By H. Em. Bishop of Tikhvin Konstantin (Goryanov)

The biblical understanding of medicine is very important to us: it always remains a reference point for everyone who believes in God. However, it is very difficult to compare today’s medicine with the healing practice of biblical times. We are referring not only to the difficulty of comparing the biblical terminology, which is highly metaphorical, with the modern international classification of diseases, but also to the very psychology of the attitude towards illness.

Nowadays, a number of diseases have almost disappeared, for example, smallpox; in their place have come others, such as AIDS. And yet, the words spoken by the psalmist King David almost three thousand years ago remain valid: “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if because of strength they are eighty years” (Ps. 89:10). Despite the colossal achievements of modern medicine, they remain true to this day.

Questions of religious ethics also remain significant for the believer’s consciousness, one of which is: what does illness mean for the one who is sick. Illness was usually seen as a punishment for sins – for example, seeing the man born blind, the disciples asked Jesus: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2). It can be sent by God directly – for example, before the plagues on the Egyptians: “The Lord said (to Moses): ‘Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord (God)?’” (Ex. 4:11). Illness can occur in a person by God’s permission or by God’s consent through an unclean force, as in Job. Then “Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with a malignant leprosy from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). Envy can also be a cause of illness. We also read in Job: “…anger kills a fool, and wrath destroys a fool” (Job 5:2). On the other hand: “A meek heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is rottenness to the bones” (Prov. 14:30). The Old Testament also points to physical satiety as a cause of illness; The book Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach calls out to us from the depths of the centuries: “My son! examine your soul during your life and observe what is harmful to it, and do not give it that… Do not be full of all sweetness and do not rush into all kinds of food, for from much eating comes illness, and overeating brings cholera; many have died from overeating, but the one who abstains will prolong his life” (Sir. 37: 30-34).

In any case, it was believed that the disease was sent by God because of sins.

In the Holy Scriptures there is no clear classification of internal diseases, medical observations are reduced primarily to what is visible: skin diseases, wounds, fractures and fever accompanying infectious diseases. In addition to them, general concepts are used: weakness and infirmity, excitement and fainting. The natural causes of many diseases are not revealed, but only those of them that are obvious: injuries, falls, weakness and blindness in old age. Another essential question remains: why does the disease, striking the mortal body, also affect the soul of man, in which the image of God is hidden. We must seek the answer to this question in biblical anthropology. The Holy Scriptures do not deal with anatomy and physiology. But from the very beginning they directly and clearly speak about the origin of man: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2: 7). Man is not an alien, he does not come from other worlds, he is dust and his body returns to dust.

So, man is composed of two basic elements: the mortal body, the primary substance of which is dust, and the spiritual immortal soul, which carries within itself the image of God. The flesh came out from under the hands of God, as if from under the hands of a potter or a weaver, and the psalmist praises God: “… You formed my inward parts and woven me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 138:13-14).

In the Old Testament, the body was worthy of respect in the same way as the flesh, because both express the person in his entirety. However, the New Testament emphasizes the dignity of the body to a greater extent. As the flesh returns to the earth, so the body is dedicated to the Lord. The greatness of the body does not reach its highest degree on earth: Jesus Christ “Who will transform our lowly body so that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21) in the image of the heavenly Adam – Christ. While “… flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15: 49-50). The concept of “soul” in the biblical sense of this word differs from what we are usually used to. Our consciousness first of all imagines a person as consisting of body and soul, like a vessel with immiscible liquids, say – water and oil. In the Bible “soul” has too many meanings. In general, the soul denotes the whole person, insofar as he is animated by the spirit of life, but it is not a “part” that forms in union with the body the human essence. In other words, the soul does not reside in the body, but manifests itself through it, which in turn, like the flesh, denotes the whole living person. Therefore, the concepts “person” and “soul” often turn out to be synonymous.

In biblical times, medicine was practiced by priests and to some extent it was connected with magic, although the Holy Scriptures forbid the use of magic, which is anyway an expression of idolatry. But in the Old Testament, the relationship between the priest and the healer was very close; as a rule, this was the same person. In religious ideas about illness, healing was perceived as a sign of forgiveness from the Lord, “for I am the Lord (your God), your healer” (Ex. 15: 26). In the Bible, up until the era of the Kingdoms, doctors are not mentioned as specialists. As in Ancient Egypt, from where the Jews came, medical duties were mainly performed by priests. They examined the sick, imposed quarantine in cases of leprosy, monitored the sanitary condition of the camp and personal hygiene. Sanitary and hygienic regulations are described in particular detail in the book of Leviticus. In addition to prohibiting the use of blood for food, chapter 11 contains a list of unclean animals that were not to be eaten: “And anything upon which one of them falls dead, whether it be a wooden vessel or a garment or a skin or a sack, or any vessel with which any work is done, shall be unclean” (Lev. 11:32). The use of any dead animal was forbidden. Chapter 12 lists the hygienic regulations for a woman giving birth. She “must not touch any holy thing, nor come near the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are fulfilled” (Lev. 12:4).

The most important instructions in the Bible concern leprosy and the differential diagnosis of skin diseases: “… Every garment, shoes, and everything that the leper had touched was subject to burning. Even the plaster was scraped from his house. The leper had to live outside the camp, wear torn clothes, and cry out: Unclean, unclean! (Lev. 13:45). And in the New Testament, Jesus Christ, healing ten lepers, ordered them to go and present themselves before the priests (Luke 17:14)

The medical knowledge of the Old Testament priests, who were engaged in healing activities, was basically empirical. The ritual of sacrifice gave some idea of ​​the anatomy of animals. Human anatomy hardly existed as a science, considering the Old Testament ritual prohibitions against touching a dead person, let alone opening a corpse. In In the Bible we find very few references to anatomical and physiological facts.

The specific names of diseases are also very few. The expressions used are mainly: disease, weakness, infirmity. Specifically, leprosy, kel, lichen, scabies are mentioned. Plague, ulcer and plague are also often mentioned in the Old Testament. The bubonic plague was a scourge for the ancient population. Blindness was widespread in Palestine and its neighboring countries. We can distinguish two main types: trachoma – viral conjunctivitis, which to this day is a cause of blindness in the Near and Middle East; and atrophy of vision, found in the elderly – such as in Isaac (Gen. 27: 1), in the priest Eli (1 Chron. 3: 2), etc. Blindness deprived men of the right to the priesthood, but compassion for the blind was considered a duty (Lev. 19: 14), and the one who insulted the blind was cursed (Deut. 27: 18). As for the methods of treatment, the Holy Scriptures do not contain much data in this aspect. They focus on how the person perceives his illness. We read about washing, anointing with oil, applying pain-relieving ointments to wounds before bandaging them (Isa. 1: 6), about a plaster of fig leaves applied to boils (Isa. 38: 21), about pouring wine and oil on the wounds of the good Samaritan (Luke 10: 34), about warming a body from another body, as Abishag warmed the elderly King David (1 Sam. 1: 2). The Bible says little about medicines taken internally, although the Near East was well acquainted with herbal concoctions. The wine with myrrh offered to Jesus on the cross was intended to relieve pain. Myrrh or myrrh (an aromatic resin – b. p.) is a mild soporific. The Apostle Paul recommended that his disciple Timothy use a little wine to relieve stomach pains (1 Tim. 5: 23). Mandrake was considered to aid conception. The Gospel mentions tithing of mint, dill, and cumin (Matt. 23: 23), which suppress the formation of gases in the stomach. The majority of the remedies in both the Jewish and Egyptian pharmacopoeias were dietary, for example: flour, milk, vinegar, wine, water, almonds, figs, raisins, oranges, honey. The art of pharmacy is only mentioned in the sense of preparing incense. The most important surgical operation that has religious significance and is mentioned in the Bible is circumcision of the foreskin, traditionally performed with a flint knife. Piercing the ear with an awl as a visible sign of voluntary slavery is described in the book of Exodus (Ex. 21: 6).

In the New Testament era, the healing art of Jesus Christ was accepted as a heritage by the apostles along with His teaching; healing the sick was considered the main duty of the Church. Listing the gifts of the Holy Spirit (charisms), the apostle Paul writes: “… to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing” (1 Cor. 12: 8, 9). The apostle calls the apostle Luke his “beloved physician” (Col. 4: 14). According to Tradition, Luke was a physician. His Gospel contains a number of accurate medical observations.

Following the example of the apostles, the priests of the New Testament Church of Christ are called to alleviate suffering. Addressing the first Christians, the apostle James calls: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:14-15).

Since the time of Jesus Christ, it has been believed not that illnesses should not happen, but that the Divine power, which will ultimately triumph, is already at work on earth. For illness has a spiritual significance, but nevertheless remains a test for man. The last enemy, the ancient enemy with whom Christ fights, is death. God is life. After the Second Coming of Christ, there will be no more diseases and the mysterious apocalyptic “leaves of the tree of life” will heal the nations (Rev. 22:2).

Ad Notem: By decision of the Russian Orthodox Church’ Holy Synod of May 5, 2015 (Journal No. 9), the author of this article was appointed His Grace of Petrozavodsk and Karelia, head of the Karelian Metropolitanate. He is a member of several academies (Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Mannequin of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Biology, etc.), a member of the Ethics Council under the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, a member of the Union of Writers of Russia, and a member of the editorial board of the journal “Theological Works.”

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By Romanian Patriarch Daniel

Homily for the 9th Sunday after Pentecost

Three main teachings emerge from today’s Gospel – Matt. 14:22-34:

1. By withdrawing to pray, Christ transforms physical solitude into spiritual communion with God.

2. Jesus leaves the disciples alone to fight the storm at sea, so that they understand how necessary God’s help is for man in difficult situations

3. The ship engulfed in the storm at sea represents Christ’s Church in a hostile world.

Christ withdraws to pray alone to teach us to thank God for every achievement in our lives. He prays alone so that he will not be praised by the multitude that he fed by multiplying the loaves and fishes.

Every good deed must be attributed to the help received from God

Through prayer, human loneliness is transformed into communion with God. The praying person, even if he lives isolated in the desert, is not alone, but together with God and all His saints. The praying person, even if he is in solitude, is not a loner. However, a person who no longer prays to God, even if he is in the midst of a crowd, becomes a spiritual loner.

The spiritual “test” of the disciples is their struggle with the trials of life and their mission

Christ sends the disciples to the sea to teach them to struggle alone, and not to wait for everything to be ready, without a struggle. He wanted to teach them to overcome obstacles, to understand how necessary the blessing of God’s help is in their lives.

Christ leaves them to struggle at night with the sea storm, to understand that sometimes they cannot rely only on their own strength and skill, even though they are experienced fishermen.

Fourth watch: the time between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. (sunrise).

The words of the apostle Peter: “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matt. 14:28) mean that the apostle confesses that Jesus is the Lord of the elements.

St. Peter’s request to walk on the sea testifies to gratitude and respect for Jesus

St. Peter, going to Christ, shows respect and gratitude for Him, rejoices in the Guest. He shows humility and obedience to the Lord and the other disciples.

Firm faith in Jesus Christ overcomes the difficulties of life’s trials

While St. Peter looked only at Jesus, he walked on the water like Him. However, when he looked at the wind and became afraid, he began to waver in his strength and sink into the water.

The ship in the stormy sea is a symbol of the militant Church in the world

The ship represents the Church in the trials of the waves or storms of history, persecutions, heresies, dark forces against her. The ship of the Gospel also means the Church, which is in the stormy world of sins, of individual or collective selfish passions.

At the same time, the Gospel shows us how the Christian soul should resist in times of trial. Some holy fathers (St. John Chrysostom) consider the ship, tossed by waves, as an image of the believing human soul in the struggle with life’s trials and disturbing passions. But if the Lord is called upon in prayer to come to his aid, He will calm the storm of selfish passions, of troubles and sufferings that disturb man. Today’s Gospel speaks of trials and encouragement, of struggle and victory. It shows us that getting out of difficult situations is not due to our own strength, but first of all to divine help. No matter how skilled or experienced sailors and fishermen Christ’s disciples are, no matter how good swimmers they are, they would not have been saved from the sea storm by their own strength alone and without Jesus’ help.

In the same way, no matter how many and worthy ministers the Church has, they alone cannot save Christ’s Church in its struggle with sin, with evil spirits, with the storms of persecution and heresies, with the waves of unbelief, secularization or spiritual indifference, but only with Christ’s help.

The main lesson that the Master Christ teaches His disciples, and through them to all of us, using the ship as a chair for the theology of salvation, is this: all the trials and tribulations that we encounter in life can be overcome if we do not rely only on our own strength, but first trust in God’s help.

May the Most Merciful God help us to learn from this gospel that Christ the Lord loves us, even if he sometimes leaves us in great trials that we do not understand when we are in the midst of them, but only later. Although He sometimes seems far away or even absent, Christ the Lord still knows that we need His help and expects us to go to Him, because He also constantly comes to us.

Source in Romanian: Daniel Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Evangelia slavei lui Hristos. Predici la Duminicile de peste an, București, 2023, p. 164-173.

/CROSS/ The newest Russian passenger plane, the MS-21, completed its first flight. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that this is the first flight of a fully import-substituting serial aircraft, which means that it is in this configuration that airlines will begin to receive the aircraft. However, the deadline has been postponed to 2027. But given the many challenges facing the project, this is no longer such a critical issue. The important thing is that Russia has created a machine from scratch that will be able to fly for the next three to four decades.

The first fully import-substituting serial aircraft, the MS-21, took off from the airport of the Irkutsk Aviation Plant, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The flight took place on August 3, lasting 1 hour and 23 minutes at an altitude of up to 6,000 meters and an instrument airspeed of up to 600 km/h. The flight mission was fully completed.

UAC confirmed its readiness to produce the first batch of 18 aircraft. The MS-21 flight program is planned to be completed in the first quarter of next year, and certification is expected by the end of 2027.

The first customer will be Aeroporta Group, which has booked over 200 of these aircraft.

What distinguishes this flight from previous ones? “This is the first flight of a serial passenger aircraft, that is, of the aircraft in the form that it will occupy for decades to come. The launch of serial production is one process. And at the same time, a second process is underway – the certification of the aircraft, during which pre-series aircraft complete a flight certification program,” says Roman Gusarov, head of Avia.ru.

“For the first time, we flew the plane not as a prototype, but as an aircraft as close as possible to the aircraft that will be delivered to customers. Secondly, this is a flight of a prototype assembled using manufacturing technologies, with the same systems and components that will be used in future airline aircraft.”

Thirdly, this flight means that the plant is truly capable of producing a mass-produced product. This is a sign that the project is close to mass production and delivery of the aircraft to airlines. – explained Dmitry Baranov, a leading expert at Finam Management.

Gusarov believes that the delay in the delivery of Aeroflot’s first aircraft from the end of this year to next is no longer critical. This aircraft already faces a difficult fate: the West began to create obstacles for it long before 2022.

The development of the aircraft began in 2009; the development cycle for such an aircraft usually takes ten years. The first aircraft flew in 2017, with certification scheduled for 2019. However, in 2018 the US imposed sanctions on the manufacturer of the MC-21 composite wing, delaying certification until the end of 2020 and the start of deliveries to Aeroflot until 2021. In 2022 the US suspended the supply of its engines for the aircraft, after which general sanctions were imposed on the supply of all equipment.

“With sanctions and 100% import substitution, schedule delays are no longer so critical. No one in the world has coped with such a challenge. Boeing is already a major international designer, and Airbus is even more so. And here, down to the last rivet, everything is produced domestically. The most important thing is that we received aircraft that will carry us for the next 30-40 years. After all, passenger aircraft are designed for many years to come. The MC-21 is the only aircraft of its class in the world created from scratch in the 21st century. It has enormous development potential; it will change and modernize over time,” noted Roman Gusarov.

According to him, if there were no sanctions, Russia would gradually replace half of its fleet of aircraft similar to the MC-21 with domestically produced aircraft, but internal competition with other suppliers would remain.

“But they showed us how they can land us overnight, deprive us of our sky. And Russia cannot do without aviation. We are not Poland, which you can drive from border to border in a few hours. It takes us longer to get to St. Petersburg. We need our own aviation, completely replacing imports,” says the head of Avia.ru.

According to him, Russia needs approximately 620 MC-21s within 10-15 years to replace foreign aircraft, and if the market develops and passenger traffic increases, then even more.

The MC-21 occupies a niche among the most widely produced and popular aircraft in the world. “Aircraft of this type carry the lion’s share of passenger traffic: 80% of flights are performed by medium-haul aircraft of the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families. The MC-21 is intended to replace them. Our 620 aircraft make up half of our entire national fleet,” explains Gusarov.

According to the latest data, the production plan is to reach 36 aircraft per year by 2030. Previously, even later targets were mentioned. “This will be a remarkable result, since Russia has never produced so many aircraft in the 21st century,” Gusarov notes.

The plan is entirely feasible if the plant gradually increases production volumes, doubling them every year. Thus, if production is expected to reach four aircraft in 2027, eight in 2028, 16 in 2029 and 32 in 2030.

Whether this will be enough to meet market demand depends on the service life of the aircraft currently in service with airlines and how long they can fly. If necessary, the Irkutsk plant can reach its initial maximum production rate of 72 aircraft per year. The question is whether the market will demonstrate this demand.

Photo: State Corporation “Rostec”

Source: Copyright © CROSS Agency Ltd.

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PRESS RELEASE

Spain will not sacrifice its dignity for a few barrels of oil

Since July 25, 2026, Ayoub Aïssiou has been detained in a detention center in Barcelona, awaiting extradition proceedings to Algeria. Yet this man has committed no crime. He is neither a terrorist nor a criminal, but a political target of the Algerian regime. His only “crime”? Daring to challenge, through his media activism and support for the democratic opposition, a system that crushes any dissenting voice.

A peaceful dissident, victim of a political vendetta

A resident of France since 2019 and traveling freely between France and Spain, Ayoub Aïssiou has never been harassed until now. The numerous international arrest warrants issued against him—like those targeting dozens of other Algerian dissidents abroad—have been systematically rejected by Interpol, precisely because of their eminently political nature. Yet, in a cynical move, the Algerian regime has exploited bilateral agreements with Spain to secure his arrest, capitalizing on an opportunistic diplomatic thaw.

This strategy is part of an ongoing policy of systematic repression. How can we forget that notoriously corrupt generals, such as Habib Chentouf and Ghali Belksir—respectively, the former head of the First Military Region in Spain and the former commander of the National Gendarmerie in France—enjoy total impunity despite military convictions for desertion, embezzlement of public funds, tax evasion, and money laundering? Or that Lotfi Nezzar, son of former Defense Minister Khaled Nezzar (himself sentenced in absentia to twenty years in prison for economic crimes), had his convictions for illegal currency transfers and money laundering simply wiped clean after his return to Algeria in December 2020?

The Algerian justice system—which Algerians ironically refer to as “telephone justice”—is nothing more than a tool in the service of the powerful. It cracks down on opponents while turning a blind eye to the crimes of men in uniform and their relatives.

Ayoub Aïssiou, the scapegoat of a regime on the ropes

The charges against Ayoub Aïssiou are completely without legal basis. They stem from a political vendetta orchestrated by the Tebboune-Chengriha duo, who have never forgiven this journalist for his support—via his television channel, Algeria One—of the rival candidate to Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the army’s official candidate, during the December 2019 presidential election.

The arbitrary shutdown of this channel and the seizure of its equipment were not enough: the regime, thirsting for revenge, went so far as to demand his extradition, even though he has never broken any law.

True to his democratic convictions, Ayoub Aïssiou reaffirmed his commitment during the September 2024 presidential election by throwing his support behind Saïda Neghza, the most determined opposition figure standing against the incumbent president. Today, she is serving a four-year prison sentence alongside three other candidates imprisoned for daring to challenge the regime.

Spain Faces a Historic Choice: Dignity or Complicity

That authoritarian regimes, known for their systematic human rights violations, are now turning to Spain—a respected state governed by the rule of law—to carry out their dirty work should outrage any democratic conscience. The Algerian government, which imprisons, tortures, and stifles fundamental freedoms, could not care less about the discredit it would bring upon Spain if it were to succeed. Once Ayoub Aïssiou is handed over, he will suffer the same fate as Guermit Bounouira, who was extradited by Turkey in July 2020 and is now being held in inhumane conditions after being sentenced to death (a sentence commuted to life imprisonment). And what has become of former gendarme Mohamed Abdallah, extradited on August 22, 2021, after suffering the most inhumane abuse? Or take the case of Mohamed Benhalima, extradited from Spain in March 2022, whose torture, sexual violence, prolonged isolation, and repeated beatings have been documented by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Al-Karama.

Extraditing Ayoub Aïssiou is condemning him to a slow death in the name of oil that Algeria threatens to withhold from Europe. It is selling out the honor of a country that prides itself on its values, for a few drops of black gold. It is inflicting needless and cruel suffering on his family—a heartbroken mother, a devastated father, a distraught wife, and young children who will grow up without understanding why their father was torn from them.

A solemn appeal to reason and justice

We appeal to the wisdom of the Catalan justice system, to the foresight of the Spanish people, and to Spain’s historical memory—a country that, in the past, has known how to resist the pressures of the darkest regimes. Algeria is not a reliable partner, much less an ally that respects human rights.

Its regime, repeatedly denounced by the European Parliament as a “rogue dictatorship,” deserves no leniency. Spain has a choice: to side with the perpetrators or with the victims. We ask it to choose dignity.

The Committee in Support of Ayoub Aïssiou

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