Bible online. What does the bible say about the end times?

. For people will be self-loving, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemous, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, ungodly, unfriendly.

. Irreconcilable, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving the good.

. Traitors, impudent, pompous, more voluptuous than God-loving.

. Having a form of piety, but denying its power. Get rid of those.

“This is a promise, as in the last days times of cruelty will come. For people will be self-lovers, lovers of money, majestic, proud, blasphemers, opposing parents, ungrateful, unrighteous, unloving, unreconciling, slanderers, intemperate, necrotic, dislikers, traitors, arrogant, pompous, voluptuaries more than lovers of God, having an image of piety, but rejecting its power.. The present time, I think, was predicted by the Apostle, for our life is full of these evils, and, putting on the appearance of piety, we prepare from ourselves an idol of craftiness by deeds; instead of the God-loving, we became money-loving and we love slavery to passions; in a word, one can find in us the other things that the divine Apostle foretold. The Apostle ordered the Apostle to avoid communication with these people entrusted to the care of Timofeev in the following words. For says:

"And turn away from these". And going on, he adds this to the accusation.

. To these belong those who creep into houses and deceive women who are drowning in sins, led by various lusts.

. Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

“From here on, those who dive into houses and captivate the bridegroom are burdened with sins, led by various lusts, always becoming more frequent and never come into the mind of the truth of the mighty”. We see this prophecy and the fulfillment, for very many, not suspecting that there is an apostolic prediction, clearly dare to this particular lawlessness.

Then the Apostle of ancient tales offers consolation to those who are saddened by his words.

. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also oppose the truth, people corrupted in mind, ignorant in faith.

“Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, people corrupt in mind and inexperienced in faith”. In wheat, says the Apostle, tares usually grow. Preachers of truth have always had opponents. Who is more glorious than Moses in piety? But he also had sorcerers, people who clearly took up arms against the truth. However, the divine Apostle learned their names not from Divine Scripture, but from the unwritten teaching of the Jews. It was natural for him to open the grace of the Spirit.

. But they won't get much done; for their folly will be revealed to all, as it happened to those.

“But they will not succeed anymore: their madness will be revealed to everyone, as if they were fast”. For hypocrisy cannot be hidden for long. And this does not contradict what was said before. For there the Apostle says of them: “Most of all, they will advance into wickedness”(), and here about the deceit that they dare to, he said: "they will not succeed", that is, taking on the appearance of piety, they will remain hidden for a short time, but will soon be revealed. Thus, having foreshadowed this, he sets himself as a model for the student.

. And you followed me in teaching, life, disposition, faith, generosity, love, patience.

"You followed my teaching", that is, the truth communicated to you in the sermon.

"Life" - the way of life, which is shown in deeds.

"Hello" - you exactly found out my goal.

"Faith" - you also know the disposition that I have for the Lord.

"Long-suffering"– you know how I endure the sins of the brethren.

"Love" - ​​you know with what compassion I am disposed towards everyone.

"Patience" - you know how courageously I endure the attacks of opponents.

. In persecution, suffering that befell me in Antioch, Iconium, Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and the Lord delivered me from them all.

"Exile, suffering". Then Timothy is reminded of some of them.

“Jacob was in Antioch, and in Iconium, and in Listrekh, I received Jacob the exile, and the Lord delivered me from all”. The apostle, leaving the rest, mentioned the dangers that befell him in Pisidia and Lycaonia; for from Lycaonia was the one to whom he wrote, and he knew this better than anything else. He also pointed to God's care, thus encouraging the disciple. Then he says and, as it were, determines that he accompanies the pupils of piety.

. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

“And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” because the evil-wisher, common to all, fights with people either through people, or through their own thoughts.

. Evil people and deceivers will prosper in evil, leading astray and deluding.

“Cunning people and sorcerers will succeed in bitterness, deceiving and deceiving”. For the destroyer of men assists his own and, like some teacher, accustoms them to vice.

. And you remain in what you have been taught and what you have been entrusted with, knowing by whom you have been taught.

“But you remain in them, you were taught, and even the essence was entrusted to you”. Firmly guard the doctrine, the truth of which you have learned by experience; for the Apostle expressed this in the words: "I have been entrusted with the essence". Timothy was a witness of apostolic miracles and performed many of them himself. Then the Apostle also points to the authenticity of the teacher, and thus making the teaching more solid.

"Guided from whom thou hast learned"; recalls that Timothy himself was brought up in piety.

. Moreover, from childhood you know the sacred writings, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

“And as if the Holy Scriptures were old, knowing how, able to make you wise for salvation through faith, even in Christ Jesus”. And since the Apostle testified that such is the power of sacred writings, then he teaches what benefit follows from them.

. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

“All scripture is inspired by God and useful to eat”. And, defining it more precisely, the Apostle distinguished it from the writings of human wisdom, and it was precisely spiritual writing that he called divinely inspired, because God's grace spoke through the prophets and apostles. And therefore the Holy Spirit is God, if the writing of the Spirit, according to the word of the Apostle, is really inspired by God. But the Apostle also makes known the types of benefits.

"To Teaching". For what we do not know, we learn from the Scriptures.

"To rebuke". Scripture denounces our lawless lives.

"To fix". It also calls the perverted to the right path.

"To punishment, hedgehog in truth". It teaches us the types of virtue.

. May the man of God be perfect, prepared for every good work.

“Let the man of God be perfect, prepared for every good work”. All this leads to perfection and makes us our God of all. Having thus shown the usefulness of the inspired Scripture, the Apostle commands it to be offered to all and frightens with his testimony.

“Know that in the last days there will be hard times. For people will be self-loving, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, ungodly, unfriendly, uncompromising, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving what is good, traitors, insolent, pompous, more voluptuous than lovers of God, having a form of piety, but denying its power. Get away from those" 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

Through His servant, through the Apostle Paul, God speaks His Word to the Church about the last days. We all know that these "last days" This is our time in which we live today. And God speaks directly to us today, warning His Church: “My beloved people! These will be hard, hard times. It's going to be hard lately."

When they say that difficult life circumstances will come, it will be hard, then a person immediately sees problems in the material sphere. He represents how various diseases, disasters, financial problems, famine, etc. come. Yes, God says it's going to be hard lately. We know this. It is written that there will be famines and plagues, earthquakes in places. These circumstances are listed in the Gospel of Matthew: “for then there will be a great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Matt. 24:21-23. It is also written that God will protect His people from all cataclysms, from all these troubles. We will be saved. This is the mercy and miracle of God!

But notice something different and unexpected here. God says: "It will be hard for you, My people, beloved." But it will be hard not because of material things and natural disasters, but because God has changed us, changed our essence. And as God's, we are more relationship oriented with each other: “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together!” Ps. 132:1. We value communication with each other when we are a family. God warns us that in the last times it is not material, not physical problems that will bring us pain, but relationships between people. This is what will be the most severely tested. This will make it difficult for us.

Pay attention to those negative human qualities, human characteristics that Paul lists in his epistle. In recent days, the positive personal qualities of a person, such as: loyalty, confidence, Love, devotion, mercy, each other's support, will be amazed. They will cease to be valued and begin to degrade. All these unpleasant words that Paul lists will take their place. And God says: “This, brothers and sisters, is what you will have in the last days. And that will make it hard for you."

Therefore, today we all should cherish relations in the Church, cherish peace, trust, and love. Undoubtedly, each of us today is drawn to the church by the Lord, His word, but not only that. We are also attracted to the meeting by the need for each other, since the Spirit of God united us all into a single Body, where we complement each other. Once strangers, different nations, different genders and different ages are now united by the Holy Spirit and it is pleasant and good for us to be together. But in order for it not to be damaged and destroyed, it must be valued, protected, guarded, it must be watched over. If, however, we allow the enemy to destroy our relationships, to destroy trust, love, mercy, mutual assistance, then it will certainly become difficult. If the relationship between people in the church is destroyed, then no matter what a wonderful word sounds from behind the pulpit, everyone will still look at each other like wolves, since there will be no more trust, which will be replaced by slander and grumbling. In a relationship, trust and love are important and precious. Then even the simplest word given by the pastor is amplified and multiplied. When these things are present among us, it is good, and if not, it is bad. In order to preserve all this, we must be believers, that is, we must trust God.

Everything we have talked about so far is only the base necessary in order to better understand and assimilate the main message.

Let's open the letter of James: “With great joy, my brethren, receive when you fall into various temptations” Jacob. 1:2. So, all these distorted manifestations of the personality trait that Paul writes about are nothing but temptations. Thus, when something like this begins to appear in the church, how can we not fall into these temptations and become slanderers, murmurers, porters, discontented, conceited, etc.? No doubt every church will be tested in this, as the enemy desires and seeks to destroy God's Church.

Let's look at the next verse: "knowing that the test of your faith produces patience" Jacob. 1:3. When something like this begins to happen in the church, know that in fact it is not some bad and terrible circumstances that have fallen, it is God who begins to test your faith, your trust. When something like this is allowed, it is tested yours faith. And as it is written: « …testing your faith produces patience" .

Patience is the focus of today's message. We all need to have patience. Without patience your faith cannot be exercised. Without patience, faith cannot grow, cannot work. Patience is a manifestation of the inner core, inner strength, inner power of your personality. A patient person cannot be irritable. If a person has inner patience in himself, then they say about such people that he - fundamental, reliable. He is not subject to emotional, instantaneous reactions like a surge, he is stable, reliable. And this very patience produces in us faith, when it is tested.

Sometimes, so that circumstances do not grow, prosper and destroy everything in the church, we, exercising faith, say: "Stop! Patience!" But, if at such a moment you grumble about something, talk about it, endure it, then you do not endure it. Patience has the virtue of not descending to the level of murmuring and gossip. Because patience manifests trust in God and hope in the Lord. An enduring person does not panic, does not despair, does not allow any bad thoughts, grumbling and other similar things. Faith produces patience. In other words, we cannot be good believers and please God if we do not develop patience, if we lack this quality. Therefore, before being driven by emotions, one should stop and calmly judge everything. You should not show indifference either, since indifference is not trust in God, and not trust in God. Only in patience is there confidence in God.

Further it is written: “patience must have a perfect effect, so that you are perfect in all its fullness, without any defect” Jacob. 1:4. This applies to each of us. This is God's plan for every believer - that we, each of us, be perfect in all fullness, without any defect. God says that you can be without any lack when you learn to endure. If you only understand how valuable patience is, then a huge amount of all kinds of sins will fall away from you.

The reason is not that you are doing something bad somewhere. The reason is only one thing - you do not have enough patience. Patience will have an effect when you understand how important patience is in God's project for His people. Even if imperfect, but you will exercise perfect patience in faith, you will be without any defect. One way or another, in any case, this lack in you will become less. How can we as Christians change so that we have fewer shortcomings? This change is connected not with irritability, not with some kind of emotional outburst, but with the manifestation of patience.

The Bible also contains words such as "forbearance" And "suffered" . Try to analyze the meaning of the word "suffered" . The word "suffered" means that the person still won. He wanted to somehow react, do something or answer, but he did not do what he wanted, but endured it, that is, went through it, overcame it.

For example, the letter to the Hebrews says: Heb. 2:18. See what is said about Jesus and how this quality was manifested in Him. The Lord was tempted by people's attitude towards Him, their rejection, their disobedience, their unwillingness to listen, to understand, unwillingness to understand, betrayal, lies that fell upon Him. He was not guilty of anything, but He was reviled so much, so many false testimonies were uttered against Him. But Jesus didn't just endure. Written: "He endured" . Perhaps, as a person, He wanted to answer, justify himself, and this is natural. But the word "suffered" says that He did not answer, did not slander in response those who slandered Him. "He endured" and this was the manifestation of faith in the Father, which was manifested in patience.

Elsewhere it is written: “Being reviled, He did not reciprocate; suffering, did not threaten, but handed it over to the Righteous Judge " 1 Pet. 2:23. Jesus did not slander each other. Faith is manifested in patience. Endured means conquered, means it has already happened. When a person endures, this does not mean that his patience will not come to an end and he will not explode. But when it says "suffered", it means that he went through it: “For just as He Himself endured when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” Heb. 2:18. Christ overcame, showing patience to the end, thereby fulfilling the will of the Father. And now He can help us who are exposed to such things. God allows this test in our lives. You can be a hero of faith because it concerns you, as it did Christ. But Christ endured, managed to get through it.

God never allows beyond his strength. And if this concerns you, it means that God sees that you are exactly the person who can win. God educates your faith, wants to manifest it in you, so that you, having fulfilled the will of God, receive the promise from Him. God sees your faithfulness, all your potential, He knows everything and weighs on His scales. You may not know it yourself, but God knows that you are strong enough to pass the test and emerge victorious. So don't worry, trust the Lord. God wants you to be victorious too.

Certainly no one should join the ranks of slanderers, arrogant, pompous, voluptuous, and so on. Written: “For you, brethren, have become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus, which are in Judea, because you also suffered the same from your fellow tribesmen as those from the Jews” 1 Thess. 2:14. It's about us, about you and about me, as we “become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus, which are in Judea …» . And why have we become imitators, why are we numbered among God's Church? “because you also suffered the same from your fellow tribesmen as those from the Jews” 1 Thess. 2:14.

And here is the same word: "suffered" . Faith produces patience. The physical, material practice of manifesting faith is patience. Word "faith" people often do not understand what is patience people generally understand. Now, we are the Church of God, we are overcomers when we also endured. And suffered from whom? « …from their fellow tribesmen, as those from the Jews" . They suffered from their own. It is easy to tolerate from others, from strangers. But the people closest to us hurt us the most. When some kind of filth comes from close people, from those whom you love, whom you trust, with whom you have been together for so many years, it causes unbearable pain. Or when something is wrong with a loved one. But you patiently trust in God, and He says: "then you really become imitators of God's Church".

Jesus was betrayed by his own, His people, to whom He came. They were incited and all of them, without delving into anything, shouted: "Crucify Him!" And He endured. Although, as written: “Or do you think that I cannot now implore My Father, and He will present Me more than twelve legions of angels? how will the Scriptures come true, that it must be so?” Matt. 26:53-54. This is the will of the Father. He endured, that is, he completed it to the end. Jesus says: "You reach perfection when you endure because it hurts."

God allows this not so that we grumble, but in order, firstly, to show us, you and me, our imperfection, and secondly, so that we learn to win, trusting God, gradually acquiring the quality of patience. To cherish the atmosphere of cordiality, unity, love, mutual understanding. Therefore, stay awake, cherish the value of relationships, always remembering that in the last days, the burden will fall on us, not because of catastrophes, not because of anything material, but because of the destruction of our relationships.

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We hear discussions about what will precede the coming of Jesus. Will it be darkness or light? Will it be a Christian apostasy or a revival in the church? From this confusion came divisions. What to expect and what to be prepared for?

In the end times during the harvest, several completely opposite events will occur simultaneously. If we don't understand them well, we'll end up in chaos.

What will happen in the end-time church?

• Great Apostasy
• great division
• Great Awakening

And our task is to accommodate all these different events, otherwise we will not understand what we should do. All this will happen at the same time, so we need a sound balance in this last time and vigilance.

1. The Great Apostasy in the End-Time Church

In the Second Epistle to Timothy, the Lord lists in detail the vices of the end times. He does not generalize them, but reveals each separately so that we can check ourselves. Many of us are accustomed to reading scripture but not applying it to ourselves, which is bad.

If the Lord speaks of these things in such detail, then we cannot simply skim through this list without examining ourselves personally. This is one of the most important recent tests. This is what we should test ourselves with.

Let's study these words carefully according to the original text of the scripture and the historical meaning.

2 Timothy 3:1 Know, then, that in the last days hard times will come (difficult, dangerous).
2 Timothy 3:2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemous, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, ungodly, unfriendly,
2 Timothy 3:3 irreconcilable, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving what is good,
2 Timothy 3:4 traitorous, arrogant, pompous, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Get rid of those.

For people will:

• Self-loving, selfish, selfish - people will demand attention to them, so that they are considered, they deserve more ...
• Those who love money are money-loving - people will argue that they need money, that they cannot live without money in these times, there is not enough money. People will find various reasons why they cannot give to God, but the love of money will stand behind this.
• Proud talker, bouncer - Who boasts of his achievements, exaggerates the facts, speaks of the oppression of others for the sake of satisfying their own interests.
• Arrogant, arrogant, considers himself superior to others - people will measure themselves not by biblical standards, but by human or worldly standards. I have more power because... I understand more because I...
• The slanderer, the detractor are slanderous - people will complain about the country, about the environment, about utilities, about price increases, but about others in the church and about anything.
• Disobedient, stubborn people are disobedient to parents - people will find any reasons justifying their disobedience and disobedience to their parents. They will come to pastors and complain about their parents. They will blame their parents for their failures.
• Ungrateful ungrateful - people will perceive many things as ordinary, without even thanking God for it. “I am alive today, yes I am glad, but I am not the only one, and others live too. But I don't have much money. What should I do?"
• The wicked are vicious, impure - a person who lacks inner purity. The person is not bad in appearance, but he has a vice that he knows about, but with which he lives. "I smoke, but I pray a lot"
• Unfriendly dry, hard, not loving - this is the opposite word for love "storge". People incapable of loving spouses or children. They are in themselves. Their feelings are not clear. They are not emotional. He earns money, and she cooks food for him, and there are no feelings. She gets into bed and just endures. He just goes home because this is home.
• Irreconcilable - this word denotes a person unable to find a common language with others.
• Slanderers are people who encourage disputes between others. They tell others about the misdeeds of others. They come to church leaders and talk about how someone is doing, while demanding punishment for those responsible. This is exactly what the devil does when he accuses people before God.
• intemperate weak, not able to control himself - people who are not able to restrain their language or emotions.
• cruelly ill-mannered, wild, rude - people will hurt others with their actions or words.
• those who do not love the good - people will criticize the good. Whatever others do, they will find moments to point out a catch or imperfection. “Yes, I see what you did, but you should know… It’s all good, but don’t forget…”
• traitors are those who leave others in trouble - people will not care what happens to others, they will only think about their own skin.
• insolently hurried, careless - This word meant a lack of self-control, haste. This word referred to impulsive people who give in to their impulses like a restive horse. Due to the fact that they are unrestrained, these people will bring a lot of harm to themselves and others.
• pompous presumptuous - people will rely on themselves and they will not want to accept advice and help from others.
• more voluptuous than God-loving who love pleasure more than God - people will neglect Christian norms and principles for the sake of their happiness and arrangement.
• having a form of piety,
• those who forsake his powers - people will be satisfied that they go to church and they will not care whether God acts through them or not.
• Move away from such - turn away, run away, move away from yourself. A strong verb indicating that you need to literally run away from such people and have nothing to do with them.

Paul gives a sentence for those people who fall under this list. This sounds very strict given that we are used to "carrying" people to let them go and feel sorry for them. But the days will come when we will have to literally follow this command of Paul. And there will be many insults... but alas... Paul was not mistaken... so it will be safer for the church.

So we see that in the last days, there will be much uncleanness and sin in the church. And these are not sins such as murder or theft, but disguised so that you can live in them and not even understand that this is a sin. Many people think and will think that this is their character or habits, but that is sin according to Paul and that is a sign of the perilous times of the end-time church.

2. Great division in the end-time church

(Mat. 13:40-42) Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather (choose, uproot) from His Kingdom all temptations (stumbling) and those who do (living in sin) iniquity (sins), and cast them into a fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth;

gather from His kingdom all the stumbling blocks

There will be a sharp rejection in the churches of certain Christian principles, traditions, rules, ordinances, and attitudes that have created controversy, temptation, and stumbling block in the Kingdom of God. This, in turn, will cause a corresponding reaction - there will be a division.

Those who believed in these ideas, views and revelations will face a choice, or they will change their minds and say goodbye to past understandings, or they will enter into opposition to the leadership of the church and sooner or later leave it.

they will gather ... those who do iniquity

Angels will begin to lead the sons of the Devil out of the Kingdom of God. There will be movement from churches, centers, missions, ministries, Christian businesses, etc.

People will start finding all sorts of reasons, there will be grievances, conflicts and the like, which will force them to leave this society. Behind this movement will be the angels of God.

The church will literally be divided into two halves before the coming of the Lord. Half will enter the feast, half will remain at the door.

(Mat. 25:1-2) Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who, having taken their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish.

(Mat. 25:10-12) When they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut; Then the other virgins also come and say: Lord! God! open to us. And he answered and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

The foolish virgins will ask the wise for oil, but they will refuse and this will bring division. The foolish will go looking for oil. Thus, these two groups will separate from each other. It is not known exactly who the "virgins" are - churches, denominations, unions, anointed ones ... but what is clear is that some will leave others - they will be divided.

So we see that in the last days there will be not only apostasy but also division in the church. Behind this will stand and keep everything under control of God's angels. Angels will be sent to remove the causes of divisions and temptations in the churches and those people who commit sin and all these temptations and divisions.

We must be ready for this and not run after everyone who slams the church door and leaves our meeting. God will bring some people to other churches to connect with a living body, but others will be separated from a healthy church. This is God's work, not ours.

3. Great Awakening in the End Time Church

It is the preaching of the Gospel by all means and means existing in the world. All technical discoveries and inventions of the world will be used to preach the Gospel. The church will not sit in basements and read the Bible by candlelight. There will be persecution in places, but this will not apply to the entire church. It is said that to hear everything and then the end will come.

(Mat. 24:14) And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.

Many people who will repent as a result of this will come into the kingdom of God in His church.

(Is.2:2-3) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be set at the head of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it. And many nations will go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

What do we do?

We cannot be in one thing and not notice or ignore something else. We need to know that all of these things will be happening explicitly and simultaneously in the end-time church.

There will be a great apostasy, which means that we must constantly check our lives and hearts according to the scripture so as not to be in the ranks of these apostates. 2 Timothy has a list of these characteristics and guidance for pastors in the last days.

There will be a great division - we must respond correctly to this and be at peace. Some people will be led into the church by the angels of God to take their rightful place and live. Other people will be led out of the churches by angels and we do not need to prevent this - let them go. Many doctrines, understandings, revelations of the church will also be revised and found to be not true. The angels will remove it from the church.

There will be a great awakening - we must take part in it and be a part of it.

Commentary on the book

Section comment

1-5 Wed Matthew 24:10-12. "Last days" is an expression reflecting the confidence of the first Christians in the imminent end of the world. " Having a form of godliness"-like the false prophets, which have already been proclaimed ( Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:4-5; Mt 24:24). Before the coming of the day of the Lord (cf. 1 Tim 4:1) there will be an increase in wickedness.

This epistle of St. Paul is dying. Much has changed since his first imprisonment in Rome. Shortly after the release of the apostle, in the summer of 64, a fire broke out in the capital. Wanting to ward off the charge of arson, Nero declared the Christians responsible for the catastrophe. "A huge number" of them were given to the wild beasts, burned and crucified, as Tacitus testifies (Annals XV, 44). It is believed that Saint Peter was also executed. Ap Paul at that time was no longer in the city. Having visited, as the legend says, the western outskirts of the empire (Spain), he returned to the Balkans. At the end of the reign of Nero (c. 66), he again arrived in Rome, where he was arrested. It is not known what charges he was charged with, but apparently his arrest was connected with a new wave of government repression. This time, his bonds were much tighter. Many friends, frightened, left him. There was no longer any hope of release. Foreseeing his imminent death, the apostle wrote a letter to his "beloved son" Timothy, which is considered as his will. Since - according to ancient tradition - Paul was executed during the reign of Nero (Eusebius. Church. History, II, 25), then 2 Tim could not be written later than 67 years.

In this epistle we find instructions to the minister of the Church, a call to courageously meet both the persecution of external enemies and the attacks of false teachers. 2 Tim is evidence of the steadfast, unbending faith and hope of the apostle for the fulfillment of the plan of the Lord.

1. The Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle are - after the Gospels - the most important document of the sacred NT writing. Addressed to individual church communities, even during the life of the apostle they enjoyed authority among many Christians: they were read at prayer meetings, copied, and distributed. As Acts and Epistles show, St. Paul was not the only teacher and evangelizer of early Christianity. Others worked alongside him. There were circles of influence of ap Peter, ap John, James the Brother of the Lord. Not everywhere was the gospel of St. Paul met with full understanding. But gradually by the end of the 1st c. The Church accepted his Epistles as the divinely inspired apostolic expression of the basic truths of the gospel teaching. The fact that these truths were revealed to a person who did not know Jesus Christ during His earthly life testifies to the unceasing action of the Son of God and the Spirit of the Lord. At the time of St. Paul's preaching, the four canonical gospels did not yet exist. When they appeared, it became apparent how much the true Spirit of Christ permeated his gospel and theology.

2. Information about the life of St. Paul is contained in the Acts and Epistles. Here we will indicate only the main milestones in the biography of the "apostle of the nations." Saul (Paul) was born in Tarsus of Cilicia in southern Asia Minor in the early years of A.D. into a family of zealous followers of the Law, who belonged to the school of the Pharisees (Acts 22:3; Phlp 3:5). His parents sent him to Jerusalem, where he studied under the "patriarch" of the Pharisees, Gamaliel I (Acts 22:3). In 35-36 years. Saul was a witness and participant in the massacre of St. Stephen and fiercely persecuted Hellenistic Christians (Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1; Acts 8:3; Gal 1:13-14). Then there was his sudden conversion (Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:4-16; Acts 26:12-18; Gal 1:15). Becoming a follower of Christ, Saul lived in Nabatea for three years (Gal 1:17), preached in Damascus, where he was subjected to the first persecution (Acts 9:19-25). Around the year 39 he visited Jerusalem and met the Apostle Peter and James (Gal 1:18-19). From 39 to 43 years. he remained at home in Tarsus, from where he was called by ap Barnabas to participate in the work in the field of the Lord (Acts 11). In 46 he brought donations to the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 11:28-30). From 45 to 49, the 1st missionary journey of St. Paul lasted (together with App Barnabas and Mark). He visits Fr. Cyprus and the cities of Pamphylia and Pisidia (south of M. Asia). In 49 or 50, he is again in Jerusalem, where the "apostolic council" takes place, which abolished the obligation for non-Jewish Christians to observe the OT rites. From 50 to 52 Paul bypasses Syria, Asia Minor and landed on the European coast for the first time. He founds churches in the Balkans (2nd missionary journey, Acts 15:36-18:22). The 3rd trip was undertaken to visit and spiritually strengthen the communities he had already founded (Acts 18:23-21:16). The apostle bypasses the cities of M. Asia, Macedonia, Greece and sails from the Asia Minor port of Miletus to Palestine. In the year 58 the apostle arrived in Jerusalem. There he was attacked by fanatics and taken under escort to Caesarea, the seat of the Roman procurator (Acts 21:27 f.). The Apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years. He turned down the offer of the governor of Festus to be tried in Jerusalem and demanded the judgment of Caesar (Acts 25:9-11); he was sent by ship to the capital. He reached the shores of Italy and in 60 arrived in Rome. The Acts story ends at A.D. 63. There is reason to believe that Paul was justified and carried out his plan to visit the western frontier of the empire, Spain (Rom. 16:23-24). When he came to Rome a second time (c. 67), he was again arrested (2 Tim 1:15-17) and sentenced to death. By this time, the imperial authorities already knew about the existence of Christians (in 64, for the first time, a “huge multitude” of believers in Christ, who were accused of setting fire to the city, were executed for the first time). As a Roman citizen, St. Paul was beheaded.

Tracing the fate of the Pauline Epistles is much more difficult than the events of his life. It is not known who and when collected the selected epistles of the apostle into one book (not all of them were included in the collection, cf. 1 Cor 5:9). 2 Peter 3:15-16 hints at the existence of such a collection. Paul's epistles are known to St. Clement of Rome (90s of the 1st century), St. Ignatius of Antioch (beginning of the 2nd century) and St. Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 110-120). At the end of the II century. The Muratorian canon already included 13 Pauline Epistles (except Heb) in Holy Scripture. OK. In 144, the heretic Marcion published the first collection of Epistles known to us (Gal 1-2, Cor, Rom, 1-2 Thess, Eph, Col, Phil, Phlm; cf. St. Epiphanius. Against heresies, 42).

4. Ap Paul speaks of “his gospel”, but this does not mean at all that he considers himself the founder of a new religion and preaches his own doctrine (Rom. 2:16; Rom. 14:24); not for a moment does he let his readers forget that he sees in himself only a follower, minister, apostle of Jesus Christ. The "Paul's Gospel" has four sources, to which he quite definitely points out: 1) direct revelation received by the apostle from the Risen Christ (see, for example, Gal 1:11-12); 2) everything that Paul "received" through the witnesses of the earthly life of the Lord and through the apostolic Tradition (Acts 9:10 ff; 1 Cor 7:10, 1 Cor 7:25; Rom 6:17; Gal 1:18); 3) Holy Scripture of the OT, in which the apostle saw the true Word of God (2 Tim 3:16); 4) The tradition of the OT Church, especially that which was developed in the era of the Second Temple. Many theological concepts and interpretations of St. Paul learned in the school of his teachers-rabbis (in particular, Gamaliel). Traces of influence on the apostle of Hellenistic thought are insignificant. He was hardly well-read in the works of ancient authors. In the Epistles one finds only oblique allusions to their doctrines (for example, Stoicism), which were widespread in that era.

Theological St. Paul's teaching is the gospel of salvation and freedom. Briefly, it can be reduced to the following scheme. The purpose of the Creator is for the benefit of all creation. This plan is the "mystery" of God, which is revealed to people gradually. The dark forces that have rebelled against the Creator oppose the realization of the divine Will. They brought corruption into nature and sin into people's lives. Since humanity was created as a kind of single superorganism (“Adam”), its infection with sin became an obstacle to Adam's communion with the highest divine Good. The primordial (“Old”) Adam is, however, only an image (prototype) of the coming renewed and saved humanity, the soul or head of which was the “New Adam”, Christ. Ap Paul does not use the messianic title "Son of Man" because it was little understood by his non-Jewish readers. Nevertheless, the very concept of the Son of Man as the Messiah in whom all the faithful dwell (Dan 7:13-14, Dan 7:18, Dan 7:27), Paul retains. The apostle considers his redemptive mission in the light of the prophecy about the Servant (Servant) of the Lord (Is 53). In accordance with the teachings of late Judaism, Saint Paul divides Holy History into two eons (ages) - the old and the new, i.e. messianic, which came from the moment of the appearance of Jesus. In the new eon, the Law of the Old Testament ceases to be obligatory, for the Messiah opens up another, more perfect way of salvation. Satan and sin reign in the old aeon (OT). To make people aware of their imperfection, they were given the Law of Moses. But the opportunity to overcome evil is brought not by the Law, but by the grace-filled power coming from Christ. Having united with fallen humanity, the Sinless One grants salvation to sinners. It is carried out in spiritual union with Christ through trust in Him, faith in Him. Faith is an act of free will. Faith is not reduced to the fulfillment of this or that ritual and ethical regulation, it is “life in Christ”, “imitation” of Him, a mystical union with Him, making the faithful the one Body of Christ. Jesus is the only "Intercessor", the Mediator between the Divinity and the created world, for He unites in Himself the divine Beginning and the human beginning. Baptism and the Eucharist are external signs of the free acceptance of faith, and in everyday life - love, active goodness, service to one's neighbors. Without love, even faith has no power, is not true faith. The apostle sees the completion of earthly history and God's plan in the complete victory of Light and the destruction of sin and death. The saving deeds of the Lord will be crowned with a common resurrection and the life of the future age.

The style of the Epistles of St. Paul is highly original. He usually dictated them, and therefore they retain the imprint of lively, direct speech. They combine inspired sermons, exhortations, polemics, theological reflections, autobiographical elements, discussion of private problems and worldly requests. Sometimes the messages of the apostle turn into real hymns and prayers, introducing us into the world of the mystical experience of the saint. Written in the tension of all spiritual forces, the Epistles reflect the character, feelings, moral character of the author. At first glance, there is no clear sequence of thought in them, but on closer reading, its main direction always emerges.

Paul was fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek (perhaps also Latin), and this was reflected in his epistles. Their construction betrays a person of Semitic culture, but who has well mastered the Greek manner of expression. Scripture he quotes from the Septuagint; the imagery and spirit of the Bible permeate every line of Paul.

The epistles were written between the 50s and 60s (more on the dating will be discussed later in the notes).

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1 The Last Days . Christians of the apostolic age believed that they had already entered the "last days" ( Heb 1:1; cf. Acts 2:17). And here the apostle certainly understands not some very distant times, but in general the "later" days. This is proved by the fact that the apostle advises Timothy to “depart” from the people who will live in these last days: it is clear that Timothy will see them ( Art. 5). The use of the present tense in speech about future false teachers also speaks of the same ( Art. 6 and 8).

2 People - humanity in its mass. - Selfish. Self-love is the main driving cause of human corruption.

5 Get away from those, i.e. from all the above people. Obviously, the apostle saw that such people were already full of people in the environment in which Timothy moved, namely in Christian society (cf. 2 Thess 2:7). In time it's unholy 2:16 ) will only reach the highest degree of tension. But in the last days, the wicked will not yet act as openly as they did during Ap. Paul, for example. declaring that the resurrection has already happened.

Ap life. Paul

In the life of the Apostle Paul, one must distinguish: 1) his life as a Jew and a Pharisee, 2) his conversion, and 3) his life and work as a Christian and an apostle.

I. The Apostle Paul before his conversion. Paul was born in the Cilician city of Tarsus, located on the border between Syria and Asia Minor ( Acts 21:39). He was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin ( Rom 11:1 And Phil 3:5). His original name was Saul or Saul, and was probably given to him in memory of the first king of the Jews, who came from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul's parents belonged, according to their convictions, to the Pharisees' party, which was distinguished by strict diligence in relation to the law of Moses ( Acts 23:6; cf. Phil 3:5). Probably for some merit, father or grandfather. Paul received the rights of a Roman citizen - a circumstance that turned out to be useful for St. Paul during his missionary work Acts 16:37ff.; 22:25-29 ; 23:27 ).

The language spoken in Paul's family was, no doubt, then in common use in the Jewish communities of Syria - Syro-Chaldean. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that Saul, while still a boy, became quite familiar with the Greek language, which was spoken by the majority of the inhabitants of Tarsus - the Greeks. Tarsus, at the time of A. Paul, was in relation to the education of the inhabitants a rival of Athens and Alexandria, and therefore the apostle, with his talent and curiosity, could hardly pass by Greek literature without familiarizing himself with it. At least, on the basis of his messages and speeches, one can conclude that he was acquainted with some Greek poets. The first quote he makes from the Greek poets belongs to the Cilician poet Aratus and is also found in Cleanthes - this is precisely the word: "we are His kind!" ( Acts 17:28). The second is borrowed from Menander ( 1 Cor 15:30), the third - by the Cretan poet Epimenides ( Tit 1:12). The likelihood of the hypothesis of his some acquaintance with Greek literature is also evidenced by the fact that the apostle had to speak with his speeches before the educated Athenians, and for this he had to at least become somewhat familiar with their religious and philosophical views, since they were expressed in the poetic creations of Greek thinkers. In the East, in big cities, even now there are quite a few people who speak two or three languages. And such people are found in the lower classes of society.

However, Paul's upbringing and education undoubtedly went in the direction of Judaism and rabbinism: this is evidenced by his peculiar dialectic, and his method of presentation, as well as his style. It is very likely that, in view of his special gifts, he was already early appointed to the rabbinic ministry. Perhaps for this, Pavel's parents took care to learn his trade as a seamstress of tents (σκηνοποιός - Acts 18:3): according to the Jewish view, the rabbi had to stand independently of his students in relation to material support (Pirke Abot ., II, 2).

If we pay attention to all these circumstances of Paul's childhood, we will fully understand his grateful feelings with which he spoke later: " God who chose me from my mother's womb" (Gal 1:15). If indeed it was Paul's task to free the gospel from the veils of Judaism in order to offer it in a purely spiritual form to the pagan world, then the apostle had to combine in himself two apparently opposite conditions. First of all, he had to come out of the depths of Judaism, because only in this case could he thoroughly know what life under the law is, and be convinced by his own experience of the uselessness of the law for the salvation of man. On the other hand, he had to be free from the national Jewish antipathy towards the pagan world, which was especially permeated by Palestinian Judaism. Did not the circumstance that he grew up among the Greek culture, with which he shows a rather good acquaintance, help him in part to open the doors of the kingdom of God to the pagans of the whole world? Thus, Jewish legalism, Greek education and Roman citizenship - these are the advantages that the apostle had with his spiritual gifts, especially received by him from Christ, which he needed as a preacher of the Gospel throughout the world.

When Jewish boys reached the age of 12, they were usually taken to Jerusalem for the first time for one of the most important holidays: from that time on, they became, according to the then expression, "sons of the law." It was probably the same with Paul. But he remained in Jerusalem after that to live, I think with relatives, in order to enter the rabbinic school there (cf. Acts 23:16). At that time, Gamaliel, a disciple of the famous Hillel, was famous in Jerusalem for his knowledge of the law, and the future apostle settled down "at the feet of Gamaliel" ( Acts 22:3), becoming his diligent student. Although the teacher himself was not a man of extreme views, his student became an ardent reader of the law of Moses both in theory and in practice ( Gal 1:14; Phil 3:6). He directed all the forces of his will towards the realization of the ideal outlined in the law and in the interpretations of the fathers, in order to be rewarded for this with a glorious position in the kingdom of the Messiah.

Paul had three qualities rarely combined in a person, which already at that time attracted the attention of his superiors: strength of mind, firmness of will and liveliness of feeling. But in appearance, Paul did not make a particularly favorable impression. Barnabas in Lycaonia was declared to be Jupiter, and Paul - only Mercury, from which it can be seen that the first was much more impressive than the second ( Acts 14:12). However, one can hardly attach importance to the testimony of the apocryphal work of the 2nd century - Acta Pauli et Theclae, where Paul is depicted as a man of small stature, bald and with a large nose ... Whether Paul was a man of a sickly physique, it is difficult to say anything definite about this. Occasionally, he really did get sick ( Gal 4:13), but this did not prevent him from going around almost the entire south of Europe at that time. As for the "angel of Satan" given to him ( 2 Corinthians 12:7), then this expression does not necessarily indicate bodily illness, but can also be interpreted in the sense of special persecution, which Paul was subjected to in carrying out his missionary work.

The Jews usually married early. Was Paul married? Clement of Alexandria And Eusebius of Caesarea, and behind them Luther and the reformers gave an affirmative answer to this question. But the tone in which Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians of the gift given to him (v. 7) may rather serve as a basis for the supposition that Paul was unmarried.

Did Paul see Jesus Christ during his stay in Jerusalem? This is very probable, in view of the fact that Paul was in Jerusalem at great feasts, and the Lord Jesus Christ also came here at this time. But in the epistles of the Apostle Paul there is not a single indication of this (the words 2 Corinthians 5:16, indicate only the carnal nature of the Messianic expectations common among the Jews).

Having reached the age of thirty, Paul, as the most zealous Pharisee and hater of the new, Christian, teaching, which seemed to him a deceit, was instructed by the Jewish authorities to persecute the adherents of the new sect - Christians, then still called by the Jews simply "Nazarite heretics" ( Acts 24:5). He was present at the assassination of St. Stephen and participated in the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, and then went to Damascus, the main city of Syria, with letters from the Sanhedrin, which authorized him to continue his inquisitorial activities in Syria.

II. Appeal. Paul finds no joy in his work. As can be seen from Romans 7, Paul was aware that he had a very serious obstacle in the way of realizing the ideal of righteousness ordained by law - namely, lust (v. 7). The painful feeling of his impotence in doing good was, if I may say so, a negative instance in the preparation of the turning point that took place with Paul on the road to Damascus. In vain did he try to satiate his soul, which was seeking righteousness, with the intensity of his activity aimed at defending the law: he failed to quench the thought that gnawed at his heart that you would not achieve salvation with the law...

But it would be completely contrary to the whole history of Paul to explain this change that took place in him as a natural consequence of his spiritual development. Some theologians present the event that happened to Paul on the road to Damascus as a purely subjective phenomenon that took place only in the mind of Paul. Holsten (in his essay: " About the Gospel of Peter and Paul") gives some witty considerations in favor of such a hypothesis, but even Baur, the teacher of Holsten, who also considered the appearance of Christ at the conversion of Paul "an external reflection of the spiritual activity" of the apostle, could not but admit that this event remains highly mysterious. The Apostle Paul himself looks at his conversion as a matter of forcing him on the part of Christ, who chose him as his instrument in the salvation of people ( 1 Corinthians 9:16,18, cf. 5-6). With this view of the apostle, the message about the fact itself, which is in the book of Acts, is also consistent. Paul's conversion is mentioned three times in the book of Acts ( Acts 9:1-22; 22:3-16 And 26:9-20 ), and everywhere in these places one can find indications that the companions of the Apostle Paul really noticed something mysterious that happened to Paul himself, and that this mysterious thing was done sensually to a certain extent, was accessible to perception. They did not see the face that spoke to Paul, says the book of Acts ( 9:7 ), but saw a radiance that was brighter than noonday light ( 20:9 ; 26:13 ); they did not clearly hear the words spoken to Paul ( 22:9 ), but the sounds of voices were heard ( 9:7 ). From this, in any case, one should draw the conclusion that the "appearance at Damascus" was objective, external.

Paul himself was so sure of this that in 1 Corinthians ( 1 Corinthians 9:1), in order to prove the validity of his apostolic calling, refers to this very fact of "seeing the Lord by him." IN 1 Cor ch. 15th of the same epistle, he puts this phenomenon along with the appearances of the Risen Christ to the apostles, separating it from his later visions. And the purpose of this chapter proves that he was not thinking here of anything else than the external, bodily appearance of Christ, for this purpose is to clarify the reality of the Lord’s bodily resurrection, in order to draw a conclusion from this fact about the reality of the resurrection of bodies in general. But inner visions could never serve as proof of either Christ's bodily resurrection or ours. It should also be noted that when the apostle speaks of visions, he treats them with severe criticism. So he speaks hesitantly, for example, about his rapture to the third heaven: "I don't know", "God knows" ( 2 Cor 12:1ff.). Here he speaks of the appearance of the Lord to him without any reservations (cf. Gal 1:1).

Renan makes an attempt to explain this phenomenon by some random circumstances (a storm that broke out in Livon, a flash of lightning or a fit of fever in Paul). But to say that such superficial reasons could have such a profound effect on Paul, to change his whole outlook, would be extremely rash. Reus recognizes Paul's conversion as an inexplicable psychological mystery. It is also impossible to agree with other theologians of a negative direction (Golsten, Krenkel, etc.) that in Paul there had long been "two souls" that fought among themselves - one soul of a Jewish fanatic, the other - a person already disposed towards Christ. Pavel was a man poured out, so to speak, from one ingot. If he thought of Jesus on the road to Damascus, he would think of Him with hatred, as is common even now to think of Christ to most Jews. That the Messiah could be presented to him as a heavenly, radiant image is highly unbelievable. The Jews imagined the Messiah as a mighty hero who would be born in Israel, grow up in secrecy, and then appear and lead his people in a victorious struggle against the pagans, followed by his reign in the world. Jesus did not, and therefore Paul could not believe in Him as the Messiah; yet he could picture Him as being in heaven.

With the conversion of Paul, a decisive hour struck in the history of mankind. The time had come when the union that God once concluded with Abraham was to spread to the whole world and embrace all the peoples of the earth. But for such an extraordinary business, an extraordinary person was also needed. The twelve Palestinian apostles were not up to the task, while Paul was, so to speak, prepared by all the circumstances of his life for the task. He was a true vessel of Christ ( Acts 9:15) and was fully aware of it ( Rom 1:1-5).

What happened in Paul's soul during the three days that followed this great event? Hints of this time gives us 6th ch. Epistle to the Romans. From this we see that the apostle then experienced in himself the death of the old man and the resurrection of the new. Saul died, supplying all power in his own righteousness, or, what is the same, in the law, and Paul was born, who believed only in the power of the grace of Christ. Where did his fanatical zeal for the law lead him to? To resist God and to persecute the Messiah and His Church! Paul clearly understood the reason for this result: wishing to base his salvation on his own righteousness, he sought through this to glorify not God, but himself. Now it was no longer a mystery to him that this path of self-justification only leads to inner discord, to spiritual death.

Love for Christ kindled in his soul with a bright flame, kindled in him by the action of the Holy Spirit communicated to him, and he now felt himself capable of completing the feat of obedience and self-denial, which seemed so difficult to him while he was under the yoke of the law. Now he has become not a slave, but a child of God.

Paul now also understood the significance of the various ordinances of the Mosaic Law. He saw how inadequate this law was as a justification. The law was now in his eyes an educational institution of a temporary nature ( Col 2:16-17). Finally, who is the one through whom humanity received all the gifts of God without any assistance from the law? Is this person simple? Now Paul reminded himself that this Jesus, condemned to death by the Sanhedrin, was condemned as a blasphemer who declared himself the Son of God. This statement hitherto seemed to Paul the height of wickedness and deceit. Now he puts this statement in connection with the majestic appearance that happened to him on the road to Damascus, and the knees of Paul bow before the Messiah, not only before the son of David, but also as before the Son of God.

With this change in the understanding of the person of the Messiah, there was in Paul a change in the understanding of the work of the Messiah. While the Messiah appeared to Paul's mind only as the son of David, Paul understood His task as the task of glorifying Israel and extending the power and binding force of the Mosaic law to the whole world. Now God, having revealed to Paul and this son of David according to the flesh, His true Son, the Divine Person, at the same time gave a different direction to Paul's thoughts about the calling of the Messiah. The son of David belonged to Israel alone, and the son of God could only come down to earth to become the redeemer and Lord of all mankind.

All these main points of his gospel Paul found out for himself in the first three days following his conversion. What for the 12 apostles was their three-year relationship with Christ, which ended this circle of their upbringing with the descent of the Holy Spirit on them on the day of Pentecost, was received by Paul through intense inner work during the three days after his calling. If he had not done this hard work on himself, then the very appearance of the Lord for Paul and for the whole world would have remained dead capital (cf. Luke 16:31).

III. Paul's apostolic ministry. Paul became an apostle from the very moment he believed in Christ. This is clearly indicated by the history of his conversion, as it is reported in the book. Acts ( Acts ch. 9); and Paul himself 1 Corinthians 9:16,17). He was forced by the Lord to take on the apostolic ministry, and he immediately fulfilled this command.

Paul's conversion took place probably in the 30th year of his life. His apostolic activity also continued for about 30 years. It is divided into three periods: a) cooking time - about 7 years; b) the actual apostolic activity, or his three great missionary journeys, embracing a time of about 14 years, and c) the time of his imprisonment - two years in Caesarea, two years in Rome, with the addition of the time that elapsed from the release of Paul from the first Roman bonds to his death - about 5 years in total.

a) Although Paul became a full-fledged apostle from the very moment of his calling, yet he did not immediately enter into the work for which he was chosen. It was mainly the pagans who were to be the subject of his concern ( Acts 9:15), but Paul actually begins by preaching to the Jews. He comes to the Jewish synagogue of Damascus and here already meets newcomers from the Gentiles, who are for him a bridge that led him to get acquainted with the purely pagan population of the city. In doing so, Paul showed that he fully recognized the special right of Israel to be the first to hear the message of Christ ( Rom 1:16; 2:9,10 ). And afterwards, Paul never missed an opportunity to pay special respect to the rights and privileges of his people.

He made his first journey with Barnabas. It was not far off: this time Paul visited only the island of Cyprus and the provinces of Asia Minor to the north of it. From that time on, the apostle assimilates himself the name of Paul ( Acts 13:9), consonant with his former name - Saul. He probably changed his name after the custom of the Jews, who, when undertaking a journey through pagan countries, usually replaced their Hebrew names with Greek or Roman ones. (Jesus was made into John, Eliakim into Alkim.) Turning to the pagans during this journey, the apostle undoubtedly proclaimed to them the only means of justification - faith in Christ, without obliging them to fulfill the works of the law of Moses: this is clearly seen both from the very fact that Christ called a new apostle, except for 12, and from the words of Paul himself ( Gal 1:16). Moreover, if already app. Peter found it possible to exempt pagans who converted to Christianity from observing the law of Moses (and, above all, from circumcision - Acts 11:1-2), then one can be all the more sure that already on his first journey, the Apostle of the Gentiles Paul freed them from fulfilling the law of Moses. Thus, the opinion of Gausrath, Sabota, Geus and others that Paul did not yet develop a definite view on the question of the meaning of the law for the Gentiles on his first journey must be recognized as unfounded.

As for how the app looked. Paul in the early days of his missionary work on the meaning of the law of Moses for Christians from the Jews, then this is a more complicated issue. We see that at the Council of Jerusalem, held in the presence of St. Paul after his first journey, the question of the obligation of the law of Moses for Christians from the Jews was not raised: all the members of the council, obviously, recognized that this obligation was beyond doubt.

But Paul's own view was different. From the Epistle to the Galatians we see that he placed all the power of justification of man only in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he had already died to the law since he turned to Christ ( Gal 2:18-20). The twelve apostles were apparently expecting some external event, which would be a signal for the abolition of the law of Moses, for example, the appearance of Christ in His glory, while for the apostle. Paul, the need for this abolition became clear from the very moment of his call. But app. Paul did not want to force the other apostles to take his point of view, but, on the contrary, he himself made concessions to them where they were the heads of the Judeo-Christian communities. And subsequently, he condescended to the views on the law of Moses, which were established in the Judeo-Christians, guided in this case by a feeling of brotherly love ( 1 Corinthians 9:19-22). In view of the fact that his disciple, Timothy, was better received by the Jews, he performed circumcision over him - however, already a considerable time later after Timothy's conversion to Christianity ( Acts 16:1). On the other hand, when it came to the very principle of justification, Paul did not make any concessions: Titus, Greeks, he did not allow to be circumcised during his stay at the Jerusalem Council, because Paul's enemies, who demanded this circumcision, would have accepted the apostle's consent to this as his betrayal of his convictions that the Law of Moses was not binding on Gentile Christians ( Gal 2:3-5).

The Apostolic Council generally ended very favorably for Paul. The Church of Jerusalem and its leading leaders admitted that the newcomers from Jerusalem, Christians from the Jews, who confused the Antiochian Christians, acted wrongly, demanding that the Antiochians, in addition to the Gospel, also accept circumcision, which supposedly made them rightful heirs of the promises of salvation. The apostles of Jerusalem clearly showed that they do not consider it necessary for the pagans who turn to Christ to accept circumcision with all the rites of the Mosaic law. Sermon ap. Paul was recognized here as quite correct and sufficient ( Gal 2:2-3), and app. Paul, as you know, proclaimed to the Gentiles that if they turn to Christ and accept circumcision, then Christ will not bring them any benefit ( Gal 5:2-4). The Council demanded that Gentile Christians observe only the most elementary requirements of purity, known as the "Noah's commandments", while the Levitical rites were thus reduced to the level of simple national customs - no more ( Acts 15:28-29).

On their return to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas took with them Silas, one of the believing men of the Jerusalem church, who had the commission to acquaint the Syrian and Cilician communities with the decision of the apostolic council. Shortly thereafter, Paul set out with Silas on a second missionary journey. This time Paul visited the churches of Asia Minor that he had founded during his first journey. Probably, Paul wanted to visit Ephesus - the center of the religious and mental life of Asia Minor, but God decided otherwise. Not Asia Minor, but Greece demanded an apostle. Retained by his illness in Galatia for quite some time, Paul founded churches there ( Gal 4:14) among the descendants of the Celts who moved here three centuries BC. When Paul and Silas went further from here to preach the Gospel, they had almost no success anywhere and soon found themselves on the shores of the Aegean Sea, in Troad. In a vision it was revealed to Paul here that Europe awaits him, and above all Macedonia. Paul and went to Europe, accompanied by Silas, Timothy, who joined him in Lycaonia, and the doctor Luke ( Acts 16:10. cf. 20:5 ; 21:1 ; 28:1 ).

In a very short time, churches were founded in Macedonia: Philippian, Anfipolis, Thessalonica and Beroia. In all these places, persecutions were raised against Paul by the Roman authorities, because the local Jews presented Christ as a rival to Caesar. From persecution, Paul went further south, and finally arrived in Athens, where he expounded his teaching before the Areopagus, and then settled in Corinth. Having lived here for about two years, during this time he founded many churches throughout Achaia ( 1 Cor 1:1). At the end of this activity, he went to Jerusalem and from there to Antioch.

At this time app. Peter began his missionary journey outside of Palestine. Having visited with Mark Fr. Cyprus, he arrived in Antioch, where Barnabas was at that time. Here, both Peter and Barnabas freely visited the homes of Gentile Christians and ate a meal with them, although this was not entirely consistent with the decision of the Apostolic Council, according to which Jewish believers were obliged to follow the ritual prescriptions of the Mosaic law in relation to food. Peter remembered the symbolic explanation given to him about the conversion of Cornelius ( Acts 10:10ff.), and besides, he believed that moral duties (communication with the brethren) should stand above obedience to the ritual law. Barnabas, from the time of his activity among the pagans, was already accustomed to this subordination of the rite to the spirit of Christian love. But suddenly the Christians sent by James from Jerusalem came to Antioch. They, in all likelihood, should have found out about how the decision of the Apostolic Council is being carried out in Antioch by Christians from Jews, and they, of course, made it clear to Peter and Barnabas that they were doing wrong here, entering into communion at meals with Christians from the Gentiles. This had a great effect on both, and both, in order to avoid temptation for their fellow tribesmen, stopped accepting invitations from pagan Christians to meals.

Peter's act was very important in its consequences. The Gentile Christians of Antioch, who at first had been happy to receive such a famous apostle as Peter, now saw with chagrin that he alienated them, considering them as if unclean. This, of course, in some was bound to produce dissatisfaction with Peter, in others a desire to maintain communion with him at all costs, even with the sacrifice of their freedom from the law. Paul could not but intercede for his spiritual children and, in the knowledge that the law was no longer needed for Christians in general ( Gal 2:19,20), turned to Peter, pointing out the incorrectness of his course of action, his instability. Peter, of course, himself was well aware that the law was no longer needed for Christians, and therefore kept silent at this speech of the Apostle. Paul against him, showing by this that he is in full solidarity with Paul.

After this, Paul undertook a third missionary journey. This time he passed in Galatia and confirmed the Galatians in the faith, who were embarrassed at that time by Judaizing Christians, who pointed out the need for circumcision and the ritual law in general and for Gentile Christians ( Acts 18:23). Then he arrived in Ephesus, where his faithful friends Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, were already waiting for him, probably preparing the ground for Paul's activities here. The two or three years that Paul spent in Ephesus represent the time of the highest development of Paul's apostolic activity. At this time, a whole series of flowering churches appeared, later presented in the Apocalypse under the symbol of seven golden candlesticks, in the midst of which stood the Lord. These are precisely the churches in Ephesus, Miletus, Smyrna, Laodicea, Hieropolis, Colossae, Thyatira, Philadelphia, Sardis, Pergamum, etc. Ap. Paul acted here with such success that paganism began to tremble for its existence, which is confirmed by the rebellion against Paul, excited by the manufacturer of idols - Demetrius.

However, the joy of the great apostle of tongues was overshadowed at this time by the opposition he received from his enemies, the Judaizing Christians. They had nothing against his preaching about the "cross"; they were even pleased that Paul was bringing the pagan world into Christianity, for they saw it as a benefit to the Mosaic law. They were actually striving to elevate the significance of the law, while they looked to the Gospel as a means to this end. Since Paul looked at things just the opposite, the Judaizers began to undermine his authority in every possible way among the pagans he had converted, and above all in Galatia. They told the Galatians that Paul was not a true apostle, that the law of Moses had eternal significance, and that without it Christians were not guaranteed from the danger of falling under the bondage of sin and vice. The apostle therefore had to send a letter from Ephesus to the Galatians, in which he refuted all these false ideas. This epistle seems to have had the desired success, and the authority of Paul and his teachings was again established in Galatia ( 1 Cor 16:1).

Then the Judaizers turned their efforts to another field. They appeared in the churches founded by Paul in Macedonia and Achaia. Here again they tried to undermine Paul's authority and to make the people suspicious of the purity of his moral character. Mostly they had success with their slanders against Paul in Corinth, and the apostle in his 2nd epistle to the Corinthians arm himself with all his might against these enemies, calling them ironically super-apostles ( ὑπερλίαν οἱ ἀπόστολοι ). In all likelihood, these were those priests who converted to Christianity ( Acts 6:7) and Pharisees ( 15:5 ), who, being proud of their education, did not want to obey the apostles at all and thought to take their place in the churches. Perhaps they are understood by Paul under the name of Christ ( 1 Cor 1:12), i.e., those who recognized only the authority of Christ Himself and did not want to obey any of the apostles. However, the apostle even managed to restore his shaken authority in the Corinthian church with his first epistle to the Corinthians, and his second epistle to the Corinthians already testifies that his enemies in Corinth had already recognized themselves as defeated (see ch. 1 Cor ch. 7th). Therefore, at the end of the year 57, Paul again visited Corinth and stayed here for about three months. It is believed that the apostle had been to Corinth twice before (cf. 2 Cor 13:2). .

From Corinth, through Macedonia, Paul went to Jerusalem with donations for the poor Christians of the Jerusalem church, collected in Greece. Here James and the presbyters informed Paul that he was rumored among Jewish Christians as an enemy of the law of Moses. To show the groundlessness of these rumors, Paul, on the advice of the presbyters, performed over himself in Jerusalem the rite of initiation into Nazirites. By this Paul did nothing contrary to his convictions. The main thing for him was to walk in love, and, guided by love for his fellow tribesmen, leaving time for their final emancipation from the Mosaic law, he took a vow as something completely external, an obligation that did not affect and did not change his essential convictions. This event was the reason for his arrest and from here begins a new period of his life.

c) After his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul was sent to Caesarea to be tried by the Roman procurator Felix. He stayed here for two years until Felix was recalled (in 1960). In the year 61, he appeared before the new procurator, Festus, and, as his case was dragging on, he, as a Roman citizen, demanded that he be sent to trial in Rome. He made his journey with considerable delays, and only in the spring of the following year did he arrive in Rome. From the last two verses of Acts, we learn that he spent two years here as a prisoner, however, enjoying a rather significant freedom of communication with his believing co-workers who visited him, who brought him news about distant churches and delivered messages from him (to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippians).

This message ends the book of Acts. Hence, the life of the apostle can be described either on the basis of tradition, or on the basis of some passages from his epistles. It is most likely, as confirmed by the Church Fathers, that Paul, after a two-year stay in Rome, was released and again visited the churches of the East and then preached as far west as Spain. A monument to this last activity of the apostle are his so-called pastoral epistles, which cannot be attributed to any of the earlier periods of his ministry.

Since none of the Spanish churches ascribes descent from the Apostle Paul, it is likely that the Apostle Paul was arrested immediately after he entered the soil of Spain, and was sent immediately to Rome. The martyrdom of the apostle, which the apostle received on the street leading to Ostia There is now a basilica called S. Paolo fuori le mara.See about this in the brochure: I. Frey. Die letzten Lebensjahre des Paulus. 1910. , as the Roman presbyter Caius (2nd century) says about this, followed in the 66th or 67th, according to the historian Eusebius.

To establish the chronology of the life of the Apostle Paul, for this you need to use two solid dates - the date of his journey to Jerusalem with Barnabas in the 44th year ( Acts 12 ch.) and the date of his speech at the trial before Festus in the year 61 ( Acts 25 ch.).

Festus died the same year he arrived in Palestine. Therefore, Paul could have been sent by him to Rome - at the latest - in the autumn of 61 AD. The captivity of the apostle in Jerusalem, which happened two years before, followed, therefore, in 59

The third missionary journey of Paul, preceding this captivity, embraced the almost three-year stay of the apostle in Ephesus ( Acts 19:8,10; 20:31 ), his journey through Greece with a rather long stay in Achaia ( Acts 20:3) and travel to Jerusalem. Thus, the autumn of 54 AD can be considered the beginning of this third journey.

The second missionary journey, in Greece, could not last less than two years ( Acts 18:11-18) and therefore began in the autumn of 52.

The Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, which was very shortly before this journey, probably took place at the beginning of the year 52 or at the end of the year 51.

The first missionary journey of Paul with Barnabas in Asia Minor with a two-time stay in Antioch embraced the two previous years and began, therefore, in the 49th year.

Moving further back, we come to the moment when Barnabas took Paul with him to Antioch. It was about the year 44. How much time Paul had previously spent in Tarsus, in the bosom of his family, it is impossible to establish exactly - it could very well be about four years, so that Paul's first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion can be attributed to the 40th year.

This visit was preceded by Paul's journey to Arabia ( Gal 1:18) and a two-time stay in Damascus. He himself takes three years to do this ( Gal 1:18). Thus Paul's conversion took place probably in the year 37.

In the year of conversion, Paul could have been about 30 years old, therefore, we can attribute his birth to the 7th year A.D. If he died in the 67th year, then his whole life was about 60 years old.

The following considerations convince us of the correctness of this chronology:

1) Pilate, as you know, was dismissed from the post of procurator in the 36th year. Before the arrival of the new procurator, the Jews could afford the usurper act - the execution of Stephen, which they would not dare to do under the procurator, since the Romans took away their right to carry out executions. Thus, the death of Stephen could have taken place at the end of the 36th or the beginning of the 37th, and after this, as is known, the conversion of Paul followed.

2) The journey of Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem in connection with the famine of 44 is confirmed by secular historians, who say that under the emperor Claudius in the 45th or 46th famine befell Palestine.

3) In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says that he went to Jerusalem for the apostolic council 14 years after his conversion. If this council took place in the year 51, then Paul's conversion took place in the year 37.

Thus, the chronology of the life of ap. Paul takes the following form:

7-37. Paul's life as a Jew and a Pharisee.

37-44. The years of his preparation for apostolic activity and his first experiences in this activity.

45-51. The first missionary journey, together with a two-time stay in Antioch, and the apostolic cathedral.

52-54. Second missionary journey and church planting in Greece (two epistles to Thessalonica) In Greece, in the city of Delphi, a letter carved on a stone by Emperor Claudius to the Delphians is kept. In this letter, Gallio, the brother of the philosopher Seneca, is named the proconsul of Greece, the same one to whose trial the ap. Paul by his enemies, the Jews in Corinth. The well-known scholar Deisman, in his article on this monument (appended to Deisman's Paulus. 1911, pp. 159-177), proves that the letter was written between the beginning of August 52 and August 1, 52. From this he concludes that Gallio was proconsul in that year and probably took office on April 1, 51, or even later, in the summer. Paul had already been before Gallio's accession to the proconsulship at Corinth in 1½; therefore, he arrived in Greece, and specifically in Corinth, in the 1st month of the 50th year, and left from here at the end of the summer of the 51st year. Thus, according to Deisman, the second missionary journey of the apostle lasted from the end of the year 49 to the end of the year 51... But such an assumption still rests on insufficiently solid grounds. .

54-59. Third missionary journey; sojourn in Ephesus; visiting Greece and Jerusalem (epistles: to the Galatians, two to the Corinthians, to the Romans).

59 (summer) - 61 (autumn). Captivity of Paul in Jerusalem; captivity in Caesarea.

61 (autumn) - 62 (spring). Journey to Rome, shipwreck, arrival in Rome.

62 (spring) - 64 (spring). Staying in Roman bonds (epistles to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, Philippine).

64 (spring) - 67. Liberation from Roman bonds, second captivity in Rome and martyrdom there (epistles to the Hebrews and pastoral).

Addition.

a) The personality of the apostle Paul. From the circumstances of the life of the apostle Paul, one can deduce the concept of what the personality of this apostle was like. First of all, it must be said that Paul was alien to the spirit of any pedantry. It often happens that great public figures are extremely pedantic in carrying out their convictions: they do not want to take into account the reasonable requirements of life at all. But app. Paul, with all the confidence in the truth of his convictions regarding the significance of the Law of Moses and the grace of Christ in the matter of justifying man, nevertheless, as needed, either performed circumcision on his disciples, or opposed it (the story of Titus and Timothy - see ch. Gal 2:3 And Acts 16:3). Not recognizing himself as obligated to fulfill the law of Moses, however, in order to avoid temptation for Jerusalem Christians, he took the Nazarite vow ( Acts 21:20ff.). In the same way, the apostle judges differently on the question of food in Romans than in Colossians (cf. Rome 14 And Col 2).

To this indulgence, the apostle found strength in Christian love, which completely possessed his heart. Wherever there was still the possibility of salvation for people, even to the smallest degree, there he used all the efforts of a loving father or even a loving mother to save his spiritual children from perdition. So, he put a lot of work on converting the Galatians and Corinthians to obedience to Christ. But he was not afraid to express final condemnation to those who did not see any signs of repentance ( 2 Tim 4:14; 1 Cor 5:5), who went against the very foundations of the Christian faith ( Gal 5:12). And, again, where it was only about the grief inflicted on him personally, there he always knew how to forget and forgive his offenders ( Gal 4:19) and even prayed to God for them ( 2 Corinthians 13:7).

Recognizing himself in everything as a true servant of God and looking at the churches he built as his merit before the Judgment Seat of Christ ( 1 Tim 2:1,9ff., 2 Corinthians 6:4; Phil 2:16; 4:1 ), Paul, however, never wanted to put any pressure on them with his great authority. He left the churches themselves to arrange their internal affairs, having the confidence that love for Christ would keep them within certain limits and that the Holy Spirit would help them in their infirmities ( 2 Corinthians 5:14; Rom 8:26). He, however, was not a stranger to what was especially important in various churches, and with his spirit was present at the analysis of the most serious church matters, sometimes sending his decisions on these matters from afar ( 1 Corinthians 5:4).

At the same time, however, App. Paul always showed sober judgment and the ability to practically look at the matter. He most skillfully restrained the impulses of persons who were under the special charm of the gift of tongues. He knew how to find something to say to those Christians who, in anticipation of the imminent coming of Christ, had completely abandoned all kinds of work. He demanded from his spiritual children only what they could do. Thus, in relation to the marriage life, he makes less stringent requirements for the Corinthians than for the Thessalonians. In particular, Paul showed great prudence in the work of his missionary calling. When he went to the work of enlightening Europe, he took advantage of those convenient roads that the Romans either renewed or arranged again, and at the same time stopped in such cities that, either by their trade, or as Roman colonies, stood in lively relations with others. The latter circumstance was a guarantee that from here the gospel would spread to new places. The apostle showed his wisdom in the fact that he sent his best message, outlining his teachings, to the capital of the Roman Empire and just before he himself was to visit Rome.

b) The results of the missionary activity of an. Paul. When app. Paul was about to die, he could say to himself with consolation that the gospel had spread throughout the whole world of that time. In Palestine, Phenicia, Cyprus, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome, it was established even before Paul, but in any case, in almost all of Asia Minor and in Greece, Paul and his companions first proclaimed the word about Christ. Paul and his companions founded churches in Perga, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Troad, Philippi, Thessalonica, Beria, Corinth, Cenchrea, and other places in Achaia. Paul's disciples, in addition, founded churches in Kollos, Laodicea and Hieropolis, as well as in other areas of Asia Minor. Why app. Did Paul not visit Africa and, in particular, such an important city as Alexandria? Deisman (p. 135) explains this by the fact that in the year 38, therefore, at the beginning of Paul's missionary activity, persecution of the Jews began in Alexandria, and later other preachers appeared there ... .

As for the composition of the churches founded by Paul and his companions and disciples, it included mainly people of the lower classes of society, slaves, freedmen and artisans ( 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Cor 1:26). This is also pointed out by the opponents of Christianity as early as the 2nd c. (Celsus and Caecilius). Even clerics and bishops sometimes belonged to the slave class. However, there were cases when noble or wealthy women converted to Christianity (Evodia, Syntychia, Chloe, etc.). There were also some noble men among the Christians, such as, for example, the proconsul of Cyprus, Sergius, Paul ( Acts 13:12); Dionysius, member of the Athenian Areopagus ( Acts 17:34) and etc.

Renan in his "Life of the Apostle Paul" expresses the opinion that the composition of the Christian church under the apostle. Paul was very small - perhaps, converted by Paul in Asia Minor, and in Greece there were "no more than a thousand people." One cannot agree with this opinion just because Christianity at that time aroused serious fears against itself on the part of pagans and Hellenistic Jews, which could not be if the Christian churches in different cities consisted, as Renan suggests, of only 10-20 people each. In addition, there is a hint in Paul's epistles of the comparatively large membership of the churches ( Gal 4:27 and etc.). Of the secular writers, Pliny the Younger and Lucian speak of a "multitude" of Christians.

From the above-mentioned churches of Asia Minor, Greece and others, where Paul applied his labors, the Gospel gradually spread to all parts of the world, and Mono (Monod) in his book about the apostle. Pavle (1893, 3) rightly says: " if I were asked: who among all people seems to me the greatest benefactor of our race, I would, without hesitation, name Paul. I do not know of any name in history that would seem to me, like the name of Paul, the type of the widest and most fruitful activity".

The results of missionary activity Paul are all the more striking in that he had to overcome various important obstacles in the field of this activity. There is constant agitation against him on the part of the Judaizers, who everywhere follow in his footsteps, inciting the Christians converted by Paul against him; unbelieving Jews also try by all means to put an end to the missionary activity of the apostle; the pagans, at times, rise up against him; finally, with the sickness of Paul, it was extremely difficult for him to travel, especially since he almost always walked ... Nevertheless, "the power of the Lord was made perfect in Paul's weakness" ( 2 Corinthians 12:8) and he overcame everything that stood as an obstacle in his path.

About the epistles Paul. The Orthodox Church accepts in its canon 14 epistles of St. Paul. Some scholars believe that St. Paul wrote more epistles, and they are trying to find hints of the existence of the now allegedly lost Pauline epistles in the epistles of St. Paul. But all the considerations of these scientists are highly arbitrary and baseless. If app. Paul seems to mention the existence of some kind of epistle to the Corinthians in the 5th chapter. (v. 9), then this mention may refer to the first chapters of the 1st epistle, and those passages from the imaginary letter of Paul to the Corinthians, which became known to scholars at the beginning of the 17th century. in the Armenian translation, are an obvious fake (see about this in the article by Prof. Muretov. On the Apocryphal Correspondence of St. Paul with the Corinthians. Theological Bulletin, 1896, III). under the one mentioned in Col 4:16 By "the epistle to the Laodiceans" one can easily understand the epistle to the Ephesians, which, as a circumscription, was transmitted to Laodicea, from where it was to be received by the Colossians under the title "epistles from Laodicea." If Polycarp of Smyrna as if he mentions the "epistles" of Paul to the Philippians, then again here the Greek. the word ἐπιστολάς has the general meaning of "message" = lat. literae. As regards the apocryphal correspondence of St. Paul with the philosopher Seneca, representing six letters of Paul and eight of Seneca, then its inauthenticity has been fully proven by science (see Art. Prof. A. Lebedev. " App correspondence. Paul with Seneca"in the collected work of A. Lebedev).

All messages of Paul are written in Greek. But this language is not classical Greek, but living; the spoken language of the time is rather rough. His speech was strongly influenced by the rabbinic school that had raised him. He, for example, often has Jewish or Chaldean expressions (αββα̃, ἀμήν, μαρανα, θά, etc.), Jewish turns of speech, Jewish parallelism of sentences. The influence of Jewish dialectics is also reflected in his speech, when he introduces sharp antitheses, brief questions and answers into his speech. Nevertheless, the apostle knew the Greek spoken language well and freely disposed of in the treasury of Greek vocabularies, constantly resorting to replacing some expressions with others - synonymous. Although he calls himself "ignorant in the word" ( 2 Cor 11:6), however, this can only indicate his unfamiliarity with the literary Greek language, which, however, did not prevent him from writing a wonderful hymn to Christian love ( 1 Cor 13 ch.), for which the famous orator Longinus ranks the apostle among the greatest orators. To the disadvantages of the style up. Paul can be attributed quite often coming across anacolufs, i.e., the absence of a main clause corresponding to the subordinate clause, an insert, etc., which, however, is explained by the special enthusiasm with which he wrote his epistles, as well as the fact that for the most part he did not write his epistles with his own hand, but dictated to scribes (probably due to weakness of vision).

The letters of the Apostle Paul usually begin with greetings to the church and end with various messages about themselves and greetings assigned to individuals. Some of the epistles are predominantly dogmatic in content (for example, the epistle to the Romans), others mainly concern the organization of church life (epistles 1 to the Corinthians and pastoral), others pursue polemical goals (to the Galatians, 2 to the Corinthians, to the Colossians, to the Philippians, to the Jews). Others can be called messages of a general content, containing various elements of the aforementioned. In the Bible they are ranked by the comparative importance of their content and by the importance of the churches to which they are addressed.

In the first place, therefore, it was decided to the Romans, in the last place - to Philemon. The Epistle to the Hebrews is placed after all, as having received universal recognition in relation to authenticity in a relatively late time.

In his epistles, the apostle appears before us as a faithful and caring leader of the churches he founded or stood in relation to him. He often speaks angrily, but he knows how to speak meekly and kindly. In a word, his messages are a model of this kind of art. At the same time, the tone of his speech and the speech itself take on new shades in different messages. However, according to Johann Weiss, all the magical effect of his speech is felt only by the one who reads his messages aloud, since ap. Paul spoke his epistles aloud to the scribe and intended them to be read aloud in the churches to which they were sent (Die Schriften d. N. T. 2 B. S. 3). Add to this that the Pauline epistles are exemplary in their grouping of thoughts, and this grouping, of course, required whole days and even weeks to compose each larger epistle.

Already in the first period, the Apostle Paul poses the question of the correct relationship of man to God, or the question of justification, as the main subject of his Gospel. He teaches that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, and that therefore God Himself shows mankind a new path to justification—faith in Christ, by whose merit justification is given to all. In order to prove the inability of a person to be justified by his own efforts, the apostle, both in his speeches and in his epistles, depicts the state of a person in paganism in Judaism, which (Judaism), although it was not in such darkness as paganism was, nevertheless did not feel in itself the strength to follow the path of virtue, which the law of Moses outlined for it. To explain this inability to follow the path of virtue, the apostle speaks of the power of ancestral sin that weighs on people. Adam sinned first, and from him the infection of sin spread to all mankind and expressed itself in a whole series of separate sins. As a result, man became inclined to sin, and where the mind prompted him the correct course of action - he, as the apostle expresses himself, submitted to the flesh.

But God left the Gentiles to their passions, and gave the Jews under the rule of the law, so that they would realize the need for divine help. And so, when this pedagogical goal was achieved, the Lord sent the Savior to the people in the person of His Only Begotten Son, who took on human flesh. Christ died for people and reconciled them with God, and it is this redemption of people from sin and death and their rebirth into a new life that he considers it his duty to proclaim St. Paul. A person has only to believe in this and he begins a new life in Christ, under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Faith is not only knowledge, but the perception of Christ by the whole inner being of man. It is not his work, his merit, but first of all owes its origin to the mysterious grace of God, which draws people's hearts to Christ. This faith gives a person justification - real justification, and not just the imputation of the righteousness of Christ. A person who believes in Christ becomes truly reborn, a new creature, and no condemnation weighs on him anymore.

The community of justified believers constitutes the Church of Christ or the Church of God, which the apostle compares now with a temple, now with a body. In fact, however, the Church does not yet represent her ideal realized. It will reach its ideal state or glorification only after the second coming of Christ, which, however, will not follow before the arrival of the Antichrist and the final defeat of evil.

In the second period (and last) the teaching of St. Paul takes on a predominantly Christological character, although the apostle often reveals those thoughts that were expressed in his early letters and speeches. The face of the Lord Jesus Christ is characterized here as the face of not only the Redeemer, but the Creator and Provider of the universe. Even after the incarnation, He did not lose His Sonship of God, but only entered into a new form of existence, human, which, however, after the resurrection of Christ, was replaced by a new one - glorified. Together with the glorification of the God-man, man in general is reborn and enters into that close communion with God, which he once possessed. Man's true homeland now is not earth, but heaven, where Christ already sits. To especially prove the greatness of Christianity to his Jewish Christian fellow tribesmen, Paul portrays (in Hebrews) Christ as exceeding in His strength the angels who participated in the giving of the Law of Sinai and Moses, the lawgiver.

As for the moral prescriptions and rulings regarding the order of church life, they are almost evenly distributed throughout all the epistles. For the most part, moralistic thoughts go in epistles after the dogmatic or polemical section, representing, as it were, a conclusion from dogmatic teaching.

Ap. Paul as a theologian had an extremely great influence on the development of Christian theology. He was the first to express those Christological teachings that were subsequently revealed in the epistles of other apostles, in the Gospels and the first works of Christian literature of the second century. In the doctrine of temptation, under the influence of Paul were Irenaeus, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria and apologists, Augustine and other later theologians. But the question arises: how original, independent is the teaching of Paul himself? Was he himself under the influence of Hellenic philosophy, or at least rabbinic theology? Many researchers say that if the first assumption cannot be recognized as probable, then the second one is very plausible ... Is it really so?

First of all, Paul's dependence on rabbinical theology should have an effect on the exegetical method. But a careful comparison of the rabbinical and Pauline interpretations reveals a significant difference between the two. First, the rabbis, while explaining the Holy Scriptures, wanted to find in it a justification for the religious and ritual opinions of Judaism. The content of the Bible was thus already predetermined. For this, utterly impermissible operations were performed on the text, interpreting it mainly in a typical-allegorical way. The apostle, although he accepts the traditions of the Jewish Church, but not in their rabbinical coloring, but as the property of the entire Jewish people, who kept them in their memory. He takes them only to illustrate his positions, without attaching any independent significance to them. If he allows, in places, an allegorical interpretation, then his allegories take on the proper character of types: the apostle looked at the entire history of the people of God as transformative in relation to the history of the New Testament and explained it in a messianic sense.

Further. In his teaching about Christ, Paul is also independent of Jewish-rabbinic opinions. For the Jews, the Messiah was not only not an eternal being, but was not even the first manifestation of God's will to save people. Before the world, says the Talmud, there were seven things, and the first of these things was the Torah. The Messiah-Redeemer was presented only as the highest embodiment of the idea of ​​legality and the best executor of the law. If the law is fulfilled well by people, then there is no need for a special Messiah... For the Apostle Paul, Christ, existing from eternity as a complete divine person, is the cornerstone of the entire edifice of redemption.

This alone already indicates that the teachings of Paul about Christ and the teachings of the rabbis about the Messiah are diametrically opposed! Further, in understanding the atonement, Paul also disagrees with the rabbis. According to the rabbis, a Jew himself could achieve real righteousness - for this he had only to strictly fulfill the law of Moses. The apostle Paul said the exact opposite of this, arguing that no one can be saved by their own strength. The Messiah, according to the rabbinic view, should already appear to the Jews who have justified themselves before God, in order only to crown their righteousness, to give, for example, freedom and power over the whole world, but according to the Apostle Paul, Christ came in order to give justification to mankind and establish a spiritual kingdom on earth.

Paul's teaching differs from that of the rabbis in other points as well: in the question of the origin of sin and death, in the question of the future life and the second coming of Christ, of the resurrection of the dead, etc. From this, one can make the correct conclusion that the apostle worked out his own teaching on the basis of the revelations that were to him, adhering to what came to him from the gospel of Christ through other apostles and preachers - witnesses of the Savior's earthly life....

Aids for Studying the Life of the Apostle Paul:

a) patristic: John Chrysostom "On the Apostle Paul 7 words".

b) Russians: Innocentia, archbishop Kherson. Life of the Apostle Paul; arch. Mikhailovsky. About the Apostle Paul; arch. A. V. Gorsky. History of the Apostolic Church; Artabolevsky. About the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul; priest Glagolev. 2nd great journey Paul preaching the gospel; hierom. Gregory. 3rd Great Journey of the Apostle Paul.

c) foreign in Russian. Renan. Apostle Paul. Farrar. Life of the Apostle Paul(in the translations of Matveev, Lopukhin and Father Thebes). Wrede. Ap. Paul Of the works translated into Russian, the following works about the life of the Apostle Paul are remarkable: Weinel. Paulus, der Mensch und sein Werk(1904) and A. Deissmann. Paulus. Eine kultur und religionsgeschichtliche Skizze, with a beautiful map "The World of the Apostle Paul" (1911). Vividly written book by Prof. Knopf "a. Paulus (1909). .

On the theology of the Apostle Paul, one can read an extensive and thorough dissertation by Prof. I. N. Glubokovsky. The gospel of the apostle Paul according to its origin and essence. Book. 1st. Petr., 1905; and Prince. 2nd. Petr., 1910. Here is indicated all the literature about the Apostle Paul in different languages ​​up to 1905. The book of Prof. Simon. Psychology ap. Paul(translated by Bishop George, 1907) Nösgen's article is interesting and important in apologetic terms. Der angebliche orientalische Einsclag der Theologie des Apostels Paulus. (Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift, 1909, Heft 3 and 4).

“When He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him in private and asked: Tell us, when will this be? and what is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

We believers who really found the truth and the truth is in Jesus Christ, because He is "The Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6) , we know the signs of the last time, indicated in the Holy Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit - Spirit of Truth reveals it to us. These, of course, are both cataclysms and anomalies in nature, namely, smoothness, pestilence, ever-increasing and multiplying earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis in places, awakening volcanoes and a threat from space from celestial bodies approaching the earth. “You will also hear about wars and war rumors. Look, do not be horrified, for all this must be, but this is not the end yet: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in places” (Mt. 24:6-7).

One of the signs of the last time and the approaching radical changes for the inhabitants of the earth is the expected worldwide "global warming", which has been talked about so much lately in the scientific world. As is known from media sources, the ice in Antarctica is melting faster than expected, and their complete disappearance, as scientists suggest, will take 10-15 years, instead of the 50 expected. Also, data from deep measurements of the temperature of the world's oceans indicate that it has risen. And what all this is fraught with, in the final analysis, is not difficult to guess. This is what we have today and in the future, and whether there will be more! But we will deal with everything soberly and without panic, considering that ultimately, in time, everything depends only on the Lord Himself — “…it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed in his own power” (Acts 1:7).

Scripture warns us that there is still a “year of temptation” ahead of us, i.e. - a period of time that is coming to the whole universe, "to test (people) living on the earth" (Rev. 3:10) . Will that and “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Joel 2:30-31), (Matthew 24:29). Hollywood films describing the horrors of the last time, "rest!"

Thanks to the Holy Scriptures, we know that something special will happen not only in nature, but also in human society, among the people of this world, and even in the church of God. These signs are also given to us in Scripture. Let's try to understand point by point what humanity expects in the "last times". First, here is what Jesus Christ cared about when He was still on earth regarding the future of mankind: “Will He find faith in people when He returns to earth?” (Luke 18:8). Will there be no true faith at the end of time?

So what can so strongly shake a person's true faith in God? The Church, as you know, does not expect a loss of faith, but, on the contrary, a great awakening! Perhaps it is after him that the true church will be taken to Heaven before the start of all the most formidable judgments of God (Matt. 24:40-42; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:15-17).

So! Scripture clearly tells us what the end times will be like. And one of the characteristic, expected signs is that "Perilous times are coming" (2 Tim. 3:1) . Further, in the same passage of Scripture, there is a list that characterizes the state of mind and mood of people who will live in the last times. “For people will be self-loving, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, ungodly, unfriendly, implacable, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving what is good, traitors, insolent, pompous, more voluptuous than lovers of God, having a form of piety, but denying its power. Get rid of those. To these belong those who creep into houses and deceive women, drowning in sins, led by various lusts, always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:2-7).. Something will happen on earth, and something will have such a corrupting effect on the psyche of people that it will greatly corrupt them and affect their behavior. Maybe something will happen in the spiritual world? Yes, it's just “the devil came down in great rage, knowing that he had not much time left”… (Rev. 12:12).

Over the past two thousand years, his methods of processing human souls have become more and more refined and improved. Civilization is put at the service of his goals. But his goals are the same: "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10) . He adopted the media, which have a huge impact on the human psyche. And this influence begins at an early age. Look at what cartoons and what toys are being produced for children today?! The Scripture also promises that the servants of Satan - false Christs and false prophets - will rise up and manifest themselves with a violent activity. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). This will be done by the lately released spirits of seduction into this world, concerned with deceiving believers (Rev. 16:13-14). Pay attention to what a serious spiritual war is being waged, namely, with the truth.

So—this is one of the signs of the end times—the active work of spirits of seduction. Jesus himself said: “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks, for stumbling blocks must come, but woe to that person through whom the stumbling block comes” (Matthew 18:7). In other words, temptations will surely come and bring a lot of grief into people's lives. So, there is, so to speak, "shooting" of believers (people). And those who act "wickedly against the covenant" with God will be caught by the devil (Dan. 11:32). “Blessed is the (man) who is awake and keeps his clothes” (Rev. 16:15).

The last days are the days of God's wrath against ungodly people, "who crush the truth with unrighteousness" (Dan. 8:19; Rom. 1:18). The last time will be a time of testing for all people living on earth, and who will endure it?! (Mal. 3:2-5). All must be weighed and tested (Dan. 5:27). But why would God who is Love (1 John 4:8) allow all this that is to come? Maybe in order to weed out the “empty flowers”, unfaithful and crafty people whom He is not going to take to Himself in the Kingdom of Heaven? Maybe to reveal the faithful people who love the truth?! For this, the Antichrist will be temporarily allowed to act with success, "casting the truth to the ground" (Dan. 8:12). Many of the end-time revelations were recorded by the prophet Daniel hundreds of years ago. But then they were hidden, sealed until the last time (Dan. 8:17, 12:9), and in our time, they are beginning to be realized. And don't underestimate these times.

True believers will be saved from deceit by their sincerity, because God always acts sincerely with the “sincere” (Ps. 17:26,27) - this is His principle of action. What else will help believers get around all the traps set for them by Satan in the last times? It is the knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and the love of the truth.(Rom. 1:28; 2 Thess. 2:10). And if in the last times sufferings are allowed for believers, then only in moderation, i.e. - according to their ability (1 Cor. 10:13), and for a specific purpose (Jer. 29: 11). Those. - not in order to destroy them, but - "for the good" of them, in order to put the church in order, so that the church would be ready to meet the Heavenly Bridegroom (Dan.11:33-35, 12:1-3,10), (Matt.25:10), (Ot.19:7).

Let us remember the parable of Jesus about the wise and foolish virgins and how some differed from others (Mt. 25:3,4). Until recently, their difference was not noticeable and did not play a visible role. Everyone's lamps were burning, and everyone was waiting for the Bridegroom. The only difference was that some had a supply of oil for lamps with them, while others did not. But gradually the difference increased. They began to differ in the condition of the lamps, which continued to burn in some, but not in others. And therefore, some managed to prepare themselves for the coming of the Bridegroom, while others did not. And precisely because they were late, they were not allowed into Heaven (Matthew 25:10). In this parable, the last time is designated by the concept - "midnight", i.e. middle of the night, deep night, thickening of darkness, revelry of darkness (Matt. 25:6,8). Then the lamps of some of the “brides”, so inopportunely, began to go out, and when the lamp went out, which is the spirit of man (Prov. 20:27), it becomes dark in the heart. By the way, it is written that nothing unclean there, i.e. — will not enter the Holy Heavens, into the presence of God (Rev. 21:27). And, precisely, purity of heart is a condition for seeing God (Matt. 5:8). In Scripture, the eye of a person, reflecting the state of the heart, is also called a lamp - “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23).

And what does the oil mean, which the foolish virgins did not stock up on, and due to which the human spirit burns? Of course, the Holy Spirit! Without the Holy Spirit, which is poured out on a person from God, with the multiplication of lawlessness in this world, there will not be any love in the hearts of believers (Matt. 24:12), (Rom. 5:5). And without love, as they say, everything is in the same Holy Scripture - no spiritual gifts and no initiation can arrange God (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3). Without love, they will have no power or value in the eyes of God. The loss of love due to the multiplication of iniquity is not only a sign of the end times, but also a typical human reaction to iniquity. And only the Holy Spirit can give strength to a person to continue to love his neighbor in all circumstances, under any conditions.

Also, the last times should be characterized by persecutions of the most diverse kind, of a different nature. It is worth noticing them in your life, but you should not be surprised by them. Persecution comes to a believer already at that stage of his life, when he just decides to change something in his life or is going to live godly and be different from “this world” (2 Tim. 3:12). Even if such a person is still bad at piety. The devil will persecute such a person in different ways, through everyone who only gives him a place, i.e. - will give them the right to use it. [b]"and give no place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27).

The devil is a "slanderer", and this is one of his names that characterize his nature (Rev. 12: 9-10), therefore, one of the types persecution is slander. Moreover, as it is written, he slanders us not only in the ears of our neighbors, but even in the ears of God himself. This is how he dealt with Job, and we know what serious trials Job had to endure (Job. 1:9-11). He slanders, and is busy with this day and night. The man is getting ready for bed. The best time for a Christian to mentally sin is when he relaxes before going to bed. And if he is not awake at the moment when he is left alone with his thoughts, if he does not refuse to judge his neighbors, then what kind of “pictures” does the slanderer draw in his imagination?! How many sins believers commit in their thoughts - it's scary to even imagine! And with what pleasure many believers turn their ears to the next gossip in the daytime. “The words of an earpiece are like dainties, and they enter into the bowels of the womb” (Pr. 18:8) , - was noticed more than one thousand years ago.

And it is amazing that most Christians are so sure of their infallibility that they perceive all the thoughts that come into their heads as coming from God. They are so sure of their impunity that they allow themselves to accept slander and judge someone. And the "slanderer" manipulates the facts and passes them off as "clean coin", i.e. - "throws the bait - and the bait is swallowed." But, “who can come to the habitation of God”, “who will ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who will stand in His holy place,” King David asks in his psalms (Ps. 14:1-5, 23:3-6)? And to stand before God, drawing near to Him - all believers claim this. If a mature Christian can remain calm when he is slandered, knowing that it is only a lie. That's what the "slanderer" is really able to achieve success in - he is able to quarrel friends, forcing them to begin to suspect each other. Instilling sly suspicions in a person is a constant practice and trouble-free methods of the devil in achieving his insidious goals. “Fierce wolves will come in to you, not sparing the flock, and people will rise from yourselves who will speak perversely in order to drag the disciples after them,” the apostle instructed his disciples. Paul at the meeting of elders (Acts 20:17,29-31). Would anyone like to be one of them?

In the last times, imperceptibly for man, there will be a division in the spiritual world: into goats and sheep, into tares and wheat, into the wise and the foolish, into those who serve God and those who do not serve Him, into the righteous and the wicked. And God, as can be seen from the last chapter of the book of Revelation, will not interfere with this process (Rev. 22:11-12).

So, in His love for us, our Lord warned us about everything in advance: “Behold, I told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:25). He said what should be done and what should be avoided by those who want to, “having overcome everything, to stand” (Matthew 10:22, 24:13). “Look, do not be horrified” (Matt. 24:6) Jesus warned his disciples. Have you ever wondered why it is impossible to be horrified when so many terrible things will happen in the world? Probably because people who will be horrified will accuse God of cruelty, even if not directly, but indirectly. This they will do without understanding His holiness and without perceiving His right, as God, to just judgments. Such people will become increasingly disillusioned and will eventually lose both love and faith. And in general, everyone who goes after mirages will one day be deeply disappointed. Alas! In this world, it is customary, without judging oneself, to look for the guilty around oneself in everything. And these skills come to people from childhood. So a parent, if his child hits an object, advises him to hit this object as a punishment. So this way of solving any problem becomes a habit in a person.

By the way, accusation is a very powerful psychic weapon capable of "knocking" any person out of the saddle, and the devil uses it very often. The accused person is stopped in his action, he is, as it were, confused, "beaten on the hands." It is difficult for him to overcome the barrier of accusation, he is stopped. With accusations, a person both defends himself and attacks (“the best way to defend is an attack”). Let us recall the dialogue between God and man after his fall into sin (Gen. 3:12-13). In the Garden of Eden, both Adam and Eve, in order to justify themselves before God, shifted their guilt onto someone else, thus, indirectly, Adam generally blamed God Himself.

People who have the audacity to blame God for anything will never be able to reconcile with Him. When someone expresses claims to God for people who died in catastrophes, he should remember how many children voluntarily aborted by their parents went into the trash or were used as biological material for scientific experiments? Although, it is written about the last time that people, during the judgments of God, will not repent of their iniquities, but will continue to blaspheme God for their sorrows (Ot.9:20-21, 13:6, 16:9-11). One day Jesus asked a woman taken in adultery and brought by witnesses of her sin to Him for judgment: “Where are your accusers?” Because her accusers, convicted by their own conscience, fled, because, judging her, they themselves did the same. Perhaps if those who today dare to judge other people would think about themselves, then they, too, would not find something to answer the Lord. So, whoever blames God or someone else for his troubles, he will not be able to stand in the difficulties of the last time. Only the one who, in spite of everything, will keep his relationship with God on high, will stand in these difficult times, pouring out his heart before Him in prayers (Ps.117:13), thanking God for everything that happens to him, and keeping his lamp burning with love (Eph.6:13). The one who will stand firm in temptations, as the Jewish youths Mishael, Ananias and Azariah stood, will stand (Dan.3:17-18). In order to withstand all trials, we must hold on to what we have to the end (Rev. 2:25, 3:11). To stand when the number of betrayals increases, which inflict wounds in the hearts (Ps. 40:10, 54:13-15). Persecution, expressed in the form of betrayal of loved ones, is especially painful. “Brother will betray brother to death, and father his son; and children will rise up against their parents and kill them; ... Then they will hand you over to torment and kill you; and you will be hated by all nations because of my name; and then many will be offended, and they will betray one another, and they will hate one another” (Matthew 10:21, 24:9-10). Can we stand in the face of strong rejection? The Church generally exists "in spite of". It exists despite the centuries-old efforts of the devil to adapt it to the world or destroy it, which, in fact, is one and the same. In the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation it is written that the child has not yet been born, but "great red dragon" (Rev. 12:2-4) was already waiting, ready to devour the newborn baby. So it is with the church, when she was not yet born, Jesus already promised her war, i.e. - confrontation. Hell will rise, He warned, but even the "gates of hell" will not prevail against her (Matthew 16:18). God, through Scripture, has called us to hate sin, and if need be, fight him even to the point of blood(Heb. 12:4). He invites us to take comfort in the remembrance of what He has done for us without compromise (Heb. 12:3). The Lord calls us in this difficult time never to give up, but, overcoming all obstacles, to swim against the current of this world. He gives us the strength to do so. And these are not general big words, but a daily experience of walking with God. And He, as always, keeps His Word. He is with us “forever and ever until the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20) ! Amen!