Predestination is in monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) the idea of the predestination of all events of human life and history emanating from God. That is, everything that happened, happens and will happen in the life of all people and the individual, is determined, on the one hand, by the will of God, and on the other, by the free will of the individual. We emphasize that human freedom is not limited by anything, although everything is done according to the will of God.
What theologian and historian Leonid Matsikh told about God
Leonid Aleksandrovich in the lecture “Methods of religious knowledge” suggested not to confuse three concepts: God, religion and the church. He defined God as the highest personal being, separate from the world he created. God, in his opinion, having created our world (and many others that we have no idea about), observes the development of life on earth, only occasionally interfering in the course of history, only in cases where everything goes absolutely wrong for people .
When creating our world, he set up an “experiment” with consequences that were not clear to him. Thus, we conclude: predestination is a complex theological dogma, to which there is no single answer. But we will consider it below. All theology is filled with him.
What is religion, according to L. A. Matsikha
Religion is a system of dogmas and doctrines, more or less understood. Basically, little is understood. She offers to consider those things that are far from most people, and tries to describe the totality of the phenomena that exist in the world. In practice, this is unrealistic, because for our consciousness the world is deep and immense. Too many modern scientists have yet to discover.
The ancient terminology is dark and confusing, and the word "predestination" is a predefined human life, salvation or condemnation of a person by God. Basic religious texts cannot combine their theses that arose thousands of years ago, with constantly emerging discoveries, with technological advances. The last thing worth emphasizing: any religion considers only itself an indisputable truth. Everything else is a fallacy.
Hellas and ancient Rome
This concept has already appeared in the ancient world. The Olympic gods and people obeyed the inevitability, their fate, which Moira wove among the Greeks and Parks among the Romans.
One of them, Clotho, weaved the thread of life, the other, Lachesa, interwoven randomness, the third, Atropa, determined the inevitability of what was happening. They determined the life expectancy of each person and at the time of death they severed the thread of fate. According to Sophocles, predestination is a man’s confrontation with the power of the gods and his constant loss. From here logically follow the concepts of fatum and rock.
Christianity in general
Divine predestination is one of the most difficult questions in the philosophy of religion. It is associated with divine attributes, the essence and manifestation of evil, and how grace relates to freedom.
People, as moral and free creatures, may prefer evil to good; the presence of some in evil is an obvious fact. But since everything that exists is accomplished by the will of God, it means that the presence of some people in evil and their subsequent death is also a manifestation of the will of God.
To resolve this contradiction, several local councils were held at which the Orthodox teaching was more precisely defined: God wants everyone to be saved, but does not want to abolish moral freedom. Therefore, to save everyone, God uses all means, except those that deprive a person of this freedom. Consequently, people who consciously reject the help of grace for salvation cannot be saved and, by the omniscience of God, are predetermined for perdition.
Teaching of the apostle paul
St. Paul writes in his writings that predestination is a person’s free choice of salvation. In full accordance with the Christian doctrine, the apostle Paul writes about those who are foreknew and predetermined by God to eternal glory. St. John Chrysostom, interpreting this aspect, writes that all were called, but not all obeyed. The next theologian, Theophan the Recluse, explains that divine predestination does not constrain freedom. God gives each individual freedom of choice and anticipates the overall outcome of all his deeds. This theme was developed by St. Augustine.
Life of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Blessed Augustine was born and lived in IV in Tagast in North Africa. His parents were baptized. Mother was especially pious. The child was, according to the custom of that time, only announced, but not baptized.
He was educated in his native city, and then continued to study in grammar and rhetoric in the city of Madavra, and then in the capital - Carthage. The young man led a wild life. He had an illegitimate son, Adeodat. Later, a treatise “On the Teacher” will be written for him.
At this time, Aurelius Augustine is interested in the works of Cicero and is interested in philosophy. He changes places of stay. For ten years, Augustine taught rhetoric and grammar in his native Tagast, then moved to Carthage, then to Rome.
And now he is already in Mediolan, where he becomes an official rhetorician. Here he meets the great theologian Hierarch Ambrose, listens to his sermons and turns to Christianity. He is baptized and removed from the light. Having given all his property to the church of his hometown, Augustine comes to austerity. His fame as a learned theologian begins to grow.
The community of Mr. Hippo, where he was accidentally passing, insisted on his ordination to the rank of presbyter. At the same time, he founded the first monastery in Numidia, interpreted the Holy Scriptures. In the city of Hippo, he receives the bishop's chair, which takes 35 years until his death. His activities can be divided into three parts: a polemic with the Manichaeans, the struggle against schism and the teachings of the monk Pelagius. In the framework of the polemic against the writings of Pelagius and his followers, St. Augustine creates the doctrine of predestination.
Bishop of Hippo and his teaching. Early christianity
Blessed Augustine in the IV century in his doctrine of grace fell, as the theologians of his time, fell into serious error. In his opinion, predestination is only the decision of God, who can be saved and who will certainly perish. This is undeniable and immutable. This provision has led to numerous discussions over more than one century.
The concept of predestination was associated with how a person himself, by his will, participates in salvation, or is only able to accept the grace of the Lord. According to his views, original sin has so perverted the nature of man that the individual can no longer overcome evil without the help of God. In the matter of salvation, the free will of man does not play a significant, but generally no role. People do not have free will after original sin at all. Salvation is possible only for some - those whom God chose, whom he decided to give faith and save. The rest will die. That is, salvation is only an act of the almighty grace of God.
The teachings of St. Augustine were adopted by the Western Church at the Cathedral in Arossio in 529. At that time, the Western Church fought against the teachings of the monk Pelagius, who denied the inheritance of original sin and believed that a person can achieve holiness without the help of the grace of God. His teaching was declared heresy.
Protestantism
The Reformation in Germany began under the influence of Martin Luther, Ph.D. and Theology. He put forward a new religious teaching, according to which the secular state is not dependent on the church, and the man himself does not need mediators between him and God.
Martin Luther at first endorsed the teachings of Pelagius, but his entourage was strongly opposed, and Luther changed his mind. The doctrine of predestination was not included in Lutheran teachings.
The theologian and lawyer Jean Calvin formed his teaching on the basis of Lutheranism, making changes to it. He believed that the state with its power should be completely subordinate to the church. He also wrote that man was completely corrupted, and believed that divine grace is the basis for the salvation of man. And faith alone in God is not enough for the remission of sins.
According to Calvin, predestination is the mysterious providence of God. He denied the free will of man and imposed on his followers a lot of prohibitions on luxury and entertainment. Calvin considered his doctrine the development of the views of the bishop of Hippo. He firmly believed that Christ died for the sins of only “predestined to salvation”, and not of all mankind.
Foresight of god
Do not mix God's foresight and predestination. If God foresaw events, then he did not predestine them. He gave man freedom of choice, and if a man decided to sin, he thereby overshadowed his future. Divine foresight is not predestination. God does not violate the freedom of man, otherwise He would not be God. Human freedom is the image of divine freedom. Foreseeing, God does not predetermine. He only puts a person in such conditions that he determines his direction: to sins, to evil, he will advance or to good, to light. It is important to control a person over himself.
Fate and its predestination
The word "fate" may mean:
- Divine destiny is heavenly, that is, the full disclosure of the image and likeness of God is life in the Kingdom of God.
- Earthly realization of God’s data for the glory of God.
- The fulfillment or non-fulfillment of divine destiny.
- Life circumstances (God's providence).
- Rock, Fatum. (Such a confluence of life circumstances that cannot be avoided).
Belief in fate as inevitability, instead of communion with God, is contrary to Christian teaching. Instead of such an understanding of fate, there is the concept of fate as providence, the providence of God. It is not blind rock that rules the life of man, but the Wise Creator.
Each person chooses his own destiny: good - to be in paradise, or evil - to go down to hell. In this sense, everyone has their own destiny. So what does “predestination of fate” mean? As we wrote above, even before the creation of the world, God foresaw (but did not predetermine!) Who would be saved and who would destroy his soul. But He is trying to guide man on the path of salvation. The predestination of man in this case is to follow God's will.
Islam and predestination
This teaching took a lot from Christianity, changing its basic concepts in its own way. It turned out quite an original work of Muhammad - the Quran. Allah, as the Prophet himself said, dictated to him in the wilderness Allah. Whether it was so or not, now no one will know. But legends speak of this.
In the traditions of the Prophet it is said that one of the Israelites fought for a thousand months (when calculated, a fantastic number is obtained - more than 83 years) under the banner of Allah. It was an absolutely extraordinary service, since in those days a person’s life was short. All the associates of Muhammad were saddened that they could not repeat such a feat.
Immediately after meeting the Israelite, the archangel Jibril arrived at the Prophet. He proclaimed that in honor of such a long ministry of the son of Israel, Allah will grant the Prophet and his companions a night that is better than a thousand months. He then dictated the 97th chapter of the Qur'an called “Power”.
It said that Allah sends the Qur'an to his Prophet on the night of predestination or greatness. This night is more beautiful than the thousand months that the Israelite served. This night, all the angels go down to earth and greet all believers. Allah on this holy night forgives sins and fulfills all the requests of believers. This night comes and repeats several times in the last ten nights of Ramadan. This is an odd night hours when the Prophet indulged in particularly strong meditation and meditation and worship of Allah. Here are their dates - 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights. Which one will be a night of greatness?
In the Qur'an, everything is clear to believers and ministers, and there is no confusion. But, however, there have been and are continuing disputes between the three directions of theologians on the doctrine of predestination.
In addition, the concept of "fate" also exists in Islam. The omniscient Allah, even before the creation of the world, knew what would happen in nature and society, what would make a good or bad person or animal. A person who believes in Allah knows well what he will approve, and what can cause his discontent or even anger. But a person is weak and mistaken in his choice, and therefore, after a bad deed, he must repent.
Modern views
Theologians never came to a consensus on this issue. But almost one and a half millennia flew by. This shows how slowly and gradually, not deciding on the cardinal conclusions, the church approaches its dogmas that are difficult to understand. No, if you ask the theologian, he will smoothly expound the doctrine as he understands it. The question is different: there is no single answer. But the dogma of predestination is one of the main tenets of theology.
Lyric F.I. Tyutchev
The deeply religious poet-philosopher F. I. Tyutchev undoubtedly knew what “predestination” means in Orthodoxy. It is no coincidence that Tyutchev gave this name to his short and bitter poem. If predestination is given by God and fate, then no matter how you fight, a sinful person will not escape him.
Love F. Tyutchev did not appear on the basis of an instant look. The witty, cheerful, elegant beauty gradually entered first at his house, to visit his daughters, and then to the poet’s heart. They explained exactly in the middle of June 1850. F. I. Tyutchev did not forget this date even after Elena Ivanovna passed away. This day he called "blissful fateful." His love for the young pupil of the Smolny Institute Elena Denisieva turned into evil. They loved each other with all their souls. As Tyutchev wrote fifteen years later, she breathed all her soul into him. The result was a sinful relationship and rejected by the light and parents for 14 years, E. A. Denisiev.
The poem "Predestination" Tyutchev created
at the very beginning of their acquaintance, 13 years before the death of Elena Alexandrovna. But the drama of the situation when one person loves and the other allows himself to be loved is fully reflected in it.
We are starting to analyze Tyutchev’s poem “Predestination”. In the fifties, the philosophical lyrics of Tyutchev became especially gloomy and heavy. During a relationship with Elena Alexandrovna, the poet delves into a dark and hopeless state. All poems that make up the Denisievsky cycle are full of despair and self-condemnation. Already in 1851, he admitted that he loves murderously and ruins what is only sweeter to his heart. His love fell on the young woman undeserved shame. Tyutchev will write “Predestination” in the same year 1851, when he discovers that he is destroying his beloved woman and cannot do anything with himself.
Two families
The poet was bursting. Soul, he was attached to two women. Both idolized him. With one of them, Ernestina Fedorovna, he lived, as expected, in marriage. It was his warm and dear home. Ernestina Fedorovna made every effort to save the family without expressing any reproaches. But his soul was also torn to another house.
The poem "Predestination" was written at the beginning of the connection. It marked the kinship of souls and their fateful duel. The poet foresaw that the immensity of love can be interrupted only when a woman's heart is worn out from pain. We begin our analysis of the poem Predestination. What did Fedor Ivanovich see at the very beginning of the alliance with Elena Alexandrovna? An unequal struggle of hearts, when one will inevitably love and suffer. Indeed, Denisyeva, who considered herself the real, true wife of Fyodor Ivanovich, fell upon loneliness, which only children brightened up. They were recorded in metrics as the Tyutchevs, but not by nobles, but by philistines.
A bit from the biography of E. Denisieva
Elena Alexandrovna came from a poor noble family. She lost her mother early, and her father remarried. She was brought up by an aunt who worked as a teacher at the Smolny Institute. Naturally, the girl received his education in him, acquired secular manners and could make a good party. The life story of Elena Alexandrovna anticipates the analysis of the poem "Predestination". Not only Tyutchev, but she also understood that such meetings would not end in good. After all, a girl who was already leaving and began to shine in the light, should just get married and become a good wife and mother. Divine predestination boldly all human plans and good intentions.
Adultery, a shame for the family - with these stigmas she lived for fourteen years, pouring all of herself into a poet. The poem "Predestination" shows the tender hopelessness of this connection, which cannot have a legitimate continuation. However, it was durable and not torn. Whose merit is this? We think that a woman who is becoming increasingly attached to Fedor Ivanovich. He was her light in the window, the thread connecting the hermit to the world. Breaking up a relationship meant not only ruining the reputation, but also killing the mother of his three children.
Artistic means of the author
The theme of the poem “Predestination” (analysis shows this) was hopeless, hopeless love. Two strong hearts cannot overcome her, strong and passionate. First, a meeting takes place in the first quatrain, then a fateful merger of souls and their fateful duel (culmination), and then the poet anticipates the death of the weak and tender. We carry out, when we talk about the poem "Predestination", an analysis of the topic. Now let's talk about the structure of the verse
What artistic means did the poet use when writing Predestination? Tyutchev wrote a verse with four-foot iamba. This is a joyful size. But since the poet’s soul was torn apart by anxiety and confusion, he introduces pyrrhic and clauses into it. Thanks to these tricks in the work "Predestination", the verse becomes minor. The poet also uses metaphors, anaphors, lexical repetitions, and inversion. The poem "Predestination" Tyutchev writes as an expression of his views on love and fatal fate. The short form of the poem, only eight lines, contained not only a meeting, but also a prophetic future about the end of love.
In May 1864, sick Elena Alexandrovna gave birth to a son. She already had a daughter, Elena and a son, Fedor. The baby and daughter will die in 1865. Fyodor Ivanovich was extremely upset by these tragedies. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out and his head chopped off, he was constantly crying. Son Fedor Fedorovich grows up, becomes an officer and dies in a hospital during the First World War.
Later, the idea of death, destruction, destruction, in which the poet blames himself, will be the leitmotif of the entire Denisi cycle. He bitterly regretted that during the life of Elena Alexandrovna he had not published a book dedicated to her. We examined the poem "Predestination" (Tyutchev). The analysis is given as complete as possible.