Take a look at the world surrounding us. Is it as beautiful as God created it? No, nature often seems to be wild. Why does this happen, though? Let’s take a look at the events one by one.
  God chose a very beautiful piece of land, a huge garden in the East, surrounded by four big rivers, in the region of Mesopotamia. He put the first people, Adam and Eve, to live there, in Paradise, in the garden of Eden. The scientists who have conducted research on this, located the traces of early human life, the first tribes and the first civilizations in Mesopotamia, in SW Asia. That is to say, as the Holy Bible informs us, where paradise was placed.
  Adam and Eve, living inside the garden of EDEN, where innocent, like young children, and they were full of HAPPINESS. They had everything they wished for. There were all kinds of trees and fruits in this garden. However, this was not what filled them with joy. Do you know what made their happiness bloom? LOVE: they loved God very much and they could feel how much He loved them as well! They could meet Him every day and talk to Him, like children to their father. They enjoyed this MEETING very much!
  God showed His love to humans in many ways – HE gave them immortal souls, made them the sovereigns of earth, blessed them with an abundance of goods and the pleasure of meeting Him. People, however, did not have any means of showing their love to Him. That’s why, God gave to Adam and Eve a COMMANDMENT: “You are allowed to eat from every tree in paradise, but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because as soon as you do, you will die”. In this way, by TRUSTING God and OBEYING His commandment, Adam and Eve could show Him their love and that they really wanted to stay with Him forever. The same goes for us as well. Every time we follow God’s commandments, we show Him our love.
  When my love for God is deep,
  His commandments I do keep!
  Adam and Eve were really happy inside the garden. Someone, though, envied this HAPPINESS and wanted to destroy it. This “someone” is the enemy of every good thing, the devil, whose only wish is to separate people from God. One day, he approached Eve, taking the form of a serpent and talked to her in a human voice.
- Why does God forbid you to eat fruits from all the trees in the paradise?
- He does not forbid us to do that, replied Eve, we may eat the fruit from all of the trees in here. The only tree that He told us to neither touch nor eat from is the tree in the middle of the garden; because if we do, we will die.
- Oh no, you will not die, said the serpent. God knows that if you eat from this tree, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods. You will know what is good and what is evil.
  Eve, then, looked at the tree and for the first time it appeared quite beautiful to her and its fruits seemed very attractive. She stretched her arm and -alas!- she cut a fruit, ate it and gave it to Adam as well. What a tragic moment!   They believed devil’s words, the enemy of God, the enemy of every good thing, and ignored God’s commandment, the one who showed them so much love!
  From that moment on, they were no longer innocent. They started feeling shame and fear. Their soul was filled with darkness. They lost their happiness. Deep sorrow dominated their hearts since the first sin on earth was committed. Do you know what sin is?
  Disobedience to God’s commandments is sin
  and it brings along sadness and grief.
  As the evening, the time when God would come to visit them, got closer and closer, Adam and Eve grew even more afraid. Ashamed of themselves, they found a place to hide. Sin had blacked out their minds so much, that they thought they could hide from the all-knowing God. In a short while, they heard His voice:
- Adam, where are you?
- I heard your steps as you were approaching and I hid myself, because I am naked, was Adam’s timid reply.
- Who told you that you are naked? asked God. Did you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
  God asked him that, not because He did not know, of course -since He knows everything-, but because He wanted to help Adam admit his mistake, his sin. However, Adam didn’t say: “Yes, my Lord, I did not follow what You asked, I did not do Your will, I am sorry”, instead, he started giving excuses: “The woman You gave me as a companion, gave me to eat.”.
  God then, turned to Eve:
-Eve, why did you do that?
-The serpent deceived me, was her response.
Hearing all this, God got very sad, because Adam and Eve, who were so happy with Him, should separate from Him. They were cast out from Paradise. Away from God, they could no longer be immortal or happy as they were before.   What awaited them was sorrow, pain and death. God told Eve that she would give birth to her children in pain, and Adam that he would have to work hard to earn his living.
  Sin did in fact fill the world with MISERY. From that moment onwards, people got tired, felt pain, often shed TEARS. ACCIDENTS, ILLNESSES, DEATH, HYPOCRISY, WAR, CRISIS have occupied our world, along with wickedness. All these are misfortunes that appeared after the first sin. Even nature itself became wild. Earthquakes, floods and all sorts of natural disasters started occurring. None of those existed in Paradise before the fall of man.
  The gates of Paradise were closed. Forever? No! In that terrible and frightening moment, when there was no hope for Adam, Eve and their descendants, God conceived a plan of love to save them. He could not stand watching His children live in sorrow, even if they disregarded His commandment, so He made a promise to them. He would send Someone to free them from sin and return them to Paradise! This sweet promise that God made is called the first-gospel, which means “the first good news” and it reveals our God’s infinite love.
  Did God keep His promise? He most definitely did. He sent His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in our world to save us. He was born from a distant descendant of Eve and Adam, the virgin Mary, the Most Holy Theotokos.
 

Paradise’s gates: doors shut,
were opened by Christ’s sacrificial love.

Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν ἱστορία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Γ΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2016, σσ. 18-23

Acts chapters 6-7

  The persons who belong to the same family look more or less like each other: in the eyes, in the colors, in the features of the face ... We can recognize the children especially if they look like their parents.
  In the same way, we Christians, who are all one family with God our Father, must look like to our Father! Today I will tell you the story of a young man who managed to look like our Lord Jesus Christ. He lived in the first years of the Church, yet to this day all the faithful admire him and would like to imitate him.
  Stephen, that was his name, believed and loved Christ with all his heart. He stood out among other Christians for his strong faith, but also for his wisdom. He was full of the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. That is why he was chosen to be one of the seven deacons, that is, one of the seven helpers of the apostles. Tireless, Stephen cared for the widows, for the poor, for all those in need. In addition, he preached zealously for Christ. He even performed miracles with Jesus Christ’s power.
  In Jerusalem the number of Christians increased more and more. This, however, angered Christ’s enemies. The Pharisees and the high Priests hated Stephen and envied him. One day at the synagogue, some people got up to talk to him. They tried to trap him with their words and questions. But in vain. They did not succeed. It was impossible for them to counter argue his wisdom. Stephen left them speechless. Humbled as they got, blinded by their envy and hatred they decided to pay men to lie that they had heard Stephen blaspheming Moses and God! So, they managed to turn the common people and the religious leaders against him! He was arrested and dragged to the Jewish council to stand trial. Indeed, a trial was held against him. Witnesses were presented. What did they claim against Stephen? They passionately accused him: "This man does not stop cursing our temple and the mosaic law!". But had they ever heard Stephen curse? Of course not! They were false witnesses; they were paid to lie. It was time for the accused to answer. They all turned their eyes to him. What a contrast! Those had dark looks but Stephen’s face shined with a heavenly beauty, he looked like an angel! Everyone was left stunned.
  Stephen held the floor. He reminded the Jewish judges of the history of their people, starting with the patriarch Abraham. He talked about Moses and the temple of Solomon. So, he showed them that they had unjustly accused him of using blasphemous words. He ended his address with strict probing. He spoke to them with the language of truth: "You are the ones who crucified Jesus, you are always the ones going against the will of God!" While they were listening to him hatred pierced their hearts like a knife. They looked at him aggressively. How he dared to speak to them with such boldness! Stephen would pay them dearly for it! But God helped his faithful young man. He opened the sky. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and he saw God’s glory and Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Father. "Behold," he said, "I see the heavens open and the Son of man, that is, Jesus Christ, standing at the right hand of God!" His enemies could no longer bear listening to him. They shouted at him with wild voices and pulled him out of the city. They started throwing stones at him mercilessly. They were determined to kill him. And how did Stephen answer? Did he respond with hatred? No! Stephen prayed: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!". While the stones were falling like rain on him, he knelt bloodied and exhausted and with a loud voice coming from the depths of his heart, he exclaimed: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them, forgive them!" As he finished his words full of love and forgiveness, his soul fluttered to heaven. He was the first to win the incorruptible crown of martyrdom. He is the first martyr of Christ. That is why he is called the first-martyr.
  Forgiveness, the attribute of God’s children

  How did young Stephen managed to look like our Lord Jesus Christ? As Christ on the Cross forgave and prayed for those who crucified him, Stephen forgave and prayed for those who stoned him. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34). You may not have bitter enemies yet. Every day, however, you are given various opportunities to forgive. These are some cases when we need to forgive:
♦ When they make fun of us, sometimes even behind our backs, for something we may not be able to do or do not do so well or for some of the habits we still have or for our weaknesses and imperfections.
♦ When our classmates or people we consider our friends lie to us. How many times have we been disappointed, when we found out that those we trusted betrayed our friendship with a lie!
♦ When we are being slandered, that is, when they spread false rumors that we said or did something bad.
♦ When they curse us, they speak badly to us, they tell us words that hurt.
♦ When they hit us, they push us and want to throw us down, without us even provoking them.
  Every day, we have reasons to forgive. But do we forgive? Our first reaction is to take our revenge: Did they fool us? Let’s fool them back. Did they hit us? Let's hit them back. Did they swear at us? Let’s swear at them back. That is easily done. That is why there are so few who manage to do the opposite, to forgive with their heart.
  But it is so necessary to forgive! How can I say the "Our Father" if I do not forgive? Jesus Christ has taught us to say in this prayer "Forgive our sins, as we also forgive those who have wronged us." So, if we have not forgiven, how dare we say the "Our Father"? Christ also told us: "If you do not forgive others, then I will not forgive your sins" (see Mt 6:15). And we commit so many sins ... If we do not forgive the mistakes of others, our own sins will remain unforgivable!
  But how will we be able to forgive? With Christ’s help we can make a difficult perhaps, yet a worthy struggle: We should not pay back the evil they did to us. On the contrary:
♦ Has anyone hurt me? I must find an opportunity to respond to him with kindness!
♦ Has he spoken insultingly to me? I’ll answer him with love!
♦ Has he talked badly about me? I’ll look for an opportunity to talk about him with praise!
♦ Has someone hurt me? I’ll make a prayer for him!
  God, who is my father, raises His sun for both those who love Him but also for His enemies (see Mt 5:45). He grants to everyone, without exception, His goods. Therefore, if I want to be like Him, in order to be His true child, I have to do the same: to give to all, to friends and enemies, my love and my forgiveness! If I show love only to those who love me, if I do good only to those who treat me well, I do not do anything great (see Luke 6:32-33). However, by God’s power I can achieve something much greater: to show love to those who have done me harm! Every time we will achieve, by God’s grace, such a "great leap", we will experience the joy of the greatest victory! And in heaven the crown of glory will be prepared for us!

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Genesis
1:1-2:7

  The world, that surrounds us, is indeed very beautiful! Everything, from the smallest flower to the galaxy, is made with wonderful art and exceptional beauty. Nature looks like a beautiful painting, that God gave to us, His children. It looks not only like a painting but also like a book, like a wonderful and illustrated book! In its pages we can read a great truth, which is not written with words, but with colors and paintings! So, those who are illiterate can also read it.
  But what does this wonderful and illustrated book of nature say? There is a God, omniscient and omnipotent who created the whole world, because He loves us very much!

The creation

  What was there before the creation of the world? Infinite darkness. There was no blue sky, no wide sea, no land with its vegetation. There was nothing, except the eternal and loving God.
  And God said: “Let there be light.” And there was light! By His word the endless darkness disappeared. And then by His Word He created the whole world in six days, in six time periods that we don’t know how long they lasted∙ maybe millions or even billions of years, maybe much less.
• On the first day God created the light and divided the light from the darkness. And He called the light “day”, and the darkness “night”.
• On the second day God made the firmament, and he called the firmament “sky”.
• On the third day God divided the waters from the land. Thus, He separated the sea from the land. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants and fruitful trees.” And it was so.
• On the fourth day God created two bright stars, the sun and the moon, which determine the day and the night and the various seasons. He also created countless more stars.
• On the fifth day God said and the animals of the sea were created, as well the birds of the sky.
• On the sixth day God said and all the animals of the land were created.
  The last and most perfect creature was man.
  When someone builds a house, there is a purpose for it: to be inhabited. The great architect, the omniscient God, built this wonderful world, this wonderful house, for one and only purpose: to donate it to His child, so that it would become his residence. Man was created by God with special care. He created man’s body out of clay. Then He blew into his face His divine breath and gave to him life and immortal soul. He made him capable of thinking, feeling, talking. He also gave him a companion, so that he would not be alone. He first made him to sleep soundly and then took from his side to create the woman. God called the man "Adam", which means “soil”, and the woman “Eva”, which means "life". Adam and Eva were the first people who were created. They are called forefathers, because they are the ancestors of all men. God blessed them saying: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and dominate the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the animals of the earth and all the reptiles that are crawling on earth" (Ge 1:28). Humans increase and progress with this blessing up to this day.
  The creation, as we mentioned, was completed in six days. On the seventh day God rested and rejoiced at His creations, as artists rejoice when they finish their work.
  Some, of course, argue that the world was created by chance, without a plan or a creator. Does that seem reasonable to you?
  Imagine that we are exploring a forest. Then suddenly, we can see a house in front of us. We approach it and the door is open, but no one is inside. It is a well-furnished, clean and neat house. It has a table set with hot food and the clock on the wall shows the same time as our watches. What would you say if someone from our group argued: "This house was grown up as a plant here in the desert! Nobody has built it". You would laugh at him, and of course you would consider that claim absurd.
  None of the things that are around us have been done on their own, by chance. Not even a small pencil. Someone invented them and manufactured them. The infinite universe, which exists and moves for centuries precisely and harmoniously, was created by God.
  Once two friends disagreed with each other. The first one was claiming that the world was created on its own, by chance. The second one, who was faithful, tried to convince him that God created the world. So, he asked him:
- Do you like my watch?
- Yes, I do. Is it a present?
- No.
- Did you buy it?
- No! I found it on my hand this morning! I was sitting in my office, which was full of things. And suddenly, a wire, a piece of leather, a glass -and I don’t know what else- assembled on my hand. They created this watch, and its clock hands showed the right time. From that moment on it is operating correctly on its own! Isn’t it incredible?
- Are you kidding? his friend said.
- No, my friend, I just want to explain to you that if it is impossible for a simple watch to be made by chance, how is it possible for the universe, which has been functioning for millions of years like the most miraculous watch with perfect accuracy, to have been created on its own? There is a wise Creator, who created the world and rules it.

The Bible

  The Creator of the world is the only one who can give us information about how the world has been created. No one else was present at the time of creation. Scientists make some assumptions, they formulate various theories, but as time passes, one theory overthrows the other. We are only sure of what God himself has revealed to us.
  How do we know all these things about the creation of the world? How did God reveal them to us? We can read them in God’s book. Except for the wonderful and illustrated book of nature, God wrote for us another book! It is called the Bible or the Holy Scriptures.
  This book stands out from the rest of the books in the world. If we gathered all the books that were written throughout the centuries in a huge stadium they would form a giant pile, a huge mountain. And if we wanted to place on top of the pile the king of the books, we would place the Holy Bible.
  It stands out from the human books because God Himself wrote it! How? He used the hand of the prophets and the apostles. When we were little, our mothers would take our hand to help us write our first letters. It seemed that we were writing them, while in fact she wrote them. That’s what happened with the prophets and the apostles. They wrote the Holy Scriptures, but they were enlightened and inspired by the Holy Spirit. That's why the Holy Scriptures are the only divinely inspired book. Through its pages God Himself speaks to us and reveals to us His eternal truth.
  The Bible is divided into two parts:
a) Old Testament describes God’s revelation in the history of the Hebrew people, before Jesus Christ’s birth and it has 49 books
b) New Testament contains the life and teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles in its 27 books.

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Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν Καινή Διαθήκη, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Β΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2015, σσ. 155-158

Lk 24:36-49
Jn 20:19-29

  It's been three days since Friday when the Jews crucified Christ on Golgotha. The two disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, placed Him in the tomb. They sealed His tomb with a large stone. What about the other disciples of Christ? Where could they be? They are all together in a house with a heavy heart from grief, but also with the doors closed, well secured, because they are afraid. The enemies of Christ may come to arrest them. In one night they arrested their beloved Master and so unjustly dragged him to the courts, they slandered him, they sentenced him as a criminal to death on a cross ... So, how can they not be afraid now? Their own lives may also be in danger.
  From time to time the scribes and Pharisees may seek them out, they may lead them to their death. Some pious women, Christ’s followers, just before they came and surprised them. They went early in the morning to offer with all their love - the most exquisite myrrh to their dead Master, but they found the tomb empty! And not just that but one Angel said to them that Christ is risen! And the most shocking, as they were returning, Christ Himself met them resurrected! "We saw him with our own eyes, he greeted us, he spoke to us", the Myrrh-bearers said happily.
  The disciples, however, could not believe them. But is it possible? They were convinced that Christ died on the cross. They knew that they had put him in the tomb and the tomb was closed with a large stone. What are these now that the claim? Probably because of their pain and their great love for the Master, they imagined everything that was being said. This is what the disciples thought.
  Βut when they were all gathered together, and though the doors were closed, suddenly Christ appeared among them! "Peace be upon you"! Ηe greeted them with the well-known greeting exchanged by the Jews at that time. They were frightened just as they saw Him. They were scared. Do they see a ghost? Is it a dream? But no! It is true! They can hear His sweet divine voice: “Why are you troubled? Why do you have doubts within you? Look at my hands and my feet to make sure that I really am. Come and touch me. The ghost has no flesh and bones, as you can see I have”. And saying this, he showed them the marks of the nails which he had in his hands and on his feet. He also showed them His side, which had been pierced by the soldier's spear on the cross.
  The disciples looked and wondered. How can they believe in this unexpected joy, that Christ was resurrected? But also, how can they continue to doubt? They can see Him with their own eyes, they can hear Him, they can touch Him! "Do you have something for me to eat?" Christ asked them, wanting to give them further proof of His resurrection. They immediately brought him grilled fish and honeycomb with honey. Christ took them and ate before them. They slowly realized the great truth, that he is alive! When he had soon disappeared from amongst them, the bones of the fish and the wax of the honeycomb were left behind. Thus no one could say: "Did we have a dream? Did we imagine that?"
  From the company of the disciples, however, Thomas had missed out. When he returned, the other disciples said to him happily, "We have seen the Lord!" But he could not believe them. "If I do not see in His hands the marks from the nails," he said, "and if I do not put my finger in the marks from the nails, and if I do not put my hand on His side, I will not believe."
  Exactly one week later, the disciples had gathered in the same place. This time they had Thomas with them. Jesus appeared – while the doors were closed once again - and He stood among them. "Peace be upon you", he greeted them and turned to Thomas: - “Come, Thomas, bring your finger here and see my hands, bring your palm and put it on my side, so that you are not a nonbeliever but a believer. Thomas was shocked. “My Lord and my God!” he exclaimed with great faith. The Lord heard all that Thomas had said and now came to assure him with convincing proof of His resurrection. Yes, Thomas can no longer be a nonbeliever. He is now certain that Christ has risen! And he is also sure that after Christ was resurrected, after he conquered death, he could not be a simple man; he is God himself!
  This is why the resurrection of Christ is the greatest event in history and the most glorious celebration of our Church. Because it assures us that our Christ is not only a man, but the true God and the victor of death. What grief henceforth can steal our joy? Our greatest enemy, death, was defeated! Christ was resurrected and one day he will resurrect us all, so that we can live eternally close to Him in the joy of paradise! That is why the faithful never cease chanting:

"Christ is risen from the dead,
by His death He trampled upon death,
and to those in the tombs He granted life".

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. All rights reserved.

Translation from the article:

Ἀποστόλου Παπαδημητρίου, Ὁ φωτισμός καί ὁ "Διαφωτισμός", περιοδ. "Ἀπολύτρωσις" 77 (2022) 8-9.

(Apostolos Papadimitriou, Electrical engineer, Columnist and Author)

  The Epiphany is one of the oldest feasts of the Church. During it, the baptism of Christ is celebrated, which was followed by Ηis three years of public life, Ηis teaching, Ηis Passion and his Resurrection. For Christians in the West the Epiphany marks the enlightenment of humanity with the entry of God into the history of mankind. “O Christ our God, Who hath appeared and enlightened the world” is the final phrase of the Apolytikion of the celebration. And the people of God gave to the feast the name of the Light, because Christ enlightened the world with his epiphany. In remembrance of the event of baptism, the Church established the service of sanctification of the waters, which for centuries takes on a festive character in places near the sea, lake or river. This tradition was respected by our conquerors, even those of other religions. The people of God took care to bring a vessel to the church for the reception of the holy water. They used this to sanctify not only their family members, but also their animals and fields, their houses, and even their filthy stables, so that everything would have God's blessing. And they maintained stock for use throughout the year by adding water. And they did not hide their satisfaction that the holy water remained unaltered, which is a sign that our faith is alive, unlike others, even other Christian denominations.
   Centuries passed. The West was detached from the body of the one, holy, catholic Church of Christ. The faith was altered, the image of the person was distorted. The ascetic view of life and traditions were devalued. Intellectualism under the influence of philosophical reflection “created a building” which didn’t have the teaching of Christ as its foundation. The consequences were painful. Freedom in Christ was replaced by the regime of feudalism and the "Inquisition", and the enlightenment of Christ was replaced, admittedly by most, by the darkness of the Middle Ages.
   And when arbitrariness reached extreme manifestations, it provoked reaction, which manifested itself in the so-called religious reform. A feature of this was not the search for the truth lost in the realm of despotic papacy, but the arbitrary course which was not based on the tradition of the Apostolic Church that was ignored in the West, but on the personal beliefs and perceptions of the reformers. And the new fallacy proved to be worse than the first, as evidenced by the multi-fragmentation in the field of reformers and the unstoppable multiplication of their "churches"! They boasted that in "rationality" they built the "true" faith in Christ. That is why they were adversaries and particularly hostile to local traditions, which they collectively rejected as superstitions of the so called "dark" past!
   The delusion of Western Christianity lies in its foundation in intellectualism and "rationalism", with which they believed they could persuade non-Christians to accept the faith of Christ, in essence their own faith. Thus their edifice, without Christ being its foundation, was swept away and fell by storm during the age of the so-called "Enlightenment". It was preceded, during the so-called "renaissance", the questioning of the authority of God's "representative" on earth. This was followed by the questioning of God himself as the God of history. He was initially repelled in the "heavens", as a God indifferent to his creatures, to be led to non-existence, which Nietzsche tragically proclaimed with the cry "God is dead"! The "god-killers" became gods themselves and undertook the task to illuminate the world with their own "lights", those of the "enlightenment"! And the world has since moved by the arrogance of the administrators of the soul-damaging experiment. They reassure the masses that everything is going well and that there is no need for concern, as they know too well how to manage the crises that they themselves cause! Selfishness does not allow them to shout Goethe’s (from the monologue of "Faust").
   “I 've studied now Philosophy
   And Jurisprudence, Medicine, -
   And even, alas! Theology,
   From end to end, with labor keen;
   And here, poor fool! with all my lore
   I stand, no wiser than before.
   We, too, were dazzled by the "lights" of the West, when, after bloody sacrifices, we re-tasted the illusion of national freedom. According to Makrygiannis, our west-stricken compatriots, in the service of our foreign "protectors", conveyed the "lights" of Western Europe to our country as well, in order to illuminate us. Our people resisted this change/alteration with all the strength they had under slavery. In the end, they seem to succumb, accepting that "we belong to the West" and all the change that this brings with it as something inevitable. Our slavish attitude to everything that is foreign reveals the discrediting of our tradition. In fact, we brag foolishly: "We can live without Christ! Our planet is flooded with lights! It is high time we walked the path of "progress" opened by the people of the West, the "enlightened ones"!
   When will we ever feel our spiritual darkness? I wonder…

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Ἑρμηνεία στό κατά Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγέλιο, τόμ. Α΄, 

ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2008, σσ. 159-164

(Stergios N. Sakkos [Read CV], A Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Luke, vol. A', pp. 159-164)

  In antiquity, all peoples in general preserved their genealogical tree carefully, but the Hebrews were particularly careful to preserve it, as they looked forward to the Messiah’s coming, who would come from a specific tribe and a specific generation. Jesus’ genealogy is mentioned by the evangelists Matthew and Luke; Matthew writes about it immediately before the narrative of Jesus Christ’s birth (see 1:1-17), while Luke at the beginning of his public ministry.

3,23. Καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα ἀρχόμενος, ὤν, ὡς ἐνομίζετο, υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ Ἡλί.
3:23 And he was Jesus and was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was supposed to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli.

When Jesus began his public ministry, “was about thirty years old”. This age, at which a man combines physical perfection and spiritual maturity, was recognized by the Jewish law as a suitable age for taking up public office. Jesus, of course, already at the age of twelve, had astonished the teachers of the law with his wisdom (cf. 2:47). He waited, however, to reach the appointed age of thirty years. As he endured circumcision and baptism, although it was undoubtedly not necessary for him, so once again he condescended and behaved just as a simple Jew.
People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son, although in reality he was born "of the Holy Spirit and of Mary the Virgin", as the Orthodox Church confesses in the Creed, and as the archangel Gabriel announced to Mary on the day of the Annunciation (see Lk 1:35).

3,24-38. τοῦ Ματθάν, τοῦ Λευΐ, τοῦ Μελχί, τοῦ Ἰωαννᾶ, τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ Ματταθίου, τοῦ Ἀμώς, τοῦ Ναούμ, τοῦ Ἐσλίμ, τοῦ Ναγγαί, τοῦ Μαάθ, τοῦ Ματταθίου, τοῦ Σεμεΰ, τοῦ Ἰωσήχ, τοῦ Ἰωδᾶ, τοῦ Ἰωαννάν, τοῦ ῾Ρησᾶ, τοῦ Ζοροβάβελ, τοῦ Σαλαθιήλ, τοῦ Νηρί, τοῦ Μελχί, τοῦ Ἀδδί, τοῦ Κωσάμ, τοῦ Ἐλμωδάμ, τοῦ ῎Ηρ, τοῦ Ἰωσῆ, τοῦ Ἐλιέζερ, τοῦ Ἰωρείμ, τοῦ Ματθάτ, τοῦ Λευΐ, τοῦ Συμεών, τοῦ Ἰούδα, τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ, τοῦ Ἐλιακείμ, τοῦ Μελεᾶ, τοῦ Μαϊνάν, τοῦ Ματταθᾶ, τοῦ Νάθαν, τοῦ Δαυΐδ, τοῦ Ἰεσσαί, τοῦ ᾿Ωβήδ, τοῦ Βοόζ, τοῦ Σαλμών, τοῦ Ναασσών, τοῦ Ἀμιναδάβ, τοῦ Ἀράμ, τοῦ Ἰωράμ, τοῦ Ἐσρώμ, τοῦ Φαρές, τοῦ Ἰούδα, τοῦ Ἰακώβ, τοῦ Ἰσαάκ, τοῦ Ἀβραάμ, τοῦ Θάρα, τοῦ Ναχώρ, τοῦ Σερούχ, τοῦ ῾Ραγαῦ, τοῦ Φάλεκ, τοῦ ῎Εβερ, τοῦ Σαλᾶ, τοῦ Καϊνάν, τοῦ Ἀρφαξάδ, τοῦ Σήμ, τοῦ Νῶε, τοῦ Λάμεχ, τοῦ Μαθουσάλα, τοῦ Ἐνώχ, τοῦ Ἰάρεδ, τοῦ Μαλελεήλ, τοῦ Καϊνάν, τοῦ Ἐνώς, τοῦ Σήθ, τοῦ Ἀδάμ, τοῦ Θεοῦ.

3:24-38 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

  Comparing this Jesus’ genealogy with that given by Matthew, we find several differences both in the number of the names and in the names themselves. In particular these are the following differences:
  1) Matthew begins the genealogy from Abraham and ends with Joseph, Mary’s husband. Conversely, Luke begins from Joseph, he bypasses Abraham and ends up with Adam. This difference is easily understood when we know the purpose of the writing of the two Gospels. Matthew addresses the Jewish Christians, to whom he wants to demonstrate that Jesus, according to the promises, is the seed of Abraham and that he descends from David’s royal line (see Acts 2:30; Rom 1:3; 2 Tim 2:8; Eph 7:14). Luke who is the disciple of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, addresses the Gentiles and he writes to the “most excellent Theophilus”. Consequently, he aims to present the universality of the gospel. For this reason, his genealogy reaches Adam, the common ancestor of the human race. He even implies that Adam came into existence directly from God, without any parents. In this way he refers indirectly to the creation of man by God.
  2) There are also differences between the two genealogies in the period from David to Joseph. The names Zerubbabel and Salathiel, common to the two genealogies, do not refer to the same persons. Moreover, Luke mentions 42 names in all, while Matthew mentions far fewer, only 28. In both genealogies, of course, there are omissions of names. These are either because there were omissions in the genealogical lists on which the evangelists based their writings, or because the word "son" simply means descendant and not direct son (cf. Mt 1:1; “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham”).
  Julius Africanus, an ancient writer, explained the difference between the two lists as follows: Joseph's natural father was Jacob, while his legal father was Eli according to the law of “ἐπιγαμβρεύσεως” (see Deut 25:5-6), which established levirate marriage (levir = brother-in-law). That is, when a Jewish childless man died, his brother was obliged to take his wife and bear offspring with her for his dead brother. Eli and Jacob, in fact, were half-brothers, born of the same mother but not of the same father. Matthew gives Jacob’s genealogy, while Luke Eli’s.
  Another suggested explanation is that Matthew presented Joseph’s lineage, while Luke searched and learned from the Virgin her own lineage in great detail. Of course, there were not genealogies for women at that time. The evangelist tells the genealogy of Mary's father, Eli, who, according to tradition, was called Joachim; that is, he had two names, Eli and Joachim. Interestingly, both genealogies meet in King David, from whose lineage the Messiah was expected.
  Certainly, when the God-inspired evangelist Luke was writing his Gospel, he knew the genealogy of the Gospel according to Matthew, which was already in circulation (see comments on 1:1). Nevertheless, he is not afraid of causing confusion with the differences noted in his own genealogy, because there are no essential problems.

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Translation from the book:

Στεργίου Ν. Σάκκου, Ἑρμηνεία στό κατά Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγέλιο, τόμ. Α΄, 

ἐκδ. «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ, Θεσ/νίκη 2008, σσ. 154-159

(Stergios N. Sakkos [Read CV], A Commentary on the Gospel according to St. Luke, vol. A', pp. 154-159)

  In the Gospel according to Luke, the event of Jesus' baptism is briefly recounted. This description, however, provides more information which the other evangelists do not give (see Mt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; Jn 1:32-34). These distinctive events are:
  a) Jesus came to John to be baptized after all the people had already been baptized.
  b) Jesus prayed at the time of baptism.
  c) The Holy Spirit came down “in a bodily form, like a dove” (v. 22).

3,21. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανόν.
3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened.

  The expression “all the people” does not mean that all the people of Palestine were baptized, but that John's preaching was made known everywhere, so that all those who wanted to be baptized, they were baptized. Jesus also wanted to be baptized like the rest of the people. All the others, of course, confessed their sins first; Jesus immediately came out of the waters of the Jordan (see Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10), because he was sinless. He had no need of purification, but he accepted baptism in order to keep the whole law, as he explained to the Baptist who vividly expressed his objections (cf. Mt 3:15).
  St John Damascene, referring to the theology of Jesus’ baptism, writes: "He is baptized, not as one who needs cleansing, but for my purification, that he may break the demons’ heads on the water, to drown the sin in the water, and to bury the old Adam in the water, to sanctify the baptizer, to fulfill the law, to reveal the mystery of the Trinity, to be a symbol and example for our baptism."
  The baptism of Jesus is another act of humiliation. The shock John experienced (see Mt 3:14) before this humiliation of the Lord is emphasized with very strong contrasts in the Doxastikon of the Great Consecration of the Epiphany; “The Forerunner was seized with trembling, and cried aloud, saying: “How can a lamp illumine the light? How can a slave lay his hand upon his Master?”
Zygavinos notes that at the time of his baptism Jesus prayed "teaching that those who are baptized should pray".

3,22. καὶ καταβῆναι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον σωματικῷ εἴδει ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, καὶ φωνὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γενέσθαι λέγουσαν· σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα.
3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in a bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, which said, "You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased in you."

  During the Lord's baptism, before people’s astonished eyes, the heaven was opened as if it had been torn (see Mk 1:10). From the open heavens the Holy Spirit descended “like a dove” and stood upon Jesus. Thus, John was assured that Jesus was the expected Messiah, according to the information he received from God Himself (see Jn 1:33). The people who were standing by also understood to whom the voice that was heard afterwards, referred to.
  The third person of the Holy Trinity appeared “in a bodily form” like a dove. He appeared “εἴδει”, that is, in appearance, not in the nature of a dove. He did not become a real dove, he was not incarnated, but he appeared in this way so that people could see him. In other words, it did not happen the same as to the Son, who took human nature and, as the evangelist John notes, “the Word became flesh” (1:14).
  The dove symbolizes integrity, meekness and peace. The Holy Spirit was revealed in the form of the dove "that we may know we must be meek and pure", underlines St. Theophylact. The dove also signifies Jesus’ sinlessness and his work of peace, by which he would reconcile the earth with heaven. St. Chrysostom recalls that also in Noah's ark a dove came bearing an olive branch, a symbol of God's love for man and of the deliverance from his sufferings. At the Lord’s baptism, according to the same father, the Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove to announce God’s mercy to the world.
  The Father’s voice was also heard from heaven, giving his testimony concerning Jesus, "You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased in you." In the Homeric and classical Greek language, “beloved” often means "only-begotten", hence, of the same nature. The verb “εὐδoκω” means "to be pleased, to feel relieved, to feel pleased ". In this case the Father's pleasure is absolute, because the Son is of the same nature with the Father. He is the one who reveals the Father’s person to the world, “the express image of his person” (Heb 1:3). “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9), said the Lord to his disciple Philip shortly before the Passion.
  The triune God was revealed in Jesus’ baptism; the Son was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove and the presence of the Father was sensed in the voice that was heard. This truth is conveyed in the Apolytikion of the feast of the Epiphany: "When You were baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity manifested; for the voice of the Father bore witness to You, calling You His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of the word. O Christ our God, who has appeared and has enlightened the world, glory be to You”. This complete revelation of the triune God will be repeated in the Transfiguration of Jesus the Saviour (see Mt 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 9:28-36).
  By the baptism Christ was formally enthroned on three thrones:
  a) on the throne of the Teacher; to teach the truth of his gospel,
  b) on the throne of the high priest, to celebrate the great sacrifice, in which he would be at the same time both the sacrificial priest and the prey, the lamb “Behold the Lamb of God, which has taken away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29),
  c) finally, on the throne of the King, because he is the King of the eternal kingdom, his Church, to which belong all those who had been disciples by his teaching and they were redeemed by his sacrifice.

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.