Holy Ascetics of the Eastern Church

The class of venerable women shines, even having been wounded by the love and kindness of Christ the Bridegroom, in His footsteps, following His Divine footsteps. For this reason, we have received the reward of our labors in heaven, with the faces of angels and saints we rejoice, constantly praying to Christ our God, so that we all may be saved. “In the kingdom of ice,” says an enthusiastic admirer of a brave traveler in the Alps, “everything is changeable: where yesterday you walked along a snowy arch spanning an abyss, today you cannot pass: the arch has collapsed and there is an abyss in front of you... Go further: your life depends on one wrong eye... Here everything depends on the strength of your muscles, on the strength of your will, on dexterity, on the ability to make the impossible possible, on conscious courage... Here in front of you a sheer wall of several hundred feet that you need to climb... And you begin to climb, noticing a depression in the wall that you can grab onto with your fingers; with incredible efforts, with the help of shod shoes and perches, you climbed high and are hanging over the abyss... Here is a small ledge. You fasten the rope on it, rise to your feet, rest your foot on the ledge... The slightest trembling of your muscles and - not only you died, but those whom you help climb the rope also died,” etc., etc. The will in the traveler is energetic! But here there is only physical gymnastics of mental strength, known even to a pagan. It’s different – ​​fighters against spiritual nature! The spirit is stronger than rocks and more changeable than snowy mountains. There is a struggle over what?.. Here - for an eternal share, for the glory of the One who is above all!.. In the gradual approach of the whole person to God, in the progressive growth “from strength to strength” on the moral path - this is the advantage that distinguishes man from animals and is necessary for man as created in the image of God. Without success in morality, success in the sciences is not the desired success, and the gloss of external education (civilization) is not true enlightenment. This can be seen in experience. By the grace of the uncalled benefactors of humanity, people's morality is falling, beggary is increasing, theft, robbery, murder, debauchery, blasphemy, sacrilege are increasing, and - look at it - public life will erupt in a terrible catastrophe... A moral struggle is a struggle that is as life-giving as it is lofty! And so: who fights and wins? The organization is weak, female! In Christ Jesus there is no difference between man and woman in this respect, that heavenly help is ready for all. But the grace of God in saving a person does not destroy his strength, but only heals and strengthens him. Therefore, there remains a difference between the male and female organizations of those being saved - a difference that requires different methods for salvation. The lives of saints, wonderful ascetics of God, can be especially useful for virgins and wives seeking salvation. These are the models by which they should measure their lives and from which they should take lessons for their particular fortunes. And for men who so often say: “We are weak,” isn’t it a reproach, isn’t the marvelous exploits of weak women’s organizations evidence of lies?.. In Russian monasteries, the book “Reading of Holy Wives” was copied (Inventory of books of sedate monasteries No. 1826). The writer of these lines long ago received, in Russian translation from French, a description of oriental maidens and desert women. But only recently did I have the opportunity to review the work of Michel-Ange-Marin. The main idea is wonderful! There is good in doing it too. Maren describes the life of hermits according to the places of their exploits. His description is more complete than the work of his predecessor Villefort: Les vies de saints solitaires, Amsterdam 1714. And yet the description of Maren turned out to be very, very unsatisfactory. We are not talking about other shortcomings, for example, the lack of clarity and proximity to the ancient text of the news - Maren does not know very many ascetics of the Eastern Church. The main pointer to examples of asceticism is the church service of Cheese Saturday. The great ascetics are shown here by name. In the same service we also read: “May any other request from women be sung in fasting.” Therefore, it would be a mistake to limit the description of the ascetics to the names shown in the service. Luther had the conscience to shout that virginal asceticism began only in the 4th century. But there is no doubt that he spoke a lie, to please human passions and to the detriment of Christianity. Nevertheless, since the ascetics who ended their lives in suffering for the faith are known in the Church with the special name of St. martyrs, during the review of St. we will not talk about the lives of ascetic martyrs. As a reproach to Orthodoxy, they said that it considers only the feat of fasting and virginity to be a saving feat. No, Christian asceticism, according to Orthodoxy, is not as close as those who have never left Orthodoxy or asceticism said. This description brings to the attention of the pious: 1. Ascetics of Alexandria and its environs: Synklitikia, Sarah, Theodora, Alexandra and Piamuka, Euphrosyne, Thomaida, Taisia, Theodora, Apollinaria, Marina, Anastasia. 2. Ascetics of Upper Egypt: Taisia, Pachomia, Isidora and two unknown by name, Talida, Tafra and unknown by name, Eupraxia, Theodula and Julia. 3. Palestinian ascetics: Cleopatra, Paula and Zoe, Eustolia, Melania, Pelagia, Mary the Egyptian, Mary, Mastridia. 4. Syrian ascetics: Platonida, Bryenna, Fevronia, Ieria and Thomaida, Publius, Pansemnia, blessed. Yavdundont, Maran and Cyrus, Domnipa, Marfa. 5. Ascetics of Asia Minor: Nonna, Emilia, Macrina, Theosevia, Magna, Eusevia, Maria, Theodora, Anna, Theocleta. 6. Ascetics of Constantinople and Hellas: Olympias, Candida and Gelasia, Pulcheria, Domnica and Mavra, Matrona, Eustolia and Sopatra, Fevronia, Elizabeth, Anfusa, Athanasia, Theodora the Queen, Theodora of Thessalonica, Theoctista, Maria, Theophany the Queen, Callia and the patient Theodora, Martha. Review of St. of the ascetics of the East ends in the 10th century and because the exploits of the ascetics of subsequent times are hidden in inaccessible Greek manuscripts. 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