The Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate has published a book by St. Justin of Celia, or Popovich, "An Interpretation on the Gospel of Matthew." The translation from Serbian was performed by Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany.
The publication was prepared by the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate in cooperation with the Publishing House of the Monastery of St. Job of Pochaev in Munich. The book is recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The translation is based on the Serbian edition of "Tumacheje Svetogjevanja po Mateju", published in Belgrade in 2000. The interpretation of St. Justin is based on the patristic tradition, including the writings of St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria, Monk Euthymius Zigaben and other church authors.
The new book is aimed at a wide range of readers interested in the Holy Scriptures, Orthodox theology and spiritual life. It will be useful both for those who are just beginning to study the Gospel, and for those who seek to understand its content more deeply in the light of church tradition.
In a message to readers, Metropolitan Mark reminds that the Monk Justin Popovich was glorified by the Serbian Orthodox Church as a monk in 2010. Today, he is known and revered throughout the Orthodox world as an outstanding theologian, preacher, confessor and ascetic of the 20th century.
St. Justin was born in 1894 in the town of Vrana in Serbia, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Baptism, he received the name of the Good. In 1916, he took monastic vows with the name Justin, in honor of the holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher. He continued his religious education in Petrograd, then in Oxford and Athens. In 1926, he defended his doctoral thesis in Greek on the teachings of St. Macarius of Egypt on personality and consciousness.
After returning to Serbia, Father Justin taught in theological schools, published the magazine Christian Life, and collaborated with well-known Orthodox theologians and ascetics. After the God-fearing communist regime came to power, he was forced to leave teaching at the University of Belgrade. Later, the monk settled in the Chelie monastery near the town of Valevo, where he served as a confessor and clergyman.
The legacy of St. Justin is extensive. His works include Dogmatics in three volumes, 12 volumes of The Lives of Saints, interpretations of the Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles, theological and philosophical writings, works on Dostoevsky, translations of liturgical and spiritual texts. He was called the "secret conscience" of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
A special feature of Abba Justin's writings is a lively, preaching language. Many of his works were originally spoken, and then recorded and published. Metropolitan Mark notes that when translating, it was important to preserve this vividness, imagery and inner power of the word of the monk.
The Monk Justin Popovich departed to the Lord in 1979, also on the day of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. His life and works became a testament to his faithfulness to the Gospel and the Orthodox tradition.
The new edition of the "Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew" opens the opportunity for the Russian-speaking reader to become more familiar with the theological legacy of St. Justin and his deep, ecclesiastical reading of the gospel text.