Western American Diocese
RUSSIAN ORTHODOX
 CHURCH OUTSIDE
 OF RUSSIA
Western American Diocese
Quarantine is a Commandment of God

Below are listed several thoughts and quotes from the Holy Scriptures:

“Christianity is not a religion of a church-made-by-hands (like the Jews have). We are able to serve all Sacraments outside of a church building. During the first four centuries Christians existed without material temples. We read: “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people” (II Cor. 6:16).  And again: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (I Cor. 6:19-20).

On the basis of the Word of God our forefathers said: “The temple is not in its boards, but in its ribs” (Khram ne v brevnakh, a robryakh, a Russian rhyme). It is said: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25).

The importance of praying during a time of illness is written about in the Bible. We read: “My son, in thy sickness be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and He will make thee whole. Leave off from sin, and order thine hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all wickedness. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour; and make a fat offering, as not being. Then give place to the physician, for the Lord hath created him: let him not go from thee, for thou hast need of him” (Sirach 9-12).

In the ancient church a gravely ill Christian did attend the Divine Services. Rather he invited the priests to himself in his home. We read: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).

For those who were ceremonially unclean or infectious (even from touching spots on corpses), the Passover was postpond from the “first” to the “second” month. (Num. 9:10-13)

The Commandment about quarantine has been established by the Lord God. And the Bible is the first book that inform us of this law. We read: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a shiny spot on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean. If the shiny spot on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days” (Lev 13:1-4).

Our Lord Jesus Christ acknowledged the law about quarantine, which could be revoked only by the priest-Levite, and He kept the law. We read: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them” (Mk 1:44).

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