О святителе Григории Нисском

In saints, our father Gregory, bishop. Nissa of Cappadocia, the brother of Basil the Great, was at first a reader, then, leaving his rank, he devoted himself entirely to the study of oratory, but the reproaches and persuasion of Gregory the Theologian 226 forced him to return. Before his episcopate, he married Theosevia, whose death he endured courageously 227, and around 372 he became bishop of Nyssa 228. A little later, because of his zeal for the faith, he was deprived of the episcopal honor by order of Valens and wandered around different places, suffering from the machinations of the Arians 229 . In 378, after the death of Valens, he was called to his see by Gratian 230. St. Gregory participated in the Council of Antioch and was sent by him to Arabia along with other bishops to visit the Churches located there 231. Arriving in Jerusalem and worshiping the holy places, he felt disgusted by the vices he saw there, 232 so much so that he even wrote a letter to a friend about this, describing those who visited Jerusalem. Present in 381 at the holy Second Ecumenical Council, he supplemented the Nicene Creed with the theology of the Holy Spirit and the last four members 233. He also happened to be at the Local Council of Constantinople, which met in 394 on the case of Agapius and Vagadiy 234. In addition to his other wisest writings, St. Gregory also wrote the following rules necessary for church deanery and structure; they are indirectly approved by the rules of IV Omni. 1 and VII Omni. 1, and directly - by rule VI Omni. 2 and through this statement in some way they receive the force of the rules of the Ecumenical Councils. The rules of St. Gregory in the 2nd volume of “Pandect” and in the 1st volume of “Synodikon” on p. 349 235. In the saints of our father Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa. Canonical Epistle to Litoius, Bishop of Melitene One of the aspects of the holy holiday is that we understand the correct and canonical course of action towards those who have sinned, in order to heal all spiritual weakness resulting from sin. After all, since this universal holiday of creation, which at a certain period of the annual cycle is celebrated annually throughout the world, is celebrated in honor of the resurrection of the fallen (the fall is sin, and resurrection is the rebellion from the fall 236), it would be wonderful on this day not only to bring to God those who are transformed by the grace of washing through rebirth, but also to lead to the saving hope of which they were deprived by sin, those who by repentance and conversion from dead works (Heb.9:14) returns again to the path of life. But an important matter is to speak about them in the spirit of correct and verified reasoning, according to the instructions of the prophet, which commands to arrange words in judgment, so that, as this saying says, you will not be shaken forever and be righteous for eternal memory (see Ps. 111: 5-6). After all, just as in physical healing the goal of the medical art is to heal the sufferer, and the way of caring for him is different (since, due to the variety of infirmities, the method of healing is appropriately applied to each of the diseases), so, since in mental illness there is a great variety of passions, medical care will necessarily be diverse, because it heals according to the cause of the passion. And in order to reveal some skillful method in the proposed matter, let us structure the speech as follows. In our soul, at the initial division, three parts are seen: rational, lustful and irritable. Through them, both the good deeds of those living virtuously and the fall of those falling into vice are accomplished. Therefore, it behooves one who intends to provide suitable healing to a diseased part of the soul, first consider in which part the passion arose, and then apply healing accordingly to the suffering part, so that, due to inexperience in medical methods, it does not turn out that one part suffers, and another receives treatment, as we see in practice: many of the doctors, not knowing which part was initially ill, intensify the disease with medicinal means. For example, illness often occurs from excess heat, and doctors, since those who fell ill from hypothermia benefit from warmth and warming, which naturally benefits them, recklessly prescribed this to those who were feverish from immense heat, and thus made the disease difficult to cure. Therefore, just as for doctors it is considered essential to understand the characteristics of the natural elements 237 so that each of them, whether it is in good condition or upset, can be corrected if it finds itself in an unnatural state, so we, returning to this division of the parts seen in the soul, will make their general review the beginning and basis of the corresponding healing of the passions. So, the properties of mental movements are divided, as we said, into three parts: rational, lustful and irritable. The good deeds of the thinking (λογιστικοῦ) 238 part of the soul are the following: a pious concept of the Divine and the art of distinguishing between good and evil, which has a clear and precise judgment about the nature of 239 objects - what among existing things should be chosen and what to avert and avoid. And from the contrary, in turn, one can certainly see vice in this part of the soul: wickedness in relation to the Divine, inability to judge the true good, a perverse and erroneous opinion about the nature of things, so that light is mistaken for darkness and darkness for light, as Scripture says (see Is. 5:20). The virtuous movement of the appetitive part consists in the fact that desire is directed (ἐνάγεσθαι) 240 to what is truly desired and truly beautiful, and all, as much of it as there is in us, the power of love and the disposition towards it are absorbed by this, in the conviction that there is nothing desired by nature itself, except virtue and nature exuding virtue. The perversion and sin of this part lies in the fact that lust rushes towards non-existent vanity or to the external beauty of bodies, from where come the love of money, love of fame, lust and all similar passions that are associated with this kind of evil. Finally, the good deeds of the irritable part are hatred of evil, struggle with passions, the desire to arm the soul with courage so as not to be timid in the face of things that are considered terrible by many, but to resist sin even to the point of bleeding, to despise the threat of death, painful punishments and deprivation of the most pleasant things and, fighting for faith and virtue, at once to become above everything that binds many to pleasure through habit and sinful habit. And the downfalls of this part are obvious to everyone: envy, hatred, anger, reproaches, quarrels, a tendency to discord and rivalry, which holds grudges for a long time and for many ends in murders and bloodshed. After all, not finding where to usefully use a weapon, an untrained thought directs the edge of the iron towards itself, and the weapon given to us by God as a means of defense brings death to those who use it poorly. In all likelihood, the saint sent this message during the Easter holiday, which is why he begins the introduction by indicating the time. He says: one of the sides of this holiday is our reflection on how we can legally and canonically heal every spiritual illness of sinners. Since this universal holiday of Easter is celebrated in honor of the bodily resurrection of Adam, who fell into corruption, the fall for the soul is sin, and the resurrection of the soul is the rebellion from sin, then, by virtue of this similarity, it is natural on this holiday not only to bring to God spiritually incorruptible those who were reborn through holy baptism (then the catechumens were baptized on Easter; see also Laodicecus 45), but also to lead to the salvation of those who through repentance and leaving behind the dead works of sin turns to the living path of virtue, as the apostle says 242. However, it is no small difficulty to sustain a speech about the correction of sinners with correct and error-free reasoning and to show the grounds for this correction. After all, David says that a righteous person must control his intentions with much consideration, so as not to be shaken forever, but to leave behind him an eternal memory. And because the art of healing bodies has one goal - to cure the sick, and the treatment of the sick and caring for him are not the same, but are very varied and varied, just as the types of diseases are different and varied - so the art of healing souls, according to the various and varied ailments of the soul, uses different and varied medicines. And so that our teaching about this is consistent and orderly, let’s start like this. The soul has three parts: thinking (or rational), lustful and irritable 243. The three of them commit both virtues and vices. Therefore, the spiritual doctor who wants to treat competently and skillfully must first of all recognize in which of these three parts this or that sin operates, and accordingly treat the suffering and weak part, so that it does not turn out that one part is ill, and he is treating another; as we see, many inexperienced doctors, because they do not know which part is suffering, instead of treating, they further intensify the disease. For example, illness often arises from excessive heat, and they, by giving a patient in the heat not cool and refreshing treatments (as required by the art of medicine), but hot and warming ones, useful to those suffering from hypothermia 244, make the disease difficult to cure. Therefore, just as it is considered absolutely necessary for doctors to study the characteristics of the four elements, namely, heat, cold, dryness and moisture, in order to be able to correct their unnatural and disorderly movement with the help of this knowledge, in the same way spiritual doctors need a comprehensive and thorough study of the said three parts of the soul in order to properly heal its passions. So, the virtues of the rational part of the soul are piety and pious faith in God, the distinction between good and evil, clear, definite knowledge and judgment about the nature of beings. It clearly and accurately knows what of existing things it should truly love, and what it should hate and what it should turn away from. And on the contrary, the vices of this part of the soul are wickedness towards God and unbelief in Him, inability to distinguish between good and evil and false knowledge about them. Light considers such knowledge to be darkness, and darkness to be light, that is, virtue is vice and vice is virtue, as Isaiah complains about. The virtue of the appetitive part is to direct the attraction towards the truly desired good and to use it with all the power of love in the conviction that there is nothing else desired by nature except virtue and the cause of all virtue - God. The vices of this part of the soul are to direct desire to love of fame, physical beauty, love of money, voluptuousness, etc. The virtues of the irritable part are hatred of sin, struggle with passions, spiritual courage, which is not afraid of what is scary for others, but resists sin to the point of bleeding, contempt for all torments and hardships during the battle for faith and virtue. Its vice is envy, hatred of one's neighbor, strife, insults, rancor, and a vindictive disposition, which even plunged many into the sin of murder and bloodshed. Thus, anger, which God gave to man as a defensive weapon, becomes a destructive weapon for those who use it poorly. So, according to the previously indicated image of the division of sins, those of them that relate to the rational part of the soul are recognized by the fathers as more serious and deserving of greater, more prolonged and severe punishment. For example, if someone renounced faith in Christ, turning either to Judaism, or to idolatry, or to Manichaeism, or other similar evil, but then condemned himself, then the time of repentance for him is the entire time of his life. Namely, he is never deigned to worship God together with the people during the performance of the sacramental prayer, but let him pray in private, and let him be completely excommunicated from the communion of the Holy Gifts; and only at the hour of his departure will he be awarded part of the shrine. If, contrary to his aspirations, he happens to remain alive, he will again live in the same condemnation, remaining without communion of the mysterious Holy Gifts until his death. And for those who have been subjected to torture and severe torment, penance is imposed for a certain time. Thus, the holy fathers showed them love for humanity, since it was not their soul that fell, but their bodily weakness could not withstand the torture. Therefore, violent apostasy caused by suffering when determining punishment is measured by the measure of those who sinned fornication. The saint, having named in the previous rule the vices of each part of the soul, now, in the present rule, also defines penances for these vices. He says that the fathers considered the sins of the rational part to be more serious than the sins of other parts of the soul, and, accordingly, deserving of longer and more severe repentance and satisfaction. For example, someone renounced Christ and became a Jew, an idolater, a Manichaean, or the like. If he did this of his own free will, without coercion or violence, then, after he again turns to piety, he will remain in repentance all his life. He will never pray in church with the faithful, but outside the church with the catechumens, and will not be honored with communion of the Divine Mysteries, unless at the end of his life. Even if he, being near death, takes communion, then after recovery he again remains under the same punishment, not receiving communion for the rest of his life 245. And those who renounced Christ because of torture and torment were punished by the fathers on an equal basis with fornicators, that is, by excommunication from communion for nine years. The fathers showed them kindness, because they renounced not of their own free will, but because of the weakness of the flesh, which could not bear the torment. And those who go to sorcerers, soothsayers, or who promise, with the assistance of demons, to perform some kind of purification and prevent misfortunes, such are carefully questioned and tested: were they, while remaining in faith in Christ, by any necessity involved in such a sin, because they were prompted to this by a disaster or an unbearable loss, or, completely despising the testimony that we entrusted to them, resorted to an alliance with demons? After all, if they did this by apostasy and because they do not believe in the existence of God, Whom Christians worship, then, undoubtedly, they will be sentenced as apostates. If some unbearable circumstances, having prevailed over their cowardice, forced them to do this, deceived by false hope, then philanthropy should be shown to them, just like to those who could not withstand the torment during confession. With this rule the saint punishes witchcraft and divination, which are sins of the rational part of the soul. He says that it is necessary to question those who go to sorcerers and soothsayers or who promise to deliver by demonic power from illnesses, misfortunes, the evil eye or other evils from which these people suffer. And if, while remaining in the faith of Christ, due to illness or great loss they showed cowardice and acted in the false belief that they would get rid of it with the help of prophecies, then such people are punished as having renounced Christ as a result of torture, i.e. for nine years. If they resorted to the help of demons because they rejected the faith of Christ and despised the help of God, Whom Christians worship, let them be punished as having renounced Christ voluntarily. See also VI Omni. 61. The division of sins arising from lust and voluptuousness is as follows: one is called adultery, the other is fornication. And some of the stricter ones were pleased to consider the sin of fornication as adultery, because the legal union of a wife with her husband and a husband with his wife is one. So, everything illegal is in any case illegal, and he who owns something that is not his own obviously owns someone else’s. After all, God gave man one helpmate (see Gen. 2:20), and one head was placed over the woman. Thus, if someone has acquired for himself his own vessel, as the divine Paul puts it (see 1 Thess. 4:4), the law of nature allows him to use it correctly. If someone turns to something that is not his own, then he will certainly take someone else’s, and someone else’s is for everyone - everything that is not his own, even if the owner of it is not known. Therefore, for those who more carefully examine the essence of the matter, fornication is not far from the sin of adultery, because Divine Scripture also says: Do not be long with a stranger (Proverbs 5:20). However, since the fathers showed some leniency to the weaker, the following general division was established for this sin: fornication is the satisfaction of lust, done without insulting another, and adultery, done with malicious intent and insult to someone else. It is believed that the latter also includes bestiality and sodomy, because this is also adultery against nature: an insult is inflicted on someone else and, moreover, contrary to nature. So, although such a division has been made in this type of sin, the healing is common - so that through repentance a person becomes clean from passionate fury in such pleasures. Since for those defiled by fornication no insult is attached to this sin, then for those defiled by adultery and other forbidden vices, bestiality and indomitable passion for the male sex, the time of punishment was determined to be twice as long, because, as I said, their sin is twice as great: one is in unlawful pleasure, and the second is in causing an insult to another. In the form of repentance there is a difference for sins of voluptuousness. It is as follows. He who has voluntarily resorted to confessing his sins, because by his own volition he has become an exposer of secret deeds to himself, as having already begun to heal passions and shown signs of change for the better, is subject to more philanthropic penances. And one who is caught in evil or involuntarily exposed as a result of suspicion or accusation undergoes a longer correction, so that he is allowed to receive the Holy Mysteries after he has been thoroughly cleansed. So, there is a rule that those defiled by fornication for three years [were not allowed to pray at all, for three years they participated only in listening, the remaining three years] 246 pray together with those who fall in repentance and after that partake of the Holy Mysteries. And for those who have more zealously taken up the task of correction and with their lives testify to a return to goodness, the director of the church economy can usefully shorten the time of hearing and more quickly lead to conversion, and also, in turn, shorten this time and more quickly allow them to receive communion, depending on what, after his trial, he considers the condition of the person being treated. After all, just as it is forbidden to throw pearls before swine (see Matt. 7:6), so depriving an honest Pearl of someone who, through liberation from passions and purification, has already become a man, is an undue thing. And the crime of the law, committed through adultery or other types of debauchery, as stated above, let it be treated in all respects with the same punishment as the crime of fornication, but twice as long. Let them observe the disposition of the person being healed in the same way as is done in the case of those who have fallen into the filth of fornication, so that they become partakers of the Good after a more or less long time. In this rule, the saint makes a determination regarding the sins of the desired part of the soul, and above all fornication. He says that those who are more strict and reasonable argue that fornication is considered adultery, and this is proven in the following way. Since adultery is a sin with someone else’s wife, then on this basis fornication, as committed with a stranger’s woman, is considered adultery. After all, the lawful union is one, and the lawful copulation of a woman with a man and a man with a woman, which is performed with one’s own body, is one. Any other copulation other than this is illegal and, therefore, is not performed with one’s own body, but with another’s, since God originally gave the husband one wife and the wife one husband. So, if someone has his own vessel (according to the Apostle Paul), that is, a wife, he is allowed to have relations with her. If, in addition to his own vessel, he encroaches on another, then he will certainly copulate with someone else’s body, even if this body does not have a specific and known owner. And all this, indeed, is inherent in fornication, so that fornication, according to this proof, is not far removed from adultery, especially since Solomon says: Do not be with a stranger for a long time, which means “do not become addicted to another man’s wife,” that is, a harlot. Despite all this, the fathers, out of condescension, call fornication a sin that is committed with a woman without causing offense to another person, in other words, with a woman who does not have a husband. Therefore, they punished him more leniently than adultery, namely for nine years, decreeing that fornicators should cry outside the vestibule for three years, be listeners for three years, and fall for the remaining three years, and then receive communion (see also Basil the Great 22). The spiritual doctor, however, has the right to shorten the hearing time for those fornicators who repent with greater zeal. He can also shorten the time of falling and admit them to the communion of the Holy Mysteries more quickly, depending on how he finds the disposition of the penitent. After all, just as it is inappropriate to throw pearls, the Holy Mysteries, to pigs, i.e., unclean and insincerely repentant sinners, it is also inappropriate to deprive the honest Pearl, the Body of Christ, from the one who, through removal from evil and repentance, was cleansed and turned from a pig into a man. This is what concerns fornication. For adultery, sodomy and bestiality, the fathers prescribed a punishment twice as large as for fornication, that is, 18 years for each of these acts, because in this case the sin committed is twice as great. Thus, adultery, in addition to giving the sinners unlawful pleasure, also causes an insult to the husband of the woman who has fallen into adultery, because a member of his own body, that is, his wife, is unlawfully appropriated. And sodomy and bestiality in the same way, in addition to the lawless pleasure that they provide, are also an insult to someone else and are contrary to nature, that is, they insult the laws of nature, because these are unnatural sins. The time of punishment for each of these sins is distributed in exactly the same way as the time of punishment for fornication, only in double amount: adulterers, homosexuals and bestialists must cry outside the church for six years, be listeners for six years, fall down for six years, and then receive communion. However, the confessor must consider their disposition, as well as that of fornicators, so that if they repent more zealously, he must allow them to receive communion sooner; if they are very careless in repentance, then even after 18 years he should not allow them to receive communion. The general treatment for both fornicators and adulterers, homosexuals and bestialities is complete removal from such pleasures and repentance. There is also a difference in the way such sinners confess: the one who came to confession himself is punished more philanthropically and gently, because he voluntarily wanted to accuse himself and showed signs of change for the better. And the one who at first did not confess, and then was convicted of having sinned, either on suspicion or on someone else’s accusation, is punished more severely and for a longer period. See Ankir. 16 and 20, Vasily the Great. 7 and rule I Omni. 12, which determines that, according to the repentance of the sinner, leniency must be provided. After what has been said, it remains to present the irritable part of the soul for consideration: when does it, having deviated from the good use of anger, fall into sin? While anger causes a lot of sin and all sorts of evils, our fathers were pleased not to consider all this in too much detail and not to consider that the healing of all falls that occur from anger deserves special care. Although Scripture prohibits not only a simple blow, but also any abuse or reproach, etc., which is caused by anger (see Col. 3:8; Eph. 4:31), the fathers with penances warned against only one crime - murder. In appearance, this evil deed is divided into intentional and unintentional. Premeditated murder is, firstly, one that the killer dared to do deliberately, having prepared precisely to commit a crime. Then, the case when a person, during a fight, delivering and receiving blows, hits some vital place with his hand, is considered premeditated murder. After all, once overcome by rage and surrendered to a gust of anger, during the action of passion he cannot perceive with his mind anything capable of stopping this evil, and therefore killing in a fight is attributed to a matter of will, and not to an accident. And the signs of unintentional murders are obvious - when a person, trying to do something else, as a result of an accident, does something irreparable. So, on the basis of this, the punishment for premeditated murder continues to be triple the term for those who cure a premeditated crime by repentance. Namely: they are assigned three times for nine years, and nine years are determined to be spent at each degree, so that the penitent spends nine years in complete excommunication, being removed from the Church, remains in listening for the same number of years, being rewarded only with listening to teachers and Scriptures, and during the third nine years he prays together with those who fall in repentance and after that begins to partake of the Holy Mysteries. Of course, let the ruler of the Church watch over him, and in accordance with repentance, the time of penance will be shortened for him, so that at each degree, instead of nine years, he will spend eight, seven, six, or only five years, if, of course, the power of his repentance overcomes time and in his zeal for correction he surpasses those who, over a long period of time, cleanse themselves from filth less zealously. An unintentional crime is considered worthy of leniency, but not commendable. I said this so that it would become clear that even if someone is defiled by murder involuntarily, the rule declared him, as already unclean because of the crime, unworthy of priestly grace. Whatever time of purification is considered appropriate in the case of simple fornication, the same is also true for unwitting murderers. Of course, even in this case the will of the penitent is tested, so that if the conversion turns out to be true, then the number of years is not observed, but the penitent is brought to reunification with the Church and to the communion of the Good in a shorter period. If someone, before the end of the time specified by the rules, passes away, then the philanthropy of the fathers orders him to depart on this last and long journey after communion of the Holy Mysteries, and not deprived of parting words. But if, having received communion of the Holy Mysteries, he returns to life, let him wait until the end of the appointed period, being at the same level as he was before the communion, which was forced upon him. This rule makes a determination about penances for the sins of the third, i.e., irritable, part of the soul. It says that other sins that originate from the irritable part of the soul, the fathers did not consider it necessary to study in detail and, accordingly, were not in too much of a hurry to heal them with penances (despite the fact that Holy Scripture prohibits not only a light blow, but also all abuse, reproach and similar products of anger), but prescribed punishment only for murder. Murder is divided into two types: one is arbitrary and intentional, and the other is unintentional and involuntary. Arbitrary murder is a murder when someone kills deliberately and with prior preparation. Also, voluntary murder is when someone in a fight, striking and receiving blows, delivers a fatal blow to some vital, dangerous place. After all, someone who has once been overcome by anger no longer thinks about whether the place is dangerous or safe; therefore, the killing resulting from such a fight is arbitrary and intentional, and not unintentional. A sign of manslaughter is when someone commits the murder unwittingly, accidentally, while trying to do something else. For example, someone throws a stone at a tree to knock down a fruit, and a person happens to pass by and gets hit by the stone. So, a free murderer is punished for three nine years, that is, 27 years: for nine years he stands with those who weep outside the gates of the porch, nine years with those who listen to the Divine Scriptures, and nine years with those who fall down, and after that he receives communion. However, the spiritual physician, in accordance with the murderer’s zeal for repentance, must reduce the duration of this penance - so that nine years of each degree of repentance, i.e., crying, listening and crouching, are reduced to eight, seven, six or even five years, unless, of course, the murderer, by the power of his repentance, exceeds the duration of the penance and, although subjected to a shorter punishment, will bear more fruits of repentance than the one who is punished for a longer period term. And an unwitting murderer deserves leniency, but not approval. However, such a person is not worthy of the priesthood (that is, even someone who involuntarily and unintentionally kills, if he is a layman, cannot become a priest, and if he is a priest, he is deprived of his rank), and he is punished for nine years as a fornicator. If his repentance is sincere and zealous, then the confessor will shorten the term of his punishment and allow him to receive communion sooner. However, pay attention to the fact that if one of the penitents is in danger of dying before the expiration of the sentence, then the philanthropy of the fathers allows him to receive communion, so as not to leave him deprived of the guidance of the Holy Mysteries, which is very helpful on the long journey beyond the threshold of death. If he recovers, let him remain excommunicated, continuing to observe the time of penance from the moment at which he left it before communion. See also Apost. 66.1 All. 12 and 13 and the image of the church. I don’t know how our fathers left another type of idolatry without healing (for this is what the divine Apostle calls covetousness (see Col. 3:5)), although it seems that this evil is a disease of the three components of the soul. After all, the mind, erring in judgment about good, imagines that good lies in matter, and does not look at immaterial beauty; and desire rushes to the lower, moving away from what is truly desired; and an argumentative, angry disposition receives many reasons for itself from this source. Generally speaking, this illness corresponds to the apostolic definition of covetousness: the divine apostle declared it not only idolatry, but also the root of all evil (see 1 Tim. 6:10). And yet, this type of illness is left without attention and care, and therefore in the Churches this illness intensifies and no one tests those who are accepted into the clergy to see if they are defiled by this type of idolatry. However, since the fathers ignored this, we consider it sufficient, as far as possible, to heal this with the universal word of teaching, purifying through the word the ailments of covetousness, as certain diseases arising from excess (πληθωρικά). We consider only theft, opening tombs and sacrilege to be passions, since this is our successive paternal tradition about this, although the Divine Scriptures prohibit interest, interest and the acquisition of someone else's property through any authority, even if this happens under the guise of a transaction. So, since our opinion is not so worthy of faith as to have the force of rules, we will now add to what has been said a canonical decision about what is indisputably forbidden. Theft is divided into robbery and theft; The goal of both crimes is the same - the abduction of someone else's, but they differ greatly in the mental disposition of the criminals. To achieve his goal, the robber even resorts to murder, for this purpose he prepares weapons for himself, selects many assistants and takes advantage of convenient places, and therefore, if he, having repented, returns to the Church of God, he is subject to the same punishment as murderers. And the one who appropriates someone else’s property through secret theft, if he later declares his sin to the priest in confession, let him heal his illness by diligence in what is opposite to passion, namely, in distributing property to the poor, so that, having squandered what he has, he may become clean from the disease of covetousness. If he has nothing but his body, then the apostle orders that this passion be healed by bodily labor. And his word reads: If anyone has stolen, do not steal first, but rather work, doing with your own hands what is useful, so that you may have something to give to the needy (Eph. 4:28). After the saint spoke about penances for the sins of each part of the soul separately, now he speaks of covetousness, which Paul even calls idolatry and which can be seen simultaneously in three parts of the soul. In the rational part - because the mind, not distinguishing what is true good, and not fixing its gaze on immaterial beauty, considers the substance of gold and silver to be true good. In the desirable part - since desire rushes towards earthly gain and leaves what is truly desired, i.e. God. And in the irritable part - because from covetousness comes great anger and many strife. In a word, the apostle, having defined covetousness as the root of all evil, gave it a definition that is suitable and corresponds to reality. However, I do not know why such a great vice was left by the fathers without penance 248. Because of this, he grows among the ministers of the Church and none of those preparing for ordination are tested to see if he is defiled by this type of idolatry. But since the fathers left covetousness, as we said, without penance, then we are content with the words proclaimed in the Church, for the cleansing of this ailment, similar to many diseases from excesses (πληθωρικά) (“excess”, πληθώρα, is what doctors call when there is an excess of any of the four in the body juices, i.e. yellow bile, mucus, blood and black bile, so that diseases caused by such an excess of juices are called illnesses from excesses (πληθωρικά). We assign penance only for theft, opening of tombs and sacrilege, because the fathers also prescribed penance for them. And this despite the fact that interest, that is, when someone takes more than he gave in any form, but not in money, and the collection of interest on money, and the theft of someone else’s property with the use of power, even if this theft is carried out under the guise of a transaction - all this, I say, is prohibited by Divine Scripture 249. And we would assign penances for them in the rule, if only we had the power to issue the rule (after all, this is the work of the Council; see also in the preface about the sacred rules in general), therefore we mention only the canonical penance assigned by the fathers for the three named sins. So, theft is divided into robbery, that is, overt theft, and secret theft. Both pursue the same goal - to take someone else's. They differ in that obvious thieves are even ready to commit murder, they prepare weapons, attract many people and wait in narrow and dangerous places. Therefore, when they repent, they receive the same punishment as the murderers. And a secret thief, if he himself confesses to theft, as punishment must give his property, if he has any, to the poor and thus be healed 250. If he has no property, then he must work with his own hands and give to those in need, as Paul says: “Let the thief steal no more, but let him rather work, so that he may have something to give to the needy.”251 See also Neokesar. 3. The opening of tombs is also divided into those that deserve and those that do not deserve leniency. Namely: if someone, observing the unwritten natural law and leaving the buried body untouched, so as not to reveal the ugliness of nature, uses the stones laid on the grave to build some building, then this is not commendable, but custom has made it worthy of leniency if the material is transferred for the sake of something more valuable and generally useful. But to examine the dust of flesh that has turned into earth, and to disturb the bones in the hope of finding some ornament among what is buried with the deceased, is subject to the same punishment as simple fornication, as explained in the previous word. Moreover, of course, the ruler of souls, looking at the life of the person being healed, monitors his healing, so that he can shorten the period of penance determined by the rules. According to this rule, the opening of tombs, like theft, is divided into two types: deserving and not deserving leniency. If the one who opens the tombs, showing due honor to the deceased (for this is an unwritten natural law), does not undress the deceased, but takes only the stones that are in the tomb in order, for example, to use them in another place for a more valuable and generally useful building, then this is not commendable, but custom has made it worthy of leniency 252. If anyone disturbs the ashes and bones of the deceased in order to take some jewelry or clothing made of gold or silver and buried with the deceased, then such a person will be punished as a fornicator, that is, for nine years. But the spiritual doctor has the right, according to the lifestyle and repentance of the sinner, to shorten the period of such penance. See also Vasily Velik. 66. Sacrilege is recognized by the Old Testament Scripture as worthy of no less condemnation than murder. Both the one convicted of murder and the one who stole what was dedicated to God were equally subject to stoning (Joshua 7). But church custom, I don’t know how, has included some leniency and relaxation, so that to cleanse this disease a milder remedy is used: the tradition of the fathers assigned to those suffering from it a penance shorter in time than for adultery. However, in any type of sin, first of all, one must observe what the spiritual disposition of the person being healed is, and for healing it is not time that is considered sufficient (after all, what kind of healing took place over time?), but the will of the one who heals through repentance. This, O man of God, we hastily sent to you, having collected with great care from what was at hand, since we must obey the fraternal commands. Do not stop offering God the usual prayers for us, for you are obliged, as a grateful son, to nourish in your old age with your prayers the one who gave birth to you according to God, according to the commandment that commands you to honor your parents, so that it will be good for you and that your days on earth will be prolonged (Ex. 20:12). It is obvious that you will accept this message as a pledge and will not despise the gift, even if it were below the nobility of your soul. This rule determines that sacrilege, that is, the theft of things dedicated to God, in the Old Testament Scripture was punished in the same way as murder: both the murderer and the blasphemer were both equally stoned, as can be seen from the story of Achar, who stole part of the spoils from Jericho dedicated to God, and for this he was stoned with his entire family (Josh. 7; see also the interpretation of the 4th rules of Gregory the Wonderworker). And church custom, out of condescension, punished this sin more mildly than adultery, as the tradition of the fathers established. To these words the saint adds that for each type of sin, the spiritual physician must take into account the disposition of the penitent and not think that only time and the duration of penances are sufficient for healing (what kind of healing can occur from the mere duration of penances, if the punished sinner at this time lives carelessly and does not want to correct himself?), but considers that healing occurs from the will and zeal of the sinner who heals himself with repentance. Concluding this message, the saint asks Litoius to pray to the Lord for him, as his spiritual son, and to accept this message as if it were some kind of friendly gift - not a worldly one, which many people are accustomed to sending on Easter, but divine and befitting of priests. See the 43rd letter of Gregory the Theologian (Greg. Nazianz. Ep. 11 (43) // PG 37, 41B-44B.). See his 95th letter (Greg. Nazianz. Ep. 197 (95) // PG 37, 321A-324B.). Fabricius, 8. P. 141. See also the 225th (385th) message of Basil the Great (Basil. Magp. Ep. 225 (385) // PG 32, 840A-841B.). Cave. T. 10. P. 244. See also the 237th (264th) message of Basil the Great (Idem. Er. 237 (264) // PG 32, 885B-888C.). In all likelihood, this was the Council, which took place in Antioch under Meletius, in 379 or 380. It approved the divine Nicene Symbol and anathematized Marcellus, Photinus and Apollinaris. See also the index in volume 2 of the Synodikon. Greg. Nyss. Er. 2 // PG 46, 1009B-1016A. Nikifor Kallist. Book 12, ch. 13 (Niceph. Callist. Hist. eccl. XII, 13 // PG 146, 784B.). Fabricius and Cave, ibid. For this Council, see after the Sardician Council. In the word “On the true and proper reward” of Herman of Constantinople (We are talking about the work of St. Herman, which has not survived to this day, “Ἀνταποδοτικὸς ἢ ἀνόθευτος”, a summary of which is contained in the “Library” of St. Photius Constantinople (Phot. Bibl. 233 // PG103, 1105B-1108D).) it is said that traces of the doctrine of apocatastasis, scattered throughout the writings of Gregory of Nyssa, are the crops of heretics. However, it was revealed to Barsanuphius, the great among the fathers, that they belonged to Gregory of Nyssa himself, who, nevertheless, did not defend this teaching with tenacity, as is typical of heretics - let it not be! - but accepted it without research, as the teachers taught him. First of all, this happened because this issue had not yet been subject to conciliar consideration. St. also agrees with the opinion of Barsanuphius. Maximus, who interprets these passages about apokatastasis in their correct understanding. It is obvious that Gennady Scholarius also agrees with them in his words against the Latins, about the procession of the Holy Spirit (section 3, chapter 18). About the peculiarities of the speech of St. Gregory of Nyssa Photius says (reading 6): “In style he is more brilliant than any other speaker, he delights the ear... his speech is replete with reasoning and examples...” (Phot. Віbl. 6 // PG 103, 52ВС.). The VII Ecumenical Council (Act 6) calls St. Gregory the father of the fathers, and Agathon the great bishop of Nyssa. In other sources: “from the fall of sin.” We are talking about the theory that emerged in ancient times that the health and well-being of the human body is supported by the harmonious combination of four natural elements in it: earth, water, air and fire. Each of the elements has heat or cold combined with moisture or dryness. When the harmonious combination of the elements and their qualities is disturbed, a person becomes ill. In other sources: “verbal” (λογικοῦ). In other sources: “the concept of nature and judgment of objects.” It is equally possible “erected” (ἀνάγεσθαι). Please note that neither Zonara, nor Aristin, nor the anonymous interpreter has an interpretation of these rules. Only Valsamon has it. In all likelihood, St. Gregory borrowed this division from Plato. The latter in “The State” says this: “Just as the state is divided into three classes, so in the soul of each individual person, in my opinion, three principles can be distinguished. Since there are three principles in the soul, in my opinion they correspond to three types of pleasures, each with its own. In the same way, lusts and power over them are divided... One principle is the one through which a person knows, the other is through which he is irritated, and the third, due to its diversity, we could not give any one name inherent to it, and for this reason we named it according to the attribute that is most strongly and sharply expressed in it: we called it desirable” (Plat. Respublica // TLG 0059/030. 580d3–580e3.). Diogenes Laertius says the same thing in his biography of Plato (Diog. Laert. Vitae philos. // TLG 0004/001. 3. 67. 4–7, etc.). However, ep. Nemesius says: “Doctors should not cool a body with an elevated temperature, as some people think, but bring it back to normal” (Nemes. Emes. De natura homin. 1 // PG 40, 520B.) (in Anastasius Sinaita p. 105). On this see also I Omni. 13. The part of the phrase enclosed in square brackets is released in the Greek text of the Pidalion and restored according to the edition: Рάλλης, Пοτλής. T. 4. Σ. 310. That is, the body of the spouse, which belongs to the second spouse through legal marriage. Why St. Gregory of Nyssa says that the fathers abandoned covetousness without penance, while the 3rd rule of Gregory the Wonderworker prescribes punishment for it? See the solution to this issue there. Pay also attention to the fact that at the beginning of this rule the saint called covetousness another type of idolatry, not because he spoke above about some other type of idolatry, but because by this he shows that there are two types of idolatry: one is direct, overt worship of idols, and the other is covetousness, which, through an addiction to gold and silver, indirectly and hiddenly serves the creature instead of the Creator. The Lord prohibits usury in the Gospel with the words: Beware of covetousness, for a person’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). And interest, i.e. growth, is prohibited by Deuteronomy with the words: Do not lend to your brother on interest (Deut. 23:19). The unrighteous theft of someone else's property under the guise of a transaction is denounced, as it seems to me, by the well-known psalm saying: The sons of men are deceitful in the wrong scales, they are united together because of vanity. Do not trust in unrighteousness and do not desire predation (Ps. 61:10-11). God tells Ezekiel more briefly about these three sins, speaking about a righteous person: He does not give his silver at interest, and does not take profit, and turns away his hand from unrighteousness (Ezek. 18:8), and then it is said about a corrupt and unrighteous person that he does not observe this. Both according to natural laws and medical rules, the surest and most appropriate treatment is to cure the opposite with the opposite. Let the thief of someone else's property give up his own, and let the one who profited from someone else's property be deprived of his own. However, if he also carries a weapon with him and is ready to use it against someone who resists, then he should be punished as an obvious thief and robber, because their intentions are similar, as Balsamon says. The civil law, in the 7th book, 23rd tit., says that those who take from the tombs stones, marble, columns or anything else, must pay 20 coins of gold into the public treasury and be punished for sacrilege. They say that the hands of those who undress the dead in the tombs must be cut off. Here, as a side note, we should also talk about the dead, who after death are bound and do not decompose. We will indicate two common reasons for their bond: one is natural, and the second is supernatural. The natural reason for their bond may be their physique, for Basil the Great says that there is as great a difference between physiques as between iron and brushwood (Basil. Magn. Const, monast. 4.1 // PG 31, 1348A.). Therefore, therefore, bodies of strong and strong build need to be in the coffin for many years in order to decompose: some are five, others even seven, and such remains should not be hastily transferred. The reason may also be the time of year: those that die in the winter, when it snows and is frosty, decompose more slowly than those that die in the heat in the summer. The reason for the bonds can also be the terrain and the soil: just as one soil produces beans that are easy to digest, and another produces beans that are difficult to digest, so in one soil, bodies decompose faster, and in another, more slowly. And the supernatural reason that the body is bound and does not decompose is either the legal, fair and canonical excommunication of the deceased by a bishop, for example a bishop, or a metropolitan, or a patriarch, or a priest, or in some unjust act that the deceased committed in relation to either one person individually, or an entire village, or region, or city. Therefore, if someone turns out to be bound, the relatives and heirs of the deceased must transfer him to another place, another soil, and after they see that the body does not decompose other than from a natural cause, they must ask the bishop, metropolitan or patriarch who excommunicated the deceased, or, if they are dead, then their successors, to forgive him. If the deceased has unjustly taken something away, the relatives, if they have the opportunity, should return it back or, if there is no opportunity, beg the offended to forgive the offender, and thus the ties will be resolved. See also the polemical work of Nectarius of Jerusalem, “On the Primacy of the Pope,” p. 206 to read there that the bodies of excommunicated people have the following signs: 1) they do not decompose, 2) they are ugly and ugly, 3) they are disgustingly smelly, 4) they are swollen like drums. I will add a fifth: they instill fear and horror in those who look at them. Accordingly, holy relics have opposite signs: they are incorruptible, beautiful, fragrant, dry, beautiful and pleasant, as if they were the bodies of sleeping people. In addition, they exude various miracles in abundance.