§ 118. Серапион Тмуитский и его сочинения.

One of the most zealous helpers of St. Athanasius the story of St. Serapion Bishop of Tmuit. At the beginning of the fourth century, Serapion was entrusted with one of the churches of Alexandria, and for some time he headed the catechetical school 207. When the Arian unrest began in Alexandria, Serapion retired to the desert, where he was the chief (ἡγούμενος); St. Anthony loved him so much that he revealed his visions to him and when he died he left him his mantle 208 . Elevated from the desert to the see of Tmuite, under Constantius, as Jerome says, he became famous for his confession 209 . Serapion was one of those present at the Council of Sardia (347), where he firmly defended the truth of Christ and its defender, St. Athanasia 210; and after that, in 355, he went to Constantius on behalf of the Egyptian bishops to intercede for Athanasius, for which he was sent to prison 211. When some of the Arians began to openly reject the deity of the Holy Spirit, Serapion asked Athanasius to write a denunciation of this heresy, and Athanasius in 358 wrote to him about the terrible death of Arius. “An angel of the Church of Tmuit, a man highly respected for the holiness of his life and eloquence” 212, outlived the Great Fathers Anthony, Ammun and Macarius, about whom he speaks in one letter and the next. died around 366 213. Blzh. Jerome, calling Serapion a scholastic for his learning, classifies him among those teachers of the Church from whom, as he says, “we do not know what to marvel at more, whether secular learning, or the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Scriptures" 214. In an essay against the Manichaeans, which the ancients spoke of with praise, 215 the ancient teacher, having shown that there are different kinds of errors, but the most serious error is Manichaeism (§1-4), proves with the words of Scripture and considerations of reason that the essence of body and soul is not evil in itself (§5-8); that the body obeys the movements of the soul (§ 9, 10) and works miracles in the saints (§ 11), that the Apostles themselves were sinners before conversion (§ 12, 15) and our nature remains the same both before and after conversion, and only the will changes (§ 16–27) 216. Of the many letters 217 of Serapion, two letters are now known - “The Letter of Serapion, Bishop of Tmuit, to Bishop Eudoxius,” written, as can be seen from the content, during Serapion’s imprisonment and breathes piety. “Do not be faint-hearted in sorrow,” the Saint wrote, but being content with faith, do not fall into illness, but be strong and do not sin. Do not consider illness a burden; heavy - one sin. Being sick is a common thing - both for the good and for the bad; and sinning, as we see, is characteristic of the bad. Whoever is sick, his sickness will die with death; and whoever sins, sin will find him there beyond the grave. The disease follows you to the grave, but it does not follow the dead to the grave; but sin secretly destroys the living, and even more affects the dead, reveals its fire and torments the sinner. This, beloved brother! I wrote so that you would not give in to cowardice, but would preserve yourself in Christ. We must finally look at the fact that there is a Protector God. He retreats a little and again takes under his cover; leaves for a few and protects again; He never leaves the Church: the gates of hell will not prevail against it. So, show the power of your virtue before the All-Seer God, so that in everything you may be pleasing to Him. We don’t dare invite you, so as not to distract you from the city” 218. Another letter from Serapion contains a living, animated description of the high advantages of monastic life and the disadvantages of 219 worldly life; addressing the Egyptian monks, he says: “Of you is Abba Anthony, who has reached the pinnacle of asceticism, of which you have a life devoted to writing. Of you, Abba Ammun, Abba John, Abba Macarius, shone with such virtues: they performed miracles and presented other evidence of their holiness. By driving away demons by the will of God, treating serious illnesses and various sufferings, they showed that medical science is weak. Diseases that doctors could not heal were healed by the prayers of saints and strong faith. But you yourself know this better than me: you lived with them, and so did your fathers.” In one of Serapion’s works, Evagrius read the following beautiful words of Serapion: “the mind is purified by spiritual knowledge, the movements of anger are healed by love, and the flows of lust are stopped by abstinence” 220. Nowadays the rule “St. Serapion,” the interlocutor of St. Macarius 221. In glory translation is the life of St. Anthony, described by “his disciple Serapion” 222; and in the Coptic language there is the life of St. Macaria, described by Serapion 223. St. Epiphanius, speaking about the time preceding the troubles of Arius, writes (Haeres. 69, 2): καὶ ἡ Πιερίου καὶ Σεραπιόνος. According to Philip Sidetes, Serapion was the head of the school after Theoctistus and before St. Petra. Athanasius in the life of Anthony § 82, 91 Letter to Dracontius, a disciple of St. Athanasia Serapion becomes Copt. RKP. (Maii specil. rom. T. 9, ρ. 744; Jerome: carus Antonio monacho. This is the name of Serapion in Socrates N.B. 4, 23 and Sozomen N.E. 4, 9. Epistola ad. monachos, ed. a Maio specil. roman. T. 4, p. LX1V-LXV. Maio rightly notes that Macarius, mentioned by Serapion along with Anthony and Ammun, is, of course, the eldest of the three Macarii (see below about Macarius of Egypt). The same year of Serapion’s death is also indicated by the fact that in the same letter he mentions the life of Anthony, described by Athanasius in 365. In the Roman Church, the memory of St. Since ancient times, Serapion has been celebrated on March 24th. Epist. ad Magnum 70. T. 4, p. 427 de vir illustr. 99. Jerome de vir illustr. § 99. Epiphanius Haer. 76, § 21; Photius Bibl. Code. 85. Contr. Manich. libr. 4, § 44, in Wolfii anecdot. par. 36. This work of Serapion was published by Bonage in nov. Thesauro T. 4, p. 37, in M. Bibl. Patr. Lunduni T. 4, p. 460. At its best in Holland in the 5th volume of his library and in Min. According to Jerome, Serapion wrote, in addition to an essay against the Manichaeans, a treatise on psalm inscriptions and useful letters to various persons. (De vir illustr. 99). Serapion's interpretations are given in the set of interpretations a) on the octateuch in 50 cod. Taurinensi, in 7. Vindobenensi, in 15. Veneto S. Marci; b) on the book of Genesis in cod. 4, Vindobenensi. This letter was recently published by May: Class, auct. T. 5, p. 364–366, in Mika Patr. 40, 924 – 926 with Latin translation. It is published by May: Specilegium roman. T. 4, p. XVI–LXVII Wu Min from Latin. translation. Socrates N. E. 4, 23. And church. page 358. Codex regularum Benedicti anian. in Patr. lat. tom. 103. Description RKP. Tsarskogo p. 353, Even-Min. Jan. 19. Maii Specil. Goth. T. 9 r. 144. You might be interested in: