The life and ministry of Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov)

To the 125th anniversary of the death of Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) The past year was marked by several anniversary dates associated with the name of Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov). In 2007, it was 125 years since the repose of the archpastor. 140 years ago, in 1867, His Eminence Macarius submitted to the Sovereign Emperor Alexander II and the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count D. A. Tolstoy, a request “for annual bonuses to encourage domestic talents devoting themselves to the cause of science and generally useful pursuits.” In 1857, 150 years ago, the main multi-volume work of Metropolitan Macarius, “History of the Russian Church,” began to be published. Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Macarius (Bulgakov), saint, historian and theologian, devoted his entire life to researching, studying and writing the history of the Russian Church. The result of his many years of research activity was the multi-volume “History of the Russian Church,” which is one of the most complete studies not only on Russian church history, but also on the history of Russia. For this work, Metropolitan Macarius was awarded the title of full member of the Russian Imperial Academy of Sciences. The future archpastor was born on September 19, 1816 in the village of Surkovo, Novooskol district, Kursk province, in the large family of a poor rural priest Pyotr Bulgakov and his wife Stefanida Grigorievna. The baby was so weak that his father immediately baptized him. At Holy Baptism the boy received the name of the martyr and confessor Michael, Prince of Chernigov. At the age of seven, Mikhail lost his father, his mother remained a widow with six young children, so his childhood years were spent in the midst of bitter need, poverty and deprivation. But despite the difficulties, his reasonable and pious mother tried to give her children an education. Mikhail studied the basics of literacy in the house of his godfather, priest P. Nikitsky. Since 1825 he studied at the Korochansky Theological School, since 1827 - at the district theological school in Belgorod, at the Kursk Theological Seminary. The sickly child did not succeed in science; his studies required great hard work and perseverance from him. “Who could have thought,” wrote his biographer P. A. Smirnov, “that from this pitiful, downtrodden, considered hopeless boy, a great saint, a mentor for many generations, a director of church life, a valiant servant of the fatherland, an ascetic and patron of enlightenment would emerge.” The turning point in the development of Mikhail’s mental abilities was one exceptional incident that happened to him during his years of study at the district school. A stone accidentally thrown by his comrade cut his head and hemorrhaged. By the grace of God, during the treatment process, the scrofula that constantly tormented the boy suddenly disappeared and some kind of clarity of mind occurred. Soon after this, Mikhail became one of the best students of the school. In July 1831, he brilliantly graduated from school and was transferred to the Kursk Theological Seminary. The outstanding talents of Mikhail Bulgakov were revealed at the seminary. The young seminarian was distinguished by his nobility, curiosity, hard work and piety. He enjoyed the special attention of the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Elpidifor (Benediktov), ​​and even lived in his apartment. Other teachers watched the young man with interest and tried to develop his extraordinary abilities. He acquired such a favor from his mentors that they respectfully called him by his first and patronymic names, and not by his last name, as they usually called his students. Mikhail Bulgakov's seminar works were distinguished by originality of thought, strict logic, consistency of presentation and lively, impeccably correct literary language. He graduated from the seminary course first on the list and in August 1837 entered the Kyiv Theological Academy. At the academy, student Mikhail Bulgakov especially distinguished himself in his writings (these were poems, sermons, philosophical, theological-dogmatic and church-historical studies), and was distinguished by his brilliant knowledge of Russian and foreign languages. After graduating from the Kyiv Theological Academy, the young man had to choose his future path in life. At that time, Mikhail Bulgakov wrote about “a sincere and decisive desire to take on a monastic form” and in his subsequent life he always turned to the inexhaustible spiritual experience and wisdom of the ancient ascetics. On February 15, 1841, he was tonsured a monk with the name Macarius, in honor of the Hieromartyr Macarius, Metropolitan of Kyiv; On March 25, 1841, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on June 29, after finishing the final exams, he was ordained a hieromonk. He graduated from the course with a master's degree and was left at the academy at the newly opened department of Russian church and civil history. “Having raised a young talented historian, the Kiev Theological Academy had the opportunity to open the department of church and civil history, which was to be headed by Hieromonk Macarius. Until that time, history, both church and civil, was practically not studied at the academy, and the first teacher had to prepare lectures completely independently,” noted N. Ilyicheva. Within the walls of the Kyiv Theological Academy, the “Plan of Christian Asceticism” and the “History of the Kyiv Academy” were created, for which Hieromonk Macarius was awarded the title of master. In 1842, Hieromonk Macarius was appointed rector of the Kiev-Podolsk Theological Schools, and in the summer of the same year he was transferred to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and appointed assistant inspector. In 1844, at twenty-eight years old, Hieromonk Macarius became an ordinary professor at the Theological Academy and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. At the academy, he was entrusted with one of the most important departments - the department of dogmatic theology. He served as a professor and inspector of the academy for seven years, and the inspectorate activity of Archimandrite Macarius had the same fruitful results as his professorial service. The academic authorities highly valued his work and diligence and always contributed to his promotion. Archimandrite Macarius himself, thanks to his deep reverence, never was vain about his successes, but sincerely rejoiced at them, considering them a direct consequence of God’s endless mercy towards him. The course of lectures he delivered at the academy formed the basis of the first independent, famous work, “Introduction to Orthodox Theology” (1847), for which the author was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Theology. In 1848, Archimandrite Macarius began creating a complete set of “Orthodox Dogmatic Theology,” and already in 1849 its first volume was published, and in 1851 the second and third volumes were published. At the same time, the tireless author worked in the Committee of the Spiritual Department for the publication of spiritual and moral books for the people: lives of saints, descriptions of holy places, etc. Beginning in 1846, the works of Archimandrite Macarius related to Russian church science began to be published. In fact, he was the founder of a new direction - a systematic presentation of the history of the Russian Church. The year 1847 is considered the beginning of the publication of the multi-volume work of Archimandrite Macarius, “History of the Russian Church.” On December 20, 1850, Archimandrite Macarius was appointed rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. A year after this, on January 24, 1851, Archimandrite Macarius was named bishop of Vinnitsa, vicar of the Kamenets-Podolsk diocese, retained as rector and appointed rector of the Shargorod St. Nicholas Monastery, and on January 28, his episcopal consecration. In a letter to his mentor, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride Innocent (Borisov, † 1857), he wrote: “Oh, what an abundance of God’s goodness towards me, unworthy...” In May 1851, Bishop Macarius of Vinnitsa was transferred to the Tambov See. Through his efforts, the activities of theological educational institutions in the diocese improved, and missionary work developed widely. Bishop Macarius, a kind, sympathetic, gentle man, turned out to have an iron will, strict self-discipline, and high responsibility for the work he had undertaken. He hated ignorance, sycophancy and flattery. Bishop Macarius was strict, but the severity of his assessments was a consequence of the high demands made by the patriotic historian and Orthodox theologian on his compatriots professing the true faith. During this time, Bishop Macarius prepared a number of valuable historical and literary works for publication, and the main result of his work during this period were the sermons published in the Christian Reading magazine. In 1854, the archpastor received the Demidov Prize and was awarded the title of ordinary academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. On April 18, 1859, His Grace Macarius was appointed Bishop of Kharkov and Akhtyrka. In May, Vladyka Macarius left Tambov. “There were many who were sincerely crying at the farewell. All understanding people were consoled only by the fact that this archpastor, rare in the archpastorship, was destined to be a luminary of the Russian Church, shining on high, and to bring great benefit to it at the head of the administration, which was justified,” wrote his contemporary Archpriest V. E. Pevnitsky. While at the Kharkov See, Vladyka Macarius took care of the lives of ordinary rural priests, spiritual and educational institutions, the development of missionary activity, as well as the strict observance of church discipline. At the same time, he created a new spiritual and literary magazine, “Spiritual Messenger,” but most importantly, he continued to work on “The History of the Russian Church.” Throughout his life, Vladika Macarius followed a strict daily routine, which was violated only in extraordinary cases. He always got up at five o'clock in the morning, walked for an hour in the garden in all weathers, then prayed during the early Liturgy, from nine to twelve o'clock received visitors and took care of the affairs of the diocesan administration, then swam and walked in the grove. From half past twelve to half past four I read books of spiritual content, after which followed classes related to the “History of the Russian Church.” At six o'clock I drank tea and again studied History. At eleven o'clock in the evening, after a long prayer, he went to bed. At the beginning of 1867, His Eminence Macarius turned to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count D. A. Tolstoy with a letter with the following content: “In 1841, moving from a student to the bachelor’s department of the Kyiv Theological Academy, I made the following vow to myself: if God bless my intention and work, then all the money that will follow from my writings will be kept inviolable in order to establish interest annual prizes to encourage domestic talents devoting themselves to the cause of science and generally useful pursuits... and they will not be awarded until after my death.” In the same year, Emperor Alexander II approved the main provisions for awarding the Makariev Prizes. On December 10, 1868, His Grace Macarius was appointed Archbishop of Lithuania and Vilnius, which plunged the entire Kharkov flock and especially the Kharkov clergy into indescribable grief. After the death of Metropolitan Macarius, his name was included for eternal remembrance in the synodics of all churches of the Kharkov diocese. If the St. Petersburg period was the most joyful period in the life of Vladika Macarius, then his Lithuanian period was the most significant and difficult. This was due to the strong influence of Catholicism in the Lithuanian region. During the ministry of His Eminence Macarius in Lithuania, 293 churches were built, restored and consecrated, the Vilna Theological Seminary was opened, the cathedral and the large church of the Holy Spirit Monastery were restored. Bishop Macarius headed the work of two significant committees at the Holy Synod, inspected all four Russian Theological Academies, participated in the Russian and Slavic translations of the Holy Scriptures, participated on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church in resolving the Greek-Bulgarian church feud, and was one of the main experts of the Holy Synod on matters of schism and sects. In the same years, volumes VII, VIII and IX of his “History of the Russian Church” were published. On April 8, 1879, the Highest Decree was issued on the appointment of Archbishop Macarius as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, Holy Archimandrite of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra and member of the Holy Synod. About this event, the rector of the Moscow Theological Academy S.K. Simonov wrote: “Moscow has a new metropolitan and thanks God and the Sovereign for the appointment of such a great, most learned saint.” It was very difficult for the new Moscow Metropolitan; the situation in the Moscow diocese was difficult. Severely punishing those guilty of negligence, Vladyka brought down such a strong hail of undeserved reproaches that the last years of his life were often likened to martyrdom by his contemporaries. But despite the extreme intensity of work in the Moscow Metropolis, Bishop Macarius continued to work on his “History of the Russian Church.” During that period, three more volumes of his major work were completed—X, XI and XII—and XIII was begun, which he was never able to complete. About two hundred sermons of Metropolitan Macarius were also published. His Eminence Vladyka realized that he would not be able to completely write his “History”, although he strived for this. Over time, its X and XI volumes were published. The beginning of the XII and the beginning of the XIII volume were published after the death of the saint, thanks to the efforts of his brother Archpriest Alexander, who served in the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Academician P. A. Pletnev said that the works of Metropolitan Macarius will serve as an example of how to collect historical materials, how to bring them to unity, and how to present history in its highest meaning. But his opponents also expressed objections, one of which was the one-sidedness of the historical perspective (only from the side of the Church). Indeed, Metropolitan Macarius emphasized that in Russian history the development of the Church and the state proceeds in parallel and the relationship between the Russian Church and the Russian state resembles the relationship of the soul to the body. In his methodology, he proceeded from an understanding of this peculiarity of Russia. The life of Bishop Macarius corresponded to his spiritual image as a selfless worker in the field of Orthodox enlightenment. Sparing no effort and labor for the benefit of science, he was unusually generous and attentive to any bright phenomenon in science, even if the new concept did not correspond to his own. To this day, the act of Metropolitan Macarius, who published a book by his most talented opponent, E.E. Golubinsky, at his own expense, remains a rare example of nobility in science and his high spiritual qualities. Metropolitan Macarius took an active part in the reform of the Theological School and ardently defended the need to provide it with free development in accordance with the requirements of the time. In 1869, on his initiative and under his editorship, a new charter of the Theological Academies was published, which, according to Professor A.P. Lebedev, constituted “an indisputable era in the development of church historical science in Russia.” According to this charter, all sciences of the academic program were divided into three departments, one of which was church history. His students could devote four years mainly to the study of historical sciences. Thanks to the new charter, the church history department soon became the most popular at the Moscow Theological Academy. Another important innovation of the “Makarievsky” charter of 1869 was a change in the procedure for awarding academic degrees. The Master of Divinity degree was awarded for published work that was publicly defended. The degree of Doctor of Theology was now awarded not in the Holy Synod, which very rarely awarded this degree to theologians, but in the Theological Academies themselves. Thus, thanks to Metropolitan Macarius, the same procedures for awarding academic degrees were introduced in academies as in universities. The new charter consolidated the tendency towards an increasing role of the subject “history of the Russian Church” as an area for academic study. Metropolitan Macarius was an ardent patriot of his homeland, and the theme of love for the fatherland was one of the main ones in his sermons. “The feeling of love for the fatherland, once expressed in such strong terms by the sons of Israel, is one of the most natural and sacred feelings of the human heart. This love is instilled in people by nature itself, this love is quietly strengthened by the morals and customs of each country, and is clearly prescribed by the political laws of each state. But people who do not know Christianity or do not live according to Christianity and are alien to its spirit will never rise to true love for their homeland. One, one Christianity, which prepares true citizens for Heaven, can form true citizens for earth,” he wrote. As a tireless zealot for Orthodox education, Metropolitan Macarius suffered deeply from the fact that the masses lived in almost complete ignorance. And people felt the kind heart of the Lord: students, young scientists, fire victims, starving people turned to him for help and always received his support. Many works, responsibilities and adversities undermined the health of Metropolitan Macarius. On June 7, 1882, at the bishop’s summer dacha in the village of Cherkizovo behind the Preobrazhenskaya Gate, Vladyka became ill, and a day later, on June 9, he quietly died. On June 12, the body of the Moscow archpastor was solemnly transferred to the Cathedral Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin, where the funeral service took place. The next day, a funeral train departed from the Trinity station, which carried the body of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow and Kolomna to his final resting place - the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.