the leaders for the Church. On a number of occasions in history, that “Amen” was not forthcoming, and the bishops of the Church took note and changed course. Later in history, many Church leaders departed from the ancient model and usurped authority for themselves. In the minds of some this brought the ancient model into question. But the problem was not in the model but in the deviation from it. It should also be mentioned that it was out of the ministry and life of the apostles that the people of God, the laity, were established in the Church. Far from being a herd of observers, the laity are vital in the effectiveness of the Church. They are the recipients and active users of the gifts and grace of the Spirit. Each of the laity has a role in the life and function of the Church. Each is to supply something to the whole (1Co 12:7). And it is the responsibility of the bishops, the priests, and the deacons to be sure that this is a reality for the laity. The worship of the Church at the close of its first 1000 years had substantially the same shape from place to place. The doctrine was the same. The whole Church confessed one creed, the same in every place, and had weathered many attacks. The government of the Church was recognizably one everywhere. And this One Church was the Orthodox Church. 1 DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN WEST AND EAST 2 Tensions began to mount as the first millennium was drawing to a close. While numerous doctrinal, political, economic, and cultural factors were working to separate the Church in an East-West division, two giant divisive issues ultimately emerged above others: (1) that one man, the Pope of Rome, considered himself the universal bishop of the Church and (2) the addition of a novel clause to the Church’s creed. 1. The Papacy: Among the Twelve, Saint Peter was early acknowledged as the leader. He was spokesman for the Twelve before and after Pentecost. He was the first bishop of Antioch and later bishop of Rome. No one challenged his role. After the death of the apostles, as leadership in the Church developed, the bishop of Rome came to be recognized as first in honor, even though all bishops were equals. But after nearly 300 years, the bishop of Rome slowly began to assume to himself a role of superiority over the others, ultimately claiming to be the only true successor to Peter. The vast majority of the other bishops of the Church never questioned Rome’s primacy of honor, but they patently rejected the Roman bishop’s claim as the universal head of the Church on earth. This assumption of papal power became one major factor in rending the Roman Church, and all those it could gather with it, from the historic Orthodox Church. 2. The Addition to the Creed: A disagreement concerning the Holy Spirit also began to develop in the Church. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father? Or, does He proceed from the Father and the Son?

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Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches, “But when the Helper comes, Whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth Who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of Me” (Jn 15:26). This is the basic statement in all the New Testament about the Holy Spirit “proceeding,” and it is clear: He “proceeds from the Father.” Thus, when the ancient council at Constantinople in AD 381 reaffirmed the Creed of Nicea (AD 325), it expanded that Creed to proclaim these familiar words: “And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who is worshipped and glorified together with the Father and the Son. . . .” But two hundred years later, at a local council in Toledo, Spain (AD 589), King Reccared declared, “the Holy Spirit also should be confessed by us and taught to proceed from the Father and the Son.” The King may have meant well, but he was contradicting Jesus’ teaching, confessed by the entire Church, concerning the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, that local Spanish council agreed with his error. Because of the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, believed by the Church at Nicea and at Constantinople and for centuries beyond, there is no reason to believe anything other than that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. But centuries later, in what was at least partially a politically motivated move, the Pope of Rome unilaterally changed the universal creed of the Church without an ecumenical council. Though this change was initially rejected in both East and West, even by some of Rome’s closest neighboring bishops, the Pope managed to eventually get the West to capitulate. The consequence, of course, in the Western Church has been the tendency to relegate the Holy Spirit to a lesser place than God the Father and God the Son. The change may appear small, but the consequences have proven disastrously immense. This issue, with the Pope departing from the Orthodox doctrine of the Church, became another instrumental cause separating the Roman Church from the historic Orthodox Church, the New Testament Church. 1 THE GREAT SCHISM 2 Conflict between the Roman Pope and the East mounted—especially in the Pope’s dealings with the bishop, or patriarch, of Constantinople. The Pope even went so far as to claim the authority to decide who should be the bishop of Constantinople, in marked violation of historical precedent. No longer operating within the government of the New Testament Church, the Pope appeared to be seeking by political means to bring the whole Church under his domination. Bizarre intrigues followed, one upon the other, as a series of Roman popes pursued this unswerving goal of attempting to control all Christendom. Perhaps the most incredible incident of these political, religious, and even military schemes occurred in the year 1054. A Cardinal, sent by the Pope, slapped a document on the altar of the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople during the Sunday worship, excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople from the Church! The Pope, of course, had no legitimate right to do this. But the repercussions were staggering. Some dismal chapters of Church history were written during the next decades. The ultimate consequence of the Pope’s action was that the whole Roman Catholic Church ended up dividing itself from the New Testament faith of Orthodox Christianity. The schism has never been healed. As the centuries passed conflict continued. Attempts at union failed and the Roman Church drifted farther and farther from its historic roots. There are inevitable consequences in deviating from the Church. The breaking away of Rome from the historic Orthodox Church would prove no exception. 1 FURTHER DIVISIONS IN THE WEST 2 During the centuries after AD 1054, the growing distinction between East and West was becoming indelibly marked in history. The East maintained the full stream of New Testament

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faith, worship, and practice—all the while enduring great persecution. The Western or Roman Church, crippled because of its schism from the Orthodox Church, bogged down in many complex problems. Then, less than five centuries after Rome committed itself to its unilateral alteration of doctrine and practice, another upheaval was festering—this time not next door to the East, but inside the Western gates themselves. Though many in the West had spoken out against Roman domination and practice in earlier years, now a little-known German monk named Martin Luther inadvertently launched an attack against certain Roman Catholic practices which ended up affecting world history. His famous Ninety-Five Theses were nailed to the Church door at Wittenburg in 1517. In a short time those theses were signalling the start of what came to be called in the West the Protestant Reformation. Luther sought an audience with the Pope but was denied, and in 1521 he was excommunicated from the Roman Church. He had intended no break with Rome. Its papal system of government, heavy with authority, refused conciliation. The door to future unity in the West slammed shut with a resounding crash. The protests of Luther were not unnoticed. The reforms he sought in Germany were soon accompanied by demands of Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, John Calvin in Geneva, and hundreds of others all over Western Europe. Fueled by complex political, social, and economic factors, in addition to religious problems, the Reformation spread like a raging fire into virtually every nook and cranny of the Roman Church. The ecclesiastical monopoly to which it had grown accustomed was greatly diminished, and massive division replaced its artificial unity. The ripple effect of that division impacts even our own day as the Protestant movement itself continues to split and shatter. If trouble on the continent were not trouble enough, the Church of England was in the process of going its own way as well. Henry VIII, amidst his marital problems, replaced the Pope of Rome with himself as head of the Church of England. For only a few short years would the Pope ever again have ascendency in England. And the English Church itself would soon experience great division. As decade followed decade in the West, the many branches of Protestantism took various forms. There were even divisions that insisted they were neither Protestant nor Roman Catholic. All seemed to share a mutual dislike for the Bishop of Rome and the practice of his Church, and most wanted far less centralized forms of leadership. While some, such as the Lutherans and Anglicans, held on to certain forms of liturgy and sacrament, others, such as the Reformed Churches and the even more radical Anabaptists and their descendants, questioned and rejected many biblical ideas of hierarchy, sacrament, historic tradition, and other elements of Christian practice, no matter when and where they appeared in history, thinking they were freeing themselves of Roman Catholicism. To this day, many sincere, modern, professing Christians will reject even the biblical data which speaks of historic Christian practice, simply because they think such historic practices are “Roman Catholic.” To use the old adage, they threw the baby out with the bathwater without even being aware of it. Thus, while retaining, in varying degrees, portions of foundational Christianity, neither Protestantism nor Catholicism can lay historic claim to being the true New Testament Church. In dividing from the Orthodox Christianity, Rome forfeited its place in the Church of the New Testament. In the divisions of the Reformation, the Protestants—as well-meaning as they might have been—failed to return to the New Testament Church. 1 THE ORTHODOX CHURCH TODAY 2 But that original Church, the Church of Peter and Paul and the apostles—despite persecution, political oppression, and desertion on certain of its flanks—miraculously carries on today the same faith and life of the Church of the New Testament. Admittedly, the style of Orthodoxy looks complicated to the modern Protestant eye, and understandably so. But given an historical understanding of how the Church has progressed, it may be seen that the simple

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Christ-centered faith of the apostles is fully preserved in its doctrines, practices, services, and even in its architecture. In Orthodoxy today, as in years gone by, the basics of Christian doctrine, worship, and government are never up for alteration. One cannot be an Orthodox priest, for example, and reject the divinity of Christ, His virgin birth, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and second coming. The Church simply has not left its course in nearly 2000 years. It is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. It is the New Testament Church. The gates of hell have not prevailed against it. But Orthodoxy is also, in the words of one of her bishops, “the best kept secret in America.” Though there are more than 225 million Orthodox Christians in the world today, many in the West are not familiar with the Church. In North America, for example, the Orthodox Church has, until recently, been largely restricted to ethnic boundaries, not spreading much beyond the parishes of the committed immigrants that brought the Church to the shores of this continent. Still, the Holy Spirit has continued His work, causing new people to discover this Church of the New Testament. People have begun to find Orthodox Christianity both through the writings of the early Church Fathers, and through the humble witness of contemporary Orthodox Christians. Significant numbers of evangelicals, Episcopalians and mainline Protestants are becoming Orthodox. And Orthodox student groups are springing up on campuses worldwide. The word is getting out. What, then, is the Orthodox Church? It is the first Christian Church in history, the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, described in the pages of the New Testament. Her history can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve apostles. And what is it that’s missing in the non-Orthodox Churches—even the best of them? Fullness. For the fullness of the New Testament faith is to be found only in the New Testament Church. Being in the Church does not guarantee all those in it will take advantage of the fullness of the faith. But the fullness of the faith is there for those who do. For persons who seriously desire the fullness of Orthodox Christianity, action must be taken. There must be a return to this Church of the New Testament. Being aware of this ancient Church is not enough. In our time people have had ample opportunity to investigate and decide about the Roman Catholic faith, the Baptist, the Lutheran, and so on. But relatively few have taken a serious look at the Orthodox Church. Three specific suggestions will provide those interested with a tangible means of becoming acquainted with Orthodox Christianity on a personal basis. 1. Visit: Look up “Orthodox” or “Eastern Orthodox” in the “Church” section of your Yellow Pages. Ask the whereabouts of the nearest Orthodox parish. Pay a visit—several visits. Meet the priest, and ask him to help you study and learn. And be prepared to exercise patience—sometimes a portion of the Liturgy is not in English! But the Service Book in the pew will help. 2. Read: There are a number of books and periodicals immensely helpful to people seeking to learn about the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware (Penguin); For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemann (St. Vladimir Seminary Press); The Apostolic Fathers edited by Jack N. Sparks (Light and Life Publishers), and Becoming Orthodox by Peter E. Gillquist, Divine Energy by Jon E. Braun, and AGAIN Magazine (all by Conciliar Press). 3. Write: The people at Conciliar Press (P.O. Box 76, Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076) have volunteered to answer questions regarding the Orthodox Church from Orthodox Study Bible readers, and to suggest further reading. Send your name and address, with a request for information. In a day when Christians are realizing anew the centrality and importance of worship, of the Church as the body of Christ, and the need to preserve true Christian faith, the doors of

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Orthodoxy are open wide. The invitation is extended to “come and see.” Examine her faith, her worship, her history, her commitment to Christ, her love for God the Father, her communion with the Holy Spirit. For two thousand years the Orthodox Church has by God’s mercy kept the faith delivered once for all to the saints. Within her walls is the fullness of the salvation which was realized when “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16).

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THE OLD TESTAMENT

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T H E F I R ST B O O K

MOSES

GENESIS

Author—Traditionally, both Jews and Christians believe Moses is the author

dand compiler of Genesis and of each of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.

Date—Genesis was written during Israel’s forty years of wandering in the

dwilderness, in the time between the crossing of the Red Sea and the entrance into Canaan.

Major Theme—The early history of man and of Israel. Genesis, which means

d“origin,” is divided into two parts.The first is the account of the creation of

the world and the beginning of the human race with Adam and Eve, and the history of their descendants.The second part of Genesis concerns the early history of Israel, starting with the three patriarchs of the Hebrews, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve tribes that were their descendants. God created all things good, and although His creation rebelled and sinned against Him, He still loves and cares for His people.

Background—Genesis covers the longest time span of any book in the

dBible, stretching from the creation of the world to the coming of the

Hebrews to Egypt.The first three chapters of Genesis are reflected in the last three chapters of Revelation, the Alpha and Omega of writings “given by inspiration of God” (2Ti 3:16).

Outline

Early History of Man (1:1—11:27) dI.The A. Creation and the Fall of man (1:1—5:32) B. Judgment of man by the Flood and the Tower of Babel (6:1—11:32)

II.The Early History of Israel (12:1—50:26) A.The patriarchs and tribes of Israel (12:1—36:42) B. Israel in Egypt (37:1—50:26)

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CREATION “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” These opening words of the Nicene Creed, the central doctrinal statement of Christianity, affirm that the One True God is the source of everything that exists—both physical and spiritual, both animate and inanimate. The Holy Scriptures begin with a similarly striking assertion: “In the beginning God made heaven and earth.” St. Basil the Great declares: In the fear that human reasonings may make you wander from the truth, Moses has anticipated inquiry by engraving in our hearts, as a seal and a safeguard, the awesome name of God: ‘In the beginning God created.’ It is He—beneficent Nature, Goodness without measure, a worthy object of love for all beings endowed with reason, the beauty the most to be desired, the origin of all that exists . . .—it is He who ‘in the beginning created heaven and earth.’ The ever-existent Almighty God was not forced to create the universe. Rather, in His goodness and lovingkindness, He freely chose to do so. And the fact that the Lord created the universe out of nothing stands in clear contrast to the creation myths of the surrounding cultures in the ancient world. The central role of Jesus Christ, the Word of the Father, in the creation of all things is plainly stated in the first chapter of the apostle John’s gospel, where it is written, “In the beginning was the Word, . . . All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” And the specific role of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Undivided Trinity, in the creation of the world is seen in Genesis 1:2 (see also Ps 103:30; 32:6). Regarding questions about the scientific accuracy of the Genesis account of creation, and about various viewpoints concerning evolution, the Orthodox Church has not dogmatized any particular view. What is dogmatically proclaimed is that the One Triune God created everything that exists, and that man was created in a unique way and is alone made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:26, 27). The Church Fathers also consistently affirm that each species of the animate creation came into existence instantaneously, at the command of God, with its seed within itself. The development of life was not by accident. Rather, Supreme Intelligence and Impenetrable Wisdom were at work in the creation and sustenance of all that exists. In discussing various scientific theories of his day, St. Basil the Great declared, “If there is anything in this [or any other] system which seems probable to you, keep your admiration for the source of such perfect order—the wisdom of God.” He also wrote, “We must still remain faithful to the principle of true religion and recognize that all that exists is sustained by the Creator’s power.” The repeated affirmation “and God saw that it was good” in Genesis 1 underscores the intrinsic, fundamental goodness of matter and the whole created order, even after the Fall. This understanding is the basis for a sacramental world-view—that the created order not only is good, but also can be a means for communion with God, by virtue of being created by the All-Good God. Moreover, the astounding beauty, intricate order, and sublime harmony of all aspects of Creation, as well as the tremendously vast expanse of the universe, are intended to draw mankind to an awareness of and appreciation for the Creator, and to the worship of Him—and Him alone (see Ps 18:1-4; Rom 1:20).

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3 1 The Creation 2

In the beginning God made heaven and earth.bd 2The earth was invisible and unfinished; and darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.b 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.b 4God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.b 5God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day. 6Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water”; and it was so. 7Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament. 8So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day. 9Then God said, “Let the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared. 10So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth.” It was so. 12Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The

GENESIS 1:24

fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth. God saw that it was good. 13So evening and morning were the third day. 14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven for illumination to divide day from night.d 15Let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years. Let them be for illumination in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth.” It was so. 16Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light on the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19So evening and morning were the fourth day. 20Then God said, “Let the waters bring forth creatures having life, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of heaven’s firmament.” It was so. 21Thus God made great sea creatures and every living thing that moves with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on earth.” 23So evening and morning were the fifth day. 24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: the quadrupeds, the creeping things, and the wild animals of the earth according

1:1 God the Father made heaven and earth. “I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth” (Creed). 1:2 The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit (BasilG; EphS). He proceeds from the Father, and is “the Lord and Giver of Life” (Creed). Since He is Lord, He is coequal with the Father, and is His Coworker in making heaven and earth. 1:3 God the Father spoke to His Word and Only-begotten Son, through whom He made the light (AthanG). Since the Son, too, is Lord, He is coequal with the Father, and is His Coworker in making heaven and earth. The Holy Fathers teach that the Father made heaven and earth through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Trinity made heaven and earth, and the Church sings, “We glorify the Father, we exalt the Son, and we worship the Holy Spirit—the indivisible Trinity who exists as One—the Light and Lights, the Life and Lives, who grants light and life to the ends of the world” (CanonAnd). 1:4–25 Since the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit made heaven and earth, They also made everything mentioned in these verses. 1:1–3 This passage is read during Vespers on Great and Holy Saturday. 1:1–13 This passage is read during Monday Vespers in the first week of Great Lent. It is also read on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity, during Vespers at the Feast of Theophany (Epiphany), and at Vespers for Great and Holy Saturday. 1:14–23 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the first week of Great Lent.

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THE HOLY TRINITY The Holy Trinity is revealed both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, the Trinity is revealed in subtle ways; in the New Testament, the Trinity is revealed fully and plainly, beginning at the Baptism of our Lord. The Holy Trinity is one God in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These Persons are distinct, but not separate, and are not three gods. They are One God because They are one in essence or nature. The Father is the unbegotten Fountainhead of Deity. The Son is eternally begotten of the Father (Jn 1:18; 3:16; 16:28). The Holy Spirit is the Helper (Jn 14:16) and Spirit of Truth (Jn 14:17; 16:13), Who proceeds from the Father (Jn 15:26). THE HOLY TRINITY CREATED THE WORLD Genesis 1:1—God the Father created the heavens and the earth. The Creed says: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” Genesis 1:2—The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit. He hovered over creation in creative power and equality with the Father. He co-created with the Father. Genesis 1:3—As the Word of God, the Son made the light (Jn 1:1–3). With creative power and equality with the Father, He also co-created with the Father and the Spirit. Genesis 1:26—The pronouns “Us” and “Our” reveal a plurality of divine Persons. These Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit operating in complete unity out of the one divine Nature. THE HOLY TRINITY SAVES THE WORLD Isaiah 63:16—The Father is our Redeemer. He not only created the world but redeems it as well. Psalm 2:7, 8—The Father’s decree reveals the Son as inheriting the world. This inheritance is the people saved by the Son. Isaiah 6:1–3—The words “Holy, Holy, Holy” declare the three Persons who save us. The name “Lord” declares the one essence of the Three. Isaiah 44:3—The Father pours out His Spirit on people like water on dry ground. The Holy Spirit quenches the thirst of the person who thirsts for salvation. Isaiah 48:16, 17—The Son declares that the Father and the Spirit sent Him to redeem the world. Although the Son alone became a Man, all three Persons save mankind. THE NEW TESTAMENT AFFIRMS THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT John 1:1–3—The Word is the Son of God, who was present with the Father at the beginning of creation. He was Co-worker with the Father in creating the world. John 8:58—Jesus identifies Himself as having existed before Abraham. Before His coming in the flesh as Man, Jesus existed as the eternal Son of the Father, for He is begotten from the Father before all time and ages. He appeared to Moses in the burning bush and proclaimed Himself as “I Am” (Ex 3). Acts 2:17—The Holy Spirit’s descent at Pentecost affirms His presence in the Old Testament (Joel 3:1–5). Hebrews 1:8–10—This Scripture affirms the Father is speaking to the Son in Psalms 44:7 and 101:26–28, in which the Father acknowledges the Son as God and Creator of the world. For the Son was the Father’s Co-worker in creation. THE INCARNATE SON FULLY REVEALS THE HOLY TRINITY Luke 1:35—At the Annunciation, the Holy Spirit, the “power” of God the Father (“the Highest”), overshadowed the Virgin Mary; and she gave birth to the Son of God in His flesh. Matthew 3:16–17—When the Son of God was baptized in the Jordan by John, the Father’s voice was heard from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove. As the main hymn for the Feast of Theophany says, “When You, O Lord, were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest.”

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5 to their kind.” It was so.d 25So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things on earth according to their kind. God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.”b 27So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them. 28Then God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of heaven, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that sows seed on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30I also give every green plant as food for all the wild animals of the earth, for all the birds of heaven, and for every-

GENESIS 2:7

thing that creeps on the earth in which is the breath of life.” It was so. 31Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed, it was very good. So evening and morning were the sixth day.b

Thus heaven and earth and all their adornment were finished.b 2And on the seventh day God finished the works He made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the works He made. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His works God began to make. 4This is the book of the genesis of heaven and earth when they were made, in the day the Lord God made heaven and earth,bd 5before any plant of the field was on earth and before any herb of the field sprang up. For God had not sent rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6but a fountain came up from the ground and watered the whole face of the earth. 7Then God formed man out of dust from the ground, and breathed in his face the breath of life; and man became a living soul.b

1:26–30 The Holy Trinity also made man. God the Father is speaking to God the Son (JohnChr), and He uses the personal pronouns Us and Our. These pronouns indicate three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as noted in 1:1–3. The word image is in the singular, and shows the three distinct Persons of the Holy Trinity are one in nature and undivided. For it does not say, “Our images” (HilryP). Therefore, the Holy Trinity is one undivided nature in three distinct Persons. Man is not one in nature with the Holy Trinity. But He was made in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity; and he was made male and female. Therefore, the dignity of each man and each woman is this image and likeness. 1:31 Everything God made, including man, is very good, because God is good. Nothing He made is therefore evil in itself. So then, human nature is good in itself. But sin is a free choice of man’s will, and it is contrary both to God’s nature and human nature. 2:1–3 God finished the making of heaven and earth for man’s sake. He rested from His creative activity on the seventh day to show His love and providential care for man, and to invite man to enjoy this Sabbath-rest. For as Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27). Man failed to keep this Sabbath-rest. But Jesus fulfilled it for man by resting in the tomb on Great and Holy Saturday, after He said on the cross, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). For He destroyed sin and death, and rose again on the first day of the week. Through His saving work on man’s behalf, He is man’s Sabbath-rest, and He now invites all to find rest in Himself (Mt 11:28–30). 2:4 Here the Book of Genesis refers to itself by name. 2:7 God formed Adam’s body out of dust from the ground. The breath of life is the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life (the Creed). God breathed the breath of life into man’s body, and he became a living soul. Therefore, Adam was a living soul because he possessed a body, a soul, and the grace of the Holy Spirit. After He rose from the dead, Jesus breathed on His disciples, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). For man failed to keep the grace of the Spirit, but through His Resurrection Jesus supplies His disciples abundantly with the life-giving grace of the Spirit. A disciple’s responsibility is to live by this grace. 1:24—2:3 This passage is read during Wednesday Vespers in the first week of Great Lent. 2:4–19 This passage is read during Thursday Vespers in the first week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 2:8

1 The Garden of Eden 2 8Then

the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man He formed.b 9Besides this, God caused every tree beautiful to the sight and good for food to grow from the ground. Also, in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. 10Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated into four heads. 11The name of the first is Pishon. It circles all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is good. The carbuncle and the emerald are there as well. 13The name of the second river is Gihon. It circles all the land of Ethiopia. 14The name of the third river is Tigris. It flows over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15Then the Lord God took the man He formed and put him in the garden to tend and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, “You may eat food from every tree in the garden; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death.” 18And the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”b 19Also, God formed out of the ground all the wild animals of the field and all the birds of heaven, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Thus whatever Adam

6 called each living creature, that was its name. 20So Adam gave names to all the cattle, to all the birds of heaven, and to all the wild animals of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.d 21Thus God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and filled up the flesh in its place. 22Then the Lord God built the rib He took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to him. 23So Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” 25Now the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed. 1 The Fall of Mankind 2

Now the serpent was more cunning than all the wild animals the Lord God made on the earth. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden’?”b 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden; 3but from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You shall not die by death. 5For God knows in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like

2:8–17 God gave man a place and a law (AthanG). The place was Paradise, and the law was the commandment given in 2:16, 17. Man was to obey this commandment through the grace of God the Word. If he was obedient, he would enjoy the blessings of Paradise. But if he were to disobey the commandment, he would die and his body would decay in the grave (“die by death,” AthanG). 2:18–25 God, not man, established the law of marriage; therefore, marriage is holy. In the marriage union, the husband and wife become one flesh (v. 24), which St. Paul calls “a great mystery” (Eph 5:32). This mystery is so great and wonderful that a man will leave his father and mother with their blessing, and be joined to a woman in marriage. In this joining, he will be devoted to her with sacrificial love and devotion, and she to him. This great mystery points to the greater mystery: the marriage of Christ and His Bride, the Church (Eph 5:22–33). For He left His Father and became Man to seek a Bride. He loved His Bride and gave Himself for her. And in his divine vision of the new heaven and earth, the apostle John saw this Bride, the “New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:1, 2). 3:1–7 The serpent is the devil (2Co 11:3; Rev 12:9), and he tempted Eve. He contradicted God’s commandment (2:16, 17) by denying death and decay in the grave as the penalty for disobedience (you shall not die by death). He also tempted Eve with the promise of deification (you will be like gods, knowing good and evil). But deification comes through obedience to God, not through disobedience. Nevertheless, Eve was deceived, and thus disobeyed God. She, in turn, gave the fruit to her husband, and he ate. In his disobedience, he willed contrary to the will of God, and thus ate. His free will was the first thing to suffer in the Fall, and thus is the first thing that needs healing in man (JohnDm). 2:20—3:20 This passage is read during Friday Vespers in the first week of Great Lent.

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ANCESTRAL SIN In the Old Testament account of creation, God created mankind and established a place for him called Paradise. He also gave him a commandment regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, ‘You may eat food from every tree in the garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat; for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death’ ” (Gn 2:16, 17). In that Adam and Eve did not physically die the day they ate from the tree, the words “you shall die” indicate a spiritual death through separation from God. Ancestral sin is the disobedience of Adam to God’s command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam willingly disobeyed this commandment and diverted himself, or fell, from God’s path to perfection, thus separating himself from His Creator, the Source of life. WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL?

This Fall of Adam caused mankind to become subject to mortality. While this is often seen mainly as a punishment, or penalty, the emphasis concerning God’s judgments on Adam and Eve at the Fall is best understood in terms of His mercy. So, for example, concerning man’s mortality (Gn 3:19), St. Gregory the Theologian states, “Yet here too He provides a benefit—namely death, which cuts off sin, so that evil may not be everlasting. Thus His punishment is changed into a mercy.” 2 We who are of Adam’s race are not guilty because of Adam’s sin, but because of our own sin. However, because all of mankind fell away from the grace of God through Adam’s disobedience, man now has a propensity, a disposition, an inclination towards sin, because just as death entered the world through sin, now sin enters through fear of death. 3 Mankind’s strong propensity to commit sin reveals that in the Fall, the image of God in man (Gn 1:26, 27) is also fallen. However, the ancient Fathers emphasize that the divine image in man has not been totally corrupted or obliterated. Human nature remains inherently good after the Fall; mankind is not totally depraved. People are still capable of doing good, although bondage to death and the influences of the devil can dull their perception of what is good and lead them into all kinds of evil. 4 Adam’s Fall not only brought mortality and sin into the world, but also sweat, toil, hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, tribulations, tragedy and tears. 5 Even after the Fall, the intellectual, desiring and incensive (forceful or driving) aspects of the soul are natural and therefore neutral. They can be used in a good way, or in a bad, harmful way. For instance, desire is very good when one directs it towards God. But when desire is out of control, one may use it in very inappropriate ways, such as becoming gluttonous or desiring another person’s spouse. The classic analogy is that these powers of the soul are like iron, which can be made into a plow to help grow food, or into a sword to be used to kill someone. Christ, by His Death and Resurrection, conquered the devil and death, freeing mankind from the fear of death (Heb 2:14–15) and making possible a more complete communion between God and man than was ever possible before. This communion allows people to become “partakers of the divine nature” (2Pt 1:4), to transcend death and, ultimately, all the consequences of the Fall.

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GENESIS 3:6

gods, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw the tree was good for food, was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate, she took its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8Then they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves within the tree in the middle of the garden from the presence of the Lord God.b 9So the Lord God called Adam and said to him, “Adam, where are you?” 10He replied, “I heard Your voice as You were walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11Thus He said, “Who said you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” 12Then Adam said, “The woman You gave me, gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14Thus the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than all the wild animals of the earth. On your breast and belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall be on guard for His heel.”b 16To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain and your groaning, and in pain you shall bring forth children.Your

8 recourse will be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17Then to Adam He said, “Because you heeded the voice of your wife, and ate from the one tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground in your labors. In toil you shall eat from it all the days of your life.b 18Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 19In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground from which you were taken. Earth you are, and to earth you shall return.” 20So Adam called his wife’s name Life, because she was the mother of all living. 21Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made garments of skin, and clothed them.d 22Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. Now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—” 23therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of pleasure to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24So He cast out Adam, and made him dwell opposite the garden of pleasure. He then stationed the cherubim and the fiery sword which turns every way to guard the way to the tree of life.b 1 Cain Kills Abel 2

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man through God.”b 2Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a shepherd of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3Now in the process of time Cain brought a sacrifice to

3:8 Adam and Eve now had a fallen will and tried to hide from God. Fallen man now has a fallen will, thus he has a tendency to run away from God. But the grace of Christ heals the will of those who return to Him through repentance, so they might freely pursue God and do His will. 3:15 The woman’s seed is first Christ, and second His Church (Gal 3:16, 26). The serpent’s seed are those who reject Christ and follow the devil (1Jn 3:8–10). Christ destroyed the devil through the cross (bruise your head). 3:17–20 Adam’s disobedience cursed the ground and placed mankind under toil and labor until his end in death and decay in the grave (return to the ground). For death and decay in the grave entered the world through him (Rom 5:12). 3:24 Because of Adam, man is born outside Paradise. The tree of life prefigures Christ, through whom man regains Paradise. 4:1, 2 Cain and Abel came into existence through God and through Adam and Eve. Each came into existence at the moment of conception (she conceived) and was born nine months later. God brings every human being into existence in the womb of the mother at the moment of conception. His creative activity is simultaneous with conception. 3:21—4:7 This passage is read during Monday Vespers in the second week of Great Lent.

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9 the Lord from the fruits of the ground.b 4Abel also brought a sacrifice from the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. The Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5but He did not respect Cain and his sacrifices. So Cain was extremely sorrowful, and his countenance fell.b 6So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you extremely sorrowful? And why has your countenance fallen?b 7Did you not sin, even though you brought it rightly, but did not divide it rightly? Be still; his recourse shall be to you; and you shall rule over him.”b 8Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.bd 9Then God said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He replied, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”b 10Thus God said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you.You will be groaning and trembling on the earth.” 13Then Cain said to the Lord, “My guilt is too great to be forgiven!b 14Surely You have driven me out this day

GENESIS 4:23

from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be groaning and trembling on the earth. Then it will happen if anyone finds me, he will kill me.” 15So the Lord God said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” Thus the Lord set a sign on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod opposite Eden.b 1 Cain’s Family 2 17And

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 18To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael; and Mehujael begot Methushael; and Methushael begot Lamech. 19Then Lamech took two wives for himself: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20So Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal. He is the one who invented the psaltery and harp. 22As for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, a smith and a manufacturer of bronze and iron. And the sister of TubalCain was Naamah. 23Then Lamech said to his wives Adah and Zillah:

4:3, 4 Both Cain and Abel worshiped the Lord and brought sacrifices to Him. The Lord accepted Abel and his gifts, because Abel had a good and discerning heart. He discerned through faith the Lord’s coming Incarnation and His sacrifice as a lamb for the salvation of the world. (See also Mt 23:35; Lk 11:51; Heb 11:4; 12:24). 4:5 The Lord rejected Cain and his gifts. Why? The inward state of his heart was not right with God. As 1Jn 3:12 says of him, “who was of the wicked one.” His passions are described in Jude 11 as “the way of Cain.” 4:6 Cain’s way was characterized by his sinful passions that dominated him. One of these was extreme sorrow, made manifest in his fallen countenance. His arrogant worship was rejected, and he fell into the opposite condition of extreme sorrow. Whereas godly sorrow leads one to humility and repentance, extreme sorrow nullifies both. 4:7 Because the Lord loved Cain, He sought to bring him to repentance (did you not sin). He commended him for having the right worship (brought it rightly), but reproved him for not having a right heart (did not divide it rightly). He commanded him to still his heart (be still) through repentance, for it was filled with turbulence because of the passions. He also commanded him to be his brother’s keeper, as this is what is meant by the words recourse and rule. As the eldest, he was responsible for Abel’s welfare. As Cain’s parents looked out for his welfare, he too should show the same love to his younger brother. 4:8 However, Cain refused to deal with his passions through repentance, and his anger led to hate and murder. 4:9 Cain rejected the notion that he was his brother’s keeper and thus responsible for his welfare. 4:13 Cain used his guilt as an excuse to avoid repentance, for he did not believe in the grace of God. He willfully allowed his passions to blind his heart. 4:16 The name Nod means “one who wanders away from God.” Such was Cain’s state. 4:8–15 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the second week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 4:24

“Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech, And listen carefully to my words, Because I killed a man for wounding me And a young man for hurting me. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

25Again Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Seth, saying, “God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”b 26As for Seth, to him also a son was born. He named him Enosh, and he hoped in the Lord God and called upon His name.b

1 The Descendants of Adam 2

This is the book of the genesis of mankind in the day God made Adam, whom He made in God’s image.bd 2He made them male and female, and blessed them; and the day He made them He called his name Adam. 3Now Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot a son according to his form and image, and named him Seth.b 4After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were seven hundred years;

and he begot sons and daughters.b 5So all the days Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. 6Now Seth lived two hundred and five years, and begot Enosh. 7After he begot Enosh, Seth lived seven hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. 8So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died. 9Now Enosh lived one hundred and ninety years, and begot Cainan. 10After he begot Cainan, Enosh lived seven hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 11So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died. 12Now Cainan lived one hundred and seventy years, and begot Mahalalel. 13After he begot Mahalalel, Cainan lived seven hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters. 14So all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died. 15Now Mahalalel lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Jared. 16After he begot Jared, Mahalalel lived seven hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters. 17So all the days of Mahalalel

4:25 The name Seth signifies that God compensated Adam and Eve by raising up Seth in the place of Abel—out of death comes life. As such, Seth is a type of Christ’s Resurrection, which overcomes the way of Cain and compensates the faithful for the ills they have undergone. Christ’s genealogy is traced through Seth to Adam, showing that the true God became incarnate as true Man in order to compensate all who call upon His Name (Lk 3:38). 4:26 In contrast to Cain’s offspring, Seth’s offspring, Enosh, hoped in the Lord and called on His name. For this is the way of salvation. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32; Rom 10:13). 5:1, 2 Here, the Book of Genesis refers to itself a second time. In 2:4 it calls itself ”the book of the genesis of heaven and earth.” Here it is the book of the genesis of mankind. Creation has a beginning of existence and an end. This does not mean creation in itself will come to an end. Rather, its beginning points to its end purpose—the Incarnation of God the Word. Man’s very existence foreshadows His coming in the flesh to draw to the Father all who will come. 5:3 Seth was begotten from Adam and Eve. This threefold relationship illustrates, to a certain extent, the Holy Trinity. Adam had no human father. He was begotten by no one. Thus, he was unbegotten. Seth was begotten from Adam. Eve was neither unbegotten nor begotten. Instead she proceeded from Adam (2:21). Therefore, Eve and Seth were related to the unbegotten Adam, but each in a unique manner—Eve proceeded from Adam, but Seth was begotten from him. Each person had his or her own distinct and unique properties—unbegotten, begotten, and proceeding—but all three possessed the same human nature. Similarly, the manner in which these three existed images the Holy Trinity. God the Father is Unbegotten; God the Son is Begotten from the Father; and God the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. These distinct and unique properties—unbegotten, begotten, and proceeding—distinguish each of the individual Persons of the Holy Trinity from each other; yet, They are one in nature (JohnDm). 5:4–28 This passage focuses on the genealogy of Christ (Lk 3:23–38) and the reality of death and decay in the grave—the debt man owed to the broken commandment in the Garden of Eden. The Word became flesh to abolish death and decay through His death and Resurrection, and to release man from the debt he owed (AthanG). 5:1–24 This passage is read during Thursday Vespers in the second week of Great Lent.

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11 were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. 18Now Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 20So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. 21Now Enoch lived one hundred and sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22After he begot Methuselah, Enoch was well-pleasing to God for two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 23So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24Thus Enoch was well-pleasing to God, and was not found, for God translated him. 25Now Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters. 27So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. 28Now Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-eight years, and begot a son. 29And he called his name Noah, saying, “He will give us rest from our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground the Lord God cursed.”b 30After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and sixty-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31So all

GENESIS 6:8

the days of Lamech were seven hundred and fifty-three years, and he died. 32And Noah was five hundred years old, and he begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.d 1 Man’s Wickedness 2

Now it came to pass that men began to exist in great numbers on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2So when the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful, they took wives for themselves of all they chose. 3Then the Lord God said, “My Spirit shall not remain with these people forever, for they are flesh. So their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”b 4Now there were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of renown. 5Then the Lord God saw man’s wickedness, that it was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts within his heart was only evil continually.b 6So God was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and He thought this over.b 7Then God said, “I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the earth, from man to cattle, and from the creeping things to the birds of heaven, for I am grieved I made them.”b 8But Noah found grace in the presence of the Lord God.b

5:29–32 Noah is born into incarnational history, and he is a key ancestor in Christ’s genealogy (Lk 3:36), for the next several chapters focus on him and his family. Lamech named his son Noah, and as 5:29 points out, this name means “to give rest.” For he would give them rest from our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground the Lord God cursed. In this meaning, Noah is a type of Christ, who said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). 6:3 In his disobedience and expulsion from Paradise, man lost the grace of the Holy Spirit (My Spirit shall not remain). Nevertheless, His grace was always available to man, but man continually refused it (for they are flesh). So God gave them a grace period of one hundred and twenty years to come to repentance. 6:5 Without the grace of the Holy Spirit, man is easily overcome by the devil, for his willpower alone is incapable of resisting the devil’s temptations. Furthermore, his will was weakened through his disobedience and expulsion from Paradise. But he willfully refused God’s helping grace (every intent . . . was only evil continually). 6:6 So God was grieved over man’s condition. Murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, and every manner of sin were rampant everywhere. The human race was in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth (AthanG). 6:7 God was grieved over these people He created, and swore to blot them out . . . from the face of the earth. Yet He gave them a grace period of one hundred and twenty years to respond to the grace of the Holy Spirit. Their refusal brought judgment upon themselves, for they had no excuses for not responding to the grace of God. 6:8 But Noah was different from the rest, for he discovered the grace of the Holy Spirit. Because of this discovery, God would preserve a remnant, through which God the Word would become Man. For He would become Man through Noah’s “genealogy” (vv. 9, 10; Lk 3:36). 5:32—6:8 This passage is read during Friday Vespers in the second week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 6:9

1 Righteous Noah Builds the Ark 2 9This

is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, who was perfect in his generation and well-pleasing to God.bd 10So Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11Now the earth was corrupt before God and filled with unrighteousness.b 12Thus the Lord God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh corrupted their way on the earth. 13Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with unrighteousness through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of square timber. You shall make the ark in compartments, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.b 15Thus you shall make the ark: three hundred cubits in length, fifty cubits in breadth, and thirty cubits in height. 16Now when you assemble the ark, you shall gradually finish it up to a cubit at the top, and set the door in its side. You shall make the ark with lower, second, and third stories. 17And behold, I am bringing a flood of water on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life. Whatever is on the earth shall die. 18But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19From every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20Of the birds after their kind, of animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing on the earth after its kind, two of every kind, they will en-

ter into the ark with you, male and female, to keep them alive. 21You shall also take for yourself all kinds of food to eat, and you shall gather it both for yourself and for them.” 22Thus Noah did according to all the Lord God commanded him, so he did. 1 The Flood 2

Then the Lord God said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your family, because I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation.bd 2You shall also bring with you into the ark the clean cattle by sevens, male and female; and the unclean cattle by twos, male and female;b 3and the clean birds of heaven by twos, male and female, to keep seed alive on the face of all the earth. 4For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out from the face of the earth every living thing I made.” 5So Noah did all the Lord God commanded him. 6Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.d 7Then Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, entered the ark because of the flood waters. 8Also the clean and unclean birds, the clean and unclean cattle, and everything that creeps on the earth, 9entered with Noah into the ark, two by two, male and female, as God commanded him. 10Then it came to pass after seven days, the waters of the flood came upon the earth. 11In the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven

6:9 Noah was a righteous man because he found the grace of the Holy Spirit, through which man becomes righteous. He was perfect because through the grace of the Holy Spirit he obeyed everything God told him to do (6:22). His righteous living was well-pleasing to God. 6:11–13 The earth was corrupt . . . and filled with unrighteousness because of man’s willful refusal to become righteous through the grace of the Holy Spirit (corrupted their way on the earth). Their unrighteousness was their own fault (through them), for they had every opportunity to come to repentance. 6:14–21 The ark was a type of the Mother of God with Christ and the Church in her womb (Akath). The floodwaters were a type of baptism, in which we are saved (1Pt 3:18–22). 7:1 The Lord God made Noah righteous through faith, by which he pleased God (Heb 11:6, 7). Through the grace of the Holy Spirit he obeyed everything God commanded him to do. So he and his family entered the ark, which typified salvation. 7:2–15 Noah’s faith also saved the animals. The whole creation will be saved through the children of God (Rom 8:18–22). 6:9–22 This passage is read during Monday Vespers in the third week of Great Lent. 7:1–5 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the third week of Great Lent. 7:6–9 This passage is read during Wednesday Vespers in the third week of Great Lent.

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13 were opened.d 12Then it rained on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13On the very same day Noah and his wife, his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives entered the ark. 14Also, all the wild animals after their kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing moving upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, 15entered the ark with Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God commanded him. Then the Lord God shut him in the ark.b 17Now the flood was on the earth forty days and forty nights. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18So the waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. 20The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and covered all the high mountains. 21And all flesh died that moves on the earth: birds and cattle, wild animals, and every creeping thing that moves on the earth, and every man. 22Thus all things in whose nostrils was the breath of life, and everything on dry land, died. 23So He blotted out all living things on the face of the earth: both man and cattle, creeping things and the birds of heaven. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ark remained alive. 24Now the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.

GENESIS 8:12

1 The Flood Ceases 2

Then God remembered Noah, and whatever was with him in the ark: all the wild animals, all the cattle, all the birds, and all the creeping things. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.b 2The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were also stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained. 3And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4Then the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.d 5And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen. 6So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark he had made. 7Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters dried up from the earth. 8He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. 9But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned to him in the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and brought her to himself in the ark. 10Then he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark.b 11The dove returned to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew the waters had receded from the earth. 12So he waited yet another seven

7:16–24 The Lord God closed the door of the ark, for He is the Judge and determines who is in and who is out. The people on the outside were going about their usual manner of life—buying, selling, eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage—but they were indifferent to God and His grace. The Flood caught them unawares, but it was too late for them to respond. So it will be in the Day of Judgment (Mt 24:37–39; Lk 17:26, 27; 2Pt 2:4, 5). 8:1 God remembered Noah and saved him from the floodwaters, for He made a wind that caused the waters to subside. Noah was saved because God remembered him. This remembrance is salvation. Many Scriptures speak of God remembering man in salvation. For example, Ps 24:6, 7: “Remember Your compassion, O Lord, / And Your mercy, for they are from of old. / Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor of my ignorance; / But remember me according to Your mercy, / Because of Your loving-kindness, O Lord.” The thief on the cross said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:42-43). 8:10, 11 The dove foreshadowed the Holy Spirit (Mt 3:16), who caused the Holy Virgin to conceive Christ in her womb, and the olive leaf speaks of the Virgin herself (Lk 1:35; Akath). The olive leaf was also a token of man’s reconciliation to God and foreshadowed the fulfillment of grace in the Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) of the Church (Service of Baptism). 7:11—8:3 This passage is read during Thursday Vespers in the third week of Great Lent. 8:4–21 This passage is read during Friday Vespers in the third week of Great Lent.

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days and again sent out the dove; however, she did not return to him any more. 13And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed, the surface of the ground was dry. 14Now in the second month, on the twentyseventh day of the month, the earth was dried. 15Then the Lord God spoke to Noah, saying, 16“Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and their wives with you. 17Also, bring out with you every living thing of all flesh: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that moves upon the earth, so they may abound on the earth, and increase and multiply on the earth.” 18So Noah went out, along with his wife and his sons and their wives. 19Every animal, every bird, and every creeping thing that moves upon the earth, according to their kind, went out of the ark. 20Then Noah built an altar to God, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered whole burnt offerings on the altar.b 21So the Lord God smelled a sweet aroma. Then the Lord God thought it over and said, “I will never again curse the earth because of man’s works, although the mind of man is diligently involved with evil things from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.bd 22While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring shall not cease by day or by night.”b

over it.b 2For the dread and fear of you shall be upon all the wild animals of the earth, all the birds of heaven, all that move upon the earth, and all the fish of the sea. I have put them under your authority. 3Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as I did the green herbs. 4But you shall not eat flesh with its lifeblood. 5Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of all the wild animals I will require it; and I will require the life of man at the hand of his fellow man. 6Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; because I made man in God’s image. 7So then, increase and multiply; and fill the earth and have dominion over it.” 1 God’s Covenant with Noah 2 8Then

God spoke to Noah and his sons with him, saying,bd 9“Behold, I am establishing My covenant with you and with your seed after you, 10and every living creature with you: the birds, the cattle, and all the wild animals of the earth, of all that came out of the ark with you. 11Thus I will establish My covenant with you, and never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12Then the Lord God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for perpetual generations: 13I am setting My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15and I will reThus God blessed Noah and his sons, member My covenant between Me and and said to them, “Increase and multi- you and every living creature of all flesh; ply, and fill the earth, and have dominion the waters shall never again become a

8:20 “God remembered Noah” (8:1), but Noah also remembered God. Remembrance in salvation is a two-way street. As the Psalmist said, “I remembered Your name in the night, O Lord, / And I kept Your law” (Ps 118:55). This Noah did, and he built an altar to God. 8:21 Noah’s sacrifices were a sweet aroma to the Lord God. The Church, likewise, has an altar on which she offers the sweet aroma of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord (Heb 13:10, 15). 8:22 The earth will remain with its regular cycles until the new heaven and the new earth come (Rev 21:1). 9:1 God not only “remembered” Noah (8:1), He also blessed him. Remembrance is salvation and so is blessing. Many Scriptures speak to this. For example, the Psalmist said, “He shall receive blessing from the Lord, / And mercy from the God of his salvation” (Ps 23:5). 9:8–16 Noah’s seed is Christ (Lk 3:23, 36), and the everlasting covenant (v. 16) is the new covenant God established in Him. God’s rainbow in the clouds is His sign of the covenant. 8:21—9:7 This passage is read during Monday Vespers in the fourth week of Great Lent. 9:8–17 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the fourth week of Great Lent.

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15 flood to destroy all flesh. 16My rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will certainly remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh on the earth.” 17Again God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I established between Me and all flesh on the earth.” 18Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan.d 19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated. 20Then Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. 21So he drank of the wine and was drunk and naked in his house. 22Now Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walking backwards they covered their father’s nakedness. Since their faces were turned away, they did not see his nakedness. 24Thus when Noah became sober and knew what his younger son had done to him, 25he said:

“Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, And Canaan shall be his servant.b May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the habitations of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant as well.”

28Now Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

1 The Genealogy of Noah 2

Now this is the genealogy of Noah’s sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the flood.b 2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Ma-

GENESIS 10:25

gog, Madai, Javan, Elisa, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim, and Rhodians. 5From these the coastal nations were separated into their lands, each according to his language, in their tribes and nations. 6The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. 7The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabtechah; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a giant on the earth. 9He was a giant, a hunter before the Lord God; therefore they would say, “As Nimrod the giant, the hunter before the Lord.” 10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, 12and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the principal city). 13Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14Pathrusim, and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the Caphtorim). 15Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and the Chettite; 16the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; 17the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; 18the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward, the tribes of the Canaanites were dispersed. 19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; then as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20These were the sons of Ham, according to their tribes, according to their languages, in their countries and in their nations. 21Now sons were also born to Shem himself, the father of all the sons of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder.b 22The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, Aram and Cainan. 23The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24Arphaxad begot Cainan, and Cainan begot Salah, and Salah begot Eber. 25Two sons were born to

9:26 Not only did the Lord God bless Noah (9:1), but Noah blessed Him. Many Scriptures speak to this. For example, the Psalmist said, “For my foot stands in uprightness; / In the churches I will bless You, O Lord” (Ps 25:12; Vesting Service). Noah blessed God because of Shem, through whom Christ would come to save the world (Lk 3:36). 10:1 This chapter continues Christ’s genealogy through Shem after the flood. 10:21–31 Christ’s genealogy is traced from Shem down to Peleg (Lk 3:35, 36). His name means division, for in his days the earth was divided (v. 25). This division is described in the history of 11:1–9. 9:18—10:1 This passage is read during Wednesday Vespers in the fourth week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 10:26

Eber: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. 30And their dwelling place was from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east. 31These were the sons of Shem, according to their tribes, according to their languages, in their countries, according to their nations. 32These were the tribes of Noah’s sons, according to their genealogy, in their nations; and from these the coastal nations were divided on the earth after the flood.d 1 The Tower of Babel 2

Now the whole earth was one language and one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them with fire.” They had brick for stone and asphalt for mortar. 4They also said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the sons of men built. 6Then the Lord said, “Indeed, the people are one race and one language, and they have begun to do what they said. Now they will not fail to accomplish what they have undertaken.b 7Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language, so they may not understand one another’s speech.”b 8So the Lord scattered

them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city and the tower.b 9Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the languages of all the earth; and from there the Lord God scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. 1 The Genealogy of Shem 2 10Now

this is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.b 11After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 12Now Arphaxad lived one hundred and thirty-five years, and begot Cainan. 13After he begot Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. Now Cainan lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Salah. So after he begot Salah, Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 14Now Salah lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Eber. 15After he begot Eber, Salah lived three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 16Now Eber lived one hundred and thirty-four years, and begot Peleg. 17After he begot Peleg, Eber lived three hundred and seventy years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 18Now Peleg lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Reu. 19After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 20Now Reu lived one hundred and thirtytwo years, and begot Serug. 21After he be-

11:6 Mankind was united as one race and one language. But this unity existed without the Holy Trinity, for man’s true unity is union and communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church is “the race of Christians” (Kairon Service), “a holy nation” (1Pt 2:9), and glorifies God “with . . . one mouth” (Rom 15:6). In the Great Litany, the Church prays “for the union of all men,” a union based in the Holy Trinity. 11:7 The pronoun Us refers to the Holy Trinity. The words go down are a figure of speech, for the Trinity is everywhere present and fills all things. The words “came down to see” (v. 5) are also a figure of speech, for the Trinity is not ignorant of anything. God condescends to our weakness that we might understand something about Him and His works. 11:8 The Lord divided this false unity for the sake of man’s salvation, that man might seek and find Him (Acts 17:26–28). For they sought to build their unity by making a name for themselves (v. 4). They cared nothing for the name of the Lord God, by which man is saved. 11:10–31 The genealogy of Shem carries Christ’s genealogy down to Abraham, for the true unity of the human race is Christ Himself. 10:32—11:9 This passage is read during Thursday Vespers in the fourth week of Great Lent.

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17 got Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 22Now Serug lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 24Nahor lived seventy-nine years, and begot Terah. 25After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and twenty-nine years, and begot sons and daughters; and he died. 26Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 1 The Genealogy of Terah 2 27Now

GENESIS 12:10

1 God’s Promise to Abram 2

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father’s house, to a land I will show you.bd 2I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you; and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” 4Then Abram departed as the Lord said to him, and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5So Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son and all their possessions and every soul they acquired in Haran, and they departed for the land of Canaan. Thus they came to the land of Canaan. 6Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. 7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your seed I will give this land.” And there Abram built an altar to the Lord, who appeared to him. 8So he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.b 9Then Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

this is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot. 28So Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30But Sarai was barren, and had no child. 31Now Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and led them out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt 1 Abram in Egypt 2 there. 32So the days of Terah were two hun10Now there was a famine in the land, dred and five years, and Terah died in Haran. and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell 12:1–7 “The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets” (Creed). He spoke through the prophet Moses, who wrote this Scripture. Thus, St. Paul said, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’” (Gal 3:8). Thus the Holy Spirit preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham. The Holy Spirit inspired Moses to write in v. 1 that the Lord said to Abram this scripture. Who is this Lord? He is God the Father, as St. Paul indicated in Gal 3:8: “God would justify the Gentiles by faith.” Thus, the Father preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham. In v. 7, the Holy Spirit inspired Moses to write that the Lord appeared to Abraham and spoke to him. Who is this Lord who appeared? The Holy Spirit identified Him in 15:1 as the Word of the Lord whom Abraham saw in a vision, and He identified Him as the Angel of the Lord in 16:7, 9, 10, 11, and 13. This Word is the Son of God (AthanG) and the Angel is also the Son of God, for He was no created angel (HilryP). “He is called Angel because He alone reveals the Father” (AthanG). Thus, the Son also preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, for the Father always speaks through His Word. Therefore, where one Person of the Trinity is present and working, the other two Persons are also present in one and the same working for the salvation of man. The Father works through the Son and in the Spirit. 12:8 Abraham is the father of all the faithful (Rom 4:11). Since he built an altar of worship, therefore an altar is part of his faith. Bethel means “house of God,” which foreshadows the Church as the house of God. The altar is central to worship. At the altar, the Church calls on the name of the Lord, as did Abraham. 12:1–7 This passage is read during Friday Vespers in the fourth week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 12:11

there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11So it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know you are a beautiful woman. 12Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, so they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13Therefore say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and I may live because of you.” 14So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. 15The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. Then the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. 16Now he treated Abram well for her sake, and gave him sheep, oxen, donkeys, male and female servants, mules and camels. 17But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.b 18So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning Abram; and they sent him away, with his wife and all he had. 1 Abram and Lot Part Ways 2

Now Abram went up from Egypt to the South, he and his wife and all he had, and Lot with him.b 2Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold. 3So he went on his journey from the South as far as

Bethel, to the place where his tent was at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4to the place of the altar he made there at the beginning. There Abram called on the name of the Lord. 5Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6But the land was not able to support them, so they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great they could not dwell together.b 7So strife arose between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and those of Lot. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land at that time. 8So Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9Is not the whole land before you? Separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 10Thus Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah), like the garden of God, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.b 11Then Lot chose all the plain of Jordan for himself, and journeyed east. So they separated from each other. 12Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, but Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.d 13Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful before God. 14Then God said to Abram, after Lot separated from him, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward;b

12:17 The Lord protected Sarah’s virtue, and also the Incarnation. For Abraham and Sarah begot Isaac, through whom the promise in Christ was made (Rom 9:7). 13:1–5 Canaan, not Egypt, was the land of promise. While in Egypt, Abraham never lost his focus on God’s promise in the gospel of salvation, for he returned to Bethel, the house of God, and called on the name of the Lord (v. 4). Similarly, those who possess Abraham’s faith keep their focus on this same gospel. 13:6–9 Abraham was a peacemaker, and “Blessed are the peacemakers, / For they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9). He was looking for his eternal inheritance in “the world to come” (Creed; see also Heb 11:9–11). Although he was very rich, he was a man of virtue. For in his heart he was detached from his wealth and also from the love of land. Thus he overcame strife (v. 7) and made peace with Lot. Therefore, virtue characterized the faith of Abraham. It will also characterize his spiritual children. 13:10–13 Lot, on the other hand, was attached to the beauty of the landscape. It looked like the Garden of Eden. Unlike Abraham, he walked by sight, and not by faith (2Co 5:7). Thus, he chose wrongfully, not because of the beauty itself, but because of his immature faith. His poor judgment landed him with the people of Sodom. They were exceedingly wicked and sinful before God (v. 13)—beautiful scenery but an extremely depraved environment. Their godless behavior oppressed and tormented his righteous soul every day (2Pt 2:7, 8). 13:14–18 Lot “pitched his tent” in Sodom (v. 12), but Abraham built an altar (v. 18)—a notable difference in the two men. One trapped himself in the environment of this fallen world; the other focused himself on the Lord. However, the Lord would eventually deliver righteous Lot from Sodom (2Pt 2:9). 13:12–18 This passage is read during Monday Vespers in the fifth week of Great Lent.

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19 15for all the land you see I give to you and your seed forever. 16And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth; that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your seed also could be numbered. 17Arise, walk in the land through its length and its breadth, for I will give it to you.” 18Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the oak of Mamre in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord.

1 Lot’s Capture and Rescue 2

Now it came to pass in the reign of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations, 2that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 4Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth they rebelled. 5Now in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings with him came and cut down the giants in Ashteroth Karnaim and strong nations with them: the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6and the Horites in the mountains of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. 7Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and cut down all the princes of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar. 8Now the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9against Chedor-

GENESIS 14:20

laomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10Now the Valley of Siddim was full of asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell in there; but those left fled to the mountains. 11Then they took all the cavalry of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12They also took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13Then one who escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who at that time dwelt by the oak of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram. 14Now when Abram heard his brother Lot was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants, born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.bd 15So he divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked and pursued them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16So he brought back all the cavalry of Sodom, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. 1 The Blessing of Melchizedek 2 17Then

the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and the kings with him. 18Now Melchizedek the king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.b 19He blessed Abram and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth;b 20and blessed be God Most High, who

14:14 The 318 bishops of the Orthodox Church at the Council of Nicea were likened to these trained servants of Abraham. As Abraham’s servants overcame insurmountable odds, so the bishops, the trained servants of the Church, defeated the arguments of the many heretics who denied that the Son of God is coeternal and one in essence with the Father. These servants defended Abraham’s faith, handed down in the Church. 14:18 Melchizedek brought out bread and wine to Abraham. His priesthood typified the High Priesthood of Christ, who gives His precious body and blood to the faithful in the bread and wine of the Eucharist (CypC). Christ’s priesthood is called “the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 109:4; Heb 5:6), and it is superior to the order of Aaron in the Mosaic Law (Heb 7:11). The Book of Hebrews gives numerous reasons for this superiority. 14:19, 20 Two of the many reasons for the superiority of the order of Melchizedek are: (1) Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Aaron was a descendant of Abraham through Levi. Thus, in blessing Abraham, Melchizedek also blessed Levi and Aaron. It is always the greater who blesses the lesser. (2) Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, and in this act, so did Levi and Aaron (Heb 7). Therefore, salvation comes through the superior order. 14:14–20 This passage is read during the Feasts of the Holy Fathers.

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GENESIS 14:21

delivered your enemies into your hands.” Then Abram gave him a tithe of all. 21Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and keep the cavalry for yourself.”b 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23that I will take nothing of yours, from a thread to a sandal strap, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’— 24except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.” 1 God’s Covenant with Abram 2

After these things the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield and will be your exceedingly great reward.”bd 2But Abram said, “Lord, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus, the son of Masek, my domestic maidservant?” 3Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed, my household servant is my heir.” 4And immediately the Voice of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but the One who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”b 5Then He brought him outside and said to him, “Look now toward heaven, and count the

stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.”b 6And Abram believed God, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.b 7Then He said to him, “I am the God who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.”b 8And he said, “Master and Lord, how will I know I will inherit it?”b 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a threeyear-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10So he brought all these to Him and cut them in half, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12Now around sunset, a trance fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13Then He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed will be strangers in a land not their own, and will serve them; and they will afflict and humble them four hundred years. 14Also, the nation they serve I will judge; and afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. 15But as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace, buried in a good old age. 16Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the sin of the Amorites is not yet filled up.”

14:21–24 Abraham showed his complete detachment from earthly wealth, because (1) he knew that God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth (v. 22) had given him everything he possessed, and (2) he loved God supremely, and not the wealth God gave him. He also loved his neighbor as himself, for he saw to the needs of Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre. Thus, Abraham was, so to speak, heaven-bound. The king of Sodom, on the other hand, was earthbound. Faithful people follow Abraham’s example. 15:1–3 The Word of the Lord is the Word of the Father (AthanG). He is also the Son of God. Abraham saw God the Word in a vision. Thus, he saw Him before He became incarnate, as did the other Old Testament prophets. Abraham was fearful the promise God had given him in 12:1 would not be fulfilled, for he had no heir. 15:4 The Voice of the Lord is also the Word of the Father. He reassures Abraham that his heir will come from your own body. This refers to the birth of Isaac, based on God’s promise. For man is saved by this promise through faith in Christ (Rom 4:17–25; 9:7, 8). 15:5 The seed is first Christ, then His Church (Gal 3:16; Rom 4:16). The stars are a type of all the members of His body (Php 2:15). Their number is countless, and consists of both Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:11–16). 15:6 Abraham believed the promise in 12:1, and he continued to believe it in 15:5. For Abraham’s faith was living and growing—something dynamic. He was made righteous by this faith. So are both Jews and Gentiles. Righteousness is the gift of God through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:17). 15:7 God the Word said to Abraham, “I am the God who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” Thus, He identifies Himself as God. The Creed calls Him “True God of True God.” For He is the Only-begotten of the Father, through whom the Father speaks and reveals Himself. 15:8 Abraham calls the Word his own Master and Lord, and thus recognizes His divinity. The Church does the same thing. 15:1–15 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the fifth week of Great Lent.

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GENESIS 16:14

17And it came to pass, when the sun went down, that there was a flame, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and lamps of fire that passed between those divided pieces. 18On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I will give this land to your seed, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Euaites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

please.” So when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. 7Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.b 8Then He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”b 9The Angel of the Lord then said to her, “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”b 10Again, the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will surely multiply your seed exceedingly, that it may not be counted because of 1 Hagar and Ishmael 2 its multitude.”b 11Once again, the Angel of Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him the Lord said to her: no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant, whose name was Hagar.b “Behold, you are with child, 2So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord And you shall bear a son. has restrained me from bearing children. You shall call his name Ishmael, Go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain For the Lord has taken notice of your children by her.” Thus Abram obeyed the humiliation.b voice of Sarai. 3Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, 12 He shall be a rustic man, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and And his hand shall be against every gave her to her husband Abram to be his man, wife, after Abram dwelt ten years in the And every man’s hand against him. land of Canaan. 4So he went in to Hagar, He shall dwell in the presence of all and she conceived. And when she saw she his brethren.” had conceived, her mistress became 13Then Hagar called the name of the despised in her eyes. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my Lord who spoke to her, “You-Are-the-Godmaid into your embrace; and when she saw Who-Sees-Me”; for she said, “I have seen she had conceived, I became despised in her the One who appeared to me face to face.”b eyes. May God judge between you and me.” 14Therefore, she called the well the-Well-of6Thus Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed, your Him-I-Saw-Before-Me; observe, it is bemaid is in your hand; do with her as you tween Kadesh and Bered.

16:1 In Gal 4:21–31, St. Paul uses Hagar and Sarah as an allegory, representing two covenants. Hagar and Ishmael represent the old covenant of the Law, which “gives birth to bondage.” Sarah and Isaac represent the new covenant, which gives birth to freedom. The Jerusalem below is made up of those under the bondage of the Law, but the Jerusalem above is the Church, those under the freedom of God’s grace. 16:7 The Lord is the Father, and the Angel is His Son (HilryP). And the prophet Isaiah calls Him “the Angel of Great Counsel” (Is 9:5). “The Son is called Angel because He alone reveals the Father” (AthanG). 16:8 The Lord asked Hagar questions, not because He was ignorant, but for Hagar’s sake and for ours. After He became Man, He also asked questions in the four Gospels, not because He was ignorant, but for the sake of the immediate listeners and of the faithful. For He is God in the flesh, and therefore, never ignorant of anything (JohnDm). 16:9 Since He is God, the Angel commanded Hagar. She obeyed (v. 15). This Angel is the Word of God. 16:10 This statement by the Angel could not have been made by a created angel, for only God can say, “I will surely multiply your seed exceedingly, that it may not be counted because of its multitude.” No created angel can do this. The Angel is God the Son. 16:11 The Angel then spoke to Hagar concerning the Father and said, “The Lord has taken notice of your humiliation.” 16:13 Hagar called the Angel who appeared to her both Lord and God. The Church knows Him as the Only-begotten of the Father (Jn 1). As the Father’s Only-begotten, He is “true God of true God” (Creed). One meaning of the name God is, You are the God who sees me. The Only-begotten sees everything. So do God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

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GENESIS 16:15

15So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael. 16Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

1 Circumcision: Sign of the Covenant 2

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am your God; be pleasing before Me and blameless.bd 2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.”b 3Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, 4“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.b 6I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your seed after you.b 8Also I will give you and your seed after you the land you are occupying as a sojourner, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” 9Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. 10This is the covenant you shall keep, between Me and you and your seed

after you throughout their generations: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;b 11and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin. It shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12A child of eight days old shall be circumcised by you—every male child throughout your genealogy, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner not of your seed. 13He who is born in your house, and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be cut off from his people; for he has broken My covenant.” 15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; and I will bless him, and he shall become nations; and kings of peoples shall be from him.” 17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his mind, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” 19Then God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlast-

17:1 Thirteen years after the birth of Ishmael (16:16), the Lord appeared to Abram again and identified Himself as God, for He said to him, “I am your God.” This appearance is another of the personal appearances of the Son of God to Abraham. 17:2–4 The covenant is that established “in Christ” (Gal 3:17). God established it before the Mosaic covenant. Therefore, the Law of Moses, which came later, could not cancel it. Abraham’s faith is multiplied exceedingly in the Church. For he is the father of many nations (see also Rom 4:16, 17). 17:5 Abram’s name (meaning “exalted father”) was changed to Abraham (“father of many”). This very name change proves the gospel of salvation is for many nations, the Gentiles as well as the Jews. 17:7 The God of the everlasting covenant is the Holy Trinity, for the Son is God of God, the Onlybegotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit is also God of God, for He “proceeds from the Father” (Creed). 17:10–14 The rite of circumcision was not the covenant itself. It was a sign of the covenant (v. 11). It was a temporary sign, because it applied only to Abraham’s genealogy (v. 12), that is, to Abraham’s physical lineage, and also to those born in his house or bought with his money. Thus, the rite did not apply to the “many nations,” or Gentiles, to be made righteous by faith in the gospel (v. 3; see also Rom 4:9–17). Christ Himself fulfilled this rite and brought it to an end when He was circumcised on the eighth day after His birth from the Virgin (Lk 2:21). 17:1–9 This passage is read during Tuesday Vespers in the fifth week of Great Lent. 17:1, 2, 4–8, 9–12, 14 These verses are read at the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

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23 ing covenant, and with his seed after him.b 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him and will increase and multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve nations, and I will make him a great nation. 21But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” 22So God finished talking with Abraham and departed from him. 23So Abraham took Ishmael his son, all who were born in his house, and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very same day, as God said to him. 24Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26That very same day Abraham was circumcised, and his son Ishmael. 27Also, all the men of his house, born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. 1 The Hospitality of Abraham 2

GENESIS 18:16

You to eat. After that You may pass by, inasmuch as You have come to Your servant.” They said, “Do as you have said.” 6So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.” 7Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a young calf, tender and good, gave it to his servant, and he hastened to prepare it. 8He also took butter and milk and the calf he prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree as they ate. 1 Promise of a Son 2 9Then

He said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “Here, in the tent.”b 10Again He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door behind him.) 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “I have not yet had a child until now, and my lord is old also?” 13Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh within herself, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’ 14Is anything impossible with God? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”b 15But Sarah denied she had laughed, for she was afraid, saying, “I did not laugh”; but He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Then God appeared to him at the oak of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door during the noon hour.b 2So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood before him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, 3and said, “O Lord, if I have now found grace in Your sight, do not pass by Your ser1 Abraham Intercedes for Sodom 2 vant. 4Let water be brought, and let them 16Then the men rose from there and wash Your feet, while You cool Yourselves under the tree.b 5And I will bring bread for looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and 17:19–21 God’s covenant with Abraham was established in Isaac, because his birth was based on the promise of God (Rom 9). It was not based on physical lineage, for Abraham and Sarah were past the age of childbearing at the time. Therefore, salvation is based on the promise of the Word of God, and not on Abraham’s physical descendants, such as the Ishmaelites or the Jews, or on any of the other physical offspring of Abraham, such as the Midianites (25:1, 2). 18:1–3 The Holy Spirit says through the prophet Moses that God appeared to Abraham. This is another personal appearance of the Son of God to him. He saw three men standing before him, but he worshiped only one of them as Lord, for He is Lord and God. The other two are called “angels” (19:1). The Son of God is the Lord of all the angels. 18:4–8 The hospitality of Abraham was a virtue that should be shared by his spiritual children. 18:9 The Lord was not ignorant of Sarah’s location. He asked the question for Abraham’s sake and for that of those who read the Scriptures. He also asked questions for the same reason after He became incarnate, for example, concerning the location of Lazarus’s grave (Jn 11:34). 18:14 The Lord speaks of God the Father, who does not will everything He can do, but He can do everything He wills. For nothing is impossible with Him. Likewise, nothing is impossible with His Son, for the Father works all things through the Son. As St. Athanasius the Great said, “He is the Will of the Father.” Therefore, the Son would strengthen Abraham and Sarah, and Sarah would conceive to bear Isaac, the child of promise.

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Abraham went along and escorted them on their journey. 17Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham, My servant, what I am about to do?b 18But Abraham shall surely become a great and populous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. 19For I know he will order his sons and his house after him. They will keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken to him.” 20Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah has been completed, and their sins are exceedingly great.d 21Therefore, I will go down now and see whether or not they are carrying out the outcry coming to Me concerning them.” 22Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained before the Lord.b 23So Abraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the ungodly?b 24Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous in it? 25Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” 26Then the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” 27So Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28But suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” He replied, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” 29Again he spoke to Him and said, “But

suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of forty.” 30Then he said, “Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it if I should find thirty there.” 31Again he said, “Since I have permission to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” 32Then he said, “Let not the Lord be offended, and I will speak but once more, suppose ten should be found there?” So He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” 33So the Lord went His way as soon as He finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.b 1 The Wickedness of Sodom 2

Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. So when he saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed with his face toward the ground.b 2Then he said, “Behold, my lords, turn in to your servant’s house and rest and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” But they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”b 3But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. 4Now before they went to sleep, the men of the city, the Sodomites, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5Thus they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with

18:17–19 The Lord possesses foreknowledge (for I know). Abraham and his spiritual children would be characterized by righteousness and judgment, because they know the Lord and keep His ways. Righteousness and judgment are the gifts of the Lord to the faithful. These are two of the four general virtues of wisdom that produce all the other virtues (see the notes at Pr 1:2b–5). 18:22 One of the three men was the Lord, and Abraham remained before Him. The other two men, who were the Lord’s angels, went toward Sodom (see also 19:1). 18:23–32 Abraham interceded for the righteous in Sodom, but actually the city was so morally depraved that Lot was the only righteous person in the entire place. Abraham’s intercession delivered him. The Lord delivered Lot, but He allowed Abraham to participate in the work. 18:33 Abraham returned to his home, but the Lord went on to Sodom. 19:1 The Holy Spirit through the prophet Moses calls two of the three men angels. When they arrived in Sodom, they met Lot at the city gate. 19:2 Lot paid the angels due respect by calling them lords, but he did not worship them, for they were created beings. 18:20–33 This passage is read during Thursday Vespers in the fifth week of Great Lent.

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25 them.” 6But Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7and said, “By no means, my brethren, do not act wickedly. 8I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the protection of my roof.” 9But they said, “Stand back! You came in to sojourn among us. Was it also to be making judgments? Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10But the men reached out their hands, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11Then they struck the men at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, and they became weary trying to find the door. 12Now the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here in the city: sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone? —then take them out of this place! 13For we will destroy this place, because their outcry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord sent us to destroy it.”b 14So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord is about to wipe out this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking. 15Now when the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and the two daughters you

GENESIS 19:26

have, and get out, lest you be destroyed with the transgressions of the city.” 16But they were thrown into confusion, and the Lord being merciful to him, the angels seized his hand, and the hands of his wife and two daughters, and brought them outside the city.b 17So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, they said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be overtaken.” 18Then Lot said to them, “I pray, O Lord,b 19since Your servant found mercy in Your sight, and You magnified Your righteousness which You showed me by saving my life, nevertheless, I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20See now, this city, which is small, is near enough to flee to for refuge, and I shall escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.” 21And He said to him, “See, I have acquiesced to you on this matter also, in that I will not overthrow this city, concerning which you have spoken.b 22Therefore, hurry to escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” For this reason he called the name of that city Zoar.b 23Now the sun rose upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven.b 25Thus He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26But his wife looked

19:13 The third man was the Lord, the Son of God, and he sent the other two to Sodom to destroy it. 19:16 He also came to Sodom after He finished talking to Abraham. By His mercy (the Lord being merciful), His two angels seized the hands of Lot, his wife, and two daughters and brought them outside the city. 19:18 Lot spoke to all three men, but prayed to the Lord in particular. 19:21 The Lord granted his request (I have acquiesced to you) to escape to a small city, called Zoar. The Son is the Will of the Father; thus He said, “I will not overthrow this city.” The Son is also the Word, Wisdom, and Power of the Father (Jn 1:1–3 and 1Co 1:24). 19:22 The Lord can do anything He wills to do. But He would not will to destroy Sodom before Lot arrived in Zoar. 19:22–24 During Great Lent, the Church sings, “O my soul, flee like Lot to the mountain, and take refuge in Zoar before it is too late. Flee from the flames, my soul, flee from the burning heat of Sodom, flee from destruction by the fire of God.” 19:24 The Lord rained brimstone and fire . . . from the Lord out of heaven, that is, the Son rained brimstone and fire from the Father (AthanG, BasilG, AmbM, and HilryP). Both have the name “Lord” because of Their equality and oneness of lordship. For in Their essence, the Two are One and undivided (Creed). The Holy Spirit, who spoke this Scripture through the prophet Moses, is also one in lordship with the Father and the Son, for as the Creed says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord . . . who proceeds from the Father.” The destruction of Sodom and the adjoining city of Gomorrah is a warning to the ungodly concerning the Day of Judgment (2Pt 2:6, 9; Jude 7).

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back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.b 27Then Abraham rose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 28Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, a flame was ascending from the land, like the smoke of a furnace. 29So it came to pass, when God wiped out all the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction, when the Lord overthrew the cities where Lot had dwelt. 1 The Sons of Lot 2 30Then

Lot with his two daughters went up from Zoar and settled in the mountains; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. 31Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us, as is the custom of all the earth. 32Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may raise up seed from our father.” 33So they made their father drink wine that night, and the elder went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 34It happened on the next day, the elder said to the younger, “Indeed, I slept with our father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him, that we may raise up seed from our father.” 35So they made their father drink wine that night also, and the younger went in and slept with him; but he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. 36Thus both the daughters of Lot conceived by their father. 37Then the elder bore a son and called his name Moab, saying, “He is from my father.” He is the father of the Moabites to this present day. 38Now the younger also bore a son and called his name Ammon, saying, “The son of my family.” He is the father of the Ammonites to this present day.

1 Abraham and Abimelech 2

Now Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned among the Gerarites.b 2Then Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” lest at a given time the men of the city should kill him because of her. Now Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.b 3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed, you are a dead man because of the woman you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” 4Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “O Lord, will You destroy an ignorant and just nation? 5Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and did she not say to me, ‘He is my brother’? I did this thing with a clean heart and righteous hands.” 6Then God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clean heart, and I spared you that you might not sin against Me; therefore, I did not allow you to touch her. 7Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; and he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, rest assured you shall die, you and all who are yours.” 8So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. 9Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” 10Again Abimelech said to Abraham, “What possessed you to do this thing?” 11Abraham replied, “Because I thought, surely the worship of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12But indeed, she truly is my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13So it came to pass, when

19:26 In Lk 17:28–33, the Lord commanded us to remember Lot’s wife, for she lost her life because she turned back in disobedience to the Lord. 20:1 Abraham was a sojourner because he waited for “the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10). The Creed calls this city “the world to come.” Abraham believed he would be raised from the dead to dwell in his true city. 20:2 The city of Gerar was not Abraham’s true city, for it was given to idolatry. The Gerarites worshiped the god Dagon (3Kg 5:2) and the goddess Ashtaroth (3Kg 31:10). But when the Son of God became incarnate, and the word of the gospel went out to Gerar, idolatry in that place was destroyed. A church and a monastery were established there. One of its bishops, Marcian, attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. Truly, the city embraced the faith of Abraham.

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27 God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This righteousness shall you do for me: in every place we enter, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ” 14Then Abimelech took one thousand pieces of silver, sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. 15Thus Abimelech said to Abraham, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver, which will vindicate your honor before all those with you. But tell the truth in all things.” 17So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; 18for the Lord closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. 1 The Birth of Isaac 2

Now the Lord visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.b 2For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in old age, at the set time, of which God had spoken to him.b 3So Abraham called the name of his son born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God commanded him. 5Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; all who hear will laugh with me.” 7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne a child in my old age.”

GENESIS 21:19

1 Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away 2 8So

the child grew and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the same day Isaac was weaned. 9Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, who was born to Abraham, playing with Isaac her son. 10Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”b 11And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of your son and your maidservant. Whatever Sarah said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13Yet I will also make a great nation of the son of your maidservant, because he is your seed.” 14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the wilderness, near the Well of Oath. 15When the water in the skin was used up, she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. 17But God heard the voice of the lad from the place where he was. Then the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.b 18Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”b 19Then God opened

21:1 The Son of God visited Sarah and fulfilled the promise He had given in 18:10 (HilryP). Abraham and Sarah would have a son in their old age. 21:2 Thus, Sarah conceived, based on the word of promise. She did not conceive based on the power of the flesh, for both she and Abraham were past the time of childbearing. Therefore, it is not the children of the flesh—that is, Abraham’s offspring through procreation—who are the children of God. Rather, the children of this promise are counted as Abraham’s seed (Rom 9:8). These children are those who embrace Abraham’s faith through the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16). 21:10 Hagar was cast out to show that it is not Abraham’s children according to procreation who are God’s children. For example, Abraham’s children according to the flesh are such peoples as the Jews, the Ishmaelites, the Edomites, and the Midianites. But none of these are the children of God because of their fleshly relationship. Rather, God’s children are any and all who embrace Abraham’s faith through the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 4:22–31). 21:17 The Angel of God is the Son of God. He told Hagar that God, that is, God the Father, had heard Ishmael’s crying. “The Son is called Angel because He alone reveals the Father (AthanG). 21:18 The Angel told Hagar He Himself (I will make) would make a great nation of Ishmael. Therefore, this Angel is God (see also vv. 19, 20), for God alone could do such a thing. This Angel is not a created angel, but the Son of God Himself. And why would He make a great nation of Ishmael? Because after His Incarnation, Ishmael’s descendants would embrace Abraham’s faith based on the word of promise.

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her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20Thus God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the desert, and became an archer. 21He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 1 Abraham’s Agreement with Abimelech 2 22Now

it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and his friend Ochozath, and Phichol, the commander-in-chief of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all you do. 23Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the righteousness I did to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” 24So Abraham said, “I swear.” 25Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26Abimelech replied, “I do not know who did this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” 27So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29Thus Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why have you placed these seven ewe lambs by themselves?” 30He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, to witness that I dug this well.” 31Therefore he called that place, the Well of Oath, because the two of them swore an oath there. 32Thus they made a covenant at the Well of Oath. So Abimelech rose with Ochozath his friend and Phichol, the commander-in-chief of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Then Abraham planted a field at the Well of Oath, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the eternal God. 34So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.

1 Abraham Offers Isaac 2

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”bd 2Then He said, “Take now your beloved son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I tell you.”b 3So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split firewood for the whole burnt offering, and arose and went to the place God told him.b 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. 5Thus Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” 6So Abraham took the firewood of the whole burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. Then he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the firewood, but where is the sheep for a whole burnt offering?” 8And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the sheep for a whole burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. 9They came to the place where God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the firewood in order; and he bound Isaac his son hand and foot and laid him on the altar, upon the firewood. 10Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham! Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12He then replied, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.”b 13Then Abraham lifted his

22:1 God the Word tested Abraham (AthanG). 22:2 The Word is the Son of God, and by calling Isaac Abraham’s beloved son, He is teaching Abraham concerning His eternal birth from God the Father (AthanG). For He is “the Only-begotten from the Father” (Creed). He is also teaching Abraham that He Himself would be offered up as a whole burnt offering for the world’s salvation, and be raised from the dead. 22:3 Abraham’s faith was tested, and he obeyed the Son of God. Such faith and obedience made Abraham righteous and a friend of God (Jam 2:22–23). 22:12 Abraham received Isaac back alive. This prefigured the Resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection from the dead, in which Abraham believed (Heb 11:19). 22:1–18 This passage is read during Friday Vespers in the fifth week of Great Lent.

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29 eyes and looked, and there behind him a ram was caught in a thicket by its horns. So he brought it for a whole burnt offering in the place of his son. 14Thus Abraham called the name of the place The-Lord-HasAppeared; as it is said to this day, “In the mountain the Lord was seen.”b 15Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16and said, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you did this thing, and for My sake did not spare your beloved son,b 17I will certainly bless you, and assuredly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies.b 18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed My voice.” 19So Abraham returned to his servants, and they rose and went together to the Well of Oath; and Abraham dwelt at the Well of Oath. 1 The Children of Nahor 2 20Now

it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed, Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah.

GENESIS 23:12

1 The Death and Burial of Sarah 2

Now Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years.b 2Then Sarah died in the city of Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 3Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, 4“I am a sojourner and a stranger among you. Give me therefore a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.”b 5So the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying, 6“Hear us, my Lord, you are a king from God among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold his burial place from you, to bury your dead there.” 7Then Abraham stood and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. 8Thus he spoke with them, saying, “If you have it in mind for me to bury my dead out of my sight, then listen to me, and speak on my behalf to Ephron the son of Zohar,b 9that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as a burial place among you.” 10Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, and of all who entered at the gate of the city, saying, 11“No, my Lord, hear me, I give you both the field and the cave within it; I give it to you in the presence of all my fellow citizens. Bury your dead.” 12Then Abraham bowed himself

22:14, 15 The Angel of the Lord is the Son of God, and He appeared to Abraham. The Lord is God the Father. 22:16 Abraham and Abimelech counseled together and swore by the greater, namely, by the name of God (21:23, 24). The seven ewe lambs confirmed the oath, and Abraham named the place the Well of Oath. So they were reconciled. However, God cannot swear by anyone greater; therefore, He swore by Himself. He confirmed the oath by His Lamb, the Son of God, through whom God’s eternal covenant is established (Heb 6:13–20). The Well of Oath foreshadows the reconciliation of man to God through Jesus Christ. 22:17 Abraham’s seed would be as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore. These are Abraham’s seed based on the word of promise. This seed is Christ and His Church begotten from Him (Gal 3:16). It does not refer to Israel according to the flesh. It refers to both Jews and Gentiles who are the children of the promise. 23:1 The days of Sarah’s life were numbered. She knew this because she was a woman of faith. She did not know when she would die, but knew she would. For she saw herself as a sojourner and stranger passing through this life to the world to come (Heb 11:11–16). 23:4 Abraham describes himself as a sojourner and a stranger living in this present world. As a sojourner, he was passing through this world to the one to come (Heb 11:8–10). As a stranger, he saw himself as a foreigner in this world, which was not his true home. 23:8 Abraham calls Sarah my dead. He does not say “my corpse,” as though Sarah’s dead body no longer had meaning and value. For he buried Sarah believing her body would be raised from the dead.

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GENESIS 23:13

before the people of the land, 13and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you are for me, hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” 14Ephron then answered Abraham, saying to him, 15“My lord, listen to me, the land is worth four hundred silver drachmas; but what is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” 16So Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron, which he had mentioned in the hearing of the sons of Heth, the four hundred silver drachmas, currency of the merchants. 17Thus the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was opposite Mamre, the field and the cave in it, and all the trees in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded 18to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered the city. 19Then after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which was opposite Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.b 20So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place. 1 Isaac and Rebekah 2

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. 2So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, 3and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son Isaac from the

daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;b 4but you shall go to my land where I was born, and to my tribe, and take from there a wife for my son Isaac.” 5And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land you came from?” 6But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there. 7The Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, who took me from my father’s house and from the land where I was born, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To you and your seed I give this land,’ He will send His Angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.b 8And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”b 9So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his lord, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10Then the servant took ten of his lord’s camels and some of all his goods and departed, and he went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor. 11And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water. 12Then he said, “O Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, give me success this day, and show mercy to my lord Abraham.b 13Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. 14Now let it be that the virgin to whom I say, ‘Let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You appointed for Your servant Isaac.

23:19 Abraham buried Sarah his wife. He buried a person, for a person consists of both body and soul. It requires both natures to be a person, and at death one does not cease to be a person. Therefore, Sarah’s dead body was her dead body. It was part of her person, awaiting the resurrection from the dead. In the resurrection her soul would be reunited with her body, which would then become immortal. 24:3 Abraham believed in one God, whom he called the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth. This Lord is God the Father, as the Creed says: “I believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” 24:7 The Lord’s Angel is the Son of God. The word angel also means messenger. In this meaning it is also akin to the term word. The Son of God is called both Angel and Word, for “He alone reveals the Father” (AthanG). Both names emphasize that the Son is the Will of God the Father. Thus, God spoke to Abraham through His Will, and told him to leave his father’s house for the land of promise. The words He will send His Angel before you were prophesied by Abraham to his servant. He spoke these words by the Holy Spirit, as the Creed says: “I believe in the Holy Spirit . . . who spoke by the prophets.” 24:8 Neither the Lord nor Abraham would force the woman to follow Abraham’s servant to become Isaac’s wife. Both honored free will. 24:12 Abraham’s servant also embraced Abraham’s faith. He, too, was a child of God according to the word of promise. He also knew the mercy of God.