A conversation about patrol with Artem Perlik.
The significance of the patristic view for modern man opens up to those who feel that theology exists not for disputes and wrangling, and certainly not for the academic merit of the theologian, but for our joy.
Therefore, the view of the holy fathers on the world is not something imposed on us from the outside, but the very life of the heart, which the patristic view frees from many years of captivity of false thoughts and ideas, and a person finally learns that he has always been loved and extremely needed, even then, when it seemed to him that nothing and no one was waiting for him. The Holy Fathers did not want to argue about faith, but to give others the happiness of seeing this earth with a heavenly look, and such a look is a reason for everlasting human bliss, because it reveals the truth that in this world and in our life there has never been and never was anything. that the Lord would not bring to us for our present happiness.
What kind of science is patrology?
- To answer this question, I will resort to a comparison. Here are two great philosophers: Plato and Aristotle. Their contribution to the world treasury of wisdom is invaluable. But they write differently. And if, for example, we want to deeply analyze some topic related to Plato’s work: “Plato and his attitude to creativity”, “Plato’s ideal”, “Plato’s image of Socrates” - then we won’t find a certain dialogue on the desired topic . We will have to read all of Plato, get acquainted with the scientific literature on this issue, and only then will we master the desired topic.
Aristotle writes differently. He takes the topic: “Poetics”, “Ethics” and analyzes step by step the views of all his predecessors on this issue, and then he brings everything into a system that he forms not without the influence of Plato.
A patrologist also performs a similar work - only in relation to the holy fathers. The fact is that the fathers, observing the internal unity of their worldview, as a rule, did not reduce their views to a coherent system (like John of Damascus). The experience of the saints is the experience of comprehending God, and for each person it is both common and unique. And if we want the views of the fathers (or one father) to be represented in a system, if it is important for us to understand how the fathers (from the 1st to the 21st century) understood important Christian truths, then we need a patriarch who brings the views of the fathers into a system, creates a certain a synthesis that embraces all ages and takes into account everything that can be taken into account.
What is the meaning of patrolling?
– The Holy Fathers, before writing, listened to the Holy Spirit living in them. But for various reasons, any person can, in a particular case, hear incorrectly and transmit incorrectly. Therefore, in patrology there is the principle of the consent of the fathers. He insures the Church against error. St. Photius of Constantinople says that if 10 fathers said this, and 500 otherwise, then we should listen to 500.
All Christians who live the right spiritual life have the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they all feel the same truth as the fathers. This leads to a unity of understanding. The measure of the grace of the fathers is the highest. And they had a gift to find verbal forms of expression in order to reveal a heavenly, Divine look in relation to one or another contemporary problem for a given generation. This is at the same time the work of a patrolologist and a great poet, and the fathers were both.
Some people perceive Orthodoxy as a fortress in the midst of absolute darkness. Accordingly, the whole world in such a perception appears as a place of action for the enemy of the human race. For the fathers, Orthodoxy is different, it is a gift for everyone, a leaven that is called upon to transform being in the Spirit. Therefore, the fathers gladly went out to people and inspired them to live in goodness.
Like a man came out
And he went out and opened the ark,
And he gave everything to the thread.
The Fathers took any pagan thought into their circulation, if only it was consonant with Christianity. Therefore, they did not shy away from finding divinely inspired lines among the pagans. It is enough to look at how often Gregory the Theologian quotes pagan authors to see that this is so.
The view of the holy fathers on being is in most cases a heavenly view. Therefore, patrology helps people look at the world with the heavenly, God's eyes, which is absolutely adequate to life and most fully expresses every essence.
– Do pathological studies have clear limits? Are they limited to a specific period in history?
– In the Orthodox understanding, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Church has no chronological framework. Therefore, our era is just as patristic as any other: both in antiquity and in the future. The chain of saints, according to the fathers themselves, will never break, and the Church will always be filled with the people of God. Justin of Serbia says that "the Church is a continuous Pentecost" where the Spirit is constantly poured out on all the faithful. Therefore, there has never been a “golden patristic age” in the Church, or rather, such an age always exists in it and will continue to be so until the very end of earthly history. Seraphim of Sarov and Simeon the New Theologian said that grace is the same now as it was under the apostles. Therefore, the holy fathers are the same, and God is the same. And the person does not change. And if he goes to Heaven, Heaven transforms him.
- What would you advise to start studying patrolology for a person who has not previously encountered it? Is it difficult?
– I would recommend starting with reading as such. Not individual quotes, but fatherly works. For example, St. Nicholas of Serbia. "Confessions" of Blessed Augustine. Teachings of the Optina Elders. And I would also advise you to read the proper patrological studies of the works of the holy fathers. Such reading usually becomes living water for a person, which is impossible to part with. Wherever a paternal thought comes, light appears.
I'll give you an example. When my confessor gave me the obedience to teach Christian ethics to children in general education and Sunday schools, the question arose of how to do it correctly. These subjects may be the most interesting in school, but they can also become the most boring if they are taught in a scholastic way and in isolation from the spiritual life and spiritual experience of the teacher and students. The pre-revolutionary experience was not suitable for new children, and there was nothing new. And what kind of new experience is this, on what should it be based? Then I began to study how the holy fathers and the best teachers of our time teach, what they tell children and teenagers about Orthodoxy. Their wonderful experience has formed into a single system, which he called the "patristic method of teaching." For many years I have been using this method in several general education and many Sunday schools in the Donetsk diocese. As a result, each lesson became an event and a holiday for the children. Lesson-light, lesson-joy. The children even asked that this lesson be held not only during classes, but also during the holidays, they were so pleased and inspired by what was happening. As always, the patristic approach turned out to be the best way to lead the children where the teacher calls them - to true life and the True God.
This technique includes work with children of any school age, as well as with young people, and can be useful to those who hold diocesan youth meetings. The technique is equally applicable to general education schools when teaching the subject "Christian ethics" and in Sunday schools.
The fruits of this technique are the emergence in children of a lively and personal good feeling for God, which often develops into prayer, strengthening of faith, understanding oneself and the movements of one’s soul, a sense of the worthlessness of one’s life, the luminosity and Paschal nature of the world permeated by God.
At such lessons, I taught children not a certain amount of knowledge, but I achieved two things: so that they understand that God does not just live somewhere in heaven, but constantly participates in their lives, and so that they want to communicate with this God. And as he said Athos elder to one wise priest: “If God brings disciples into your hands, teach them the most important thing, teach them prayer. And prayer will teach them everything else.”
– How did you get acquainted with this science? Where did such interest come from?
– When Bishop Mitrofan Nikitin was still a priest, he went into a church icon shop to see what books were being sold there. Seeing the assortment, he clutched his beard sadly and said with a groan: “Well, why are there only pamphlets about holy water and the end of the world? Why don't people read Basil the Great? Gregory the Theologian? Father Mitrofan almost cried then, and this made an impression on one bright Christian woman, my friend. She went to the library and took the book of Basil the Great "Shestodnev". I began to read and, having reached half, I suddenly felt an unusual warmth in my heart. Saint Basil was invisibly near, and his whole soul responded to his love and care for her. Reading further, she was surprised to notice that the saint's thoughts are surprisingly modern and have not lost their relevance even 1,500 years after the book was written. But she expected that the text would be some kind of pious "Museum", boring and out of date. Both of these discoveries not only shocked her, they changed her. This change that happened to her affected me too, because it was impossible to see the radiance of her heart and not change. This was my first acquaintance with the holy fathers.
Later, I noticed that many people who have not read the writings of the fathers think that they will be bored. So, once I spoke with my student, who also studied to be a psychologist. I suggested that she turn to the patristic understanding of the soul, and she said that she had read the fathers and they did not impress her. When I asked what exactly she was reading, it turned out that she was looking through some kind of book, where separate, unrelated quotes were collected, and all this was presented in a completely scholastic spirit. I answered her that she was not reading the fathers, but the fantasies of unknown authors on the subject of the soul. Then the girl turned to the creations of the fathers, recommended by me on the topic, the ascetics. And she was inspired for life by Anthony Surozhsky.
– Do you need to study somewhere to become a patroller? Or is it a calling, a call from the soul?
– Orthodoxy has a colossal culture of thought and depth of insight into any issue raised. God allows us to see the world as a whole, and then the answer to the question takes its place in the general harmony of the whole. The English poet Thomas Eliot said about modern people that one of them is driving a car, and the other is reading Aristotle, and these events are in no way connected. This is because an ordinary person perceives the world privately, fractionally. Initiation to grace also helps to see being as a whole, in the interconnectedness of parts.
And this being appears before a person as good. The world is good for the one who sees it in the rays of the grace of the Lord. Therefore, St. Justin of Serbia said that "in its Divine, logos essence, life is paradise." And the pure in heart sees that it is so.
It is this worldview that gives people the view of the holy fathers. And in this sense, any person can and should be a patrologist, a successor of the work and thoughts of the fathers. But if we talk purely about the scientific gift that a patrol scientist should have, then it is better to answer with the words of Joseph Brodsky. Once he was asked who ranked him among the poets. He said then: "I think it's from God."
—Which of the holy fathers of the Church do you like the most? Why?
“In paradise, we don’t choose favorites, but we love everyone with equal love. The same is true of the fathers: each of them is dear, each occupies a special place in the Church, without each one, when you recognize him, you would not want to live on. It's like deciding who is dearer to us: Seraphim of Sarov or his wife? And how to decide if they are all me?
– What is the significance of the holy fathers for modern man?
– Whoever does not see what grace the hills, meadows, poems of great poets, the music of Mozart, the scientific research of Alexei Losev, the philosophy of Kierkegaard and Plato are filled with, will not feel grace even in the temple. Such a denial of world culture is characteristic of the new beginning level. Christian life, and even then not to everyone. Any experienced mentor will always be able to tell how the holy fathers (Basil the Great, Justin the Philosopher, Gregory the Theologian) treated culture, with what trepidation they chose in it consonant with Christianity. After all, it is impossible to read Plato or Aristotle and not exclaim after the ancient fathers that these philosophers were Christians before Christ. And everyone knows how educated many fathers were. Spiritual life is expressed not only in the reading of akathists, but also in every deed for the sake of God and for the sake of loved ones. Writing and reading poetry, philosophy, music, painting - all these are treasures. Therefore, among the saints there are holy poets, philosophers, doctors, scientists, musicians. But boring people who see only darkness and sin everywhere do not exist among the saints!
The believer is able to see Christ in everything. And in literature, and in music, and in man. The Holy Fathers have developed this skill deeply. They were attuned to Christ, and therefore they saw His traces in everything that surrounded them, except for sin. Yes, and they could see sin in a peculiar way. So, one of my acquaintances, an amazing priest, once said that Mary of Egypt was looking for the Lord in vice. Her soul wanted heights, but by mistake she mistook for heights prodigal passion, therefore, did not even take money for their actions. But everyone around saw in her only a harlot.
There was a case in my life when I saw photos of one model girl on stage and after, when she thought that no one was seeing her. And then this girl, tired and lonely, was sad and heartbroken, and on stage she was forced to smile. Where is she real? Which one will God accept? Of course, the one who suffers so much ...
When an ordinary person looks at another, he is looking for a reason for condemnation, sins and transgressions. But when a grace-filled ascetic looks at another, he sees him deeper than sin, with all love, all pity, and therefore notices how inexplicably beautiful this stranger is. Those who are close to the saint, who read his writings, can also learn this. They will be taught by grace itself, which lives in the heart and deeds of the saint they revere.
Who are the holy fathers?
– It is very difficult to explain to a person what he has never seen in his daily experience. After all, the life of people, as a rule, is distributed between two sayings.
The first is American, and she speaks of a person's alienated attitude to the world: "My wife is with me, my son Joe and his wife - the four of us live together, we don't need anyone else."
And the second - Polish - about the attitude of people to the priceless time of life: "Monday to Friday, from eight to five - and so on until death."
This is how humanity generally lives. The holy fathers are those few people for whom such a life was not enough, and they wanted to become what God intended everyone to be. Suns for others. Those who live every second of their lives in vain. What is this inadequacy? American classical poet Emily Dickinson writes about this:
If the heart - at least one -
Won't let it break
I didn't live in vain!
If I wear it on my shoulders I will accept -
So that someone can straighten up -
Pain - at least one - a lot -
One dying bird
I will return a particle of heat -
I didn't live in vain!
The Holy Fathers trusted God and went to Him along the path that Christ left in His Orthodox Church. And they became those whom God transformed so much that during their lifetime they looked like vessels from which the Creator shone throughout the earth with His mercy and love.
Therefore, around them, life itself became beautiful - a miracle and a fairy tale in fact. And even during their lifetime, through their prayers, God kept people, cities and even countries.
So, for example, after the Second World War, German pilots who flew to bomb the Greek island of Aegina, where the world-famous Saint Nektarios of Aegina once lived, said that when they flew over the island, they did not see any island. According to the maps, there was an island under them, but in fact there was an ocean. That is, the saint hid the whole island from bombings with his prayer.
And when the earthly life of the saints ended and the Lord took them to paradise, then there they wanted to please and help everyone who only asks them for help on earth ...
What does patrology study?
Patrology is a science that systematizes spiritual experience holy fathers.
The saints had an amazing feature: to look at any problem and difficulty of their time not from the point of view of momentary benefit, but through the prism of eternity, Heaven. Therefore, their view of every situation was an angelic view, when the cognized in fullness is revealed to the cognizer. This is the ability to see events and the world to the point. That is why their answers were so profound and paradoxical.
The Saints were interested in how to make God the content of their lives and hearts. We study the works of the fathers in order to become partakers of their way of life and thought.
- What is the wisdom of the senile council?
– The wisdom of the elders is such that they see the situation as a whole, in all its diversity, and God tells them the most the right decision for a man, so that his soul grows into a new measure of beauty.
E. Poselyanin: “One of my friends, fulfilling the desire of his parents, served, having no disposition towards it. He was tormented by a position that was considered by others prominent, pleasant and good. An offer was made to him of such a service, which, while representing promotion in every respect, was at the same time to his heart. At first there were only talks about it, then a decisive answer was required. I asked him for permission to contact the Optina Elder Ambrose for him. The Elder's advice was to refuse, and I persuaded a friend to write a refusal ...
- Now, he (friend) said gloomily, I did a thing, well, humanly speaking, stupid, unreasonable. I can't stand this service. It makes me unhappy, poisons my life. I saw a beautiful way out, and I must turn away. I did it. But for me to have fun with it, no.
A few days later, with complete surprise, another proposal was made to him, which, being in everything superior to the first, was completely according to his inclinations, as if created for him. And then the Elder hurriedly advised to immediately accept this proposal.
Exupery said that a person is slowly born into the world. Because our souls are slowly ripening for good. The elder, with his advice and prayer, contributes to this growth. He teaches to be sincere before God, to be like God.
Once a woman who was very lonely in life turned to St. Nicholas of Serbia. She didn't know where to find friends. And Elder Nicholas advised her to help the poor and, in general, those who need help.
When a man came to a certain priest complaining of loneliness, the priest replied: “Around you, thousands of people need love. Reach out to them and you won't be alone."
When young men asked Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh how to become a priest, he said two things.
1. Become if you can say about God in a way that no one has spoken before you. But everything said will be the truth experienced by you, and not fantasy.
2. Priesthood is about making people feel that you live for them.
Such definitions cannot be read. They can only be experienced on your path to God, and only because you have experienced them can you open them to others.
If we have a duty and obligation in this life, it is to bring joy to those who walk this earth with us. The elders teach us to understand this truth deeply.
White angel. Fresco of the monastery in Mileshevo, Serbia. 13th century Fragment
Saint Basil the Great
The ministering spirits come into existence by the will of the Father, are brought into existence by the action of the Son, and are maintained in existence by the presence of the Spirit. The purpose of the angels is holiness and being in holiness.
Venerable John Cassian the Roman (Abba Serenus)
None of the faithful doubts that before creation visible world God created spiritual and heavenly forces who, knowing that they were created from nothingness for great glory beatitudes, according to the goodness of the Creator, send Him constant thanksgiving and unceasingly glorify Him.
Saint John Chrysostom
God created angels and archangels all at once, and there are so many of them that they surpass any number.
Saint Basil the Great
Nothing hinders the angels, who have no covering like our flesh, from looking unceasingly upon the face of the glory of God.
Saint John of the Ladder
Angels are incorporeal beings, they do not remain without progress, but always receive glory for glory and mind for mind.
Saint Basil the Great
Angels don't change. Between the angels there is neither a child, nor a young man, nor an old man, they remain in the state in which they were created at the beginning, and their composition remains pure and unchanged.
Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
Angels and the soul are called incorporeal, as they do not have our flesh, they are called spirit, as subtle beings, completely different from the objects that make up the material world.
Saint John Chrysostom
Just as on a clear noon the sky is clear, without being obscured by any cloud, so the nature of the angels remains bright and brilliant, without being darkened by any lust.
Saint Basil the Great:
Angels have no quarrels, no disputes, no misunderstandings. Everyone has everything that the rest have, and everyone contains within themselves the fullness of perfection, because angelic wealth is not some limited substance that must be shared among many, but an immaterial acquisition and wealth of understanding. And therefore their perfections, remaining whole in each of them, make all equally rich.
Saint John Chrysostom
There are angels and archangels, thrones, dominions, principles and powers; but not only these hosts exist in heaven, but endless regiments and innumerable tribes, which no word can represent.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
Although the ministering spirits in heaven are incorruptible and immortal, God did not favor that they all be in the same rank. On the contrary, it is established that the Divine servants also had beginnings, powers and advantages.
Saint Gregory the Theologian
Angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, principles, authorities, lordships, ascensions, intelligent forces, or minds, have a pure, unalloyed nature, inflexible or difficult to incline towards evil. (They) ceaselessly rejoice around the Cause (God) ... (They) either from the first Cause are illuminated by the purest, most holy illumination, or, according to their nature and rank, they receive illumination in a different way (from higher to lower).
Saint John Chrysostom
God commanded that the higher powers should serve the person who is on earth - because of the dignity of the image with which the person is clothed.
Saint Gregory the Theologian
These minds (angels) each accepted some one part of the universe, or were assigned to one thing in the world, as it was known to the Organizer and Distributor of everything. And all of them have one purpose - at the behest of the Creator of all kinds, they sing of God's greatness, contemplate eternal glory, and, moreover, forever ...
Saint John of Damascus
They (angels) protect parts of the earth, rule over peoples and places, as set by the Creator.
Saint John Chrysostom
Angels are present everywhere, and especially in the house of God they stand before the King, and everything is filled with these incorporeal forces.
Saint Ambrose of Milan
I am sure that a special angel patronizes each Church, as John teaches me in the Apocalypse (1, 20).
Blessed John Moskh
Abba Leonty, rector of the kinovia of our holy father Theodosius, told us: “One Sunday I came to church to partake of the Holy Mysteries. Entering the church, I saw an angel standing on right side throne. Terrified, I retired to my cell. And a voice came to me: "Since this throne has been consecrated, I have been commanded to be with it."
Recently the same Brotherhood has extended its dilettantism, following the latest intellectual fashion, to include in its program lectures on Sufism and other non-Christian religious traditions which probably enrich the "spirituality" of the listeners in much the same way as Orthodoxy has done for them so far.
The same perverted spiritual approach can be seen on a more subtle level in the "agreements" that come from time to time from the "consultations of theologians" - whether Orthodox Catholic, Orthodox Anglican, or any other similar. These "agreements" on topics such as "the Eucharist" or "the nature of the Church" are again exercises in ecumenical politeness in which no hint of their heresy is given to the heterodox (even if the "Orthodox theologians" present know this), that, No matter what definition of such realities one may "agree", the non-Orthodox, having no experience of life in the Church of Christ, do not really have them. Such "theologians" do not hesitate to seek even some agreement on spirituality itself, although here, as nowhere else, the impossibility of any agreement is obvious. Those who can believe, as the official "Message" adopted at the "Orthodox-Cistercian Symposium" (Oxford, 1973) says, that Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican monastics "are deeply united among themselves as members of monastic communities, belonging to various traditions of the Church,” of course, think according to the corruptible wisdom of this world and its “ecumenical” fashions, and not in accordance with Orthodox monastic spiritual tradition, which strictly insists on the purity of faith. The secular aims and tone of such "dialogues" are made clear in the report of the same symposium, which indicates that this "dialogue" is now going to be expanded to include non-Christian monks, which will make it possible for "our common Christian monasticism... to be identified in some in a real way with the monasticism of Buddhism and Hinduism" (Diaconia, 1974, no. 4, ss. 380, 392). As sophisticated as the participants in this symposium may imagine themselves, their dilettantism is no better than that of lay Protestants, who are as much in awe of the Baptist service of refraction as they are of the Orthodox Liturgy.
Again, in an "Orthodox" periodical, one can read the report of the "Ecumenical Institute of Spirituality" (Catholic-Protestant-Orthodox), which was held at St. spoke about the Christian spirituality of East and West. An Orthodox priest reports this report as follows: “One of the most shocking statements of the professor was that there is already a Christian unity of all the holy Christian traditions. It would be interesting to try to draw some conclusions from this about how to relate to differences in teaching and social institutions, which obviously also exist ”(Fr. Foma Hopko, No. 4, 1969, p. 225).
The doctrinal deviations of "Orthodox" ecumenists are quite large, but when it comes to spirituality, there seems to be no limits to what one can say and what one can believe - an indication of how far and vague the tradition and experience of true Orthodox spirituality has become for today's "Orthodox theologians". ". A real serious study of "comparative spirituality" can be done, but it will never lead to a "statement of agreement". Just one example: an excellent example of "Western spirituality", cited by Dr. Arseniev and almost all others, is Francis of Assisi, who, from the point of view of Orthodox spirituality, is a classic example of a spiritually erring monk who has fallen into delusion, who is revered as a saint only because the West already fell into hypostasis and lost the Orthodox standard of spiritual life. In our study of Orthodox spiritual tradition, we intend (by way of contrast) to show exactly where Francis and the later Western "saints" went astray; for now, suffice it to note that this attitude that gives rise to such "ecumenical institutions" and "agreed statements" is exactly the same attitude of frivolous amateurism that we have already considered on a more popular level.
The main reason for this is spiritual sense, pathological attitude, perhaps lies not so much in the falsely intellectual theological relativism that prevails in ecumenical circles, but in something deeper, in something that permeates the whole person and the whole way of life of most modern "Christians". This can be seen in the remark of an Orthodox student at the "Ecumenical Institute" in Bosse, Switzerland, sponsored by the World Council of Churches. Speaking of the significance of "personal exposure to such different approaches, which he had not experienced before", he notes that "the best discussions (on the subject of 'evangelism') have not taken place in plenary sessions, but by the fire with a glass of wine" ( St. Vladimir theological quarterly, No. 3, 1969, p. 164). This remark, made almost casually, reveals more than the "sloppiness" of modern life; it shows the whole modern attitude towards the Church, her theology and practice. And this brings us to the second main trap that we must avoid when studying the Holy Fathers.
The second trap: "theology with a cigarette"
Not only "ecumenical" meetings can be frivolous and frivolous; one can note exactly the same attitude at “Orthodox” meetings and interviews and at meetings of “Orthodox theologians”. The Holy Fathers are not always directly touched upon or discussed at such meetings, but if you feel the spirit of such meetings, it will help us understand what seemingly serious Orthodox Christians rely on when they begin to study spirituality and theology.
One of the largest "Orthodox" organizations in the United States, the "United Russian Orthodox Clubs" - URPC, consisting mainly of members of the former Russian-American Metropolis; it holds annual congresses, the activities of which are quite typical of "Orthodoxy" in America. Issue of "Russian Orthodox Journal of October 1973 focuses on the 1973 convention at which Bishop Demetrius of Hertford told delegates, “What I see here, and I say it in all sincerity, is that the ORPC is potentially the greatest spiritual force in all of American Orthodoxy” (p. eighteen). Indeed, many clerics are present at the congresses, including usually Metropolitan Irenaeus, divine services are held daily, and there is always a seminar on some religious topic. Significantly, at this year's seminar (titled in the spirit of "American Orthodoxy": "What? Fasting Again?"), "Questions were raised about the observance of Sabbath evening as preparation for Sunday afternoon. Conflicts arise because the American way of life has made Saturday night the “social night” of the week. One priest gave the following Orthodox answer to this question: “On Saturday evening I suggest attending vespers, confessing, and then spending the evening in a calm and quiet atmosphere” (p. 28). But for those who organized the convention, there was clearly no "conflict"; they gave (as at every convention) dances on Saturday nights quite "American style", and on other evenings also - similar entertainment, including a "teenager's holiday" "with a rock band", a mock casino "in a setting reminiscent of Las- Vegas” and for men “the art of belly dance culture” (p. 24). The illustrations accompanying these articles show some of these frivolities, assuring us that "Orthodox" Americans are no way behind their compatriots in shamelessly profane entertainment; and interspersed are pictures of the Divine Liturgy. This mixture of the holy and the frivolous is considered "normal" in "American Orthodoxy" today; and this organization is (let's repeat the Bishop's words) "potentially the greatest spiritual force in all of American Orthodoxy." But with what spiritual preparation can a person come to the Divine Liturgy if he spent the evening before, celebrating the spirit of this world, and spent many hours of the day off in completely frivolous entertainment? A sober observer can only answer: “Such a person carries with him a worldly spirit, and the very air he breathes is saturated with worldliness; therefore, for him, Orthodoxy itself becomes part of the "carefree" American "lifestyle." If such a person were to read the Holy Fathers, which speak of a completely different way of life, he would either find them completely irrelevant to his own way of life, or he would try to distort their teaching in order to make it applicable to his own way of life.
Now let's look at a more serious "Orthodox" meeting, where the Holy Fathers were even mentioned: the annual "conferences" of the "Orthodox Student Commission". The autumn 1975 issue of Care magazine contains a number of photographs of the 1975 conference, the purpose of which was completely “spiritual” - the same “carefree” spirit, young ladies in shorts (even the URPC congress was put to shame!), a priest delivering the “main address” , holding his hand in his pocket... and in this atmosphere, Orthodox Christians discuss topics such as "The Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Church." The same issue of the magazine "Care" gives us the opportunity to penetrate into what is happening in the minds of such seemingly "easy" people. A new column on “women’s liberation” (its title is so deliberately vulgar that it’s embarrassing to list it here) is written by a witty young convert: “When I converted to Orthodoxy, I thought I knew about most of the problems I would face in the Church. I knew about the scandalous national problems dividing, about quarrels and strife, seizing parishes, and about religious ignorance ... "The host then moves on to object to the traditional forty-day "purification" of the puerperal, as well as other "old-fashioned" dispensations that this "enlightened ” are presented to the modern American woman as “unfair”. She probably never met the real one Orthodox priest or a layman who would explain to her the meaning or communicate to her the spirit of a truly Orthodox way of life; perhaps, if she met one, she would not want to understand him, nor to comprehend that the most serious "problem" of new converts today is not at all criticism of the Orthodox environment, which can be carried out so easily, but rather concentration of converts on the own internal actions. The way of life reflected by the magazine "Care" – not Orthodox, and his very attitude makes any approach to the Orthodox way of life impossible. Such periodicals reflect the opinions of most of today's spoiled, selfish, empty young people who, when they come to religion, expect to find "spirituality in comfort", something immediately available to their immature minds, deafened " modern education". Today's young and slightly older clerics, themselves influenced by the secular atmosphere in which young people grow up, sometimes stoop to flattering young people, allowing them to frivolously criticize their elders and their Orthodox "ghettos", and at best give languid academic lectures. on topics far beyond their comprehension. What is the use of talking to such young people about "deification" or "the way of the saints" ("Care", autumn issue of 1974), - concepts that are undoubtedly intellectually comprehensible to today's students, but for which they are emotionally and spiritually completely unprepared , not knowing the basics of Orthodox warfare, the meaning of leaving the worldly environment and education? Without such preparation and teaching in the fundamentals of spiritual life, without understanding the difference between the secular and the Orthodox way of life, lectures will not produce a worthy spiritual fruit.
Seeing the environment from which today's young Orthodox in America (and indeed around the world) come out, one is not surprised when one finds a general lack of seriousness in the works - lectures, articles, books on Orthodox theology and spirituality, and the contribution of even the best lecturers and writers in " main stream" of today's Orthodox jurisdictions seems strangely impotent, lacking spiritual strength. The same is true at the national level: the life of an ordinary Orthodox parish now gives the impression of spiritual inertia, just like today's "Orthodox theologians." Why is it so?
The impotence of Orthodoxy, so widely expressed and experienced today, is in itself, undoubtedly, a product of spiritual weakness, the lack of seriousness of modern life. Orthodoxy today, with its priests, theologians and believers, has become mundane. Young people coming from comfortable homes and adopting or seeking ("native Orthodox" and converts are alike in this respect) a religion that is not far from the self-serving life they are used to; professors and lecturers living in an academic world where nothing is known to be taken seriously as a matter of life and death; the very academic atmosphere of worldly self-satisfaction, in which almost all these "conversations", "conferences" and "institutions" exist - all these factors taken together produce an artificial, greenhouse atmosphere in which, no matter what is said about the sublime truths of Orthodoxy or about experience, by virtue of the very context in which it is spoken, and the worldly orientation of the speaker and servant, cannot reach the depths of the soul and evoke those deep feelings that were normal for Orthodox Christians. In contrast to this greenhouse atmosphere, the present Orthodox education, real transmission of the Orthodox spirit takes place in an environment that was previously perceived as natural Orthodox: in monasteries, where not only novices, but also pious lay people come to learn both from the very atmosphere of the shrine and from the instructions of the revered elder; in normal parishes, if priests of an "old-fashioned" way of thinking, inspired by Orthodoxy and striving so much for the salvation of their flock that they do not indulge them in their sins and worldly habits, but always encourage them to a higher spiritual life; even in a theological school, if it is of the old type, and not modeled after worldly Western universities, if there is an opportunity for live communication with truly Orthodox scholars who really live by faith and think in accordance with the old school of faith and piety. But all this - what was once considered a normal Orthodox environment - is now rejected by the Orthodox, living in complete harmony with the artificial environment of the modern world, and is no longer even part of the being of a new generation. In the Russian emigration, the “theologians” of the new school, who wish to be in tune with intellectual fashion, to quote the latest Roman Catholic or Protestant thought, and to adopt the whole “laid-back” tone of modern life and, in particular, the academic world, were aptly nicknamed “theologians with a cigarette” . It is equally fair to call them "theologians with a glass of wine" or adherents of "theology on a full stomach" and "spirituality in comfort." Their word has no power, because they themselves are entirely of this world and turn to worldly people in a worldly atmosphere - all this is not Christian exploits, but only empty talk and worthless, pompous phrases.
An accurate reflection of this spirit at the popular level can be seen in a short article written by a well-known layman of the Greek Archdiocese in America and published in the official newspaper of that jurisdiction. Evidently under the influence of the "patristic revival" that swept through the Greek Archdiocese and its seminary a few years ago, this layman writes: "It is very necessary to 'calm down' today. This is, in fact, an important part of our Orthodox tradition, but the fast-paced world in which we live is trying to force it out of our lives.” To find this silence, he advises “to make a start, even in our homes ... At the table before meals, instead of the usual prayer, why not arrange a minute of prayer in silence, and then read the Lord's Prayer together? This could be practiced as an experiment in our parishes during services. You don't need to add or subtract anything. Just at the end of the service, leave all kinds of prayers aloud, singing, reading and movement, and just stand in silence, and let each of us pray for the presence of God in our lives. Silence and bodily discipline constitute a significant part of our Orthodox tradition. In past centuries it was called Eastern Church"hesychast movement" ... Observe silence. This will lay the foundation for that inner renewal that we so much need and strive for” (“Orthodox Observer”, September 17, 1975, p. 7). The author obviously has good intentions, but, like the Orthodox churches themselves today, he has fallen into the trap of worldly thinking, which makes it impossible for him normal orthodox vision. Needless to say, someone who is going to read the Holy Fathers and experience the “patristic rebirth” only to insert into his regime from time to time a moment of purely external silence (obviously filled from within with the worldly mood of his whole life outside this moment!), and to pompously call it the high name of hesychasm - it would be better for him not to read the Holy Fathers at all, for reading this will simply lead us to hypocrisy and falsity and to the inability, like Orthodox youth organizations, to separate the holy from the empty. In order to approach the Holy Fathers, one must strive go out from the atmosphere of this world, recognizing it for what it is. Whoever feels good in the atmosphere of modern "Orthodox" readings, conferences and institutions is alien to the world of true Orthodox spirituality, the "mood" of which is completely different from what exists in these manifestations of worldly "religiosity." We must honestly recognize the unpleasant but necessary truth: the one who Really reads the Holy Fathers and strives to the best of his ability (even at a very primitive level) to lead an Orthodox spiritual life, becomes an outcast in our time, a stranger in the atmosphere of modern "religious" movements and discussions; must consciously strive to lead a life completely different from that which is reflected in almost all current "Orthodox" books and periodicals. Of course, all this is easier said than done; but there are some general indications which may help us in this battle. We shall return to them after a brief examination of yet another trap to be avoided in the study of the Holy Fathers.
Third trap: "jealousy... not according to reason" ()
With all the impotence and thinness of today's worldly "Orthodoxy", there is nothing surprising in the fact that, even among secularized "Orthodox" organizations, there are people who light up with the fire of true Orthodoxy, contained in Divine services and patristic writings, in contrast to those who are satisfied worldly religion, they become zealots for the true Orthodox life and faith. This in itself is commendable; but in practice it is not so easy to escape from the snares of worldly religion, and all too often such zealots not only show many signs of the secularization which they wish to avoid, but even depart entirely from Orthodox tradition, becoming frenzied cultists.
The most striking example of such “irrelevant jealousy” is the “charismatic” movement. There is no need to describe this movement ( detailed description can be read in the book. Seraphim "Orthodoxy and Religion of the Future" - ed. ed.). With each issue of the “Charismatic Orthodox” magazine Logos, it becomes clearer that those Orthodox who are involved in this movement do not have a solid foundation. experienced patristic Christianity, and their apologies are almost entirely Protestant in language and tone. "Logos", of course, quotes St. Simeon the New Theologian and Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky about the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, but the contrast between this truly Orthodox teaching about the Holy Spirit and the Protestant experience described here in the journal is so sharp that here we are talking about two completely different realities: one is the Holy Spirit, who comes only to those who strive in a truly Orthodox life, but (in these last times) not in any sensational way; the other is the ecumenical religious "spirit of the times", which is possessed by those who left the "exceptional" Orthodox way of life (or never knew it) and "opened" to a new revelation, accessible to all, members of any sect. Who carefully studies the Holy Fathers and applies their teaching to own life, will be able to discern in this movement the obvious signs of spiritual deception (charm) and recognize the obvious non-Orthodoxy of the practice and spirit that characterize it.
There is another completely inconspicuous form of “zealousness beyond reason”, which can be more dangerous for an ordinary serious Orthodox Christian, because it can lead him into his personal spiritual life without revealing any obvious signs of spiritual deception. This danger especially concerns the new converts, the novices in the monasteries - in short, all whose zeal is immature, not tested by experience and not moderated by prudence.
This kind of jealousy is the product of a mixture of two basic dispositions of the soul. First, there is high idealism, inspired, in particular, by tales of wilderness living, severe ascetic exploits, and lofty spiritual states. Idealism in itself is good, and it characterizes every true striving for spiritual life, but in order to be fruitful, it must be moderated by actual experience - difficult spiritual warfare and humility born in this battle, if only it is true. Without such moderation, he loses contact with the reality of spiritual life and is emasculated by passion - we quote the words of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov - "an impossible dream of a perfect life, presented vividly and attractively in the imagination." To make this idealism fruitful, you need to follow the advice of Bishop Ignatius: “Do not trust, brethren, your thoughts, even if they seem to you the most good, even if they represent to you in a picturesque picture the most holy monastic life!” (“Offering to Modern Monasticism,” chapter 10).
Secondly, this deceptive idealism, especially in our rational age, is joined by an extreme critical an attitude applied to anything that does not meet the impossibly high demands of the convert. This is the main reason for the disappointment that often befalls new converts and novices after their first flash of enthusiasm for Orthodoxy or monastic life has faded. Such a disappointment sure sign that their approach to spiritual life and to the reading of patristic writings was one-sided, with an excessive emphasis on abstract knowledge that puffed up, and little or no heart disease which must be accompanied by spiritual warfare. This is what happens when a novice discovers that the rules of fasting in a monastery are incommensurable with what he read about the Desert Fathers, or that the typikon is not literally followed in Divine services, or that his spiritual father has human failings, like all people, and in reality is not a "spirit-bearing old man"; but the same novice would be the first to faint if he found himself under the rule of fasting or service according to the typikon, unsuitable for our spiritually weak days, and without a spiritual father, whom he considers impossible to trust, he will not be able to spiritually nourish himself at all. Today's people living in the world will be able to find exact matches of this monastic situation in new converts in Orthodox parishes.
patristic teaching about heart disease there is one of the most important teachings for our day, when so much importance is given to "intellectual knowledge" to the detriment of the proper development of the emotional and spiritual life. The absence of this essential experience, first of all, determines amateurishness, triviality, lack of seriousness in today's commonly used study of the Holy Fathers; without this it is impossible to correlate the patristic teaching with one's own life. One can reach the highest level of mental understanding of the teachings of the Holy Fathers, one can have "ready" quotations from the writings of the Holy Fathers on any conceivable topic, one can have seems one can even perfectly know all the traps one can fall into in the spiritual life, as he is described in the books of his fathers - and yet, without a heartache, one can remain a barren fig tree, a boring "know-it-all" who is always "right", or to become an adept of the current "charismatic" experience, which does not know and cannot convey the true spirit of the Holy Fathers.
All of the above is by no means a complete catalog of wrong ways of reading or approaching the Holy Fathers. This is just a series of indications of how many ways one can approach the Holy Fathers erroneously, and, consequently, not getting benefit from reading them, and maybe even to the detriment. This is an attempt to warn the Orthodox that the study of the Holy Fathers is a serious matter that should not be approached lightly, following the intellectual fashion of our time. But this warning should not deter serious Orthodox. Reading the Holy Fathers is indeed a necessary thing for those who value their salvation and wish to do it in fear and humility; but one should approach this reading practical to get the maximum benefit.
Which of the patristic heritage is most relevant for modern man? How to fast and pray as a Christian? How to respond to the challenges of today's life? Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, answers the questions of the portal “ ”.
Holy Fathers and their teachings
– How can a layman build his Christian life today? After all, most ascetic books are written for, and that tradition Orthodox education, which was before the revolution, today no longer exists.
“Life has really changed a lot in the last century. But the man has not changed, the meaning and purpose of his life have not changed, and his main internal problems have remained the same. Therefore, the teachings of the venerable fathers and ascetics of piety are no less necessary for a modern person than for a monk of former centuries.
Apparently, in your question, the emphasis is not on understanding the main principles of Christian life (they have been and will remain unchanged in all ages), but on the statutory, or, if we are talking about a layman, it would be better to say, on the everyday aspects of the life of an Orthodox person.
However, if we read the teachings of the venerable fathers, how many statutory instructions will we find there? Of course, they exist, but this is only a small part of the patristic creations, both in meaning and in scope. The main emphasis in these books is not on the external aspects of life, but on the internal state of a person.
Today it is more and more difficult for a person to find time for solitude and prayer, and most importantly, to find in himself an inner need for this. But it is necessary to do so. A true Christian has never been easy in the world: “If you were from the world, then the world would love its own” ().
I do not agree with those who believe that the "Philokalia" is outdated and useless for a modern person. On the contrary, the further the world moves away from Christian ideals and values, the more we need the experience of ascetics, .
– Which of the heritage of the holy fathers do you consider the most relevant, accessible and applicable for the modern life of a layman?
– What is the most relevant? Modern life further and further alienates man from God. A person forgets about his purpose, about the meaning of his existence. This means, however paradoxical it may sound, a person simply ceases to be a person in the true sense of the word. He gradually loses the image and likeness of God, according to which he was created by the Creator. The cult of pleasures, carelessness, irresponsibility, self-sufficiency, etc. are becoming its guidelines today.
And therefore, the most urgent thing is to return true values to a person, turn him to face God, set him in a different way.
What is the most accessible? Change inner man, own "I" - genuine (in Greek "metanoia" - change of mind).
This does not require large material costs or special. We ourselves are both the object and the subject of construction: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Changing our inner world is the most accessible for us, but at the same time the most difficult thing. The Holy Fathers call us to this change, and this call remains relevant to this day.
What is the most applicable heritage of the fathers for modern life? Preservation of oneself in this constantly changing world, preservation of the ideals and principles of Christian life in everyday life. Every day, every hour confronts us with a moral choice: to act in accordance with the commandments or in accordance with the spirit of this world.
This is where we need to apply the experience of the holy fathers in order to protect our souls from. This is the most applicable.
How can a Christian pray today? How to deal with lack of time? Is it possible to read the rule on the way to work, is there any point in such a prayer - after all, it is almost impossible to really concentrate on the subway? And how to have time to pray to a mother with babies?
– Today, just like yesterday, one must pray piously, i.e. focused and meaningful. Prayer is our main moment of the current day. If this is how we feel about prayer, then there will always be time for it in any busy day.
Imagine that you have an appointment with the President for today. After all, you will not shy away from it, referring to the lack of time. And why do we put the conversation with God, Who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, in the second, third plan in our life? Obviously, this problem is in ourselves.
– If you mean compiling a special collection of quotations from the Philokalia or from the Patericons, the most important and useful for the laity, then it was done in the recent past and is being done now. You can find similar collections under different names in every church bookstore.
But if in question about some new "Philokalia", it is unlikely. After all, the main things remain constant at all times - the vocation of a person and his nature, and hence the internal problems and ways to overcome them.
This is exactly what the Philokalia tells us. Therefore, it is hardly necessary to come up with something new in spiritual guidance, you just need to learn how to apply the lessons of the ancient ascetics of piety to the peculiarities of our time.
This Patrology introduces the Fathers of Orthodoxy, therefore its scope and goals differ from the usual seminary course in Patrology. On these pages we have a dual purpose:
- present the Orthodox theological justification for spiritual life - the nature and purpose of spiritual warfare, the patristic view of human nature, the nature and actions of Divine grace and human efforts, and so on,
- give practical instructions on how to live a true spiritual life, describing the spiritual conditions - both good and bad - that a person can go through in the process of spiritual warfare.
Thus, strictly dogmatic questions concerning the nature of God, the Holy Trinity, the incarnation of the Son of God, the action of the Holy Spirit, and so on, will be touched upon only to the extent that they are involved in questions of spiritual life; and about many holy Fathers, whose writings deal mainly with these dogmatic issues, and questions of spiritual life are secondary for them, we will not speak. In a word, it will be mainly a word about the fathers of the Philokalia, this collection of Orthodox spiritual writings, which was created at the dawn of our time, just before the murderous revolution broke out in France, the consequences of which we are now witnessing, when in our days unbelief and self-will gained great strength.
However, in our time, interest in the Philokalia and the Holy Fathers has noticeably increased. In particular, they began to study the Fathers of the recent past, such as Reverend Simeon The New Theologian, St. Gregory of Sinai and St. Gregory Palamas, and many of their works are being translated and published in different languages. It can even be said that in some seminary and academic courses they have “come into fashion”, which has rarely happened since the days of the 19th century, when they were completely “out of fashion” in most Orthodox theological academies (this does not apply to monasteries of high spiritual life, who have always revered them sacredly and lived according to their writings).
But this fact itself presents a great danger, which must be mentioned here. The "coming into fashion" of the deepest spiritual scriptures is by no means a positive thing. In fact, it would be better if the names of these Fathers remained unknown at all, than be simply the subject of rationalist scientists or "enthusiastic neophytes" who do not derive any spiritual benefit from it, but only senselessly pride themselves on knowing more about these Fathers. of all, or, even worse, begin to follow the spiritual instructions in these scriptures without sufficient preparation and without any spiritual guidance. All this, of course, does not mean that those striving for the Truth should neglect the reading of the Holy Fathers, God forbid! But this means that all of us - scientists, monks and just laymen - should approach these Fathers with God-fearing, with humility and distrust of our own mind and judgments. We are approaching them to study, and, above all, we must recognize that we need a teacher for learning. And teachers really do exist: in our time, when there are no God-bearing elders nearby, our teachers should be those elders who, especially in times close to ours, told us how to read and how not to read Orthodox scriptures about spiritual life. If Blessed Elder Paisios (Velichkovsky), the compiler of the first Slavic Philokalia, was himself "embraced with fear" when he learned that the printing of such books was being prepared, and that there would no longer be their circulation in manuscript form in a few monasteries, then with how much more fear should they approach him we understand the reason for this fear, so that we do not suffer the spiritual catastrophe that he feared.
The Monk Paisios, in his letter to Father Theodosius, Archimandrite of Sophroniev Hermitage, wrote: “Thinking of the appearance in print of the books of the Holy Fathers in Greek and Slavic, I feel both joy and apprehension. Joy - because they will not be consigned to final oblivion, and it will be easier for their zealous admirers to acquire them; fear - because they can turn into easily accessible books, on a par with all other books, not only to monks, but to all Orthodox Christians, and presumptuous people will misinterpret the holy teaching contained in it and engage in unauthorized intellectual prayer, without proper guidance and order ; they would not have fallen into self-conceit and delusion, and thus would not have given rise to the humiliation of the shrine, the holiness of which was confirmed by a great many great holy Fathers ... and after that, doubts concerning the entire teaching of our God-bearing Fathers would not follow. The practice of noetic prayer, continued St. Paisios, is possible only under conditions of monastic obedience.
True, in our day, when ascetic warfare is not waged with the same force, there are few such people who aspire to the heights of noetic prayer (or at least imagine what it should be), but the warnings of St. Paisios and other holy Fathers remain effective for the lesser scolding of many contemporary Orthodox Christians. Everyone who reads the Philokalia and other writings of the Holy Fathers, and even many lives of the saints, will come across information about mental prayer, about Divine vision, about deification and other exalted spiritual states, and it is important for Orthodox Christians to know what to think and feel in such a case. Let us therefore see what the Holy Fathers say about this, and think in general about our attitude towards the Holy Fathers.
The Monk Elder Macarius of Optina († 1860) considered it necessary to write a special "Warning to those who read spiritual patristic books and wish to practice the noetic Jesus Prayer." In it, this great Father, who lived so recently, clearly tells us how we should relate to these spiritual states: them and those who heard of such gifts and revelations given to those who were rewarded with them, would recognize their own weakness and immaturity and would involuntarily bow to humility, which is more important for those who seek salvation than all other labors and virtues. And this is what he wrote Reverend John Ladder (VI century): “Just as the poor, seeing the royal treasures, know their poverty even more: so the soul, reading the stories about the great virtues of the Holy Fathers, becomes more humble in its thoughts” ( Word 26, 211). Thus, our first step on the way to the writings of the Holy Fathers must be humility.
And from John of the Ladder: “It is a laudable thing to marvel at the labors of these saints; to be jealous of them is salutary; and to want to suddenly become an imitator of their life is a reckless and impossible thing. Word 4, 42). The Monk Isaac the Syrian (7th century) taught: “Those who seek sweet spiritual sensations and anticipations in prayer, and especially those who strive prematurely for visions and spiritual contemplation, become victims of demonic deceit and fall into the kingdom of darkness and become clouded in their minds, losing God’s help and being ridiculed.” demonic because of the proud desire to receive beyond measure and not honorably. Thus, we need to approach the holy fathers with a humble desire start spiritual life on the lowest rung and without even thinking to independently achieve those sublime spiritual states that are completely inaccessible to us. The Monk Nil of Sora, closer to us in time, wrote: “What shall we say about those who have tasted immortal food in their mortal body, who have been honored in this transient life to receive a particle of those joys that await us in our heavenly home? .. We, burdened with many sins, victims of passions, are unworthy even to hear such words. And yet, trusting in the mercy of the Lord, let us dare to repeat in our minds the words of the holy scriptures, so that, according to at least to be established in the realization of how low we have fallen.
To strengthen our humble intention to read the Holy Fathers, we need to start with simple patristic books, those that teach the alphabet. A novice from Gaza, who lived in the 6th century, wrote to the once great perspicacious elder Saint Barsanuphius, quite in the spirit of an inexperienced person studying Orthodoxy today: “I have books on dogmatics, and reading them, I feel that my mind is moving from passionate thoughts to contemplation of dogmas. The Holy Elder replied to this: “I would not want you to study these books, because they elevate the mind too much, it is better to study the words of the elders, who belittle the mind. I did not say this with the aim of diminishing the importance of dogmatic books, but only giving you advice, for food is different. It will be important for us to determine which patristic books are more suitable for beginners and which should be left for later.
And yet, for Orthodox Christians living in different conditions, different patristic books on spiritual life are suitable: what is especially needed for hermits is not entirely suitable for cenobitic monks; what is suitable for all monks cannot be used in the same way by the laity; and in any case, spiritual food for the experienced is inedible for babies. If someone has reached a certain level in spiritual life, then by keeping the commandments of God in the bosom of the Orthodox Church, reading with benefit the simpler writings of the Holy Fathers, applying them to the conditions of one’s own life, in order to receive great spiritual benefit from this reading. Bishop Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) wrote about this: “It has been noticed that a novice monk cannot in any way apply books to his position, but is certainly carried away by the direction of the book. If the book teaches advice on silence and shows the abundance of spiritual fruits gathered in the deep desert, then in the new beginning there will certainly be strongest desire retreat into solitude, into a deserted desert. If the book speaks of unconditional obedience under the guidance of the Spirit-bearing elder, but in the new beginning, the desire for the strictest residence in complete obedience to the elder will certainly appear. God has given our time neither one nor the other of these dwellings. But the books of the Holy Fathers, written about these residences, can affect the novice so strongly that, due to his inexperience and ignorance, he will easily decide to leave the place of residence, where he has all the convenience to be saved and spiritually succeed in fulfilling the gospel commandments, for the unrealizable dream of a perfect residence. , drawn picturesquely and seductively in his imagination. Therefore, he comes to the conclusion: “Brothers, do not trust your thoughts, understandings, dreams, inclinations, even if they seem to you the most good, even if they represent to you in a picturesque picture the most holy monastic life!” (“Advice on spiritual monastic work,” ch. X.) What Bishop Ignatius says here about monks also applies to the laity, taking into account the difference in the living conditions of the laity and the monks.
Saint Barsanuphius says something else very important for us, who approach the Holy Fathers too academically: o.S.) is only about acquiring knowledge, " the mind is buzzing» ( 1 Cor. 8:1), as the Apostle says, but it is more appropriate to ask about the passions, about how to live your life, that is, how to be saved; it is necessary, it leads to salvation.” Thus, one should not read the Holy Fathers simply out of curiosity or as a textbook, without a firm intention to put into practice what they teach, in accordance with the spiritual level of each. Modern academic "theologians" have shown quite clearly that one can have a lot of abstract information about the Holy Fathers and absolutely no spiritual knowledge at the same time. Saint Macarius the Great said about such people: “Just as a beggar dressed in rags can see himself rich in a dream, and waking up from sleep he sees himself poor and unclothed again, so those who talk about spiritual life seem to speak correctly, but somehow, what they are talking about is not strengthened in their minds by experience, by effort, by persuasion, they remain as if in a world of dreams.
About the possibility of finding out whether we read the writings of the Holy Fathers as a textbook, or whether this reading is effective, said the Monk Barsanuphius in his answer to the new convert, who discovered that, speaking of the Holy Fathers, he shows irreverence and pride: “When you talk about the lives of the Holy Fathers and about their instructions, you should speak with self-reproach: “Oh, woe to me! How can I talk about the virtues of the Fathers when I myself have not gained anything from them and have not moved forward at all? And I live teaching others for their benefit; how can the word of the Apostle not be fulfilled in me: “If you teach another, then teach yourself not” ( Rome. 2:21)". Thus, the teaching of the Holy Fathers must always be treated with self-reproach.
Finally, we should remember that the purpose of reading the Holy Fathers is not to give us some kind of “spiritual delight” or to establish us in our righteousness or excellent knowledge of the “contemplative” state, but only to help us to push forward along the path with effort. virtues. Many Holy Fathers speak of a distinction between "active" and "contemplative" lives, and it must be said here that this does not at all refer, as some may think, to some kind of artificial division between those who lead the "ordinary" life of "external Orthodoxy" ' or simply 'good deeds' and an 'inner' life led only by monks or the intellectual elite. There is only one Orthodox life, and everyone who strives in Orthodoxy lives by it, whether he is a monk or a layman, a beginner or already experienced, who has taken more than one step on the spiritual path; "action" or "practice" is the path, and "vision" (theory) or "deification" is the pinnacle of the path. Almost all patristic writings speak of life efficient and not about life in visions; when the latter is mentioned, it is to remind us of the purpose of our labors, our battle, which in this life only some of the great saints achieve, but in its fullness it will be known only in the life to come. Even the loftiest writings of the Philokalia, as Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote in the preface to last volume Philokalia in Russian, "means not intellectual, but almost exclusively active life."
And despite this introduction, Orthodox Christian who lives in our age of vain knowledge will certainly not escape the traps that await those who wish to read the patristic writings in their entirety. Orthodox meaning and context. Let us therefore now, before beginning to read Patrology itself, stop and briefly analyze some of the mistakes made by modern readers of the Holy Fathers, with the intention of thus forming a clearer understanding of how not read the Holy Fathers.
The Great Father of recent times in the tradition of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), being a disciple of the Elder, Father Leonid (Lev) Optinsky broke through the borders modern knowledge and acquired the highest knowledge of the patristic tradition, conveying its unchanging truths in a language understandable to modern people. With his writings, as well as with his life, he inspired monasticism, which is striving in our last times, and he fought purely against false rationalistic Christianity and modern knowledge. After his death, he appeared in heavenly radiance, surrounded by other celestials, and said: “Everything written in my books is true,” and healed the sick.
