The Law of God: For Study at Home and School

Publication Data: Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery, 1996
Format: hardcover
Number of Pages: xvi + 635
Dimensions (l × w × h): 23.8 cm × 16.0 cm × 4.0 cm
Additional Information: black-and-white illustrations
ISBN: 0‒88465‒044‒8

   
First English Edition

Compiled by Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy

“Our desire in publishing the present edition is to nurture souls in a true Orthodox Christian spirit. The material is presented in such a way as to be edifying and to give children and adults an intellectual foundation of support for their faith. While living in an environment which undermines the authority of the Church, The Law of God will supply the reader with support and defence for his beliefs, uncompromised by liberal trends.”
—“Introduction to the First English Edition”

CONTENTS

   Forward
PART I BASIC CONCEPTS
   1. The World
   2. About God
   3. The Attributes of God
   4. Prayer
   5. Sin
   6. The Sign of the Cross
   7. Standing and Bows During Prayer
   8. Different Types of Prayer
   9. When God Hears Our Prayer
   10. Where and How We Can Pray to God
   11. The Church Building
   12. The Priest’s Blessing
   13. Icons
   14. Why We call Ourselves Orthodox Christians
PART II PRAYERS
   1. Short Prayers
PART III THE SACRED HISTORY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
   Introduction to the Sacred History of the Old and New Testaments
   The Old Testament
   1. The Creation of Heaven, the Invisible World
   2. The Creation of the Earth, the Visible World
   3. How God Created the First People
   4. The Life of the First People in Paradise
   5. The Fall into Sin
   6. The Results of the Fall into Sin and the Promise of a Saviour
   7. Discussion of the Fall into Sin
   8. Cain and Abel
   9. The Flood
   10. The Life of Noah and His Children
   11. The Building of the Tower of Babel and the Scattering of the Peoples
   12. The Appearance of Idolatry
   13. Abraham
   14. The Appearance of God to Abraham in the Form of Three Strangers
   15. The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorah
   16. The Offering of Isaac as a Sacrifice
   17. The Marriage of Isaac
   18. Esau and Jacob
   19. Jacob’s Vision of the Mystical Ladder
   20. Joseph
   21. Joseph in Egypt
   22. Joseph’s Meeting with His Brothers and the Moving of Jacob into Egypt with His family
   23. The Story of Job the Long-Suffering
   24. Moses
   25. Pascha (Passover) and the Exodus of the Hebrew People from Egypt
   26. The Hebrews Pass Through the Red Sea and other Miracles
   27. God Gives the Law on Mt. Sinai
   28. The Tabernacle
   29. The Forty-Year Wandering of the Hebrew People, the Bronze Serpent
   30. The Entry of the Israelites into the Promised land
   31. Judges
   32. The Story of Ruth
   33. Saul, First King of the Israelites
   34. King David
   35. King Solomon
   36. The Division of the Israelite Kingdom into Two: Judah and Israel
   37. The Prophets
   38. The Downfall of the Israelite Kingdom
   39. The Fall of the Babylonian Kingdom
   40. The Median-Persian Empire. Prophet Daniel in the Lion’s Den
   41. The Return of the Jews from Captivity in Babylon and the Construction of the Second Temple
   42. The Greek Empire The Translation of the Books of the Old Testament into Greek
   43. The Roman Empire. The Universal Expectation of the Messiah
   The New Testament
   1. The Nativity of the Holy Virgin Mary
   2. The Entry into the Temple of the Most-Holy Virgin Mary
   3. The Announcement of the Angel about the Birth of the Forerunner
   4. The Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary
   5. The Visit of the Most-Holy Virgin Mary to the Righteous Elizabeth
   6. The Nativity of John the Baptist
   7. The Nativity of Christ the Saviour
   8. The Meeting of the Lord
   9. The Flight into Egypt and the Slaying of the Innocents. The Return to Nazareth
   10. The Saviour in the Temple as a Youth
   11. The Preaching of St. John the Baptist
   12. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ
   13. The Lord Jesus Christ in the Wilderness and His Temptation by the Devil
   14. The Lord Jesus Christ Appears to the People. His First Disciples
   15. The First Miracle of Jesus Christ
   16. The Merchants are Banished from the Temple
   17. The Conversation of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus
   18. The Conversation of Jesus Christ with the Woman of Samaria
   19. The Healing of the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda
   20. The Lord Chooses Twelve Apostles
   21. The Sermon on the Mount
   22. The Power of Faith and the Prayer for Others—The Healing of the Paralytic in Capernaum
   23. Parables/The Parable of the Sower
   24. The Stilling of the Storm
   25. Raising of the Daughter of Jarius
   26. The Beheading of St. John the Baptist
   27. The Miraculous Feeding of the People with Five Loaves
   28. Christ Walking of the Water
   29. The Healing of the Daughter of the Canaanite Woman
   30. The Confession of Peter. The First Prediction of the Lord about His Forthcoming Suffering, Death and Resurrection
   31. The Transfiguration of the Lord
   32. The Parable of the Good Samaritan
   33. Jesus Christ with Martha and Mary
   34. The Saviour Accuses the Pharisees of Sin—Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. Glorification by Christ of the Mother of God
   35. Healing of the Man Born Blind
   36. The Parable of the Rich Fool
   37. The Parable of the Prodigal Son
   38. The Raising of Lazarus
   39. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
   40. The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
   41. The Betrayal by Judas
   42. The Mystical (Last) Supper
   43. The Prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and His Being Taken Captive
   44. The Sanhedrin’s Judgement of Jesus Christ
   45. The Apostle Peter’s Denial
   46. The Trial of Jesus Christ Before Pilate
   47. Pilate’s Last Judgement over Jesus Christ
   48. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus Christ
   49. The Taking Down from the Cross and Burial of the Saviour
   50. The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ
   51. The Appearance of the Risen Jesus Christ to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
   52. The Appearance of the Lord to All the Apostles and the other Disciples, except the Apostle Thomas
   53. The Appearance of the Lord to the Apostle Thomas and the Other Apostles
   54. The Ascension of the Lord
   55. The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles
   56. The Life of the First Christians
   57. Persecution of the Christians by the Jews—The First Martyr St. Stephen
   58. The Dormition of the Mother of God
   59. The Apostolic Council in Jerusalem
   60. A Short Summary of the Preaching and Lives of the Holy Apostles
   61. The Worldwide Persecution of Christians. The Destruction of Jerusalem
   62. The End of Persecution. The Elevation of the Cross of the Lord
   63. New Enemies of Christianity
   64. The Ecumenical Councils
   65. The Fall of the Roman Church. The Enlightenment of the Slavs
PART IV CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE
   1. The Purpose of Man
   2. Supernatural Divine Revelation. Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture
   3. Short Summaries of the Ecumenical Councils
   4. The Christian Faith
   5. Christian Life
   6. The Ten Commandments of God’s Law
   7. The Nine Beatitudes
   8. Contemporary Teachings and Faith in God
PART V THE DIVINE SERVICES OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
   1. The Concept of Serving God, Divine Services
   2. The Church Building and its Arrangement
   3. The Clergy and Their Sacred Vestments
   4. The Order of Divine Services
   5. Divine Service Books
   6. Reflections on the Major Services. The Various Liturgies and Their Basic Rubrics
   7. The Divine Liturgy
   8. The Most Important Actions During the Serving of the Mysteries, and Reflections on Their Significance
   9. Great Lent
   10. The Sundays of Great Lent, Their Significance and Basic Rubrics
   11. The Feast of Pascha, the Radiant Resurrection of Christ
   12. Concerning Monasticism and Monasteries
   13. Bells and Russian Orthodox Peals