About the life and works of the seven most famous Church Fathers

Contents The concept of the naming of the Church Fathers, Apostolic and Church writers I. St. Athanasius the Great II. St. Cyril of Jerusalem III. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Theologian IV. Life of St. Gregory the Theologian after the death of Basil the Great V. St. Ambrose of Milan VI. St. John Chrysostom VII. St. John of Damascus To His Imperial Highness the Blessed Sovereign Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich Your Imperial Highness! With the holy zeal of the Blessed Son of the Church, fulfilling the plans of the Most Pious Sovereign, Your Imperial Highness made the teaching of the Law of God the main basis of education in the Military Educational Institutions entrusted to the main authorities of Your Imperial Highness, and with a generous hand bestowed constant and sure means for the beneficial effect of Divine teaching on the hearts young men. Honored by the beneficent will of Your Imperial Highness to participate in the fulfillment of the sacred duty of Christian education, with deepest gratitude I dare to bring to Your Imperial Highness a small experience of my work, drawn up according to the program approved by the Holy Governing Synod, and approved by Your Imperial Highness for Military Educational Institutions. Your Imperial Highness! deign to accept this offering as one of the fruits sown and returned with the blessing of God by Your Imperial Highness. Your Imperial Highness's most devoted servant and worshiper Archpriest Nikolai Raevsky. The concept of the naming of the Church Fathers, Apostolic and Church writers Although with the death of the Holy Apostles the Church lost its direct witnesses and servants of I. Christ; but the Lord, who cared for his Church, and after them, from time to time, raised up people who, with zeal for the great benefit of the Church, labored, preaching and preserving the teaching handed down to the Apostles, although they did not have the gifts of grace to the same degree as they had in the Apostles. Such guardians of the Apostolic teaching appeared primarily among Bishops, as successors to the title of Apostles. The Church called her Fathers those of them who, according to her judgment, faithfully conveyed in word and writing the contents of her teaching received from the Apostles, and served as an example of holy life. Those of the Holy Fathers of the Church who were self-witnesses of the Apostles are called Apostolic men; those same writers who, although they contributed to the preservation of the Apostolic teaching, are not glorified in the Church either regarding their Orthodoxy or regarding the holiness of life, are called only church writers. The Apostolic men include: St. Clement of Rome, disciple of the Apostles Peter and Paul, St. Ignatius of Antioch (God-Bearer) and St. Polycarp of Smyrna, disciples of St. John the Theologian. A number of the Fathers of the Church begin: St. Justin the Philosopher, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Gregory the Neo-Caesarean wonderworker, who lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. But mainly the 4th Christian century, which embraces the beginning of the triumph of the Christian faith in the Roman Empire, is the century of the Church Fathers. In this century, the Church, as it were, reaped the fruits that it had sown with sorrows and illnesses in previous centuries. To give an idea of the life and works of the Fathers of the Church, for example, we will limit ourselves to presenting the concept of the lives and works of a few of the Fathers of the 4th century, namely: 1) St. Athanasius of Alexandria, 2) St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 3) St. Basil the Great, 4) St. Gregory the Theologian, 5) St. Ambrose of Milan, 6) St. John Chrysostom and 7) who lived in the 8th century - St. John of Damascus. All of them are especially respected by the Orthodox Church; and three of them, namely: St. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom, are honored with the title of Ecumenical Great Teachers of the Church. St. Athanasius was born in Alexandria around 296 A.D. from Christian parents. He spent his youth under St. Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, and partly under one of the first Christian hermits, St. Anthony. Here, in addition to educating himself through the sciences, he acquired unshakable firmness in the Orthodox faith, and the height of spiritual enlightenment, for which the Church called him the Great. In his young years he was ordained a deacon, and accompanied his Bishop to the Council of Nicaea. Here, with such force, he refuted Arius, asserting the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, that the Arians considered him the main culprit of their defeat. Upon his return from the Council, in the 28th year of his life, he was elevated to the throne of the Alexandrian Church. The Arians pursued him with all their intrigues, slander, and violence, probably believing that with the fall of Athanasius, Orthodoxy in the empire would also fall. That is why his whole life was a chain of disasters and exiles, among which the firmness of his faith and zeal for the truth grew more and more. Constantine the Great, due to the slander of the Arians, exiled him to Gaul, however, as Athanasius himself believed, in order to save him from frantic persecution by the Arians. The children of Constantine, after the death of their father, returned Athanasius to their flock (338); but, protected by Constantius, the Arians deposed him from the throne, and he had to twice seek salvation and justification in Rome from Pope Julius. The Council of Sardicia (344) solemnly acquitted Athanasius, and Constantius, against his inner desire, returned him to Alexandria. Seeing his inflexibility against the Arians, he ordered a detachment of troops to capture him in the church (356); but the love of the Orthodox saved him from certain death, and he, again deprived of the throne, amid grave disasters and dangers, hid in the desert of Upper Egypt until the death of Constantius. Under Julian, returning to Alexandria, he took advantage of the short time of peace to pacify not only his own, but also other Churches shocked by Arianism, and to return to Orthodoxy the bishops who had deviated from it for fear of persecution. But, pursued by the pagans, he had to hide again in the desert. Comforted by the patronage of Jovian during his short reign, under the Arian Valens he was again reduced to hiding for four months in the tombstone of his father, outside the city. General indignation forced Valens to summon the Saint to the flock; after which, exhausted by labors, exiles and disasters, the elder soon ended the painful life of the body (373), without ceasing until death to call for the confession of the Divinity of Christ against the Arians. The creations of St. Athanasius are numerous. Some of them refute errors and heresies, others are contrary to the Orthodox faith, others contain history. The first include: 1) two books on the pagans, of which in the first he denounces paganism, in the second he discusses the incarnation of the Son of God, refuting the Jews into pagans; 2) four words against the Arians, a book about the Holy Trinity, and many others, written either against the Arians, or against those who sin in the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God. In his historical works, St. Athanasius describes exclusively the history of his time. In the Orthodox Church, the Symbol called Afanasyev is highly respected. “Whoever wants to be saved, first of all, it is fitting for him to hold the Catholic faith, but if anyone does not keep it whole and blameless, he will perish forever except for all bewilderment. This Catholic faith is: let there be one God in the Trinity, and we honor the Trinity in unity, below the merging of the hypostases, below the dividing being. For there is another hypostasis of the Father, and another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit: but the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one Divinity, equal glory, coeternal majesty.” Then, having outlined the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, he sets out the doctrine of Christ, and ends the symbol with the doctrine of the future eternal life. Places from the works of St. Athanasius. The power and glory of the crucified God-man. Let us cite as an example two passages from the work of St. Athanasius against the pagans, 1st, where he refutes the objection of the pagans about the suffering and death of the God-man. “The pagans usually object to us, reproaching us with the crucifixion of I. Christ; but in this very thing they are worthy of regret, that they humiliate the cross, and reproach us with it, not noticing the fact that its power filled the entire universe, and that through it the Divinity revealed itself especially clearly to people. For if with the appearance of the cross idolatry fell, disastrous dreams generated by the devil were driven away, Christ is worshiped everywhere, God is known everywhere through Him, the enemies of Christianity are put to shame, or they themselves submit to the Gospel, then we ask them: is this really a human affair? Shouldn’t we rather agree that he who ascended to the cross is God’s Word and the Savior of the world (from the 1st book of the Gentiles). 2nd, where St. Athanasius proves the existence of the One Creator from the order of creation. Proof of the existence of One God from consideration of creatures "St. Paul writes to the Romans: “Since the creation of the world the invisible things of God have been made visible by seeing the creatures” (Rom. 1:20). In fact, who - looking at the vault of heaven, at the course of the sun and moon, at the various paths of the stars, preserving a constant, identical order in the very diversity of movement - would not conclude by itself that they do not exist by themselves, but there is Someone Else who arranged them, the Creator? Who, noticing how winter gives way to spring, spring to summer, summer to autumn, and how, being opposite in their influence (for winter cools, summer warms, spring produces, autumn destroys), equally serve the benefit of man - who will not agree that there is Someone More Excellent than all this, balancing everything, governing everything, although He is not visible? Who, noticing the fertility of the earth, the rain falling from the sky, the flow of rivers, the speed of streams, the birth of animals from different sexes, noticing in all this that objects are completely different and even opposite to one another, are subject to the same constant order - who will not be convinced that there is a One Power that combines all this and rules everyone according to its will? If someone were to enter a city where many different people, large and small, rich and poor, young and old, learned and uneducated, live in good order, and, moreover, live in such a way that all conditions are perfectly balanced, and neither the rich offend the poor, nor the strong the weak, nor the young men the elders: then of course he would attribute this order to the fact that there is a boss here, even if he has not seen him; since disorder is an expression of lack of authority, and order reveals a leader. So the beautiful structure of the universe reveals to us the supreme ruler of everything - God, and, moreover, not many gods, but one. For if there were many rulers of the world, then there would not be a real, beautiful order. Polytheism is the same as atheism; just as where there are many bosses, it is as if there is no boss, for there one will destroy the work of another.” (From the same book). In the lengthy Orthodox Catechism, the testimony of St. Athanasius is relied upon as the basis for the calculation of the Holy books of the Old Testament. St. Athanasius is commemorated on January 18th and May 2nd. Some of the works of St. Athanasius were translated into Russian and published in monthly books of Christian Reading. II. St. Cyril of Jerusalem St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was first a deacon, and then a presbyter in Jerusalem, and during his reign Constantius was appointed bishop. He was close to St. Athanasius in the place of his ministry, the spirit of piety and the very disasters of his life. Under Constantius, he was twice expelled from his flock due to the machinations and slander of the Arian Acacius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine. Besides Orthodoxy, he was accused of wasting the treasures of the Church for the poor during the famine, and did not spare even the rich robe bequeathed to the Jerusalem Temple by Constantine the Great. Returned under Julian, he was again imprisoned under Valens, and returned by Theodosius the Great. As a very old man, he attended the 2nd Ecumenical Council, which called him the most pious and defender of the Orthodox faith. He died in 386 at the 70th year of his life. His memory is celebrated on March 18th. Events in Jerusalem that marked the bishopric of St. Cyril God blessed his bishopric with two memorable signs. During the reign of Constantius, he, along with all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, witnessed the appearance in heaven of the sign of a luminous cross, which stretched from Golgotha ​​to the Mount of Olives, about which St. Cyril wrote to Emperor Constantius at the same time. Another sign happened under Julian. With the intention of ridiculing Christians, Julian called on the Jews to rebuild the Old Testament temple in Jerusalem. In vain did St. Cyril recall the Savior’s prophecy that in the foundations of the church there would not be left one stone upon another. The Jews set to work with all zeal; They dug up the ruins remaining on the site of the church and wanted to lay the foundation, when the balls of fire coming out of the ditches they dug terrified and dispersed the builders; the earthquake scattered the prepared materials, and thus the words of the God-man were again justified over Jerusalem. This event was witnessed not only by modern writers of the Church, but also by an eyewitness, the pagan writer Ammianus Marcellinus. St. Cyril has brought great benefit to the Church of all times with his catechetical and secret teachings. With the rank of presbyter, fulfilling the duty of guiding those receiving Holy Baptism, he spoke 18 catechumenical teachings to those preparing for baptism. In them he showed the need for repentance, and turning to God, and the power of baptism, and outlined the Orthodox teaching according to the guidance of the Creed. In five sacramental teachings, he outlined the spirit and rites of the sacraments to those who received Baptism: Baptism, Confirmation and Communion; Moreover, he explained the Liturgy, along with the Lord’s Prayer. St. Cyril preached in the spirit of simplicity and apostolic power, confirming his words with the many sayings of Holy Scripture he cited (according to the translation of 70). Reading these teachings especially clearly shows that the Orthodox Church to this day firmly observes not only the dogmas of the faith, but also St. rites commanded to her by the ancient Church. Places from the works of St. Cyril So, for example, he says about the need for a Creed: “The faith, both in teaching and in confession, try to have and maintain only that which is now communicated to you by the Church, and which is confirmed by all Scripture. since not everyone can read the Scriptures, but some lack the ability, and others are prevented from learning them by some kind of study; so that we do not destroy souls through ignorance, we conclude in a few verses the entire teaching of faith; and it is advisable that you notice it while reading, and repeat it yourself with all care, not drawing it on paper, but imprinting it on your heart with memory.” Expounding the doctrine of God and the Son of God, St. Cyril especially urges one to have humility and awareness of one’s powerlessness in the study of the Divine: On the limitations of our concepts of the Divine “We do not say everything, as much as we should talk about God, but as much as is possible for human nature, and as much as our weakness can bear. For we do not explain what God is, but we sincerely admit that we do not have perfect knowledge of Him. For the great thing in Divine things is knowledge “to be aware of one’s ignorance” (p. 98). About the fact that one should not allow oneself to be excessively curious in the doctrine of God “And the Holy Spirit himself did not explain in Scripture the birth of the Son from the Father. So, why are you curious about something that the Holy Spirit did not say in Scripture? Without knowing what is written, you are curious about what is not written. In the Divine Scripture there are many subjects for research. And we don’t understand what is written. Why should we be curious about what is not written? Do not be ashamed of your ignorance, for you know what even the Angels do not know” (p. 195). On the duties of children to parents Speaking about the same subject, St. Cyril makes the following moral application: “Honoring the heavenly Father, let us also honor our fathers according to the flesh. The excellent and first task of Christian piety is to honor our parents, to reward the labors they endured in raising us, and to try with all our might to bring them peace. For, even though we have returned a lot to them, we cannot return to them the main gift - life.” (Pages 141 and 142). On preserving the body in purity Speaking about the future resurrection of the body, he adds the following: “Let us, brothers, guard our bodies, and let us not use them for evil, like strangers, as the heretics used to say. For we must give an account to the Lord for everything that we have done in the body. Do not say: no one sees me, and do not think that there is no witness to your deeds. There is often no human witness: but the Creator, not a false witness, sees all your deeds; Moreover, sinful defilements remain on the body. Sin wounds soul and body, and signs of former wounds remain on soul and body.” (Page 423). On the performance and power of the bloodless sacrifice offered during the Liturgy From the explanation of the Liturgy, we cite one place: “Having sanctified ourselves with spiritual songs, we pray to God, who loves mankind, to send the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are presented, to make bread the body of Christ, and wine the blood of Christ. For everything that is touched by the Holy Spirit is sanctified and transformed. Then, after the completion of the spiritual Sacrifice of the bloodless service, with the same propitiatory Sacrifice, we pray to God for the universal peace of the Churches, for the well-being of the world, for kings, for soldiers and companions, for those who are in weakness, for those weary from labor, and in general for everyone who requires help, we all pray, and we offer this sacrifice. Afterwards we remember those who have died before, firstly, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, so that through their prayers and intercession God may accept our prayer. Then we remember the departed Holy Fathers, and in general about all of us who have previously died, believing that there will be great benefit to the souls for whom prayer is offered at the time when the holy and terrible Sacrifice is offered. Even for the departed, even if they are sinners, offering prayers to God, we offer Christ, who was slain for our sins, propitiating for them and for us the philanthropic God.” In addition, from the works of St. Cyril in the Long Catechism, evidence is given that there is faith, about the number of books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, and about the power of the cross. The latest translation of the works of St. Cyril in Russian was published with the blessing of the Holy Synod in 1822. III. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Theologian Education of St. Basil and St. Gregory St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Theologian were from Cappadocia, children of wealthy and pious parents, and Gregory was the son of the bishop of the city of Nazianza. The first feelings of piety were revealed in Vasily by his sister, Macrina, and in Gregory by his mother, Nonna. After primary education in domestic cities, they met in Athens, attracted here by their love of education. Here they recognized and fell in love with each other with an unbreakable love. Gregory, already after the death of Vasily, often consoled himself with memories of the wonderful years of his youth spent with Vasily in Athens. This is what he wrote in one of his works: “When, after some time (staying in Athens), we revealed to each other our desires and the object of them - wisdom, then we already became everything to each other: comrades, table mates, and relatives; having one goal, we continually grew in ardent love for each other. We were led by equal hopes, and in the most envious matter - in teaching; but envy was far from us; both of us were striving not for either of us to become first, but in some way to yield primacy to each other; because each of us considered our friend’s glory to be our own. We both had one exercise - virtue, and one effort - before leaving here, renouncing this place, to live for future hopes. We also made friends with comrades, but not with insolent ones, but with chaste ones, not with perky ones, but with peace-loving ones, with whom one could be friends not without benefit; for we knew that it is easier to borrow vice than to impart virtue. As for the lessons, we loved not so much the pleasant ones as the most perfect ones; because this also helps young people to educate themselves in virtue or vice. We knew two roads: one, this first and most excellent, led to our sacred churches and to the teachers there; the other is the second and of unequal dignity with the first, led to the mentors of external sciences. We provided other roads - to holidays, to spectacles, to public gatherings, to feasts - to those who wished. Others have nicknames either from their fathers, or from their rank and occupation; We have one great cause and name - to be and be called Christians. Although for others (not without reason pious people think so) Athens is soul-destroying; for there are more idols there than in the whole of Hellas; on the contrary, living in Athens, we were confirmed in the faith, because we learned the deceitfulness and deceitfulness of idols, and there we learned to despise demons, where they are surprised at them. (Creations of the Holy Fathers, year II, book 3, pp. 75 and 76). While living in Athens, Vasily and Gregory improved themselves in all kinds of sciences, which were only then available in enlightened Greece. Their teachers were pagans; but the Saints, having a good foundation laid in them at home, used everything acquired from them to improve themselves in a virtuous life, and for the benefit of the Church. Julian, the future Emperor and apostate, studied with the same teachers and together with the Saints; pagan teachers were the reason for his apostasy. Taught by such examples, St. Basil subsequently advised using pagan learning with great caution, but did not deny its benefits. Distinctive qualities of St. Basil and St. Gregory After completing their education, Vasily and Gregory returned to their families, and soon both accepted Holy Baptism. Having one goal in life and one upbringing, guided by one Spirit of God, on the path of life they differed from each other in the nature of their activities. St. Basil showed in himself a deep and calm mind, a strong will, a person born to command others; in St. Gregory, with a subtle and sublime mind and a vivid imagination, a tender, sensitive heart prevailed. St. Basil, far-reaching with his gaze on the fate of the Church, acts for her good with the powerful means of the Shepherd; St. Gregory, following the inspiration of a tender heart, is devoted to family love and friendship, and for him the best way to establish the good of the Church is to sacrifice himself wherever this sacrifice is necessary. St. Gregory captivates and captivates with his lively, eloquent word; St. Basil writes in legislative language. The more dangers there are, the higher and more inflexible Vasily becomes; Gregory, in distress, acts as long as he can convince people of the height of his love; when people do not heed his convictions, with a torn heart he retires into solitude, cries before God, and pours out his sadness in captivating songs of poetry. St. Basil acted according to the word of the Apostle: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13); St. Gregory personified the words of the same Apostle: he is patient with love, he is merciful, he does not seek his own, he covers everything, he has faith in everyone, he trusts everything, he endures everything. (1 Cor. 13:4-7). The Saints' Sojourn in the Wilderness After receiving Holy Baptism, St. Gregory lived at home for his aged parents; St. Basil traveled through Egypt and Palestine and studied examples of strict virtues and the power of the spirit over the flesh from Christian hermits. Upon returning to Cappadocia, he retires to a secluded, pleasant place in the neighboring region of Pontus, calling Gregory there with a voice of friendship; here both exhaust their flesh with fasting, vigil, prayer and physical labor, and delve into the knowledge of Holy Scripture and the works of the Fathers of the Church and interpreters of Holy Scripture that preceded them. What remains as a monument to their studies is their compilation of them, their extraction under the name of the Philokalia. With this example, St. Basil and St. Gregory showed the possibility of combining learned theological works with the exploits of monasticism, and laid the foundation for the upbringing and education of youth in monasteries; for many disciples had gathered to them, who wished to live according to their example and guidance. St. Basil wrote for them many moral teachings on piety, called Ascetic, and a monastic charter. This charter subsequently became the law for all eastern monasticism. During the reign of Julian, both of them were ordained presbyters. St. Gregory was ordained against his will in Nazianza by his father; St. Basil in Caesarea - Bishop Eusebius. After this, they once again met in their beloved desert: Gregory, moving away from the presbytery involuntarily assigned to him, Vasily from the cowardly envy of his bishop. But soon obedience to his father called Gregory out of the desert; Basil left her, summoned to help by his bishop, when, during the reign of Valens, the Church was threatened by severe persecution from the Arians. Vasily became the right hand and only adviser of his Archpastor; Gregory, assisting his elderly father, strengthened Vasily in his exploits by frequent correspondence with him. St. Basil on the episcopal throne After the death of Eusebius, St. Basil, especially with the assistance of Father St. Gregory, was installed as Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Seeing the real disasters of the Church and realizing his responsibility as the Shepherd of one of the older Churches, St. Basil strengthened himself by relations with St. Athanasius of Alexandria, from whom he found flattering encouragement, with Damasus the Pope of Rome, with neighboring bishops and subsequently with St. Ambrose of Milan. At the same time, St. Basil devoted all his attention to the internal improvement of the Caesarea Church, to which he contributed greatly while still a presbyter. He made the Divine service in Caesarea extremely splendid and majestic, by his example urging his fellow servants to forget everything earthly during the Divine service; wrote prayers for the celebration of the Liturgy, which had hitherto been preserved orally from the Apostles; determined strict rules of subordination of the bishops, presbyters and other clergy entrusted to him; wrote many rules of church deanery and court; traveled to establish nearby churches; tirelessly preached the Word of God; gave and wrote to those seeking advice, admonitions, instructions, consolation and encouragement from him; became the protector of widows, the poor and the oppressed; during the famine he was a feeder for the inhabitants of Caesarea, and not only Christians, but also pagans; established an almshouse for the poor and sick and together a hospital, which was so vast that it seemed like a whole city, and in which he himself often went to look after the sick. In general, the Caesarea Church at St. Vasily served as an example of improvement, and the Orthodox Church made many of its rules and institutions law for all times. The courage of St. Basil in the fight against the Arians St. Basil built the Church amidst continuous dangers and surrounded by many enemies. Emperor Valens, a zealous champion of Arianism, expelled into prison all the almost Orthodox shepherds of the Eastern Churches; He prepared the same fate for St. Basil. On his instructions, Prefect Modest used all measures of seduction and threats to distract Basil from the Orthodox Nicene faith, but everything was in vain. “I am not afraid of taking away my property,” answered St. Basil. – He who has nothing has nothing to describe; Do you really want this piece of hair and a few books that contain all my belongings? I don’t know about exile, because I’m not connected to any place. And the place where I now live is not mine, and everything else where they move me will be mine. It’s better to say: God’s place is everywhere. And what kind of torture will they take when I don’t even have a body? Death is a blessing for me: it will sooner send me to God, for Whom I live and work, for Whom most of myself I have already died, and to Whom I have been hastening for a long time.” Modest gave St. Basil more time to think; he answered: “I am the same both today and tomorrow.” (Creation. Holy Father Year II, book 3, p. 105). Valens, who soon arrived in Caesarea, was twice present at the Orthodox Divine services performed by Vasily. The saint accepted the gifts brought to the Church by the Emperor and talked with him inside the altar. Vasily's reverence in the priesthood and the healing through the prayers of his only son Valentov made a deep impression on Valens' heart, but not for long. Throughout his life, the saint had to expect intrigues from the Arian bishops, who had a strong influence on Valens. However, the saint’s courage not only saved him and his Church, but had a beneficial influence on the entire Church; for, after the death of St. Athanasius, which followed at this time, he became the support and focus of all the Orthodox shepherds of the East, and did not allow Arianism to swallow up the small flock of the faithful. St. Basil also suffered various griefs from his co-bishops. For example, through their machinations, another archbishopric was created in his region, Caesarea; a significant part of the churches from St. Basil passed to the Archbishop of Tiana. Then the Saint sacrificed the feelings of his friendship for the good of the Church, consecrating St. Gregory, against his wishes, as a bishop in an insignificant town on the borders of the Tyana and Caesarea Churches - Sasima. However, Gregory could not begin to correct his pastoral duties, but managed to reconcile Archbishop Tiana with Vasily. The worst enemy of St. Basil was Eustathius, Bishop of Sebastia, who was previously highly respected and loved by him for his strict life, but then revealed himself to be a stubborn Arian and a hypocrite, and throughout the life of the Saint he sowed slander against him and discord, even between the people closest to him and his relatives. But, to Vasily’s consolation, he had no shortage of excellent people who assisted him and highly respected him. These were: St. Amphilochius of Iconium and St. Ephraim of Edessa, in the humble rank of deacon, who earned the high title of Father of the Church. The latter came from afar to Caesarea to enjoy a spiritual conversation with its archpastor, and to be amazed at the deanery of the Church of Caesarea. St. Basil survived Valens, who fell in the war with the Goths, and heard about the accession to the throne of Gratian, zealous for Orthodoxy, who ordered the return of the imprisoned bishops. This calmed Vasily; but soon this Holy man calmed down from all everyday suffering. Illnesses from his youth, the labors of teaching, constant church studies, the composition of thoughtful works and many very serious troubles, which from the very beginning of his archbishopric almost continuously tormented his heart - all this completely exhausted his strength, which in itself was very weak, and he, after previous frequent illnesses, fell into the last one, which on the first day of 379 ended his life, in the 50th year from birth. The day of the burial of St. Basil fully revealed how ardently Caesarea loved him. When his body was carried out, thousands of people of all kinds and ages, hitherto unknown, surrounded the coffin and crowded each other, wanting to touch his clothes, as they once did with the Apostles. Pagans and Jews shared the grief of the orphaned flock. The Church named Basil the Great, and since his death it has been celebrating his memory on January 1st. The creations of St. Basil are varied. In some, he explains Holy Scripture, for example, in Conversations on many psalms, and on the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and in conversations on the Sixth Day, where he, with his deep knowledge of nature, explains the six-day creation described by Moses; in others he denounces modern heretics, for example, in three books against Eunomius, the worst Arian, and in the book about the Holy Spirit to St. Amphilochius. In these books, he revealed the need to supplement the teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Nicene Symbol, and this addition, in accordance with his teaching, was made at the 2nd Ecumenical Council. In addition, after him there remain lengthy and brief monastic rules, several conversations of dogmatic and moral content, more than 300 letters to various persons, and prayers of the Liturgy. Places from the works of St. Basil the Great. Proof of the Wisdom of God in the Composition of Man Here are some passages from his creations. 1) From his conversation on the words of Holy Scripture: listen to yourself. “Accurate observation of yourself will give you sufficient guidance to the knowledge of God. For if you pay attention to yourself, you will not have the need to look for traces of the Creator in the structure of the universe, but in yourself, as if in some small world, you will see the great wisdom of your Creator. From the incorporeality of the soul within you, understand that God is also incorporeal. Know that He is not limited by place; because your mind does not have a special stay in any place, but is in a place only because of its connection with the body. Believe that God is invisible, having known your own soul; because it is incomprehensible with bodily eyes. Marvel at the Artist, how He tied the strength of your soul to your body; consider what power is imparted to the body by the soul, and what sympathy returns from the body to the soul, what treasuries there are for what is being studied; how a soul, crawling into carnal passions, destroys its own beauty, and how again, having been cleansed from sinful shame, through virtue it ascends to likeness to the Creator.” Listen, if you please, to the consideration of the soul and the structure of the body, and marvel at what a decent vitality the best Artist has arranged for the rational soul. Of all the animals, He gave one man an upright posture of the body, so that, by its very outward appearance, you could understand that your life begins from above. All four-legged animals look at the ground and are lowered to the belly; and a person’s gaze is open to heaven, so that he does not indulge in the belly and carnal passions, but has a complete desire for the heavenly procession. Then, placing the head at the very top of the body, God installed the most worthy feelings in it. There is sight, hearing, taste, smell; they are all located close to each other. And with such constriction of them in a small space, not one of them interferes with the action of the feeling adjacent to it. The eyes took the highest guard so that no part of the body would block their light, and so that, being under the slight cover of the eyebrows, they could rush straight from the highest heights. Again, the hearing is not open in a straight line, but takes in the sounds floating in the air in a convoluted course. And the highest wisdom is visible in the fact that the voice passes unhindered, or better to say, it sounds refracted in the bends. Study the nature of the tongue, how gentle and flexible it is, and how varied its movements are sufficient for every need of speech. The teeth are also instruments of the voice, providing strong support for the tongue, and together they serve when tasting food; some cut it, others crush it. And thus, considering everything with proper reasoning, and studying the drawing in of air by the lungs, the preservation of warmth in the heart, the instruments of digestion, the conductors of blood, in all this you will see the inexplicable wisdom of your Creator; so that you yourself will say with the Prophet: marvel at your understanding at me. (Ps. 139:6)." This part of St. Basil’s conversation gives an idea of both the content of his conversations on the Sixth Day and their dignity. Description of a true hermit 2) To have an idea of ​​the rules of St. Basil for monks, let us take from one of his letters the description of a true hermit he made: “To leave the world,” he wrote, “does not mean to withdraw from it with your body, but to free your soul from enslavement to the worries of everyday life. The occupation of a hermit is imitation of the Angels in unceasing prayer and praise. The sun rises and he gets up to work; without interrupting mental prayer, he meditates on reading the Holy Scriptures in order to gain virtue and direct his life according to the example of the saints; then prayer follows the reading to make it more effective. A monk's conversations should be free from all idle talk and argument, modest, quiet and friendly; his humility is revealed in his posture, gait, and downcast gaze in the simplest clothes, barely enough to cover himself from cold and heat; in food one should seek only to satisfy hunger: bread and water with a few vegetables are enough, but eating it without greed, one must reflect spiritually, beginning and ending the meal with prayer. Of the twenty-four hours of the day, let only one be dedicated to bodily concerns; the sleep will be short and light, and midnight for the hermit should be like morning for others, so that in the silence of nature he would reflect with greater attention on the means to cleanse his sins and improve in virtue.” And so St. Basil generally advised the monk what true Christian wisdom advises every Christian who is not called to heavy bodily labor in society. Two conversations of St. Basil about fasting are very remarkable. According to the charter of the Church, they are supposed to be read at the beginning of Great Lent, and even several church songs are compiled from their content, which are sung during Lent. This is what he writes about fasting: “Fasting is not a new invention; fasting is an ancient gift, a treasure of the Fathers. Everything distinguished by antiquity is venerable. Respect the gray hairs of fasting. He is contemporary with humanity. Fasting is legal in Paradise; for the commandment given to Adam: You shall not take down from the tree, is the legalization of fasting and abstinence. We are damaged by sin; Let us be healed by repentance; and repentance without fasting is “not complete.” “Fasting reflects temptations, strengthens those who strive in piety, a guardian of sobriety, a teacher of chastity; He performs valiant deeds in battles, and teaches silence in times of peace. Fasting is the growth of houses, the mother of health, the educator of youth, the adornment of the elders, the reliable guardian of marriage.” “However, for a commendable fast, abstinence from food is not enough; but let us fast with a fast that is pleasing and pleasing to God. True fasting is removal from evil, abstinence of the tongue, suppression of anger, excommunication of lusts, slander, lies, and perjury. Abstinence from this is true fasting.” (Creation of the Holy Father, year IV, book 3, pp. 1–29). Comforting a mother mourning the death of her son 4) Very touching in St. Basil’s conversation about thanksgiving to God, the consolation of a mother mourning the death of her only son. This is what he says to her: “You had a son, a young man, the only successor to the estate, the consolation of old age, the adornment of the family, the flower of his peers, the support of the house - and he was kidnapped by death at the most charming age; Is it possible, you ask me, is it possible in such sorrow not to give in to tears and despair? Is it possible to give thanks to God at this time? Perhaps, if you consider that your child’s closest father, the most reasonable trustee and steward of life is God. Why don’t we allow the reasonable Master to dispose of our property as He pleases, but are annoyed as if we were being deprived of property, and feel sorry for the dying, as if an offense was being done to them? And you argue that the child did not die, but was given back; that your friend did not die, but set off on a journey, and left you somewhat ahead along the same road along which we too will need to go. When they first informed you about the birth of your son, then if someone asked you: what was born? would you not say that a man was born? And if a person, then of course a mortal. What is unusual here if a mortal dies? What is constant around us? What is by nature motionless and unchanging? Raise your gaze to the sky, look to the earth: they are not eternal. Is it surprising if we, being part of the world, experience what is characteristic of the world? (Same book, pp. 69 and 70). St. Basil's thoughts on wealth 5) In a conversation with those who are getting rich, St. Basil defines the price of wealth in this way: “Look, man, at the nature of wealth. What surprises you so much about gold? Gold is a stone, silver is a stone, pearl is a stone, stone and any of the stones: chrysolite, yakhont, amethyst... Has death spared anyone for the sake of wealth? Has anyone escaped illness for the sake of money? How long will gold be a snare for souls, a fishing rod for death, a bait for sin? Who is the father of lies, hatred, abuse, murder, perjury? Isn't it wealth? Is it not striving for wealth? What's happening to you people? Who turned your property into a means to catch you? The property was given to you as an aid to life, and not as a path to evil, for the redemption of the soul, and not as a reason for destruction. (Same book p. 114 et seq.). In the lengthy Catechism from the works of St. Basil, passages are given: about natural knowledge of God, about the dignity of tradition, about the power of prayer at the tomb of martyrs and prayer for the dead, and about what it means to deny oneself. The works of St. Basil V., translated into Russian many times, are now published in a new translation, in a timely edition of 1845 and 1846, under the title: “Creations of the Holy Fathers in Russian translation.” IV. Life of St. Gregory the Theologian after the death of Basil the Great St. Gregory in Constantinople St. Gregory, after a short stay in Siasim, spent his life now in the Isaurian desert, now in Nazianza, ruling the Nazianian Church after the death of his father. Soon after the death of Basil the Great, God's Providence called him to the highest service in the Universal Church. After persecution from the Arians under Valens, the Church in Constantinople was in the most disastrous situation - it was owned by the Arians; Not many Orthodox Christians did not have a single church for sacred meetings or a bishop. St. Gregory, at their tearful invitation, and on the advice of St. Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, went to Constantinople, opened a small church in one private house, under the name of the Church of the Resurrection, in the hope of the resurrection of Orthodoxy in Constantinople. Here his high, fiery, touching word was heard; here, in five conversations about Theology, he outlined the Orthodox teaching about the incomprehensibility of the being of God, about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, about the Divinity of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit; here, in conversations on Epiphany, he understood the secret of the Incarnation and the power of Baptism. Since then, the Church has given him the name of Theologian, a name that has never been given to anyone except the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ, John. Great was the love of the Orthodox for him; but the hatred of the heretics, who repeatedly attempted on his life, was also cruel. Here he sharply experienced the infidelity of his friends in the person of Maximus, whom he loved as a philosopher and friend, and who deceived him to such an extent that, secretly gathering several bishops, he persuaded them to dedicate themselves to the bishop of Constantinople; but was expelled from the city with dishonor. Finally, Emperor Theodosius, upon his accession to the throne, arriving for the first time in Constantinople, recognized the virtues of Gregory and the people's love for him, took away the main church of Constantinople from the Arians, and with the sovereign hand brought the Saint into it. On this day of the triumph of faith, the Saint revealed even more within himself the treasures of Christian love, forgiving the young man who attempted to kill him, and not seeking the property of the church, plundered by the Arians. St. Gregory leaves Constantinople Soon, to pacify the Church, the second Ecumenical Council gathered in Constantinople, at the request of Theodosius. Its chairman at first was St. Meletius; upon his death, the chairmanship passed to St. Gregory, and soon disagreement between those present at the Council was revealed. Some of the Egyptian bishops demanded that St. Gregory leave the see of Constantinople, on the basis of the rule of the Church, which prohibited a bishop from moving from one see to another. Others present at the Council believed that, for the merits of the Saint and the benefit of the Church, an exception should be made to the general rule. Gregory waited for some time for the reconciliation of those who disagreed; but when at one meeting of the Council this dispute became especially heated, he made a rare sacrifice to pacify the Church. He stood in the middle of the meeting and exclaimed: “Fathers and brothers! If this excitement is for my sake, I am no better than the Prophet Jonah, throw me out to calm the storm.” With these words, he left the meeting and asked Theodosius for permission to leave the see of Constantinople, to which Theodosius agreed with great regret. Gregory stayed in Constantinople until the end of the Council, took a touching farewell to his weeping flock and retired to his homeland. Driving through Caesarea, at Vasily’s grave he said a word of praise to him, where he remembered the sweet years of his youth and the value of friendship. Having appointed a pious bishop to the Nazianian Church, he settled in his father’s family estate, reached a ripe old age, often mourning between learned works, in the spirit of Job and Ecclesiastes, the dreams of his brilliant youth that betrayed him, and the difficult experience of his long-suffering journey, among the turmoil of the earthly field. The works of St. Gregory mainly consist of conversations he spoke in various circumstances of his life. The most famous among them are the conversations we mentioned about Theology. In addition, after him there were more than 200 letters relating to modern theological and moral issues, and up to 200 verses of prayer content. His instructions to those who reason about the dogmas of faith It is remarkable that although St. Gregory with great love and enthusiasm explored the deep mysteries of the Christian faith and preached about them, he himself often noted that it is not useful for all Christians to talk about the high dogmas of the faith themselves or even to delve into research about them made by experienced men. He compared these dogmas with gold, which is expensive only because of its rarity, is the advantage of a few and is acquired with great difficulty, yet is not a metal necessary for everyone: “Learn from the Divine,” he says, “but do not go beyond the limits; talk about the spiritual and, if possible, about this one thing; speak more often than you take a breath; but, reflecting on what is commanded to you, do not be curious about the nature of the Father, about the birth of the Only Begotten Son, about the power and glory of the Spirit, about the One Divinity in three... Stick to the sayings that you accepted with your upbringing, and leave the word to the wisest. It is enough for you to have a foundation, but let the Artist build on it. It’s enough for you to feed your heart with bread, and leave the rest of the food to the rich. No sane person will condemn you for eating inexpensive food; but he will condemn you if, while you are still able, you do not offer bread and give water to a disciple of Christ or anyone else. Do not try to be wiser than the wise. And that is the wisdom to know oneself, but not to become arrogant, and not to be subjected to the same thing that happens to the voice, which is completely lost if it is overly tense. It is better, being wise, to yield out of modesty, than, being ignorant, to puff up out of insolence. Let your speed extend only to the confession of faith, if this is required of you; but in what is further than this, be slow; for there slowness and here haste are fraught with danger. What harm will it do to you if you do not hold the upper hand in every conversation, or if you do not have the upper hand in every proposal or question; on the contrary, others turn out to be wiser or braver than you? Thanks be to God, who gives both excellent gifts and knows how to save by common means. (Word 32, Works of the Holy Father, 1844, book 1, pp. 152 and 153). Poems of St. Gregory It will be pleasant for a sensitive heart to read the poems of his old age, for example. Where are my winged speeches? - in the air. Where is the flower of my youth? - died. Where's the glory? – disappeared into obscurity. Where is the fortress of well-built members? - crushed by illness. Where is the estate and wealth? – God took some, and envy handed over others into the rapacious hands of evildoers. And the parents and the sacred duo of 1 half-blooded descendants went to the grave. I have only one homeland left; but an evil demon expelled me from there too, raising black waves against me. Now I am a lonely wanderer, wandering on a foreign side, dragging out a sorrowful life and decrepit old age; I have neither a throne, nor a city, nor children, although I am burdened with worries about my children, and constantly wandering, day after day I spend on my feet. Where will I throw off this body? What earth, what strange-loving grave will shelter me? Who will lay a finger on my fading eyes? Of course, one faint-hearted person is concerned with the thought: will my flesh be consigned to the grave - this is a lifeless burden, or will it remain unburied as a prey for the beasts? It doesn’t matter: the last day, by God’s will, will gather everyone together from the ends of the earth, no matter how anyone dies. One thing brings tears from me and brings me into fear - this is the judgment of God, rivers of fire and terrible dark abysses. Christ the King! You are my fatherland, my fortress, my bliss - my everything! Oh, if only in You I could find peace in my life and a reward for all my worries! (Creation of the Holy Father, 1844, book 4, p. 326.) Crying over your own misfortunes In another poem, St. Gregory asks himself: “Why did I alone walk the sorrowful path, and here and there changing the way of a difficult life? I have never once been able to firmly plant my light foot on the earth, but only disasters incessantly lead me to greater disasters? Teach me, Wisdom, why do I have such a burden? Why do the pious work hard, but the lost know no work? Is this punishment for sin or coals that purify life, like gold in a furnace? All this is known to You alone, my King, the Word, because You rule the whole world according to great and hidden laws, of which perhaps a small glimpse fully reaches us, covered with clay and having myopic eyes. But I am weary of life; I can barely catch my breath on the ground, vulnerable to many disasters from enemies and friends. Therefore I cry and fall to Your knees: grant to Your dead the end of life, grant to the weary one rest, and lead me to the easiest life, for which I endure sorrows and endured thousands of sorrows; Having enraptured the angelic faces, bring the traveler closer to the heavenly chamber, where the glory of the One Great God, shining in three lights. (Ibid., p. 324). St. Gregory died in 388. The church celebrates his memory on January 25th. His works were published in Russian in “Works of the Holy Fathers in Russian translation” for 1843 and 1844. The Long Catechism contains his testimony about the miracles of the Saints upon their repose. V. St. Ambrose of Milan St. Ambrose of Milan, the son of a noble father who ruled Gaul, received the most careful education in Rome, and ruled several regions in Upper Italy, of which Milan was the main city. In his mature years, having earned general respect for himself through his wise rule, he once, on the occasion of the election of a bishop in Mediolan, was present at a meeting of Christians about this, to maintain order, while he himself was still a pagan. When the voters, consisting of Orthodox and Arians, could not agree among themselves in the election; and Ambrose began to persuade them to peace, then at first one unknown, child-like voice, then many, and finally all the voters unanimously proclaimed: “Ambrose is a bishop.” In vain, with feigned severity and removal from the city, he tried to reject this rank: the general desire of Mediolan and the will of Emperor Valentinian defeated his resistance. In a few days he received Holy Baptism and was ordained, first to the lower levels of service of the Church, and then to the degree of bishop. Born close to the Tsars, he, even on the episcopal throne, with the virtues characteristic of a bishop, with the strictest life, showed the high royal spirit in firm will and unshakable zeal for the Orthodox faith, oppressed by pagans and Arians. During the continuation of his bishopric, he was a constant friend and adviser to the Kings, and not only in the Roman Empire, but also in neighboring kingdoms. Ambrose's opposition to the pagans Several times the Roman senators, from the pagans, sought under Ambrose to restore the altar of victory in the Senate; each time, Ambrose successfully stopped the assassination attempts by their petition to Gratian Valentinian II and Theodosius. Ambrose's struggle with the Arians and devotion to the reigning house Ambrose's struggle with the Arians was more difficult because they were protected by Justina, the mother of the young Valentinian II, infected with Arianism in her homeland, among the Goths. St. Ambrose showed all his devotion to Justina and her son when the military leader Maximus, who had killed her eldest son, Gratian, went with an army from Gaul to Italy to take away the property and life of the younger one. Ambrose without fear appeared in the camp of Maxim, and with a strong accusatory word he persuaded him to peace, and protected Italy from him, however, he did not communicate with him in the Holy Mysteries, as with the murderer of the lawful Sovereign. Soon after this, Justina demanded from him one Orthodox church for the Arians. When Ambrose, according to the laws of the Church and common law, could not fulfill this demand, the Arians attempted to take away the Church by force and threatened Ambrose with exile and death. But the common love of the Orthodox vigilantly guarded their Archpastor; he could only restrain the indignation of the Orthodox and instill in them the duties of obedience to authority. A year later, the Arians resumed their assassination attempt with greater force; but Ambrose even now remained unshakable by the love of the Orthodox. The intrigues of the Arians had not yet ended when they heard in Mediolan that Maxim was again threatening Italy and Valentinian. The archpastor forgot the injustice done against him by Justina, and for the second time appeared before the proud rebel, exhorted him to repentance and obedience to the lawful Sovereign, and once again saved the Empire and the Queen with her son. Ambrose's zeal for Emperor Theodosius When Theodosius the Great, having defeated Maximus, spent time in Mediolanum many times, St. Ambrose enjoyed his deep respect, and turned his influence on Theodosius to the benefit of him and the Empire. Proof of this is especially the following event, memorable in World History. There was an uprising in Thessalonica, during which several government officials were killed. By order of the irritated Theodosius, a detachment of troops unexpectedly entered the city and killed up to 7,000 inhabitants, guilty and innocent. When, some time after this, Ambrose revealed to him the guilt of his injustice, Theodosius heeded the advice of the shepherd, humbled himself, brought public repentance and, having begun the Holy Mysteries, made a vow - for the rest of his life - not to rush into the execution of death sentences. Dying, Theodosius entrusted his children to Ambrose, and in his arms he breathed his last. Ambrose, through his care for Honorius, fulfilled the will of the deceased. Ambrose took care not only of Milan, but of many other Churches, and his fame extended beyond the Empire. Through his jealousy, Arianism fell throughout Italy; many of his presbyters were appointed by him as bishops in various regions of the West. The Frankish kings attributed the victory of the Romans to his holy prayers. The Marcomannic queen, Fritigilda, received instruction in the Christian faith from him and convinced her husband and people to accept the Christian faith. In old age, he foresaw his death, and, strengthened in prayer by the vision of I. Christ himself, he passed into eternal life in peace. The church commemorates him on December 7th. St. Ambrose left a lot of spiritual works written in Latin. In some of them he explains either entire books of the Holy Scripture, or individual events of the Holy Scripture. Stories, indicating in them not only historical, but also mysterious meaning; in others he reveals the dogmas of faith, for example, in five books about the Faith, written by him for the Emperor Gratian; thirdly, he teaches the rules of morality. Of the latter, the most famous are his three books on Positions. In them he talks about what is honest and useful for success in a virtuous life. Places from the works of St. Ambrose It is remarkable how St. Ambrose defines courage. True courage is when one conquers oneself, refrains from anger, does not get carried away by temporary gains, does not grieve in misfortune, does not forget in happiness, and looks at a change in circumstances as nothing more than a change in the wind. What is higher and more glorious than to enslave the flesh to the control of the mind, so that it faithfully fulfills the will of the soul in all undertakings? (page 44). True courage is vigilant in labor, firm in adversity, strictly against the pleasures of the flesh; nothing is more disgusting to courage than to be overcome by self-interest. Warriors, greedy for prey, often die among the enemies they defeat. Forgetting their victory and rushing to self-interest, they often give an opportunity to attack them again by enemies who have already fled (p. 47). Of the advice that St. Ambrose gives to young men, we especially note the following two: “We must observe strict caution in choosing the people with whom we wish to deal; It is best to deal with elders of proven virtue. Of course, it is more pleasant to treat your peers, but it is safer to treat your elders. Under their leadership, the morals of young men become meek and strengthened in piety. Those who do not know the area usually go on a journey with those who know it; So young men should enter into a new path of life for them under the guidance of elders, and have them as mentors and witnesses to their lives” (p. 54). “Keep, my children, friendship with the brethren; There is nothing in the world more beautiful than friendship: it is the consolation of life when you have someone to open your heart to, tell someone what is secret and believe what is hidden; when you have a faithful brother who rejoices in your happiness, sympathizes with your misfortune, and gives advice in danger. Bear grief for a friend, if necessary; friendship is sought not by money, but by love, not by price, but by goodwill. The rich are often without friends, while the poor have no shortage of them; for where cunning flattery is found, there is no true friendship” (pp. 122 and 123). St. Ambrose's book on the Offices is also in Russian. His song is still known in the Orthodox Church: “We praise God to you.” His upbringing and first exploits St. John, named Chrysostom for his eloquence, was born in Antioch. His father was the commander-in-chief of the Roman army in Syria. Having lost his father soon after his birth, he was the only subject of care of his mother, who loved him immensely. She entrusted the education of his mind to the best mentors of that time and, among them, the famous pagan rhetorician Libanius. At the end of his upbringing, John did not hesitate long in choosing the path of life; Having loved the teachings of I. Christ with all his heart, he delved into reading the Holy books, and adopted the intention of devoting himself to God in solitude. St. Meletius, Archbishop of Antioch, recognizing John, fell in love with him like a father, taught him in the faith, baptized him and made him a reader of the Antiochian Church when he was no more than 22 years old. From that time on, deep piety was the soul of all his actions. He never swore, did not swear, did not blame anyone, never told a lie, did not wish harm on anyone, and was always devoted to the thought of God. Possessing a rare gift of speech, he made great efforts to acquire the virtue of silence. Out of love for solitude and ascetic life, John and one of his friends decided to leave his mother’s house. But her tears and convictions touched John's heart; he remained with her to console her last days, and by obedience to her he began his service to God. When, three years later, his mother died, he distributed his property to the poor and the Church, retired to the desert, where for four years, under the guidance of an experienced elder, he spent time in vigil, reading Holy Scripture, prayers and labors. After this, having accustomed his body to all the hardships of the harsh desert life, he spent another two years in one cave. Finally, feeling the breakdown of his health, he returned to Antioch. St. Meletius ordained him a deacon and five years later St. Flavian ordained him a presbyter. During the 12 years of his presbyterate, by the will of the bishop, he constantly preached the word of God to the Antiochian Christians, talking with them several times a week, and sometimes daily. His teachings were very eloquent and convincing, and since he was very holy in life, they had a strong effect on his listeners, so that they often interrupted his words either with loud applause or sobs. When one woman from the people, calling him Chrysostom, complained that she did not understand much in his sermon, from then on he gave new strength to his eloquence, making it extremely simple and understandable. Conversations of Chrysostom during the disturbance in Antioch The eloquence of John was especially beneficial to the Antiochians when, on the occasion of an emergency tax, there was an indignation in Antioch, and the riotous people scolded the statues of the Emperor Theodosius and his recently deceased wife. The city government persecuted the perpetrators with interrogations, imprisonment, deprivation of property, torture, and executions. The Antiochians expected even more from the Emperor's righteous anger; they were in despair; many fled from the city to save at least their lives. Then John, with his strong eloquence, either portrayed the well-deserved misfortune of the city and the guilt of the crime, then calmed the people with hope in God and the mercy of the Emperor, then inspired the insignificance of wealth and worldly benefits, which cannot help a person even in temporary misfortune, then presented to the listeners how terrible the wrath of God should be, when the wrath of the king is so terrible, and each time exhorted them with deeds of virtue, especially mercy, to make amends before God and Sovereign. John calmed the people until, after punishing the main culprits, Archbishop Flavian returned from Constantinople from Theodosius with forgiveness to the rest of the people of Antioch. Description of the disaster and guilt of the inhabitants of Antioch “What should I say to begin my conversation?” said John at the beginning of the disaster. “Now is the time not for speech, but for tears, - not for words, but for lamentations, - not for preaching, but for prayerful contrition. So great is the insolence that has passed! There is no doctor for us on earth, except in heaven. Who has charmed you, beloved? The people, who were so well-behaved and meek, suddenly became furious and dared to commit such insolence that it is shameful to even talk about. I am tormented and groaning not about the greatness of the expected vengeance, but about the extremeness of the past fury. For even if the Tsar was not angry and postponed the execution, tell me how we can bear the dishonor that this incident has covered us with. The city, so vast, the head of the entire East, trembles with destruction; recently had many children, has become childless, and there is no one to help. since the offended person has no equal on earth: he is the king, the top and head of all people living on earth; Therefore, we can only resort to the King of Heaven. I recently gave you a lengthy conversation; you listened to me with deep attention, and this was a reward for me; but I was then looking for another reward from you: I wanted you to bring sense and punish the city’s wicked people who dare to blaspheme God. I don’t think that this was said from myself; God, who foresaw what was to follow, put this in my mouth. For if we had punished those who dared to commit such lawlessness, then, of course, what has now happened to us would not have happened. Look! The crime occurred from a few, and the guilt fell on everyone; We ourselves are punished for their insolence. But if, having warned this, we had tamed them or sent them out of the city, we would not have been forced to tremble from real fear. \ The guilt of those who did not stop the indignation What I predicted has happened: now we are already being punished for our carelessness. You despised the reviled God, and so He allowed the King to be insulted, so that we all, without exception, would be exposed to extreme danger. Here we, completely innocent, fear and tremble no less than those who dared to commit a crime, we tremble so that the wrath of the Tsar does not burden us along with them. Now it will not serve you as an excuse if you say: “I was not at home, I did not want indignation and was not an accomplice to it.” “For this reason, endure punishment and suffer the death penalty,” they will tell you, “because you did not, did not interfere, did not restrain the rebels, did not bloody for the honor of the Tsar.” Have you been to rebellious societies? I praise and rejoice; but you did not stop what happened, and therefore you are condemned. Chrysostom's admonition not to fear death John taught Christians not to be afraid of death: “Tell me, what is terrible about death? I. Christ says: believe in Me, even if you die, you will live (John 11:25). Are the Lord's teachings really fables? If you are a Christian, then you must believe in Christ, and if you believe, then show this in reality, and precisely by contempt for death. For this should distinguish us from the infidels. They rightly fear death, having no hope of resurrection; and you, having this hope, how can you be afraid of death, like an unbeliever? Shall I tell you, beloved, why we are afraid of death? Because we do not have love for the kingdom of heaven, because we do not live piously and do not have a clear conscience; otherwise death would not frighten us. “For he who lives in Virtue cannot be disturbed by anything.” St. John Archbishop of Constantinople John's holy, wise and beneficent life and his rare eloquence won him the universal love of the inhabitants of Antioch, and spread fame throughout the Empire. Emperor Arcadius elected him Archbishop of Constantinople after the death of Nektarios, in 397. The ruler of Antioch was given orders to summon John out of the city by cunning and escort him to Constantinople. Unwittingly appearing in the capital, where the newly established Church counted up to 100 thousand members, but was surrounded by many pagans, strong Arians and other heretics, where the laws, morals and customs were still half-pagan and half-Christian, where, with weak Arcadia, many vices remained unpunished, and were even patronized by the court, John began to act with his usual courage, trust in God and paternal tireless zeal for the salvation of the flock entrusted to him. He first of all showed an example of Christian life in himself: he destroyed all luxury that had crept into the house of archbishops under his predecessors, and was content with meager food and simple clothing; The time remaining to him from fulfilling his immediate duties, he used for vigil, prayer and the composition of his immortal creations, rarely visiting the company of people devoted to him. He demanded the same from his elders and other members of the clergy; sometimes by meekness, sometimes by measures of severity, he led them so that they too would be an example to the flock. He influenced the people with zealous priesthood, beneficent institutions and tireless preaching. 1) about correcting the family life of Christians He began the correction of the people by correcting their family life and pursuing luxury in houses and clothing. He called on fathers of families to often perform common prayer at home, especially at night. “The night is not for,” he said, “to spend it all in sleep and inaction. The Church of God rises in the middle of the night - arise, too, look at the choir of stars, pay attention to the deep silence, the great silence: marvel at the economy of Your Lord. Then the soul becomes purer, lighter, more sublime and faster. Kneel, sigh and pray to your Master for mercy. He worships especially with night prayers. And you, husband, do this, not just your wife. Let the house of husbands and wives be your church. Do not think that this is hindered by the fact that you are the only husband, and she is your wife alone. For where there are two or three assembled in my name, says the Lord, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). And where Christ is in the middle, there are many Angels and Archangels. If you have children, wake up your children too; in this way the family will become a real Church during the night. If they are still young and cannot bear the vigil, then let them participate with you in the first and second prayer, and then give them peace. Just get up, just make it a habit for yourself. “There is no treasury better than this, which can contain such prayers” (Conversation on Acts 12:1–6). 2) about the removal of luxury and addiction to spectacles With all zeal, St. Chrysostom preached about the duty of parents to raise their children in the fear of God and to accustom them from childhood to strict reverence in the church of God. He pursued luxury everywhere; He spoke especially strongly and sharply against luxury and immodesty in female clothing; for in this he saw pagan shamelessness and the danger of temptation. With the same zeal he rebelled against the frivolous attachment of some Christians to spectacles; for the spectacles served as a continuation of pagan worship, ruined the time and property of the spectators, often gave rise to strife, disturbances and murders, and sowed the seeds of corruption and decline in family morality. His beliefs towards compassion Instead, Chrysostom urged his flock to sacrifice time and wealth to works of mercy. It seems that he was never so eloquent as when he aroused compassion for the unfortunate, presenting the ease of deeds of charity, and the high reward prepared for the merciful. As everywhere, so here he led by example. He built and maintained many hospitals in Constantinople, including one near the main church, and entrusted them to people of exemplary philanthropy and prudence; in addition, he built two more hospitals for foreigners. He begged everyone to arrange at least one room in their own house for the poor, setting aside for them every week some small allowance from their surplus. “Are there many beggars in the city compared to the rich? - he exclaimed, - you can satisfy everyone and still be content; then not only the poor, but also the pagans will not remain among us, for everyone will turn to God by such a good example.” His treatment of infidels St. Chrysostom treated pagans, Arians and other heretics with great condescension and wisdom: he regretted them, refuted their errors, but did not irritate or upset them, but tried to attract them to himself with love, which he actually achieved. “Show love to the erring one,” he said, “so that the damaged does not perish, but is better healed. Show that you, out of great affection, want to make your good common. Moving away from teachings that do not agree with the Apostolic tradition, people should be spared as much as possible and pray for their salvation.” (Word of anathema). Acting by such means, Chrysostom gained the common love of the Orthodox people, and the respect of pagans and heretics. Through the action of his pastoral zeal, the overall appearance of Constantinople changed, taking on the appearance of a completely Christian city. His care for other Churches St. John took care of the organization not only of the Church of Constantinople, but also of the other Churches of his patriarchate, establishing order in the Churches of Thrace, the part of Asia adjacent to the Archipelago and Pontus; sent one bishop to instruct the Goths, and another to instruct the nomadic Scythians. Presbyter Constantius and several other missionaries were sent to Phenicia to convert idolaters. Palestine, Persia and many other countries also felt the beneficial effects of his jealousy. John's merits to the throne In relation to Emperor Arcadius and the highest dignitaries of the court, St. John was as alien to hypocritical man-pleasing as he was just as zealous in fulfilling the true duties of a shepherd and a subject. Eutropius, the first minister of Arcadius, took away from the churches the right of refuge, which had belonged to them from ancient times. Chrysostom opposed him. Subsequently, Eutropius, deprived of all the favors of the Emperor and doomed to death, himself sought salvation in the church. John defended him with his strong words to the people, and saved his life. Having overthrown Eutropius, the leader of the Gothic detachment, the Arian Gainas demanded from Arcadius a church for the Arians in Constantinople. Arkady was afraid of irritating the violent Goth with his refusal. Chrysostom answered him in the face of the silent Arkady that Gainas was fully rewarded for his services with royal favors, and should not force Arkady to be unfair to his Orthodox subjects. When Gainas openly rebelled against Arkady and threatened Constantinople with his Goths, John, at the request of Arkady, went defenseless to the camp of the vengeful Goths, and with his admonition turned him away from Constantinople. For all his services to the Church and the Fatherland, John, like many great men who sacrificed themselves for the good of their neighbors, was persecuted by envy, slander, and malice, which brought him to a premature, suffering death. His first enemies were from the Constantinople clergy and bishops of other churches. When John exposed and judged their vices, they slandered him before the people; but when the slander was exposed by the life of John, they used insidious measures to expose him to the wrath of Emperor Arcadius and his wife. They brought to court every word of teaching that could be misinterpreted. When John spoke about the love of money and shameless luxury in clothing, they inspired the Empress Eudoxia that John’s words applied to her. John's personal enemies at court, against whom he often had to defend the rights of the Church, managed to arouse Eudoxia's strong anger against him. She, with the consent of her husband, summoned Archbishop Theophilos of Alexandria to Constantinople, who at the beginning opposed the election of John and was his implacable enemy. Under the chairmanship of Theophilus, a lawless council was drawn up in the town of Duba; the same persons were informers and judges. When John did not appear at the council, demanding that his known personal enemies be removed from him, the council condemned him in absentia and found him worthy of imprisonment. John prepared for this, consoled his faithful, saying that the Church did not begin with him, and will not end with him. In the evening he was taken by armed force and sent to the Asian coast. But that same night there was an earthquake in Constantinople. Frightened, Eudoxia begged Arkady and wrote to John about his return, which John did. His flock greeted him with delight, and convinced him to enter their church and console her with a word of gratitude to God. John continued to act as before, and the old hatred broke out again over him. A year later, a more numerous council was assembled, which now condemned John for returning from his previous exile to his see without a new justification by the council, although this return occurred at the will of the Emperor, and at the desire of the entire Church of Constantinople. John was condemned to exile in Kukuz, a wild place in Armenia. Secretly from the people, he gave himself into the hands of sent soldiers and left Constantinople, accompanied by the deep sorrow of the bishops devoted to him, eminent wives and people, who, after his removal, suffered cruel persecution. The participation of well-meaning people accompanied him in exile. When he left Caesarea, the people cried out with tears: “It would be better if the sun were hidden than the lips of John were silent.” And from prison he continued to edify and console the Church, having relations with the distant borders of the Empire. But John’s enemies did not calm down until they brought him to death. They moved him from place to place, forced him to walk under the scorching sun of midday, or in the piercing cold of mountain nights, despite the attacks of illness that consumed him among deprivations of all kinds. Finally, when, in the 4th year of exile, he was on his way to Pitiunt (Pitsunda in present-day Abkhazia), he felt the approach of his long-awaited death, received the Holy Mysteries, and with the last words: “Glory to God for everything, Amen,” he gave up the ghost - in the town of Koman in the 10th year of his bishopric and the 53rd year of his life (407, September 14th). His holy body was transferred to Constantinople 30 years after his death. His memory is celebrated on the 13th of November, and on the 27th of January, and together with Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian - on January 30. John's eloquence always aroused the reverent surprise of all lovers of words. It is simple, so that it makes the most abstract objects seem tangible, alien to any kind of scholarship, although it was the fruit of a deep knowledge of the teachings of the Church, the human heart and all sciences, strong, filled with conviction, involuntarily moving the heart, and always directed towards moral edification. His creations are very numerous. He explained in conversations with moral applications the books of Holy Scripture, namely: the Book of Genesis, many Psalms, part of the Prophet Isaiah, the entire Gospel of Matthew and John, the Acts of the Holy Apostle and all the Epistles of the Apostle. Pavel. In addition, there are many of his conversations on individual sayings of Scripture, many words of praise, defense, accusatory, many edifying letters. His more extensive works are books about the Priesthood, the work of the first years of John's Christian life, against the Jews, about providence, about the incomprehensibility of the being of God and others. The prayers of the Liturgy, usually performed by the Orthodox Church, belong to him. St. John had some thoughts that were especially his favorite. So, in addition to exhortations to compassion, he preached with special participation of his heart about the high dignity of desert living, about the merits of St. Pavel. He had a very high reverence for St. Paul, and could not find words to express his merits. A legend has been preserved that when Chrysostom was explaining Pavlov’s epistles, they saw St. Paul himself talking with him; That’s why the ancients used to say: Chrysostom’s mouth is Pavlov’s mouth. St. Chrysostom also loved to reveal the following idea: that wealth is not the cause of our pleasure and poverty is not the cause of sorrow, but our thoughts, and that whoever does not offend himself cannot be offended by anyone. Places from the works of Chrysostom: 1) that the cause of our joys and sorrows lies within ourselves There is a lot of confusion in our life, he said in one conversation; constant disturbances disturb our stay on earth; but look, what extreme madness is ours! We all cry the same, having not the same, but opposite impulses. If the circumstances themselves were the cause of our tears, then why would we equally mourn what is disgusting to each other? If poverty is a misfortune, then the rich should never be ruined; if it is misfortune to be childless, then one who has many children should rejoice; if managing public affairs and being in command is an enviable state, then everyone should escape to a carefree and calm life. But now, when we see that the rich and the poor cry equally, when both the boss and the subordinate, the childless and the father of many children, cry, then let us not blame the things themselves for the disorder, but those who do not know how to use them as they should. If our thoughts are well organized, then even if countless storms arise from everywhere, we will always stand in silence; If there is no peace in our soul, then even if a favorable wind helps us from everywhere, we will not be any happier than those who fight the storm. How many are there who easily endure poverty and never cease to thank God for their lot? How many are there who, living in wealth and abundance, do not give thanks, but blaspheme the Lord? How many are there who, without suffering any misfortune, blame the World Providence? How many are there who, sitting their whole lives in prison, are more complacent than those living in freedom and safety? You see that the state of the soul and one’s own mind are the cause of this and that fate, and not the very essence of things.” (From the 1st word about fate and Providence). 2) Comparison of a virtuous life with the gift of miracles In the 33rd conversation on the Gospel of Matthew, St. Chrysostom says very instructively that a virtuous life is better than the gift of miracles. “Perhaps you would like to see,” he says, “such signs as the Apostles performed when preaching the Gospel? But you most clearly prove both your nobility and your love for God when you believe in Him, without having any guarantees from Him. And that’s why God doesn’t do signs now. Do not strive to be a witness to the resurrection of just one dead person, when you know that now the entire universe is being resurrected. Do not wish to be an eyewitness to the insight of some blind man, when you know that now everyone is receiving both the best and the most useful insight; learn to look at everything with the eye of common sense, correct your vision. If we all lived as we should, then the pagans would be surprised at us much more than at the miracle workers. For signs are often suspicious, sometimes they are considered a ghost, or produced by an evil spirit, although such suspicions do not exist regarding our miracles. On the contrary, an immaculate life is not afraid of such slander: virtue stops the mouths of all critics. Signs sometimes brought benefit to another, but caused harm to the one who created them - puffing him up with pride or vanity. On the contrary, nothing of the kind can be feared from good deeds: they are useful both to those who do them and to many others.” “Let us therefore do good deeds with all diligence. If you have become merciful from a hard-hearted person, then you have healed a withered hand. If, having left the spectacle, you began to go to church, then you have straightened your lame leg. If you have turned your gaze away from the beauty of others, then you have given sight to blind eyes. If instead of satanic songs you studied brass chants, then you, dumb, began to speak. These are the greatest miracles! These are extraordinary signs! If we perform such signs, then we ourselves will become great and wondrous people, and we will lead all the wicked to virtue.” In the explanation that St. Chrysostom makes in response to the words of the Apostle Paul to the Romans: “let every soul be subject to those in authority,” one can see his deep submission to the authority ordained by God. So he writes: “The Apostle, wanting to impress upon us that his commandment extends not only to worldly people, but to everyone, both priests and monks, announces this in advance, saying this: let every soul obey the powers that be. Even if you were an Apostle, even an Evangelist, even a Prophet, even someone else, obey. Submission to authority does not undermine godliness. The first reason for such an institution, which satisfies the reason of the faithful, is that the authorities are instituted by God; that is, that there are rulers, that some are in charge, and others are subordinate to them, and that there is no such disorder that anything happens by chance and without order, that peoples rush to and fro like waves - I call all this the work of the wisdom of God.” In general, of the works of the Holy Father, the works of St. John Chrysostom are most used for reading in the Orthodox Church. From the very beginning of Christianity in Russia, they were repeatedly translated in parts into the liturgical and into the popular language. The latest translation of his conversations on the Evangelist Matthew and the epistles of St. Apostle Paul has been published, with the blessing of the Holy Synod, in Moscow since 1839. Life of St. John of Damascus John of Damascus was born in the city of Damascus. Soon after the conquest of this city by the Arabians, John's father was an important official of the Caliph of Damascus, although he remained a Christian. John's tutor was a prisoner ransomed by his father, the pious and enlightened monk Kozma. From him John received a thorough knowledge of philosophy, physics, mathematics and other sciences, along with a deep knowledge of Holy Scripture and the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church. He combined a strict virtuous life with the education of the mind. The caliph brought him closer to himself, entrusting him with important state secrets. At this time, Leo of Isauria, who reigned in Constantinople, initiated a persecution of holy icons, persecuting their worshipers with expulsion and execution. Zealous for the Orthodox faith, John of Damascus wrote, one after another, several letters to the Orthodox in the Empire. In these epistles, he affirmed the veneration of St. through both scripture and tradition. icons, and aroused the Orthodox to suffer for the truth. John's letters had a powerful effect in Greece; Then, at the Court of Leo, an evil intent was made to destroy the Saint: a forged letter was drawn up, written under his hand, in which he revealed to the Emperor the sure means of conquering Damascus for himself, and sent to the Caliph, as if as a warning to the latter. The caliph, carried away by a fit of anger, ordered John's right hand to be cut off. But the power of God revealed the innocence of John: he fell in prayer before the icon of the Mother of God, and the next night the severed hand grew back to its place. Having experienced the vanity of worldly greatness, John did not agree to stay any longer at the Court, but retired to the monastery of St. Sava, not far from Jerusalem. Here, after he had proven the height of his humility through long experiences of obedience and self-sacrifice, the Mother of God in revelation called him to compose sacred songs for the edification of the Church. The first songs he sang were dedicated to the consolation of one of John’s co-workers, who wept bitterly over the death of his brother; These songs express John’s generally sad outlook on life. The first of these songs is the following: “What worldly sweetness is not involved in sorrow? What kind of glory stands immutable on earth? The whole canopy is weak; everything is so lovely; in one moment and this all death accepts. But in the light, O Christ, of Thy face, and in the delight of Thy beauty, Thou hast chosen him, rest, as a lover of mankind” 2. These and other songs he composed then are sung to this day at the burial of the dead. St. Damascus wrote many songs to the glory of the Mother of God. Among them there is a particularly well-known song that begins with these words: “O full of grace, every creature rejoices in You.” John also composed many songs in remembrance of the resurrection of Christ. Since in the East eight melodies were then used during divine services, he composed so many Sunday songs for each of them that his songs of each tune were enough for the evening and morning services of Sunday. The collection of these songs is called Octoechos (octagonal). Of these, the Catechism contains the hymn: “to the carnal grave...” The canon sung by the Church on Holy Easter is also the work of St. Damascus. The song of John is also sufficient for other holidays. All of them are imbued with the Spirit of Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers, and often even repeat their very words. The sweetness of John’s songs earned him the name “Golden-Jeweled Teacher.” Book of Damascus on the Orthodox Faith The book of St. Damascus on the Orthodox Faith primarily gives him the right to the name of teacher of the faith of Christ. In this book, he presented the truths of faith as clearly, as much and precisely, and, moreover, in the order of consistent reflection, and in such completeness that they had not been collected in any book before him. St. Damascus explains the truths of the word of God by the very word of God, and at the same time calls for the aid of sound reflection, enlightened by the light of revelation. St. Damascene united in his book all the conciliar and patristic definitions of the dogmas of faith that came before him, not always, however, exactly citing the words of the Fathers of the Church, but repeating only their meaning. The last translation of this book into Russian, with the blessing of the Holy Synod, was published in 1844. The words of St. John of Damascus about holy icons are so highly valued by the Orthodox Church that some of them are included in the publication of the Orthodox Confession of the Catholic Eastern Church (Peter of the Mogila.) St. John, approaching old age, was ordained a presbyter in Jerusalem; but, loving silence and solitude, he returned to his former abode, from which he moved on to a serene heavenly life. His memory is celebrated on December 4th. In the lengthy Catechism from the works of Damascus, the calculation of the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament is given, and its testimony about the holy relics and about transubstantiation. In conclusion of the teaching about the Fathers of the Church, let us quote from the 3rd word of St. John of Damascus about icons, his admonition to Orthodox Christians. “Let us stand, brothers,” he says, “on the rock of faith and tradition of the Church, without transgressing the limits set by our Holy Fathers, not allowing news to be introduced and the building of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of God to be destroyed. For if everyone who wants is allowed to dare to do this, then little by little the entire body of the Church will collapse. Let us worship and serve the one Creator and Creator, as by nature our venerable God; Let us also worship the Holy Mother of God, not as God, but as the Mother of God according to the flesh; Let us worship the Saints as the chosen friends of God, and those who have boldness towards God. Brethren! A Christian is known by faith. He who comes with faith receives great benefit; but if you doubt, you will receive nothing, for all the saints have pleased God by faith.” Sentence: “What pleasure in life remains inaccessible to sadness? What greatness on earth remains unshakable? Everything is more insignificant than a shadow; everything is more deceptive than dreams. One moment - and all this becomes a victim of death. O Christ, more philanthropic! Rest the one You have chosen in the light of Your face and in the enjoyment of Your beauty.”