Послание 39. К Феофилу, игумену

I wanted to quickly send a letter to your holiness, but I did not find a convenient way, being kept under strong guard. When the Good God deigned to provide both the method and the person, then I, humble, fulfill my desire, greet and embrace you, my spiritual father, whom I truly love very much. For, having separated us physically, the leaders of this age have not yet dissolved our unanimity in God and our disposition towards each other, but have strengthened them even more. For I am sure that your reverence also loves us, unworthy, and adamantly remains in the Orthodox and God-pleasing confession, on the basis of how you have shown yourself before God and people both before and after. Together with us, the humble, you chose persecution for piety, although the rulers did not want this, fearing to expel and imprison many and hoping by this to somehow convince the world that disagreement with them is limited to us alone, and there are no others who oppose. Meanwhile, there are many such people in their kingdom, although they hide out of fear or adapting to circumstances, so one can repeat the words of the divine David, who cries out: “I will try to number them, but they are more numerous than the sand of the sea” (Ps. 139:18). Truly, this wickedness is not small and not secret, but very great and obvious to those who have understanding. They, His Holiness, perverted the economy of Christ, as far as it depended on them, declaring the violation of the Gospel through the combination of adulterers, and adultery as an economy saving for the Church, and anathematizing those who did not approve of it. They violated the Gospel by the transgression of one commandment, declaring this transgression to be God's dispensation, for if he “who keeps the whole law,” as it is written, “sin in one thing, he becomes guilty of all” (James 2:10). They call those who committed the fall, the adulterer himself and those who combined the adulterers, the accomplices of the adulterer and everyone who had a part with him (because it is impossible to separate those who committed and those carried away by them from each other) not guilty, but stewards of God. Did He who declared such people guilty lie? And then the saints cease to be God’s stewards, because none of the saints transgressed the law of God, and the one who transgressed cannot be called a saint. These same people consider this crime to be an unchangeable dogma, as if it were the law of God, and those who do not take part in this with them are anathematized. But the saints in heaven and on earth, of course, do not promote adultery. So, it is obvious that by violating one Gospel commandment they not only distorted the entire Gospel, conciliarly recognizing this violation as saving economy for the Church and accepting, as far as it depended on them, the unchangeable law that this happens when every commandment is violated and is called oikonomia, but they also anathematized the saints who do not approve of this, for God does not approve of this. However, why talk a lot about what a letter cannot contain? A grave false teaching has been declared to our Church. This adulterous heresy, together with the perversion of the Gospel, also violated the divine rules, recognizing the adulterer whom they had deposed innocent. For, if they have already despised the Gospel, then caring about the sacred rules would be a waste of time for them. I considered it necessary to remind you, my father, of this along with my greeting, so that you, knowing that this is a heresy, avoid it and the heretics, so that you do not have communication with them and do not remember them at the Divine Liturgy in your most sacred monastery, for terrible threats were uttered by the saints for those who participate with heretics even in eating. If Your Reverence asks why we ourselves did not say this before being taken into custody, but even commemorated those ruling in Byzantium, then take note of the fact that there was no council at that time and this wicked teaching and anathemas were not pronounced. Before this, it was not safe to completely separate from the wrongdoers, except to avoid open communication with them and, according to the proper economy, to remember for a time. When heretical wickedness was openly revealed during the council, now you should be careful, together with all Orthodox, to speak boldly, without having communication with false teachers and without remembering any of those present at the adulterous council or sharing his way of thinking. Truly, reverend father, you, Theophilus, who lives in everything according to your name, 70 should love God in this too. For Chrysostom, with a great and loud voice, declared not only heretics, but also those who enter into communication with them, to be enemies of God. And if your strength does not stand, then who will be saved? If the one who, before the complete discovery of heresy, dared by the power of God, like a saint, begins to shirk now, after the discovery of heresy, then how will anyone else dare to raise a voice? If the monastic order does not count “all as rubbish” (Phil. 3:8), i.e. monasteries and everything in them, then how can a layman leave his wife, children and everything else? Therefore, I remind you, as the least brother and son: let us not remain silent, lest the cry of Sodom arise in us, let us not spare earthly things, lest we lose heavenly things, let us not give temptation to the Church of God, which may consist of three Orthodox Christians, by definition saints, lest we be condemned by the judgment of the Lord. It is not for my own sake that I, the accursed one, say this - for for me (to boldly say) and to die for the truth is gain, joy and life, if we are strengthened by your sacred prayers - but for the sake of the long-standing and spiritual love between us and for the sake of common good. In fact, if the Son of God, the Lord and Master of all, offered Himself as a sacrifice for all to God and the Father, then what should we not endure and endure for His sake, especially those who are monks and crucified by renouncing the world, truly and not in vain? We must not judge deeds by outward appearance—for many put on masks and are not what they seem—but by true deeds. So, let monks in these times show this by deeds. And the job of a monk is not to allow the slightest innovation in the Gospel, so that, having given the laity an example of heresy and communication with heretics, he would not be held accountable for their destruction. I have said a lot of unnecessary things about this subject, with the permission of the high humility of your holiness. You, my father, pray and beg for me, weak and sinful, but who loves you very much. Those detained with me also greet you and ask for your prayers. Theophilus (Greek) – lover of God. You might be interested in: