Orthodox Encyclopedia 1. Church and Scientific Center of the Russian Orthodox Church "Orthodox Encyclopedia
The electronic version of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia", located at http://www.pravenc.ru/ includes articles from the first volumes of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia".
The resource is a separate site with easy navigation. On the first page of the site there is an introductory speech by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy to the first alphabetical volume of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia". Also on the first page the reader can get acquainted with selected articles of the encyclopedia. In addition, here is the section "Significant Dates from the Articles of the Orthodox Encyclopedia", which publishes a list of memorable dates and anniversaries for the current dates.
Search in the electronic version of the encyclopedia is carried out using the index of articles. All articles are provided with rich illustrative material, as well as hyperlinks to articles available in the encyclopedia.
The site has the ability to subscribe to an rss-channel to replenish the site with new articles, according to Patriarchia.ru.
Speaking at the 17th meeting of the Supervisory, Trustees and Public Councils for the publication of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" and the presentation of XIV and XV alphabetical volumes of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia announced that work on a full-fledged electronic version of the Orthodox Encyclopedia would begin in 2008.
"In order to implement the idea of an electronic version of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, I consider it necessary to create on the basis of the Church Scientific Center" Orthodox Encyclopedia"a special group that will deal with the electronic version," said His Holiness Patriarch Alexy.
From the speech of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia at the XVII joint meeting of the Supervisory, Trustees, Public and Church-Scientific Councils on the publication of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia":
"First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the need to intensify work on the main publication - the Orthodox Encyclopedia.
This year, as we learned from the report of the head of the Church Scientific Center, Sergei Leonidovich Kravets, the XVI alphabetical volume, the last volume of 2007, will be handed over to the printing house in December of this year. It will be a complex volume, a significant part of which will be occupied by the Gospel article. In this article, for the first time, all the main aspects of the Holy Gospels are systematically examined - theological, historical, spiritual and moral, textual, art history, which required the unification of the forces of many scientists, and the work on this article is currently being completed under our close attention.
In 2008 we are to publish the 17th, 18th and 19th alphabetic volumes of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. And it is in 2008 that we will enter the most extensive letter in our dictionaries - "I". The Church Research Center will have to create a huge set of articles, which includes such complex articles as "The Patriarchate of Jerusalem", "John the Theologian", "John Chrysostom", many important country studies articles - "India", "Italy", "Spain" and others . The letter "I" is one of the most extensive in Orthodox saints and includes such names as: "Jacob", "Ignatius", "Hilarion", "Elijah", "John", "Joseph", "Isidor". These names are borne by thousands of Orthodox saints, among whom a considerable number are the New Martyrs of Russia. I think that the rate of preparation of articles, which was set this year, should undoubtedly be maintained next year. Moreover, as we learned from the report of Sergey Leonidovich Kravets, the Church Scientific Center has significantly increased both wages and the honorary fund this year.
One of the most important components of the activities of the Church Research Center is research activities, which are focused on three main areas: work in the archives Russian Federation to identify and systematize documents on the history of Russian Orthodox Church in the 20th century, the activities of the Hagiographic Council (research and scientific preparation for the publication of the texts of the lives of Russian saints) and the publication of the scientific quarterly journal "Bulletin of Church History".
We highly appreciate these areas of activity of the Center and would like to focus today on the scientific journal "Bulletin of Church History". The Church Research Center publishes the journal accurately and on time, and, having started publishing in 2006, has already published seven issues of the journal so far. However, I would like to draw your attention to the too limited edition of Vestnik. We are grateful to the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, which decided to purchase our Vestnik for the libraries of the Russian Federation, and now libraries are supplied with 800 copies of each issue of the magazine. But at the same time, a highly professional scientific publication is not always available to our diocesan libraries and libraries of spiritual educational institutions due to the small circulation of the magazine in 1 thousand copies. I think that since 2008 the circulation of the Church History Bulletin should be increased.
I would also like to draw the attention of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences to the desirability of including the Church History Bulletin in the list of journals whose publication is accepted by the Higher Attestation Commission. This will allow Our "Vestnik" to strengthen the team of authors and take its rightful place among other scientific journals.
Importance for scientific activity The Church Research Center and for the activities of the television and film company have two archives established by Us on the basis of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" - an archive of documents on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church of the 20th century and an archive of film and photographic documents on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. These archives are very actively used in the preparation of articles for the "Orthodox Encyclopedia", and in publications in the "Bulletin of Church History", and in the creation of historical documentaries. I think that the leadership of the Center, together with the heads of archives, should make efforts to further develop the interaction of state archives with the archives of the Orthodox Encyclopedia in order to more actively involve sources on the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in scientific circulation.
Of particular importance for our future projects will be the creation of a full-fledged electronic version of the Orthodox Encyclopedia. Sergey Leonidovich has already reported on the completion of the main work on software development this year. But this is only the very beginning of the process. Required in next year to create an independent creative team at the Church Scientific Center, which would be engaged in supplementing and clarifying materials in already published volumes as they are published in electronic form. The simplest example. The first alphabetical volume was published in 2001. During this time, many saints and new martyrs with the names "Alexy", "Alexander" were canonized, new bishops with these names were ordained in the Russian and other Orthodox Churches. happened major events in the life of dioceses and monasteries. All this should be present in the electronic version of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" in order to update the available material as much as possible.
It is also necessary to continue work on improving the electronic portal of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" "Sedmitsa.Ru". Today it is one of the most popular and information-rich portals, which occupies a special place among other resources of the Russian Orthodox Church. This is, first of all, a deep study of topics, the publication of materials of a historical and church-canonical nature, allowing users, among whom there are many employees of funds mass media to more accurately understand certain events in the life of the Church.
I would also like to say a few words about the work of the Orthodox Encyclopedia television and film company. We decided to start our own TV and film production in 2004. For three and a half years, about 200 weekly TV programs "Orthodox Encyclopedia" were released on the TVC channel, 20 documentaries were created, including the 10-episode film "Earthly and Heavenly", the 5-episode film "Pilgrimage to The eternal City”, a 2-episode film “The Angel of the Russian Church against the Father of All Nations”, documentaries “Saint George” and “Time of Troubles”, as well as a trilogy on the history of the Russian Church in the 20th century: “The Cross against the Swastika”, “Stalin and the Third Rome ”, “Cold thaw of the 61st year” and others. Many films of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" were awarded numerous prizes at film and television festivals, including "TEFFI-2006" and "Golden Knight-2006, 2007", "Pokrov 2006".
As Sergei Leonidovich has already told us, The Orthodox Encyclopedia is currently completing work on a 12-episode documentary"Planet of Orthodoxy", which we hope to see next year on the TV channel "Russia". In late 2007 - early 2008, it is planned to start production of two full-length feature films. The painting under the working title "Pskov mission" will be dedicated to the heroic and tragic fate of the Russian Orthodox clergy in the occupied territory during the Great Patriotic War. Another feature film addresses the turning point in Russian history of the 14th century, when the threat of new internecine wars and external enslavement loomed over the Orthodox Old Russian state. During this difficult time, Muscovite Russia was preserved and strengthened by the real head of state, the mentor of the young Prince Dimitri Ivanovich, the future holy noble Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy, St. Metropolitan Alexis. We believe that both of these film projects, dedicated to the dramatic events of the past, filled with examples of selfless service to their homeland and the Orthodox faith, will be able to give modern society new goodies, which are so lacking in today's television and film production."
The religious information and encyclopedia program "Orthodox Encyclopedia", which has been broadcast on the TV Center channel since May 3, 2003, is designed for the widest range of viewers.
The program covers more than just the basics Orthodox faith, about the path of a person to God, about the saints and shrines of the Orthodox Church, but also touches on almost all issues of interest to society - social, moral, historical, cultural, encyclopedic.
It is difficult to name a topic that has not been covered in more than five hundred issues that have aired during this time. The language of worship and church art, biblical archeology and the history of the Church, social service and the problems of drug addiction, the musical culture of the Church and the problems of raising children, the Old Believers and reports about Orthodoxy in different parts of our country and the world, and much more. Special place our program includes a story about the history of Moscow, its temples and shrines.
Depending on the topic, the program itself is built. A feature of our program is that for many years the leader has been a priest who, in one person, is both an interlocutor, and an expert, and a teacher, and a shepherd, capable of live to answer the most difficult questions of viewers. Basically, this is a conversation between the leading priest Alexy Uminsky and the guest of the program on a given topic, which is highlighted from different angles in the stories filmed by professional correspondents who have long and fruitfully worked on Orthodox topics.
The guests of the program were His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, member of the Holy Synod Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) and other well-known hierarchs, director of the State Archive S. Mironenko, People's Artists of the USSR V. Minin and V. Matorin, member of the Public Chamber under the President of Russia V. Fadeev, rector Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation Professor V. Mau, composer A. Rybnikov, directors P. Lungin and V. Khotinenko, actors E. Vasilyeva and I. Kupchenko, honored doctors - V. Millionshchikova and V. Agapov and many other well-known historians, writers , artists, theologians, clergymen and the most ordinary people.
One of the directions of the program is stories about the life of the Orthodox in different parts of the country and the world. The film crew traveled from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin. We talked about the life of the Orthodox Church in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Belarus, Egypt and Kenya, the USA and Germany - and this is not a complete list of the routes of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia".
Some programs are broadcast live. In them, the presenter answers calls from viewers - about family and marriage, about raising children and fighting alcoholism, about the first steps in the temple and how you can help the dying. Programs in which viewers get a unique opportunity to receive advice and consolation from a priest are perceived by them with special gratitude. This is evidenced by letters and calls to the editor.
A special place in the program is occupied by special headings devoted to Moscow: "Moscow Kremlin", "History of Russia in the Historical Museum", "Moscow Shrines", "Moscow Saints". They were led by the director of the Kremlin museums E. Gagarina, deputy director of the State Historical Museum V. Egorov, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A. Svetozarsky.
Due to the fact that the TV program has access to all the resources of the Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" (scientific potential, archival materials, literature, connections with church organizations around the world, etc.), it guarantees the completeness, variety and quality of the information provided.
Publications in the Traditions section
The Orthodox Encyclopedia is the largest scientific publishing project not only in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church, but also in the history of world Orthodoxy. Since 2007, the portal www.pravenc.ru has hosted an electronic version of the Orthodox Encyclopedia, which is visited by more than 200,000 users in Russia and abroad every month.
At the beginning of the 20th century, an attempt was made to create a similar project - the Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia. In many ways, the publication relied on Western models, but in 1911 its publication was discontinued at the 12th volume.
The idea to create an Orthodox encyclopedia - a systematic body of knowledge on all aspects of Christian and church life in its history and modernity (theology, history, liturgy, etc.) - belonged to Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia and was first proposed in 1996 . A prerequisite for the implementation of such a grandiose work was the publication of the "History of the Russian Church" by Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) by a scientific publishing house. This 12-volume edition, dedicated to the history of Orthodoxy in Russia, was the first and very successful experience of interaction between ecclesiastical and secular science in joint work on a unique scientific and publishing project. And it was this success that allowed Alexy II to express his hope for the implementation of a new, even larger project - the creation of an Orthodox encyclopedia.
Monument to St. Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, a native of St. Belogorye, in Belgorod. Photo: A. Shapovalov / photo bank "Lori"
Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Church-Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, May 31, 2005. Photo: www.patriarchia.ru
In the same 1996, the publishing house of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery was transformed into the Orthodox Encyclopedia Church and Research Center, and upon completion of work on the last, 12th volume of the History of the Russian Church, began work on the dictionaries of the future encyclopedia. Leading secular scholars in all areas of the humanities began to work on the creation of dictionaries, in addition to the already involved historians (specialists in national history).
In 2000, the first volume dedicated to the Russian Orthodox Church was published. Alphabetical volumes have been published since 2001. Initially, two volumes per year were published, then three volumes, now the Church Science Center publishes four volumes annually. By the end of 2015, 40 alphabetical volumes had been published.
Valaam monastery. Photo: Y. Sinitsyna / photo bank "Lori"
Monastery shop, Valaam. Photo: A. Shchepin / photobank "Lori"
Over the years, the Orthodox Encyclopedia has become the leading scientific publication not only in the field of Christianity, but also in history, art history, philosophy, and musical art. Articles in the Orthodox Encyclopedia differ not only detailed description historical places, organizations, events or persons, but also a deep analysis of research subjects. More than 80% of the information is published in Russian for the first time, and in this sense, the Orthodox Encyclopedia combines the functions of education and scientific research. Part of the articles from the Orthodox Encyclopedia, united by content, are published in separate editions, for example, the book "Ecumenical Councils" (Russia), the brochure "Jerusalem Orthodox Church" (Israel).
The Orthodox encyclopedia covers all aspects of Christianity. A significant volume is occupied by articles on Orthodox theology, Holy Scripture, hagiography (lives of Orthodox saints), history of the Russian Orthodox Church. Articles on the history of Orthodoxy in local Orthodox churches are written in slightly less detail. A significant block of articles is devoted to the history and dogma of other Christian denominations: Catholicism and Protestantism; also presents a unique collection of articles on the ancient Eastern pre-Chalcedonian churches. The encyclopedia includes articles on the fundamentals of the faith and the main historical figures of Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other influential religious teachings. Articles on church art and music have become a unique source for all professionals interested in this topic.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at a meeting of the Supervisory, Trustees and Public Councils for the publication of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" in the Refectory of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Photo: A. Isakova. / press service of the State Duma of the Russian Federation / TASS
Volumes of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia"
The work on the Orthodox Encyclopedia is carried out in close cooperation with the leading institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, universities, museums, libraries and archives. The Orthodox Encyclopedia has the status of a textbook for university students and enters the majority of state libraries of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation. The scientific and encyclopedic editions of the Orthodox Encyclopedia have more than 100 employees who interact with hundreds of authors in the Russian Federation and abroad.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia heads the main project management body - the Supervisory Board, which, in addition to the highest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, includes heads of ministries and departments interested in the development of this project. The Orthodox Encyclopedia is published by all Orthodox local churches. In order to attract the widest possible involvement of regional scientific forces, representative offices of the Orthodox Encyclopedia are being created both in Russia and in the CIS countries and other foreign countries. Special representations operate in Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and the USA.
INTRODUCTION
You are holding a book in your hands that will help you navigate the complex and multifaceted Christian world, and not only when visiting the temple, but also when reading the books of Holy Scripture. We have put together and tried to interpret many of the words that you will hear from the priest and other believers. In addition, we tried to explain how an Orthodox Christian should behave in the church, starting with the manner of dressing. Those who already consider themselves members of the Church will find explanations for the words and concepts that accompany many divine services, in particular the rite Divine Liturgy, all-night service and dedication, as well as the names of many sacred objects that are used in the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
What is Orthodox church for a Christian? Someone goes there to order a demand, take holy water or light a candle for health, and someone just like that, out of curiosity. However, the main purpose of the temple is to be a home for God and believers, a place intended for meeting with the Almighty and for joint prayer to Him. Divine services are held daily in churches, during which chants and prayers are heard. And no one forces people to come to the temple: neither Orthodox priests, no bosses at work, no school teachers. In addition, those who constantly visit this place do not receive any material reward for this. On the contrary, in the temple you need to work hard, listening to the words of prayers and chants, spend money on a memorial note and candles, apply for the restoration of the temple, etc. But people still go to the temple. Why?
According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, the heart of each of us should be the temple of God, His abode. Thus, by learning to live according to the laws of the Church, a Christian cleanses himself of sins, bringing his soul and heart into order in the image and likeness of the temple, so that they become worthy of the Lord's presence. It happens that for many years a person walks past the temple without noticing it, but one fine day he thinks about God, eternity and the meaning of his life. Then he goes to the temple as to the house of God, which becomes his home. And it doesn’t matter at all whether a person’s life is joyful or difficult, having started visiting a temple, he no longer imagines life without it: here people gather for holidays, it is easier to endure troubles, here everything reminds of the spiritual and higher destiny of a person.
With regard to the Holy Scriptures, the volume of our book does not allow us to go into detail about all historical figures mentioned in the Bible. We had to highlight only the facts that are most important for Orthodox Christian: The Last Supper, the Sermon on the Mount, the events in the Garden of Gethsemane, the life of the chief apostles, John the Baptist, the events of the Twelfth Feasts, the Angelic Hierarchy, etc. In addition, you will find articles dedicated to the great people of the Old Testament - such as King David, Solomon , Samson, the prophet Samuel, the prophet Isaiah and many others.
In general, a novice Christian should not start reading the Holy Scriptures or the Bible from the very beginning, like an ordinary book. The Church Fathers advise to read the Gospel first, paying special attention to the Sermon on the Mount. The latter in our book is given incompletely, so that a person inexperienced in reading Holy books, could familiarize himself with the basic tenets Christian church and not lose interest in their further study.
What is Holy Scripture or simply the Bible? According to A. S. Pushkin, the Bible is “... the only book in the world: it has everything. There is a book by which every word has been interpreted, preached in all ends of the earth, applied to all the circumstances of life and the happenings of the world, from which it is impossible to repeat a single expression that everyone would not know by heart, which would already be a proverb of peoples. It no longer contains anything unknown to us, but this book is called the Gospel - and such is its ever-new charm that if we, satiated with the world or dejected by despondency, accidentally open it, we are no longer able to resist its sweet passion and plunge in spirit into its Divine eloquence.
That is, the Bible is a fundamental Christian book that contains various works, messages and prophecies written under the influence of the Holy Spirit by holy people - apostles, prophets, etc. The law of God, set forth in Holy Scripture is the foundation of the teachings of the Church. The holy fathers and teachers of the Church, having taken the Holy Scriptures, singled out the main points from it and, having collected them in one book, called it "The Law of God." All textbooks on the Law of God were written in this way, as well as the history of the Church, dogmatics, apologetics, ethics and catechism.
Now a little about the veracity of Holy Scripture. It is known that people during their lives often change their minds about the Existence of God. Some secular thinkers, writers and others famous people radically changed their relationship to God. And this is natural: after all, during his life a person constantly learns from his own and other people's mistakes. In the Holy Scriptures, there are immutable truths that have not changed for many thousands of years. Therefore, the Russian Orthodox Church to this day uses the books of the New and Old Testaments. However, some preparation is needed to read the Scriptures, otherwise a person may misinterpret it.
The entire European civilization, in particular its moral side, is based on Holy Scripture. After all, the best legal laws are consistent with biblical truths, and disputes between lawyers often end with quotations from the Bible. As for the books included in the canon of Holy Scripture, they have been known to Christians since the very first centuries. The final composition of the Bible was approved in 680 from the Nativity of Christ during the VI Ecumenical Council which took place in the city of Constantinople.
In the Russian Orthodox Church, 2 translations of Holy Scripture are common: Church Slavonic and Russian Synodal. The first translation is considered more accurate, and the second is somewhat worse, as it was made under the influence of Western theological thought. However, it is difficult to read the Bible in the Slavic language, so you should not be too strict with the Russian Bible: after all, it contains the same thing as the Slavic one, although some books of the Old Testament are missing. For the beginning Christian, this difference is not so important. It is more important to purchase an additional textbook of the Law of God and an Orthodox prayer book.
BUT
Aaron - translated from Hebrew, this name means "mountain of light." The first high priest of the people of Israel. Elder brother of Moses, whom Old Testament calls "the mouth of Moses and his prophet" (Exodus, 4, 16). Aaron, because of Moses' tongue-tied tongue, spoke on his behalf to the people. He had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Aaron and his sons were called to the priesthood by the Lord Himself. However, even before their consecration, something unforeseen happened: when Moses climbed the mountain to receive the tablets of the Covenant from God, the Jews did not wait until he received the Law, but proceeded to Aaron with a request to give them one of the pagan deities as guides through the wilderness. He succumbed to their demands, ordered them to bring gold jewelry and cast a golden calf from them, possibly in the image egyptian god Apis. The satisfied people exclaimed: “Behold your God, Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus, 32, 4). Seeing that the people rejoiced, Aaron built an altar and declared the next day a feast for "the Lord." The next day, the Jews brought burnt offerings to the idol, people ate, drank and rejoiced in front of the new "deity". For his weakness, Aaron listened to the just reproaches of Moses, but since the high priest quickly repented of his deed, he did not lose God's favor. In the same place - on Mount Sinai - the prophet elevated him to the rank of great priest (high priest) with the right to transfer the high priesthood to the eldest of his sons. Moses appointed the sons of Aaron as priests. However, shortly after the consecration, two of the young men - Nadab and Abihu - brought to the altar True God strange fire, for which they were put to death on the spot (Leviticus 10:1-7). In general, Aaron was a constant companion of Moses and, together with him, was attacked by the Jews, who were indignant for any reason. Once the people even began to challenge his high priesthood. The consequences of this indignation were terrible: the instigators were swallowed up by the earth, and 250 of their accomplices were burned by heavenly fire. But this did not stop the rebels: the next day the people again murmured against Moses and Aaron. Then the Lord became very angry with the disobedient: in the camp of the Israelites, more than 14,000 people suddenly died. Then, by order of Moses, Aaron took a censer from the altar, put incense in it, stood between the living and the dead, and the pestilence stopped as suddenly as it began. After the punishment of the disobedient, Aaron's high priesthood was confirmed by God Himself. Moses took 12 rods from all 12 tribes of Israel and placed them overnight in the tabernacle of meeting. Each of them was inscribed with the name of the founder of the family. When they came in the morning to look at what had happened to the rods, they saw that Aaron's rod had budded during the night, bloomed and brought forth fruit. The Jews kept this flourishing rod for a long time along with the Ark of the Covenant as proof that the high priesthood was assigned to Aaron and his descendants by the Most High Himself. However, due to the lack of faith he discovered in the wilderness of Sin, Aaron did not live to see the day when the people of Israel reached the promised land. The Lord ordered him, together with his brother Moses and his son Eleazar, to ascend Mount Hor, where the high priest ended his days before the eyes of all the people of Israel. Another place of the alleged death of Aaron is Mount Moser, on which, to this day, is the place of his burial. Aaron lived 123 years, and in memory of his death, the Jews observe every year one day post. After him, the rank of high priest passed to his son Eleazar. Subsequently, the Jewish priests were often called "the sons of Aaron" or "the house of Aaron" in honor of their great ancestor. According to the generally accepted reckoning, Aaron was born about 1574 BC, and died in 1451 according to the new reckoning.
Abaddon (translated from Hebrew means “destroyer”) is an angel who has the key to the well of the abyss (Revelation of John the Theologian, 9, 11). Greek name Abaddon - Apollyon.
Habakkuk (translated from Hebrew means “embracing”) is one of the so-called minor prophets. The date and place of his birth is not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. However, according to surviving traditions, Avvakum lived during the reign of Josiah and was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. The book of the prophet Habakkuk ranks eighth among the books of other minor prophets. The prophecies contained in it were uttered no earlier than 600 BC and relate mainly to the invasion of Judea by the Chaldeans, the fall of the kingdom of Babylon and the final liberation of the Israelite people. The book of the prophet Habakkuk consists of three parts and begins with a lamentation for the wars he is about to witness. Turning his face away from this bloody spectacle, he turns to God, to which the Lord answers that the righteous should not be embarrassed at the sight of the triumph of the lawless, that every “arrogant soul will not rest, but the righteous will live by his faith” (Book of the Prophet Habakkuk, 2, four). The above words are quoted three times by the holy Apostle Paul in the First Epistle to the Romans (1:17), the Epistle to the Galatians (3:11) and the Epistle to the Hebrews (10:38). They are also found in the book "Acts of the Apostles" (13, 41), where, in addition, it is said that the people oppressed by the lawless will rise up to take revenge, if not on the conqueror himself, then on his children or grandchildren. Following such a comforting answer, the prophet Habakkuk sings of the greatness and power of God, committing himself into His hands. This last chapter of his book is very similar to a prayer or a psalm (Book of the prophet Habakkuk, 3, 1), therefore, in the Ancient Christian Church, lines from it were assigned for singing. At modern divine services in the Orthodox Church, canons are sung, the basis for the IV song of which was the described part of the book of the prophet Habakkuk.
Abednego - "servant of the light", the name of one of the four Jewish youths taken prisoner by King Nebuchadnezzar and appointed to serve in the royal palace. Initially, the young man was called Azariah ("Jehovah's help"), but, according to the Babylonian custom of giving other names to his servants, his real name young man was changed to Abednego. He and his three companions refused to eat from the king's table and drink his wine, preferring to eat simpler food than to defile themselves with meat sacrificed to idols. When Nebuchadnezzar ordered all his subjects to bow to the golden image placed in Deir, Abednego and his companions in misfortune, Shadrach (Ananias) and Meshach (Mishael) refused to fulfill the royal command. The punishment for this was the order to burn the youths in an oven seven times hotter than usual. When the young men were thrown into the furnace, the fire scorched even those who carried out this inhuman order. However, the youths remained unharmed and even the hair on their heads was not singed. When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the mouth of the furnace, he noticed that next to the three young men there was another one, similar in appearance to the Son of God. Realizing that this is the angel of the Lord, Nebuchadnezzar ordered to severely punish all those who would blaspheme God, Abednego, Meshach and Shadrach, since "there is no other God who could save like this." The young men were returned to the royal court, and they greatly exalted themselves in the country of Babylon. This event became the basis for the writing of the VII Canto of the canons, which are still sung in the Orthodox Church to this day.
Abel is the second son of Adami and Eve. “And Abel was a shepherd of the sheep, and Cain was a farmer. After some time, Cain brought a gift from the fruits of the earth to the Lord, and Abel also brought from his first-born flock and from their fat. And the Lord looked on Abel and on his gift, but on Cain and on his gift he did not look. Cain was very upset and his face drooped ... and when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him ”(Genesis, 4, 2-8). According to legend, the tomb of Abel is still located near the city of Damascus. The Apostle Paul attributed the superiority and greatness of Abel's sacrifice over that of Cain: "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain" (Hebrews 11:4). In the New Testament there are also the words of the Savior Himself, who speaks of the righteous Abel as the first martyr (Gospel of Matthew, 23, 35). And the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews ranks Abel among the ancient Old Testament righteous men who testified to the true faith.
Absalom - the third son of King David, famous for his beauty, in particular thick and long hair. He had a very beautiful sister named Tamar, who was dishonored by his brother Ammon. Absalom said nothing to him, but held a grudge in his heart. Two years later, on the feast of the shearing of sheep, Absalom ordered his servants to kill his brother. After this event, he ran away from home to Falmai, king of Gissur, his maternal grandfather. After spending three years in Syria and having received permission to return to his homeland, Absalom made every effort to make peace with his father. Meanwhile, a plan was ripening in his soul to seize the throne of his father and reign over the people of Israel. For four years, Absalom won the love of the people, and then raised an uprising in Hebron. Disappointed David with a small detachment was forced to flee from Jerusalem. Absalom entered the capital with his troops, ascended the bed of his father David and, wanting to establish himself on the throne, went with his army against the exiled king. However, the rebel was defeated near the Jordan and fled on a mule through a forest of thorns. Here he caught his hair on the branches of a tree and hung on the branches of an oak. One of David's commanders, Joab, pierced the rebel with 3 arrows, although David ordered him to save Absalom's life. “And they took Absalom and threw him into a deep pit in the woods, and swept over him a huge heap of stones” (II Kings, ch. 18). Saddened by the death of his son, David mourned the loss, and all Israel comforted him. In the royal valley there is a monument in the form of a marble pillar, which, according to legend, Absalom erected for himself during his lifetime. The rebel did not have a son, so he could not hope to continue his kind. Today, the authenticity of this monument is disputed, as its architecture speaks of a later origin of the monument.
Aviv - "month of ears". For Jews, the seventh month of the civil and the first month of the sacred calendar correspond to the Russian March and April. This month the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt. It got its name due to the fact that at this time in Palestine, bread begins to sprout. Subsequently, Aviv became known as Nisan, that is, "the month of flowers."
Abigail (translated from Hebrew means “the joy of the father”) is the beautiful and intelligent wife of the evil and cruel Nabal, who refused to help David when he was on Mount Carmel. Abigail, in order to make amends for her husband, sent animals loaded with provisions to meet David's soldiers. Thus, she averted from Nabal the revenge that David was preparing for him for his rude refusal to help (1 Kings, 25, 1-35). Returning from David, Abigail told her husband about what lay in wait for him for refusing to help the future king. The short-sighted Nabal was so frightened that “his heart sank within him, and he became like a stone” (1 Kings 25:37). Nabal died ten days later, and Abigail became David's wife and soon bore him a son.
Abishaga is a beautiful young Sunamite from the tribe of Issachar, who was chosen by David's servants to serve him and warm his old body. After his death and the accession to the throne of King Solomon, Adonijah asked the new king to give Abishag as his wife, but Solomon, having foreseen his true intentions, ordered him to be put to death (1 Kings 2:25). The goals pursued by Adonijah, looking for an opportunity to marry Abishag, were not overly romantic: most likely, he was looking for opportunities to present his rights to the throne in the future.
Abram (Abraham) is the Old Testament patriarch, whom the Orthodox Church remembers in prayers to this day. The Lord promised him that from him He would produce innumerable offspring, who would be called the people of God. In general, the Lord appeared to Abraham more than once and always confirmed His good will towards him. However, Sarah, Abram's wife, remained childless. In the end, the woman invited him to marry the Egyptian Hagar, her maid. Soon from her he had a son, who was named Ishmael. In the 99th year of his life, the Lord again appeared to the patriarch, changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and called his wife not Sarah, but Sarah. At the same time, the Lord promised that she would bear him a son and become the mother of kings and peoples. On the same day, the rite of circumcision was established, through which every Jew had to go through at the age of eight days from birth. Abraham obeyed the Lord and on the same day circumcised the entire male half of his house and was circumcised himself. Very soon, Abraham witnessed another Epiphany. One hot afternoon, as he was sitting outside his tent, three men came up to him. He received them cordially, with hospitality characteristic of the East, and as they ate, they asked about Sarah, after which they repeated the promise of the birth of a son from her. Soon this promise was fulfilled, and Sarah gave birth to Abraham Isaac, circumcised according to the new custom on the eighth day from birth. But the Lord decided to once again test the faith of the patriarch: he had a vision in which God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac to Him. Abraham meekly led his son to a distant mountain, where firewood had already been prepared for the burnt offering. But when Abraham’s knife was already brought over the body of Isaac, the voice of the Lord came from heaven, who ordered the patriarch not to raise his hand against the lad: “For now I know that you are afraid of God, and have not spared your son, your only one, for Me” ( Genesis 22:12). Looking around, Abraham saw a ram entangled in the bushes, took it and offered it to the Lord as a burnt offering. This was followed by a new promise from the Lord that Abraham's seed would be multiplied "more than the sand of the sea." Abraham and Isaac returned home, and after the death of Abraham, everything that the patriarch had went to his only son, Isaac. In the book of the Apostle James there are such lines: “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God” (Book of the Apostle James, 2, 23).
Agav is a prophet who in 43 AD predicted to the Apostle Paul his future sufferings that await him if he comes to Jerusalem. Presumably, Agav was one of the 70 apostles and ended his days in Antioch, having died as a martyr.
The Hagarites (Ismaelites) are the descendants of Hagar's son, Ishmael. When the Jews occupied the Promised Land, the Hagarites lived in the east of the country between the Euphrates and Gilead. There is evidence in the Scriptures that they often entered into an alliance with the Moabites and fought against the Israelites, but, for the most part, without success.
Haggai is one of the lesser prophets, in whose book there is an indication of the coming of the Messiah: “I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all the nations, and the Desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The glory of this last temple will be greater than the former, says the Lord of Hosts; and in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of Hosts” (The Book of the Prophet Haggai, 2:6-9). Nothing is known about the time of the birth and death of the prophet Haggai, as well as the place of his burial. In addition to the prophet Ezra, the apostle Paul points to the above prophecy (Hebrews 12:26).
Lamb (lamb or kid) - 1) this word in the Holy Scripture is used in relation to both young rams and young goats. Jewish law dictates that the Passover sacrifice be offered exclusively in the form of a lamb. The same law approved some of its properties and age; 2) the prophet Isaiah in his book (53, 7) presents the Savior as a lamb, obedient and dumb before His shearers. The same expression is used by the Baptist of the Lord John when he sees Him coming to serve the human race. The use of the word "lamb" to Jesus Christ indicates the deepest humility of the Lord, His meekness and gentleness. However, most often this word is used in connection with His Name as a synonym for the great sacrifice for the sins of the entire human race. That is why in the books of Holy Scripture there are many references either to the blood of the lamb, or to the slain lamb; 3) the words “sheep”, “lambs” and “lamb” are often used in Holy Scripture in an improper sense when referring to other persons, for example, members of the Church of Christ, modern believers, apostles, and even people who are weak in faith, sinners and the infirm; 4) bread (service prosphora), used during the sacrament of the Eucharist, which is performed at the liturgy of the faithful. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, bread and wine at the Eucharist turn into the blood and body of Christ, after which the faithful and serving clergy partake of them. During the proskomedia, the priest reads special prayers and prepares a lamb: he cuts out of it the middle part in the shape of a cube in order to use it for preparing communion. The remaining parts of the service prosphora are called antidor.
Adam is the first man, the forefather and ancestor of all mankind. On the sixth day of the creation of the world, God created man from red clay in His own image and likeness. He breathed life into him and man became a living soul. The Almighty put man over all animals, fish and reptiles, and planted a Garden of Eden in Eden for his residence. In this garden grew many trees that were pleasant to look at and bore edible fruits. A river flowed out of Eden, watering the garden and dividing into four rivers. The Garden of Eden was left by God in the care of man to keep and cultivate. Adam was allowed to eat the fruit of any tree growing in the garden, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of this tree was forbidden to man to eat on pain of death. As soon as Adam settled into his happy dwelling, the Lord brought to him all the animals of the field, all the birds and fish that he had created, and the first man gave them names. But for himself there was not a single helper among the animals. And then “the Lord God brought a deep sleep upon the man; and when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs, and covered the place with flesh. And God created a wife from a rib taken from a man, and brought her to the man. And the man said, Behold, this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she will be called a woman, for she was taken from a man… And both were naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:21-25). The first people were blissful in paradise, being in communion with God, but one day Adam violated the commandment of God: carried away by his wife, whom the serpent deceived, he ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby incurred the wrath of the Creator. The first sign of the transgression of the commandment was the shame of one's own nakedness and the desire to hide from the Omnipresent God. When the Lord called Adami and his wife, they began to shift their guilt onto the serpent. But God's curse overtook not only the crafty animal, but also all the participants in this criminal deed, including the fallen ancestors and the entire human race. Later, the terrible curse was dissolved by the first gospel: the first promise of the Savior of the world, who was to be born from the Virgin. After that, Adam named his wife Eve (Hebrew for "life"), since she was to become the mother of the entire human race.
Adonijah is the fourth son of King David, who, after the death of his brothers, Amon and Absalom, began to claim the throne of his father. Adonijah prepared chariots and runners for himself and consulted with the priests on how best to bring his plans to fruition. But Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, immediately informed David about the impending conspiracy, and the prophet Nathan confirmed her words. David swore to Bathsheba that their son Solomon would reign after him and ordered him to be immediately anointed king, which the priest Zadok performed with the exclamations of the people and the trumpet sounds. Hearing the noise, Adonijah was embarrassed when Jonathan told him about the state of things, the feasters fled, and Adonijah himself rushed into the temple, grabbed the horns of the altar and waited for his fate (in those days the altar was considered a place protecting from any violence). After the death of David, Adonijah began to ask Solomon to give him Abishag as a wife, ex-wife elderly David. But Solomon immediately revealed the intention of Adonijah and the intentions of his advisers. The young king realized that, having married the widow of the former king, the ambitious man would not miss the opportunity to lay claim to the throne. This was contrary to God's command prophesied by God regarding David and his descendants, so Solomon ordered Vanei to kill Adonijah.
Hell (translated from Greek means “a place devoid of light”) is a spiritual prison in Christian teaching, that is, a state of mind in which a person is alienated from God and the light and bliss that accompanies Him.
Hell's gate is a figurative expression used when it is required to describe the power of death and the devil. The Lord said: “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Gospel of Matthew, 16, 18).
Azariah is one of the Babylonian youths, companions of the prophet Daniel, whom the king of Babylon named after Abednego.
Akathist (translated from Greek means "non-sedal singing") - one of the forms of church poetry, descended from ancient kontakia. Modern akathists are dedicated to the glorification of Jesus Christ, Mother of God and Her images, feasts and holy martyrs.
Usually an akathist includes 25 stanzas, divided in pairs. Each pair of stanzas, except for the last one, is a semantic link. The first stanza, or kontakion, is less lengthy, it serves as an introduction and ends with the exclamation of "Hallelujah." An exception is the preliminary kontakion. The second, longer stanza is called the ikos and ends with 12 greetings beginning with the word "Rejoice." The last stanza of the akathist is prayer appeal to the glorified. The first (or Great) akathist was dedicated to the Mother of God. It was compiled at the beginning of the 7th century in memory of the deliverance of Constantinople from the Persian invasion. A little later, in the 8th-10th centuries, the akathist was supplanted by the canon. But in the 8th-19th centuries this genre was revived in Russia. As for the Charter, the akathists are read as part of both prayers and other services. It is customary to read the great akathist on the fifth week of Great Lent.
Akila is a Jew from the city of Pontus, located in Asia Minor. He was expelled from Rome by decree of Emperor Claudius, according to which all Jews were ordered to leave the capital of the empire. After the exile, Aquila and his wife Priscilla arrived in Corinth and lived there until the first visit by the Apostle Paul (Acts of the Apostles, 18, 1). Aquila received Paul very kindly in his home. He, along with Priscilla, accompanied the apostle on his journey from Corinth to Ephesus and on to Syria. The pious spouses Akila and Priscila repeatedly rendered important services to the Apostle Paul. In addition, a warm friendship developed between them and the preacher of the faith of Christ. The house of the spouses in Rome, and in Ephesus, and in Corinth was a home church in which believers gathered for worship. Little is known about the fate of Akila, but Greek minology says that he was beheaded.
Akrid is a type of locust, which was considered by the Jews to be a clean animal. While in the desert, John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey. In many eastern countries, locusts are also eaten at the present time, preparing various dishes from it.
Axios (translated from Greek means "worthy") - an exclamation that a bishop utters during consecration, that is, the ordination of a new deacon, priest or bishop. The primate pronounces the word "axios" when new liturgical clothes are put on the protege, after which this exclamation is repeated three times by the choir.
Alavaster is a type of dense fine-grained white or black stone, suitable for polishing. In ancient times, various vessels were made from it, and even in the last century in Egypt, such stones were used to store incense and medicines. The expression found in the Gospel of Mark (14:3) apparently means that a woman who came to Simon's house with an alabaster vessel of precious ointment unsealed it. In ancient times, the myrrh contained in such vessels was very expensive, so the containers intended for its storage did not have holes: the smell of the world had to seep through their porous walls. As a result, alabaster vessels were used to store expensive incense. Perhaps some of those gathered in Simon's house considered it fair to reproach the woman for being extravagant: she broke the vessel and poured the precious ointment on the head of the Savior, although many of those around knew that his fragrance would have sufficed in abundance for many years.
Levon Nersesyan. Photo: Tanya Sommer, bg.ru
Levon Nersesyan, specialist in ancient Russian art, senior researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery:
– Actually, I have never treated this publication as a purely religious one. From my point of view, this is a very serious, very important general humanitarian project, which is at the intersection of several sciences: history, philology, theology and art history, which I am directly involved in.
I am not aware of any other humanitarian scientific projects of this magnitude that would have been undertaken over the past 10 years. And the fact that money has been invested and continues to be invested in this project is extremely gratifying for me, because I want it to be completed.
By the way, I mention the completion of the project not by chance - after all, there was, say, the so-called "Orthodox Theological Encyclopedia", which was published in Russia from the beginning of the 20th century until the First World War - unfortunately, this edition was brought only to the letter "K ". But I remember very well how in our student years we used it regularly, although it was not at all so easy, given that the times were still quite Soviet. And yes - we complained about the incompleteness and imperfection of individual articles, but we simply did not have another source of information on a number of issues.
The new encyclopedia, of course, significantly surpasses that pre-revolutionary edition and is a truly universal source for a number of branches of humanitarian knowledge. I will give just one example - now, as a scientific editor, I am working on the publication of the second volume of the catalog of icons of the Vologda Museum-Reserve (also quite a monumental project!). At the moment, there are 18 articles from the Orthodox Encyclopedia in the list of references, and I understand that there will be more of them. These are articles on the iconography of individual subjects, and hagiographic references to the saints whose icons we publish.
And, of course, this is not the only example, since all of us, historians of medieval art, have to turn to the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" regularly - primarily to articles on the iconography of individual plots and characters. Of course, they cannot be called exhaustive, but any research work with one or another iconographic type can and should begin with the quite competent reference given by the Orthodox Encyclopedia.
Let's make a small reservation: it is obvious that these certificates are not quite equivalent. To select on all topics absolutely impeccable authors who are aware of the latest word in science on a particular issue - no editorial office is able to do this. In addition, there are topics that have been studied little and not studied at all, and not all authors are able to undertake a full-fledged scientific study in order to write several pages of an encyclopedic article. But this is a feature of any encyclopedic publication on which a large team of authors is working - some articles are more successful, others less, some contain new information, others are a more or less competent summary of what has long been known.
But the most important thing is that there is a place where this information is collected and continues to be collected, and I hope that no "intrigues" will interrupt this process. Otherwise, you have to regularly worry that the encyclopedia has not yet reached this particular letter you need ...
It so happened that I am the author of only one article in the Orthodox Encyclopedia. But I know a lot of my fellow art historians, excellent specialists who write extremely interesting, valuable and useful texts for her, which I regularly refer to. And, of course, hagiographic references regularly come in handy for me - first of all, information about Russian saints and Russian translated hagiographic texts. And I emphasize that the speech in this case this is not about the thousand and first Internet retelling of Dimitri Rostovsky, but about a completely competent scientific analysis with links to studies and sources, including handwritten ones.
Finally, there is a whole series of historical-theological and liturgical questions that are absolutely necessary for any active historian of medieval art. And even though not all of them have been fully resolved today, I can be sure that in the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" I will find the latest information reflecting the current state of theological and liturgical science.
Yes, and to clarify the situation, I can add that I have no special reverence for Orthodox church projects proper. And the adjective "Orthodox" is clearly not enough to delight me. I myself am a completely secular scientist, and besides, a Catholic, and, by the way, being a Catholic, I am not at all sure that Christianity can be “propagated” with the help of publishing encyclopedias - we have a slightly different idea of missionary activity.
From my point of view, the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is primarily engaged in the collection and promotion of knowledge on the history of Russian spiritual culture and art, and the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church has assumed such a mission should certainly decorate its image in the eyes, in general , religiously indifferent society. For my part, I can only express my deep gratitude to the team of authors and wish them successful completion of this titanic work.
Regarding the article by Yulia Latynina, which is now “on everyone's lips”, I can only say that it reflects a situation, unfortunately, quite standard for modern domestic media. We are often faced with the fact that a person who is very superficially educated and poorly versed in the problem under discussion suddenly begins to consider his opinion authoritative and, in front of the “admiring public”, begins to “sensational revelations”. How many such "sensational revelations" I had to read about museums and museum employees - you won't believe it! Including in church publications, by the way ...
I do not think that I have the right to judge which of Yulia Latynina is a journalist, but she is definitely not a historian and philologist-medievalist, and to me, as a fully functioning humanities scholar, her invectives seem absolutely ridiculous. You can, of course, take a few phrases out of context in order to prove that all the information given in the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is unscientific, and that it is engaged exclusively in propaganda of superstitions that have long been outdated.
But this can only impress people who have nothing to do with science. For me and my colleagues, it is not important what information the encyclopedia provides about the Mother of God, but what sources this information is borrowed from, whether the article contains a critical analysis of these sources or at least links to studies in which this analysis was carried out, etc. And further, it is I and my colleagues - and not Yulia Latynina and her admirers - who will judge whether the information given is enough for us, and evaluate, on the basis of this, this or that article.
For Yulia Latynina, in such a situation, there is only one opportunity - to USE the encyclopedia - that is, to open it on the right letter and find the right word. And if for some reason the information given does not suit her, turn to any other source. But about how scientific this information is, how relevant it is and how great its general cultural value, let the experts judge, okay? To be honest, her touching, illiterate demarche should not have been in the field of view of my and my colleagues at all - all these “rulers of thoughts”, regardless of their political or confessional orientation, as a rule, work with their own, quite established audience and quite professionally come up with entertainment after entertainment for her ... On the other hand, an alternative expert point of view should still be expressed, and then it’s up to the public whether to continue unconditionally trusting their “idol” or to think a little ...
Alexander Kravetsky, Ph.D. in Philology, Head of the Center for the Study of the Church Slavonic Language of the Institute of the Russian Language. V. V. Vinogradov RAS:
– The reaction of those who were indignant that state money was spent on the publication of the Orthodox Encyclopedia is understandable. Confessional affiliation is written on the cover of the encyclopedia, and the Church is legally separated from the state, so why would the state suddenly spend money on such a publication?
But still, I would advise everyone who is indignant to first study the issue more deeply. The fact is that the Orthodox Encyclopedia is one of the largest humanitarian projects of the post-Soviet era. Moreover, each article of the publication is not a compilation. In the era of information technology, making a compilation guide is a simple matter. There is also a huge research work on the history and culture of Russia. The history of the Russian Church and the history of Russian culture, and the history of the country are connected and certainly intersect. The encyclopedia describes this block better than anyone else. It contains not only theological articles, it also talks about architecture, history, literature, philosophy, and music.
Moreover, the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" speaks not only about Orthodoxy. antique, Slavic mythology, other religions and so on - you can find absolutely neutral help articles about all this.
The "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is being made not by popularizers or compilers, but by the best researchers. She managed to unite and attract employees of academic institutions, universities, and so on. Over the years, they have created a completely unique community that produces a truly high-quality product.
The scientific level of this publication and its contribution to culture is very high, and the state supports it. If the state, with the help of public procurement or in some other form, supplied all editorial offices of the mass media with the Orthodox Encyclopedia, Dictionary of Russian Writers, Great Russian Encyclopedia and other normal reference books, the world would definitely become a better place. And the amount of nonsense we read in the media would be a little less.
So, it seems to me that the Orthodox Encyclopedia is one of those cultural values that the state should support.
For those who have questions about the quality of the articles in the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" and who doubt its usefulness, I recommend typing the words "Orthodox Encyclopedia in the electronic version" in a search engine and see what it is. Because now a journalistic retelling of an article about the Mother of God is circulating on the Internet, reading which you may get the impression that the Orthodox Encyclopedia is telling people fairy tales for state money. I will repeat what I have already said.
Already at the very beginning of the article “Theotokos” there is an indication that “from the biblical story we do not learn anything about the circumstances of Her Nativity, nor about the Entry into the Temple, nor about the life of the Theotokos after Pentecost”, and then the authors characterize the sources from which you can extract information about the Virgin. And only after such an introduction to sources and a discussion of questions about the reliability of sources, a brief retelling of the life of the Virgin follows, which begins with the words: “Tradition testifies that ...” In my opinion, for a reference publication, this way of presenting material is quite correct.
Absolutely according to the same scheme, for example, the story of Athena or Veles is presented in the encyclopedia, although, of course, for Orthodox person The Mother of God is real, and the other two characters mentioned are the heroes of myths. But this does not affect the approach in the presentation.
This information is available and easy to verify. I urge everyone to visit the site and read.
There is another important point in this story. We begin to pay the bills for all our "offended feelings." We were perceived as persecutors. In any community of people, aggressive people are the overwhelming minority, but they are the ones that are visible. Unfortunately, they see us the same as those same Cossacks who smash exhibitions, activists who disrupt performances. And we get a public response. At the same time, it is not “activists” and other aggressive outcasts who are being bullied, but serious academic projects that one can only be proud of. We get a public reaction to some aggressive actions that take place on our behalf.
Dmitry Afinogenov
Dmitry Afinogenov, Leading Researcher, IVI RAS, Professor of the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Philology, Faculty of Philology, Moscow State University:
- The "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is not a publication for believers, and the people who say this simply did not open it.
If you open the articles "Bergson" or "Hegel" - these are huge articles about each philosopher, a lot of information about other confessions, for example, there are all the Catholic saints.
There are articles about the religious situation in various countries. For example, take the article "Italy" - it is huge. As you yourself understand, Orthodox in Italy is an insignificant percentage of the population. But there the whole religious situation in this country is described in the most thorough manner. The same is true for articles about other countries.
In addition, there are a lot of materials on history, not only Orthodox world but also the West.
There is a lot of information there that is of specific interest, but not for believers, but for everyone who is interested in the history of the Orthodox Church and its current situation - and anyone can be interested in this.
All statements about squandering money are unfounded. A very high-quality product is produced in the scientific sense of the word. Quality is ensured by a multi-level text preparation system. As authors, those best specialists who exist in this field and agree to write are selected. The authors are responsible for the content of the articles, and all of them are very carefully edited.
Therefore, the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is a scientific project. The amount of information that is presented in it is incomparable with everything that is now coming out. There are no such projects in the world, it is unique not only for Russia, but for the whole world.
I constantly use the articles of my colleagues in the "Orthodox Encyclopedia", because, among other things, there is an updated scientific bibliography, and when I know the authors, I need some information, I know who writes these articles, and I know that it will always be on the highest level, and these are the latest achievements of science.
Latynina's article is simply ignorance, ordinary laziness. The article quotes the Apocrypha - so what? She did not open it, did not hold a single volume in her hands. To evaluate the publication - you need to open and see what is written there.
Pavel Lukin, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Leading Researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
– “Orthodox Encyclopedia” is a project that is a very good example of cooperation between scientific government organizations, such as the Academy of Sciences, various universities, and so on, and public organizations, in this case, the Russian Orthodox Church and not only: representatives of other Orthodox Churches participate in the project.
All articles are written by specialists, scientists in the way that such articles should be written - without any confessional restrictions. The result is a high-quality scientific product, one of the best such projects to date. This is not a purely ecclesiastical project, the encyclopedia is not focused exclusively on some problems within the church. It deals with a variety of issues, including those important for the state, for science, above all. There are no questions about the fact that the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" can be bought for libraries, for other needs of education, does not arise.
There are no problems here, as there are, say, when the state purchases textbooks on the basics Orthodox culture, Muslim culture, Jewish culture. This does not mean at all that the state merges with the corresponding religions.
In the case of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia", even more so - this is a broad project, scientifically balanced, without any religious propaganda.
This is not an encyclopedia of worship and not a missionary encyclopedia, namely, a scientific one. I myself, when working on some scientific questions relating to history, often resort to the "Orthodox Encyclopedia".
Moreover, there a number of articles are not of reference and informative, but of a research nature. After all, almost all major scientists cooperate with the Orthodox Encyclopedia: historians, philologists, who are engaged in a variety of scientific problems. And those articles of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" that I mentioned are the last word in science, and without them it is impossible to imagine the state of historiography today.
I do not know the specific financial details, but I can definitely say that the preparation of the "Orthodox Encyclopedia" is a very laborious work. There are many editions, a very complex multi-stage review system, which allows you to create a very serious scientific product. Naturally, this costs money. Cheap is only bad, as you know. A serious project requires serious expenses. This is clear.
As for Yulia Latynina's article... I respect her as a publicist, she has interesting thoughts and sharp judgments. But in this case, she showed obvious incompetence, taking out of context an excerpt from the article about the Mother of God, where at first it is very correctly said that we are talking about traditions. Latynina cut off information about this and began to quote apocryphal stories as if the encyclopedia says that this is historically reliable information. This is just an unfair quotation.
As I understood from the speech of Yulia Latynina, she considers Christianity to be a negative phenomenon that destroyed the wonderful Roman Empire, and so on. This point of view seems to me absolutely erroneous, wrong, but Yulia Leonidovna has the right to adhere to it. And we have the right to disagree with her. But what no one has the right to do is juggling facts and unscrupulous quoting.
