Archbishop Averky (Taushev) - The Epistles and the Apocalypse (Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, Vol. III)

Printed with the blessing of His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia

Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament:
The Epistles 2018 Holy Trinity Monastery
The Apocalypse 1985 St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood
Compilation 2018 Holy Trinity Monastery

ISBN: 978-1-942699-18-7 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-1-942699-19-4 (ePub)
ISBN: 978-1-942699-20-0 (Mobipocket)

Library of Congress Control Number 2017963205

Scripture passages taken from the New King James Version.
Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Psalms taken from A Psalter for Prayer, trans. David James
(Jordanville, N.Y.: Holy Trinity Publications, 2011).

Scripture passages quoted in the Apocalypse section are extracts from the Authorized Version of the Bible (The King James Bible), the rights in which are vested in the Crown, and are reproduced by permission of the Crowns Patentee, Cambridge University Press.

All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.

C ONTENTS

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

(Acts 4:20)

For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

(Acts 20:27)

For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death.

(1 Cor 4:9)

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

(2 Thess 2:15)

E DITORS P REFACE

This book is the third volume of the commentary on the New Testament Scriptures by the ever-memorable Archbishop Averky (Taushev), who was the rector of Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary and abbot of the monastery in Jordanville from 1952 until his repose in 1976. This volume includes the commentary on the Epistles of St Paul, the General Epistles, and the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation). Like the two previous volumes in this series, this commentary emerged from the transcript of Vladyka Averkys lecture notes for the courses in the Scriptures of the New Testament, which he taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary between 1952 and 1955. From 1957 to 1959, these lectures were published as an appendix to the Holy Trinity Calendar, and in 1974, they were reprinted in book form.

In his short essay On Reading the Gospels, St Ignatius (Brianchaninov) encouraged his readers: Do not content yourself with unproductive reading of the Gospels; strive to fulfill its commandments, read it with deeds. We can see this maxim as equally relevant and true for Orthodox readers who strive to read carefully the writings of the Holy Apostle Paul, the apostle of the whole world (St John Chrysostom) who eloquently proclaimed through his letters the eternal gospel, which he received not according to man but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal 1:1112). The commentary by Archbishop Averky, which is offered in this volume, seeks to guide a modern Orthodox reader toward careful, attentive, and fruitful reading of the Epistles of St Paul and other apostles: St James, St Peter, St John, and St Jude. In his introduction to St Pauls writings, Vladyka himself emphasizes a need for Orthodox Christians to peruse and study these writings, since they reveal to the reader that Christianity is not merely a system of belief, an acceptance with the mind of certain known truths, but an entire way of life by faith. To show the depth and relevance of St Pauls letters today, Vladyka Averky always emphasizes the moral and pastoral aspects of the Scriptures: indeed, these commentaries emerged as lectures addressed to the Jordanville seminarians, many of whom became pastors of the Church tending to the spiritual flock of the Russian diaspora. At the same time, Archbishop Averkys approach is thoroughly patristic: the reader will see Vladyka constantly turning to the wide array of the Church Fathers for the elucidation of one or another particular verse, especially to the commentaries and expositions of St John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid, Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus, and others. The reader will also find how deeply indebted Vladykas lectures were to the voluminous Scriptural commentaries of St Theophan the Recluse (18151894), an enormously influential spiritual figure of pre-Revolutionary Russia.

Having been produced in the genre of classroom lectures, Vladyka Averkys commentaries were naturally lacking references and endnotes, both in their original Russian publications and in later reprints. This English edition, however, has been supplied with endnotes to the works of Church Fathers and contemporary writers wherever direct quotations from these sources appear in the commentary. For the convenience of readers in locating specific references, more recent English translations of the patristic works are cited when possible. All material in the endnotes for Archbishop Averkys commentary on the Pauline and General Epistles was produced for this English edition by the editorial staff of Holy Trinity Seminary Press.

This third volume of Archbishop Averkys commentary on the New Testament also incorporates the translation of his commentary on the Apocalypse, accomplished in the 1970s by another influential figure in American Orthodoxy, Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose; 19341982). Fr Seraphims translation was published in 1985 as The Apocalypse in the Teachings of Ancient Christianity by St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood (Platina, CA) and is reproduced in this volume with minor editorial emendations. As in its first edition, this new publication likewise includes the text of the Apocalypse, to be read together with the commentary, as well as Fr Seraphims footnotes supplying additional patristic references, in addition to the commentary of St Andrew of Caesarea, on whom Archbishop Averky primarily relied.

We sincerely hope that this English edition of the Scriptural commentaries by Archbishop Averky will further inspire Orthodox faithful to regular, scrupulous, and attentive reading of the Holy Scriptures, interpreted through the lens of the Orthodox patristic, liturgical, and spiritual tradition. May we be inspired to turn constantly to the sacred, salvific words of Scripture and, by the grace of God, may we be revealed as not mere hearers of the spiritual sayings, but also as the performers of good works (Liturgy of St James).

Holy Trinity Seminary Press
September 9 (22), 2017
Saints Joachim and Anna

P REFACE TO THE R USSIAN E DITION

The material here offered consists of a series of summary lectures for the course on the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament, which I taught at Holy Trinity Orthodox Seminary in Jordanville, NY, between 19521955.