О святителе Геннадии Константинопольском

In the saints, our father Gennady lived during the time of Emperor Leo the Great (also nicknamed “Makella” 311). At first he was a presbyter of the Church of Constantinople 312, and then in 458 313, after the death of Anatoly, who was present at the IV Ecumenical Council, he was elevated to the throne of Constantinople. Having appointed Marcian, who had converted to Orthodoxy from the Kafar heresy, as steward of church property, he ordered that through him the clergy of each church should receive their share of what was brought to all churches, and not that the Great Church should take everything for itself, as was the custom before. This blessed man did not ordain anyone who did not know Psalms 314 by heart. He was a miracle worker because with his prayer he healed the withered hand of that painter who depicted our Lord Jesus Christ in the form of Zeus 315 (that is, with thick and long hair on his head and the same beard). And St. He wrote the following complaint to Eleutherius about one of his 316 clerics: “Holy Martyr of God Eleutherius, your warrior lives dissolutely. Either correct him or put an end to his life.” And, oh horror! The cleric died immediately. Another time, entering the altar at night to pray, St. Gennady saw a demonic phenomenon. The saint forbade the demon, and he shouted in response that while the saint was alive, he would behave quietly, but after Gennady died, he would shake the Church. Frightened by this, the saint cried out to God, and after a little time he rested in the Lord, in 471 317. In addition to other works he composed, St. Gennady in 459, together with the Council of 73 bishops 318 319, wrote the present canonical letter against the Simonites. This message is indirectly confirmed by Rule VII Omni. 1, and directly - by rule VI Omni. 2 and thanks to this confirmation it receives in some way the force of the rules of the Ecumenical Councils. The epistle is found in the Pandects (vol. 2), in the interpretation of Balsamon (p. 1085), and in the book called Greco-Roman Law (p. 187). In the saints of our father Gennady, Patriarch of Constantinople and his Council. Canonical District Letter to all Most Reverend Metropolitans and to the Pope of Rome 320 Our Master and God, the Savior Jesus Christ, entrusting His holy disciples with the preaching of the Gospel and sending them as teachers of people throughout the entire universe, clearly commanded that the grace that they received from Him freely, they themselves should freely pass on to people, without acquiring for it either copper, silver, gold, or anything else material or earthly. For earthly and perishable things cannot be the payment for heavenly and spiritual gifts. He gave this commandment not only to the disciples, but through them to us - to those whom He deigned to elevate to their degree and place. And it follows that, both they then and we now, strictly preserve and observe it and do not try to circumvent by cunning what is impossible to circumvent, and do not cast dangerous lots. Freely have you received, says the Lord, freely give. Take with you neither copper, nor silver, nor gold in your belts 321. The meaning of this commandment is simple and clear; there is nothing complicated, difficult to understand, or requiring a cunning explanation in it. From Me, he says, you received the dignity of the priesthood; if you gave Me something small or great for it and I sold it to you, then you sell it to others; if you have received it freely, then give it freely. What is clearer than this commandment? What is more beneficial for those who obey? Truly, woe to those who expect to acquire or transfer the gift of God for money. Such, by definition of St. Peter, are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of unrighteousness 322 because they are overwhelmed by their own love of money. The rule about this of the venerable and blessed fathers of the holy and great Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon is also consistent with this Sovereign law. The canon clearly declared to us in the following terms: “If any bishop performs ordination for money, he will reduce unsold grace to an object of sale and for money ordain a bishop, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or any other member of the clergy, or because of his greed, for money, he will promote him to an ecnomics, or an ecdic, or a paramonari, or in general to any church rank, then anyone who attempts to do this, being exposed, will be subject to deprivation of his degree, and the one ordained by him should not use the purchased ordination or production at all, but should be alien to the dignity or position that he received for money. And if anyone is simply a mediator in such vile and lawless profit, then such a one, if he is a cleric, will be deposed from his degree, and if he is a layman or a monastic, he will be anathematized” 323. The commandments of this patristic rule are beautiful and very pious, which reflect and suppress every satanic attack and every devil’s trick directed against a spiritual gift. The rule in no case permits ordination to be performed or accepted for money, either by the one who performs it or by the one who receives it. Neither before or after ordination, rule 324 does not allow money to be given for ordination, since it completely prohibits bribery in such a matter. However, since now, despite obvious prohibitions, some in Galatia have been convicted of neglecting these saving and humane commandments and violating them for the sake of nasty profit and love of money, then we, with the holy Council residing in this reigning new Rome, recognized it as good to renew them all, so that, apart from every trick, every pretext and every fabrication, we can completely stop the wicked and vile, it is unknown how the custom entered into the most holy Churches and that during the truly incorruptible and pure proclamation made by the bishops over those ordained, the grace of the Holy Spirit would descend from above. But now, in production for money and in the action of an unclean hand, I do not know whether the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the person being produced, according to the word of proclamation, or, rather, is hidden. So, know this, a most pious man in everything: anyone, no matter who he is, convicted of anything of the kind, a bishop, or a chorebishop, or a periodeut, or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone else from the clergy, or a layman, is condemned by a general decree and a general decision of the bishops, as the above-mentioned rule of the holy fathers speaks about this. For grace must be grace, and silver must never act as its mediator. So, let him be and is rejected, and alien to all priestly dignity and service, and subject to the curse of anathema, whoever thinks to acquire grace for money, and whoever promises to teach it for money, be he a clergyman or a layman, whether he is convicted of this matter or not. After all, it is impossible for the irreconcilable to ever be reconciled, for mammon to come into agreement with God, or for those who serve her to serve God. The following indisputable saying belongs to the Lord: You cannot serve God and mammon 325. From these words, being filled with the power of boldness and obeying them, together with Him who spoke them, we pronounced judgment on those who committed such iniquities. Let Your Reverence take care, doing this with all vigilance, to make this known through copies and subordinate to you to the most God-loving bishops and periodeuts, as well as to everyone else, so that all Christians, united with one spirit and one soul against a common enemy, can, with the help of God, purge the root of the love of money planted in us by the enemy with all branches of evil. We welcome all brotherhood with you in Christ. Greetings in the Lord, pray for us, most God-loving brother. This message, together with Gennady himself, was signed by 73 more bishops (or 81). The meaning of this message is revealed from its first words: in the very introduction there is a gospel saying that relates directly to the topic of the message and the purpose for which it was compiled and sent. Namely, it is said that our holy Lord and God Jesus Christ gave a commandment to His apostles and disciples, when He sent them to preach the Gospel, that they should give to others freely and freely the gift and grace received from Him, and that they should not take for this either copper, silver, gold, or anything else material and earthly (because the material and perishable can never be payment and reward for heavenly and incorruptible gifts Spirit). This very commandment that the Lord gave then to the apostles, He gave through them to us, the successors of the apostles, the patriarchs and bishops. And just as they preserved it exactly, so we must preserve it and not look for it, as if by false interpretation we could circumvent the clear words of the Lord, which are impossible to circumvent. Freely have you received, says the Lord, freely give. Do not take with you any gold, silver, or copper in your belts. The words of this commandment are simple and clear, and do not contain any complex thought that requires an ingenious and curiosity-satisfying explanation. From Me, says the Savior, you received the dignity of the priesthood, and if you paid a lot or little for it and I sold it to you, then you sell it to others, but if you received it free of charge, then you give it freely. What commandment is clearer than this? What is more beneficial than this for those who obey? Truly woe to those who think to receive and give the gift and grace of God for silver, since such, like Simon the Magus, are also filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of unrighteousness, as the apostle told him. Peter. Rule IV of the Universe agrees with the above commandment of the Lord and Lord. 2 (for its interpretation, see its place), which the saint cites verbatim. And then he immediately says that the prescriptions of this rule are excellent, they refute any diabolical argument that anyone puts forward, since they together and as a whole prohibit both the ordaining and the ordained from giving and receiving money both for ordination and for production, 326 both before ordination, and during and after it. But since it turned out that in the land of the Galatians 327 some, out of love of money and for the sake of nasty gain, transgress these saving commandments and ordain for money, then it seemed reasonable to us with the Holy Council, which was held in the reigning city, to renew them in order to completely eradicate, apart from any trick, pretext and fabrication, this wicked custom of simony, which, I don’t know how, spread to Churches, and, therefore, so that when bishops perform pure, not for money, ordinations, the grace of the Holy Spirit truly descends from above on the one being ordained. Indeed, now, when ordinations are performed for money and the hand of the bishops is laid and performs an unclean action, I do not know 328 whether the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the one being ordained, as the bishop prays for him, 329 or rather is not allowed to reach him. So, know, most pious pope, that by the general decision of the bishops and the mentioned rule IV Om. 2 every bishop, chorebishop, periodeut 330, presbyter, deacon, as well as any other clergyman or layman who was ordained for money, is condemned, for grace must be truly grace, without the mediation of silver. Therefore, let him be and is 331 rejected and alien to all priestly dignity and action and let him be subject to the curse of anathema, both the one who thinks to acquire the grace of the priesthood for silver, and the one who promises to teach it, whether he is a cleric or a layman, whether or not he will be caught and accused of having received silver 332 . After all, it is impossible to ever come to an agreement between those between whom there can be no agreement: between mammon, that is, unrighteous wealth, and God, between those who work for mammon and those who work for God - according to the definition of the Lord: You cannot serve God and mammon. And we, from these words of the Lord, filled with boldness and obeying them, against the Simonites who do such things, made this conciliar determination, in accordance with the desire and will of the Lord, whose words we cited. Therefore, holy pope, and your reverence, strictly observing this, let him take care, with the help of copies, to notify the bishops, chorebishops and all other clergy and laity subordinate to your reverence, so that all of us, Christians, with one spirit and one soul, arm ourselves, defeat our common enemy, the devil, and pluck out the root of the love of money, planted by him, with all its most harmful shoots, one of which is simony. Having said this and greeted the brotherhood with the pope, the saint ends the letter, which was signed by all the bishops who were with him. That is, “Butcher”, since in his youth he sold meat. Theodore the Reader. Book 1. P. 553 (Theod. Lect. I, 13 // PG 86a, 172BC-173A.). Theodore, ibid. (Ibid. I, 15 // PG 86a, 173A.). Theodore the Reader (Ibid.) and Nicephorus Callistus (book 15, ch. 23) (Niceph. Callist. Hist. eccl. XV, 23 // PG 147, 68A.) add that we should know that our Lord had curly hair and beard, that is, curly, and not straight, and not long or thick, but rare. He says that we learned about this according to tradition from those who saw Him on earth in the flesh, and this is closer to the truth. The cleric served in the Church of St. Eleutheria. We are talking about the Local Council of Constantinople of 458–459. Udin, who is close to us in time, says that these bishops by name were not 73, but 81, according to the ancient codex he found in the library of Vienna. In the book entitled “Greco-Roman Law” (see p. 189) there are also 81 bishops among the signatories. Note the following: although our contemporary Udin (see: On Church Writers. T. 10. P. 1878) says that in a certain handwritten codex from the Vienna Library in the title of this message there are no words “to the Pope,” however, just as, according to the proverb, one swallow does not make spring and one witness is not trustworthy, so one manuscript cannot prove the correctness of such a reading. Indeed, in all the ancient handwritten codes that I have seen, as well as in printed books containing this message, this is always the title. Therefore, the decision of the majority must still prevail, and many witnesses are more trustworthy than one. Especially because the present epistle, although it is circumferential, i.e., conciliar and general, nevertheless in the middle and at the end it addresses only one bishop, saying: “So, know, the man is the most pious in everything...”. And again: “Let Your Reverence take care, doing this with all vigilance, to make this known through copies and to the most God-loving bishops and periodeuts subordinate to you, as well as to everyone else.” Who is this other than the Pope? Later, Tarasius, imitating Gennady, wrote a letter to Hadrian of Rome against the Simonites. Under Gennady, the pope was obviously Felix's predecessor, Simplicius. Pay attention to the text and title of the message: how the Church of Constantinople corrects the Roman Church, where simony is in use, and helps it - one sister helps another, equal to her. So, where is the primacy of the Pope, which is now being invented at the Councils? In other lists: “at the time of ordination.” How ordination differs from production, see the interpretation of IV Om. 2. Here, obviously, he calls Galatians not those who lived in Asia, but those who lived in the West, that is, the Gauls and the French: according to Meletius (Geography, p. 67), the Greeks also call them Galatians. Please note: the saint does not say affirmatively and definitely that the Holy Spirit does not descend on those ordained for money, but expresses doubt and, in general, indecision. He does not want to show by this that those who are ordained for money do not receive the Holy Spirit - get rid of such a thought! - for, according to Chrysostom, the Holy Spirit does not ordain everyone, but acts through everyone, that is, through the unworthy (Ioan. Chrysost. Hom. in Ep. II ad Tim. 2. 3 // PG 62, 610.), but how immeasurably grave is the sin of simony. During the ordination, the bishop loudly says: “Let us pray for him, that the grace of the All-Holy Spirit may come upon him.” For periodeuts, see note. to Laodice. 57. Some blame priests and argue that there is no priesthood now, since the majority are ordained for money. Such accusers base themselves on these words of the holy father and say that he and his Council not only decree: “let him be rejected” (meaning the Council; here the verb is used in the imperative form, and such a command without a second person, as grammarians say, is not put into effect), but also add: “and he is rejected,” in other words, rejected without even being rejected by others. But let them hear what the expression “let it be” means: let such a one really be rejected as a punishment by the Council, which upholds the divine rules. And the expression “and is” means that he is rejected potentially for his guilt. After all, if both of these expressions were equivalent, then why would “and is” be required with “let it be”? Or why would “and is” require “let it be”? Or are they opposite to each other because “let it be” refers to the future, and “and it is” refers to the present? However, speaking about this, we will not remain silent about what is truly terrible for those who ordain for money and those who accept ordination, and about which the saint speaks here affirmatively and definitely, namely, that such are immediately deprived of the priesthood. Pay attention to the fact that the saint, out of great jealousy, in an effort to completely eradicate this evil, said: “whether he will be exposed or not.” Rule IV Universal. 2, which he cited above, contains the following words: “whoever encroaches on this [simony], being exposed, shall be deprived of his degree.” Tarasius says something similar: “If anyone is convicted of having bought grace for gold...”. Perhaps the expression “or will not be exposed” means that even if the one who did this is neither caught, nor cast out, nor publicly anathematized, he is, however, potentially subject to casting out and anathematized, and therefore the one who died without repentance for this terrible and ungodly sin will face punishment and condemnation for future endless torment, since he commits this lawlessness here and remains unthrown and unpunished, in other words, uncorrected. Divine words are immutable in relation to those who remain in this evil all their lives and are not corrected through repentance. However, some of those who perform or accept ordination suffer need, for which they perhaps find some false pretexts for such actions. But those who receive income from estates and other property act wickedly and sin shamelessly, and therefore they will face even greater, inevitable torment.