Apology for the Church: Its Beginning and End, Appearance and Essence. The Error and Fall of the Greco-Eastern and Greco-Russian Church in the Persons of the Priesthood.

The birth from the woman in the Apocalypse is not the birth of Christ, but the birth of believers in baptism. Thus, you too must acknowledge that the Church carries the baptized in her womb. As it is said in Isaiah: “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before her pain came, she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children” [Isaiah 66:7–8]. Whom did she escape? Of course, the dragon, so that this spiritual Zion might give birth to a male people who would have no feminine weaknesses or effeminacy, rising in unity with the Lord and strengthened in zeal [Works of Methodius, page 71, chapter 7].

The males are the believers in baptism, likened to Christ—the saints themselves, the anointed ones.

For this reason, the Church carries in her womb and endures the pangs of birth until Christ who is born is formed in us [Gal. 4:19], so that each of the saints, through participation in Christ, might be born an anointed one. In this sense, it is said in one place in Scripture: “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do no harm to My prophets” [Ps. 104:15 (LXX)]. For those baptized into Christ, with the participation of the Spirit, become anointed ones, and the Church here assists in forming the Word in them and in their transformation [From the same book of Methodius, page 71, chapter 8].

The dragon is the devil; the stars drawn from heaven by the dragon’s tail are the heretics.

The devil, plotting intrigues and lying in wait to pervert the mind dedicated to Christ in the enlightened ones and the image and likeness of the Word reborn in them. The stars that he, touching their summits with the tip of his tail, drags down to the earth are the heretical sects. For the assemblies of the heterodox must be called dark, gloomy, and lowly revolving stars; because they too appropriate to themselves knowledge of the heavenly, faith in Christ, the soul’s dwelling in the heavens, and proximity to the stars, as if children of light; but they are cast down, being drawn away by the wiles of the dragon, because they do not remain within the threefold image of piety, deviating from its orthodox worship of God [From the same book, chapter 10, page 73].

“And when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” [Rev. 12:13–14].

The woman who gave birth to the Son and lives in the wilderness is the Church.

She who gives birth and has given birth in the hearts of the faithful to the male infant—the Word—and who has withdrawn undefiled and unharmed from the fury of the beast into the wilderness, is our Mother the Church. The wilderness into which she has come and is nourished there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days is truly free from evils, unproductive and barren for corruption, not easily accessible or passable for many, but fruitful and nourishing, flourishing and accessible for the saints, full of wisdom and producing life—this is the beautiful and richly planted, fragrant abode of virtue, where aromas flow when the north wind rises and the south wind blows [Song of Songs 4:16]. And all is filled with divine dew, crowned with unfading plants of immortal life, where we now gather flowers and with pure fingers weave for the Queen a purple and radiant crown of virginity. For the Bride of the Word is adorned with the fruits of virtue. And the one thousand two hundred and sixty days during which we are here is such precise and excellent knowledge of the Father and the Son and the Spirit, by which our Mother rejoices and exults, growing during this time until the appearance of the new ages, when in the heavenly assembly she will not dimly perceive through knowledge, but clearly behold “that which is,” abiding together with Christ [From the same book of Methodius, “The Banquet of the Ten Virgins,” pages 34–35, chapter 11].

And thus, having come into this wilderness barren for evils, the Church is nourished here, soaring on the wings of virginity, which the Word of God called the wings of a great eagle [Rev. 12:14; Ezek. 17], having conquered the serpent, armed with the helmet of salvation, the breastplate, and the girdle [Eph. 6:14–17], fearing neither the wiles nor the slanders of this beast [From the same book, page 75].

Question: What are the flowers and plants of our Mother the Church, and what radiant crown of virginity must we weave, with what fruits must this Bride adorn herself by cultivating them, and what helmet, breastplate, and girdle must one have to conquer the serpent, fearing not his wiles?

Answer: For it is evident that when I dedicate myself to the Lord, when I strive to keep the flesh not only free from union but unstained by other impurities. And what it means to dedicate oneself wholly to the Lord must be explained: If I open my mouth for one thing and close it for another—if I open it to expound the Scriptures, that I may as far as possible glorify God orthodoxly and magnificently, and close it, applying to it a door and barrier, so as not to speak idly—then my mouth is virginal and dedicated to God; my tongue has become a reed, an instrument of wisdom; for through it the spiritual Word writes with clear letters, illuminating the mind with the depth and power of the Scriptures—the Lord, the eternal Scribe and swift Writer. My tongue becomes the reed of this Scribe! To Him it is virginally surrendered and dedicated, like a beautiful reed writing more beautifully than poets and orators who expound human teachings. Likewise, if I train my eyes not to gaze with desire upon bodily beauty and not to delight in unseemly spectacles, but to contemplate the things above, then my eyes too are virginal and dedicated to the Lord. If I stop my ears against slander and idle talk, but open them to the Word of God, frequenting the wise, then I have dedicated my hearing to the Lord. If I restrain my hands from usury, from profiteering, from covetousness, from striking blows, then my hands are virginal for God. If I keep my feet from walking the paths of debauchery, then I have dedicated my feet to God, walking not to courts and banquets where the ungodly gather, but employing them to fulfill some commandment. What then remains for me, if I am virginal also in heart, dedicating to the Lord all its thoughts, thinking nothing evil, having in me neither pride nor anger, and day and night occupying myself with the things of the Lord—this is to be pure with great purity, to vow the great vow [Blessed Methodius, in the same book, chapter 4, pages 44–45].

The ten horns of the dragon are vices opposed to the Ten Commandments. Thus, one head of the dragon is intemperance and luxury; he who crushes it will be crowned with the crown of chastity. Another head is fear and despondency; he who tramples it will receive the crown of martyrdom. Another head is unbelief and madness and other similar forms of impiety; he who strikes and slays them will be honored for this, having in manifold ways crushed the power of the dragon. The ten horns and antlers that he bears on his heads are the ten oppositions to the Decalogue, by which he customarily wounds and casts down the souls of many, contriving and inventing what is contrary to the commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God” [Deut. 6:5] and the rest of the commandments. Behold his fiery and bitter fornication, by which he casts down the intemperate; behold adultery, behold falsehood, behold love of money, behold theft, and other vices akin and related to them, which rage, having grown upon his murderous heads [From the same book, chapter 13, page 78].

Thirdly, in the Gospel proclamation, the same Church is expounded upon these words: “My dove, my perfect one, is the only one; she is the only one of her mother; she is the favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed; the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. Who is she who looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as an army with banners? I went down to the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, to see whether the vine had flourished and the pomegranates had budded. There I will give you my breasts: my soul did not know it; it placed me on the chariots of Aminadab” [Song of Songs 6:9–12].

On these songs, the blessed Theodoret interprets as follows: And as for “on the chariot of the daughter of Aminadab”: the chariot is the Church, and Aminadab is interpreted as “the good will of the Father,” that is, to do and walk according to the Father’s commandment. Concerning this, the virgins sing rejoicing: how she is adorned; and how sweet is the love of your food; who will give you milk, O bride, and the breasts of my mother that nursed me. Having found you outside, I will kiss you, and henceforth embrace you, and bring you into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her who conceived me.

That chamber we call the place where the spirits of the righteous are. And the mother she calls this present age of life. And “adorned and made sweet” she names the Church, where the multitude of the faithful, receiving the commandments as food, are saved. [Printed in the margin:] “In the Church the faithful receive the commandments as food.”

And these are the breasts of my mother: The mother she calls the heavenly Jerusalem, which pours forth honey and milk—milk for the young, honey for those perfect in understanding. This food is defiled when the bride is together with the bridegroom, as it is written: I will give you to drink wine spiced with aromas, and the drink of the fruits of my orchard. If you find my beloved, tell him that I am wounded with love for him; with this love the bride is wounded, by which she prays, desiring the coming of the Savior. And “I will give you to drink spiced wine” means by keeping the commandments, which those who receive in the womb from fear labor and give birth to the spirit of salvation. [Printed in the margin:] “Understand what the Church is and what her mystery is: she is the Bride of the Son of God.”

And “if you find my beloved, tell him”—this refers to the fleshly coming of Jesus; but the Church herself also, for the sake of the vision of the Son of God, “tell also His beloved”—this is spoken to the prophets, or rather to the prophet the Forerunner, who is John himself, who said: I am the friend and intercessor; I will draw souls to faith in Christ. For He Himself is the Bridegroom; He Himself is also the friend, desiring to be united with them. And this the virgins unanimously sing in praise, saying: Come, beloved, and turn your eyes, for you have given me wings. And the garments of my robes are removed—how shall they be clothed in my garment? And I have washed my feet—how shall I defile them? Those feet are of those who walk, preserving the prophetic oracles and guarding the apostolic traditions, and do not turn aside to corruption. And having put off the garments of skin—groaning, terror, and worldly lusts—and having been cleansed from earthly things, that is, from the old man of the flesh, and clothed in the new garment, which is to receive our Lord, the Word in our heart, and pure feet. In the ancient times the Lord said: Moses! Moses! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the ground on which you stand is holy. And the eyes have received wings: the eyes are the teachers in the churches, who by their teaching raise many souls to the heavenly kingdom. And to these in the songs it is said: His cheeks are as a bed of spices, growing myrrh-plants, full of myrrh. Your nostrils are like a tower of Lebanon, looking toward the face of Damascus. The nostrils breathing the fragrance of divine words are reverence. Damascus is interpreted as the teaching of tongues, who will see the image of the face—the knowledge of God. The cheeks breathing as a bed of spices, growing myrrh-plants of peace, are the holy Gospels, sprouting salvation for souls and perfuming the nostrils from the law and the prophets and the divine commandments, receiving useful teaching with humility. The lips are lilies dropping myrrh—that is, the words of God, bringing forth hearing of the commandments and vision of understanding. Myrrh is the mortification of Jesus, which He also commanded us, mortifying earthly life by fasting, to keep baptism. As the pupil guards the eye, lest a beam fall in and hinder true vision. This the King sings: O beloved! On my bed at night, Him whom my soul loves, I sought. And I found Him. I called Him, and He heard me, until I brought Him into the house of my mother. The house of the mother He calls the heavenly wisdom of the heart, for the house of God is the Word. And the chamber is called the heart: for I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore it is the chamber, because in it lie all good things: faith, love, hope, good thoughts, chastity, almsgiving, tears; these are gold and silver and precious stones. For these are not placed on the body, but are the beauty of virtuous souls. On my bed at night. The bed He called perfect virtue; and night He calls the secret place of prayer: by these calling the Beloved, to be heard. Whose souls are mountains and valleys. Mountains indeed for the height of virtues, valleys for lowliness, since they receive the preaching of faith and hold it in themselves through humility, in which the Only-begotten rests. Behold, He comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. As Christ the Sun of righteousness came, leaping upon the mountains—that is, upon the prophets; skipping upon the hills—that is, upon the apostles. This also the Wisdom of God said: afterward He came into the souls of the righteous. For it shall be, He says, in the last days, manifest shall be the mountain of the Lord, which is the Church. What is the leaping of the Word: He leaped from heaven into the virginal womb; He leaped from the womb onto the cross; He leaped from the cross into Hades; again He leaped onto the earth—O new resurrection! Again He leaped from the earth to heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father; again He will come to judge the earth.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bethel. The mountains of Bethel are the lofty teachings of the righteous. Bethel is called the house of God; these are the righteous. As the Bridegroom said: I will dwell in them and walk among them, whose house we are. The Brother of our soul, the Lord Christ, and the Bridegroom to the bride, is likened to a gazelle on the buildings of human hearts. He is also likened to a stag, because He is the destroyer of poisonous serpents [Up to here from the Explanatory Gospel, reading 45, chapter 9, pages 86–87–88].

Fourthly, through the prophet David, this Church is praised, saying: “The daughters of kings have rejoiced in your honor” [Ps. 44].

On this, the great Basil interprets as follows: Who are the daughters of kings if not the noble, great, and royal souls, which, through that divine condescension to men, having known Christ, have rejoiced in His honor with true faith and perfect love, glorifying His divinity. He says that the fragrance of these was abundantly present at the garments of Christ. By this is understood the allegorical preparation of words and dogmas. With this the prophet himself explains Christ’s rich love toward the world: “The queen stood at Your right hand, in gilded clothing adorned and variegated.” He now speaks of the Church, which, as we learned in the Song of Songs, is the one most perfect dove of Christ, who places at Christ’s right hand all those glorified by good deeds, separating them from the evil, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. The queen stands forth—that is, the soul betrothed to the Word in bridal manner, over which sin does not reign, but which is a partaker of Christ’s kingdom, standing at the right hand of the Savior in gilded clothing—that is, adorning herself with dogmas mentally woven and gloriously and sacredly embellished. And since the dogmas are not uniform but manifold and diverse, containing moral, natural, and mystical words, therefore Scripture says that the bride’s garment is highly variegated.

“Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house, and the King will desire your beauty; for He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.” The prophet calls the Church through this to hearing and observance of what is commanded: by the name “daughter” he appropriates her to himself, as if he had made her his daughter through love. Hear, O daughter, and see. By the word “see” he teaches her to have a mind for contemplation and knowledge of what is taught. Imagine, he says, creation, and by the order existing in it, ascend finally to the contemplation of the Creator: then, bending her lofty neck of pride, he says: incline your ear—not to run after external fables, but to receive the humility of the voice that is in the Gospel word: incline your ear to this teaching, so that you may forget those wicked customs and paternal teachings. Therefore: forget your people and your father’s house—for everyone who commits sin is of the devil. Drive out, he continues, the demonic teachings; forget the sacrifices, nocturnal dances, and fables inflaming to adultery and every impurity. For this reason I called you my daughter, that you might hate the father who formerly begot you unto destruction. For if by forgetting you erase the defilement of evil teachings, then, having received your beauty, you will appear desirable to the King the Bridegroom; for He is your Lord, and they shall worship Him. All the glory of the king’s daughter is within, clothed in golden fringes and variegated: virgins shall be brought to the King after her—that is, when she has been cleansed from the ancient teachings of wickedness and, having heeded instruction, has forgotten her people and her father’s house, then the Holy Spirit, seeing her hidden purity, declares concerning her: all, he says, the glory of the king’s daughter—that is, of Christ’s bride, who through adoption has become the king’s daughter—is within; the bridal beauty is inward. For he who adorns himself well before the Father who sees in secret, and prays, and does all things not to be seen by men but to be seen by God alone—he has all glory within, like the king’s daughter. And the golden fringes with which she is wholly clothed and variegated are also within. Seek nothing in external gold and bodily adornment: but understand some worthy garment that adorns him who was created in the image of the Creator, concerning which the Apostle also says: having put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on the new, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him. And he who has put on the bowels of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering is clothed inwardly and adorned in the inner man. The fringes are attached to the garment, and these are spiritual: and therefore called golden, because the word is greater than the deed, as certain fringes that extend from the foundation to the act of weaving. Certain souls follow the Lord’s bride, who, not having received the seed of alien words, shall be brought to the King, following after the bride. Let those also hear who have vowed virginity to the Lord. [Below]

Instead of your fathers, sons have been born to you: you have appointed them princes over all the earth. Since above she was commanded to forget her people and her father’s house, therefore, in reward for obedience, now instead of fathers she receives sons, adorned with such dignities that you have appointed them princes over all the earth. Who then are the sons of the Church? It is clear that they are the sons of the Gospel, who have taken possession of the whole earth: for into all the earth, says Scripture, their sound has gone out. And if anyone understands the bride’s fathers as the patriarchs, he does not err in thus understanding the word concerning the apostles: for in place of those, these sons were born to her by Christ—those who do the works of Abraham and therefore are equally honored with them, because they did what was like them, for which their fathers were deemed worthy of great honor. The princes of the whole earth are the saints, on account of appropriating to themselves authority for good; for the very nature of goodness ascribes principality to them: as to Jacob He gave authority over Esau: Be, He said, lord over your brother [Gen. 27:29].

And thus those who were equally honored with the fathers and received preeminence over all on account of the virtuous struggle—these are the sons of Christ’s bride and are appointed by their mother princes over all the earth.

“I will make Your name to be remembered in every generation and generation; therefore the peoples shall confess You forever and to ages of ages.” After all this, since this word is spoken from the person of the Church, he adds: I will make Your name to be remembered in every generation and generation. What then is the Church’s remembrance? It is the confession of the peoples [Up to here Basil the Great, from his book: “9 Homilies on the Hexaemeron, 13th homily on various psalms of his works,” pages 66–67 and 68, translated from Greek, Moscow 1890].

Fifthly, the Explanatory Psalter also relates concerning these words of the prophet: “The queen stood at Your right hand, in gilded clothing adorned and variegated.” Now he begins to prophesy concerning the bride: and by the bride almost all interpreters understand the Church; for the Apostle in the Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 5, quite openly teaches that the Church is Christ’s bride. To this may be added that the varied adornment of the bride consists not only in various virtues, which are necessary for all and each, but also in various gifts by which the Church is adorned according to the diversity of members. For the gifts are different: some are of apostles, others of martyrs, others of virgins, others of teachers, others of confessors, and yet others of others.

“Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father’s house.”

He now addresses the Church itself, piously and faithfully exhorting her, calling her daughter. Incline your ear—that is, humbly submit to His commandments: and forget your people and your father’s house—that is, so that you may more easily serve the Bridegroom, forget the world and the things that are in the world: for the Church was chosen out of the world, and came out of the world, and though it is still in the world, yet it ought not to be of the world, just as her Bridegroom is not of the world. This world is rightly called the house of our father the old Adam, cast out of Paradise into the world; and those who love the good things of this world are rightly called the world. Or perhaps someone would prefer to understand by the father of all the lawless the devil, who is the father of these, according to the Lord’s word: “You are of your father the devil” [John 8:44]. In truth, whoever considers what we said above concerning the ineffable love of the Bridegroom, who gave Himself up to snatch us from the deep pit and raise us to the highest heaven, and to make us a glorious bride for Himself—such a one without difficulty will detach his love from the world, to bring it wholly to the Bridegroom. The word “forget” has great force: for it signifies that love for the world must be uprooted from the root, so that it departs not only from desire and thought, but even from the very memory of all, as if it had never existed. “And the King will desire your beauty; for He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.” And since the true beauty of the bride is inward and consists in virtues, especially in obedience to His commandments, or in love on which all the commandments hang. The Lord requires nothing more from His servants than obedience, as if to say: You must count your Bridegroom as greater than your people and your father’s house: for He redeemed you both from the service of the devil and from the service of the law under which your fathers groaned, and therefore made you His own, so that you cannot without offending Him return to the ancient fellowship with your people and to the weak elements of the world. Under the name of worship, nothing else can be understood here than such worship by which the bride, who in herself is poor, naked, and destitute, offers thanksgiving to the Bridegroom who calls her to marriage, to wedlock, and to the sharing of all good things. “All the glory of the king’s daughter is within, clothed in golden fringes and variegated.”

For it is not of a material church that is spoken here, but of the people who are the people of God and members of Christ, whose chief beauty and adornment consist in virtues.

“I will make Your name to be remembered in every generation and generation: therefore the peoples shall confess You forever and to ages of ages.”

I will make Your name to be remembered in every generation and generation—that is, I will praise and glorify You in all ages, eternal God, Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, for Your infinite goodness and mercy which You have shown to the Church, Your most precious bride … having redeemed her with Your blood and betrothed her to Yourself; therefore the peoples, turned to You by faith, shall confess and give thanks to You forever and to ages of ages.

“I will declare Your name to My brethren: in the midst of the church I will sing praise to You.” I will declare, He says, Your name to My brethren—that is, when I rise from the dead, then I will send the apostles into the whole world, and through them I will declare Your name—that is, I will make the knowledge of Your divinity manifest to all men, who are My brethren according to the flesh; and thus in the midst of the church I will sing praise to You—that is, no longer in the bodily corner of Judea, but in the midst of the great church gathered from Jews and Gentiles into one.

This passage the Apostle cites in his Epistle to the Hebrews, saying: For which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the church I will sing praise to You. Since He said: in the midst of the church I will sing praise to You—which was to be fulfilled through those believing in His name—therefore here He turns His word to the believers themselves and exhorts them to the glorification of God. From You is My praise; in the great church I will confess You. That is, that praise which I will sing to You through My faithful will begin from You and continue forever in honor of Your most holy name: in the great church gathered from every nation, people, and tribe, and spread throughout the whole world by preaching and established in faith [Up to here from the Explanatory Psalter. Ps. 21, p. 81; Psalm 44, pages 209, 210, 211, 212. Printed by the Synod, 1891].

Sixthly, The apocalyptic vision of the Church in the Shepherd of Hermas, an apostolic man of the mid-second century, explained to him by the Angel Uriel. This vision is described in the book “The Apostolic Fathers” on page 134 as follows: the revelation to Hermas is written thus:

One time Hermas fell asleep, and the Spirit carried him away to a wild, uninhabited place, where he began to pray and confess his sins. Suddenly the heavens opened, and Hermas sees a woman who reproached him for his former sins …

First Vision:

Before him stood a chair covered with snow-white wool: upon it sat an aged Lady in shining garments and with a book in her hands. She began to read to him from it, but Hermas could not retain in his memory what was read, because it was terrifying, and he remembered only the final words, in which it spoke of the transformation of all nature and the fulfillment of the promise for the elect if they keep the commandments of God. Four young men carried the chair to the east, and two men bore the aged Lady on their shoulders. She departed with a smile and said to Hermas: “Be of good courage!”

Now Hermas understood wherein his own guilt consisted, and his gaze was elevated to the contemplation of the general fate of the world and the Church. But these further visions—partly terrifying, partly joyful—were still obscure to him, just as the apparition itself was enigmatic.

Second Vision:

A year later, Hermas was caught up by the Spirit to the same place; before him appeared the aged Lady with a book. She asked whether he could proclaim what was written in it to God’s elect and gave it to him to copy. He finished the transcription, in which he understood nothing, and suddenly the book was taken from him by an invisible hand.

Fifteen days passed; Hermas fasted and prayed, and the meaning of the book was revealed to him: in it was proclaimed the nearness of the Last Judgment and the necessity of repentance for himself, his household, and the whole Church.

Then Hermas received from a glorious young man an explanation of the aged Lady who had appeared to him: this is the Church of God, which was created before all things and for whose sake the world was made.

Third Vision:

Subsequently, the aged Lady herself appeared to him in his house; approving him for not yet having given the book to the presbyters, she said: When I finish all My words, then through you they will be made known to the elect; for this purpose you will write two books and send one to Clement and the other to Grapte [a deaconess]. Clement will send it to the foreign cities … Grapte will instruct the widows and orphans, and you will read it in this city of Rome together with the presbyters who preside over the Church.

Fourth Vision:

Hermas fasted and prayed for further revelations. The aged Lady appeared to him at night and promised to appear to him the next morning in the field, at the place where he desired. He came to that place and with astonishment found a bench with a linen cushion and a canvas spread over it: he began to pray and confess his sins.

Then the aged Lady appeared, accompanied by six young men; she led him to the bench, and commanded the young men to build a tower. Seating him on the left side—for the right side, according to her words, belongs to the martyrs—she pointed out to Hermas a great square Tower being built. The Tower was being constructed over waters from shining square stones by the six young men; thousands of men assisted them, bringing stones from the depth of the water or from the earth. The stones brought from the depth were smooth and fitted together so well that the Tower appeared to be built as if from a single stone. Of the other stones, some were used in the building, others were set aside, and yet others were cast far from the tower. Thus, around the tower lay many rough stones or those with cracks or round ones unfit for the building. And of those cast away, some rolled onto the road and from there into the wilderness, or into fire, or into water—though not falling into it.

The aged Lady explained this vision to Hermas: The Tower, she said, is I, the Church … it is built upon the waters of baptism by the highest Angels of God, whom multitudes of other lower ones assist. The square and white stones are the apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons who piously perform their duties. The stones drawn from the depth are Christian martyrs. The stones taken from the earth and used in the building are the newly converted and faithful. The stones placed around the tower signify those who have sinned but desire to repent. The rough stones are those who harbor enmity in their hearts. The round stones must be hewn to fit the work: thus the rich of this world are unfit for the Lord unless their riches are hewn away. Of the stones cast far from the Tower, some rolled into the wilderness: these are Christians who, through doubt, have left the true path, thinking they can find a better one, and wander in desolate places; others rolled into the fire—these are those who have forever fallen away from God and burn in impenitence; the stones that rolled toward the water signify those who have heard the word and are ready to be baptized but are held back by thoughts of the holiness of the truth. Nevertheless, for all these repentance is not closed; but they will not enter the Tower, but a much lower place, when they have suffered and repented of their root sins.

Moreover, Hermas saw that the building of the Tower was supported by seven women, who signify Christian virtues: these are faith, continence, simplicity, innocence, modesty, knowledge, and love.

To the question about the time of the Tower’s completion, he received the answer that the Tower is still being built but will soon be finished!

In conclusion of these revelations, which Hermas was to transmit to all, the aged Lady gave him for reading in the assembly of the faithful a discourse containing an exhortation to repentance addressed to all the sons of the Church in general and especially to those in authority. While the Tower is being built, let the rich do good to the poor, lest their groans ascend to the Lord and the rich be removed from the Tower with their treasures. Let those in authority in the Church and the presidents bear no poison in their hearts, but maintain unity among themselves and admonish one another.

And then the aged Lady vanished. Hermas wondered why the aged Lady appeared to him each time in different forms. After fasting and prayer, he received an explanation from the young man, who said the following:

In the first vision, the Church appeared very old, seated on a chair, because the spirit of the faithful had grown old and weakened from their sins and doubts: sitting on the chair is a sign of this weakness. God had mercy on them and renewed their spirit with revelations and strengthened them in faith. Therefore, in the second instance, the Church appeared with a younger and more joyful face, though with aged hair and body, and standing rather than sitting. Finally, as a sorrowful person forgets grief at joyful news, so the souls of the faithful were encouraged and comforted by revelations of future goods: this is why in the third vision she appeared even younger and brighter, and her seating on a bench with four legs signifies a firm position. Thus will those who sincerely repent grow young and strong.

Therefore, to the near completion of the Church—so comforting and beneficial for the faithful—there must precede a tribulation, the image of which was presented to Hermas in the fourth vision.

Fifth Vision:

Twenty days later, Hermas, walking in a solitary place and amid prayers lifting up to God, heard a voice: “Do not doubt, Hermas!” Having gone a little farther, he saw before him an extraordinary dust rising to heaven, and behind it, when the sun broke through, appeared a huge beast from whose mouth issued fiery locusts. [p. 177] The beast resembled a whale and was about one hundred feet long, with a head like a clay vessel.

Hermas began to weep and pray to the Lord to save him from it. Then he remembered the word he had heard: “Do not doubt, Hermas …”

And so, brethren [says Hermas], clothing myself in faith in God and remembering the great works He had shown me, I boldly went toward the beast. The beast, roaring, approached with such force that in its attack it could have destroyed a city. I drew near to it, and the enormous beast stretched itself out on the ground, showing nothing but its tongue; it did not move while I passed by it.

This beast had four colors on its head: black, then red or bloody, then golden, and finally white. After I had passed the beast and gone about thirty feet, a beautifully adorned virgin met me, as if coming out of the bridal chamber, in white shoes, clothed in white garments up to her forehead. A mitre was her veil, and her hair was white.

From previous visions, I guessed that this was the Church. I rejoiced; she greeted me: “Hail, O man!”

I returned the greeting, saying: “Hail, Lady!” She answered: “Nothing met you, O man?” I said to her: “Lady, I met such a beast that could destroy peoples, but by the power of God and His great mercy, I escaped it.”

“You escaped happily,” she said, “because you cast your care upon the Lord and opened your heart to Him, believing that you can be saved by no one else but His great and glorious name. For this, the Lord sent His Angel who is set over the beasts, whose name is Thegri, and he closed its mouth so that it did not devour you. You have escaped a great tribulation because of your faith, since you did not doubt at the sight of such a beast. Go, therefore, and declare to God’s elect His great works, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. Therefore, if you prepare yourselves and repent before the Lord with all your heart, you can escape it, if your heart is pure and spotless, and you serve God blamelessly in the remaining days of your life. Cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will heal them. You who are double-minded, believe in God, that He can do all things and turn away His wrath from you and send scourges upon the double-minded. Woe to those who hear these words and despise them; it would be better for them not to have been born.”

I asked her about the four colors the beast had on its head, and she answered me: [says Hermas]

The black color signifies the world in which you live; the fiery and bloody—that this world must perish through blood and fire; the golden part is you who have fled this world. For as gold is tested by fire and becomes useful, so you who live among them are tested. Those who remain steadfast and are tried by them will be purified. As gold sheds its dross, so you shed every sorrow and distress, and be purified and fit for the building of the Tower. The white part signifies the coming age in which God’s elect will live; for those chosen by God for eternal life will be spotless and pure. Therefore, cease not to speak this in the ears of the saints. You also have the type of the great tribulation that is coming. If you wish, it will be nothing to you; remember what has been written for you.

Having said this, she departed. After the Church herself had revealed the necessity of universal repentance among the faithful in view of the threatening persecution and the soon-following end of the world, the moral conditions of this repentance are presented in a new series of revelations, which take the form of commandments placed in the book “The Shepherd.” Here they are omitted.

After Hermas had written the commandments and parables, the Shepherd came to him—that is, a man of venerable appearance in pastoral clothing. He wore a white cloak, a bag on his shoulders, and a staff in his hands. This is the Shepherd, or the Angel of repentance, to whom Hermas was entrusted for the rest of his life. He taught twelve commandments, with the command to write them down, as well as the further revelations for the faithful.

Then this Shepherd said to Hermas the following: I wish to show you all that the Spirit who spoke to you in the form of the Church revealed to you.

That Spirit is the Son of God. At that time you were not yet strong in power, so the Church showed you the building of the Tower, appearing in female form. But now you are prepared for the appearance of that same Spirit, who will enlighten you … and the Shepherd carried Hermas to the top of a mountain in Arcadia and showed him a vast plain surrounded by twelve diverse mountains. In the midst of the plain rose a white square stone higher than the mountains—ancient, but with a new door recently cut in it, which shone brighter than the sun. Around the door stood twelve beautiful virgins. Soon six men of majestic and venerable appearance came; they summoned many other strong men and commanded them to build a Tower over the door. The virgins drew stones from the depth of the water and passed them through the door to the builders. First, ten white hewn square stones were brought, then twenty-five … then thirty-five … and finally forty stones … so that the foundation of the Tower consisted of four rows of stones. Then they ceased drawing stones from the water, and it was commanded to bring stones from the twelve mountains. Those stones that passed through the virgins into the building changed their former varied colors and became uniformly white; but those delivered directly by the men, not passing through the hands of the virgins, did not change. Then, by command of the six men, they were carried back to whence they were taken. Since the work was finished that day but the Tower not yet complete—its completion will follow when the Lord of the Tower inspects the building. The builders went to rest, but the virgins remained by the Tower. The Shepherd and Hermas departed thus.

After a few days, Hermas and the Shepherd came again to the same place; and since they were awaiting the arrival of the Lord, they entered the Tower itself, where they found only the virgins. And behold, a great multitude of men appeared, and in the midst was one of extraordinary stature, so tall that he surpassed even the Tower itself. Around him were those six men who oversaw the building of the Tower. The virgins immediately approached him, kissed him, and accompanied him. He inspected the Tower carefully and tested the stones with the rod he held in his hand; some of them proved to be black, others rough, others spotted or cracked, and so forth. These were ordered to be removed and placed around the Tower, and in their place other stones were to be taken—not from the mountains, but from the nearest field. Of the new stones, the shining and square ones were used in the construction, while the round ones were likewise placed around the Tower. The Lord entrusted to the Shepherd the task of hewing the rejected stones and using those that were fit in the building, and then He departed. The Shepherd did so, but those stones that proved unfit even afterward were carried back to where they had been taken from. Now there was not a single stone left around the Tower, and the Tower appeared without joints, as if built from a single stone or hewn from one rock.

The next day the Shepherd came and explained everything to Hermas as follows:

The stone and the door are the Son of God. The stone is ancient because He is older than every creature and was with His Father in the counsel concerning the creation of the world …

The door is new because He appeared in the last days to give access to the kingdom of God; and no one will enter it unless he bears the name of the Son of God.

The majestic man who inspected the Tower is the Son of God Himself.

The Tower is the Church.

Its builders are the angels of God, who also have access to God through the Son.

The virgins are the holy spirits, the powers of the Son of God, and everyone who bears His name must also possess these powers. The four most important among them are: faith, continence, strength, and patience; after these follow: simplicity, innocence, chastity, joy, truthfulness, knowledge, concord, and love.

Of the stones that were brought from the depth: the first ten signify the first age. The next twenty-five, the second age, of righteous men. The further thirty-five are the prophets and servants of the Lord. The last forty are the apostles and preachers of the Son of God. They were drawn from the water because only through the water of baptism can one receive the seal of the Son of God, be spiritually vivified, and enter the kingdom of God.

The Old Testament righteous ones died in holiness but did not have this seal; after their death, the apostles and teachers—who already bore the seal of the Son of God—descended to them, preached to them, and imparted it. With them the apostles descended into the water and ascended again with them: therefore they too are presented as taken from the water.

The twelve mountains signify the twelve nations of the world among whom the Son of God was preached by His apostles.

These nations differ not by their origin but by their inner qualities, and they represent various classes of believers according to their virtues and vices.

The stones taken in place of the rejected mountain stones and dug from the nearest field are fragments of the white mountain, which signifies believers who have preserved childlike simplicity and innocence. To them belong the newly converted who have just believed [Jews and other nations] and those who will yet believe before the completion of the Church. For this impending completion, the members of the present Church must prepare themselves in simplicity, peace, and repentance while the Tower is still being built.

Finally, the Lord of the Church Himself, in the form of an angel, came to the house of Hermas together with the Shepherd to whom He had entrusted him. Approving Hermas’s obedience to the Shepherd, He commanded him to persevere in fulfilling the commandments given to him and to proclaim the power of this angel, who has authority over repentance for the whole world. [p. 144] He sent into Hermas’s house the twelve virgins who pleased Him—the spiritual powers—to assist in fulfilling the commandments, and in conclusion said to Hermas:

“Manfully perform this ministry and declare to every man the greatness of God … Tell all not to cease, as much as each is able, to do good … The one who lacks suffers great torment and grief in life: he suffers as one bound in chains, and many, unable to endure such a wretched condition, are ready to die. Whoever knows the misfortune of such a person and does not deliver him commits a great sin and is guilty of his blood. Therefore do good as much as each has received from the Lord … If you do not hasten to amend yourselves, the building of the tower will be finished … and you will not enter it! …”

After these words He departed, taking the Shepherd and the virgins with Him, promising to send them back again to the house of Hermas.

At one time I asked the Angel [says Hermas], “Tell me, Lord, in detail, what do the twelve mountains signify? And what are they?”

The Angel of repentance led me to Mount Arcadia, which had the shape of a breast, and we sat on its summit. He showed me a large plain, around which were twelve mountains, each of a different appearance.

The first mountain was black as soot.

The second mountain was bare, without plants.

The third mountain was covered with thorns and thistles.

On the fourth mountain were half-withered plants, the upper part of which was green, but near the roots dry, and some plants had completely withered from the sun’s heat.

The fifth mountain was rocky, yet it had green plants on it.

The sixth mountain had clefts in some places small, in others large; in these clefts were plants, but not very flourishing, appearing rather withered.

The seventh mountain had flourishing plants and was entirely fertile; every kind of cattle and birds of the air gathered food from it, and the more they fed from it, the more abundantly it produced plants.

The eighth mountain was full of springs, and from these springs every kind of God’s creation was watered.

The ninth mountain had no water at all and was completely barren; on it were deadly serpents fatal to men.

On the tenth mountain were very large trees; it was entirely shaded, and under the shade the cattle lay resting.

The eleventh mountain was very rich in trees, and these trees were covered with various fruits, so that anyone who saw them desired to taste of their fruits.

The twelfth mountain was entirely white, of the most pleasant appearance; everything on it was beautiful.

“Now, Lord,” I said [says Hermas], “explain to me the meaning of the mountains, why they are so different and varied in appearance?”

“Listen,” says the angel: “these twelve mountains that you see signify the twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world. Among them the Son of God was preached through the apostles.

These twelve peoples, just as you saw the mountains so varied, are so varied in mind and inner disposition.

I will show you the meaning of each of them. First of all, Lord,” [says Hermas] “explain to me: since these mountains are so different, how is it that the stones from them, when placed in the building of the Tower, became uniform in color and as shining as the stones taken from the depth?”

“Because,” he says, “all the nations under heaven, having heard the preaching, believed and were called by one name—the name of the Son of God. Therefore, having received His seal, they all received one spirit and one understanding, and one faith and one love arose among them. And together with His name, they clothed themselves with the spiritual powers of the virgins. That is why the building of the Tower became uniform in color and shining like the sun. But after they had come together into one and become one body, some of them defiled themselves and were cast out from the generation of the righteous, returned to their former state, and even became worse.”

“How is it, Lord,” I say, “that those who came to know the Lord became worse?”

And the angel said: “Those who did not know the Lord, if they do evil, are liable to punishment for their unrighteousness. But he who has known the Lord must already refrain from evil and do good. And if he who ought to do good instead does evil, is he not more guilty than the unbeliever in God!

Therefore, although those who did not know God and do evil are destined for death, yet those who have known the Lord and seen His wonderful works, if they do evil, will be punished twofold and will die forever. Thus the Church of God will be purified …

As you saw that the rejected stones were thrown out of the Tower and delivered to evil spirits, and the Tower was thus purified so that it appeared as if made from a single stone—so it will be with the Church of God when she is purified, and the evil hypocrites, blasphemers, double-minded, and all who commit various kinds of unrighteousness are cast out from her; she will be one body, one spirit, one understanding, one faith, and one love, and then the Son of God will triumph among them and rejoice, having received His people pure.

“Now explain to me, Lord,” [says Hermas to the angel] “the actions and meaning of each of the mountains, so that every soul hoping in the Lord, having heard this, may glorify His great, wonderful, and glorious name.”

The twelve mountains signify the twelve peoples.

The first mountain, black, signifies believing apostates and blasphemers of the Lord, and betrayers of the servants of God: death awaits them, and there is no repentance! And they are black because their race is lawless.

The second mountain, bare, signifies believing hypocrites and teachers of falsehood; they are very close to the first and bear no fruit of righteousness. For as their mountain is empty and barren, so these people, though they have the name, have no faith, and there is in them no fruit of truth. Nevertheless, repentance is possible for them if only they repent immediately; but if they delay, death will come to them together with the first.

“Why, Lord,” says Hermas, “is repentance open to the latter but not to the former? After all, their deeds are almost the same?”

“Because,” says the angel, “repentance is possible for them in that they did not blaspheme their Lord nor betray the servants of God; but out of desire for gain they deceived people, and each taught according to the lusts of sinners; for this deed they will bear punishment, but repentance is open to them because they were not blasphemers of the Lord nor betrayers.”

The third mountain, covered with thorns and thistles, signifies believers among whom some are rich and others have given themselves over to many occupations; for thistles signify the rich, and thorns those who have devoted themselves to many cares. Such people will not have communion with the servants of God but will withdraw from them, drawn away by their own affairs. And the rich enter into communion with the servants of God with difficulty, fearing lest something be asked of them. For such people it is hard to enter the kingdom of God. Just as it is hard to walk barefoot over thorny plants, so for people of this kind it is hard to enter the kingdom of God. But repentance is possible even for them, only they must immediately turn to it, so that what they neglected in former time they may make up for in the remaining days and do good.

The fourth mountain, on which there were very many plants green in the upper part but dry near the roots, and even withered from the sun’s heat, signifies believers who waver, or who have the Lord on their lips but not in their heart. Therefore they are dry at the foundation and lack strength; their words are alive, but their deeds are dead; thus they are neither dead nor alive. In the same way, the double-minded are neither green nor dry—that is, neither alive nor dead. Just as those plants withered as soon as the sun appeared, so also the double-minded, upon hearing of persecution, in their faint-heartedness bow to idols and are ashamed of the name of their Lord; such people are neither alive nor dead; but they can live if they repent quickly.

The fifth mountain, rocky yet having green grasses, signifies believers who, though they believe, learn little. They are bold and self-satisfied, desiring to appear all-knowing, yet they know nothing. Because of this boldness, understanding has departed from them, and vain foolishness has entered. They present themselves as wise, and being foolish, desire to be teachers. Because of this pride, many of them are humbled while exalting themselves, for great demonic possession is boldness and vain self-reliance. Many of them have been rejected, but others, recognizing their error, have repented and submitted to those who have understanding. But for the rest who are like them, repentance is possible, because they were not so much evil as senseless and foolish.

The sixth mountain, with large and small clefts and dry plants in them, signifies believers: the small clefts are those who had quarrels among themselves and became dull in faith from mutual contentions; many of them have repented; the others will do the same upon hearing my commandments, because their quarrels are insignificant and they can easily turn to repentance. The large clefts are those who are stubborn in quarrels, grudge-bearing, and wrathful; such have been cast away from the Tower and are unfit for the building; it is hard for them to live with God. If God our Lord, who rules over all His creation, does not remember evil against those who confess their sins but is merciful, how then can a mortal man, full of sins, stubbornly hold anger against another man, as if he could save or destroy him? I, the Angel of repentance, exhort you who have such a disposition: abandon it and turn to repentance; and the Lord will heal your former transgressions if you cleanse yourselves from this demonic evil; but if not, you will be delivered to death.

The seventh mountain, on which there were green flourishing and abundant plants, so that every kind of cattle and birds of heaven fed from them, and the more they were plucked the more they grew, signifies believers who are always simple-hearted and good, who have no quarrels among themselves but always rejoice in the servants of God, filled with the spirit of the virgins, merciful to every man, and from their labors they immediately and without hesitation do good to all. Therefore the Lord, seeing their simplicity and all their goodness, prospers the works of their hands and grants success in every undertaking.

I, the Angel of repentance, exhort you to remain in such a disposition, and your seed will never be rooted out from you forever. The Lord has approved you and inscribed you in our number, and all your seed will dwell with the Son of God, because you are of His Spirit.

The eighth mountain, with many springs from which every creature of God was watered, signifies the apostles and teachers who preached throughout the whole world and taught the word of the Lord holily and purely, not turning aside to evil desires but constantly walking in righteousness and truth as they received the Holy Spirit. Therefore they dwell with the angels.

From the ninth mountain, barren and having serpents deadly to men: the spotted stones signify deacons who performed their ministry badly, plundering the goods of widows and orphans and enriching themselves from their service. If they remain in their vice, they are dead and have no life or hope in them; but if they turn and perform their service blamelessly, they can live.

The rough stones signify those who denied the faith and did not return to the Lord, became wild and like the desert, do not associate with the servants of God but live in solitude and destroy their souls. Just as a vine left in a fence without any care perishes, is choked by weeds, in time becomes wild and barren to its owner—so these people, despairing of themselves, have become wild and useless to their Lord. Repentance is possible for them if they denied not from the heart … but if anyone did it from the heart … I do not know whether such can have life … I do not speak of the present days, that one who denies now could repent; it is impossible for one who now denies his Lord to obtain salvation. But repentance is given to those who denied in former times. Therefore, whoever intends to repent, let him do so immediately, before the building of the Tower is finished; if he does not hasten, he will be delivered to death.

The short stones signify crafty and slanderous people: they are like the serpents you saw on the ninth mountain. For as the venom of serpents is deadly to man, so the words of such people are destructive to others. They are short in their faith because of their manner of life. Nevertheless, some of them have repented and been saved. Likewise, others like them will obtain salvation if they repent.

The tenth mountain, on which the trees served as shelter for the cattle, signifies bishops and hospitable believers who received the servants of God into their homes without pretense and with gladness—bishops who continually sheltered the poor and widows and lived always blamelessly. Such people are themselves sheltered by God: they are honored by the Lord and have a place among the angels if they persevere to the end in the service of the Lord.

The eleventh mountain, on which the trees were full of every kind of fruit, signifies believers who suffered for the name of the Son of God, who suffered with love and from all their heart delivered up their souls.

I asked [says Hermas], “Why, Lord, do all the trees have fruits, but on some the fruits are less pleasant?”

The angel says: The pleasant fruits are those who suffered for the name of the Lord; they are honored by God, and all their sins are forgiven because they suffered for the name of the Son of God. And why their fruits are different and some better, listen: those who, when brought before authorities, were questioned and did not deny the Lord but suffered willingly are more honored by God; their fruit is better. But those who were in fear and confusion and reasoned in their heart whether to confess God or deny, and then suffered—their fruits are worse, because in their heart was an evil thought, that a servant might deny his Lord. Beware, you who think this, lest this thought take root in your hearts and you die to God. But you who suffer for the name of God must glorify the Lord that He counted you worthy to bear His name, for all your sins will be healed.

The twelfth mountain, white, signifies believers like infants, in whose heart no evil ever arose, who know not what guile is, but always remained in simplicity. Such people will undoubtedly dwell in the kingdom of God, because in no matter did they transgress the commandments of God but remained in the same disposition with simplicity all the days of their life. Those who remain as infants without malice will be more honored than all those mentioned above: all infants are glorious before the Lord and are counted first by Him.

Thus blessed are you who have put away guile from yourselves and clothed yourselves in innocence, because you will be the first to live with God.

After the angel finished explaining all the mountains, I say to him [says Hermas], “Lord, tell me about those stones that were brought from the field and placed in the building of the Tower in place of those removed from the Tower, and also about those round stones that entered the building of the Tower, and about those that still remain round?”

The angel said: The stones that were brought from the field and placed in the building of the Tower in place of the rejected ones are from the slopes of the white mountain. Since the believers from this mountain proved innocent, the Lord of the Tower placed them in the building of this Tower; for He knew that, once entered into the building, they would remain white, and not one of them would blacken. And if He had commanded stones from the other mountains to be placed in the building of the Tower, it would have been necessary for Him to inspect this Tower again and purify it. These white stones are the newly converted who have believed and will believe; for they believe from the heart. Blessed is this race. And now concerning the round and shining stones—they too are all from the white mountain. Why did they prove round? Because riches somewhat darkened them; but they did not depart from God, and no evil word came from their lips, but always righteousness, virtue, and truth. Therefore the Lord, knowing their soul and that they were born and remain good, commanded their riches to be hewn away, but not entirely taken from them, so that from what remained they might do good and live with God, for they too have been somewhat hewn and placed in the building of the Tower.

The other stones that remained round and were unfit for the building have not yet received the seal and are set aside in their place, for they were found very round. Their goods of the present age and vain riches must be hewn away, and then they will be fit for the kingdom of God. They must enter the kingdom of God, for the Lord will bless this race, and none of them will perish; perhaps one tempted by the evil devil may sin in something, but he will quickly turn again to his Lord.

I, the Angel of repentance, count you happy who are innocent as children, because your portion is good and honorable before God. And to all who have received the seal of the Son of God I say: “Have simplicity, do not remember offenses, do not remain in malice! Let there be no bitterness in the soul of any of you from grudge-bearing; heal and remove from yourselves evil contentions, so that the Lord of the flock may come and rejoice, finding His sheep whole.”

But if any one is lost by the shepherds, or if the Lord finds the shepherds themselves evil, what will they answer Him?

Will they say that they were worn out by the flock? He will not believe them! For it is incredible that a shepherd could suffer anything from sheep; and he will be punished even more for his lie.

And I am a shepherd [says the Apostle] and must give account to the Most High for you.

Therefore take care for yourselves while the Tower is still being built.

The Lord dwells in people who love peace, for He Himself loves peace and is far from the contentious and those corrupted by malice.

Return to Him the spirit whole, as you received it from Him. Thus the Lord gave you a pure spirit, but you made it altogether unfit, so that it can serve the Lord for no use, for it has become useless and corrupted by you. For such a deed of yours the Lord will deliver you to death. Thus He will punish all those whom He finds stubbornly remembering offenses. Then the angel said to Hermas: You have asked me everything, but you did not ask about those stones placed in the building whose appearance we corrected?

Hermas said: I forgot, Lord!

Hear about them [says the angel]: these are those who have now heard my commandments and repented from all their heart, and the Lord, seeing that their repentance was good and pure and that they would persevere in it, commanded their former sins to be blotted out. Thus their sins are blotted out. See that they are not seen afterward. [Up to here from the book “Writings of the Apostolic Fathers,” 3rd book of Similitudes, pages 135, 141, 144, 177, 224, 238, 239, 240, 241, 338; or it is also called: “The Book of the Shepherd”].

CONCLUSION

And so now it is clearly evident, as day illuminated by the rays of the sun, what the Church is: from what elements she is composed, what her appearance is, and in what place her beginning is found. Saint Methodius of Patara showed her beginning from Adam, and also in the 12th chapter of the Apocalypse, concerning the woman clothed with the sun, of whom in the interpretation of Andrew of Caesarea the same renowned man relates that from what parts of humanity the Church is drawn from Adam to our times.

Thus the Old Testament Church existing from Adam to Moses and Aaron was absolutely without spiritual headship—that is, without priesthood. This Church clearly prefigured the Church at the end of the world and, in the new grace, the Church of Christ, which existed from the birth of Christ until the ordination of the apostles and until the days when the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit—that is, for more than 33 years she existed without spiritual headship, that is, without priesthood.

But the ancient Church from Moses and Aaron had priesthood until the crucifixion of Christ, which prefigured the new-grace Church with new-grace priesthood.

And the fall of the Old Testament priesthood, with the rending of the temple veil when Christ on the cross gave up His spirit, served as a type for the new-grace priesthood, which at various times has fallen throughout the whole world …

But missionaries mockingly say that the Church neither in the Old Testament nor in the new grace was without priesthood not for a single hour.

They even call such priestless communities by various abusive names.

But here the holy Fathers of the first centuries have most clearly shown us the image of the Church—especially the apostolic man Hermas, who lived in the middle of the 2nd century, and who transmits to us a heavenly revelation. The Lord God deigned to reveal this vision to the simple man Hermas and commanded him to deliver it to Clement, who was bishop at the same time.

Here every poorly educated person has access to the understanding of the Church, and the simplest teaching is presented, showing the rules by which one may obtain access to be in the Church and to become a firm stone fit for the building of the Tower.

Here no proud philosopher, no missionary puffed up with his own authority and rank, has any right to protest against this divine revelation sent down from heaven for our sake. Its apocalyptic character consists of a series of revelations communicated to Hermas from the higher spiritual world—in visions of the Church that appeared to him and in the instructions of the angel. This was an extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit. Hermas was inspired from above for his prophetic ministry, for the exhortation and consolation of the Christians of his time.

Hermas presents the plan of the divine economy of the Church [says the book Writings of the Apostolic Fathers, pp. 146–147], in which angels take part, and he clearly shows how, for the benefit of men, ministering spirits constantly descend from the invisible world into this visible one—spirits appointed by God Himself to raise man through their influence to Christian perfection. In every respect it resembles the prophet Ezra and the Revelation of John the Theologian. At the time when Hermas wrote his book called The Shepherd, which is found in all ends of the universe.

And for those who doubt this writing of revelation, we set forth the testimonies of the holy Fathers, because in Russia this writing is little known.

Irenaeus, who traveled to Rome in 178, and Saint Clement of Alexandria refer to the words of the book The Shepherd and call this book “God-inspired.”

Blessed Jerome and Origen [while he was still a Christian] call Hermas “an apostolic man.”

Eusebius testifies that this book The Shepherd is very useful, like the Wisdom of Solomon.

Blessed Jerome says in another place: the work written by Hermas, The Shepherd, is a useful book belonging to the class of books like the Wisdom of Solomon, the book of Sirach, and others; and finally: it is chiefly established in the Eastern Church as a book useful and edifying, on a level with other sacred books accepted by the Church.

This sacred writing [says the book Acts and Writings of the Apostolic Fathers], written by the Shepherd Hermas—who possessed the gift of edifying speech—was not bound to any ecclesiastical rank; he freely acted in the liturgical assemblies of the faithful, though the presidency in them belonged to the presbyters. Hermas himself had the commission to speak to the assembly of the saints, and everyone who was filled with the Holy Spirit could speak in it.

Nevertheless, the time of the Church’s youth and fresh vigor had passed. The Church appeared to Hermas as an aged Lady seated on a chair, signifying the spiritual weakness of her members. Both among the clergy and among the believing people, Christian life in many had lost the perfections with which it had been adorned in the apostolic age, so that universal repentance became necessary. The leaders of the Church are rebuked for their disagreements among themselves and disputes over preeminence.

The general moral decline of Christian life consisted in attachment to worldly affairs, which was first rebuked in Hermas himself. Distracted and weakened by worldly concerns, they fell into carelessness about serving the one God.

Moreover, members of the Church are rebuked for luxury and effeminacy, which are incompatible with the duties of the servants of God. Many were devoted to sensual pleasures; one, enjoying the creations of God, did not share with the poor who were perishing in need.

There were even some Christians at that time who were such only in name, who had no faith and bore no fruit of truth. Others, in their pride, boasted of all knowledge and took upon themselves the appearance of teachers, and so forth.

Against such errors and the decline of the spiritual life of the faithful, Hermas comes forth with his preaching of repentance, in order to restore and renew the spiritual powers of Christians weakened by sins and to refresh the life of the Church that had grown old in its members.

For this work Hermas was especially stirred by the firm conviction that the Second Coming of Christ was near, for the purification of the Church and the separation of the righteous from the sinners.

Penetrated by this thought, Hermas prophetically proclaims: the end of the world is near, the building of the Tower will soon be finished, but God has granted yet a time for repentance, has allowed an interruption in the building, so that people may repent and be saved. There is still repentance for the servants of God, but it is limited by the near completion of the Tower. [Up to this point from the book: Writings of the Apostolic Fathers, folios 150, 151, 153, 154, 145; and Christian Reading, vol. 3, 1838; and Sunday Reading, 1849 and 1850, no. 13].

Having set forth information about the book The Shepherd, in which the appearance, essence, and image of the Church are revealed, and how each Christian may be in it and obtain the path of salvation—here hierarchical discipline is not mentioned; here not a word is said that without priesthood there is no salvation, but fruits worthy of repentance are proposed. Here Hermas was not told “run to the priest,” but a heavenly voice proclaimed: “Abandon your former lawless deeds, fast and pray and repent!”

Here the Russian false teachers—the missionaries—are exposed: according to their sophistry and vain philosophy, even if people live holy lives and gather together for the glory of God, yet without priests and without their blessing, such an assembly is a “synagogue,” a “demonic Babylon.”

But they lie and condemn recklessly, and the father of lies is the devil. Therefore it is manifest that they lie by the teaching of the father of lies, the devil!

They—that is, the missionaries—never even mentioned this heavenly revelation, whether it is necessary for the human race—that is, for the Church of Christ—or not; among them there is not even a mention of it. But even our contemporary pastors do not know how to be in the inner Church of which Hermas taught,* and to obtain salvation, and to be a firm and suitable stone for the building of the Tower.

But our missionaries and Russian teachers have despised this heavenly teaching! And from this comes a most terrible sentence pronounced upon them: “It would have been better for them not to have been born!” Thus the voice spoke to Hermas: “Woe to those who hear these words and despise them; it would have been better for them not to have been born!”

For this concealment and contempt of this teaching—that true-believing simple folk cannot be the Church—better would it have been for such missionary teachers not to have been born!

They teach and themselves believe in the external appearance and form of glittering temples, the splendor of their own vestments, the glory and majesty of their ranks, drawing the simplest to themselves …

The priesthood in the Church was established by God not because without it the Church supposedly cannot exist, but in order that they might preserve the Church without blemish.

As the Acts of the holy apostles testify, saying thus: “Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of the Lord and God which He purchased with His own blood” [Acts 20:28, conception 44].

From this apostolic saying it is evident that bishops were appointed by the Holy Spirit not because without them the Church of Christ cannot exist, but in order that they might shepherd His Church, which Christ redeemed with His own blood.

Likewise the apostle, writing to the Corinthians, says: “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers” [1 Cor. 12:28, conception 153].

The Explanatory Psalter says: “Although the people of God [that is, the Church] have appointed shepherds and teachers by whom they are fed and governed, nevertheless God Himself has special care for them and does not permit the negligence, ignorance, or even malice of the shepherds to cause any harm to them. For the Lord not only created us but also covers and governs us with special providence as a shepherd his flock. When He finds an unfit shepherd, He Himself says through Ezekiel: ‘I Myself will shepherd My sheep’” [Explanatory Psalter, Psalm 94, folios 216 verso and 217, Synod print 1791, 7th indiction, month of October].

This above revelation, most necessary for the understanding and clear comprehension of this salvific and renowned monument of prophecy of the ancient Church, the present, and the future until the Second Coming of Christ—here is her entire destiny. And likewise the delusion of the Greco-Nikonians’ understanding of the essence of the Church of Christ is vividly depicted as false teaching.

Now let the mouths of those who speak lies be stopped—that supposedly without hierarchical discipline the Church cannot exist among true-believing Christians.

To our Russian archpastors and the missionaries dispatched by them for disputations with the Old Believers—on this field of battle the missionaries must take the first step, the first combat in the warfare “concerning the Church.” Here our brave warriors must blush with shame before the whole world for the fact that even to this day they have no need of this book The Shepherd. Then they would have made a strong retreat in this matter from the battle and disputation. Almost the whole world was interested in and reverenced this treasure, but only the Russian missionaries do not respect it and take no interest in it. But one may permit oneself to say concerning their pride: that Russia received enlightenment—both spiritual and secular—after all others in the world; therefore her pastors ought not to conceal this book of divine revelation but to keep it on all their cathedras. But for this disrespect of that book, the judgment pronounced upon them by God in it is: “It would have been better for them not to have been born!” And from the earthly world: eternal shame and disgrace! If even at the end of the apostolic age the Church was beginning to grow decrepit and bent from sins, and God sent this book from heaven to strengthen weak humanity, then all the more in these present times of many sorrows and many pains our missionary pastors ought to teach the people from this book: The Shepherd of Hermas. Where the Holy Spirit teaches: from what and from whom the Church is composed, and what kind of stone one must be to be fit for the building of the Tower, whose construction will soon be finished! ..

But the missionaries have no need of this—that the building of this Tower will soon be finished; rather they grieve over one thing: that the Old Believers do not recognize them as the Church and do not submit to them, but on the contrary expose them in impiety and delusion.

They preach and present themselves as shining piety and enlightenment. And they zealously utter cries: “We are the Church! We are the Church! And the simple folk without us are demonic Babylon and the seed of the enemy! What we bind must be obeyed!” … applying the Gospel words of the Savior: “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me.” And he who disobeys the Church [that is, us missionaries] is a heathen and a tax collector. And again: those who separate themselves from the Church of God [that is, us Russian archpastors, even though found in heresies] become enemies of God and friends of demons. [Reading this from the book On Faith, folio 15 verso].

But such their teaching—that one must obey them in everything without discernment—is not Christian teaching but that of Jewish teachers, rabbis, and ragasas. [Apokrisis of Christopher Philalethes, part 2, section 2].

And for that teaching and preaching that they—that is, the pastors—are the Church which the gates of hell shall not prevail against—that is, no heresy, no sin, no delusion shall prevail against it, and they are eternally insured and infallible—for this infallible authority they hold the Roman heresy! And this teaching has a great gulf between it and the teaching of the Church of Christ. [Book The Stone of Scandal and the beginnings and causes of the falling away of the Western Church from the Eastern; by Greek Bishop Elias Miniatis, 1859, p. 89].

Here every honorable reader can see, from the footnote, how precious this book The Shepherd of Hermas is, what fame it had even in the most ancient times among numerous holy Fathers, and this proof alone would suffice to indicate the matter “concerning the Church.”

But let us set forth everything that is said by the holy Fathers and universal teachers in various times concerning the holy Church.

[Author’s footnote: * The book The Shepherd of Hermas belongs to the Roman Church in the time after the apostles—that is, the first quarter of the second century. In clear and instructive features it presents the further destiny of that Church and endeavors to establish peace and order in the further Corinthian Church. Here appears the seer of mysteries, deemed worthy of visions and revelations from the supersensible world, in order to transmit them to his brethren in the faith. A preacher of repentance stirred from above, to whom was entrusted the task of rebuking and healing the diseases that arose in the bosom of the Roman Church. His name—that is, the seer’s—“Hermas,” a name that occurs in the greeting of the apostle Paul among the members of the Roman Church [Romans 16:14, and in the service Menaion for April 5, in the canon]. He was a resident of the city of Rome, not belonging to the church clergy. A man simple-hearted, modest, patient, at the same time calm and cheerful, but who, because of his sins and weaknesses, brought upon himself the punishment of God. On the one hand, in his wealth he gave himself more than is fitting for the servants of God to worldly affairs in trade, in which he did not always observe righteousness. On the other hand, out of excessive paternal love he was too indulgent toward his children and did not see that his family was sinning before God. His wife was distinguished by an evil tongue. His sons were devoted to evil passions and became known as betrayers of their parents. And so for this the punishment of God came upon him: from a rich man he became poor, and instead of former prosperity, now worldly cares and needs appeared. But Hermas did not know the cause of such a change in his external condition, did not know his own guilt. Such was the state of that person who was to receive revelation and lessons from the higher world in order to become a messenger and example of repentance for the whole Church, to serve for her admonition and moral purification.

This divine writing: The Book of the Shepherd is known throughout, transmitted everywhere through Clement of Alexandria, in the East and West in the Greek churches.

And in more recent times it became known—not from the Greek original, but in the ancient Latin translation first published by the French scholar Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples in Paris in 1513. But in 1556 the Greek text appeared in print; it was discovered by the famous Greek Simonides on Mount Athos in a manuscript which, according to the opinion of C. Tischendorf, belongs to the 17th century. In Leipzig a second copy was prepared; it was purchased for the library of Leipzig University, and on the basis of these the first edition of the Greek text was made by Anger and Dindorf in Leipzig in 1856. This manuscript is still in Berlin. The German scholar Dressel, who was engaged in research for his edition of the Writings of the Apostolic Fathers and in examining libraries in Rome, discovered in the Palatine Codex of the Vatican Library [Cod. Vat. Gr. 108, 14th century] a completely new, hitherto unknown translation of The Shepherd of very great antiquity—that is, more than 17 centuries old, 1726 years ago—which he printed. The scholarly archaeologist Tischendorf, during his journey to the East (which was sent at the expense of the Russian government), found in one monastic library a most precious manuscript, which in his judgment belongs to the 4th century—a Codex of the Bible now called the “Sinaitic,” which, besides the Epistle of Barnabas, contains the first part of The Shepherd of Hermas in Greek. This text of The Shepherd was also found by the French scholar Antoine in one Ethiopian monastery, and it was published together with a Latin translation made from it in 1860 in Leipzig by the German Oriental Society. The German scholar Dillmann, who worked on this edition, believes that the Ethiopian translation was made from a Greek exemplar and belongs to the most ancient monuments of Ethiopian literature.

In Russia it was printed in Russian in Christian Reading in 1838, volume 3, and in Sunday Reading in 1849 and 1850, no. 13 [see the book Writings of the Apostolic Fathers, pages 129, 125, 126].

But only the Russian missionaries do not use this book in their preaching, and they treat it negligently, while others consider it as nothing—because they themselves have been raised like fat calves! … and their understanding has grown thick! …]

Concerning the One Holy Eastern Church and Her Glory, That from the Beginning of the World She Has Endured Persecution and the Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against Her

We place our hope in the Lord God!

We divide this exposition into three chapters!

First chapter: that there is one Church on the universe of the Lord and God.

Second chapter: concerning her majesty, that she is above all creation.

Third chapter: that from the beginning of the world she endures persecution.

And after each chapter, a conclusion—that is, a note—concerning the Nikonian Russian Church and her pastors, as to whether that assembly and their millions-strong masses of people belong to the holy Church of Christ.

Chapter One

That There Is One Church on the Universe

“Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb” [Rev. 21].

“You are one, my dove, my perfect one,” said the Wisdom of God [Song of Songs 6].

“As You, O Lord God, are Yourself one, so also from all the created cities You have sanctified Zion for Yourself. And from all the flying creatures You have named the one dove for Yourself. And from all the multiplied peoples You have sought out one people for Yourself” [3 Ezra 10].

Who are these people? They are those who know and truly believe in the one true God. Concerning them Christ our Savior prayed to God the Father, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in Your name, those whom You have given Me, that they may be one, as We are.”

The holy apostle Peter also makes known concerning these: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession” [On Faith, folio 16].

And the holy apostle Paul writes very clearly: “You are the church of the living God.” The same saint writes elsewhere: “One body, one spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith,” according to the testimony of the apostles. Therefore all others are heresies, and not faiths [On Faith, folio 16].

In divine Scripture the Church is called by many names, as in the Psalm:

“In the churches bless God the Lord, from the fountains of Israel.”

In the Apocalypse the holy evangelist John writes to seven churches.

Saint John Chrysostom describes both the heavenly and the earthly Church. On the first verse Saints Theodoret and Cyril interpret thus: “For there was one Jewish Church. But here he establishes a multitude of churches, in which he commands all to sing praises to God from the Israelite fountains—that is, from the Holy Spirit, through hymns composed by the holy Fathers. After the rejection of the Jewish Church, Christ the Savior created another holy Church from the Gentiles, concerning which He said to Peter: ‘On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’” [Matt. 67].

On the second verse in the Apocalypse, Saint Andrew in his interpretation names the seven Eastern churches on account of the notable deeds which the Son of God enumerates there; thereby he testifies to the praise of the holy Eastern Church, her faith, and her patience. And on account of the sevenfold number of the age, the days of the week, and the seven angels to whom the order of the Church is entrusted.

On the third verse, Saint John Chrysostom, on Psalm 14, speaks concerning the heavenly Church and the earthly: “Lord, who shall dwell in Your tabernacle,” he describes thus: “Let us see mystically and understand what the tabernacle is, and what the mountain of God is, and how it is fitting first to dwell in the tabernacle, and then on the mountain of God. The tabernacle of Moses and the temple of Solomon were types of the two Churches of Christ: that is, the one on earth was imaged by the tabernacle of Moses. But the temple of Solomon, built on the mountain, was the type of the heavenly Church. There are two Churches in number, but one in faith. Concerning this one on earth the Lord said: ‘On this rock I will build My church.’ But concerning the heavenly the apostle said: ‘You have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to the assembly of innumerable angels, and to the church of the firstborn enrolled in heaven.’”

“Just as then the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness was often carried from place to place, and those who dwelt in it were made strangers and sojourners—so also the Church of Christ built on earth is a tabernacle shining with desert life.”

“Again, the temple of Solomon was built on the mountain, immovable as long as it remained the temple of God. So also the Church of Christ on earth has sojourners in it. But the upper Church has eternal inhabitants, and there are no strange sojourners there.”

Likewise on the fifth chapter of the Apocalypse, the interpretation of Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, describes thus: “By the four living creatures and the elders it is shown that there was one flock and one Church of angels and men, united by Christ God who joined what was distant and broke down the middle wall of partition.”

The same on the seventh chapter says: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number … and all the angels stood around the throne and the elders: behold, one Church of angels and men.”

The same on the twenty-first chapter writes: “The heavenly Jerusalem descends from the bodiless above even to men, for Christ our God is the common head of both. This city is composed of the saints, concerning whom it is written: ‘Holy stones are scattered upon the earth,’ having Christ the cornerstone” [Zechariah 9].

Saint John Chrysostom, in his first homily on the union with the Corinthians, in the interpretation concerning the Church, writes: “There is one Church of God, not only in Corinth but throughout the whole universe. For the name ‘church’ is not a name of division, but of union and concord” [below].

“It is fitting that there be one Church throughout the universe, even though divided in many places.”

He also says: “For the Church is nothing else but a house built by our souls” [below].

“This Church was not built from this stone, but from gold and silver and precious stones, and much gold has been scattered everywhere” [Apostolic Homilies, p. 1681].

And again: “I call the Church not merely the place, but the way of life—not the church walls, but the church laws. When you flee to the Church, do not run to the place but to the counsel; for the Church is not walls and roof, but faith and life” [Margarit, Discourse 10, on “The Queen Stood at Your Right Hand”].

The venerable Nikon of the Black Mountain writes:

“For the catholic Church is not walls, but right teachings and the traditions of the divine rules, and of the holy councils, and of the holy apostles, as the Lord said to the chief apostle: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Do you see what the catholic Church is? For the great Peter himself. The Antiochene churches were often destroyed by the Gentiles. But the laws and traditions of the divine Fathers and the divine rules remain undestroyed forever by those who hold them” [Taktikon, Discourse 22].

Question: Did the Lord found the Church on Peter himself?

Answer: Saint Cyprian on the unity of the Church, Irenaeus, and others say [in the book On Faith, folio 64]:

Do the opponents answer the above words that Christ built the Church on Peter, and that to him He entrusted to feed His sheep? But we will briefly declare this, with God’s help. First let us set forth the words of Christ: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.” By the name Peter is interpreted “rock”; or from the rock the rock—every faithful man is to be understood thereby. And on every such one, as on a rock, Christ promised to build His Church. The verse: “On the rock of faith establish me” [Saint Ambrose].

A second interpretation of the name: the holy apostle Peter is to be understood; and not only Peter himself but also the other apostles are such rocks; many teachers from the saints understand thus [On Faith, folio 64].

A third explanation of the name “rock” (which in Greek is Petra, not Petros): Christ Himself is to be understood [Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, book 3; Augustine, chapter 33].

A fourth explanation: by the name Peter—that is, rock—the faith, or the confession spoken by Peter, is to be understood. What faith? From Christ the rock [Petra] Peter [rock] was named. [On Faith, folio 64 verso].

This Chrysostom, Gregory, Damascene, Theophylact testify concerning this:

“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church”—that is, On Faith of the confession which you confessed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And on that confession Christ built His Church, which is the faithful people baptized in His name [On the Right Faith, folio 65].

Saint Theophylact said in his interpretation: “This confession which you have confessed will be the foundation of those who believe in Me, so that every man who wishes to build a house of faith must lay this foundation.”

And as for those teachers who write that Christ built His Church on Peter himself, this was shown under a figure at that time. For as Christ the rock promised [and afterward fulfilled] to give to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven—not then, but when it was said to him together with all the apostles: “Whose sins you remit, they are remitted to them; and whose sins you retain, they are retained.” It was promised to Peter, but given equally to all, and all the apostles were sent by Christ for the building of the Church. And what He said to Peter, “Feed My sheep,” and when He asked him thrice, “Peter, do you love Me?” and concerning these words, “And you, when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

These same words the ancient teacher of the Western Church Augustine, interpreting, said: Christ entrusted His lambs to Peter, who also shepherded Peter. Therefore, brethren, hear attentively that you are Christ’s sheep. For we too hear with fear, “Feed My sheep.” And if to Augustine, then to all bishops and presbyters on the threefold questioning, Saint Isidore of Pelusium writes, revealing: The threefold questioning of the Lord to Peter concerning love was not asked by the Lord in ignorance, but by the threefold questioning the good Physician healed the threefold denial. Concerning these words: “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not,” according to Chrysostom: these words were spoken by Christ on account of Peter’s denial.

Saint Theophylact on the word “and you, when you have turned again, strengthen”: “For you, Peter, when you have turned again, will be a good example to all in repentance, so that no one of the faithful, seeing what happened to you, may fall into despair.”

And blessed Augustine says: When it was said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth,” then Peter signified the catholic Church which was built on the rock, from which he also received this name Peter—not from Peter the rock, but from the rock Peter. And as Christ is not from the Christian but the Christian from Christ, therefore the Lord says, “On this rock I will build My church”—because Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”; on this rock which you have confessed I will build My church; for the rock was Christ, on which foundation Peter himself was also built. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Therefore the Church which was founded on Christ received the keys of His kingdom of heaven in Peter—that is, the authority to bind and loose sins. For what belongs to Christ belongs to the Church; this Peter shows in the rock, by which Christ the rock is understood, and Peter the Church [up to here Augustine, Homily 124].

Likewise in the Prologue it is written thus concerning this:

“Hear, brethren, in the Gospel the Lord Himself speaking living words to His disciples, which, listening to and writing on our hearts, let us be spiritual: then kingly what God said to Peter: ‘You are Peter’—that is, the firm rock of faith. For Peter is called rock, on which Christ built the spiritual Church, against which the gates of death cannot prevail, where the Creator Himself laid the foundation and raised the walls by faith; who can resist it? To that faith whoever flees will be saved. To that, brethren, let us flee; there we will receive remission of all sins” [Prologue, June 29].

The Reading Menaion narrates concerning the martyr Agatha, who was founded on Peter’s faith, and the gates of hell did not prevail against her. It writes thus: The holy martyr Agatha, after long seduction by the governor, said: “Let it be known to you that my mind and thought are founded on the rock, and can never be separated from the love of Christ; and your threats are like rivers which, though they dash against my house, yet cannot shake it: it stands founded on the rock, which is Christ the Son of the living God.” Saying this, she watered her breast with streams of tears [Reading Menaion, February 5].

The book The Stone of Scandal explains: The holy teachers on the saying “On this rock I will build My church” teach that under the name of the rock on which the Church of Christ is built and founded is understood the confession of Peter itself; thus Chrysostom, explaining this saying, says: on this rock—that is, On Faith of the confession. In the same way Theodoret, Augustine understand. Others understand the rock as Jesus Christ Himself, whom Peter confessed, as is evident from the testimony of the same Augustine, who in his 76th homily on the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, and similarly in other places, says: on this rock which you confessed, saying “You are the Christ,” etc., I will build My church—that is, on Myself, the Son of the living God, I will build My Church: on Myself I will build you, and not on you Myself … Such an explanation agrees also with Holy Scripture, in which the rock and the cliff and the foundation are preeminently called and are the Lord Himself—for example, Isa. 16; Ps. 117:22; 1 Cor. 3:11, 10:4. And that many, on the basis of this saying, call the blessed Peter the rock and foundation of faith, and in the Menaion on January 16 it is sung: “The rock Christ gloriously glorifies the rock of faith, the chief seat of the disciples.” But to this opinion two explanations can be presented. First, although the blessed one is ecclesiastically and by some Fathers called rock and foundation of faith in general, yet not in the sense in which the papists call it. And in what sense precisely, let them hear the great Basil, who in his interpretation on the second chapter of Isaiah says that Peter was called rock because he, like a firm rock, was strengthened in faith, and like an unshakable cliff stood firm against worldly temptations. “The soul of the blessed Peter,” he says, “was called a precious stone because it firmly established itself in faith, stood firm and unshakable against the blows of temptations.”

Concerning this same saying “You are Peter,” let them hear also another Basil of Seleucia, who says that Peter was called rock because he first uttered the confession which is the true rock of faith, and received this name as a sign of his confession.

The Lord, he says, having called this confession rock, calls rock also him who first uttered it, turning the property of the confession into his name; for it is truly the rock of piety. Secondly, if Peter is called the rock of faith and the foundation of the Church, is he the only one so called? Are not all the apostles? And the believers?

And did not John see the heavenly Jerusalem having twelve foundations, and on these twelve foundations the names of the apostles of the Lamb [Rev. 21]?

Whoever wishes, let him read thus concerning this Origen, Commentary on Matt. 16, ch. 1; Cyprian, Letter 27; Basil, Theodoret, Jerome, and Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 87, which begins with the words “His foundations are on the holy mountains” [same book].

And Saint Chrysostom says: At the same time, wishing to show him that he must be of good courage, when the denial is blotted out, He grants him primacy before the brethren—that is, primacy of order and honor, such as exists among brethren, and not primacy of authority and dominion, such as exists between master and slaves.

In another place the same teacher says: After this grievous fall [for there is no evil equal to denial] He restored to him his former honor and entrusted to him the care of the universal Church.

Therefore, to feed the sheep of Christ means to have care for the catholic Church [on the words: “Feed My lambs,” “Feed My sheep”]. But did not Jesus Christ entrust this care to all the apostles in general? Saint John continues: Since they were to receive care for the universe, Jesus Christ entrusted His sheep to the worthy apostles.

And concerning the apostle Paul he says that care for the whole universe was entrusted to him. And this care for the universe undoubtedly means nothing else but to preach the Gospel throughout the whole universe, to teach all in the faith, and to baptize them in the name of Jesus Christ—which He granted equally to all of them in common when He said: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature; teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The Church of Christ throughout the whole world is as it were one common flock, whose management all the apostles received in common.

We, together with Saint Chrysostom, acknowledge that the apostles were all equally laborers, warriors, and shepherds—not of land, not of carnal battles, not of irrational animals, but of rational souls and battles against demons.

Let us add to this the well-known saying of Augustine: “The keys and the authority to feed Christ granted not to one, but to unity—that is, not to Peter alone, but to the rest of the apostles all together.”

Nevertheless, it is worthy of note that our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to honor with special distinction only one of all the apostles, for to him alone He spoke the aforementioned words, which truly are signs of special honor. And this apostle, exclusively honored by the Lord, is the blessed Peter, as Saint Chrysostom notes in his interpretation on the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, concerning the didrachmas in Capernaum.

The incarnate Wisdom of God, who did nothing in vain or without purpose, undoubtedly had here some purpose and hidden intention. Let us endeavor to reveal them. Among the characteristic properties by which the true Church is distinguished, the first, chief, and exclusive one consists in this: that she is one—that is, that all believers are united among themselves in the unity of faith, as the apostle Paul says: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” [Eph. 4:5], so that the Catholic Church is as it were one building composed of many constituent parts, or one holy temple built in the Lord on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone; she is as it were one body consisting of many members having one head—that is, Christ Himself; or rather, she is the perfect, whole body of Christ, whose members are all baptized into one, and from which whoever separates himself is as it were a rotten or dead member! Therefore unity of faith is necessary for the integrity of the Church!

Therefore Jesus Christ, in the person of His holy apostles—who constituted as it were His newborn Church—prefers only one above all the rest, places only one as the foundational stone, entrusts the keys to only one, appoints only one as shepherd, with this purpose: to show us the high unity which He desires in His Church, which is His mystical body—that is, that all disciples and angels, both in the building and in the governance of the Church of God, should be so concordant and unanimous among themselves that though many, they constitute only one, one body and one spirit, according to the expression of Paul. For if in every society and intercourse it is necessary for the preservation of order that someone be first among all, is it not just to think that Jesus Christ, having placed one first among all of them in the person of the apostles and disciples, wished thereby to preserve order among them?

And the blessed Peter was placed first either because he was older than all, or because he was the first-called among all the apostles [for although Andrew first followed Christ, yet to the apostolic ministry Peter was first called, according to the words of the evangelist Luke: “And Jesus said to Simon: Fear not; from now on you will catch men”]; or because he was more fervent than the others in love for Christ, swift in deeds and prompt in answers, and therefore was [as Augustine says in many places] the representative of the whole assembly of disciples and of the whole Church.

In his quality as representative of the whole assembly of disciples and of the Church he received answers from Jesus Christ—that is, when Jesus said: “I will give you the keys,” “Feed My lambs,” “Feed My sheep” [Matt. 16:19; John 21:15–16], speaking to Peter He was speaking to all the disciples, speaking to him who was the representative of the whole society. Therefore all the expressions found in the holy Fathers by which they exalt the blessed one must be taken precisely in this sense—that is, in all of them Peter appears as the representative of the whole society of the apostles.

Saint Cyprian, who lived around 260 A.D., says that Jesus Christ preferred Peter—that is, one above all the others—for no other reason than to show the high unity which He desires in His holy Church.

Augustine also testifies: the first brother, representing the whole brotherhood and as it were the type of perfect unity binding and uniting into one the members of the ecclesiastical body whose head is Christ Himself. We do not take away from the most blessed chief apostle that honor which Christ granted him; for we do not speak against the apostle Peter; but on the other hand we do not ascribe to him alone what all had in common—that is, the care and governance of the catholic Church. In short, we ascribe to him primacy of honor, but not primacy of authority. Primacy of authority can belong to someone either as a father among his sons, or as a teacher among his disciples, or as a king among his subjects. But all such primacies Jesus Christ utterly rejected from the society of the apostles and His disciples: “But do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, Christ, and you are all brethren. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” [Matt. 23:8–9].

By these words Jesus Christ decisively rejects singular authority in His Church, in which, according to His desire, equality must be preserved, and therefore He entrusted the governance of it equally to all the apostles.

But the Latins conclude from this that Peter alone is the rock and foundation of the Church, that he alone received the keys—that is, the authority to bind and loose—and that to him alone was entrusted the feeding of the rational sheep—that is, the believers [up to here from the book The Stone of Scandal, or Exposition of the Beginnings and Causes of the Falling Away of the Western Church from the Eastern, by the Greek Bishop Elias Miniatis who lived in the 17th century, translated from Modern Greek by E. Lovyagin of the St. Petersburg Academy, 1854, pp. 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105].

Question: What is the Church of God?

Answer: The Church of God is the assembly of all the faithful of God who hold unshakeably the one Orthodox faith and abide in love, embracing immovably the evangelical teaching [Large Catechism, chapter 25].

The word “church,” in Greek “ἐκκλησία,” properly means assembly, society, union of any people. Ekklēsia—that is, convocation or gathering, from ekkaleō, I call out, I assemble [Large Catechism, chapter 25, folio 119 verso].

And again: That this one Church is universal or catholic—that is, that she embraces all the faithful everywhere in the whole world and in every age and contains them all. Moreover, all the faithful in the whole world who now are, were, and will be—these are the one catholic Church and the house of God, which is the pillar and ground of the truth [Catechism, chapter 25].

That every man ought to know the true Church—not an invented one, but the one bride of the heavenly Bridegroom, pure and not defiled. And whoever does not abide with her and is not found in her cannot inherit that eternal and blessed life after this temporal life [On Faith, chapter 23].

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, says: Those who separate themselves from the communion of the Sion Church become enemies of God and friends of demons [On Faith, folio 15 verso].

For the catholic Church, for her composition, does not require a certain number of people, but is built by pious people who firmly and rightly keep the faith, even though they be very few, as the Lord Himself said: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” From the interpretation: The Lord calls “little flock” those who wish to learn from Him, or in this world the saints who are small and lowly, with voluntary non-possession of goods [from Luke, conception 67].

And again He said: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” [from Matthew, conception 76].

The holy apostles Peter and Paul, canon 10: But if the ungodly hold the place, flee from it, for it has been defiled by them. For as the venerable holy hierarchs sanctify, so the ungodly defile.

Canon 11: But if it is not possible to gather together either in a house or in a church, let each sing to himself, and read, and pray, or two or three together. For wherever, says the Lord, two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them.

Theodore the Studite, Letter 39: Therefore I remind you as the humblest brother and son: let us not be silent, lest a Sodom-like cry arise among us; let us not spare the earthly, lest we lose the heavenly. Let us not give scandal to the Church of God, which can consist of three Orthodox according to the definition of the saints, lest we be condemned by the Lord’s judgment [p. 283].

And Saint John Chrysostom says: Listen to the prophet saying: “Better is one who does the will of the Lord than thousands of lawless ones.” Nothing is weaker than many transgressors; nothing is stronger than one who lives according to the law of God [Homilies on Acts, folio 253].

He also says: Beloved, when a great multitude does not do the will of God, it differs in nothing from those who do not exist. I pray and desire and would gladly accept to be cut in pieces if only I could adorn the Church with a multitude—but a multitude of the skilled. But if this is impossible, then I desire to have even a few skilled. Do you not see that it is better to have one precious stone than tens of thousands of copper coins? Do you not see that it is better to have one healthy sheep than tens of thousands full of mange? [Homilies on Acts, folio 80].

Saint Gregory the Theologian says: “Better is piety even in the open air and without a house than impiety in a costly house. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” [Oration 14, verse 9].

For apostolic majesty and authority consist not in cities and thrones, but in right dogmas of the true faith and divine way of life, governed by apostolic and patristic teachings, and thus it is known [Book of Kirill, folio 371].

For it is better to keep the customary prayers of God with two or three than to draw a multitude of transgressors [Gospel Homilies, from Matthew, moral teaching 17].

Athanasius the Great, Question 24: Who are the true worshippers who worship God neither on that mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth?

Answer: These are those who live in deserts and mountains and caves and ruins of the earth, who, apart from ecclesiastical assembly, by good deeds enlightened by the divine Spirit, worship God and our Father who is in heaven in spirit and in truth, living blamelessly and serving God piously and wisely, shining in every piety and purity of virtues, and they do not require a church or a place, but making themselves temples by good deeds, they please God unceasingly in every place and everywhere, and serve Him purely all the days of their life [Tablet, in the interpretation of Proverbs, folio 14].

The venerable Ephraim the Syrian: Concerning the fathers who finished their course and shone in fasting: They are perfect, filled with righteousness, for they are members of the Church; they do not separate themselves from the flock, for they are children of holy illumination. Below: They have churches as their tongues, by which they perform their fervent prayers. Below: They themselves are priests to themselves; they heal our diseases by their prayers [Discourse 111].

The same says: Hasten for your brother while there is time. Love God with all your soul as He has loved you; be a church of God, and the Most High God will dwell in you; for a soul having God in herself is called a church, holy and pure, and the divine mysteries are served in her, and the heavenly powers hasten always to visit her, because the Lord has dwelt in the soul. Angels and heavens rejoice over her and hasten to honor the soul, because she is called the church of their Master [Ephraim, Discourse 83].

In the book Margarit it is said: “Do not trust in lying words, saying: ‘The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord it is.’ Not the temple sanctifies those who gather, but those who gather make the temple holy” [folio 78].

Below, folio 136: “Do you desire to see a temple? Do not run to the synagogue, but be yourself a temple; for you are the temple of the living God, it is said. Beautify this house therefore; drive out every evil thought, that you may be an honorable member of Christ, that you may be a temple of the Holy Spirit.”

The book Apokrisis of Christopher Philalethes: It is asked: Does a place receive sanctification from people and deeds, or do people and deeds receive their holiness, importance, and fame from places? I ask: Did not Christ promise His presence to the faithful in every place where only two or three are gathered in His name? And if not every place is suitable for holy deeds, then why does the holy apostle Paul say that he wishes men to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting? Why then does the same Paul, and Saint Stephen, and moreover the Lord Himself through the prophet Isaiah, rebuke those people who bind Him to churches and holiness to places?

Finally I ask concerning the holy teachers why they turned away simple people who looked upon the holiness of places with delusion and relied upon them.

Our Greek Hilarion wrote in one place thus: “I remind you of one thing: beware of the Antichrist. It is evil that you have excessive inclination to walls and delight in them; it is evil that you consider the Church of God to be in buildings. It is evil that you place the name of peace under them. Or is it a doubtful matter that the Antichrist will sit in them? Mountains, forests, lakes, caves, prisons, and abysses are my safest building; for in them the prophets lived and prophesied while submerged.”

Again the Latin teacher Augustine wrote these words: “What does it matter if, when we wish to pray to God, we seek a suitable and holy place? Cleanse your inward parts and, having driven out every evil desire, prepare a temple in your heart; desiring to pray in the church, pray in yourself, and so conduct yourself always that you may be a temple of God; for there God will hear where He dwells.” From this it is clearly shown that not people and deeds are sanctified by places, but places are sanctified through deeds and people [Up to here from Apokrisis of Christopher Philalethes, in the second part of the answer, section 4, printed in Vilna in 1597].

Chapter Two

Concerning the Majesty and Glory of the Church, That She Is Above All Creation

Saint John Chrysostom says:

The Church is an angelic place, an archangelic place. The kingdom of God. Heaven itself [Corinthians, Homily 36].

Therefore truly one might call her in every way both a court of justice and a hospital, a school of philosophy, a trainer of souls, and a course of instruction leading to heaven [2 Corinthians, Homily 15].

The same says: For the Church is heavenly. And she is nothing else but heaven. And elsewhere: In the Church all things are spoken from heaven by God. The Church is not walls and roof, but faith and life [below]. Nothing is equal to the Church, and she never grows old; she has ascended above the heavens. Neither barbarians nor demons shall overcome her. How many have warred against the Church, and those who warred perished. She is assailed but not conquered. And why did He permit the battle? That He might show a more glorious victory [below]. Do not depart from the Church, for nothing is stronger than the Church. Your hope is the Church, and your salvation is the Church. She is higher than the heavens, firmer than stone, broader than the earth. She never grows old but is ever renewed. Therefore, to show her firmness, Scripture calls her a mountain; unchangeable. It calls her a rock; incorruptible. It calls her a virgin; precious. It calls her a queen; akin to God. A daughter; fruitful. It calls her by myriads of names, that it may present her nobility [Margarit, Discourse on “The Queen Stood at Your Right Hand”].

The same Chrysostom: For the Church is greatly beloved by God. Not this one enclosed by walls, but this one enclosed by faith. For the sake of the Church the heaven was stretched out, the sea poured forth, the air extended. The earth was founded. Paradise was planted. Great wonders were wrought. The sea was divided and again united. The rocks were split. For the sake of the Church there were prophets. For the sake of the Church there were apostles. And what greater shall I say? For the sake of the Church the only-begotten Son of God became man, as Paul said: “He who did not spare His own Son, that He might heal the Church.” And He poured out the blood of His Son for the sake of the Church. This blood sprinkles the Church. Therefore her branches and her leaves do not wither. Her trees do not cast their leaves; she is not subject to the corruption of time, for the grace of the Spirit works this. “I created her,” says Christ, “who established the heaven, but not for the sake of heaven did I pour out blood. Not for the sake of heaven was I crucified, nor for the sake of heaven did I assume a heavenly body. And why do I say heavenly? I did not assume an angelic body, that you may know that the Church is more precious than heaven, than angels, and than all creation. Therefore heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” [up to here Chrysostom in the Discourse on Pentecost].

Such clear testimonies from divine Scripture concerning the holy Church have I brought forth, sharpening great consolation for the Orthodox children of the Sion Church, by which they are enriched and grow. But this must be known: that the title of sonship abides not in vain naming, but in the deed of fulfilling the church commandments.

That they may show love to their mother first diligently, according to the Psalmist, by frequently visiting the holy Church, and living and working in her fruits acceptable to the Lord, and especially by coming with zeal to the fair haven of the Church**) with David, praying and saying: “I will enter Your house, I will worship toward Your holy temple in fear of You.” And we have not recalled this in vain, for some despise church assemblies, which are praised by all the saints and commanded in Holy Scripture under prohibition not to come to the Church. It is possible to pray at home, but not as in the Church. For where there is a common assembly of angels and men, and of the Lord Himself, on account of His most pure words: “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them” [On Faith, folio 20]. For the Church is more firmly rooted than heaven. And it is easier for the sun to cease its course than for the Church to remain dishonored.

It is also necessary for the right-believing to know that the holy Orthodox churches here mentioned are only those, and not the apostates. These one must hate with the prophet David. For thus he said: “I have hated the congregation of evildoers” [Ps. 25].

And the holy apostles Peter and Paul, canon 10, command: If the ungodly hold the place, flee from it, for it has been defiled by them. For as the venerable holy hierarchs sanctify, so the ungodly defile.

And in Laodicea, canon 33, forbids praying with them, or eating, or receiving anything from their communion.

Having described such safeguards, I beseech the sons of the Church not to despise this salvific instruction [On Faith, folio 21, chapter 2].

**) The church haven is the gathered church of Orthodox Christians, in houses or fields. As the Octoechos of the first tone relates in the preface, and in the book Temple of Piety on p. 16 concerning a certain woman who fled at night with her infant into the field to the praying Christians; to the prefect’s question she answered: “I am fleeing to the catholic Church.”

Chapter Three

The Church from the Beginning of the World Endures Persecution, and That the Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against the Church

“On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” [Matt. 67].

Christ the Savior, the eternal Son of God, in His divine Gospel said to Pilate:

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews” [John 59].

One must marvel and be astonished at the wondrous dispensation of the Son of God—what help He showed of Himself for the seeking of eternal life; and what manner of sojourn in the world He made in great patience and poverty; what was the cause of this. The holy apostle Peter in his first epistle writes: “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. And this is acceptable before God, for to this you were called” [chapter 59].

The holy apostle Paul, leading to the same, says: “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” [Hebrews 331].

From these soul-saving apostolic indications, having understood what was the cause of the patience of our Head, Christ—that the members of His body might with desire and joy, according to the apostle, partake of Christ’s sufferings and follow His steps [1 Peter 58].

Knowing that we were redeemed not with corruptible silver or gold from our vain manner of life, but with the precious blood of Christ.

And that the holy Eastern Church, the true bride of Christ, was founded in exile on the foundation of her Head, and through apostolic and martyric blood was brought forth into walls, and in that foundation of suffering she must be perfected—concerning this no one of the faithful marvels, that in this world she abides in persecution and bondage, looking rather to Christ as her leader, who not only had no kingdom of this world but had not where to lay His head. And He delivered Himself to the powers of this world and assured that the servant is not above his master. And since, according to the apostle: “You are the body of Christ,” which from the assembly of the faithful—I speak of men of every age, rank, the holy of God and righteous martyrs, and venerable and all pious from the ages—is composed and is called the Church. And when we hear in Scripture that the Church endures persecution, battle against the Church—not concerning walls and ramparts, but concerning the faithful of God must be understood. In brief, with God’s help: that the Church from the beginning of the world is in persecution and remains unconquered.

The holy apostle Paul clearly writes concerning the saints of God who are the Church [Hebrews 330]:

“All the saints who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises. Others were slain, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy.”

Here the holy apostle describes the ancient saints, from whom the Church of Christ was composed; from the beginning in righteous Abel the Church began to endure persecution. Concerning him the holy apostle describes. And Christ the Savior in the holy Gospel mentions him, saying: “That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barachiah.”

Concerning others of the saints who before the Flood were found in patience for the sake of God’s righteousness, as the first book of Genesis or the Hexaemeron testifies:

Righteous Noah was mocked by his own son Ham before the Flood [Gen. 9].

Abraham the friend of God in Egypt by Pharaoh, and in Philistia in the land of Gerar by Abimelech.

Righteous Lot by the Sodomites.

Patriarch Isaac by Ishmael. Likewise Jacob by his kinsman brother Esau.

Joseph endured cruel exile from his kinsmen brothers.

And the people of God in Egypt—did they endure little? Concerning them God Himself testifies: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt.”

And Moses with Aaron—did they endure little persecution from the ungrateful and hard-hearted Jews?

Concerning Samuel, David, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets.

Again in Babylon the prophet Daniel, the three youths, and the rest who were in that Babylonian captivity.

Tobias, Mordecai, and all the people of God in the time of Esther and Judith, and before the captivity from the idolatrous kings of the Jews and Israelites.

Again after the return from Babylon in the time of the Maccabees from Ptolemy, from Antiochus, and others—persecutions, beatings, plundering, torments, various deaths came upon the then Church and upon all the chosen saints of God, even to the very incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Behold, already briefly yet completely from Abel it has been shown that the Church of God always endured persecution. Always she set battle, yet was never conquered, for all the faithful, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, coming with the hope of the coming of Christ, struggled, endured torments, wounds, and death.

And if before the law and in the Old Law, which was a shadow of the new grace, they endured such struggles for piety—what then in the very truth, in the coming of the Son of God Jesus Christ our Savior, who came to free the human race from the slavery of the devil? As from the very hour of His birth immediately [that is, soon in that hour] He endured various persecutions: from Herod the slaughter of fourteen thousand infants. And He Himself fled into Egypt with His most pure Mother and with Joseph. And thus the Church in Christ began to receive persecution. And all the time of His life was passed in great persecution and patience, as He Himself testifies in His divine Gospel: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” What mockings from the godless Jews He endured—some called Him a Samaritan, and having a demon, and a false prophet, and a glutton and winebibber, and a carpenter. And after many miracles and signs wrought by Christ, having seized Him they beat Him, tormented Him, and nailed Him to the cross in the midst of thieves, and wrought various mockings upon Him. And after burial and resurrection they slandered that His disciples stole Him and He did not rise.

And if the Jews crucified Christ the Lord of glory Himself, what then of His apostles and disciples and all the faithful—will they not persecute them likewise and deliver them for piety to torments and various deaths? Not in vain was such assurance given by our Savior: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”

After the glorious ascension of the Lord and the descent of the Holy Spirit, so the faith began to multiply from the apostolic teaching. And immediately the Jews rose up against them and delivered the apostles to prisons and dishonored them.

As the holy evangelist Luke writes concerning this: “At that time there arose a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem”—not against that built by Solomon which the Jews then possessed, but against the believers in Christ—understand persecution. For at that time churches of the faithful were not yet built.

And from this it is well known that there he shows: “At that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword.” The same would have happened to Peter if the prayer of the Church had not helped him. Another James, the brother of the Lord according to the flesh, the first bishop of Jerusalem appointed by Christ Himself, was slain by the cruelty of the Jews.

This was done also to the other apostles, disciples of Christ, and to many faithful. And though not all finished in martyrdom, yet they endured persecutions, bonds, torments, wounds, and various sorrows, and struggled even unto death. And not only from high priests and chief tormentors did these things happen to them, but also from within from false brethren heretics disturbing the Church of God—that is, devouring the hearts of the right-believing. As the Acts of the Apostles testify, and not only the apostles themselves but also after them their successors the holy teachers and the whole Church—that is, the Orthodox Christians—from pagan kings and tormentors for the faith of Christ crucified struggled so firmly and courageously that the tormentors could not overcome them, though they delivered them to deaths, yet they could in no way separate them from the faith. And the more they killed them, the more they multiplied, and the Church of God was sharpened in faith and strengthened in the power of Christ, and never had rest from great and fierce storms, east and west through three hundred years, even to the first Christian emperor, great Constantine. If one wished to enumerate all their sufferings one by one, it would be impossible.

Saint John the evangelist in the Apocalypse, describing the former saints and concerning the latter, said thus: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number.” And what people that is he declares below: “These are they who have come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

And Saint Gerasimus, who lived in the four-hundredth year after Christ, writes thus:

That the Church of God could celebrate the very martyrs at five thousand every day through the whole year, but even after that the persecution or torment did not cease.

Then what heretic disturbing the Church and rising up against the faithful of God by diabolical inspiration—since there were many heretics even in the time of persecution besides idolaters.

Then the faithful of God were grievously persecuted by the Arians and by many other heretics in the coming years; the Church of God had no rest. And from the iconoclasts great affliction came upon the Orthodox, and thus always the bride of Christ flourished greatly in oppression, and was free from all heretical defilements, and now always remains, concerning which the words of Christ are fulfilled: “That the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” [On the Right Faith, pp. 21, 22, 23, 24 and verso].

What Are the Gates of Hell That Shall Not Prevail Against the Church?

Answer: Saint John Chrysostom says: The gates of hell he calls tribulations which give birth to death. And the gates of hell, Christ said, shall attack her, but they shall not prevail against her. What then? She shall be assailed but shall not receive defeat. The Church receives storm but is not drowned.

See: tormentors, kings, sharp swords, teeth of beasts, deaths, furnaces, frying pans, iron hands, hooks [hammers], and all prepared torments—the devil emptied his quiver, yet did not harm the Church. How many tormentors warred, and not one prevailed; they themselves perished, but the Church remained whole [Chrysostom in the Discourse on Pentecost, and in the book On Faith, folio 25].

Again Chrysostom says: How many battles were raised against the Church, and many armies prepared, and weapons sharpened. And every kind of torment and punishment devised, and frying pans, and hangings, and cauldrons, and furnaces, and pits, and precipices, and teeth of beasts, and abysses, and plunderings, and other myriads of torments unspeakable in word or endurable in deed—and not only from outsiders but from their very own … For not only citizens against citizens but kinsmen against kinsmen, and own against own, and friends against friends were torn apart. But nevertheless from all this nothing destroyed the Church [Margarit, Discourse 3 Against the Jews, folio 99 and verso].

Cosmas the Presbyter says: Christ said: “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”—which are heretical teachings: for these are the gates of hell. For though strong ancient kings and princes and clever men attempted to overthrow the Church of God … yet they could not. But they themselves destroyed themselves soul and body [Discourse of Cosmas the Presbyter, at the beginning; and in the book Truly Ancient by Gregory, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, folio 36].

The Lord before His ascension into heaven solemnly gave His apostles the commandment to go preach the Gospel no longer to the Jews alone but to the whole human race. “Go,” He said, “teach all that I have commanded you” [Matthew 28:18–20, conception 116]. And to encourage them to fulfill this commandment, and that no obstacles or labors or any misfortunes, not even manifest danger to life, might draw them away from fulfilling it, at the same time He said to them: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” [Matt. 28:20, conception 116]. Here by the words “with you,” the Lord clearly meant not only the apostles but all true believers in general, whoever of them should be in whatever time: for the holy apostles were not granted the promise to live until the end of the age, and their earthly life has long since ended. But since the Lord promised by these words to be with true believers until the end of the age or world, there is no doubt that true believers will be on earth until the very end of the world—that is, until the very Second Coming of Christ to earth. And since the Church of Christ consists precisely of believers in Christ, it is evident that the Church of Christ in the world will never cease but will exist until the end of the world. Precisely thus the evangelist understood the aforementioned words of the Lord in the Gospel; explaining the said words of the Lord, he says: “He promised to be not only with the apostles but with all who believe in Him and keep His commandments: for the apostles were not to be until the end of the age, and to us His disciples He promises this—that is, Christ” [Gospel Explanation, on Matthew, conception 116, folio 237; up to here from the book Truly Ancient by Gregory, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, p. 33].

Question. What manner and way of life should a Christian have so that the gates of hell do not overcome him?

Answer. By the grace of God, we have briefly shown from the divine Scriptures the testimonies concerning the Church’s war with the devil — a war unceasing from Abel until the present day. But we shall not stop here: having described the sufferings of the saints, let us ourselves choose what manner of life to follow — the narrow or the broad. Yet let us heed the counsel of Christ the Savior Himself, Who teaches His faithful thus:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction, and many go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13–14; in the text mistakenly cited as Matthew 21).

And in another place He commands: “Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.” (John 16:20). What does this mean?

Saint John Chrysostom, in his commentary on the Epistle to the Thessalonians, writes: “Let those who have ears to hear, hear.” This is what a Christian is appointed for — to be always ready to suffer for Christ, he says of all the faithful. And further: “For to this we were called; for this we were born. This is our task, this is our life. Yet you seek rest? Christ suffered so much for us when we were enemies — what can we show of what we have suffered for Him?” (Homilies on Thessalonians, moral teaching 3, folio 2212).

The same saint says: “Know that the righteous are therefore in bondage and sorrows — so that in the age to come they may rest. But the wicked rule in this world and abide in pleasures — so that there they may be tormented.” (To Timothy, chapter 3, moral teaching 8).

Anastasius of Sinai says: “Heretics and wicked sinners do not enter the Kingdom. They receive their reward in this age: wealth, glory, joy, and other worldly goods and beauties. For they are judged by God’s righteous measures: the good done to us by Him, we in turn offer back to Him. Therefore God says to the rich man in the parable of Lazarus: ‘Remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things.’ What does ‘received’ mean? It means: you fulfilled your good deeds which you performed, and received their reward for the sake of riches, purple, fine linen, and daily rejoicing. Likewise Lazarus had certain evil deeds, and because of sickness, poverty, and suffering received here the torment for them. Thus the rich man departed there utterly condemned, while Lazarus utterly righteous. Therefore it is not said ‘you received,’ but ‘you received your good things’ — meaning you fulfilled that for which you were rewarded. As faith without works is dead, so works without faith are dead.” (Book of Canons [Kormchaya], chapter 69, folio 626).

Saint Macarius described the path without which salvation is impossible with these words: “All the righteous walked the narrow and sorrowful path, enduring banishments, afflictions, reproaches, wandering in goatskins, in caves and holes of the earth, as the apostle recounts: ‘hungry, thirsty, naked, beaten, homeless… of whom some were slain, others crucified, others tormented by various torments.’ Finally the Lord Himself of prophets and apostles, as though forgetting His divine glory, became a partaker of our dishonor: a crown of thorns on His head, spittings, blows, and the cross He bore. If God so journeyed on earth, surely you are bound to imitate Him. If apostles and prophets so journeyed, then we too, if we wish to be built on the foundation of Christ and His apostles, must follow them. The apostle says by the Holy Spirit: ‘Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.’ But if you seek glory from men, wish to be praised and bowed to, and enjoy life’s pleasures — you have strayed from the path of righteousness. It behooves you to be crucified with the Crucified and suffer with Him, that you may be glorified with Him. For it is most fitting that the bride follow the Bridegroom and so enter into the marriage of Christ. No one can enter life, receive rest, and reign unto endless ages unless by the narrow path and sorrowful way.” (On Faith, chapter 2, folios 25v–26).

Saint John Chrysostom in homily 23 writes: “The true Church is that which endures persecutions, not that which persecutes others. Ask the apostle what Church Sarah prefigured when she drove out the handmaid.” (On Faith, folio 29v).

Blessed Augustine agrees in his homily on all saints: “The Catholic mother Church, spread throughout the whole world, taught by the Savior Himself as Head, is not afraid of the shame of the cross and death, and is especially strengthened not by resisting but by enduring persecutions.”

Saint Gregory the Theologian writes: “Where are those who despise poverty and boast in their riches? Who praise the great church building yet disdain the little flock?”

[Up to this point — that the Church of Christ was always in persecution, and the gates of hell could in no way overcome her.] (On Faith, chapter 2, folio 29).