Chronicle of the life and works of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky (1859–1863). Volume 2

Bishop of Horidishche Theoktist, vicar of the Volgograd Metropolis Lizunov Sergey Vladimirovich, expert of the Scientific Editorial Council for the preparation of the Complete Collection of Works of St. Theophan the Recluse Kashirina Varvara Viktorovna, Doctor of Philology Svirin Anatoly Nikolaevich, senior lecturer at the University of the Russian Academy of Education, expert of the Scientific Editorial Council for the preparation of the Complete Works of St. Theophan the Recluse Lukyanova Anna Evgenievna, member of the Historical and Genealogical Society (Moscow) and the Russian Genealogical Society (St. Petersburg), expert of the Scientific Editorial Council for the preparation of the Complete Collection of Works of St. Theophan the Recluse Hieromonk Joseph (Korolyov), researcher in the sector of research projects and special programs of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Priest Stefan Danilenko, researcher in the sector of research projects and special programs of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Deacon Grigory Slutsky, junior researcher in the sector of research projects and special programs of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church A word to the readers of the 2nd volume of “Chronicles of the life and works of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky” Continuing the publication of biographical information about the ascetic and spiritual writer of the 19th century, Saint Theophan (Govorov), the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church offers to the attention of readers the second volume of the “Chronicles...” of his life and work. This publication is a collection of rare archival materials and already published information, which reveals in detail a relatively short period of the saint’s biography - the first four years of his episcopal service, when he headed the Tambov diocese. The service of Saint Theophan on the Tambov land is reflected in official documents: decrees, reports, definitions, submissions, reviews, journals of meetings preserved in central and local archives. The first primarily includes extensive collections of documents from the office of the Holy Synod and the office of the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod in the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg (RGIA), the second - the regional state archive of the Tambov region (GATO), where documents of the Tambov spiritual consistory are collected. Many of them are published for the first time. A lot of interesting information was revealed when studying documents in foreign archives: the Institute of Manuscripts of the National Library of Ukraine in Kyiv (IR NBU) and the archive of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Athos (ARPMA). In particular, the ARPMA stores official documents and drafts of the saint, in which he appears as a church figure. Thus, they reflect his judgments on church relations between Greeks and Bulgarians, on the development of theological schools, on the state of Orthodox journalism and on other aspects of church life. At the Tambov See, Saint Theophan conducted private correspondence, preached a lot, published articles and messages in which he expressed his opinion on the pressing problems of his flock, on topical issues of diocesan and public life. The second volume of “Chronicles...” presents his epistolary heritage, sermons, writings, and publication projects. Among them, the reader will find both previously published and unpublished materials that were identified in the ARPMA, the Scientific Research Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library in Moscow (NIOR RSL), in the Manuscript Department of the Institute of Russian Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg (RO IRL RAS). Published for the first time, letters and other archival evidence reveal to the reader little-known biographical facts, allow one to get an idea of ​​the scale of the saint’s episcopal labors in organizing the Tambov diocese, and reveal new facets of his service to the Church. This volume of “Chronicles...”, along with new documents and correspondence materials of St. Theophan, includes various publications about his life path and historical information about the Tambov diocese, published on the pages of central periodicals: “Spiritual Conversation” (St. Petersburg), “Soulful Reading” (Moscow) and journals of theological academies: “Christian Reading” (St. Petersburg), “Proceedings” Kyiv Theological Academy" and "Orthodox Interlocutor" (Kazan). It also presents a separately published biography of the saint and studies of his heritage. The most authoritative of them belongs to Archimandrite Georgy (Tertyshnikov). When compiling the second volume of the “Chronicles...” we also used a set of highly informative publications in the local church press - the Tambov Diocesan Gazette magazine. In addition to the sermons and writings of St. Theophan, these mainly include chronicles of diocesan life, statistical information on the diocese, notices of awards to the clergy, memoirs of contemporaries, and descriptions of diocesan monasteries. All these historical documents immerse the reader in the atmosphere of that era, allowing them to see from the inside many of the problems of the Russian Empire of the 19th century that required local solutions from the diocesan bishop. Facts from the life and work of St. Theophan, gleaned from official documents and private materials, are presented in the chronicle genre. Placed in chronological order, they allow us to literally trace, day by day, the circumstances of life, the course of action and the internal dispositions of Bishop Theophan. From their totality emerges a living image of a caring archpastor, sincerely concerned about the improvement of the Church, actively concerned about the salvation of all its members - clergy, monastics, laity. The episcopal service of Saint Theophan began in May 1859, when he was appointed Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk. A month after the consecration, which took place on June 1, the bishop arrived in Tambov. The saint’s immediate predecessor at the Tambov See was his classmate at the Kyiv Academy - a church historian and theologian, later Metropolitan of Moscow Macarius (Bulgakov). Before his departure to his new place of ministry, Bishop Macarius said to the flock saddened by separation: “You will forget me very soon if Bishop Theophan is appointed to you. This is a wonderful person." 1 The first diocese of Bishop Theophan was one of the most extensive in the Russian Empire, both in terms of the size of its territory and the number of people living within its borders. Accordingly, its clergy, who were under the direction of the bishop, were also significant in number. Not counting the monastics, the church clergy included more than a thousand clergy and about seven hundred deacons, and the number of clergy places exceeded two thousand 2 . Nevertheless, there were parishes in the diocese that numbered more than 1,300 people in the male population only. In order for the clergy of the Tambov diocese to have the opportunity to pay sufficient attention to all their flocks, Bishop Feofan obtained permission from the Holy Synod to appoint second priests to the most numerous and wealthy parishes 3 . The originality of St. Theophan's episcopal service was also determined by the internal political situation in the country, which was rapidly changing after the announcement of the abolition of serfdom in February 1861. “Theophan’s episcopacy in Tambov coincided with the introduction of various kinds of reforms,” wrote his biographer, emphasizing that these changes took place “not only in the civil, but also in the church life of Russia” 4 . The ruling bishops carried out reforms in their dioceses. They were required to understand the problems and the reasons for their occurrence, develop acceptable measures to overcome them, and test new forms of diocesan and parish activities. All this fell to the lot of Bishop Feofan back in Tambov. The documents published in the second volume testify to the active participation of the saint in the modernization of intra-church life. He saw in this process an opportunity to awaken in the people sincere faith in Christ, love for His Church, a desire to build their lives according to the laws of the Gospel, and in the clergy - zeal for the informal fulfillment of their pastoral duties, the desire to become truly spiritual leaders for all believers. Since the formation of the diocese in 1682, on the Tambov land there has been an acute problem of spiritual ignorance and rudeness of morals. Even among the Christian population, pagan errors, schismatics, and sectarianism were widespread. Each of the 14 archpastors who worked before Bishop Theophan at the Tambov See made their contribution to overcoming this problem. Especially significant results were achieved by Saint Pitirim of Tambov 5, who is known for his educational works among different segments of the population and the return of many schismatics to the bosom of the Mother Church. Following the example of his predecessor, who had not yet been canonized, but was already widely revered among the people, Saint Theophan recognized religious education and moral education as the priority of his episcopal ministry. Bishop Feofan’s serious step in solving these problems was the publication of the diocesan periodical magazine “Tambov Diocesan Gazette”. The saint took a direct part in the publication of each issue, publishing his writings and archpastoral addresses on its pages. Considering church preaching to be an effective means of spiritual and moral development of the people, His Eminence Theophan not only himself preached almost without fail at every service, but also urgently demanded this from the clergy. As a ruling bishop, he preferred to influence his subordinates by the force of positive example. Often, with his blessing, the priesthood of the Tambov diocese was encouraged for the successful preaching of the Word of God. In the summer of 1861, the priest of the Ascension Church in Kozlov, Nikolai Voskresensky 6, was awarded a gaiter “for the edifying teachings he delivered in 1860.” A few months later, Tambov priests Georgy Khitrov, Ioann Sladkopevtsev and Nikolai Afanasyev were awarded the archpastoral blessing, with inclusion in the formal lists, “as a model for others, for their special diligence and labor in compiling the teachings delivered at the department of His Eminence” 7 . But sometimes Bishop Theophan resorted to public reproach of careless shepherds. Approving the decision of the spiritual consistory to fine one of the priests for not preaching for six months without good reason, the saint added: “The one who did not speak the teachings will be sealed in the reports for the information of the diocese,” 8 which was done. Not limiting himself to administrative measures, Bishop Feofan provided active assistance to the pastors of the Tambov diocese in the preparation of sermons, publishing on the pages of the diocesan magazine the article “How to compose a sermon” and a collection of short teachings of the holy fathers. “The preacher deals with the souls of his hearers. His duty is to reveal to them the will of God and to incline them to follow it,” 9 – the saint clearly set his goal in an article that can serve as a manual on homiletics. An equally significant contribution of Bishop Feofan to the development of parish life and raising the cultural level of the Tambov flock was the opening of church schools. Parish schools and Sunday schools were established everywhere at churches, and attendance at them was open to the public 10 . At that time, for the majority of the rural population, parochial schools were the only form of education. Sunday schools were established in urban parishes, compensating for the shortcomings of religious education provided by secular educational institutions. Schools at churches were organized by their abbots, and again, as follows from publications in the diocesan press, Bishop Theophan predominantly highlighted positive examples and encouraged zealous pastors. Thus, in 1861, Bishop Feofan awarded a gait to the priest Modest Spassky, who, as reported in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette, “opened a free school at his parish church to teach children of parishioners basic literacy, prayers and singing, which now educates up to 40 children of both sexes” 11 . Among the most important undertakings of Bishop Feofan in the Tambov diocese is the organization of a diocesan women's school. The saint did everything to open this educational institution, including collecting donations and developing a charter, but the school began its work after his departure from Tambov. Many publications in the diocesan press reveal such character traits of Bishop Theophan as compassion, mercy, and responsiveness. He showed concern both for the needy residents of the Tambov province and for the plight of Orthodox Christians in the Middle East 12 . From the pages of the diocesan magazine, the saint consoled, condoled, strengthened in the patience of sorrows, and also financially helped those affected by the drought and the fires it caused. A considerable part of the published materials testifies to his constant archpastoral care of the churches and monasteries of the diocese. With his care, major repairs of church buildings were carried out, in particular the seminary church, existing monasteries were improved and new ones were built 13 , pious traditions were consolidated: soon after his appointment, he informed the Holy Synod about the establishment of a religious procession from the Assumption Vyshensk Hermitage to the city of Morshansk with the revered icon of the Mother of God “Kazan” 14 . It should be noted that the saint showed special concern for strengthening and establishing monastic life in the diocese. His peaceful, balanced approach to the management of monastic monasteries at one time extended to the Diveyevo Monastery. This monastery, located on the territory of the neighboring Nizhny Novgorod diocese, due to special circumstances was temporarily entrusted to the jurisdiction of the saint. Thanks to his efforts, a regular monastic life was restored in the monastery. This episode of the bishop’s service in this volume of the “Chronicles...” is evidenced by a number of documents from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive and the Scientific Research Institute of the Russian State Library. Such special attention of Bishop Theophan to the organization of monasteries was not accidental. It revealed his former inner inclination towards a solitary life filled with ascetic deeds. When he first visited the Assumption Vyshenskaya Hermitage during a review of the diocese, this monastery especially attracted him with the strictness of the charter, the solitude and beauty of the surrounding nature. From that time on, the saint firmly established himself in his intention to spend the rest of his life in this monastery. His hidden moods are revealed by the phrase said in the spring of 1862 when saying goodbye to Abbot Arkady (Chestonov), whom he appointed rector of the Vyshenskaya monastery: “Go, and then I will come to you” 15. But this desire of his was destined to endure another test - the episcopal service at the Vladimir See, to which the saint was appointed in the summer of 1863. His ministry in the Tambov diocese was short, but fruitful. It is an example of the archpastor’s diligent concern for the improvement of diocesan and general church life. Rightly, his biographer highly appreciated the saint’s diverse works in the field of bishopric in one succinct phrase, admitting that “this activity was tireless, vigilant and full of selflessness” 16. The reader will find confirmation of these words on the pages of the second volume of “The Chronicle of the Life and Works of St. Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.” Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk, Chairman of the Publishing Council Russian Orthodox Church, Chairman of the Scientific Editorial Board council for the preparation of the Full Meeting works of Saint Theophan the Recluse, Doctor of Historical Sciences CLIMENT Serving at the Tambov Department “On May 9, 1859, by the highest order, the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archimandrite Feofan, was appointed Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky instead of his predecessor and comrade, the Right Reverend Macarius 17, who was transferred to the Kharkov see. Thus, Archimandrite Theophan was directly appointed to an independent episcopal see, while his mentioned comrade and most of the other bishops of his time began their episcopal service with the rank of vicars. On May 29, Archimandrite Theophan was named bishop, and on June 1, the consecration 18 took place, which was performed by Metropolitan Gregory 19 with other bishops 20 in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.” The time of service of the Right Reverend Theophan at the Tambov See coincided with the period of the introduction of various kinds of transformations into the church and civil life of society. “These are especially the liberation of peasants from serfdom, the improvement of their life in various respects, and the raising of the level of their mental development. And the diocesan bishop had to respond to all these reforms in one way or another. One of the first concerns of Bishop Theophan was the desire to raise the level of public education. To achieve this goal, Bishop Theophan took special care to increase parochial schools, of which a lot were opened under him. In the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” for 1861–1863, almost every issue talks about several newly opened parochial schools. It should be noted that at that time parochial schools were just being established; The peasants were little aware of the need for teaching and did not themselves at all strive for it, and therefore the opening of parochial schools cost the clergy a lot of work. In order to promote public education, His Eminence Theophan also took care of the arrangement and splendor of the churches of God - these oldest and best schools of spiritual enlightenment.” June 4. By decree of Emperor Alexander II, Bishop Theophan was issued a travel document 22: “The announcer of this, His Eminence Theophan, Bishop of Tambov, is coming from St. Petersburg to Tambov; in confirmation of which and for free passage for him, the Eminence, this view was given from the office of the Holy Governing Synod with the proper signature and the application of the government seal.” RGIA. F.796. On.140. Storage unit 604. L.41 vol. June 26. The Tambov Spiritual Consistory 23 received a decree of the Holy Synod dated June 14 addressed to His Eminence Theophan, with printed copies of the “manifesto on the death of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna 24, Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Weimar” attached and with an order to serve a memorial service. In pursuance of the decree, the Tambov spiritual consistory, “due to the non-arrival of His Eminence in the diocese,” notified the head of the Tambov province, Karl Karlovich Danzas, 25 that “the celebration of a memorial service in the cathedral, before the liturgy at 9 o’clock in the morning, is scheduled for June 27.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1507. L.24–24 vol. July 1st. Bishop Feofan arrived at the place of his ministry - the Tambov diocese. TEV. 1863. No. 18. 15 Sep. Add. P.537. “Many worries, labors, various kinds of obstacles, even grief awaited His Eminence Theophan in his new place. The Tambov diocese was one of the most extensive and populous. There was only one white clergy in it at that time: 1172 priests and archpriests, 681 deacons, 2148 clergymen and deacons in clergy vacancies. In addition, there were several hundred monastics of both sexes in male and female monasteries, and among the population there were many sectarians and schismatics.” Tertyshnikov. MD. T.1. Part 1. P.99. July 2. The board of the Tambov Theological Seminary, represented by the rector - Archimandrite Seraphim (Aretinsky) 26 and the teacher - Archpriest Pavel Rozanov 27 notified Bishop Feofan that the Holy Synod on May 16, 1859 decided “to appoint an inspector of the Tambov Seminary, Archimandrite Anthony, for the vacancies available at the Ekaterinoslav Seminary for the rector and instructor of theological sciences 28, so that when he is sent to his new destination, the money for four horses will be given to him from the funds of the Tambov Seminary, and then the amount of such money will be reported in the proper order for the return of it from the spiritual and educational capital.” The Holy Synod ordered the board of the Tambov Seminary, “dismissing Archimandrite Anthony from his duties at the seminary,” to send him to a new assignment, and to entrust the performance of the duties of an inspector to “any of the available mentors of the seminary, with the consent of the diocesan bishop.” In view of this instruction, the Board of the Tambov Seminary made five provisions: “1) fire Fr. inspector Archimandrite Anthony from his positions at the Tambov Seminary; 2) his inspector position until the arrival of the new inspector should be entrusted to the assistant rector for professorship, teacher Archpriest Pavel Rozanov, and the mentoring position - to professor of physical and mathematical sciences Viktor Pevnitsky 29; 3) let both the librarian and the steward of the seminary know with an extract from the journal, so that they inform the board whether Fr. inspector of government books and government items; 4) in accordance with the determination of the Holy Synod, give him from the seminary funds the following money for the runs to calculate the travel expenses and report the issue of this money to the spiritual and educational administration for their return from the spiritual and educational capital; 5) issue a ticket for travel.” GATO. F.186. Op.65. Storage unit 33. L.2 2 rev. 3.9 9 rev. July 3. Bishop Feofan reviewed and approved with his own signature five provisions on the change of inspector of the Tambov Theological Seminary, as well as an appeal to the head of the Tambov province K.K. Danzas with a request to order the expulsion in the name of Fr. Anthony “traveled for government purposes from Tambov to Yekaterinoslavl via Kiev for three horses with future ones with him” 30. GATO. F.186. On.65. Unit file 33. L.3. July 4th. Bishop Feofan signed a report to the Holy Synod about newly opened and closed priestly and ecclesiastical places in the Tambov diocese from December 1, 1858 to June 1, 1859. “In fulfillment of... the instructions, I have the honor to most respectfully convey: 1st: that from December 1 last 1858 to June 1 of this year the following places were open: priestly - 6, deaconal - 3, clergy - 10; exactly: Tambov district. In the village of Alshanka, at a newly built church 31, by order of the diocesan authorities, a priestly and two clergymen; priest Pavel Voskresensky 32 was transferred to the first of them from the village of Serebryakov, 32, to the deacon of the same village, deacon Vlas Davydov, and the sexton was assigned to the daughter of 33 the provincial village of Bolshaya Lipovitsa, deacon Joseph Yuryev, the maiden Maria, at their request. Borisoglebsk district. In the village of Kulyabovka, by decree of the Holy Synod of April 28 of this year, a diaconal vacancy was opened, which was assigned to the orphan girl Natalya, the daughter of the deceased deacon of the former city of Romanov, Lipetsk district, Alexander Alekseev. Morshansky district. In the village of Ivenye, by decree of the Holy Synod of March 31 of this year, a second clerical vacancy was opened, to which the deacon Fyodor Golubev was transferred to the village of Cherkina of the same district, at his request. Kozlovsky district. In the village of Popovka, at a newly built church 34, by order of the diocesan authorities, a priestly and two clergy; Priest Alexey Tsvetaev was transferred to the first village of Vyshnevoy, and deacon Mikhail Yuryev was transferred to the last village of the same village and clerk Yakov Golubev of the village of Borshchevoy Sloboda, at their request. In the village of Zelenovka, at a newly built church 35, by order of the diocesan authorities, priestly and clergy; Former teacher of the rural school Pyotr Svetlov 36 was promoted to the first position, and the unplaced deacon Nikita Lukin 37 was assigned to the last position, at their request. Shatsk district. In the village of Maloye Maltsevo, by decree of the Holy Synod on March 9 of this year, the church was restored as an independent church 38; the village school teacher Pyotr Buzhinsky was promoted to the priestly position in the village of Bolshaya Lipovitsy, and Deacon Pyotr Tsvetnitsky, who had been demoted to the clerical vacancy in the village of Studenets, was placed in the priestly position. In the village of Novy Cherneev, by decree of the Holy Synod of January 30 of this year, a diaconal vacancy was opened, to which deacon Petr Novikov was promoted from the Kozlovsky district of the village of Novy Stezhek, at his request. Spassky district. In the village of Mordovskie Polyany, at the newly built church 39, by order of the diocesan authorities, a priestly and two clergymen, to which priest Peter Kurgansky 40 and clergymen Alexander Ivanov and Nikanor Kazmin were transferred from the village of Bogdanovka, at their request. Lipetsk district. In the village of Kochetovka, at a newly built church 41, by order of the diocesan authorities, a priestly and one clergy; The teacher of the Karpel rural school, Dimitry Zvonarev, was promoted to the first position, and priest Ivan Cherneevsky, who had been demoted to the vacancy of the clergy, was placed in the position of priest. Kirsanovsky district. In the village of Vasilyevka, by decree of the Holy Synod of February 27 of this year, a diaconal vacancy was opened, to which Deacon Stepan Ventsenostsev was transferred to the village of Kurovshchiny of the same district, at his request. 2nd: During this same half-year, for various reasons, the following places are closed, according to the draft of the new states: priestly - 3, deaconal - 3 and clergy - 11; exactly: Tambov district. In the village of Troitskie Raslya 42 deacon behind the death of that village deacon Dementia Gerasimov. In the village of Berezovka, the sexton followed the death of that village sexton Alexei Ivanov. In the village of Rasskazov, Trinity Church 43 priestly after the death of priest Ivan Belyakov. In the village of Serebryakovo, the deacon's office was responsible for the transfer of that village's deacon Vasily Khitrov to the same place in the village of Kusanovo, Borisoglebsk district. Kirsanovsky district. In the village of Kurovshchina, the deacon's office for the transfer of that village of deacon Stepan Ventsenostsev to the village of Vasilyevka of the same district to the deacon's place newly opened by decree of the Holy Synod. In the village of Kalais 44 deacon after the death of that village deacon Philip Evdokimov. Spassky district. In the village of Kochetovka, the deacon behind the death of that village deacon Stepan Kochetov. In the village of Salazgore, the sexton was behind the dismissal of that village sexton Alexander Ivanov. In the village of Bogdanov, the priestly and two clergymen for the transfer from that village of priest Peter Kurgansky and the clergymen Alexander Ivanov and Nikanor Kazmin to the church that was being built again in the village of Mordovian Polyany of the same district. Shatsk district. In the village of Staraya Ostrovka, the deacon's office was responsible for the relocation of that village by Deacon Dimitry Chistyakov 45 to the village of Belorechye in the same district, at his request. In the village of Tsyplyakovo, the sexton was behind the dismissal of that village sexton Ivan Nazarov. Usminsky district. In the village of Mordovo, the sexton for the provision of that village to the sexton Hierofei Rozhdestvensky in the village of Serpovoy, Morshansky district, a deacon's place. Kozlovsky district. In the village of Vostroluchye, a ceremonial ceremony followed the death of sexton Andrei Amvrosiev. In the village of Vyshnevoye, the priest of that village, priest Alexei Tsvetaev, was transferred to the church that was being built again in the village of Popovka in the same district. Morshansky district. In the village of Griboyedovo, the deacon Afanasy Fedorov was fired from the staff after the dismissal of that village.” RGIA. F.796. On.140. Storage unit 991. L.1 5. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov spiritual consistory dated May 15, 1859, where, among other matters, a note drawn up from the consistory case No. 137 about negligence and omissions in the post of the Kozlovsky district was considered. Nikolsky 46 deacon Timofey Bogoyavlensky, sexton Matthew Samuilov and sexton Prokopiy Ivanov - according to a report from the priest of this parish Trofim Gorlinkov. As a result of the investigation, it turned out that the latter had slandered members of his clergy. Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Priest Gorlenkov 47 should be left in the same parish for another six months, obliging him with the strictest subscription to correct his restless character; at the end of this period, the dean, under his personal responsibility, has to inform me to what extent he will correct himself... If he does not correct himself, then he will be dealt with according to the conclusion of the consistory.” GATO. F.181. On 1. Storage unit 1590. L.1. July 5th. Finding the honest relics of St. Sergius, abbot of Radonezh. The word spoken by Bishop Feofan in the Tambov Cathedral “upon entering the flock”: “In the name of God, worshiped in the Trinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, I greet you, the flock entrusted to me by God, with an apostolic greeting - in the desire for grace and peace. May grace and peace be multiplied to you 48 - as two sources of every good of soul and body: may your mind be filled with the knowledge of God and all truth that comes from Him, with corresponding feelings and dispositions; May your heart open to brotherly love and every kind of goodness, and may all your undertakings turn to the glory of the One God... the goodness of the air, the fertility of the earth and everything that is necessary for your temporary prosperity, may the generous mercy of God grant you - if He favors. About all this is my unceasing sinful prayer to God. For we are no longer strangers to each other. At the hour of the naming, not yet knowing you, I had already entered into communication with you, having made a vow to God and the Holy Church - to belong to you through care, labor and even this life. In equal retribution, as I believe from the confidence in your Christian conscience, you did something similar, dedicating yourself to attention and, if necessary, obedience to my weak word and deed out of faith in love. And now this mutual union, based on mutual self-sacrifice, is sanctified by the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice, sacrificed for us to the Lord, from Whom for this reason may all blessings descend upon our beginning co-existence. From this moment we have both good and evil in common, and this is not only for a while, but also for eternity; for this coexistence, although it began in time and for a time, is imprinted with a character that goes beyond time, because, being associated with mutual obligations, determined from above, and on the day of Judgment it will serve to justify or condemn us. This seems to be enough of an incentive for us to walk before each other, as before the face of God, with all attention and kindness, with mutual good wishes, in prayer for each other and in mutual assistance to each other, working out our salvation with fear and trembling. I think, however, that there is no need to disclose to you our mutual obligatory relationship. This is not the first time you have entered into them, but let me remind myself of them to myself. I consider it necessary to offer you only one thing in some detail for the first time, namely: to draw an image of sound Christian teaching, which you need to heed, like a lamp shining in the darkness of human opinions and errors, and which I will follow in my feasible service to the word of truth. Listen to what I confess, what I teach and what I will seek to believe in, according to the duty of shepherding, and according to this, judge who is ours and who is alien to us, with whom we should communicate and whom we should run away, what we should follow and what we should move away from. It is not something new or something that is our own that will be offered, but something that has been handed down to us since ancient times as the holy law of faith and the unchangeable rule of life. Thus I confess that God, one in essence, is threefold in Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that these Three are not names of one and the same Person and not names of different actions of the same Person; but three Hypostases of the One Divinity. This is how the Holy Church commands to confess, this is how I will teach, and this is the kind of faith I will seek from everyone in the duty of shepherding. I confess that this Trihypostatic God, all-perfect, by His free will, without any internal or external necessity, in six days with His one word created this world, not pouring into the world and not merging with it, but remaining in Himself whole and unchangeable, although He is omnipresent and fulfills everything. This is how the Holy Church commands to confess, this is how I will teach, and this is the kind of faith I will dutifully seek from everyone. I confess that the all-good God, having created the world, did not leave it to the mercy of fate and did not bind it with the bonds of some inexorable necessity, as unbelief and superstition teach; and with the same freedom and power with which he created it, with the same he rules over it and graciously cares for every creature, especially rational ones, freely directing everything towards His good goals, not constrained by the laws of nature, which themselves are nothing more than the expression of His will, and therefore are entirely subject to His free order and change where His infinite wisdom requires it. This is how the Holy Church commands to confess, this is how I will teach, and this is how I will seek faith from everyone. I confess that we, having been created for constant communion with God and unchangeable bliss in Him, in our first parents, by violating His commandments, fell away from Him, incurred His righteous wrath and fell under temporary punishment and eternal condemnation, and that therefore every visible and experienced evil, internal or external, is not our natural state or a consequence of our limitations, but is the direct fruit of sin - punishment, reversible only by the grace of God into a cleansing instrument for us, under the condition of faith, repentance and humble submission to the will of God. This is how the Holy Church commands to confess, this is how I will teach, and this is how I will seek faith from everyone. I confess that the Lord, moved by love, not tolerating His beloved creation - man - perishing in this plight, deigned to descend to earth, take upon Himself human nature, satisfy the truth of God through suffering and death, and, after the resurrection, ascend to heaven, and, sitting at the right hand of God and the Father, again open to man free access to living communication with God. I confess that all restorative Divine powers, including life and piety, are placed by the Lord in His Holy Church as our only physician and act in it by the Holy Spirit through the holy sacraments and other sanctifying institutions on everyone who approaches them with a heart opened by faith... and that there is no other way to receive the powers of grace, and there cannot be, no matter what they plan and no matter how differently they dream some dreamy minds will be inspired. I confess that everyone who seeks salvation must first of all repent with the determination not to sin again, even if it costs his life; then proceed to the sacraments to receive grace, to strengthen those weak in the good of their natural powers, then to go as far as we can along the path of Christ’s commandments, among all the sanctifying institutions and prayers of the Church, which are essential to kindle the spirit of grace in us, under the influence of feats of self-denial to mortify passions - until we finally reach the bright region of dispassion and purity, to this measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ. I confess that those who began this way, entering into communication with God, at the same time enter into communication with the invisible world - the angels and all the saints who previously pleased God, and, resorting to their intercession, receive timely help from them - most of all from our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, our all-powerful Intercessor and Intercessor. I confess that for original sin the soul will be separated from the body by the action of death and will remain in this separation until the future resurrection and Judgment - either nourished by the hope of eternal bliss, if it followed the will of God in everything, or languishing with the fear of eternal torment, if it resisted the commandments of the Lord. I confess all this with all my soul, with all my heart and with all my thought, because this is how the Holy Church commands to confess... This is how I will teach, and this is the kind of faith I will seek from everyone... And so I deliberately outlined our entire confession to you in order to renew in your thoughts the bright face of our faith - to indicate the path that we are commanded to follow, and to hint at those crossroads to which we deviate, some due to lack of teaching, others due to ill-directed learning. And may the Lord deliver you from these deviations! Everything I depicted is not new! Hold on to this old faith, as our fathers held on to it and for this they left us clear traces of their pleasing to God, from them there is also Sergius of Radonezh, so zealously revered by you and glorified by all Orthodox Russia, whose memory is now celebrated. Flee new things in matters of faith and piety and beware of these lying prophets who come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves 49: understand the lies hidden in the attractive words of flatterers who seek to corrupt you under the guise of goodwill. I mean all those who think wrong and walk wrong, not out of weakness, but out of perseverance, with the desire to attract others to their side; I mean: - those who do not believe in the Holy Trinity and who think that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not Persons of the One Deity, but are names of one Person; - those who reject Divine creativity and providence and think that the world with all the creatures in it spontaneously arose and is governed by itself; - those who do not believe in the fall of man and our disastrous state in another way; - those who do not believe in the Holy Church as a single physician, containing within itself all the restorative powers for us, and St. considering its sacraments and sanctifying means to be simple rites without inner power; - those who dream of receiving the sanctifying power of God’s grace in some hidden, invisible way, and not in the way offered by the Holy Church; - those who do not recognize asceticism and all works of self-denial as necessary, flattering themselves with the false hope of combining the spirit of Christ with the spirit of the world; - those who are alienated from communication with the saints and contemptuously reject their intercession and intercession, as well as the destructive actions of the spirits of wickedness in high places; - those who do not recognize the spirituality of the soul, its immortality, the future resurrection of our bodies and the eternal reward of all of us according to our deeds; - open and secret violators of the statutes of the Holy Church of God, who do not consider it necessary to observe fasts, confess, take communion, and who do not honor St. holidays and Sundays, or instead of properly honoring them, indulging in unreasonable amusements and amusements; - with daring self-justification for those who do not maintain purity before marriage and fidelity to their spouse after marriage, inventing some other way of cohabitation instead of what is blessed by God; - in general, everyone who is carried away and captivated by indomitable self-will in their way of thinking and rules of life. You see now who is ours and who is not ours, on whose side is the truth and where is the lie. Avoid evil and do good. The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, seeing the destruction from the appearance of false teachers in the flock of Christ, on the one hand, aroused the vigilance of believers, pointing out this appearance, on the other hand, he taught them to recognize the falsity of their teaching by internal, spiritual unction. Finding ourselves in somewhat similar circumstances, we turn to you the words of the same apostle: beloved, do not believe every spirit, but tempt the spirits if they are from God: for many false prophets have gone out into the world 50 . ...Now there have been many Antichrists... who have come from us, but are not maddened by us 51. Ask how to recognize them and their teaching? According to the outline of the truth proposed by us, or according to the wise rule proposed by St. Ignatius the God-Bearer: adhere to the lawful shepherding, and you will never fall away from the truth. For shepherds and teachers are given to the Church by the Shepherd and Head - the Lord - for the perfection of the saints, for the work of service, for the building up of the Body of Christ... no we don't... infants, tossed about and tossed about by every wind of doctrine, in the lies of men, in the deceit of the wiles of flattery 52..." Words. Tambov.1861. P.8–14. Saint Theophan, while serving at the Tambov See, showed special concern for delivering sermons. When speaking a lesson, he always took into account the needs and spiritual demands of his flock. “The content of the words to the Tambov flock is very diverse. The Most Holy Theophanes, being a lively and responsive man, took advantage of every opportunity to give instruction to his flock. Therefore, in these “Words” we find sermons on various occasions, such as, for example, on the consecration of churches, on the burial of various persons, on tonsure as a monk, etc., and on the feasts of the Lord, the Mother of God and Saints, and on royal days. But with all their diversity, the sermons of the Most Blessed Theophan are animated by one main thought - the thought of salvation. The dispensation of salvation is the main subject of his sermons. The sermons of the Right Reverend Theophan, with his eloquence, clarity, liveliness and simplicity of presentation, with his deep experienced acquaintance with the spiritual life of man and its needs, with his extensive knowledge of Holy Scripture and patristic works, made an extremely strong impression on the listeners. They so captured the attention of the listeners that a dead silence reigned in the church, as a result of which even his weak voice could be heard in the most distant corners of the church. With his heartfelt and convincing sermons, the Reverend Theophan gained great love among the Tambov flock.” “The main feature of the saint as a preacher and, at the same time, his highest dignity is that he truly and most fully in modern times fulfilled the ideal requirement of Christian preaching, indicated by the Apostle and consisting not in dialectics and rhetoric, but in the manifestation of spirit and power, religious faith and conviction. This true spark of divine fire, always inherent and penetrating the teachings of the Most Reverend Theophan, makes them unique and incomparable, closely reminiscent of the heartfelt conversations of the ancient Christian ascetics-desert dwellers. His word is a preaching of life solely for God and in God, a preaching of the ascetic ideal and for life in civil society itself. In every church teaching of the Right Reverend| Theophanes are clearly revealed as typical two phenomena. On the one hand, the inner consciousness of the preacher is always presented with the living image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, His Most Pure Mother, the apostles and all the saints. His thoughts are entirely occupied with their teaching and commandments, the remembrance of death, judgment, the eternal bliss of the righteous and the eternal torment of sinners. On the other hand, the saint’s word revolves mainly in the area of ​​the inner, hidden life of people, in the area of ​​their spiritual and moral states and heart movements. It always comes from the depths of his loving heart, felt and experienced by him himself.” “It is remarkable that with his outstanding literary talent, the Most Reverend Theophan never dared to speak his teachings without a notebook. On the one hand, this reflected his humility and extreme modesty in his opinion of himself, as if he were afraid to overly trust and rely on his own strengths, and on the other hand, such a feature stemmed from a deep reverence for the Word of God, from the fear of not saying by heart something inaccurate, unnecessary, and especially untrue and false. According to the saint, whoever proclaims the Word of God in a sacred place in the name of God is responsible for every word.” In one of his letters, Saint Theophan admitted that upon his arrival in Tambov, he preached few sermons due to the need for lengthy preparation, but after advice received from Archimandrite Seraphim (Aretinsky), rector of the Tambov Seminary, he began to write sermons immediately before delivering them. “At first I spoke little... precisely because I thought of writing a sermon... the same as composing a book. Reverend| Seraphim 54 then says to me: why think for so long?... I sat down and wrote it in one sitting. I didn’t believe it was possible to do this. Then somehow I became annoyed that I wasn’t preaching sermons... I came from the all-night vigil and, well, I wrote what I would write... It seems that it was a sermon about the love of God. During mass he began to speak timidly... Nothing... got away with it. Then the next time, the same thing the third time, and so it went. And all the sermons in “Words to the Tambov flock,” with the exception of 3–4, are of this origin. In the evening after the all-night vigil they wrote..." 55 Collection of letters. Vol. III. P.54 55. He tells one of V.A.’s correspondents about how Saint Theophan composed his sermons. Jordan 56: “The peculiarity of my sermons is that they are not composed. Usually, it happened in the evening, after the all-night vigil, I would drink a glass of tea, read tomorrow’s Gospel, then the Apostle, and whatever thought came in and occupied my attention and heart, I took it into the topic, and the sermon there was already built within itself. An hour and a half, maybe two, and the sermon is ready, you can read it in the morning and tweak it a little. Sometimes the theme is given by external circumstances, as happened when visiting monasteries, but the production is still the same. These are written impromptu” 57. Collection of letters. Vol. V. P.50 51. His contemporary testifies to the preaching of Bishop Theophan: “Thanks to the eminent care of our archpastor, we in Tambov recently began a weekly preaching of the word of God on Saturdays and Sundays. The public liked the teachings so much that on the designated days they eagerly rush to the churches where they are delivered. It is comforting that people of all classes of both sexes greeted this new good deed with great sympathy. At the sound of the evening bell, the dense crowd of walking people suddenly begins to thin out, the church bell reminds of the church preacher, and so many leave the public spectacle and rush to the cathedral, following the archpastor, who every time is himself present when the teachings are delivered” 58 . “The center of preaching was the Kazan Monastery at the bishop’s house 59. Here constant and systematic conversations were held not only during the liturgy, but also during the all-night vigil. During the liturgy, the Right Reverend usually spoke, and during the all-night vigil, seminary teachers - priests - preached in turn, among whom the talented Archpriest I.M. was distinguished for his wonderful teachings. Sladkopevtsev 60. During Great Lent, there were also conversations at vespers in the cathedral, which were conducted mainly by the church speaker, Archpriest G.V., who was famous in his time in Tambov. Khitrov 61. Such intensive preaching activity developed under the direct leadership of Bishop Theophan, and he personally did not miss a single conversation.” July 8. Bishop Theophan consecrated the church in the Mother of God of the Znamensky Sukhotinsky Convent 62 and delivered a sermon: “This church is appointed for you, sisters, who have left the world and have disdained the Lord. You left, running, and settled in the desert 63 so that you could more easily approach your beloved Lord and, with your eyes undisturbed by the dust of worldly vanity, behold 64 the beauty of His face. I have no doubt that this has been and will be so. But I cannot help but remind you that it is not enough for you to appear before the face of the Lord in a church that exists outside of you: you need to build a church for the Lord within yourself, so that you can always have Him in you and with you. A place for the visible church is chosen and cleansed. We need to clear the place of the heart within us for the building of a spiritual church. This clearing is accomplished by repentance. In the cleared area, the foundation is deepened and laid. The foundation of the spiritual church in the heart is faith and a firm determination to live by faith. Having laid the foundation, they then erect the building, laying stone on stone - the stones are different virtues, for which when and where the opportunity presents itself: meekness, self-control, patience, obedience, mercy, hard work, etc. The work of doing good, imbued with love, under the influence of God’s sacraments, with the guidance of shepherds and one’s own reasoning, raises the building to the top. Then its roof will be formed by deep humility, which will save this building from the dampness of vanity and man-pleasing, from the dryness of arrogance and pride, from the shocking blows of willfulness and disobedience. All that remains after this is to lead the building and put an end to it. Both will be accomplished by one act of devotion to the will of God, which is precisely the head of the virtues of self-sacrifice and the cross on which our selfhood is finally crucified. Here is the church! You need to go inside it, decorate it, sanctify it, make it fragrant. The question is: how can we go inside ourselves? Attention, sobriety, composure. How to decorate the inner church of the heart? Good thoughts about the Trinitarian God, His boundless perfections, creation, providence, the mystery of redemption and the entire economy of salvation, the future restoration of everything, and so on. This light of vision of God, illuminating and warming the heart, constitutes the incense of heartfelt prayer, rising like the morning, or, like a fragrant censer, ascending to God. In the church of the heart thus fragrant, spiritual sacrifice will also be performed. Favorable to God. That's it! Whether this matter is difficult or easy, it is necessary. “Son, give Mi... heart 65,” says the Lord. And we'll give it back. Remember the parable of the ten virgins... What did the holy fools lack? Internal doing. Outwardly, they were in good order - they observed virginity, and did not break fasts, and went to the church of God, and fulfilled everything else prescribed by the charter; but they didn’t care about the organization of thoughts and feelings. And their heart, instead of a church to God, was a wilderness, overgrown with all sorts of wild plants, full of reptiles and insects...” HC. 1859. No. 10. pp.305–311; Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 15–20. From the historical and statistical description of the Mother of God of the Znamensky Sukhotinsky Convent: “In 1859, a new iconostasis was built in the stone Znamenskaya Church, the floors were re-paved, the windows and doors were redone - in a word, the entire interior of the present church was restored and the church was consecrated by His Eminence Theophan.” TEV. 1864. No. 17. 1 Sep. Add. P.140. July 13. In the Holy Synod, Chief Prosecutor Count A.P. Tolstoy 66 read out a petition from Bishop Theophan to assign him an allowance of 1000 rubles, which was assigned to his predecessor, Bishop Macarius, “in respect of the constrained position of the local bishop’s see in economic terms.” RGIA. F.796. On.140. Storage unit 834. L.1 His Eminence Theophan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of May 22. where, among other cases, the case of the peasant woman Anna Negrobova was considered. Anna Negrobova “served as a prosphora in the village for 23 years. Podgornom of the Lipetsk district 67, was removed from office by the new priest Pavel Berezin, who, “hating her,” refused to give communion to her sick relative, and she died without farewell.” The consistory decided “Fr. Berezin should be released from prosecution in this case, with the obligation to sign so that in the future he will not bring himself to such complaints.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Approved. But priest Berezin should be careful. It is his duty to carefully determine whether to refuse Holy Communion, without relying on the judgment of outsiders. To what extent he is guilty, let him reveal to his confessor and clear his conscience.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1656. L.227.228 rev. 249. July 27. On the birthday of Empress Maria Alexandrovna 68, Bishop Theophan preached a sermon in the Archangel Michael Church 69 at the Tambov Cadet Corps 70 on the occasion of the distribution of awards to cadets: “On days like this, attention involuntarily stops on objects loved by those people to whom these days are dedicated. What is closest to the heart of the most pious empress, Empress Maria Alexandrovna? What is she most concerned about? What troubles her soul? This is raising children. And thought used to imagine her surrounded by children, despised or despised, educated or brought up. Therefore, I do not consider it inappropriate now, on the solemn day of her birth, to say a few words about education - especially in this church, located in the house for raising children, and, moreover, on the day of the solemn act in it. The word about education - in the church - you already guessed - will concern education in the Christian spirit. Let them not alienate children from the Church and churchliness, from prayers, fasting, fasting, confession and communion, observing holidays and visiting shrines, etc. ... and you can be sure that upon completion of the course of education, the soul of the pets, like a pure virgin, will be presented to Christ prepared for every good deed. That's the whole educational program! Imprint the truths of faith in the mind, steadily providing pets according to the instructions of our guardian Mother Church, and children will come out strong in mind and kind in heart, kind with lasting and unshakable kindness. Where in any branch of knowledge concepts are allowed that are contrary to the truths of faith, they darken the mind of those being educated and weaken it with an admixture of lies. And where, moreover, they somehow alienate one from the Church, they spoil the heart, allowing unnatural (passionate) feelings and dispositions to open up and grow stronger in it. In offering all this, however, I offer it not as a lesson or reproach, but as a simple reminder, in the form of sharing our mutual convictions, which are not unnecessary to renew and revive with such reciprocity in the present age of uncertain aspirations, almost without a goal or a starting point. Let us not deviate from the right path and instill evil in our trusting childhood instead of good! For there will be a time when we will all stand before the face of the Judge - as if at that time we would not have to hear from the now silent children the reproachful question: “But you taught us the wrong thing” or “But you didn’t teach this!” " SpiritB. 1859. No. 34. pp.250–251, 255–256; Words. Tambov. 1861. P.21, 25–26. July 30. Upon his accession to the Tambov See, His Grace Theophan writes to his diocesan predecessor, Bishop of Kharkov and Akhtyrka Makariy (Bulgakov): “Forgive me, for God’s sake, that I haven’t written anything to you before. I pulled myself together with force. The news of the classes took me... Everything is unusual for me... I think I will study for a long time. But what about that? Let me first of all thank you for updating the houses. Clean and quiet; I wouldn’t have the energy for that... There are also many signs of improvement in the diocese, although I haven’t looked closely yet... God bless you! I'm about to travel around the diocese. They say it is necessary. And it is necessary. In Spassk 71 the split is growing. What to do with it? Civil power is now being taken reluctantly, because its wings have been cut off... Well! - what God will give. One thing is deeply disturbing... Placeless [priests]. I would gather everyone into a bunch - and into the fire... It’s just a fuss with them. There is nothing else to do. We need shelter. And poverty, poverty! God forbid. In the city I know very few people well, or no one, with the exception of P.A. Kolobov. 72, whom I am beginning to know. I only saw others... i.e. veni, vidi, but not visi 73. However, I really like many of them... I just don’t trust them yet. You have spoiled the Tambov residents - everyone expects teachings and expromta. And here there is a lack of strength. After the illness, my head and, most of all, my memory became very weak. That's what's missing. Have you heard about the disease?! She was headed for death - and only the Lord had mercy - allowed the soul to repent - from the Annunciation... rose after Easter (tiphos)... and went to Iver 74, as the doctors ordered. There I learned about the appointment. As soon as I returned, I was ordained... and I had to hurry to go to Tambov; for he drove Fr. Nektary 75 is the new rector, and Leonty 76 was persecuting him. and Leonty - Nikander 77 ... They literally drove him away ... And the mover of everything was the Lord 78 ... It caught fire. Otherwise everything – thank God! Behold, I am healthy... and I’m not grieving yet. Partly there is no time, and partly there is nothing. What did you find in your new diocese? Grant you, Lord, all the best! I ask your saints. prayers. " IR NBU. F.301. D.631. L.1–2; Wanderer. 1894. T.2. pp. 104–105. August 4th. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a report was heard from the archpriest of the church of the Tambov Cadet Corps, Ioann Andreevich Moskvin 79, “in which he presented the teaching of priest Andrei Rybinsky, which he spoke on Vaiy Week, during his stay in the village of Aleksandrovka on the Petrovo-Solovo estate, and explained that the said teaching, although it does not conclude “In itself, his thoughts are neither reproachful for Mr. Solovov, nor outrageous for the peasants; nevertheless, he has expressions indecent for a church pulpit, and was not reviewed by the local censor.” They ordered: “To confirm to the priest Rybinsky that in the future he will never speak his sermons in church without reviewing the censor, obliging him to subscribe to this.” Bishop Theophan’s resolution: “Submit this sermon to me for review.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1670. L.8 v.9. August 12. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a petition was considered from “the clergy of the Stefani Church in Tambov, who are asking for the issuance of a collection book in the name of the church warden of their church, merchant Nikolai Nosov, to collect voluntary donations for the purchase of a bell.” The consistory decided: “For the purchase of a bell for the Stefani Church, 80 a collection book for recording donations should be issued (opposite these words in the hand of St. Theophan it is written: “Bells are a waste of money”) in the name of the church warden of that church of the 2nd guild of the merchant Nikolai Nosov, so that he would repair the collection (underlined by Theophan and inscribed: “Isn’t it better to turn this collection on the other 81?) according to one Tambov.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1670. L.41 rev.–42. August 13. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, the request of the priests from the village was considered. Novoznamensky, or Hollow Kurgan, Tambov district “Gabriel Gilyarovsky and John of Vvedensky with the church elder for permission to restore the iconostasis of their chapel church of St. Simeon of Serbia, replace the stone floor in the altar with a wooden one and rename it in the name of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.” The consistory decided: “To allow them, with the help of the parishioners, to restore their dilapidated chapel iconostasis according to a new design and make a wooden floor in that chapel instead of a stone one; regarding the change of celebration in that chapel, ask all the parishioners of that village: do they agree to change that celebration?” Bishop Feofan emphasized the words “dilapidated iconostasis” in the order of the consistory and put forward the following resolution: “To oblige them, the order of icons was written as close as possible to the Byzantine style.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1670. L.47. August 14. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a petition was considered from the “trustees of the newly built” church in Borisoglebsk 82, in which they asked to transform this church into a cathedral. The consistory, having considered the report of the archpriest of Borisoglebsk Leonty Krivopolyansky dated August 4, 1859, in which the latter reports that “in the newly built church in Borisoglebsk, a real iconostasis has not yet been built,” decided: “Although the trustees of the newly built church in Borisoglebsk, merchants Peter Sorokin 83 and Evgeniy Myagkov, by submitting a petition they ask to turn the newly built parish church into a cathedral instead of the old cathedral dilapidated one, but as it is clear from the case that the residents of the city of Borisoglebsk were twice denied this until the perfect arrangement and provision of it with everything necessary, in which the iconostasis has not yet been built.” Bishop Feofan emphasized the last words of the consistory’s decision and gave a resolution: “So that the icons should not be of Italian painting, but of the Orthodox Church. Refuse to turn the newly built church into a cathedral.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1670. L.56 vol. 57. August 15. Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Bishop Theophan spoke a word in the Sarov desert 84. “Death is not destruction, but a transition from this earthly home to another... But (take an example from ordinary life), when do they move from one place to another not only with a calm and peaceful soul, but also joyfully? Then, when they are not attached to anything in the place from which they are leaving, and in the place to which they are moving, they not only are not afraid, but in every possible way desire for the sake of the consolations and pleasantries expected in it. Let us take a similar position regarding death, and we will meet it not only without sorrow and fear, but also with joyful desire... Namely: 1. Let us extinguish in ourselves all attachment to the body and everything corporeal, to the earth and everything earthly. For when nothing binds on earth, where will there be sorrow when leaving it? 2. If anyone wants to face death without fear and peacefully pass on to the next world, let him take care to be sinless, or, if he has already sinned, let him do so that these sins do not serve as condemnation for him. How to do this? With sincere repentance and determination not to violate the Lord’s commandments anymore. Whoever has sinned, do not sin again, but bring repentance for previous sins. 3. If we then add to these two dispositions, i.e., renunciation from everything earthly and repentance, the desire for future blessings, then we will face death not only without sorrow and fear, but also with pleasure. The soul, having comprehended what life here and life in another world means, will sigh for this latter, as a captive sighs for his fatherland, a wanderer for his native home, and one sitting in prison for freedom... and with no small desire to call upon death as a deliverer, benefactor and comforter. Ask: how to lead the soul to such a mood? You can think about the insignificance of earthly blessings and the greatness of heavenly blessings, or, most likely, by feeling the bitterness of everything earthly and tasting the sweetness of heaven. For then it will happen that, having tasted the sweet, they will not want the bitter - they will turn away from the latter and desire the former; or even better - then the soul will flee from this life to another, just as they run from a stuffy room into the fresh air. That's all we need to die peacefully! Don’t have any attachments to what’s here; Having cleared your conscience, live virtuously, cultivate in yourself a strong desire for eternal blessings. The first and last will come by themselves when the main thing is there, that is, a clear conscience and good deeds.” TEV. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Add. P.56, 59–61; Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 27–31. August 17. Bishop Theophan consecrated the church in the Temnikovsky nunnery 85 and delivered a sermon: “So now your labors and your concerns about the construction of another church for your benefit have ended. Thanks be to the Lord for this gift! I say - freely, because although you had a lot to do, what could you do? if not for the Lord! In unexpected benefits, and in everything else, haven’t you yourself felt His close, beneficent hand? Having confessed the gift, what shall we render to the Lord, the Benefactor? Let us pay tribute, according to His intention, to the use of the gift. Exactly: 1. The church was built not to be only external - an empty witness of piety, but in order to be always full of those for whom it is intended. And this imposes on you the obligation to attend all services required by the charter in this church. Having made a vow to work for the Lord in labors of asceticism and prayer, you, of course, do not intend to indulge your laziness in this regard. But don’t let any plausible excuses tempt you... Common among workers like you. Let the urge not tempt you, firstly, to omit this or that Divine service - to complete the required work out of necessity. May you not be tempted, secondly, by the flattering thought of staying in your cell when others go to church, out of a desire to pray more diligently in solitude from others... Is there no other time for solitary prayer, besides the hours appointed for general prayer? Thirdly, do not let that indulgence tempt you by not coming to church at the beginning of services or leaving before their end. 2. You need to go to church not somehow, but as you should. For you can always go to church - not for praise, however, but to condemn yourself - go and not receive any spiritual benefit from it. When entering a church, we must clothe ourselves, as with clothing, with reverence, remembering Whom we are coming to and Whom we intend to address in prayer; he who is inattentive to what is happening in the church, dreams of empty things and deeds, but does not help these matters, and wastes prayer time in vain - he upsets himself and deprives himself of the fruit of prayer - ready-made, which itself, so to speak, is given into his hands... May the Lord deliver you from this sin! 3. Thus, making proper use of church services, we will little by little achieve the main thing for which these visible churches are given to us - namely, unceasing prayer to God, performed intelligently in the heart, which makes our heart a church to God not made by hands... As we do such labors, the soul will be more and more overshadowed by the gracious presence of God, which will lead the mind to God and fill the heart with sweetness. sighs, which is unceasing prayer. I wish this gift of God, as a reward for your labor, most of all... Having created this church and decorated it, so that you yourself may be built into a dwelling of God in the spirit - into a spiritual church - offering up sacrifices... acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 86... Amen.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.32 36. September 1st. The beginning of the indictment is the church new year. Memorial Day of St. Simeon the Stylite. In the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Morshansk, Bishop Theophan delivered a sermon on the apostolic reading of St. Simeon the Stylite (Col. 258th reading: 3, 12–16): “In my first communication with you, I cannot find a better word with which to address you than the one that is now offered to all of us in the apostolic reading on behalf of St. Apostle Paul. The lesson contained in it is terse, but significant and - especially for all of us - comforting, assuring us that the path we follow, and the way of life and action by which we can be saved, are the very ones that were prescribed and indicated by the apostles, therefore, as true as God Himself. St. Apostle Paul, having praised the Colossians for the fact that some of them, leaving Jewish dreams, and others - Hellenic errors, became Christians, then indicates what they, as Christians, should do, how to act and how to behave... And namely: 1) Put on, he says, in the womb of generosity, kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering, 87, forgive, if anyone has anything against another, i.e. the apostle points out the feelings and dispositions characteristic of Christians, as well as the deeds corresponding to them. 2) Further he adds: let the word of Christ dwell richly in you 88. The Word of Christ, that is, the teaching about our Lord Jesus Christ. 3) Finally, the apostle inspires: be filled with the spirit, speaking to yourself in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, singing in grace in your hearts to the Lord 89 . Psalms, chants and spiritual songs mean the entire order of prayers and church observances. This is what the Apostle taught to the Colossians!.. But this is the same thing that is working in us now, the same thing by which we hope to be saved. Consequently, the image of confession of faith that we maintain, the way of life that we lead, the way of sanctification that is acceptable - in general, the path of salvation that we follow - is the same one that was established on earth by the apostles and from them came down to us in a mutually acceptable manner and remains among us without any change - without addition or subtraction. It happens that someone is in a good hospital and is not deprived of proper care, but, however, is not healed... Why? Because he does not do everything in full and as it should, what the doctor prescribes to him... The same can happen to us... that, belonging to the true Church of God - this one healer of ours... we will not receive healing of spiritual infirmities, and, therefore, we will not be saved when we do not do everything that is prescribed by the Church where the abundant water of salvation flows, pouring out in seven streams on everyone. What exactly are we going to create? What the Apostle commanded: containing St. confession of faith and strengthened by the grace of God, given in the sacraments and kindled by the sacred rites and prayers of the church, we will walk according to the commandments of the Gospel and the charter of the Holy Church under the guidance of legitimate shepherds and teachers, walk steadily - without omissions and additions, without laziness and false apologies... in simplicity of heart, as before the Lord, the Knower of the Heart, who sees everything and has to repay a hundredfold reward for everything.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.37 38, 40 41 September 8. Bishop Feofan ordained a graduate of the Tambov Theological Seminary, Ivan Trubyatchinsky, as a priest, who took the place of priest Gabriel Tavitsky in the village. Kalais, Kirsanovsky district. “The place of priest Tavitsky was given to Trubyatchinsky, who married his daughter and completed a seminary course, and who was ordained by me as a priest on September 8, 1859” 90. RGIA. F.796. On.140. Storage unit 1026. L.9 17 rev. In the village In Kriush, Temnikovsky district, a women's school was opened, organized with the blessing of Bishop Feofan, under the care of the actual state councilor Pyotr Petrovich Nikiforov 91. At the opening ceremony, a speech was made by priest Alexander Solovyov 92. TEV. 1863. No. 7. 1 Apr. Add. pp. 179–181. September 13. 15th Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Theophan spoke a word on the words of the Gospel: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your thought 93 . “It seems that why should we give a commandment about love for God. Ask anyone, everyone will say that he loves God, and no one will dare to say that he does not love Him. Moreover, the feeling of love is so sweet and joyful that everyone himself, out of a desire for peace and spiritual consolation, will take care to form it in himself. 1) Whoever loves someone, only talks about his beloved person or object; whoever he happens to meet either directly begins to talk about him, or soon inclines him to a mutual conversation. So, whoever loves God only willingly talks about Him. On the contrary, he who does not love God will not speak about Him himself and is alienated from those who love to talk about Him. It is pleasant for that when they talk about matters of everyday life, trade, justice, military, perhaps, scientists, but not according to God; he willingly sits where they deal with news, fashion, and gossip. 2) He who loves someone willingly hurries to where he hopes to either meet his beloved and those closest to him, or receive news about him, or come across something that reminds him of him. Thus, he who loves the Lord willingly hurries to the church of God, where the Lord reveals His special presence. And whoever does not love the Lord will be chilled by the mere thought of the Church and anything ecclesiastical. 3) He who loves someone does not let thoughts of him out of his head and, when left alone, mentally talks with him, imagining and kindly cherishing his image. Thus, he who loves the Lord, after the legitimate tasks required by family, or service, or business, does not seek entertainment, but hurries to retire in order to be alone with his Lord. On the contrary, whoever does not love the Lord does not like to be alone and, after necessary tasks, rushes to entertainment - to festivities or even worse. Here are a few signs of love and dislike for God that are close to us! If we find that we have love for God, although only in the beginnings, let us thank the Lord that He Himself began to pour out this vital force into our hearts. And if we find that we are cold towards God, we will grieve about it and hasten to raise this saving fire... How? Keeping everything that, as we said, serves as a sign of love for God - keeping it, albeit reluctantly, forcedly, self-violently... and the Lord will help. The tree itself is cold, but when they start rubbing wood against wood, they warm up and give off a flame. Also, when any member of the body becomes numb from cold or something else, they begin to rub it and awaken the lost feeling in it. So, when we begin to rub our soul, which has grown cold towards the Lord, by going to churches, praying at home, reading saving books, edifying conversations, frequent fasting and communion of the Holy Mysteries, without leaving a single opportunity to fulfill the commandments, then our hardened heart will surely soften and begin to warm up with love for Him. You just need to not feel sorry for yourself, but force and rape first... Some time will pass - and what the soul was not in love with will begin to be pleasant to it... and the longer we force ourselves, the more pleasant and sweet those things will be, and then a fire will ignite in the heart, which will transform our soul into a fiery Seraphim, unceasingly burning with love for the Lord... May He who came to earth to bring this heavenly fire will vouchsafe us all. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 42–46. September 14. Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The Right Reverend Theophan at the Tambov cemetery 94 preached a sermon on the apostolic words: For the word of the cross to those who are perishing... is foolishness, but to those who are saved the power of God is 95. “What good thought did the Lord put into the hearts of the creators of this church - to dedicate it to the glory of His Cross? How is this comforting for the living and saving for those who are departing? How much food for faith does this combination of the glory of the Exaltation of the Cross with the temporary resting place of our ashes after our departure from this life provide? At the same time, I remember our multi-significant icon of the Resurrection!.. There is depicted a Cross, which with its lower end is lowered into hell and rests on the ground with its crossbar... Along the longitudinal part, lowered into hell, our forefathers - Adam and Eve - ascend... and behind them other righteous people, drawn by the right hand of the Lord, standing at the other end. I think you understand the meaning of this image! It means that the Lord, by His Cross, destroyed hell and freed from there everyone who had been held there before His coming. Therefore, the Cross of Christ was a ladder of ascent from hell to heaven for those who lived before the Lord Jesus Christ... What is it for us? For us, it is a ladder of ascent to heaven immediately after the soul’s release from the body. For those who now believe in Christ Jesus no longer go down to hell. The Lord knew that without crosses there is no salvation for us, therefore he arranged our life in such a way that we are constantly surrounded by crosses on all sides. There is only one thing left for us to do... to accept and bear these crosses properly... I will show you what kind of crosses these are and how to accept and carry them. The first cross is our sorrowful stay on this earth, full of sorrows, hardships, displeasures, illnesses and all kinds of troubles. The second cross is the totality of our weaknesses and shortcomings - mental and physical, and most of all the totality of passions and wrong feelings and dispositions of our heart. The third cross, or the image of the cross, is labor that is inevitable for us and the hardship and patience associated with it in fulfilling the duties that lie upon us. There is not a single person free from obligations. But their implementation inevitably requires effort and constancy, or, what is the same, labor and patience... There are also many other crosses: there is the cross of mortification of superstition, the cross of crucifixion of self-will, the cross of rejection of all pleasures, or, in totality, the cross of strict selfless living; and also, above all, the cross of devotion to God, when a person’s every thought about arranging his temporal and eternal fate freezes from surrendering himself to the will of God. That's how many crosses!.. And that's not all... And why count them all in detail... The whole point regarding them briefly is this: bear the lot that has been given to you complacently and, fighting courageously with passions and lusts, walk with patience the path of deeds obligatory for you, trying to reach the serene region of decisive surrender of yourself to the will of God. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.47 50. September 15. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated August 28, where, among other cases, case No. 201 about the refusal of a full-time priest from the village was considered. Vedenyapin 96 Onisim Vesnovsky to give the supernumerary clergyman of the same parish, Gabriel Shokshinsky, the money allocated for his maintenance, although upon joining the parish, Onisim Vesnovsky wrote a petition for the transfer of half of the church income for the maintenance of the supernumerary clergyman. Resolution: “Since a regular priest has no one in the family except his wife, and a full-time priest has three children besides his wife, then leave the first one with the allowance that he received before, i.e. with half the income from the circles and half from the land, inviting the latter alone to use the income not recorded in the common notebook.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1374. L.151 168. September 16. Bishop Theophan sent an opinion to the Holy Synod regarding the means to increase the salaries of officials in diocesan places: “By the Decree of the Holy Governing Synod dated July 31 of this year, No. 384, I was ordered to present an opinion and conclusion on 16 articles of the parish, which can strengthen the currently existing salaries of officials and public places in the dioceses, indicated in table 97 under the letter A. As a result of this, I demanded considerations on this subject from the spiritual consistory entrusted to my administration, which in its opinion presented the following considerations to me: 1. Since the amount of the proposed fee, shown in the first ten articles of the table, is in itself insignificant, and therefore not burdensome, the collection of such can be allowed for the local diocese. Moreover, in the opinion of the consistory, for persons awarded insignia, it will not be burdensome if the amount shown on the report card for certificates for these awards is doubled or even tripled, both because in the local diocese a small number of persons are awarded awards, and because this tripled amount is far lower than the fees levied by law from civil officials when they are promoted to subsequent ranks; duties may be increased evenly in the same proportion for printed certificates expressing blessings or gratitude from the highest spiritual authorities and for certificates of commendation to church elders, if the latter are from nobles, officials and merchants. 2. According to Article 11, due to the lack of explanation in it, from whom exactly from the clergy to collect 1 ruble. silver for passports for absence to other dioceses and for what needs, such a collection cannot be allowed unconditionally from all persons of clergy rank, since for the most part they take passports for the veneration of the relics of St. saints, the wives and children of clergy and clergy, their widows and orphans, supernumerary clergy and clergy, equally monastics of both sexes, and then such a fee for passports can only be allowed from clergy and clergy who are on active service, no matter what their needs may be. 3. According to Article 12, an increase in the price for metric sheets in excess of 3 kopecks. another 2 kopecks per sheet, in the opinion of the consistory, may be allowed; only this fee directly falls on the church purse. Moreover, the consistory, taking into account the difficulties it encounters in the current extraction of metric sheets from the printing house of the Moscow Synodal Office, namely: a) the long distance of the local consistory from the city of Moscow, b) the waste of money spent on mail, both when sending the amount for issuing sheets, and when sending the sheets themselves from Moscow to the diocese, and most importantly - c) untimely the sending of sheets from the Moscow Synodal Office, as happened especially in the current year, 1859, that the metric sheets were received by the consistory already in the month of June, i.e. after half a year has already passed; for what reason, before receiving the blank metric sheets, church clergy had to keep a record of metric requirements for memory in rough notebooks that were not stapled by anyone; Through this, malfunctions and even abuses on the part of ill-intentioned persons from the clergy can naturally occur in these most important documents, while the entry into the metrics of the events of birth, marriage and death, according to the law, must be made in a timely manner, immediately after the completion of the required. For these reasons, the consistory recognizes that it is completely fair and necessary to ask the Holy Synod for permission to prepare metric sheets for the Tambov diocese in local printing houses, both to eliminate the stated disorders and difficulties, and to maintain economy. Since for the local diocese, bank sheets are issued annually: a) for metrics - up to 65,000, b) for confession books - up to 28,000 and c) for income and expense books - up to 4,000, for which 3 kopecks are now sent. silver per sheet, then if you raise the price for all these sheets by another 2 kopecks. silver and the diocesan authorities will be allowed to procure them on the spot, which procurement will cost less than 1 kopeck. silver per sheet, then the consistory savings will be: a) from metric sheets 2600 rubles. in silver, b) from confessionals 1200 rubles. silver and c) from income and expenses 180 rubles, and a total of 3900 rubles. silver Thus, this could serve as a significant and permanent means of increasing salaries for officials of the diocesan authorities and government offices. 4. According to Article 1, the collection of the amount shown under this article in petitions in divorce cases, for violation of the sanctity of marriage, may be allowed. But since such cases sometimes do not happen in the local consistory for several years, this article of the parish, as temporary, does not deserve special attention. 5. According to Article 19, cemetery churches charge 3 kopecks for each deceased. silver (special cemetery churches, however, exist only in cities), in the opinion of the consistory, should not be allowed as a means of humiliation for the clergy, who are already stigmatized among the people by the criticism of extortion from the living and the dead, especially cannot be allowed without exception, since infants are buried in cemeteries, as well as homeless widows and orphans as dependents charitable people and at the expense of charitable institutions. 6. According to Articles 20 and 21, the collection of fees for petitions in investigative cases, although it may be allowed, is also not unconditional, because otherwise there are many innocently oppressed and unjustly offended. who, meanwhile, are unable to pay duties due to their poverty or helpless situation, will remain without the protection and protection of the law. Having agreed on this opinion and the conclusion of the spiritual consistory, I have the honor, with the prescription of it, to most respectfully convey to the Holy Synod in fulfillment of the above-mentioned decree of July 31 of this year.” RGIA. F.796. On.445. Storage unit 90. L.45 47 rev. September 18. Bishop Feofan sent to the head of the Tambov province K.K. Danzas received a letter No. 12078 with a message about the upcoming thanksgiving service on the occasion of the coming of age of the heir, Tsarevich and Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich 98: “By decree from the Holy Governing Synod of September 6, No. 1315, I was ordered, on the occasion of the coming of age of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, after preliminary communication with the civil authorities, on the first holiday or Sunday following receipt of the decree to perform a prayer service thanking the Lord God. In pursuance of this decree, I appointed the next Sunday for the celebration of the thanksgiving service for the said occasion in the local cathedral, i.e. This September 20, after the Divine Liturgy, which is scheduled to begin at 9 o’clock in the morning, about which I am obliged to inform Your Excellency for your orders.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1507. L.43a 43a about. September 19. Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas sent an order to the city police chief P.A. Kolobov about the celebrations on the occasion of the coming of age of the heir, Tsarevich and Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich: “The Tambov Eminence Theophan, in his letter dated September 18, No. 12078, notified Mr. Governor of the province that by decree of the Holy Governing Synod of September 6, No. 1315, it was prescribed to him, on the occasion of the coming of age of His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir, Tsarevich Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich, on the first holiday following receipt of the decree. Sunday to perform a prayer service of thanksgiving to the Lord God - why did His Eminence appoint September 20 for this; The prayer service will take place in the local cathedral after the Divine Liturgy, which begins at 9 o’clock in the morning. As a result of this presentation of His Eminence, announce this to both civil and military officials, and in general to all residents of the city of Tambov, so that the first to arrive at the cathedral in full dress uniform.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1507. L.44 44 rev. September 22. Bishop Feofan wrote a submission to the Holy Synod with a petition to reward the teachers of the Tambov Theological Seminary: “The board of the Tambov Seminary, in its submission to me on September 15th, explained that the professor of the Tambov Seminary of the city of Tambov, the Church of the Sign, priest Ioann Sladkopevtsev, the teacher of the Second Tambov Theological District School, the priest of the Tambov Ascension Nunnery Monastery Vasily Kobyakov 99 and the teacher of the Shatsk Theological District School, cathedral priest Gabriel Stroganov 100 are performing their school service with excellent zeal and benefit for the students, asked me to petition the higher authorities to award the seminary professor Priest Sladkopevtsev with a velvet skufya, the teacher Priest Stroganov with a velvet kamilavka, and the teacher Priest Kobyakov with a pectoral cross.” GATO. F.186. On.65. Storage unit 36. L.3–3 vol. September 23. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Dean's report Kopyl of the Lebedyansky district of the priest Evgraf Nechaev 101 that in the church of the village. Slobodka 102, the crosscuts broke, as a result of which the floor in the church sank in places and rose in others, the walls began to rot and the iconostasis began to deteriorate. Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To the consistory.” The consistory decided: “To report to the Chamber of State Property and force the state peasants of the village of Slobodka to begin repairing the church, and to order dean Nechaev by decree to report to the consistory if the peasants do not begin repairing the church within a month.” 2. Petition from the deacon of the Kazan Church in Shatsk, Ivan Klopsky, 103 in which he asks to be allocated one of two church estates for the construction of a house with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For consideration by the consistory.” The consistory ordered: “To order the Shatsky spiritual board to collect information on this subject and submit it to the consistory with its conclusion.” 3. Petition from the teacher of the First Tambov Theological School, Vasily Guryev, 104 in which he asks for permission to marry a girl from the clergy. This request was followed by a short resolution from Bishop Feofan: “Extrade.” 4. The case of the denial of benefits to an unemployed elderly sexton. Pavlodar 105 Borisoglebsky district to Kodrat Zakharov in connection with the transfer of sexton Malyutin, from whom the supernumerary sexton Zakharov was employed, from the village. Pavlodar in the village Frequent Dubrova 106. Members of the consistory meeting referred the case to the Tambov spiritual guardianship for consideration. The resolution of Bishop Theophan on the consistory journal: “Fulfill, but according to Article 4 do not report to the Trusteeship, but oblige Malyutin, who entered the place, to fulfill the obligation accepted in relation to the supernumerary sexton Zakharov, for the obligations associated with the place must fall on everyone entering this place - whether this is remembered or not mentioned when determining it.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1671. L.130, 132 133. September 29. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a report was heard from priest Alexy Lentionov 107, dean of the city of Temnikov. dated September 8, No. 120, in which he reports the request of the Tambov mayor to allow the use of the bell tower to survey the city for fires due to the fact that the city fire station does not have a tower. Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “On the resolution of the consistory.” The consistory decided: “To allow the use of the bell tower to survey the city for fire, if the bell tower has a separate entrance from the church, until the fire station builds a tower. What should Dean Lentionov be “prescribed by decree” and the head of the province notified on behalf of his Eminence.” “On October 6 of this year, His Eminence Theophan put the general resolution “Fulfill” on this journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1671. L.134 135. September 30. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, the petition of the Lebedyansky tradesman Philip Maksimov Golev was considered, in which he asks “to allow his daughter Akilina, betrayed for fornication to seven years of penance, to marry.” The consistory decided: “Allow the maiden Aquilina to marry and continue to perform penance until the end of her term.” On October 6, Bishop Feofan put forward a general resolution to the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1671. L.138–138 vol. September. The magazine “Christian Reading” published the word spoken by Bishop Feofan on July 5, 1859 in the Tambov Cathedral upon entering the flock. HC. 1859. No. 9 (September). P.203 210. October 2. The journal “Spiritual Conversation” published the word of Bishop Feofan “On the birthday of Her Majesty the Most Pious Empress Maria Alexandrovna,” delivered in the Tambov Cadet Corps. SpiritB. 1859. No. 34. Oct 2 pp.250–256. October 10. The magazine “Home Conversation” published an essay by Bishop Theophan “The Task of Christian Education”, compiled from the Word of His Eminence, delivered in the St. Michael the Archangel Church at the Tambov Cadet Corps on the occasion of the distribution of awards to cadets on the birthday of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. DomB. 1859. Issue 41. Oct 10 P.389 392. October 12. Bishop Theophan put a resolution on the journal of the consistory dated August 13, where, among other things, the matter of inappropriate behavior of the deacon s. Pushkino, Usman district, Alexander Skvortsev, who was accused of “demotion from office and inflicting personal insult and insolence on the parish priest Vasily Pokrovsky.” The consistory decided: “Since Deacon Skvortsev has a wife and five children, monastic obedience will be replaced by a fine of 3 rubles in silver in favor of the poor of the clergy.” Resolution: “Approved. Four months later, the dean reports to the priest to what extent Deacon Skvortsev has corrected the nature of his actions.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1660. L.12, 26 27. October 13. Presentation of Bishop Theophan to the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary: “In the churches of our diocese, icons everywhere are almost predominantly of Italian painting - meaningless and not always decent, filling our churches due to the inevitable lack of observation on the part of the priesthood, unfamiliar with the art of painting. To correct this deficiency and introduce into churches icons that are appropriate for the church, I do not find any other way than to spread the art of icon painting and icon painting concepts among clergy, who themselves could paint these icons and intelligently guide other writers. For this purpose, I consider it necessary to open an icon painting class at the seminary. The seminary board will consider how to implement this, and will draw up a draft submission on my behalf to the spiritual educational administration about the opening of an icon-painting class at our seminary.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 4. L.1–1 vol. A note on theological schools prepared by Bishop Theophan: “It is considered necessary to pay attention to some points, both regarding the sciences taught, and in general regarding the education of spiritual youth, in the form of improving this education and directing it towards the main goal - the preparation of worthy shepherds. A. Regarding the sciences taught Some turn out to be completely unnecessary, others must either be strengthened and expanded in volume, or joined together; many people need to be pointed in a more decent direction and generally change the order of teaching science somewhat. 1. A separate course in philosophy should be considered unnecessary. Of all the sciences that make up it, only ontology is needed - as a science that explains the general basic concepts and basic principles on which all knowledge is built. But it can be combined with logic, where it is quite appropriate to expound the law of knowledge along with the laws of thinking. As for philosophy itself (metaphysics), the true concepts about its subject (God, the world and man) can only be those that are taught to us by Divine Revelation and which, therefore, are set forth in the divine sciences. Therefore, as a science that does not impart new knowledge, it should be excluded from the range of sciences taught at the Academy. But just as there are people who are keen on false philosophy, and it often happens to meet them, we also need to know the types of philosophical wisdom and be able to expose their falsity. For this, however, there is no need to read special science; Since all these wisdoms are borrowed from the West, where philosophy is still in force, and not with one direction, then anyone familiar with these directions will know every possible philosophizing in our country. Therefore, instead of a philosophy course, it is enough to present the current state of philosophy in the West in a more general manner and with a strict critical analysis, that is, to strengthen the teaching of the last part of the history of philosophy - Kant 108 or even from Bacon 109 to the present, reducing as much as possible the history of ancient and middle philosophy. Thus, from the philosophical sciences, logic, psychology and the history of philosophical systems will remain. 2. The following sciences should either be strengthened and expanded in volume, or combined together. a) The teaching of church history should be strengthened and biblical history should be expanded, as well as church jurisprudence b) General literature and homiletics must be combined. These sciences, completely related, are read separately. That’s why the same thing is often repeated in one. what is said in the other: or, even worse, one sets forth principles that do not agree with the principles of the other. To avoid such repetitions, and even more so for the agreement of these sciences in spirit and principles, they must be united into one science - under the name of Christian literature. After general concepts about what a Christian writer should be, what the purpose and spirit of verbal works intended for Christians should be, this science, on the basis of these principles, will then determine the Christian character of all types of verbal works, dividing them into two classes: verbal works appropriate among Christians in their ordinary life, outside the Church, and ceremonial words, befitting exclusively of the church pulpit. This will lay a solid foundation for determining the true dignity of secular literary works and will destroy that seductive dichotomy of secular and spiritual literature, according to which works often imbued with a completely non-Christian spirit are placed among exemplary ones. 3. About the direction in teaching sciences it should be noted: a) As for the theological sciences, they have already adopted a positive direction that is proper to them, alien to excessive philosophizing. With all this, however, it is necessary to put in mind: aa) So that in dogmatic theology, when dealing with controversial subjects, attention should be paid not only to the false teachings of Western Gentiles - Catholics and Protestants, but at the same time, and even primarily, to the study of our false teachers - schismatics, due to the proximity of these latter to us and the need to admonish them not only regarding the general principles of faith, but also regarding the particular Christian truths. bb) So that moral and pastoral theologies set out not only the common virtues of Christians and the pastor, but also contain more detailed rules on how these virtues can be fulfilled in different circumstances of life, and especially provide solutions for as many cases as possible that can confuse the conscience of a Christian and make it difficult for the pastor beyond that. Since nowadays they have begun to pay special attention to pedagogy - a science that in our country does not have a special department, but whose principles should be borrowed from the concepts of a truly Christian life, which constitutes the subject of moral and pastoral theology - then the teaching of these sciences should be made obligatory so that they especially reveal the responsibilities that faith places on parents and mentors regarding the upbringing and education of children, indicate the principles that should guide in this sacred matter, and explain the methods proposed by the Church both for the Christian upbringing of children and for the spiritual success of older people. cc) So that accusatory theology 110 is not limited to just pointing out the differences between the Orthodox confession and the non-Orthodox, but also strictly denounces the falsity of these latter and together offers experimental rules on how to start and conduct a conversation with non-Orthodox people in the dimension of placing them in favor of Orthodoxy. d) So that instructors in the class of Holy Scripture dwell less on historical information about books, and pay more attention to the explanation of the text itself, trying to bring students to the point that there are no passages left in the sacred books for them that would make it difficult for them to read. In order to oblige students to first read every book about which lessons are given; notice that for some it is dark and difficult, and let the mentor know about it, who, when explaining difficult parts, will primarily pay attention to these places. b) Non-theological sciences need greater restrictions and warnings against deviating into false directions. aa) Psychology comes first. Since the principles of this science are included in many other sciences, even theological ones, it should be taught with great attention and prudence, avoiding materialism on the one hand and pantheistic spiritualism on the other hand. She must take the middle path; must explain that the body and spirit are intended to act together - without absorbing themselves into each other; so, however, that the body should consist of subordination to the spirit, and the spirit to God, to Whom it strives and with Whom it seeks to be in real communion without disappearing in Him, or with preserving its personality... No less, also in psychology should avoid the common shortcoming of almost all psychologists - to depict mental powers in some kind of ideal perfection, i.e., what they should be in themselves. On the contrary, they should depict them primarily as they are in their present fallen state - with an indication that only Divine grace under the condition of active deeds can heal their infirmities; so that those who have listened to psychology do not calm down in themselves, but endure one conviction that he is not what he should be, and that he should seek correction and restoration with a willingness to go to any lengths for this purpose. bb) Logic explains well the thinking and the method of cognition of the experienced: regarding the knowledge of God and Divine things - which in logical language is called ideal knowledge, or mental contemplation - it leaves without proper guidance. Here they must experimentally prove that true contemplation is possible only with revelation and Divine illumination of the mind and that any other contemplation is a dream of fantasy. Moreover, having accepted ontology into its field as the science of the principles of knowledge, it must, in methodology, build a system of sciences or sketch a universal encyclopedia - according to its correct concepts about the purpose and meaning of this or that circle of knowledge. c) Physics, setting forth the laws according to which the forces of visible nature operate, in the very explanation of visible phenomena must observe proper boundaries in everything, indicate traces of the wisdom, goodness and truth of God, so as to present the world of God as a true mirror of the Divine, for which physics is primarily read in theological schools. d) General civil history is most in danger of taking the bad direction that is being given to it at the present time. It is precisely in the teaching of this science that one must avoid: 1) one-sided criticism, according to which, having arbitrarily drawn a line between the historical and prehistoric periods, the heirs of the latter, without distinction, place everything in a series of fabulous legends, not paying attention to those most reliable indications, on the history of the human race and ancient peoples, which are found in the word of God; 2) arbitrary philosophizing, according to which, trying to give unity to history, they attempt to present all historical phenomena under the guise of a continuous course of development of the human race. If it is possible for a historian to connect all the incidents of history with one thought, then he must take this thought in the following saying of God’s judgment over the serpent: I will put enmity between you and between the woman, and between your seed and between that seed 111 . The enmity between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan is the one true idea of ​​universal history; 3) careless judgment about persons and objects, according to which we indiscriminately praise one thing and condemn another, not paying attention to whether one is worthy of praise and another of reproach, if judged by the principles of the Orthodox faith. Avoiding these mistakes, the history teacher must present events simply, briefly, correctly, paying special attention to the moral traits of the characters, to the traces of God's Providence in public events and private adventures, to the connection between good morality and good nature, between moral corruption and magical disasters, so that, thus, history is a school of piety and Christian good behavior. 4. In the order of teaching science, the distribution of subjects among departments requires changes. Almost all theological sciences are classified in the highest department. Here they listen to dogmatics, moral theology, pastoral and accusatory, church jurisprudence, church history - general and Russian, liturgics, the doctrine of schism. All subjects are important and require a lot of attention, and there is no way to support it when every day you need to listen to four or five rather difficult lessons. Thus, not having time to properly assimilate the theological sciences, they turn out to be incomplete theologians. Meanwhile, in the lower department there are almost all secular sciences that do not require too intense attention. In order to balance the work, it is necessary to transfer some theological sciences from the higher to the lower department, and this is all the more so since students, listening to only secular sciences in this department, become unaccustomed to the turn of thoughts and language characteristic of a theologian. More general conclusion about academic education. Our higher educational institutions - academies - provide only encyclopedic education. From these people emerge intelligent people, with good beginnings, but who do not thoroughly know a single subject. Having not received the mood to study certain subjects at the academy, even after completing the course they remain undecided on what to take up and either do nothing, or do what circumstances accidentally lead them to do. That is why we do not have specifically scholars in theological subjects. Therefore it is considered very useful: 1. Decree that students in academies, listening to lessons on all subjects in the classrooms, should each choose one theological subject for home study, according to their location. Their superiors and mentors will guide them in the way they study, in the choice of books, and in indicating the aspects that require special development. Adapt exercises in essays to the same order, stipulating that the problems for them be chosen from the range of sciences, which everyone chooses for himself. By studying their subject of reflection, reading and writing in this way, they can become specialists in their own way, without losing encyclopedic information about all other subjects of spiritual education. (Faculties, like in a university, are inappropriate here.) 2. To promote the formation of a class of learned men. This class could naturally be formed from academic mentors. But under the present order, they do not keep those alone at the academy for a long time (monastics); others (secular) - with a few exceptions - while still unmarried, are engaged in science, and as soon as they get married, their science remains at the level at which their marriage finds them. Therefore, it would be useful to replace academic departments primarily with monastics - and those of them who prove capable and testify to their zeal for science and spiritual education so that, while remaining at the academy, they follow the distinctions of service along with their comrades. They will constitute the scientific class, which will be the constant guide of spiritual education and church writing, will monitor the movement and direction of science and literature in the fatherland and will give a firm and clear voice in case of a crooked direction; to also follow the movement of religious literature outside the fatherland - in the East and in the West, from where ideas often come to us. It’s the same in seminaries: there are subjects that are superfluous and there are those that are omitted from attention. Superfluous: a) medicine, agriculture and natural history. These sciences, both in spirit and in content, do not belong to the number of sciences necessary for spiritual education, in which the attention of students should be paid more to ways of healing spiritual infirmities and to the ability to sow the seeds of the word of God. These sciences would be somehow useful for the priest and would have at least an indirect application in his pastoral activity, if they could be taught fully and thoroughly; but due to lack of time they are not presented properly. b) Orthodox confession and teaching about liturgical books. The content of the Orthodox Confession is the same as the lengthy catechism studied by those who have already entered the seminary. It is better to abolish teaching it as a separate subject in a special class. As for the doctrine of liturgical books, it can be taught with great convenience in connection with the church charter and therefore should be transferred to a number of school subjects. c) And it is better to abolish patristics as a separate science. Because in one year assigned for her, the mentor only manages to give a brief idea of ​​the life of St. fathers, list their works and make several extracts from them. But brief information about the life and writings of St. Church history provides fathers, and the opinions of the fathers can be studied much more profitably in lessons on dogmatic and moral theology. Meanwhile, since spiritual students need to be imbued with the fatherly spirit, instead of the science of patristics, assign a class for reading the scriptures themselves in the middle department (or even in all departments with the assignment of memorizing some and writing down others) between the lessons of psychology, which itself will find in them the solution to a considerable number of its questions. The seminary omitted the necessary treatises on the Divinity of the Christian faith, on Revelation and the inspiration of Holy Scripture, the necessity and Divine dignity of traditions, on the Orthodoxy of the Eastern and Russian Churches. Meanwhile, the priest needs accurate knowledge of these subjects in case he meets a schismatic, a non-Christian, a Jew, or a Mohammedan. Such an omission must be corrected. 2. To reduce the number of sciences and direct them to their closest goals in pastoral theology, introduce lessons in homiletics, liturgics and canon law, the subjects of which correspond to the three parts of pastoral ministry. Speaking about the duty of a shepherd to teach, it is appropriate to talk about what to teach and how to compose the teaching; speaking about the duty to perform sacred services, it is appropriate to convey where, how, and when to perform sacred services, indicating the motivation for worthy service; speaking about pastoral activity, it is appropriate to outline the church and civil laws that determine this activity. In this way, inevitable repetitions would be eliminated, time would be saved, and the sciences themselves would receive more practical interest and application. It would be good to distribute pastoral theology across all classes. In the lower department, teach about the duty to teach - this includes homiletics; on average, about the duty to perform sacred acts - this includes liturgics; in the highest matters of pastoral action - this includes the canon. However, the teaching of pastoral theology in this form should not be divided among mentors, but entrusted to one, more experienced one; and even better than holy orders. When, in this way, lessons on composing sermons are taught in the lower department, then experiments in composing them can also begin here; then continue them in the middle and higher departments. In this way, others can be brought to very skillful preaching. 3. Regarding the placement of items. a) Instead of the canceled ones - the Orthodox confession and the teaching on liturgical books - move biblical history to the lower section (you just need to find another textbook). Then general church history should be placed in the middle section, and Russian civil and church history should be assigned to the higher section. b) Move hermeneutics from the middle department to the higher one, where the New Testament with interpretation is based, which will present special cases for the application of the rules of hermeneutics and their practical study. 1) introduce the study of the word of God for memory, without, however, assigning it to a special class. Namely: make it a rule that every student memorizes from three to five or more texts every day. This is the first subject on the exam. Over the course of 18 thirds of the entire seminary course, students could study several sections and entire books of Holy Scripture and would be fluent in the word of God both in preaching and in simple conversation. The weakening of oral knowledge of the word of God prompts us to resort to such a measure. 2. Restore the previous decree so that on every Sunday before the liturgy in the church or meeting hall, all students are offered a simple catechetical conversation or a conversation on the Gospel and the Apostle for the day. This responsibility must be borne by mentors in turn; but students of the higher department can be allowed to deliver their conversations as soon as they prove worthy of it. In schools, both instructors encounter great difficulty in interpreting, and students in studying certain subjects, which are therefore better either to be abolished, or the manuals on them to be replaced by others. 1. Russian history, of course, is good to know; but this manual is completely inaccessible to children. They are not able to follow a chain of incidents, but they easily remember individual incidents. Therefore, it is necessary to compile a new book for them in the form of a historical collection, where each remarkable incident would be presented separately - in a simple story accessible to children. Among these incidents, the first place should be occupied by those who belong to the Church, but civilian ones should also be described in the biblical spirit or in the spirit of ancient chronicles. Until then, dismiss the school from studying Russian history, since it only takes time and clogs the memory, but does not teach history. 2. Likewise, the book Charter, while clogging the memory, does not teach the charter. Church rules can be taught much better by showing in books how they are celebrated, what services are during the day, Sunday, holidays, Lenten, etc. The general order of services and their particular differences will be remembered by itself. Even if memory fails, everyone will know from experience which book to turn to in order to find the necessary instructions. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the obligation to study the book of the Rules from memory and replace its study with a practical study of the sequence of church services. Instead of this book, the doctrine of liturgical books can be studied with greater benefit - briefly. 3. The Long Catechism is broken down into small questions. Therefore, whoever wants to know how any dogma is confessed in the Church, it is easier to find the answer in such a catechism; but the student of the confession cannot help but be hampered by this fragmentation of the teaching on the same subject into several questions, with the memorization of the answers themselves. Therefore, it is necessary to compile a catechism in which Christian teaching would be presented in continuous flowing speech, where each paragraph would depict an accurate and complete teaching about a known dogma. In order to exercise your own thinking at the same time, under the line on each paragraph place questions about all the private thoughts contained in the paragraph. According to the instructions of the explained and memorized paragraph, the student will himself compose answers to these questions. In this way, it will make sense to develop and form a language. 4. The difficulty of the Russian grammar textbook is well known. There is no easier textbook. Until it is found, let us turn directly to experiments in grammatical analysis and train children in it. A Russian hardly needs many rules to speak correctly. 5. Regarding geography, it should be noted that while it extensively describes the political state of states, it does not in the least concern the state of their church; whereas in the geography assigned to theological schools, the image of the latter should prevail over the former. Care must be taken to compile such a textbook, at least regarding the Russian state. It is necessary to study geography in no other way than from maps; and for this purpose, to make it possible for schools to have a large number of maps and atlases. III. In the clergy class Just as the clergy class is assigned most to those students who are expelled for their inability to learn, then all subjects that require good memory and comprehension only hamper and confuse the students without bringing any benefit. Therefore, it is better to release all such items and occupy students with almost everything necessary for a priest. Namely: Instead of a lengthy catechism and sacred history, it is enough to go through a short catechism with a brief sacred history, and start reading the Four Menaions and force them to tell the lives of the saints in their own speech. Study the church charter from books, just like in school. At the same time, they should be trained in reading from church books, in singing from notes and from memory, in finding and reading the Apostles. Here you can also explain church utensils, rituals and holidays - all on occasion and practically. From arithmetic - the first four actions are exclusively problem solving and abacus calculations. The geography of Russia is enough to visually study the map of the Russian state - indicating the provinces, provincial cities and diocesan, remarkable shrines. The Russian language is taught by writing on the board, from words, and by correcting mistakes and explaining the necessary corrections. Penmanship is as expected. All other subjects should be canceled as incompatible with the strengths of the students entering this class. Since this type of education will leave them with enough time at home, they will be obliged to engage in handicrafts, whatever they are capable of - drawing, carpentry, lathe, tailoring, etc. B. Regarding the education of spiritual youth in general 1. The teaching of science in theological schools may be quite satisfactory, but at the same time almost all attention is paid to mental education, while the cultivation in them of the spirit of piety and pastoral zeal is left almost entirely to those educated themselves or to the course of circumstances. This is partly the structure and order of education itself. Namely: a) All school time is devoted primarily to school, and the student only cares about being a successful student. A small portion of time is devoted to prayer and worship, and she is indignant at the concern for lessons, which are usually increased on those Sundays and holidays. That is why those who complete the course are cold towards the Church of God; it is an alien area for them, in which they find it very shy to live. Meanwhile, the field of their ministry is exclusively the Church. Entering on it, they must either re-educate themselves, or correct their work without the participation of the heart, as a craft and a means of livelihood. b) Pupils of seminaries and schools (except for a few) live in apartments. This makes it completely impossible for them to be properly supervised by their superiors; and yet the properties of the owners and neighbors, city customs, the convenience of living according to their own will and desires, even the children of well-disposed parents in the homes are seduced and carried away to evil deeds; and about those who are weaker, there is nothing to say. That is why a considerable number of students in the seminary, unnoticed by their superiors, acquire skills that are not characteristic of the clergy, with which they then enter the field. To avert such shortcomings, it is necessary to eliminate this alienation of pupils from the Church and prayer and decide: a) So that they are sure to be in church every day - at Matins, Liturgy and Vespers. By such frequent going to God's church, the spirit of piety and love for the church and prayer with guidance will be revealed and supported for spiritual pupils; piety and fear of God are more necessary than learning. b) So that spiritual pupils certainly clear their consciences and partake of the Holy Mysteries four times a year - during all fasts. This is the best means to success in the Christian life, which is so obligatory for clergy. c) To this order apply the very clothes of the pupils, and instead of secular real clothes, introduce clothes close to what they will have to wear in clergy (for example, a cassock, a half cassock and a small Greek kamilavka). Such a change of clothing will calm down the pupils and prevent them from many temptations and hobbies (the Greek theological school in Constantinople, in Chalki, will serve as a model for us in introducing such an order). For the most convenient implementation of this order and for the aversion of other evils, it is necessary: a) Unite pupils scattered throughout city apartments into one place and under one supervision. To do this, it is necessary to take care of the construction of special buildings at the seminaries to house their own 112 students; Until that time, make it the duty of the seminary authorities, with the help of the diocesan lords, to find houses in the city sufficient to accommodate all the apartment pupils, to hire them and establish their maintenance in them. The same amount that parents spend on keeping their children in apartments will be enough to keep them in a special house. If there is a shortage, you can promise an allowance for renting a house from spiritual and educational capital. b) Then, instead of the elders of the pupils themselves, entrust room supervision over the students to experienced elders from monastics, widowed priests and laymen, whose task will not only be to calm the external behavior of the pupils, but most importantly to act on their heartfelt dispositions. These will be predominantly moral teachers. 2. The lack of a class of learned men in our country and the way to form it were mentioned in the review of academic education. But we also have another shortage of evangelists who are ready, with all kinds of hardships and donations, without any selfish motives, to follow the instructions of spiritual authority wherever there is a need to proclaim the word of God. This is a class of persons different from scientists and from those who are preparing to serve the Church among the Orthodox; excellent both in spirit and in the type of future action. Therefore, they need to be educated and prepared separately from the general places of spiritual education. Namely: it is necessary to establish a special brotherhood of those who have completed a course in seminaries, accepting into it only those who wish and understand their future purpose. Their order of life should be monastic - under the supervision of a superior experienced in spiritual life and filled with the same spirit. Their activities will consist of prayer, conversations and reflections on the conversion of unbelievers and lost ones, arousing apostolic zeal by examples, etc. Seminary education is enough for them. Here they will only add to it the study of languages. In this brotherhood there will always be ready people, if there is a need to send someone to schismatics, Jews, Mohammedans or pagans, of whom there are so many in Siberia. Without any appearance, he will appear as a simple wanderer at the appointed place and quietly begin his holy work. 3. Our preaching has fallen. Mention has already been made of strengthening the students’ exercise in composing sermons. But outside of school we do not have a field for the free development of the preaching gift, that is, such a field where the preacher would not be busy with anything other than preaching. In the East there is a special rank of preachers (hierokyrix). He who is recognized as capable of preaching is assigned to a well-known church or assigned to an episcopal, metropolitan or patriarchal house, receives sufficient maintenance and knows nothing except his duty to preach at the direction of his archpastor or at his own choice when left free. Preaching courses are especially intensified during Lent. It would be very useful to have this kind of rank among us, among those completing courses in seminaries and academies; those who are distinguished by their ability to preach, assigning them exclusively to this ministry of the word under bishops, under the most noble churches, in provincial and district cities - with a determination of sufficient content. In this way, in a short time we will receive a volume of sermons - in all kinds and on all subjects of Christian teaching; Preaching is developing quickly and is generalized among priests. Now, if anyone thinks of writing anything, they write something more scientific... not useful for everyone. 4. In conclusion. Everyone feels the dire need for textbooks. We do not have them on almost any subject; and those that exist are not adapted either to the teaching time or to the age and needs of the students. We will not wait until the mentors voluntarily publish or submit for publication lessons on the sciences that each will have to develop. Good textbooks adapted to the purpose cannot be expected until it is indicated and explained what is required from which textbook, what its volume should be, what order in the parts, what spirit and direction. For without this indication, everyone processes his science as an independent science, without any restrictions. Meanwhile, our textbooks must be adapted to age, and to the time, and to the purpose of teaching. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up complete programs for all sciences of school and seminary (and even academic) education and invite those who wish to compile textbooks on them, with the promise of a bonus corresponding to the work. Meanwhile, while textbooks are being compiled, these programs will unite the teaching of science in all schools, indicating the principles that must be followed, the volume, the spirit and the direction. In academies and seminaries, mentors teach their individual sciences without considering others, without caring about agreement in purpose, scope and direction with others and with their common order and structure. That is why the student who completes the course takes away from school a confusion of concepts. Each science, imprinting its own thing on his mind, draws him in its own direction, and he stands as if at a crossroads. This disharmony of concepts is then reflected in the way of thinking and in the way of life. But if, having directed all the programs towards one goal and all of them agreeing with each other, they oblige each mentor to relentlessly follow the program given for his subject, then there will be no such discord in the concepts of the students. Meanwhile, mentors, processing science according to the instructions of these programs, are more likely to prepare practical manuals.” ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.1–12. The lower first department of the Tambov Theological Seminary in the 1859/60 academic year consisted of 83 students. Among them studied: Belovidov Andrey Ivanovich 113 - future inhabitant of the Optina Hermitage, confessor of the Optina elders, and Vasily Vasilyevich Vadkovsky 114 - brother of the future Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Anthony (Vadkovsky) 115. GATO. F.186. On.65. Storage unit 13. L.1–2 vol. “Once, while touring his diocese, Bishop Feofan (Govorov) of Tambov stopped by the village where Vasily Vadkovsky performed his priestly ministry 116. Olga Nikiforovna 117 placed all her children side by side, but the future saint and recluse paid special attention only to Alexander 118, blessing him by placing her hand on his head.” Bertenson M.I. Anthony, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. 1915. P.5. October 19. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the case of the sexton. Kulyabovka 119 Peter Nikolsky. According to the order of the Tambov spiritual consistory, Peter Nikolsky “has not cleared himself of suspicion and is clearly convicted of a fight with Grigorievsky.” The consistory decided: “Without subjecting the monastery to the authorities, remove him now from the village. Kulyabovka in order to avoid complaints, with granting him the right to find another place for himself, with entrusting him with the special supervision of the dean.” Resolution: “Approved. In Nikolsky’s place, a priest, demoted to the post of clergy, Cherneevsky, is appointed, with a promise by subscription that he will unacceptably correct the position of the clergyman.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Unit 1660. L.107, 116–117 vol. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the case of the priest. Karamyshev Lipetsk district Nazariy Vissonov, who was ordered by the Tambov spiritual consistory at a meeting held on October 7, 1859, to pay a fine “in favor of the Guardianship of the Poor of the Clerical Order in the amount of 25 silver rubles” for slandering his deacon Ivan Makarov. Resolution: “Approved. The priest’s fine will be reduced to 15 rubles.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Unit 1660. L.117, 122 vol. October 28. Permission was received from the St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship to print the second edition of Bishop Feofan’s work “Letters on Christian Life. Vol. 1" 120, published in 1860. October. The Tambov spiritual consistory listened to the decree of the Holy Synod of September 28, No. 162, “on the transfer of those located in the Kirsanovsky nunnery 121 under the supervision of the collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova 122 to the Tambov Ascension nunnery 123.” The consistory ordered: “Give a ticket and send her on monastery horses with a guide, upon Stepanova’s arrival at the monastery, give her decent accommodation and support her with such means as the monastery has, and after every six months, it is unacceptable to report her behavior and way of life to His Eminence.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1672. L.14 vol. The magazine “Christian Reading” published “The Sermon on the Consecration of the Church in the Sukhotinsky Mother of God Monastery”, delivered by Bishop Feofan on July 8, 1859. H.Ch. 1859. No. 10 (Oct.). P.305–311 November 2. Bishop Feofan wrote a resolution on the case of the sexton with a certificate from the consistory office. Chubarov, Elatomsky district, Vasily Grigoriev, who asked for permission to enter into a second marriage: “Allowed if the comrade 124 of the petitioner is not remarried.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.9 rev.–10. November 3. The Tambov spiritual consistory heard the following petitions with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For consideration by the consistory”: 1. Petition from the state peasant of the Shatsk Pushkarskaya settlement, peasant Ivan Khraptsov, in which he asks for an investigation into the insult inflicted on him by the deacon of the St. Nicholas Church of the city of Shatsk, Ivan Ivanov. The consistory ordered: “Peasant Ivan Khraptsov is to be refused in connection with this. that “his petition was submitted contrary to Article 17, 18, Vol. V, Code of Laws 125, on plain paper instead of stamp paper.” 2. Petition from the church trustee Tynkov of the Lipetsk district of the state peasant Mitrofan Ganshin, in which he asks the purse money available at the church to be used to rebuild the church 126. The consistory decided: “Allow the use of the purse money for the reconstruction of the church.” 3. The petition of the titular councilor Alexandra Rushko, in which she asks to prohibit the parish priest from the village. Pyatakov of Shatsk district “to bury the bodies of the dead in a cemetery set aside from the dachas of peasants of other owners.” The consistory decided: “To send Alexandra Rushko’s petition to the departmental dean, ordering him to collect information on this case and submit to the consistory a conclusion on the advisability of satisfying the petition.” On this journal of the consistory on November 10, 1859, Bishop Theophan put forward a general resolution: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.13–13 rev., 14 rev.–14, 25 rev.–26. November 5th. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. A petition letter from the citizens of the city of Kirsanov, in which they ask not to allow the merchant of the city of Kirsanov, Sosulnikov, “to spread their warm cathedral church 127, because the spread of that church blocks the passage between it and the cold cathedral.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Is there any business about rebuilding the church?” The consistory decided: “Since, at the request of the parishioners of the city of Kirsanov, there is a case in the consistory about adding a warm meal to the cold cathedral church of that city, and there was no request from the merchant Sosulnikov about distributing a warm cathedral church, then this petition letter from the citizens of the city of Kirsanov about prohibiting the merchant Sosulnikov from distributing a warm cathedral church to keep for now in the consistory, but receiving from Sosulnikov the request indicated in the letter to consider this letter in conjunction with that request and the matter of adding a warm meal to the cold cathedral church.” 2. Petition from Anna Petrova, daughter of the sexton of the Tambov Church of the Holy First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen, to determine her prosphora at the church of the village. Verkhneye Spasskoye and issuing a decree to her for this position. Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Give if necessary.” The consistory, having considered the case, decided: “By the force of the resolution of His Eminence, approve Petrova as prosphora of the village of Verkhnee Spassky and issue her a decree for this position.” The consistory also considered petitions with the resolution of Bishop Theophan “For the resolution of the consistory”: 1. The sexton's petition. Khomutovka of Spassky district Ivan Feodorov and sexton Philip Yakovlev dated October 31 “about allowing them to use half of all income from both land and bread, and the priest to take the other half, since there are three persons in their clergy, not four.” Having considered the case, the consistory ordered: “Based on the position of the local diocesan authorities regarding the division of land and fraternal incomes between members of the clergy, which took place on December 31, 1857 and was announced circularly throughout the diocese, this request of the clergy should be left without consideration.” 2. Petition from retired soldier Anthony Sokolov and state peasant Feodor Drobyshev about the unworthy actions of their parish priest John of the Epiphany. Having considered the case, the consistory decided: “The petition is to be denied, since it was not submitted on stamped paper.” The following petitions contained the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “For consideration by the consistory.” 1. Petition from the peasant Mrs. Verderevskaya Flora Korobelnikova p. Verkhneye Spasskoye, Tambov district, in which he writes that “it is unknown who stole the collection book issued to him in December 1858 for collecting voluntary alms for the construction of a church in their village on the 20th of last October at an inn in the city of Tambov” and asks “to give him another one instead.” The decision of the consistory: “It is clear from the case that the church in the village of Verkhny Spassk was built and consecrated and the collection book issued to the peasant Korobelnikov expires on December 20 of this year, and therefore the consistory decides to refuse to issue the collection book to the peasant Korobelnikov again, instead of the one stolen from him. The local dean should be ordered by decree and ordered to take away from Korobelnikov information about which particular inn in the city of Tambov the book was stolen from him, whether he let the city police know about this or not and why? Equally, how much money has been collected according to the indicated book, and whether it has been presented to the church? If presented, when exactly? And are they listed in the parish church books... Then inform the Tambov provincial government and ask them to issue an order through the public 128 about not considering this collection of books valid.” 2. Petition from titular councilor Alexandra Petrova Rushko, in which she asks “to remove nobleman Dimitry Ivanov Nikiforov from the post of church elder of the village of Pyatakov, Shatsk district, for the insults inflicted on him, and to elect another elder.” Having considered the case, the consistory decided to refuse the request to change the church warden, since “by virtue of Art. 99[th] According to the statutes of spiritual consistories, not only one person of any parish, but all parishioners elect from among themselves a person who is trustworthy and has honest rules as church elders.” 3. Petition from the former village headman of the village. Yarlukov of the Lipetsk district, state peasant Ivan Popov, “about illegal deforestation in the dacha of state peasants by sexton Akim Dimitriev and about beating him [Popov].” Having considered the case, the consistory decided to refuse the petition, since it was not submitted on stamp paper. The consistory also considered several petitions with the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Having considered, report.” 1. Petition from the sexton's wife. Middle Orzhevka, Kirsanovsky district, Natalya Egorova about the negligence of her sexton husband Andrei Vasilyev “in feeding his family” The consistory ordered this petition to be sent to the departmental dean to collect information on this issue. 2. Petition from the priest of the Church of the Intercession in Lebedyan, Gabriel Spesivtsev, in which he asks “to withhold through whom the collection of 55 rubles should be made from him. silver, made through a deduction from his income, in favor of the Lebedyan tradesman Rusanov until the decision of the case being carried out on this subject in the Tambov Civil Chamber.” The consistory decided: “The petition is to be refused, since it was not submitted on stamped paper.” On November 12, at this journal of the consistory, Bishop Theophan’s general resolution followed: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.29–31 vol., 32 vol.–36 vol., 37 vol.–38. November 6. At a meeting of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory, the petition of the priest's widow was considered. Steep Khutora 129 Lipetsk district Evdokia Ivanova about the transfer of her son, sexton from. Arapova, Tambov district of Alexei Romanovsky, in the village. Krutye Khutor, as well as a certificate for this petition with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Refuse the petitioner and make a decision about her as having an illegitimate son.” The consistory ordered: “By virtue of the resolution of His Eminence, the widow Ivanova is to be denied, and for her illegal adoption... of her son Afanasy, to be subjected to seven years of penance.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.42 rev.–43 rev. November 8. Cathedral of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers. Bishop Theophan consecrated the church in honor of the martyr Maximilian in the Tambov Mariinsky Orphanage 130 and delivered a sermon: “It is written in the Third Book of Kings: And Solomon made a feast on that day, and all Israel with him 131 . This was on the day of the consecration of the church he built! We find ourselves in similar circumstances now. And our church is finished and now perfected by consecration - the church, of course, is not so magnificent on the outside as Solomon’s, but more filled with grace inside. Therefore, it is lawful that we are now creating a spiritual holiday, offering grateful songs to the Lord, the Performer of this deed. Celebrate, firstly, you, the creators of this church, both for the sake of the successful completion of your work, and for the sake of the fact that this gift of yours is not rejected by the Generous God, but accepted into His favor, evidenced by His present gracious visit here. Let both the founders of this institution and its trustees celebrate, because now it has only finally received its education and has become a perfect thing. Until now it was as if homeless; now it is covered with a special beneficial cover. Until now there was only a shelter for the body; from now on there is already a shelter for the soul - in this church. Celebrate, too, you children, or most of all you; because both the institution and the church are for you. Celebrate, rejoicing that the merciful Lord, the only Patron, Trustee and Shelter of the orphans, having given you other fathers in these trustees of yours, has now deigned to approach you so tangibly and so closely. Listen, children! My word to you! You either do not have your fathers and mothers here at all, or are not with you here... Come here to the Lord, your only true Father; Here, morning and evening, perform childlike worship of Him in love and receive blessings and a fatherly embrace from Him. This is not a comparison, but the real thing. The Lord willingly allowed children to come to Him during His earthly life, and forbade stopping them from coming to Him; and when His children surrounded Him, He blessed them all, laid His hands on them, and, in addition, took others into His arms. But what He did visibly then, He now does invisibly; Then he touched the body, and now he touches the soul. But why am I talking to children all the time? Children go where they are led - and so they go as they are led... Everything rests on you, educators. They are usually afraid of wasting time. We often hear: we have a lot of work to do or are expected to do, and there are no free hours to go to church. Isn’t it better to say that it is not time that is lacking, but the desire and disposition?.. As if the order of activities is not in our hands, and as if, in fact, somewhere in the world there are people so busy that not only do they have hours, not even minutes to spare? And who requires a lot of time?.. Set aside a few minutes in the morning and a few in the evening for a clear prayer with singing and that’s enough. It is necessary to establish such an order here so that children come to church every day and reverently fall here before the Lord, singing His praises and sending prayers to Him with their children’s lips. This is also necessary for the completeness of the current celebration. This church is now dedicated to St. Martyr Maximilian, one of the seven youths, also in Ephesus (August 4[th]). The youth is a martyr, without a doubt, because from childhood he cultivated and strengthened in himself the spirit of piety, having been instilled 132 in the churches of the true God. Will he be pleased if he almost always sees his church empty and the neighboring houses full? And Archangel Michael, this servant of God’s glory, guardian, protector and visor of God’s honor, to whom this day is dedicated, will he be pleased when he notices in us the indifference to teaching children to give honor and glory to the One God in this church?! Let us pray, brethren, to the Lord, that having begun this good work in you—the shelter—He will do it to your praise for it on the Day of Christ! Amen". SpiritB. 1859. No. 49. P.395 398, 401 402; Words. Tambov. 1861. P.51 54, 56 58. November 9. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Bishop Theophan’s proposal No. 7425, “who invites the consistory to send eight copies of the book “The Truly Ancient and Truly Orthodox Church” 133 to such churches where the said book may be more needed and useful, demanding 2 rubles for each copy. 25 kopecks silver." They ordered: “Send the designated copies of the book “The Truly Ancient and Truly Orthodox Church”, according to the schedule of the secret department of the consistory, to the villages shown to them for guidance to the local deans with decrees and estimates, charging 2 rubles for each copy. 25 kopecks silver from the purse amount, present it immediately to the consistory.” 2. The petition of the parishioners of the Kadomskaya Belaya Sloboda, “who are asking the church of that settlement, on the occasion of permission for the landowner Fedorov to build a church in the village of Cherny, which belonged to the parish of their church, to remain a parish.” Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For consideration by the consistory.” They ordered: “Attach this petition of the parishioners of the Kadomskaya Belaya Sloboda to the case, declaring to them that the diocesan authorities, after communication with the civil authorities, found it possible and necessary to allow Mr. Fedorov to build a church on his estate - the village of Cherny - and leave the church of the White Sloboda independent, about which to send a decree to the local dean.” 3. Petition from the widow of a peasant woman. Zhegalov Temnikovsky district Evdokia Bykova “about allowing her son Andrei to marry a related girl Anna.” Having considered the case, the consistory decided: “To allow the marriage on the basis that from the “kinship schedule” it is clear that the spouses are in the sixth degree of kinship, which, according to the decree of the Holy Synod of January 19, 1810, is not an obstacle to marriage.” 4. Petition from the peasant Mr. Vysheslavtsev p. Zhegalov Temnikovsky district Nikolai Varfolomeev Karev “about allowing his son Grigory to marry a peasant girl Marina Ivanova in kinship.” The consistory decided: “To allow marriage on the basis that the parties to be married are in the sixth degree of kinship, which is not an obstacle to marriage according to the decree of the Holy Synod of January 19, 1810.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.48 rev.–50, 57 rev.–58, 59–59 rev. November 12. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Decree of the Holy Synod of October 23 No. 2553 on the highest approved regulations on awards for service with the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To the consistory.” The consistory ordered: “The decree must be taken into account and executed. Send printed copies to the Spiritual Boards.” 2. Cases on awarding merchants with gold medals for their contribution to the restoration and improvement of churches of the Tambov diocese, according to the resolutions of Bishop Feofan of September 17 and October 19, 1859. The consistory ordered: “Prepare a report on behalf of His Eminence, with lists attached, and submit it for signing.” 3. Petition of an unplaced deacon. Dubasov Spassky district 134 Andrei Nikitin, in which he “complains about dissatisfaction with his diocesan authorities in a case that arose with the priest Grigory Orlov, who was in the same village.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Report with an opinion.” Having considered the case, the consistory decided: “Since in 1857, both defendants in the case, priest Orlov, and deacon Nikitin, “for their unpeaceful life and other actions, were removed from the parish of the village of Dubasovo with the right to seek places in other parishes and priest Orlov was transferred to the village of Verville, and petitioner Nikitin is still without a place, living with his own son, assigned to the village of Dubasovo in place Orlov as a priest, then the Consistory considers the present petition of the homeless deacon Nikitin to be left without consideration and without any proceedings regarding it.” 4. Report of priest Dimitry Smirnov 135, dean of the 4th Tambov district, dated November 6, No. 138 136, “which represents the report of the deacon of the same village, Leonty Kazansky, against his parish priest Georgy Blagonadezhdin about the infliction of insults and riots on him, Kazansky, and by them, Blagonadezhdin.” Having considered the case, the consistory ordered the report of Deacon Kazansky, presented by priest Dimitry Smirnov, to be sent to the investigator, Dean Georgievsky 137 for “a combined examination with the case on the reports of priests Blagonadezhdin and Bogdanov to Dean Smirnov.” 5. Report by priest Alexander Georgievsky, dean of the village. Vorontsovka of the Tambov district, dated November 12, No. 108 “on his dismissal from fulfilling the dean’s position in place of the dean of the village of Gryaznushi, Dimitry Smirnov, who was removed from this position.” Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For collective consideration.” The consistory ordered: “Since the dean of Georgievsky was entrusted with carrying out a complex investigation into the denunciations of both the priests of the village of Gryaznushi against the dean of that village, Priest Smirnov, and the latter against those priests, and since the time of annual reporting for the dean’s position is coming, the consistory, due to these circumstances, finds it difficult for Georgievsky to manage the department of dean Smirnov at that time; the priest of Georgievsky, according to his request, to be dismissed from performing the duties of a dean and to assign this duty to the neighboring dean priest Dobrokhotov.” 6. A certificate from the office of the consistory, which was presented as a result of the report of priest Dimitry Smirnov, dean of the village. Gryaznusha, about the drunkenness of priest Dimitry Bogdanov. The consistory ordered: “Dean Georgievsky to investigate this case together with the case of priest Bogdanov’s report on Smirnov.” 7. Certificate submitted to the report of priest Dimitry Smirnov, dean of the village. Gryaznusha, dated November 8, No. 170, “about the unauthorized absences of the priests of the same village, Georgy Blagonadezhdin and Dimitry Bogdanov, from their parishes.” The consistory ordered: “Dean Georgievsky to investigate this case together” with the investigation entrusted to him into the denunciations of the said priests against Smirnov.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.75 75 vol., 76–80 vol., 82 vol.–85. November 13. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. The sexton's petition. Chalolak of Usman district Theodore Surensky, in which he asks “to make an installment payment of the fine of 10 rubles. silver, placed on him for committing various outrages in the church of the village of Plastinok,” and also not making a corresponding entry in the formal list. The consistory decided: “Refuse the petition of sexton Theodore Surensky. since his petition was submitted not on stamp paper, but on plain paper.” 2. A memo from private Alexei Ivanov Podruev on indefinite leave, in which he, reporting the escape of his wife Praskovya Evstafieva, asks for permission to enter into a new marriage. The consistory decided: “The report of Private Podruev is to be left without consideration, since it was submitted not on stamp paper, but on plain paper.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1673. L.86 rev.–87, 91 rev.–92. November 14. Bishop Feofan put resolutions on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on November 9, where, among other matters, the following were considered: 1. Report of Colonel Pishchulin, commander of the Tambov garrison battalion, dated October 27, 1859, No. 17997, “by which he petitions for the award of the Archpriest of the Stefanovskaya Church in Tambov Alexei Sokolov 138 for his diligent and successful work in exhorting military prisoners on the military judicial commission.” The consistory decided that, due to his length of service, Archpriest Alexei Sokolov was not yet entitled to this award, and proposed to express gratitude to him on behalf of His Eminence by adding it to the service record. Bishop Feofan’s resolution on the consistory journal: “Archpriest Sokolov should be kept in mind when nominating him for an award next year.” 2. Proposal of Bishop Theophan dated November 13, No. 7426 “regarding the testing of priests and clergy in subjects related to their positions.” They ordered: “According to this proposal of his Eminence, for the deans to test the clergy and clergy under their supervision in the knowledge of obligatory subjects for them, the consistory prefers to appoint the Filippov, or Christmas, fast, as a time in relation to the deans that is convenient in proximity to annual reporting, and in relation to the clergy and clergy themselves, freer from their household activities: at this time, each dean, as much as to facilitate himself in carrying out tests, as well as for impartial marks of clergy and clergymen in their knowledge of subjects, must invite at least two trustworthy priests and, by mutual agreement with them, draw up a rank list of clergy and clergymen according to the degree of their knowledge of their subjects, certified by a common signature, and on the basis of this list, make their own marks in the ordinary clergy lists, which statements, with the attachment of the rank list itself, should be submitted to him Eminence in the month of January, about which to instruct circularly the dean of the entire diocese.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “After the examinations are completed, all priests and clergymen of their departments by name, immediately after this, present me with lists - with a note about who knows their subjects - regardless of the mark in the statements.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.47, 50 52. November 16. The highest permission followed to make a payment to Bishop Feofan in the amount of 1000 rubles. per year in addition to salary (285 rubles 90 kopecks) and expenses for board and crew (743 rubles 40 kopecks). RGIA. F.796. On.140. Item 1783. L.1 The Tambov spiritual consistory considered the petition of the peasant Mr. Musin-Pushkin from the village of Dekhtyareva of the Temnikovsky district of Peter Vasilyev “for permission to marry the daughter of the peasant of the same Mr. Philip Ivanov, the girl Daria in relation.” The consistory allowed the marriage on the basis that the spouses were in the sixth degree of relationship, which, according to the decree of the Holy Synod of January 19, 1810, is not an obstacle to marriage. GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.98 98 rev. November 17. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Report of the Temnikovsky spiritual board dated November 10, No. 1706, which presented a petition for awarding the headman of the Arkhangelsk Church with. Anosov 139, merchant Andrei Kolobaev, “for his diligent and very useful service to the Church of God.” The consistory decided to prepare, on behalf of Bishop Feofan, a request to the Synod to award Andrei Kolobaev a silver medal on a Stanislav ribbon to be worn around the neck. 2. Petition from the guardian of the deacon's widow, Feodosia Matveeva p. Small Navels of the Kozlovsky district, in which she asks for permission to “sell due to dilapidation the house left after the death of her husband, Deacon Stefan Nikiforov,” with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For the resolution of the consistory.” The consistory ordered: “The Kozlov spiritual board to examine the house and provide information about its real condition to the consistory.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.101 103. November 18. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Report of the Borisoglebsk spiritual board dated November 13, No. 1158, which presents the schedule of preaching sermons by the learned clergy of Borisoglebsk and the district in 1860 in the Borisoglebsk Cathedral. The consistory ordered: “Approve the sent schedule, and present the best sermons to Bishop Theophan.” 2. Certificate for the petition of the deacon's widow. New Yuryevo of Kozlovsky district of Nadezhda Antonova Pokhvalenskaya, in which she asks “to expel the deacon’s place from the deacon of that village, Theodore Pomerantsev, and give it to her son, the dismissed student of the higher department of the school Vasily Pokhvalensky, on the occasion of Pomerantsev’s failure to give her half of the income, according to the obligation.” The consistory decided: “The certificate is to be attached to the case, and the widow Nadezhda Pokhvalenskaya’s request to be expelled from Deacon Pomerantsev, who took the place of her husband, Pokhvalenskaya, as a deacon, and to grant this place to her son, dismissed from the higher department of the school Vasily, according to the resolution of his Eminence, will be refused; about the grievances caused by Pomerantsev, carry out a legal inquiry through the local confessor.” 3. Report from the priest Muchkap Vasily Akvilonov 140, dean of Borisoglebsk district, dated October 31 with a report from the clergy of the village. Shapkin against Deacon Pyotr Nekrasov “about his ripping out several sheets from the search book 141.” The consistory ordered: “This report should be added to the case of stopping Nekrasov’s marriage, which is being investigated by the Borisoglebsk spiritual board.” On November 26, Bishop Theophan put a general resolution on the consistory journal: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.108–110. November 19. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory 142, where the case of the peasant Mrs. Bibikova Nikita Zhukov was heard, who converted to Orthodoxy from the Old Believers, regularly fulfilled all the institutions and rituals of the Orthodox Church, except for the formation of the finger, persistently not wanting to change his opinion on this issue. The consistory decided to transfer Zhukov’s case to the Morshansky Zemsky Court, and to establish local supervision over Zhukov himself and members of his family. Resolution: “Inform the Morshansky Zemstvo Court - do not bother the peasant Zhukov anymore, if there are no other, more obvious signs of his being in schism, other than those listed here.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1388. L.75 76. The Tambov spiritual consistory considered the decree of the Holy Synod of November 6, No. 1342, on the acquisition of continuous-income tickets for capital belonging to the spiritual department with the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To the consistory for the appropriate disposal.” The consistory ordered; “Take note and implement the decree and send copies of it to the spiritual boards of the Tambov diocese.” On the consistory journal, Bishop Theophan put forward a general resolution on November 26: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L. 111–112. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the deacon's case. Mutasev Morshansky district Nikolai Orlov, which was considered at a meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory in October 1859. The deacon wrote a denunciation against his fellow priest, Peter Orlov. The consistory established that the priest had been slandered and decided to send Deacon Orlov to the Kozlovsky Trinity Monastery 143 for six months under the supervision of the abbot. Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “After serving his sentence, the deacon must look for a place of priesthood.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Unit 1660. L.146. 168 rev. November 22. 25th Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Theophan delivered the first teaching on the path to salvation 144. “Teacher, what have I done, will I inherit an eternal life? 145 What, having created the eternal life, will we inherit? Another, for example, says: pray, and the Lord will save; another - cry, be distressed, and God will not humiliate you; third - do alms, and it will cover many sins; that one - fast and sneak 146 into the house of God; and this one - abandoned everything and “went away, running and settled in the desert” 147. That's how many different answers you have! And these are all truths, saving rules, which you will inevitably encounter on the path of salvation. As for those who consider themselves to be from us, but have ceased to be ours - I mean Christians who have been carried away by the spirit of the age and superstition - then there is even more sad and painful disagreement between them. In this spirit, another proclaims: do not trust anything except your mind, follow the instincts of your nature, be independent, live for your own pleasure and do not allow someone else’s hand to lie on your neck - and you will be happy; another preaches: where there are no public entertainments, theaters and the like, there is no life. There you hear: you can’t go the straight road, you need the ability to live - the ability to conduct business in such a way as not to lose your interest and not allow others to notice your plans, intentions and feelings (they call this prudence...); It says here that if you don’t defend your honor and dignity, you will perish. Do you notice how gloomy all this is! And yet it constitutes, one might say, the basis of the customs of the world and it can be found circulating freely in simple conversation, and in a large meeting, and in a printed book - more than one. Imagine now what must happen in the mind and heart of your friend, and sometimes, perhaps, of your daughter and your son, when similar speeches are encountered in one, another, third place. I hear from the depths of this heart a cry emanating, similar to the cry of the apostles, frightened by the storm, and Peter, who began to drown: “Lord! Save me 148, I'm dying. God! What can I do to be saved? Mothers and fathers! Can you hear this scream? The Lord is the same yesterday and today, and forever 149. Then He ordered the Jew to look for an answer in the law: what is written in the law... what do you read? 150 Nowadays He would command a Christian, without a doubt, to turn to the Holy Gospel - in general to the New Testament teaching or to the Church of God. Christianity is the only path to salvation. Be true Christians and you will be saved. What is the use of the Holy Church, what are the dogmas and commandments, what are the holy sacraments, our fasts, vigils, prayers, consecrations, and so on? I will postpone a detailed disclosure of this until another time and will conclude my word with the prayer that the Lord will grant you light and reason, so that you will know Him and clearly understand the path of salvation, brought by Him to earth and established in the Church and which has already led so many holy people to heaven - so that you too will not be deprived of this good aspiration. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp.59–62. November 23. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. Petition from the permanently released private Butyrsky Infantry Regiment Ivan Ilyin Balakirev “to allow him, in the unknown absence of his wife Elena Afanasyeva, to enter into a new marriage” with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For consideration by the consistory.” The consistory decided: “Private Balakirev’s petition should be left without consideration due to the fact that his petition was submitted not on stamp paper, but on plain paper.” 2. The petition of the peasant Mr. Gagarin from the village of Shaftorki, Spassky district, Kirill Davydov Potyakin, “for permission for his son Kosma with the maiden of the same Mr., Maria Fedorova, to marry in a spiritual relationship” with the resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “For consideration by the consistory.” The consistory decided: “Since the bride’s great-grandfather was the successor of the groom’s mother, the marriage should be allowed on the basis of the decree of the Holy Synod of 1841 on April 25, if there are no other obstacles after a search.” 3. Petition of the deacon's widow. Butakov of the Temnikovsky district of Lukerya Alekseeva dated November 19 “on the appointment of an annual allowance to her and her son Pavel Ivanovich, deprived of sight, and on the assignment of her daughter, the maiden Maria, to the parish church of the village of Butakov.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To transfer the assignment of benefits to the deaconess and her son to the Trusteeship, and to make a decree on the appointment of her daughter Maria as a prosphora.” The consistory ordered: “On the assignment of benefits to Deaconess Alekseeva, by virtue of the resolution of his Eminence, transfer a certificate to Spiritual Guardianship and assign her daughter, the maiden Maria, to prosphorne.” At the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on November 28, Bishop Feofan followed with a general resolution: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.119–120, 121 vol.–122. November 24. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: Reports of Lipetsk and Kirsanov spiritual appearances dated November 12 and November 19, No. 1553 and 1206, which present schedules for delivering sermons by the learned clergy of Lipetsk and Kirsanov. The consistory decided: “The schedules presented in the reports of the Lipetsk and Kirsanov spiritual boards, who should speak sermons of his composition on which days in 1860, shall be approved, and the best priestly sermons shall be ordered to be presented to the censors by the censors to his Eminence.” Petition from a supernumerary priest. Badin Corner of Morshansky district Stefan Lavrov, in which he asks to be admitted to the Tambov city hospital at public expense for eye treatment. The consistory, having considered the case, decided to refuse the petition “for lack of a direct law on this subject.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.124–125 rev., 127–127 rev. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the consistory journal dated October 16, where, among other cases, the case of the tradesman of the city of Lebedyan Kapiton Mastryukov was considered, who complained about his parish, Nativity of Christ Church, priest Boris Dobrokhotov, who refused to serve a prayer service at his home on Easter. The consistory decided: “Oh. Dobrokhotov should be released from the investigation and trial for lack of evidence, and Fr. Obolensky will be fined 5 rubles in silver in favor of the Guardianship for committing demands in someone else’s parish.” Resolution: “It is approved, however, that Mastryukov [be] transferred to the parish of priest Obolensky in order to avoid future displeasure.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1661. L.60. Bishop Theophan put a resolution on the journal of the consistory dated October 20, where, among other matters, the case of the sexton s. Side Maidan of Onisim Malitsky, who offended his sisters and brothers on his parents’ estate. The consistory decided to approve the opinion of the Temnikovsky spiritual board about sending Onisim Malitsky “to the Shatskaya Vyshenskaya Hermitage for three months of menial labor and obedience for appropriating his parents’ barn, hay barn and stables, for inflicting indecent words on the spiritual investigator.” Resolution: “Approved. Instead of the monastic authority, the sexton Malitsky should be fined six silver rubles.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1661. L.48, 59. November 25. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. The sexton's petition. Nikolsky, or Kolyagovshchina, Tambov district of Mikhail Grigoriev dated November 19, “to whom he asks to force the student Pyotr Prozorovsky, who was dismissed from the Lipetsk district school, to marry his daughter, the maiden Anna, for whom a place of honor has been assigned in this village of Aleksandrovka, as already wooed by him, Prozorovsky, or to recover from him all losses in this case.” At the request of the sexton Mikhail Grigoriev: to release the student Prozorovsky from marrying his daughter, since from the petition of the student Prozorovsky it is clear that “the sexton Grigoriev deliberately showed him his daughter by fire in the evening, when he could not see her well and at the same time, due to the insistence of him, Grigoriev, and the priest he invited, he was forced to put his hand to the petition prepared in advance 151; when the next day he saw the bride during the day, he decidedly did not like her because of her ugliness and he could not marry her.” 2. Prozorovsky’s own petition dated November 23, “in which he, having explained the reasons for his disagreement with marrying the daughter of the said sexton, asks to be allowed to marry the daughter of the unregistered sexton of the village of Vyazhli, Morshansky district, Mark Vasilyev, the maiden Matryona, for whom a place of clergy is assigned in the city of Borisoglebsk at the cathedral church.” Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “On the basis of this explanation, form an opinion and report.” The consistory decided: “Allow Prozorovsky to marry the girl Matryona.” 3. Report of the archpriest of the Znamenskaya Church in Tambov, Ivan Almazov, 152 dated November 25, No. 51, “on his dismissal from the posts of a spiritual deputy for the local city police and a warner of prisoners being transferred to the stage, on the occasion of his appointment as the city dean.” The consistory ordered: “For the assignment by his Eminence to Archpriest Almazov of the post of dean for the city of Tambov, he, Almazov, from the post of deputy from the spiritual side during the investigations of the Tambov city police, as well as from the exhortation of the prisoners being transferred through the stage to be dismissed, and to be appointed as a city deputy from the spiritual side of the Archdeacon-Stephanie Church of Archpriest Alexey Sokolov." At the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on December 1, Bishop Feofan’s general resolution followed: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.129–131 vol., 132 vol.–133. November 27. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. Bishop Feofan’s proposal dated November 26, No. 1195: “In place of the deceased member of the consistory, Archpriest Pavel Belyakov 153, priest Nikolai Bodrov 154 is appointed as a member of the consistory of the cemetery Assumption Church. The consistory has to issue an order on this subject. allowing Bodrov to study now in respect of extreme necessity.” They ordered: “Appointed at the suggestion of His Eminence as a member of the consistory, in place of the deceased member of the 5[th] expedition, Archpriest Pavel Belyakov. Assumption Church priest Nikolai Bodrov, by virtue of paragraph 3[th] of Article 284[th] of the Charter of Spiritual Consistories, due to an unforeseen decrease in the number of members, for non-stop action, now admit him to the position of the said expedition as a present person, pending approval of him, Bodrov, by the Holy Synod, to which, on the basis of Article 282[th] of the same Charter, to submit this on his behalf Eminence with a request to confirm Bodrov as a member of the consistory of the order; let priest Bodrov know about this decree.” 2. Report for No. 118 priest s. Stefanovsky (Bibikovo) Alexander Krylov 155, dean of the Kozlovsky district, in which he reports that Mrs. Kuzovleva’s manager, Philip Thomas, corrected the dilapidation of the church 156 in this village. Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Report whether the builder should be rewarded with something.” The consistory decided: “To declare to the manager of Mrs. Kuzovleva, Philip Thomas, the gratitude of the diocesan authorities.” At the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory on December 3, 1859, Bishop Feofan’s general resolution followed: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.139–140, 141 vol.–142. November 28. His Grace Theophan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of November 12, where, among other things, the case of honorary citizen Nikolai Ippolitov was considered, who “complained about the priest of the village. Neronov Kozlovsky district Ivan Arkhangelsky 157 that in 1855 he refused to bury his wife’s brother near the church.” They ordered: “The priest of Arkhangelsk with the clergy for burying two dead people in the church without the permission of the authorities is to be fined in favor of the Guardianship for 3 silver rubles.” The resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Instruct the priest of Arkhangelsk not to give cause for complaints.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1661. L.79, 93. November 29. 26th Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Theophan delivered the second teaching on the path to salvation. “From the past conversation we are left with an explanation of what it means to be a true Christian or what exactly in Christianity is offered as an essential condition of salvation and at the same time as a decisive sign that someone is going to the eternal belly, and not to destruction. Now we will explain this in more detail, taking as our guide a comparison of the path to salvation with the ordinary path. Anyone who is about to set out on a journey, in order to successfully complete his journey, needs to know this path, know its direction and longitude, as well as everything that may be encountered along its length; and during the procession itself one must see both him and what he is surrounded by. So does a Christian who wants to achieve the eternal life need to know what God is? What is this world, how does it stand and where is it going? What are we, why are we here and what awaits us beyond the grave? How should we behave in relation to everything around us: to the Supreme Being - God, to our brothers - humans and to the invisible world - angels and saints? So, learn the Orthodox Christian teaching and hold it with all your heart - and you will see the path to the Kingdom, and everything surrounding this path, and everything that can be encountered in its continuation. This is the first. But even if someone knows the way, and this path is illuminated, what is the use of this knowledge if there is no strength to walk along it? A sick, weakened, legless person, lying along the path along which it is necessary to go - and it is so necessary that if he does not go, he will die - he will only be more distressed because he knows and sees this path. We would have been in this position if the Lord, having enlightened us with the light of knowledge, had not given us the strength to follow the instructions of this light; for we cannot walk on our own, we have no strength, we are weakened, broken. Baptism revives, confirmation strengthens, holy communion most sincerely unites with the Lord Jesus Christ, holy repentance raises up the fallen, who falls again after baptism, and so on. Every sacrament gives a special Divine power that a person needs on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven... This is the second. But along the way, your strength may weaken and deplete, you may encounter temptations and hobbies. In the holy sacraments we accept the grace of the Holy Spirit as a Divine spark falling into our nature. Just as in order for a spark that fell into a substance to turn into a flame, air and the movement of this air are necessary, so a kind of atmosphere and movement of this atmosphere is necessary, and in order for the spark of Divine grace, received by us in the sacraments, to penetrate into our nature and turn into a flame - this atmosphere constitutes our church life: Vespers, Matins, liturgy, church holidays, processions of the cross, prayers for various occasions - in homes and churches, travel to holy places, and most of all, holy fasts with fasting and communion of the Holy Mysteries. Be unswervingly faithful to the instructions of the Church - and the world will not find an opportunity to attack you; for everything that is in the world is also in our Church, only in its purest and most divine form... There are festivities there - we have holy holidays; there are balls - we have church services; there are theaters - we have divine rites. Everyone compare what is best, and do not get carried away by empty bait, and do not abandon what is essential, fruitful and nutritious for its sake. This is the third. So as not to tire you, I will briefly tell you the fourth. There may be obstacles along the way that you won’t know how to overcome; nets may be laid that you cannot avoid; There may be combinations of paths in which you cannot figure out where to go; a cloud may come, which will completely hide the path and frighten you with thunder and lightning - who then should you turn to? What should I do? Who will help in all such cases? Angels from Heaven? But they appear only in emergency circumstances, leaving the usual course of affairs to our existing order. So who will help? Shepherds are spiritual fathers. So, learn and contain in your heart everything that the Holy Church teaches, and, receiving the powers of grace through the sacraments and kindling them through all other sacred rites of the Church, follow steadily the path of the commandments prescribed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ, under the guidance of lawful shepherds - and you will undoubtedly reach the Kingdom of Heaven and be saved. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 63–67. Letter from Bishop Feofan to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count A.P. Tolstoy: “The circular epistle conveyed in this translation, imbued with a truly pastoral spirit and capable of bringing considerable benefit to our Orthodox Christians given the current spread of the anti-Christian spirit everywhere, will, as I believe, be published in one of our spiritual magazines. With this thought, let me say one word: it would be good, having printed this message in the form as it is (with the correction, of course, of several reservations in the description of Western heresies, which I did not dare to touch), - in order to publish it later as a separate pamphlet (for magazines are almost never read), to instruct someone to supplement it with notes under the line and additional articles at the end - in such quantity that the reader could reproduce the complete picture of Protestantism with its dishonest origin and unkind consequences, and immediately found a refutation of all the errors of Protestantism and a firm defense of the dogmas to which it concerned. It’s been a long time since anything like this has worked out for us, and yet the worm that is gnawing at our society is emerging from these beginnings. How timely it would be, under the cover of a strong patriarchal word, to reveal all the wickedness of Protestantism and give the Orthodox a weapon to repel the attacks they often encounter in society. Moreover, I find myself forced to turn to Your Excellency with a most humble request. A true rumor has reached us that Fr. rector of our archimandrite. Seraphim is appointed to Kyiv as a vicar 158.. When losing such a worthy employee, it is desirable that he be replaced by a person at least somewhat similar to him, at least of the same spirit. I dare to humbly ask Your Excellency to appoint inspector of the Nizhny Novgorod Seminary Dionysius 159 as our rector. I know his character. In scholarship he is a candidate, but better than many masters; was the first in his course, and was deprived of his place due to a misunderstanding by the Right Reverend Athanasius 160, who was then revising the Kazan Academy. If for some reason they don’t want to appoint this one (although I would like to have exactly him), I ask either Jonathan 161, inspector Orlovsky, or Seraphim 162, rector of Arkhangelsk. I know both of them well. " RO IRLI RAS. F.34. Storage unit 502. L.1–2 vol. November 30. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. Report for No. 126 priest s. Squabbles of Elisey Saburov 163, dean of the Usman district, in which he reports that “on the night of the 1st of November, for some unknown reason, on St. altar in the church of the village of Gorodskie Vyselki 164 and the srachita and the clothes were burned.” The consistory ordered: “The srachita and clothes on the altar of the church in the village of Gorodskie Vyselki, which burned down for an unknown reason, are to be replaced with new ones and ordered, in addition, to open an inquiry about this incident...” 2. Priest's petition Borschevaya Sloboda of the Kozlovsky district of Ioann Vladimirov 165, in which he asks “to encourage the painter Orlov to speedily complete the work he has undertaken on the parish church of that village,” with the resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “To the consistory, for proper consideration of the matter.” The consistory decided to inform the Tambov provincial government and ask it to make an order “to force the tradesman Orlov to quickly install an iconostasis in the church of the village of Borshchevaya Sloboda, in accordance with his obligation.” 3. Request from an attorney from residents of the village. Tynkov of the Lipetsk district of the state peasant Tikhon Kononykhin, in which he asks “to allow their parish clergy to correct possible divine services in the prayer house arranged by his trustees until the reconstruction of their parish church.” The consistory ordered: “According to the request of the attorney from the residents of the village of Tynkova, state peasant Tikhon Kononykhin, the clergy of that village should allow their parish clergy to correct possible worship in the prayer house arranged by the trustees until their parish church is rebuilt.” 4. Petition from the merchant of the 3rd guild, Yakov Ivanov Dolbilin, dated November 23, living in the village. Staroe Gorodishche of the Temnikovsky district, in which he, reporting on the incorrect actions of the investigator appointed by the Temnikov spiritual board, priest Georgy Tikhonravov 166 of Temnikov, “in the case of the drunkenness of the deacon of the village of Staroe Gorodishche Matvey Gimnov,” asks “to entrust the consideration of this case to the Shatsky spiritual board, so that it appoints another investigator in this case.” The consistory decided: “Since Dolbilin did not present any valid reasons for his recusal, and the very opinion of the Board is not the final decision on this case without consideration by the consistory, the consistory considers the petition, as unreasonable, to be left unsatisfied at the present time.” 5. Report from the priest Spasskie Boots of Abram Zhukov, dean of Spassky district, dated November 25, No. 176, in which he presents the explanation of the deacon of the village. Vadkovsky Villages of Andrei Mikhailov that he received “a ticket to survive his one-month obedience in the Sanaksar monastery 167,” however, due to “an external illness that happened to him on the body, he cannot presently appear there for the said need, but upon recovery he undertakes to appear.” The consistory ordered: “Since he did not submit medical confirmation of his illness to the consistory, he must either send to the consistory “a medical certificate of the reality of his illness, or immediately appear, according to the resolution of his Eminence, to the consistory, otherwise he, as a clear disobedient of his superiors, will be removed from the place and sent to the provincial government for consideration.” On December 8, at the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, Bishop Feofan’s general resolution followed: “Fulfill.” GATO.F.181. On.1. Item 1673. L.143–144, 147 vol.–148 vol., 157 vol.–160. December 1st. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. The sexton's petition Petrovsky Borisoglebsky district Vasily Rzhaksensky dated November 13, 1859, in which he complains about the illegal actions of the staff sexton Ivan Alekseev. As a result of the investigation, it turned out that sexton Vasily Rzhaksensky slandered sexton Ivan Alekseev. Previously, sexton Vasily Rzhaksensky was punished for slandering the same sexton with a fine with an obligation under the strictest signature “not to bother the diocesan authorities with such matters in the future and to live peacefully, under fear of removal from office.” 2. Dean's report Rybny Morshansky district of priest Ioann Tikhonravov 168 dated November 21 of this year with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “For consideration by the consistory.” The report presents “the report of the priest s. Algasov John of Kuransky and the priests Arkhistrategov and Ostrovsky about their dispute over their division of church land.” The consistory ordered: “The report of the dean Tikhonravov should be attached to the case, and attached with this report in the name of him, Tikhonravov, reports from the priest Kuransky and his regular clerks Archistratigov and Ostrovsky about the church land, returning to him, Tikhonravov, ordering that proceedings be held between the priest and his clergy and, upon satisfaction of each of them with what and properly, report on the subsequent consistory." GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1674. L.1–1 vol. 3 vol.–4 vol. His Grace Theophan approved the “bursak report on the students of the Tambov Seminary for the 2nd half of this year 1859,” presented by the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Seraphim (Aretinsky) and the inspector, Hieromonk Sergius (Marmarissov) 169. The list of students of the Tambov Seminary included: On full government pay: the upper department - 35 people, among whom was Tsyplyakovsky Yakov 170, the future confessor of St. Theophan: the middle department - 31 people; lower department - 37 people. On semi-government pay: higher department - 1 person; middle department – ​​3 people; lower department – ​​8 people. On cash benefits: higher department – ​​7 people; middle department - 9 people; lower department – ​​9 people. GATO. F.186. On.65. Storage unit 22. L.1 3 rev. December 2. From a letter from Right Reverend Theophan to priest Alexander Solovyov 171 with recommendations on what should be taken into account and followed in the process of teaching children: “Just as children are simple, so their teaching should be the simplest, childish... Love children, and love will teach you how to descend to their meaning and become understandable to them. This is the first. Secondly, set a goal in advance of what children should leave your school as, and in every possible way manage to bring each child to this. It seems to me that it is enough to ensure that children leave school knowing how to read, write, knowing prayers, some from memory, and others from a book... and knowing how to pray - knowing the Creed, commandments, the Lord's Prayer, briefly - sacred history... and how to know the church way (holidays, prayer, honoring shrines, and especially fasting). And understanding everything. If there are other items, according to the founder’s intention, then let them be... We must primarily keep ours in mind. See for yourself how to ensure that your children master all these subjects well... Get to work, and work will teach you. Don't limit yourself to just a general interpretation... Because not everyone will understand it. Add to it a conversation with each individual... There is one method for one, and another goes more for the other. Distribute the students according to their level of intelligence, and conduct a conversation with one this way and another with another. Observe gradualism - from the understood, ascending to the unknown. When you see that a lesson is not clear, leave it and take another, simpler one. Do not order anything to be taught that is not understood. Don't burden children's heads... and don't bother them by sitting for long periods of time; Children are not capable of this. Make sure that children in the class, in your conversation with them and in learning, find joy... You will achieve this when you let them feel the sweetness of understanding and then support it, without puzzling them with incomprehensibility... But you cannot rewrite everything, and the rules will not help if there is no homework... Your love for your work will, I hope, teach you everything, and you will manage to be an educator for children, returning them to true, inner perfection, and not a cold polisher. Therefore, the third thing - and the main thing you need to be able to do - is not to limit yourself to just learning, but even more so - to form your character and heart... The main thing here is the fear of God and piety, and love for your neighbors. Their sprouts are in a child’s heart - develop them not so much with words as with your spirit and example. May prayer with singing in class, frequent going to church and the skill of home prayer be the subject of your concern... Let the children sing before the beginning of the teaching, in the middle and at the end of prayer troparia and stichera - at your discretion... and not the same ones, but with changes according to the seasons, or better - in the church circle. The more they know the songs of the church, the better... Afterwards, at home, instead of shameful songs they will sing church songs. When would you come to this!.. If you make children fall in love with church singing, you will see how fields and houses will be resounding with sacred hymns. And you will rejoice. After all, Christians shouldn’t have any other songs. Here are some rules for you! But I’ll say it again – you can’t write everything. Everything is from your spirit and heart. Pray that the Lord will teach you to be a good teacher. The seeker gets everything according to the law of God's providence. Regarding books... Get ready to write out Home Conversation and Spiritual 172. These are magazines. Buy books: “School of Piety” 173; St. Tikhon, or all (9 volumes), or the last two parts, sold separately; letters to friends and cell letters; his is about the duties of Christians. The Synod also publishes individual articles by the Right Reverend Tikhon from his treasures collected from the world 174. – And that’s enough for the first time... Later, time will show the opportunity and benefit of acquiring more difficult books... The Children’s Menaion also has a book - a popular one. What is not agreed here, complete with your reflection... and everything that relates to education cannot be rewritten.” TEV. 1863. No. 9. May 1st. Add. WITH . 245–248. December 5th. Hieromonk Theoktist 175, a graduate of the Kiev Theological Academy, who since 1858 has temporarily served as rector of the Kiev Theological Seminary, has been appointed rector of the Tambov Theological Seminary, TEV. 1894. No. 11–12. P.434. December 13th. 28th Sunday after Pentecost, St. forefather. Bishop Theophan delivered the third teaching on the path to salvation: “I find myself forced to explain to you that everything we have said, that is, the sound teaching of the faith, walking according to the commandments, receiving the sacraments, participating in all the prayers of the Church and the guidance of legitimate shepherds - all this is essential in the work of salvation, so that only there salvation is accomplished, where everything is together; Where anything is lacking, the work of salvation is exposed to great danger and spoiled. But there are people who say: believe as you want, just live well and don’t be afraid of anything. Don't be flattered, brothers! The composition of true life includes not only behavior, but also a sound way of thinking, so whoever lacks the latter should not be said to have lived a healthy and good life. On the other hand, to live well means to live pleasing to God; Godly life is all led according to the will of God, and one of the first definitions of God’s will regarding us is to believe in Him Whom He sent, that is, in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Divine teaching. This means that the one who says: Believe as you want, just live well, when truly believing is a commandment, is like a person who himself destroys the foundation on which he wants to build a house, or like someone who wants to cross a river in a boat, which he deliberately breaks under himself. What kind of salvation can one expect for someone who violates any of God’s commandments, for example: the commandment of truth or mercy, abstinence or hard work, purity or non-covetousness, marital fidelity or any other, belittling the severity of his sins with some kind of misinterpretation, for example: nature attracts, the heart demands; or trying to hide their ugly appearance from the conscience with some visible, not entirely difficult deeds of piety, for example: going to churches, arranging valuable icons and lighting lamps? Just like walking without legs or flying without wings, it is impossible to reach the Kingdom of Heaven without fulfilling the commandments. As others say: all this churchliness is needed for the simple, but for those who understand the matter, mental, spiritual or heartfelt service to God is enough. Blessed are you, simple souls, who unquestioningly accept everything and willingly obey every voice of the Church! You are like trees planted by the springs of water, which yield their fruit in its season. And those are like seeds that are still buried in the depths of the earth, not yet frozen or overfrozen. Imagine rain, snow, stormy weather in the yard, and put a man in the open air in such weather, not covered, as he should, with clothes - how long will he live? Those who shun the sacraments and all our life-giving churchliness find themselves in exactly these circumstances. Such people are pathetic! Selfishness and selfishness eat away at their bones. Finally, the Lord chose the apostles, the apostles handed over their work to the bishops, appointing presbyters to work with them. We are blind; just as a blind man needs a guide, so we need a pointer to the path to the Kingdom of God - in many cases we need a person who, as it were, took us by the hand and led us out of the confusion of thoughts and feelings into which the enemy and our own lack of understanding sometimes plunges us. Don’t say that the leader of all is the word of God - we will read it ourselves and see what is needed. The Word of God contains general instructions for everyone, and what exactly I need and in my circumstances must be explained to me by another - a living, experienced voice. Without this, I must wander along the crossroads and be in constant danger. The Church of God is a healer, containing in its structure medicine, healing all our spiritual illnesses. The components of this healing are: Orthodox teaching, life according to the commandments, the sacraments with the sacred rites of the Church and the guidance of pastors. Just as in bodily illnesses healing is healing only when it is composed of all the substances indicated in the recipe, so in our spiritual illness healing can take place in us only when we accept all the elements that are part of our only spiritual healing - Christianity, or the Church. Take away any element from physical healing - it will no longer have its effect. Do not accept anything that is inevitably part of Christianity, or the Church, and you will deprive yourself of the healing that is so necessary for you, and, consequently, you will remain in the same unhealed, destructive state - you will not be saved and will not see the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.68 72. Bishop Feofan submitted a proposal for consideration by the Tambov Spiritual Consistory “to make it an indispensable duty for the priests of the Tambov diocese to bring their parishioners to the knowledge of the Creed, the commandments of the Lord and the Lord’s Prayer with other necessary daily prayers and to take care of the delivery of teachings in the church, especially [explaining] the patristic writings, in Russian translation; why and entrust trustworthy persons to compile a catalog of books, and so on.” The consistory decided to report this throughout the diocese. GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1672. L.70. December 16. Letter from Bishop Feofan to E.S. Burachku 176: “God help me, my beloved Evgeniy Stepanovich! Save yourself! I am greatly consoled by your letter and with the first mail I hasten to say a word or two to you. It would be very desirable for you to know something about my life. Everything, thank God, is good; I can say, even in all respects; at least, until now it has not occurred to me that any part of us is bad... Not without sins, but - thank God! - to the point that even if you stay here forever, it doesn’t matter. That's what I feel these days. About labors - what can I say? It's just a pity that they are petty! Your condition has occupied me quite a bit... But, thank God, I don’t see anything dangerous. Thank the Lord that you see how day by day you are getting worse... and worse... Hunger and thirst are a sign of health. But the One who gives water and nourishes is good. Fall down to Him in self-abasement and humility, crying out: “Lord, save me; oh Lord! hurry up!” It’s a disaster when the thought secretly slips into your soul: “I’m full, and what more do I require”... Look how hungry the Apostle Paul was... I’m persecuting, even if I comprehend 177. But how is it that you, the apostle of God, have seen the Lord and heard the Gospel from Him - and say I will persecute you even if I comprehend... Here is an insatiable soul... Well - and we will become shamelessly insatiable and bother everyone: “Lord, give, have mercy, help, protect... Coal miner in the dark of the depths 178. “Lord... I’m going downhill... I’m already up to my neck in mud... Just a little more and it’ll be the end.”... When all this is in your soul not as a word, but as a deep feeling, then good, good, good... And keep this feeling and pray - may the Lord preserve it until the end of your life! Only with this feeling there is no need to indulge in despair... what happened, why bother - it’s not for the future... no, no, but you still have to climb little by little, whatever strength you have... not give up, but worry about your work, the salvation of the soul... both body and spirit - it’s appropriate to work both the body and the spirit... The path of salvation is the same as the sunrise on a slippery mountain. One of the tenacious ones suddenly climbs up... and the other one climbs and climbs, and then slides down again... into the second and third... And they look from above at the scratching... then another will take pity and throw off the rope... yes, hold on, I’ll pull you out... Just grab a hold... They’ll snatch it away... There, as you get out into the open, it will become easier... and the sky will be cleared... and before that... darkness darkening... This is how it was written for all of us. There is no one to blame... It's your own fault. We messed up at first... But still, the laughter is a little awkward. What chatterboxes!.. It’s another matter, what should they do... After all, every good guy is like his own model... So they are after their own example... But what do we care about them! It’s a pity, of course, but everyone go his own way - and everyone will give an account for himself... God, be merciful to all of us sinners! Amen! Try this how to do it. When noise and talking bother you, close your ears and do what you need... If this is inconvenient, you need to go out on deck and there, somewhere in a corner, have a conversation with the Lord, Who is everywhere. The Lady and the saints... you can walk on the deck and also create - steps will replace the rosary. So morning, evening and noon. It may happen that they won’t even let you read... You don’t need to read a lot... Always carry with you in your memory one verse from the Gospel, the Apostle or the Psalter... and turn it over in your mind, as if on a millstone, until it is erased... and gives a taste... to the tongue... to the heart... Another poem can last for several days... but all this is included in reading!.. It’s good not to show others what is in the soul... On the outside it’s better to be like everything, excluding the bad and inconsistent with the requirements of the spirit. This requires a lot of skill, but I think you can do it; and not for the first time... It’s not proper to hit everyone in the nose and snout... But you can meekly say: “You do this and that because you love that... Don’t stop me from doing what I want and in which I find pleasure”... and so on and so forth... When they start spewing blasphemies, you can turn away; or also express the truth in simplicity, or... that’s what’s still good... Wait a minute until they start talking about something mysterious, making you thoughtful and timid... and then you can start writing the truth to them directly... There will be no objections. You can intervene in their conversation yourself, make them aware of their fears - especially fears of death and the posthumous state... and then begin to sharpen the truth of God... With humility and meekness... God bless everything... It’s a pity that you don’t have a father on the ship... What to do!.. Do your best. Read the prayers... Add singing to them... teach the sailors, and let them sing the glory of God... For example, in the morning - “Glory to God in the highest”; in the evening - “Quiet Light”; often - “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”..., “Heavenly King” and so on. Try it - praise the whole crew - “Glory in the highest”... England will all collapse from fear... Bless, Lord, your path... May the Guardian Angel accompany you... and may the Veil of the Lady overshadow you! I wrote to Stepan Onisimovich: yes, according to custom, he does not answer the new one. Along with this letter, I am also writing... and it will arrive just in time for the holiday... I congratulate you on Merry Christmas and everything else... Won't you have to read this during fasting?! I wish you all the best. Also, may the Lord bless you and your entire ship!” CIAM. F.2355. On.1. D.262. L.14–16 vol. Letter from Bishop Feofan to S.O. Burachku 179: “Save yourself - in the Lord, Stepan Onisimovich, and with all your blessed house! I hear that you didn't like my joke! Well, it’s my fault... After all, you understand it as a joke and nothing else, so now there’s no point in starting a case. Otherwise, you don’t know who will be charged for the stamp paper... It seems, after all, we know each other - there is, now, a reason to write carelessly... Well, it’s a deal - and the world... And then - this is what: if you don’t do this... I’ll submit the paper to your Areopagus - and I’ll keep the Demosthenian speech... No - I’ll appoint Varichka 180 as a lawyer... Varichka, mother, defend! They are deprived! Well, no force can stand against her. He will speak better than the bishop's... Then, as I wrote to you in this way, I wrote in the same way to Tertius Ivanovich 181 and to Victor Ipatich 182... The reason is that things beat me up then - for about a week and a half or two... from eight to two... every single day... it burst... so inevitably you will speak in the language of a consistory. And now I just want to throw a hook under (Stepan Onisimovich) - General Burachok... For resisting the authorities. There was an order to write... no, he doesn’t listen... Confirmation must be made under penalty of legal penalties. Next there will be a trial and reprisal... We had one young man kicked out of the clergy for not listening... and for nothing. Our power has become great!.. And you are all serious... that is, you are all busy with world problems... so what - you should write something like that!! A! That's exactly what it is! Right, nothing to write? If only there was something, they would write... But at least we are writing something. Maybe something, nothing for you. Conclude from this... I see that at least don’t give it to you... Forgive me for God’s sake, I don’t dare write serious matters. Everything here is usual - sparkling so that there is nothing to talk about. God gives health - and work. Your Evgeny wrote... I hasten to answer, as if I didn’t fly away from England... For God’s sake, forward... He didn’t say the address, but ordered me to give it to you. When all your brethren gather to you... just as serious and angry as you... convey to everyone your loving bow - and the bishop's blessing... Look, I will shout: “Brothers! Protect... he’s offending...” Are you and all yours healthy... E.V., beautiful brides 183, and even more so Varichka! God bless you! I wish you peace. Behold the holiday - and happy holiday! Behold the new year! - and happy new year... Sorry! – With true respect and complete devotion Feofan, bishop. Tambovsky. CIAM. F.2355. On.1. D.262. L.17 17 rev. December 26. The journal “Spiritual Conversation” published the word of the Right Reverend Theophan, pronounced at the consecration of the church in honor of the martyr Maximilian in the Tambov Mariinsky Orphanage. SpiritB. 1859. No. 49. December 26. pp.395–402. December 31st. Letter 184 from Bishop Feofan to the governor of the Tambov province K.K. Danzas: “From the case being carried out in the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on the restoration of the ancient Poroy Hermitage 185, which existed in the city of Lipetsk and was subsequently abolished with its conversion into a monastery, it is clear that the residents of the city of Lipetsk fully agree to the opening of such a monastery, for which they drew up a verdict in which they express their consent to donate to the benefit of this monastery in the form of money - about 15,000 rubles. silver, as well as land for eternal possession, located at the closest distance from the proposed opening of the monastery - 172 1/2 tithes, as well as materials for the construction of buildings for housing the monastic brethren - namely, 200 thousand bricks and 3000 poods of lime. But just as such a sacrifice is not enough to restore the said monastery, and yet from the letter of honorary citizen Khrennikov 186 it is clear that there will be many voluntary donations for this subject. If the diocesan authorities wish to petition the government for the restoration of the said ancient monastery, then the Tambov spiritual consistory, opened on this subject, sent the correspondence to the Lipetsk spiritual administration so that it: a) through a member of this board, Archpriest Nesmelov 187, who began this godly work, again invited all residents of the city of Lipetsk with its district and third parties to make such a donation, i.e. nobles, merchants, mixed people. citizens of all classes, and, having collected the donated amount, kept it in the Lipetsk district treasury until required; b) for a plot of 20 dessiatines and 201 fathoms and land of 172 1/2 dessiatines donated by the Lipetsk society, as well as for other donated real estate for this purpose, serfdom deeds and deeds of gift with appropriate plans, completed in a legal manner, were required from the donors: c) drew up a plan of the area where the church now exists, and of other buildings proposed for construction to house the brethren; d) so that the board should consider what kind of monastery should be established, that is, cenobitic or full-time, and with what number of monastic brethren, and whether the collected means of subsistence of the monastery will be sufficient; then, having collected all the necessary certificates and information for this matter, it made its conclusion both on the possibility or impossibility of restoring the said ancient monastery so that it could be maintained with its own funds without benefits from the treasury, and on whether the land donated by the society under the garden could be accepted at the present time, and so on, and after all this, it submitted the whole matter to the consistory with all the necessary serfdom documents. Notifying Your Excellency of this, in relation to your attitude dated November 15 of this year, No. 16559, I have the honor to add that the question stated in your said attitude is whether the land of the city of Lipetsk, indicated in the proposal of Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs, can be accepted into the jurisdiction of the spiritual authorities for the proposed establishment of a monastery on the terms set out in the proposal of Mr. Minister, and if it is to be accepted on In those conditions there will be no obstacles, then shouldn’t it now come under the jurisdiction of the spiritual authorities, it can be resolved positively by the diocesan authorities upon receipt of the information requested from the Lipetsk spiritual administration on this matter.” GATO. F.2. Op.80. Storage unit 67. L.127 129. Statistical data for 1859 for the Tambov province 188 The total number of people living is 1,905,337. Among them, the Orthodox population is 98.9% (1,885,122 people). The second largest group are the Mohammedans - 14,918 people. The third – “schismatics of different sects” – 4525 people. The number of births is 96,149 people. The number of deaths is 63,327 people. Churches and cathedrals 189: stone – 444; wooden – 554. Monasteries – 16. Chapels – 1 5. Memorial book for the Tambov province for 1861. Works of St. Theophan 1859 (from July 1) Word delivered by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, on July 5, 1859 in the Tambov Cathedral upon entering the flock // Christian reading. 1859. No. 9. P.203–210. Word on the birthday of Her Majesty the Most Pious Empress Empress Maria Alexandrovna // Spiritual conversation. 1859. No. 34. 2 Oct. pp.250–256. The word on the consecration of the church in the Sukhotinsky Mother of God monastery for women, delivered by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, July 8, 1859 // Christian reading. 1859. No. 10. P.305–311. The task of Christian education//Home conversation. 1859. Issue. 41. 10 Oct. pp.389–392 190 . Word on the consecration of the church in honor of the martyr Maximilian in the Tambov Mariinsky Orphanage // Spiritual conversation. 1859. No. 49. December 26. pp.395–402. January 10. 32nd Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Theophan delivered the fourth teaching on the path to salvation: “Turning now to ourselves - to the order of life that reigns among us, what do we find? We find that we are not deprived of the lawful, divinely established shepherd, by which saving sacraments are performed for us with all sacred rites, the holy faith is preached and the commandments of God are interpreted; that, therefore, we have all the means to life and piety, or we live in a saving, so to speak, atmosphere. What... deserves this? Nothing. There are many peoples who do not know the true path. Those who are born among them must strive hard to seek this path, and will they still find it? And we enter it without any effort on our part, we find it without looking. Why is this so? Only God knows that. Let us thank the Lord for all this, who has provided so kindly for us! Let us give thanks for this and for the very conviction that we possess truly saving means; for in connection with this conviction there is another conviction - in God’s special closeness to us, in the fact that the one true God is our God and we are His people. And nothing can be higher than this good on earth. But do not forget, brethren, the word of the Lord: “Not everyone who says to Me: Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of God” 191. Do not give in to doubts and do not allow the peace of your faith to be shaken by the daring and proud interrogation: “for what?” and “why is this?” It would be better “this way” or “that way”. Avoid these temptations. We are not the first. How many have already been saved this way?! We are sick, we are being treated. Does the doctor explain why he treats the patient this way and not differently? Let us remain silent and humbly submit to everything, as God’s dispensation; Let us also apply “sympathy” to this entire dispensation, that is, we will set ourselves up in such a way that our hearts find pleasure in the worthy reception of the Holy Mysteries, and in all divine services and sacred rites, and in listening to the preaching of the truths of God, and in paying attention to the guidance and advice of pastors. Where the treasure is, says the Lord, there the heart is also. It became where the heart is, there is the treasure. What kind of treasures does the world offer? No one would have thought that it was possible to combine both! No, you can't. There is one thing, one thing: if you want to be saved, stick to saving deeds; but if you don’t want to, as you want, just know that you cannot work for God and mammon. What can you say about a patient who lies in a good doctor’s hospital, is treated by a good doctor, receives direct medicine against the disease and neglects all this - does not listen to the doctor, does not take medicine? What can you also say about someone who stands before a pure source, feels thirst and has the opportunity, even is forced, to quench it from this particular source and instead leaves it and runs to a river full of mud, reptiles and stench, and from there drinks water that does not quench his thirst? Of course, you won't approve of either one. The path of salvation is indicated and made clear. He is in front of us. Let's go! Now is the time favorable, now is the day of salvation 192. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 72–76. January 17. 33rd Sunday after Pentecost. Bishop Theophan delivered the fifth teaching on the path to salvation: “While I was thinking of what to tell you at the end of our conversations about the path to salvation, a legend came to my mind that I read in one of the ancient fatherland books. It is very close to what we were talking about, and I do not consider it superfluous to convey it to you now in the form in which it is pictured in my head. One deep old man, who lived in a secluded desert, fell into despondency, and the darkness of his thoughts began to crush his soul, instilling in him bewilderment whether he was going the right way and whether there was any hope that his labors would finally be crowned with success. The elder sat with his head bowed. My heart ached, but my eyes did not shed tears. Dry grief tormented him. While he was so overcome with grief, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Why are you troubled and why do thoughts enter your heart? You are not the first and you are not the last to follow this path. Many have already passed through it, many are coming, and many will pass through it to the bright abode of heaven. Go, I will show you the different paths that the sons of men walk, as well as where these paths lead. Look - and understand!” Obeying the angel's signal, the elder stood up and walked; but he barely took a few steps forward when he became beside himself and plunged into contemplation of the wondrous vision that opened to his intelligent eyes. He saw on his left side a thick darkness, like an impenetrable wall, inside which noise, alarm and confusion could be heard. Peering more closely into the darkness, he saw a wide river along which the waves moved back and forth, right and left; and someone, every time a wave flashed before his eyes, seemed to clearly say in the elder’s ear: this is a wave of unbelief, carelessness, coldness; this is unmercifulness, debauchery, bribery; this is bliss, fun, envy, discord; and this is drunkenness, uncleanness, laziness, unfaithfulness of spouses, etc., etc.; and every wave turned a countless number of people before him, lifting them out of the river and again plunging them into its depths. In horror, the elder exclaimed: “Lord! Will all of these really perish and there is no hope of salvation for them?” The angel said to him: “Look further - and you will see the mercy and truth of God!” The old man looked at the river and saw it along its entire breadth and length covered with small boats, in which sat bright young men with all kinds of tools to save the drowning. They called everyone to them and shook hands with others, lowered poles and boards to others, threw ropes to others, and sometimes plunged hooks and hooks deep into the depths, would anyone grab hold of it? So what? Very few responded to their calling voice, and even fewer were those who properly used the instruments of salvation given to them. The majority rejected them with contempt and with some kind of wild pleasure plunged into this river, which emitted fumes, stench and fumes. The elder stretched his gaze into the distance of the river and at the end of it he saw the abyss into which it was cast. Young men in large numbers swiftly swam in boats back and forth at the very edge of the abyss, carefully giving help to everyone: but, despite this, every minute, at every point of the river, whole thousands of people along with the river were thrown into the abyss, from where only groans of despair and gnashing of teeth were heard. The elder covered his face and began to sob. And a voice came to him from heaven: “It’s bitter, but who is to blame? Tell me, what else could I have done to save them that I would not have done? But they bitterly reject any help given to them. They will reject Me if I come to help them in the most bleak places of their suffering.” Having calmed down somewhat, the elder turned his eyes to the right side, to the bright east, and was consoled by a joyful vision. Those who, heeding the call of the bright young men, gave them a hand or grabbed some saving tool, were taken by them to the right bank. Here they were received by other persons, brought into small slender buildings, scattered in large numbers along the entire length of the coast, where they were washed with clean water, clothed in clean clothes, girded, shod, given a staff, etc. having fortified them with food, they sent them on their way - further to the east, commanding them not to look back, to walk without stopping, to look carefully at their feet and not to miss a single similar building without entering it and strengthening themselves in it with food and advice from those to whose care these buildings are entrusted, as well as everyone who enters them. The elder ran his eyes along the shore and saw that along its entire length these redeemed ones were preparing to set off. Everyone's face showed joy and enthusiasm. It was clear that they all felt especially light and strong and, with some irresistibility, rushed along the path, the first stages of which were strewn with pleasant flowers. The elder then turned his gaze further to the east, and this is what was revealed to him! The pleasant meadow did not end far from the shore; Then the mountains began, lying in ridges in different directions. They walked, rising higher and higher and intersecting abysses, sometimes bare and rocky, sometimes covered with bushes and forests. Travelers and workers were visible everywhere along them. Another climbed a steep slope, another sat tired or stood in thought, another fought with a beast or a snake; one went directly to the east, and the other in an indirect direction, and the other cut transversely the paths of others; only everyone was in labor and sweat, in struggle and strain of strength - both mental and physical. A rare traveler always saw the road: often it completely disappeared or was fragmented into crossroads; in another place it was hidden by fog and darkness, in another it was blocked by an abyss or a steep cliff: there it was blocked by animals from the oak forest or poisonous reptiles from the gorges. But that's what's amazing! Scattered throughout the mountains were beautiful buildings, similar to those into which those rescued from the water were received for the first time. As soon as the traveler entered them, as he was commanded at the beginning, then, no matter how exhausted he was before that time, he came out of there cheerful and full of strength. Then the beasts and reptiles could not bear his gaze and fled from him; no obstacles stopped him for long, and he easily and quickly found a path that was hidden in some way according to the instructions he received in those buildings. Every time someone overcame an obstacle or defeated an enemy, he became stronger, taller and more stately; The higher one rose, the prettier and brighter he became. Towards the top of the mountain the area again became smooth and flowery; but those who entered it soon entered a bright cloud, or fog, from which they no longer emerged. The elder raised his eyes above this cloud and from behind it or from behind the mountain he saw a wonderful, indescribable beauty of light, from which sweet sounds came to him: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! 193 The elder fell on his face in tenderness, and the word of the Lord rang loudly over him: “Take this, that you may comprehend 194.” Rising to his feet again, the elder saw that from different heights of the mountain a considerable number of travelers in different places were quickly running back to the river, sometimes silently, sometimes screaming and blasphemous, abusive words. An appeal was addressed to each of them, both from above and from the sides: “Stop, stop!” But driven by some small murins, they did not heed caution and again plunged into the stinking river. Then the elder cried out in amazement: “Lord! What is this?” And I heard in response: “The fruit of arbitrariness and disobedience to the established order!” That was the end of the vision. The angel, showing him to the elder, finally asked him: “Are you comforted?” And the elder bowed to him to the ground. I think, brethren, there is no need to tell you much to interpret this vision. The river is the world; people immersed in it - living according to the spirit of the world, in passions, vices and sins; the bright young men in the boats are angels and, in general, grace calling for salvation; the abyss into which the river with people fell is destruction; a beautiful building on the right bank - the Church, where through the sacraments of Repentance or Baptism, converted sinners are washed from sins, put on the garment of justification, girded with power from above and put on the path to salvation; climbing the mountain with different difficulties - different labors in cleansing the heart from passions; beasts and reptiles are enemies of salvation; smooth terrain towards the top - peace of the heart; a light cloud hiding travelers is a peaceful death; light from behind the mountain - blissful paradise; the buildings scattered throughout the mountain are churches of God. Whoever enters these buildings along the way, that is, receives the sacraments and participates in the sacred rites and prayers of the Church, uses the advice and guidance of the shepherds, he easily overcomes all obstacles and soon ascends to perfection. And whoever arbitrarily rejects them, not obeying the instructions and advice of the shepherds, soon falls, and the spirit of the world carries him away again. I consider it unnecessary to attach any admonition to this. I only beg you, brothers, be saved from this evil age! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 76–81. January 18. Letter from Bishop Feofan to I.G. Pereverzev 195. “God help you! Save yourself! And I congratulate you on the holiday! God bless you in your new place for the new year. Settle in little by little. It is appropriate to keep your ear sharp... and look both ways... Take the trouble to show yourself to be a teacher the first time... and continue to be such... The second thing you need... in the service be reverent, precise... Never allow yourself to take liberties in your speeches... but conduct your speeches in the spirit of Christ... act like a shepherd should [be] pastoral. May the Lord deliver from negligence, both in the household and in everyday life, especially in the church. I’m very glad that you are starting to get used to it... If they are getting used to you, then what better to wish for the first time. The Lord be your helper in everything! The books have arrived - letters... Three copies are being sent to you. Some of them can be read in church... You can transform them into conversations... and convey Christian teaching... This to the mighty! Shouldn't you be credited? Everything is fine with us. Alyosha 196 is healthy... He bows... and Ivan 197 and everyone... is friendly. I keep Vanya with me. More fun for Alyosha, who is starting to get bored; alone, that is... Torment with him. Vasily Gavrilovich 198 with father Ioann Nikolsky 199 wanted to come... At the seminary everything was as usual and around the city too. I wish peace to everyone! Pray to God for me!” IR NBU. F.160. Item 1968. L.25 25 rev. From “Memoirs of the Right Reverend Theophan the Recluse” by A.G. Govorov, nephew of St. Theophan: “The memorable year 1860 came for me, when I was nine years old and, by order of the Right Reverend Theophan, my mother brought me to him in the city of Tambov, where at that time the Right Reverend was serving as archpastor. I will never forget the moment when I saw the Right Reverend for the first time: his friendly appearance, infinite kindness of heart and deeply sincere voice in the questions addressed to me immediately and forever instilled in my childish heart a ardent and indelible love for him. In the bishop's house I was assigned a room together with Hieromonk Ambrose 200, who had completed a course at the theological seminary and later confessor, who was assigned to me as my mentor. 201 Eminence; but I did not limit myself to staying in my room and walked freely around all the cells of the Right Reverend. The Eminence used all measures to tie me to himself, he himself invented various children's games for me and allowed selected boys of the appropriate age from among the bishop's singing choir to be admitted to me. I remember that I was a naughty person, but I soon learned to recognize by the expression on my benefactor’s face that my pranks were unpleasant to him, and I tried not to repeat them again. I now felt the love of the Right Reverend for me - and all the people close to him and his admirers surrounded me with love and affection. The Eminence led a very simple lifestyle and dressed simply. His daily home suit was a cassock, and on top - a half cassock made of black woolen material. On his head he wore a purple kamilavka without crepe. The kamilavka was worn with crepe when it was necessary to receive someone from outside. He always had lunch at one o'clock and ate little, never had dinner. I drank tea twice a day: in the morning after early mass and at five o’clock in the afternoon. I dined and drank tea with him. At the same time, over morning tea, he forced me to read aloud some book of sacred content and himself explained to me what I had read. At dinner and evening tea he always told me something from sacred history or from the field of secular sciences.” January 24. His Grace Theophan delivered a sermon on Sunday about the publican and the Pharisee: “Open the doors of repentance, O Life-Giver! It is incomprehensible to us how it is so: the creation of good deeds, or righteousness, is obligatory for us, as a necessary condition for salvation, and yet we cannot base our hope on them, but, no matter how many righteous deeds we have, we must consider all of them insufficient and resort to other means to replenish them. This is incomprehensible to us; but that's how it is. A Christian, in the feeling of his heart, must bear a deep conviction of his lewdness, despite all his righteousness or all the abundance of good deeds, about which, however, he must be vigilantly zealous. This is how everyone who was saved was saved, and left us in their example an indication of the possibility of such feelings and an incentive to kindle them in ourselves. If you base the hope of your salvation on righteousness, then you must present complete righteousness and all-encompassing virtue to God. Only such righteousness and such virtue can be the basis of our salvation and feed us with trustworthiness. But look what this requires! Complete righteousness, or all-encompassing virtue, is composed of the following three parts: 1. Of good deeds, apparently performed for everyone by the body, in their own time and place. This is what it is: if anyone asks for alms, give it to him. Whoever caused offense, forgive him. The enemy has come, feed him 202. Sit down at the table, eat food according to the rules and abstain. The time for prayer has come, pray reverently and as commanded... If you go to a position, work hard. Just as those who embroider pictures with beads, row after row, attach beads to their places and it is these, and not other beads, to this or that place, and only when they observe all this, do not confuse the beads and do not allow breaks and omissions, the picture receives a proper appearance and its name: so in relation to us, only then will the Lord consider someone virtuous when he develops the whole picture of his life in such a way that will miss a single place and a single moment of time without doing something obligatory for him at that time. 2. The other part, which is part of complete righteousness, consists of good feelings and dispositions hidden under apparently performed deeds. This is the essence: love, peace, patience, meekness, mercy, self-control, humility, reverence, detachment from everything, etc., etc. all visible deeds of piety: bowing, saying prayers, going to church, etc., will only be truly good deeds when they serve as an expression of inner piety or reverent conversion of our mind and heart to God, and without this latter they are nothing. For otherwise you can, for example, be in the church with your body, but in a whorehouse with your soul; condescendingly excuse with the tongue, but condemn in the heart; show respect by body position, but harbor contempt inside. 3. The third part of complete righteousness is a zeal strong as death for the glory of God, inspired by fiery love for God and inspiring all the good feelings of the heart and all visible good deeds. Another is abstinent and extremely abstinent: he sleeps little, hardly eats or drinks, he is rarely seen outside, he is always at work; but he does not dedicate his labors to God, but either to self-interest or to empty human glory. The Lord does not recognize such abstinence and hard work as worthy of reward. So, anyone who wants can base the hope of his salvation on righteousness, only let him make sure that this righteousness is perfect, complete and comprehensive... i.e. so that his whole life should be a continuous chain of good deeds, without interruption or omission, so that under these deeds there are always good feelings and dispositions hidden, of which they should only be visible expressions, and so that all these feelings and dispositions are inspired by zeal for the glory of God or are sacrifices to God... Therefore, whoever has all this, come, stand boldly before the face of the Lord and tell Him if you dare and if he allows it your conscience: I am not like other people 203. And if there is something missing, be silent and, not daring to raise your face to heaven and open your lips, from the depths of your soul cry out in the publican’s voice: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner! 204". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp.82–89. January 28. Bishop Feofan put the general resolution “Fulfill” on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of January 20, where, among other matters, a report was heard from the assistant head of the State Treasury Department, collegiate assessor Alexander Tyumenev 205 ', with the attachment of his corrected translation of the Gospel of Matthew into Mordovian, according to the comments of the committee for the translation of the Holy Scriptures language. Bishop Feofan’s resolution to the said report: “I ask the committee to hasten to review the transmitted Gospel... and at the same time take care of translating the beginnings of Christian teaching into the Mordovian language.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1700. L.52. 57 rev. 58. January 31st. His Grace Theophan preached a sermon on Sunday about the prodigal son: “Have you, brethren, heard with your heart this call from the Lord: “Come to Me, all who labor in feelings of hopelessness and are burdened with sins, and I will give you rest: I will take you under My roof, I will pacify you, lighten you and fill your soul with trust!” Come, all you who seek salvation! Come, let us worship and fall before Christ, crying out to Him from the depths of our souls: “Save us, Son of God, save us! Don’t we know any other savior to You!” So, here is the straight and unforgettable way of salvation, and not righteousness! Therefore, the New Testament begins like this: Repent and believe in the Gospel 207. Repent: recognize yourself as sinners, unrequited before God and cry about it in the sorrow of your soul; believe in the Gospel; believe that the Lord nailed all our sins on the Cross and tore away their handwriting, and that every sinner who believes in Him receives forgiveness and is declared right in the face of the truth of God. Who would not have thought, judging by the examples of the publican and the prodigal son, that tears of repentance are needed only by those who have become entangled in the passions of dishonor and great sins, and not by those who have already stopped sinning and live regularly! No no! Tears of repentance are necessary for everyone, and without them there is no salvation for anyone in the world: moreover, continuous tears are needed, and not in such a way that you cry once, confess, and that’s enough. They are the same in life as the field or background in colorful matter. Just as this one-color field serves as the basis of flowers and fills the empty spaces between them, so tears of repentance serve as the basis of righteousness and make up for the shortcomings of righteous deeds in our lives. So, no excuses! It's okay to cry and cry! One holy man, it seems Ephraim the Syrian, was walking with his disciples to a city or village and, passing by a cemetery, he saw a widow shedding bitter tears over a grave. Having passed it, the elder, turning to his disciples, said to them: just as this widow is killed on this grave, so we need to kill ourselves by crying for our soul, which we have killed with our sins and buried in a land alien to it, the world and the lusts of the flesh. Having said this, the elder burst into tears and sobbed all the way until they came to the place where they had to hide their tears. No one would say at this: “Behold, all the crying and groans and tears! Is such an unnatural state pleasing to the Lord Himself?” Yes, yes. Tears are the only thing pleasing to the Lord, and only with a contrite heart do He accept those who come to Him mercifully and favorably. The Lord Himself established this path of prayer: this is the path we will follow. He came into the world to save sinners: we will come to Him as sinners, only as sinners crying over our sins with the determination not to repeat them again.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.89 95. February 1st. Eminence Theophan was presented with a submission from the Tambov Theological Seminary for No. 115, signed by Hieromonk Sergius (Marmarissov), filling the position of rector, Archpriest Pavel Rozanov, filling the position of inspector, and teacher Mikhail Kadomsky 208 - housekeeper. “With regard to the spiritual and educational administration of March 6, 1859, it is stated: since 1844, the teaching of icon painting has been gradually introduced in religious educational institutions, adapting it to the style of our ancient church painting. Mentors for teaching this art are appointed partly from students of the St. Petersburg Seminary who have shown excellent success in icon painting, and partly from outsiders; but, apart from monetary remuneration, neither one nor the other enjoyed any advantages of the school service. The Holy Synod, bearing in mind, on the one hand, the benefits that can be expected from the dissemination of the art of icon painting among the clergy, and on the other hand, that in open and reopening classes of icon painting in religious educational institutions it is not always possible to find fully capable mentors for one monetary reward, recognized it fair to grant these mentors the rights of public service in relation to the rights of art teachers in gymnasiums and other secular schools and, as a result, decided: 1) instructors of icon painting in theological educational institutions should be classified according to the schedule of positions: those serving in seminaries - to class XII, and those serving in district theological schools - to class XIV, so that in the first rank, if they do not have an academic degree giving a special right, they will be promoted after four years of service, and further ranks, and moreover, no more than one rank above the class of their position, they will receive on the general rules of the civil service: 2) according to the uniform schedule, classify both of them as the last category; 3) their salaries, as until now, should be assigned at the direct discretion of the Holy Synod, in accordance with the occupations of each, and pensions and one-time benefits should be assigned according to the existing situation for teachers of theological educational institutions, and 4) these advantages should be granted only to those persons who, by their origin and education, have the right to enter the service in the academic department; persons of all conditions in general, who, although they did not have the opportunity to undergo the test established by law for the position of art teacher. but according to the acquired knowledge in painting, they can be admitted to teach the art of icon painting in religious educational institutions, they must receive only a conditional fee for their classes. The board of the Tambov Seminary, in pursuance of Your Eminence's proposal: 1) collected information from the seminary students about how many of them would be willing to study the art of painting, and there were up to 100 people willing; 2) invited the scribe of the Tambov Consistory, Mikhail Borisov, known for his skill in painting, to accept the position of mentor in this subject, for which Borisov expressed full readiness - and therefore, in his opinion, he believes: out of respect for the need stated in Your Eminence’s proposal for a painting class for students of the Tambov Seminary, to present the opening of it to Mr. Chief Prosecutor of His Holiness Synod with the appointment of two afternoons for this class, the 3rd and 4th, on Tuesday and Friday, and together to ask His Excellency both for permission to admit the well-known art scribe Borisov to teach painting, and for an annual allocation of 200 rubles. silver: 150 rub. to reward Borisov and 50 rubles. silver for the purchase of materials needed for students in the painting class.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 4. L.1–4 vol. February 7. His Eminence Theophan preached a sermon on Meat Week about the Last Judgment: “On the Sunday before last, our mother, the Holy Church, told us: be zealous in every possible way for a virtuous life, but do not be proud of your good deeds, because you cannot do enough of them so that you can finally base the hope of your salvation on them. Now she is depicting for us the Last Judgment of God and thereby wants to inspire her obedient children to greater and greater labors, and to awaken the careless and careless ones from sleep. Here's today's lesson! It can be said that if somehow this image of God’s Judgment could be deeply imprinted in the souls of people, then everyone would in a short time become efficient zealots of good deeds. For suppose that true news would come from heaven, that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow the Lord will come! Would anyone then indulge in pleasures and amusements? Like students for whom an exam is coming, they only think about how to prepare for the exam: some hardly sleep or eat. But our misfortune is that we are accustomed to moving this hour of Judgment away from ourselves, we are accustomed to it, or we have given ourselves the right to do so. Everyone thinks: “How long have I been living! I hear everything: here is the Judgment! here is the Judgment! - and until now there is no Judgment. Maybe not yet." And we are moving this decisive time away from ourselves, and we are moving it to an indefinite distance, so that there seems to be no end in sight when this will happen. But here’s the thing: delay God’s Judgment as long as you want. Perhaps, in fact, the Lord will not come soon to judge the living and the dead; but what benefit or indulgence does this give us?.. Still, He will come and judge us, and judge us without partiality, according to the law of the Gospel, which we have accepted. Nevertheless, our duty to be true Christians does not diminish in the least. Even now, even in a thousand years, we will have to stand for Judgment, we will still have to; and at that Judgment we will give an account of the use of present hours, days and years, actual, and not future. imaginary. So isn’t it better for us to behave every hour as if the Lord were about to appear, or better as if we were already standing at the Judgment.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.95–100. February 11. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of February 4, where, among other matters, the report of priest Joseph Pavlovsky 209, dean of the village, was heard. Bolshoi Khomutets of Lebedyansky district, dated January 27, No. 20, in which he reports that for the portraits of Bishops Tikhon 210, Stefan Yavorsky 211, Theophilus and Jonah, belonging to the Holy Spiritual Church of the village. Borisovka 212, taken out of the church by order of the Right Reverend Arseny 213, offer five silver rubles. Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Deliver the portraits to me.” Other matters considered by the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory on February 4 were followed by a general resolution from Bishop Feofan: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1700. L.124–124 vol. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were considered: 1. The petition of the provincial secretary Ivan Urnizhevsky, in which he asks to supply the priest with. Borshchevka of the Tambov district 214 with an order to accept from him the utensils he bought for the church of this village, with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “To the landowner of Urnizhevsky, declare my blessing.” Decree of the Holy Synod of January 27 No. 234, which orders the transfer of the parish of the village of Bashkirets 215 from the parish of the village. Norovatogo in the parish of the village. Butakov of Temnikovsky district 216, with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “To the consistory, for execution.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1700. L.148–148 vol. February 14. His Eminence Theophan delivered a sermon on the Week of Cheese, commemorating Adam’s exile: “The Holy Church dedicates this day to the memory of the fall of our forefathers, and you have heard what plaintive lamentations she puts into the mouths of our forefathers who were expelled from paradise and sat directly opposite it! The feeling of loss was so vivid then: paradise was in sight, and from it, perhaps, came the fragrances of flowers and trees, reminiscent of the blissful life that they had so recently tasted in innocence. It was impossible not to complain to our forefathers. But this was not the lament of Adam and Eve alone; then fallen human nature lamented! All the powers of the soul and all parts of the body cried out. The ancestors passed it on only through words to the creatures that lamented with them and to their future offspring. From that moment on, lamentation, crying and sadness became akin to human nature and began to form the main tone of our heartfelt feelings and dispositions. And who among the descendants of the primordial, the heirs of fallen human nature, will not testify to this with his own experience? In fact, we love to have fun; but what does it mean that after the most complete joy the soul plunges into sadness, forgetting about all the joys that it had not previously remembered? Is it not that from the depths of our being the soul is given to know how insignificant all these amusements are in comparison with the bliss that is lost with the loss of paradise? We are ready to rejoice with those who rejoice, but no matter how varied and great the objects of human joy are, they do not leave a deep mark on us and are soon forgotten. But if we see a mother crying over her dead son, her only support, or a wife tearing herself apart over the grave of her beloved husband, grief deeply cuts through our soul, and the word and image of those who mourn remain indelible in our memory. Doesn't this also mean that sorrow is closer and more akin to us than joy? But, brothers, you know the conditions under which all this – what is promised – will really be given to us! Paradise and marriage communion with the Lord will be returned to us if we appear pure and blameless before Him when we appear to Him after leaving this life. We have already been cleansed in baptism, and how many times have we cleansed ourselves in repentance! But let’s take a closer look at ourselves: are there any other spots in us that disfigure our face or clothes, and let’s hasten to wash them again with tears of repentance. Now is the time favorable, now is the day of salvation! The days of cleansing are coming! Let's take advantage of this favorable time! We all sin a lot. If not everyone has mortal sins, they still have sins. Having become dusty on the road is not the same as having fallen into the mud, but still he cannot remain like that. You need to wash your face and clean your dress. Likewise, those who follow the path of this multi-tempting life cannot help but be stained by at least something. Whatever it is and no matter how insignificant it may seem, you cannot leave it on yourself - you need to cleanse it. For the Lord says that nothing unclean will enter His Kingdom. When nothing is unclean, it means that not only great, but also small uncleanness will block our path to the Kingdom of God... With this in mind, let us be zealous to cleanse ourselves of all defilement of the flesh and spirit in the coming days, so that we do not forever lose the blessed home so graciously returned to us. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 101–107. February 17. His Grace Theophan spoke on Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent: “We have already completed half of the field of fasting! A few more, and let us begin the sacrament of Repentance, so that, having purified ourselves as we should, we may be worthy of communion of the Holy, Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries of Christ for the healing of soul and body, and not for judgment or condemnation. What can prevent this? Mainly one thing: impurity of heart. For how can the purest enter the church of the heart when this church is not pure? Let's clean it up! In the hands of natural scientists there is one device consisting of a large concave plate, which, receiving rays of heat, collects them at one point and ignites there the substance that will be placed. Something similar can be done with the heart. Let us collect in the vault of our mind all the amazing truths that holy faith presents to us, and bring them to our hearts. Pressed and penetrated by them from all sides, it may succumb to their strength, soften, warm up, melt and give rise to vapors of sighs, and burn with the burning fire of contrition. I don’t consider it necessary to list these truths: you know them. For example, this: by sin the boundless love of the Creator and Provider is offended, the vows of Baptism are violated; second: our Lord and Savior was crucified (that is, when we sinned, we sold Him, like Judas, we strangled Him, spat on Him, cursed Him and, finally, crucified Him), through sin all the high Christian advantages were lost - and not only Christian, but also human, and man became like cattle, Moreover: now - tomorrow is death, then judgment, which, without repentance, there is no possibility of changing. Collect these and similar amazing thoughts in your soul and beat your heart with them... Especially do this during prayer. Work without self-pity with prayer will surely be crowned with success! Just don’t forget one thing: don’t trust your heart!.. It is deceitful and is the first traitor to us. You must take him in your hands and squeeze and beat him without pity, just as they squeeze and beat the laundry that is being washed; one must beat this heart because it, like a greedy sponge, absorbed into itself every impurity it encountered, and reap in order to squeeze out this impurity. When the heart softens, then it is easy to control it: then it is ready for anything and flexible, like silk material. Then whatever you say, it will do everything. Tell him: cry - he will cry; say: confess your sins - he confesses; tell him: stop sinning - and he will answer: I will stop, I will stop. Then there will only be one more thing left to do on him: to shine the mirror of the word of God, or the Divine commandments, on him, and make him look at himself in it. Then it will be reflected in this mirror with all its spots, wrinkles and wounds, that is, with all sins, both large and small; here it will see pride, arrogance, fornication and vanity, panache and lust, resentment, anger, envy, and so on... in general, everything in which one’s heart sins before the Lord. Ask him then: is that you? And it will readily answer: yes, it’s me... the unfortunate one; and at other times it will hide or point to another. And she will do all this like an obedient child. And at other times, don’t even tell him! That’s how expensive softening and contrition of the heart is!.. It alone replaces all the rules and all the guidelines. Usually, a lot of rules are written on how to prepare for repentance and how to carry it out... But I will tell you one thing: soften your heart and crush it, and then it itself will teach you everything! Just as a poor person in cramped conditions is inventive to alleviate his lot or provide help, so will a contrite heart appear... And you will be blameless, and you will come out of the bath of repentance clean as a wave and white as snow. That's it! See how little! What is the fruit? It is such that it cannot be described. Let us do this, brothers! Let us hasten to arrange ourselves in this way at the time of communion of the Holy Mysteries, so that through this we may be worthy to be one with the Lord. Oh, Lord, help us! Oh, Lord, prosper us! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 107–111 February 19. His Grace Theophan spoke on the heel of the first week of Great Lent: “The Holy Church has long announced to us: the Lord is coming, coming to all who want to receive Him. Having entered the Holy Pentecost, we began to prepare for the meeting of Him. A few more and the Lord will come! Let us wait for Him in deep silence, as we wait for a sovereign! Let all our feelings and thoughts be silent and the eye of the mind calmly look where it expects to meet the Desired, delving into the mystery of the Body and Blood. Someone will say: “Like in deep silence? Really without any feelings? No, not without any feelings, but only without fussy and stormy movements, with a quiet feeling of tenderness, dissolved by the joyful hope of truly tasting the Lord. You cannot approach the Lord with sins, and do not approach. God is a consuming fire - and like Dathan and Abiron he will destroy everyone who comes to Him in sin. Are these fears just coming to you? If you have recognized all your sins, been sick and lamented about them, confessed them to your spiritual father and made a firm intention to sin no more, believe that at the hour of priestly resolution all your sins have been completely blotted out, you have been declared innocent and clothed in the royal robe of justification, in which you can boldly proceed to the wedding feast of the Son of the Tsar. If you have definitely prepared yourself properly, then do not offend the Lord, who is coming to you with an abundance of mercies, with empty fearfulness. From now on, let us take care to establish the supper itself. He will bring Himself to this supper, but what about us? And we will bring bread and salt. Salt - lamentation and contrition for the sins of the past; bread - a firm determination to sin no more. This is what He most desires to taste in us when we partake of Him. This is both the proper meeting of Him and the resting bed on which He will rest, having been satisfied with us and satisfying us with Himself!” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.112 115. February 20. His Grace Theophan spoke on Saturday of the first week of Great Lent: “Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! Glory to You, God! So, brethren, now is not the time for interviews and teachings, but for doxology and thanksgiving! To the only Lord who has visited you, may your appeal be. You now have within yourself all the mentors of a single Mentor... Listen to Him! Listen to what He will tell you in the secret of your being, hidden, but nevertheless real. He will not talk to your soul in articulate speech, but rather, directly into your heart, He will imprint the suggestions necessary for your life. Keep only the silence within, sharpen the ear of your heart, apply it to His mouth and listen. He gives to everyone his good needs: to whom peace of spiritual strength, to whom enlightenment of the eyes of the heart, to whom healing of spiritual wounds, to whom the arousal of zeal for good, to whom readiness for exploits and self-sacrifice, to whom conviction in the truth - to each his own. Just as in the parable the groom, having brought the wise virgins inside the bridal chamber, closed the doors and no one from the outside could disturb their mutual communication, so you, having received the Lord within yourself, close all entrances and exits, shut yourself up with Him inside and remove all external entertainment. We were sick, more or less; Now they have accepted the Doctor and all-effective healing. Let us allow this medicine to fully act in us and penetrate, member by member, the entire composition of our being, pass into all the organs, into the womb, into the heart. They say that the patient's sleep favors the effects of medicine. Let us calm down, as if we fall asleep for everything external, in order to give freedom to the accepted Doctor and healing to act unhindered in us with all His power. Is now the time to do something extraneous? Let your soul rejoice in the Lord and the Lord in your soul. They haven't seen each other for a long time. Sins separated them! All the time He was looking for us, sometimes like a lost drachma, sometimes like a lost sheep, and did not find us, because we tried in every possible way to hide from Him. Finally, the auspicious time of fasting has come. We calmed down a little, labored in feats of prayer and abstinence, came to our senses, opened our hearts to Him with confession and contrition, and He entered into us in Holy Communion. Let us let Him enjoy our soul! Let us not disturb His peace by the speedy resumption of vanities, much less passionate deeds and customs...” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.116 119. February 23. Bishop Feofan reviewed the materials presented by the spiritual consistory on the case of the landowner Nikolai Nikiforov. On February 9, the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, on behalf of His Eminence Feofan, considered the petition of the landowner s. Volochek. Landowner s. Volochek Kozlovsky district 217 Nikolai Nikiforov asks permission to build a stone fence near the parish church of their village, as well as to set aside a special cemetery. The consistory ordered: “The presented plan with the facade for the construction of a stone fence near the church in the village of Volchka should be sent to the Construction Commission for consideration and assurance of the correctness of its preparation...” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “The fence plan should not be sent to the Commission.” The other matters of the consistory, considered on February 9, were followed by a general resolution: “Execute.” GATO.F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1700. L.136, 138–138 vol. February 27. Letter from Bishop Feofan to the Governor of the Tambov Province K.K. Danzas: “Your Excellency, dear sir! In response to Your Excellency’s response dated February 24th, No. 1773, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that I do not find any obstacles on my part to accept the plot of land located under the Lipetsk mineral water garden for the use of a monastery proposed to be opened near the city of Lipetsk, under the jurisdiction of the spiritual authorities, but not before receiving the requested information from local citizens through Lipetsk spiritual government, set out in my relation to Your Excellency dated December 31, 1859 under No. 16958.” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.130 130 rev. February 28. His Grace Theophan delivered a sermon on the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent. “It’s already a week, some a day, since you approached the Chalice of the Lord, how you were again accepted for a vow not to sin into sincere communication with the Lord, how you accepted the intention to lead a new life and, strengthened by the grace of the sacraments, entered the holy field of truly Christian activity. So what? Are your business going well? Zealous for a correct Christian life, caring about how to show yourself pleasing to the Lord, who has recently shown such great mercy to us, you probably came across the question: how to do so as not to fall again, how to arrange such an order so that it does not interfere, but favors the new life, begun by vow, required by the conscience and desired by the heart? Christian life, taking root in the heart, develops and grows in the field of our life like a tree. Watch what the gardener does with young roots or grafts, and do the same with yourself and with your Christian life. He fences his tree and, when necessary, covers it so that the unfavorable effects of external elements do not damage it. - this is the first thing. Having fenced it off, he waters it; in addition to his supervision and cutting off excess branches, he ties him to a stamen or pole, firmly and reliably established in the ground. Similar care should be given to the sprouts of our spiritual life. Firstly, it is necessary to protect him from harmful influences from the outside, from tempting encounters with such objects, persons and things that can arouse the sinful passions that torment us... Secondly, to nourish it 1) read and listen to the word of God and the scriptures of the Fathers, as well as to reason about saving truths and conduct conversations about this with like-minded people or people who are most experienced in spiritual life; 2) go, as much as possible for anyone, more often to the Church of God for divine services and at home establish a prayer corner, a time of prayer and a prayer rule; 3) not to omit a single opportunity that presents itself for doing good or any feat of patience or self-sacrifice... If we arrange ourselves this way, then we will, as it were, surround our inner man with light, warmth and moisture and feed him with various kinds of spiritual elements, drinking which he will be like a tree planted by the outgoing waters 218. Finally, what kind of equalizer can we attach to this tree so that it grows evenly and does not produce unnecessary, superfluous shoots?! Look carefully for everything and turn to your spiritual fathers. But with all this, do not forget the main gardener and educator of our inner tree of life - our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom you surrender your souls entirely. This is what those who want to retain the beginnings of a new life and succeed in it should do! Having arranged everything, be careful not to distract the attention of the mind, from predilection of the heart for any objects and burdening the will with overzealous care. Absent-mindedness, partiality and over-concern are the three worst enemies of inner life. Once allowed inside, in a short time they will drown out spiritual life and plunge you again, as it were, into a lethargic sleep, into oblivion, carelessness and coldness. And this is spiritual death. May the most merciful Lord deliver you from this and make you wise for salvation! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.120 124. March 3. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the decision of the consistory in the case of the priest John Grozdev with the clergy of the church. Mud. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on February 25, a certificate was heard regarding the case that began at the request of the priest of the village. Dirt of the Lipetsk district by Ioann Grozdev with a clergy in which he asks to withdraw from them a payment in the amount of 45 rubles for the maintenance of the orphans of the deceased priest of the same village, Vasily Vvedensky. On this certificate is the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Inform the Trusteeship how much benefits it can assign to these orphans.” Having considered the case, the consistory decided to terminate the obligation to support the orphans of the priest Vvedensky, assigned to the clergy and clergy. Dirt, due to the poverty of the parish and on the basis of Art. 282 volumes of the II Code of Laws of the Russian Empire of 1857. They also decided to ask the Tambov Diocesan Guardianship to assign an annual allowance to the two young daughters of priest Vvedensky - Anastasia and Nadezhda - in the amount of 20 silver rubles. Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “Guardianship will be given to orphans twenty-five and about twenty.” Other articles in the consistory journal of February 25 were followed by a general resolution: “Execute” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1700. L.185, 188–190. March 6. Bishop Theophan spoke on the 3rd Sunday of Great Lent, the Worship of the Cross. “By offering the honorable Cross to our worship and honor today, the Holy Church wants to incite us to bear the cross, if we have not yet taken up this holy work, and to confirm us in bearing the cross, if we have already begun it. That there is no one in the world without a cross, everyone knows this; but among these crosses there is also a robber’s cross, on which people are also crucified. To avoid a mistake, which in this regard is very dangerous, I will briefly show you what the cross is made of, which each of us must take up and carry... It is composed primarily of the constraint of the flesh and of our entire external life and of the patient fulfillment of the rules that impose this constraint. We received the commandment from the Lord and the holy apostles to crucify the flesh with passions and lusts 219. Thus, around the sinner there is, as it were, a sinful atmosphere, which the sin living in us produces and then feeds on. Having made a firm intention to work for the Lord, we must first of all dispel this atmosphere - disrupt this sinful order of life and establish new orders everywhere, according to the spirit of the new life. We must not go to places where we fell into sin or where we were kindled to sin... If this is a theater, leave the theaters; if there are festivities, refuse them; if dating, stop it. To leave in our external relations only matters of office or matters of title, and, moreover, to conduct them in such a way that their fulfillment is according to God, and not to please the passions. Having rebuilt everything around us in this way, we move on to ourselves. And here, after all, every member of the body is the seat of sin. We must restrain him here too. The senses must be constrained... let the eye not look at tempting objects, let the ear not listen to passionate speeches, let the sense of smell and touch not irritate sin that has just subsided. Further, our belly worked with voluptuousness - we need to exhaust it and accustom it to sober saturation: the body loved to bask and relax in sleep and inaction - we must accustom it to work and tension, to work and vigil. And lust - what outcomes did it not have?! They all need to be blocked. What did not the tongue say, this fire, the babble of untruth? It is necessary to tie him up... To embitter the very skin somewhat with cruelty for his addiction to one pampering one. Having established such an order, we will kill the uds that are on earth, or we will make all members of the body instruments of righteousness. But all this is only an external cross... There is also an internal one. I’ll tell you about it briefly... It consists of self-coercion and self-resistance. While a person is in sin, he does not love good, does not sympathize with it and does not think about it. Having now made a firm intention not to sin, he recognizes himself as obligated to desire only good, to think about it alone, and to find pleasure in it alone. But, turning to himself, to his inner self, he does not find these dispositions there. The mind wants to do something else - it dreams and soars; the heart is cold to goodness; the inclinations of the will are directed elsewhere. What to do? It is necessary to tear them away from one and chain them to another - tear them away from the passionate and sinful and tilt them towards the good, dispassionate, spiritual. That is, you have to contradict yourself in the bad and force yourself to do the good... And this happens in almost every case. For example, there is an opportunity to help someone in need! Conscience says: “Help,” and the person is ready; but selfishness sits on the side and repeats: “Don’t give it, you need it for yourself.” This selfishness must be overcome or suppressed and the soul must be disposed to voluntary giving. Just as it hurts when a splinter is taken out, or as it hurts to tear off a finger stuck to an iron in the cold, so it hurts the heart when it is torn from one thing in order to bend it to another. This is painful, but it’s saving.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.125 129. March 11. Letter from Bishop Feofan to N.V. Elagin 220: “God help you! Save yourself! Nikolai Vasilievich! Thank you for your troubles... God help you in everything, in everything. I can see from everything that you are very busy - and busy with things that dry out your soul. Such properties are taught. This slyness will creep into your head and pull out all the veins... The caring of everyday life... But the caring of a scientist is the caring of cancer itself. Truly so. Medicine doesn’t really think about this. They are telling you misunderstandings about the Hebrew text. It’s another thing for a scholar or translator to handle it, and another thing for the entire text to be published from Hebrew 221 . This should not be done for the sake of several texts. The real translation has not yet been published, and the non-real one is already being printed 222. What is printed is read, what is read is assimilated... The Synod then publishes its own... It is impossible to publish it from the Hebrew - and there will be a difference... In books the difference is nothing, but in the minds the difference is a great thing. After all, there will be even more, more splits... Where are they looking? You are going to ride - good! That's right, now in Moscow. Can you think of where to go next? To Sarov, Zadonsk... Come to Tambov! He will be very happy to see you... God bless you!.. Your pilgrim Feofan, Bishop of Tambov.” SPbDV. 1897. No. 46. P.913 911; Collection of letters. Vol. VII. P.19 20. March 12. Congratulations from Bishop Feofan on his name day to the students of the Tambov Theological Seminary. Student of the higher department of the seminary Dmitry Afanasyev: “I pray, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of the Spirit, help me in praying for me to God 223. This is what St. once said. the Apostle Paul to the Romans, his spiritual children; Likewise, today our Father, the Archpastor, called us to the house of prayer. We have no teaching today, we are in church and praying. “My children, my brothers, help me in praying to God for me.” – говорит нам наш Архипастырь. It’s not for nothing that we were dismissed from church today and from class. After all, this is not just to make us lazy for an extra day? In addition to other pious deeds that should be done on holidays (you know this), today we especially must pray for the hero of our present holiday, so that God will grant him the strength to successfully complete his pastoral position, so that his service will be favorable to the saints. For the same purpose, the Apostle Paul asked for prayer from the Romans. Is our prayer valid before God? God knows! But do we not call on Him in vain? Is our heart really far away from Him? It won't happen. Our Archpastor now lifts up his prayers for us to God, and I believe that the smoke of incense with the prayers of his Eminence, especially today, comes from the hand of his angel before God 224. This is what makes it difficult, that he worries about us all. Let us help him, brothers, in his prayers to God. Amen". Pupil of the lower department of the seminary of Bishop Feofan Mitrofan Yastrebov 225: “Most Reverend Bishop, gracious Archpastor and Father! We welcome every day of God as if it were a dear guest. With the dawn of the day, the soul becomes better and brighter. It’s so fun to look at God’s world, people are so good and kind, God is so good and merciful, that the soul involuntarily asks for prayer. But on this day, on the day of Your angel, we feel this joy deeper, fuller, brighter. Our heads are burning and our hearts are boiling. Thoughts swirl in a bright swarm, feelings flow in hot springs, both of them just want to run out. What a pity that we do not speak either the language of Demosthenes or the pen of Cicero. We have a lot of thoughts, a lot, but we don’t have the ability to express them at all. May Your love forgive us this shortcoming! We will replace the lack of red words with prayer. But we know how to pray and we hope that the Lord will hear our children’s prayer for You. God! Save our Archpastor and Father for many years, pour out Your rich mercy on him for the mercies with which he rewards us, his children.” ARPMA. On.24. D.42. Storage unit 4012. L.36–38 vol. March 13. His Grace Theophan delivered a sermon on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent: “When, passing through some deserted place, you come across a tree or other plant on sandy, rocky ground, you cannot help but regret it. It stands sadly. The lack of nutritious parts in the earth and air depletes it. It apparently dries up and withers and, it seems, clearly says to everyone passing by with its appearance and condition: “I feel bad here, take me from here and transplant me to another place.” A tree growing with flowing water on wet and rich soil inspires completely different feelings. It is full of life and, enjoying complete contentment, with all parts of its composition, it seems to sing a grateful song to the Planter of every creature for this opportunity to drink with all its lips the nutritious juices from everything that surrounds it. Don’t you, brethren, often find human souls in similar circumstances?! Yes, they often die of hunger and languish, as in a stuffy dungeon, from the lack of what can nourish them and give them contentment. And this is often in complete contrast to the external and magnificent state of those people! Christianity, our holy faith, or the Holy Church, is appointed by God to be a place of rest and contented education for human souls... But not everyone abides in it and, while abiding, not everyone properly uses everything that it offers. And there are many souls here who are exhausting themselves through sheer foolishness. The plant, being of earthly origin, receives its food from the earth and from what is around it; on the contrary, the soul, created in the image and likeness of God, being of heavenly origin, can only be nourished by the elements of heaven. So, the plant needs light, without it it withers. The soul also needs light—heavenly. This is the truth of God. There are people who sit days and nights studying some science - mathematics, physics, astronomy, history and other things, thinking that they are feeding their soul with truth, but their soul withers and languishes. Why? Because there is no truth in the places where they want to find it! But this seems to be another useful activity - scholarship. What can we say about those who greedily read our periodical writing? Two or three successful phrases, two or three flattering fantasies, two or three deceptive assumptions - and that’s it... the rest is no good, and the soul is dissatisfied. Another, a third book is taken... all the same... It hurts my soul, take me out of this prison, I’m sick of here! Let me look into God's light! Enter the church, listen to what is sung, read and acted here, and you will see the light of God’s truth. Open the Gospel or even hold this Divine book in your hands - and that will be more gratifying to your soul. Don’t we now have enough paternal writings in a translation accessible to everyone? Brothers and fathers! What kind of Christians are we when we don’t even pick up those books in which Christianity is explained?! The plant needs moisture - juices that it drinks with its roots. Just as the juices in our body turn into living blood by combining them with the oxygen of the air, so all matters, both official and everyday, can turn into elements nourishing the soul if we dedicate them all to God! And when this is not there, and there are no good deeds, then what should the soul feed on?! So she languishes then, and complains to the man, and clearly says to him: “Transplant me from this dry or rotten soil to the field of God, the field of good deeds required by the commandments of Christ.” That's it! These thoughts to offer you were inspired by this day, dedicated to St. John Climacus, a desert dweller and mentor in desert living. It seems to many that the desert or some kind of monastic monastery is a dry place that offers nothing nutritious for the soul. But look at the deeds of St. John, unfold his “Ladder”, read something in it - and you will see how much life and strength he had! The desert exhausts only the flesh, but richly nourishes the soul with all heavenly food. The world seems fat to you, but it only fattens the flesh, and starves the soul, without even the slightest particle of nutrition for it. According to this difference, arrange your life, all who want to grow their soul - into a living tree, worthy of being transplanted into heavenly paradise. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 130–135. March 17. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the day of memory of St. Alexy, man of God, in the Ascension nunnery in Tambov: “Wonderful is the life of Saint Alexis, the man of God! Here is an image of true monasticism and a very close example for you, sisters of this monastery, to follow! Those who dedicated one of the thrones here to Alexy, the man of God, truly wanted to inspire you, so that, having before your eyes the example of such a patient man, you would imitate his life. For you too have taken upon yourself to crucify yourself to the world. Continue patiently in this self-crucifixion. The crucified man will never come down from the cross unless the nails with which he is nailed to the tree are taken out. Do not take away from your heart those dispositions with which you can be chained like nails to the monastery and monastic life - and you will not come down from your cross and will remain in cross-bearing, and this cross-bearing will lead you to perfection and directly transfer you into the kingdom of God’s love. This is exactly what you do: 1. Keep unquenchable the fire of jealousy with which you sought the monastery and entered it. Remember what vows came from your heart then, what plans were made in your head about deeds of pleasing God, what feats you were ready to undertake in order to show your selflessness! 2. You left the world and everything worldly outside the monastery gates. Do not bring it inside the fence. This is what it means: do not allow your heart to again become addicted to anything worldly, material, carnal, no matter how insignificant it may be. Don’t worry too much about your needs and don’t make busywork your main priority, don’t stir up a storm of controversial thoughts about ranks and advantages in your head and heart, don’t hoard unnecessary things, and when you have food and clothing, be content with them. It's difficult, it's true, but not impossible. By doing everything that you do, you can keep your heart detached from everything. Do this and you will benefit... 3. Remain in patient obedience, in mutual agreement and strong peace, covering with loving condescension the infirmities that fall to everyone’s lot, remaining in fidelity and the monastic charter, reading the instructions of St. ascetics and private advice from your spiritual fathers and experienced elders. As long as there is one’s own will, one cannot help but be in the midst of chaos and commotion, discord and disobedience in the most peaceful abode. One’s own will is the seed of hell, it is the road for Satan and his hordes to the peaceful dwellings of God. 4. The main thing is to convince your mind and your heart that you are already dead to everything here; move with your consciousness and feeling to another world and remain there, revealing yourself to be alien to everything around you, to everything created and earthly... So settle inside as if there is no one and nothing in the world except you and the One God worshiped in the Trinity. Here are four nails for you. Unquenchable zeal for salvation, expulsion of everything worldly from the monastery fence, renunciation of one’s will, death to everything and living to the One God! Pierce the hands and feet of your heart with them, and you will reveal yourself crucified - and you will be able to speak with the Apostle that not only has the world been crucified to you, but you to the world as well. May the Lord set you up for this work and strengthen you in your labors and the heart diseases that are inevitable with this - through the prayers of Alexy, the man of God. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 136–139. March 20. Bishop Theophan delivered a sermon on the 5th Sunday of Great Lent: “This Sunday is dedicated to the memory of our venerable mother Mary of Egypt, and we have already praised her together with the Church at the all-night vigil in singing and spiritual songs and prayed to her for help in the difficult task of correcting our lives and our character. But who will say: “Mary of Egypt is an example to follow! Does everyone really need to flee to uninhabited places, to the desert, to the mountains?” No, not everyone. But everyone should imitate her work in self-correction. How did the Monk Mary come to the decision to change her life? The Lord brought it. For what? Because, with all the uncontrollability of the passion that overcame her, she never thought of remaining forever in this bitter slavery. Oh, she endured violence from the flesh and the enemy who acted through this flesh, and succumbed to infatuation, but did not completely surrender herself to it. The Lord took pity on the creature’s suffering and came to free it from the bonds that tormented it. Passion definitely binds a person and, like a follower, leads him to deeds that satisfy it; but even with the bonds of slavery, you show at least a reluctance to do such things. Like someone whom the enemy, having tied up, leads into captivity, leaving his lips unbound, although he is drawn after him, but, having the opportunity to scream, shouts to see if anyone will hear and free him. When the Lord finally comes to you, pay attention then, brother. When there is a strong remorse of conscience, or the fear of judgment and death, or the proximity of danger, like a sword over your head, or a feeling of the greatness of God and His great goodness, or something else that will deeply strike your heart and shake all your constitution, so that you feel as if all the bonds that had oppressed you until then have fallen away from you - know that it is the grace of God that has touched you and gives you freedom to enter the path of good, but if someone does not immediately decide to lag behind passionate affairs, then again he is chained in these bonds. When the angel appeared to Peter the Apostle in prison, his bonds fell asleep, 226 but if he had not then followed the angel out of prison, but remained in it, the prison guard would have come, put him in shackles again and locked the prison... Do not delay, brother! A great struggle lies ahead for all who want to overcome the flesh that wars against the spirit. And most importantly - what is needed? You should never be left alone... Cling to your spiritual father, find someone who is like-minded, delve into the advice of the holy fathers and do nothing unless you have succeeded in all these places. Do not look at the Venerable Mary for this. She lived alone, but her path was according to God’s special election. It is better for us to adhere to the general order of life. The eagle soars solitarily to the heavens, and so high that it is sometimes invisible. But that is an eagle... So, imitate the work of the Venerable Mary in self-correction, her constancy in this and unwavering fidelity to her vow, and in other respects, follow the common path of those who are saved. Just be firm, do not allow yourself to relax... and, having worked a little, do not think that you have already done everything, for the end crowns the work. Write this blessed end in your mind - and flow towards it, according to the apostle, forgetting what is behind, but reaching out to what is before 227. until you reach the place of rest from labor that the Lord has prepared for all His workers. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.140 144. March 22. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, where the petition of the priest from. Algasov Morshansky district Ioanna Krotkova 228. In the petition, the priest asks him to assign a certain annual allowance to the orphan, the maiden Mary, the daughter of the priest Peter Simonsky. Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “The family that was in the hands of Kuransky is to be assigned seventy-two silver rubles per year from the priest Krotkov and a tithe of land in the field.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1701. L.48 50. March 24. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a report was heard from the priest of the village. Mamontov Peter Magnitsky 229, dean of the Morshansky district, dated March 19, No. 35, in which he reports that on March 5, in the church under his jurisdiction, the village. Zaitsev, a wooden church in the name of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God with all its utensils burned down. Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Carry out an investigation. Meanwhile, it is strictly necessary to confirm to the prints of the diocese to be careful and not leave the church without making sure that all dangers from fire have been eliminated there. This is entrusted primarily to the priest and the church warden.” The consistory ordered: “The resolution of His Eminence should be carried out in due execution, by ordering the spiritual boards and departments of the consistory dean, and an investigation into the cause of the burning of the church in the village of Zaitsev should be ordered to be carried out by the Morshansky spiritual board and presented with an opinion to the consistory, and this incident should be reported where appropriate.” On April 14, 1860, this decision of the consistory was followed by a special resolution from Bishop Feofan: “No investigations should be ordered.” On other affairs of the consistory of March 24, a general resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.181 On.1. Item 1702. L.123, 126 vol., 127 vol. March 25. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos: “When the Archangel for the first time announced to the Most Blessed Virgin, “Rejoice,” then, one might say, the dawn of a joyful day was just dawning, which was to shine later... But even then, the Most Holy Virgin, who understood the power of the words of greeting, spontaneously burst forth with a song: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior 230 . In what ecstatic songs should the soul now pour out its joy, when it knows the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the foundation and glorification of the Church of God on earth and the establishment of the Church of the Firstborn in heaven! Judging by this, we should not have those who are not rejoicing; and if so, then what can we say, rejoice. The one who rejoices rejoices - remind him or do not remind him of joy; just as someone who does not have joy in his heart will not rejoice, no matter how much you tell him: Rejoice, rejoice! Thank the Lord! - and we are introduced into the treasury of heavenly blessings and stand at the Source of all joys and consolations. If we have received communion of these blessings, then we drink consolation and rejoice, but if we have not received communion, we cannot rejoice, no matter how hard we try, until we taste those joyful blessings. So, the meaning of the proclamation: preach, O earth, great joy 231 - is unambiguous with the invitation: taste, O people, the good things brought by the Lord to earth 232, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you 233. Anyone who sat in darkness, languished in this darkness and then was brought into the light, cannot help but feel the consolation that he sees the light of day, the joyful sun and all the variety of creatures illuminated by it. He who languished in chains and was released remembers well how the news of freedom came to him, how they opened the prison, broke the shackles and brought him to freedom - and he cannot help but rejoice, because he tastes freedom. Whoever lay in relaxation, covered with wounds, and was then healed, can he not have a sense of health and walk without rejoicing in strength and vigor from the presence of new strength? Whoever was in exile or ran away from home without permission, and then returned and was favorably received, will he forget how his father came out to meet him, fell on his neck and kissed him, how they then washed him, dressed him and organized a feast for his return? You can force your heart toward joy, but joy will be spewed out of it immediately, like a stick vertically immersed in water. You can deceive your heart for a moment by presenting it with imaginary benefits, but this will not be joy, but intoxication, which usually ends in great languor. Be careful and do not be deceived. You can meet many lights - lights of superstition, which are not lights of knowledge, but will-o'-the-wisps, similar to those that almost always hover over the corpse of a dead person... Look and do not be deceived. Let your heart know no other joy than the joy of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Most Pure Lady Theotokos, the first friend of joy 234, please us all with this joy - some in the feeling of real salvation, some in the sure hope of receiving it; let everyone sing with her now: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.145 149. March 27. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. The Right Reverend Theophan spoke on the 6th Sunday of Great Lent: “The now-remembered event of the Lord’s solemn entry into Jerusalem was, one might say, the last admonition to the foolish synagogue. The Jewish leaders decided long ago to put the Lord to death. But here He, humbly entering Jerusalem on a donkey, shakes the whole city, is loudly welcomed by everyone, showing that His desire alone is enough to destroy all their plans, and that if He surrenders to death, He surrenders voluntarily. There is triumph all around, and the Lord Himself has tears!.. What could console Him?.. Is it only the laudatory voices of children. The Lord saw that this people, now crying out hosanna, in four days would cry crucify, crucify Him 235... But these children and all who cleave to Him with childish simplicity will remain unfailingly faithful to Him. His blood will be shed and will moisten this land, and give birth to a new generation on it - fresh and full of life, like fronds from dates, and devoted to Him with unthinking faith, like children crying out for Hosanna!.. It is not children’s weakness that is taken as a model here, but the freshness of their children’s strength, the liveliness of their actions and simplicity. Have we also adopted this law? Of course it was accepted, along with all the law of Christ. And if accepted, then all obligations associated with it are accepted. What does this oblige us to?! Obliges: 1. We begin to work for the Lord from a young age, as soon as we realize our obligations given in Baptism, and not put off this work until old age, in the meantime indulging in passions and working in the world. Blessed is only that old age to which one has lived continuously in a godly life! 2. But for this it is necessary, having begun to work for the Lord from a young age, to carry out all the works of this service with youthful liveliness and vigor. He who does not give his heart to the Lord does not give anything. Even though he has things to do, he does them according to routine, coldly, like a machine, or like a lazy mule or ox, reluctantly, forcedly, like a bound follower. Look how children, when they are doing something, are completely involved and act with enthusiasm. This is how we need to work for the Lord! 3. Do not think that it is difficult to maintain such liveliness. No; The Lord is near: He is working in us. You just need to surrender your heart to Him with childlike faith and simplicity. Blessed is the heart that nourishes this unthinking faith, one in which the thought and feeling of the heart do not double, in which conviction in the truth is inseparable from the readiness to act on it, in which every word of God is accepted entirely, as it is, drank in like water by a sponge or drops of rain by thirsty earth... This is why there is a lot of life, liveliness and strength, where there is unthinking faith. There they will hear, for example, give - and they give, forgive - and they forgive, look for this and that - and they are looking, look at things this way - and they look like this... Neither thoughts, nor feelings, nor desires are allowed to arise in the consciousness contrary to what comes from the mouth of God, they accept everything without hesitation, like children from the lips of the father or mother they love, or from the teacher to whom they have clung. Let us arouse and confirm such dispositions in the heart!.. And thus now we will bring to the Lord three-branched fronds - spiritual, pleasing to the Lord. The Lord, who sees the heart, will see them and bless them... Our song - hosanna to the Son of David - will reach His ears, and He will protect us from the reproachful cries of foolish reasoners: “Look, what are they doing?!” From the mouth of a child and those who piss 236 He himself arranges praise for himself... And he does not want to accept another... May God grant us all to be so constituted. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 150–153. March 30. Bishop Theophan spoke on Holy Wednesday: “Today the reading of the Gospels ends. The Lord, having died for us, left a testament to all who had faith in Him - a testament written and signed by His Blood. Everyone who comes to the Lord with faith enters into a covenant with Him and undertakes to fulfill the testament He left, depicted in the Gospels. Tomorrow the Passion will be celebrated. In a day, we will be offered to honor the image on the shroud of the Lord after He was taken down from the Cross. I undertake to help you and depict the entire content of the Lord’s testament in one short essay. This will help us, before the face of the suffering Lord, to either strengthen ourselves in life if it is working properly, or to encourage us to change it and correct it if it is not working properly. You know that the essence of Christianity is the restoration of fallen man. Anyone who now wants to achieve his destination - to taste the bliss of communion with God - can be granted this only through communion with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Church... No one can come to the Father, says the Lord, except by Me 237. This is the essence of His testament to us. 1. How do we ascend into communion with the Lord and what lies with us as a result? a) know and acknowledge your poverty and wretchedness - that you are poor, and blind, and naked; b) know and grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners: c) believe with complete faith that the Lord, who saved the whole world, also saves you; d) as a result of this, hope to be saved; e) warm up the feeling of peace with God and always remain in tears of repentance, washing away all impurity with them; f) carry in your heart the conviction that you are the son of God, to whom the power has been given to cry out to Him: Abba Father 238 - and, remembering this, act as if on behalf of God, in the sight of God, for God, always to the glory of His all-holy name. Here is the first series of feelings and dispositions bequeathed by the Lord! 2. Having entered into communion with Jesus Christ, and through Him reunited with God, a person stands before the face of God: a) contemplating God as the most hidden, incomprehensible, be amazed at Him, so that every thought in you will be silent; b) contemplating Him as infinitely great, fall before Him in humiliation, filled with reverent fear and awe; c) contemplating the all-perfect, praise and glorify Him together with the choirs of angels; d) contemplating Him as omnipresent, all-seeing and all-fulfilling, walk before His face as you would walk before a king looking at you; e) God created you and preserves you, you are all His. Submit to Him as the Lord of life; f) God, who created you, also provides for you. Thank Him for everything. Be grateful and patient; g) God, who controls everything, knows better than you what you need, rest in Him. He will lead you to his end, lift up your mind and heart to Him in prayer; h) God, who created everything and controls everything, will put an end to the present order of things, transform heaven and earth and establish an eternal Kingdom of bliss for man. So, wait for this Second Coming of the Lord. Prepare to die; remember judgment, heaven and hell and be like a stranger on earth. Here is the second series of feelings and dispositions bequeathed by the Lord! 3. Those who enter into communion with Jesus Christ, and through Him with God, achieve this no other way than in the Holy Church, according to its instructions and guidance. A. The Church is a house of salvation, or a vessel of grace-filled means a) you need enlightenment of the mind - the Church is an educator; b) you are weak, you need reinforcement - the Church is the giver of grace and the educator of the gracious spirit. Our Mother’s seven breasts are open—seven sacraments. Approach them in faith; c) you are surrounded by enemies, you need intercession and protection - the Church is your intercessor and protector. Come here and protect yourself with church prayer. B. The church is the courtyard of those who are being saved. All believers are one body with one spirit; remain in unanimity, not seeking independent views in matters of faith that cause heresies; remain in sympathy with everyone and in a readiness to promote the good of everyone; deny yourself and continually sacrifice yourself to God. Be sober and awake and keep your feelings undistracted... This is the third series of feelings and dispositions bequeathed to us by the Lord! Here is a brief outline of the will left to us by the Lord. But, brothers, what is knowledge?! It will only expose us! Let’s force our soul a little, won’t it become jealous to apply itself to knowledge and action?! Not enough time?! No, not a little. And in one minute everything can be corrected... Let’s do this: let’s check our lives according to the proposed outline and wash everything that we find faulty with tears of repentance, making a firm intention to be correct in those parts in which we were previously faulty. There was a time in the Old Testament when the books of the law were read aloud to the whole people, with oaths to the disobedient and blessings to the submissive, and all the people answered: All things, as the Lord has spoken, we will do and listen 239... Here the Lord Himself repeats to us His covenant from the Cross; Let us open the ears of our hearts, put together our feelings and dispositions according to what is written, and say: “Let us, Lord, keep everything you have commanded, even if we had to go to prison or to death for that.” Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 154–161 April 3. Bright Resurrection of Christ. Easter. April 10. His Grace Theophan delivered a sermon on the 2nd Sunday after Easter to the Apostle Thomas: “Remember what the essence of God’s New Testament to us is. Here's the short story: in living communion with God through the Lord Jesus Christ in His Holy Church. It's all our business here. If we stand in this rank, it is good for us, but if not, we are lost. So, our first task is to unite with the Lord Jesus Christ. We have already been united with Him. All that remains is to preserve this combination, warming up the feelings and dispositions that support it. So, you need: a) know and contain in the feeling of your heart your poverty, your wretchedness and your irresponsibility before God. This is the first truth about ourselves. Our path lies over the abyss of flame, into which we are constantly ready to plunge if grace leaves us; but she will leave us if we forget that we ourselves are blind, and poor, and naked... This feeling will constantly direct us to the Lord or force us to run to Him, as one runs from a stuffy place or building engulfed in flames to freedom. b) to know and carry the riches of Christ in the feeling of the heart. The feeling of one’s poverty, wretchedness and irresponsibility before God alone is joyless and, perhaps, can lead to despair - a completely destructive sin. Therefore, we need to look not only at ourselves, how insignificant we are, but also at the Lord, how rich and good He is, that is, how the merciful God promised to send His Son for our salvation, who, at the fulfillment of times, actually came to us, became incarnate, suffered, sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the whole world, rose again and resurrected everyone, ascended and, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, intercedes for us and rules over everything as King, arranging everything for our salvation. The consequence of these two feelings will be: c) the very combination of the heart with the Lord. For when, therefore, in one and the same spirit both the feeling of one’s damnation and the feeling of Christ’s riches meet, what can keep them from combining with each other, as water is combined with dry earth, or as two elements akin to each other? From this combination is born, like their heavenly daughter, true faith in the Lord the Savior. Faith sees the Lord as the only source of its blessing, disappears in Him with its heart, embraces His love, lives by Him alone and for Him alone. When this combination of the Lord with the heart takes place, then what He promised happens to each of us: I will go down to him and dine with him, 240 saturating him with all My endless blessings. Here is briefly how the heart is united with the Lord, saying within itself: “Everything that the Lord has done for everyone, He gives by His grace to me and saves me...” And, saying this, he is firmly grafted onto the Lord, just as a child who loves his mother wraps himself around his mother’s neck. Having thus entwined itself with the Lord, the believing soul remains thus, looking with love into the eyes of the Lord, who holds it over the abyss and saves it in Himself. May the Lord, who desires to save us all, help us to arrange ourselves in this way, so that all of us, even at the hour of His final appearance to the world, can boldly cry out with Thomas: “Our Lord and our God! 241 "Amen." Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 162 167. April 15. The St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship received a note from a member of the committee, Archimandrite Macarius (Malinovsky), 242 who presented an opinion on the books prepared by Bishop Feofan for publication: “I have the honor to inform the St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship that the manuscripts I examined, under the table of contents: first: “Letters on the Christian Life.” Issue two; second: “Addition to letters” - may, according to the rules of spiritual censorship, be approved for publication.” RGIA. F.807. Op.2. Storage unit 1314. L.14. April 18. From the report of the inspector of the Tambov Theological Seminary, Hieromonk Sergius (Marmarissov) to Bishop Feofan: “In the seminary from the 11th to the 18th of this March everything was fine. 1. Classes starting from the 12th continued in due order. 2. The seminary mentors all reported to their posts. 3. The seminary students, both those living in the government building and those living in the city, behaved well; those who remained for Holy and Bright Weeks in the city of Tambov all confessed and received the Holy Mysteries, and those who were in the houses of their parents and relatives presented evidence from the clergy and clergy about their experience of confession and Holy Communion. 4. The food of the government-paid students of the seminary was prepared regularly. 5. There are 21 sick students of the seminary, of which 2 are in the houses of parents and relatives, 11 in apartments, 8 in the seminary hospital, 2 of whom are school students: all the sick in the seminary hospital are 10 people; the seminary students who did not show up from the homes of their parents and relatives for an unknown reason were 23 people.” GATO.F.186. Op.66. Storage unit 11. L.12–12ob. April 22. The St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship received a note from a member of the committee, Archimandrite Macarius (Malinovsky), who presented an opinion on the books prepared by Bishop Feofan for publication: “I have the honor to inform the St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship that the “Teachings on the Path to Salvation” by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov, which I reviewed, can, according to the rules of spiritual censorship, be approved for publication.” RGIA. F.807. On.2. Storage unit 1314. L.21. May 1st. Bishop Theophan delivered a sermon on the 5th Sunday after Easter about the Samaritan: “For almost a week now, our ears have been filled with church songs about thirst. Each of us is inspired to cry out to the Lord: “Give my thirsty soul something to drink...” The word “thirst” signifies the highest needs of the human spirit, which cannot be found complete and lasting satisfaction anywhere except our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In this regard, the Samaritan woman represents the image of human nature, turning to the Lord with unsatisfied thirst. This Gospel is always read to us in the spring, so that we understand its meaning, do not rush, like foolish children, to the bait of pleasures that are usually revealed to us at this time of year, and do not cease to be in the Lord - the only Source of all-satisfactory blessings. We have three kinds of cravings. The first, carnal, seeks earthly and sensual pleasures; the second, spiritual, seeks the blessings of everyday life, or the blessings of the world; the third, spiritual, seeks spiritual goods - heavenly, or God and Divine things. I will indicate these thirsts in even more detail... So, in our body there is a need for self-preservation - to eat, drink, sleep; there is a need for movement - to walk, to work, toil, which is transformed into the need to walk, dance, fight with fists and so on; there is a need to use the senses - to look, hear, touch, smell. There is a need for knowledge in the soul - a person wants to explore and find out everything scientifically, or by hearsay, or through reading. There is a need for enterprises or affairs in the household, in the trade sector, in the military. academic, judicial, civil or rural life... There is a need to decorate yourself, your home and your life. You need good furniture, clothes, good paintings, sculptures, singing, music and the like. Man wants to plant paradise around himself to replace what was lost. In the spirit there is a need for contemplation of God and Divine things, satisfied by knowledge of the spiritual world; there is a need for peace in God, or peace of conscience, satisfied by fulfilling the will of God; there is a need for communion with God, or tasting God, satisfied by prayerful disappearance in God. Here we have three classes of thirsts and three types of thirsts in each class - all nine, as if nine lips, from which a person hears an incessant cry: “I thirst!..” All his life, some people struggle to somehow drown out this cry, and do not have time. Why? Because, first of all, it distributes these thirsts incorrectly. Look how it happens: sensory needs come first, and more care is taken about them; then spiritual ones, already less satisfied; and the spiritual ones are considered the last, and there is little or no care for them, so that a person is now in a wrong position - at the top he has what should be at the bottom. And in this form, working to satisfy a person is the same as trying to fill a vessel with water, turning it upside down. Thus, whoever desires peace must correct this mistake - and peace and peace that surpasses all reason will be found. It is necessary, that is, first of all, to satisfy the spirit, elevating it to communion with God, eating God and contemplating God. Further, by the strength of the spirit and according to his instructions and guidance, satisfy both mental and physical needs. You see now when a person can stop crying out: “I thirst!..” Then when he satisfies the spirit through communion with God. This does not mean that those who have entered into communion with God do not feel their mental and physical needs and do not satisfy them, but that their thirst loses its burning intensity and persistence, and that under this condition a delightful all-sufficiency descends from God to them. He who lives in God has everything and lacks nothing or is not bothered by feelings of poverty and deprivation. That's where all the power lies! Now the Lord calls us all: “Let him thirst, let him come to Me and drink...” 243 Let us all go to the sweetest Lord and quench our thirst with Him; but so as not to go to any wells after this, even if they were dug by some celebrities. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 168–173. May 3. The ceremonial foundation stone of the church took place on the western side of Bazarnaya Square in Tambov. “Tambov Provincial Gazette” in its 20th issue for 1860 reported: “At the site of the future building, the Right Reverend Theophan performed a prayer service with the blessing of water. The church will be built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. with side chapels: in the name of St. John Climacus and in the name of Alexander Nevsky 244 “willingly dependent donors”; The trustees of the church were merchants A.R. Spirin and M.S. Ashurkov 245, and the architect was Sadovsky.” Memoir book from the editorial office of the unofficial department of the Tambov Provincial Gazette. P.65 66. Bishop Feofan sent report No. 148 to the Holy Synod “On the lifestyle and behavior of the collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, sent to the Tambov diocese.” “The decree of the Holy Governing Synod, which followed the former Tambov Bishop Nicholas, dated July 4, 1859, No. 4814, prescribed that a widow, collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, who was previously in the Usman Sophia, was appointed by order of the Holy Synod to one of the remote convents. 246, then in the Kirsanovsky Tikhvino-Bogoroditsky, and now, as a result of the decree of the Holy Synod of September 28, 1859, No. 162, she was moved to the Tambov Ascension Convent, to report to the Holy Synod six months about her way of life. In pursuance of the decree of the Holy Synod, I have the most honorable duty to convey that the widow, collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, as reported to me by the abbess of the Tambov Ascension Convent, Abbess Evgeniya 247, behaved well during the last six months and was not noticed in any reprehensible acts, except that Stepanova constantly complains to her about his upset health due to the damp climate, which has a strong effect on her. Meanwhile, the widow Stepanova explained to me in two petitions: the first - that she, while still in the Usman and Kirsanov monasteries, went up with three petitions to my predecessor, the Most Reverend Macarius, and asked for his petition to transfer her to the city of Voronezh with placement in the local nunnery, since the climate she experienced in the Tambov province was very difficult for her with her weak strength, and in Voronezh it will be more bearable and freer for her; upon arrival at the real Ascension Monastery assigned to her, she felt the severity of her illness even more, because this monastery stands below, surrounded on all sides by swamps and lakes, which is why the damp and heavy air, producing dampness in the cells, completely upset her health, so that the methods of doctors remain helpless; at the same time, the waters located near the monastery, due to their swampy nature, as well as the food prepared from them, completely bring it to an end; why she asked for my petition to move her to the Voronezh nunnery. the second - that her health had completely abandoned her from the heavy, rotten air and that under no circumstances did she hope to return it to this monastery in a swampy, low-lying place. The doctors refused to restore her health due to the climate, but gave her a certificate, why, having attached the said certificate, she, Stepanova, asks for my petition to move her to a nunnery of another diocese, in which the climate is warmer. This certificate states: “This certificate was given to the collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova that she developed a permanent painful condition as a result of gradually developing febrile thinness (Dyscrasia malaria). This painful condition is gradually intensifying under the influence of the intermittent fevers raging in the city of Tambov and in the harsh climate here, and therefore I find it necessary that Mrs. Stepanova be assigned a place of residence whose climatic conditions would correspond to her painful condition, namely: a residence remote from putrefactive places, in a more southern climate.” This certificate was signed by the doctor of the Tambov charitable institutions, collegiate adviser Dr. Eduard Falk. After considering the above circumstances, the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory decided in its opinion: to move the widow of the collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, in an inconvenient climate for her, to cure her illness, in accordance with the opinion of Dr. Falk, to the city of Voronezh or another monastery of one of the southern dioceses to submit to the discretion of the Holy Governing Synod with a request for permission of the decree. Agreeing with this opinion of the consistory and enclosing in the original a medical certificate about the state of health of the collegiate assessor Stepanova, I have the most honorable duty to submit to the Holy Governing Synod for its discretion, asking for permission of this decree.” RGIA. F.796. On.133. Storage unit 795. L.88–90 vol. May 7. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, the director of the schools of the Tambov province was heard from No. 139, in which he asks to appoint someone from the honorary clergy to attend the tests according to the Law of God, which will take place at the end of May and June 1860. This attitude was followed by a resolution from Bishop Theophan: “the teacher of the law in the gymnasiums will present a schedule for the exam on the Law of God in the gymnasiums.” Having considered the case, the consistory decided to appoint to attend the examinations according to the Law of God: “To the gymnasium - Archpriest of the Prizren Church Stefan Bereznegovsky 248, to the district school - Pokrovsky Archpriest Peter Vakovsky, to the parish - Varvara priest Stefan Nenarokov 249 and to the women's department of the orphanage - Archdiaconal-Stefanovsky Archpriest Alexei Sokolov, to whom the decrees should be sent, and the directors of the schools notified about this appointment.” GATO.F.181. On.1. Item 1702. L.12, 19 19ob. May 6. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. Request clergy s. Lasin Luk Lipetsk district 250 in which they are asked to make a decree on the allocation of estate land to their church in return for that which they own without the consent of the parishioners, with the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “On the resolution of the consistory.” Having considered the case, the consistory “did not recognize the possibility of making an exchange of the said land.” “By the conclusion of the consistory, held on December 1, 1858 and approved by the Right Reverend Macarius, it was necessary to announce to the clergy that they should make up a love story with the parishioners for the exchange of church land... and consider the matter decided, which is to be announced to them... and therefore the consistory on the present petition of the clergy of the village of Lasin Luk to exchange their church land, Without an amicable tale with the parishioners on this subject and due to the disagreement of the Chamber of State Property, he considers it impossible to insist on exchanging their land...” On May 14, 1860, Bishop Feofan issued a resolution to this case: “Present the case.” 2. Deacon's petition New Yuryevo of the Kozlovsky district of Feodor Pomerantsev, in which he asks to force parishioners to allocate a manor place for him. Having considered the case, the consistory decided to inform the Tambov Chamber of State Property with a request to expedite the allocation of a manor place to the deacon. New Yuryevo to Pomerantsev. GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1702. L.30, 32 rev. 33 rev. May 15. Bishop Theophan preached a sermon on the 7th Sunday after Easter, the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council: “Now the Holy Church remembers the holy fathers, who became famous for their firm confession of faith in the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who defended this dogma and approved it at the First Ecumenical Council. [Arius] preached that our Savior is not the True God, although he called Him with the highest titles. Such a teaching sought to destroy Christianity itself as the only path to salvation. For if the Savior is not God, then there is no salvation for us. Then the Only Begotten Son of God and God became incarnate, so that the wisdom of God did not find any other more convenient way for our salvation. “I am in the Father...” says the Lord to the disciples, “and you are in Me 251.” Why did he pray to the Father: That they all may be one: as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us 252. The vocal Arianism has long disappeared, but the unspoken one walks around the Christian world and collects victims from the circle of those who are inattentive to the matter of salvation - most of all from the circle of those who trust themselves too much. Please delve into the following thoughts. Those who confess the Divinity of the Lord with all their being worship Him as God, worship with their mind, with their will and with their heart, bring Him into their inner church and seat Him, as on Cherubim, on all the powers of their spirit, so that these latter have no movement other than that which is given to them by the Lord seated on them. This is the essence of the confession of our Lord and Savior by God, and not in one oral reading: “I believe... in one Lord Jesus Christ,” etc. One can, even while reading this, be internally, according to the mood of one’s spirit, an Arian... And thus, confessing the Divinity of the Lord, one must have Him as the God of the mind. God of the will and God of the heart. The mind has God as the Lord when it unquestioningly accepts everything He brought to earth and the teaching preached through the apostles... The will has the Lord God when it unquestioningly bends its neck under the yoke of His saving commandments, or when it patiently and reliably follows the path of salvation, which was established by the Lord and Savior, without inventing its own self-made paths in arrogance. The heart has the Lord as God when, completely clinging to Him, it delights in Him alone and besides Him, only in that which bears the obvious imprint of His Face, His properties, His favor and special closeness... It delights only in spiritual singing, spiritual painting, spiritual action, that is, sacred rites; spiritual poetry, that is, church songs... Such a lesson is now offered to us by the Holy Church, She instills in us; worship the Lord Jesus Christ as God with your mind and do not understand things otherwise than as He depicted in the Divine teaching of the Church or in accordance with that and according to the guidance of that. Worship Him as God, by your will, and do not establish for yourself any other order of life than the one that He established for our salvation. Worship Him as God with your heart and find no taste in anything other than Him and the Divine things that are His traces. Remember, brethren, that in Christianity the main thing is not a sonorous word or an external deed, but an internal mood. The Lord is God for us - when He is the beginning for our knowledge with His teaching, the beginning for our enterprises with His commandments and the beginning for our aesthetic pleasures with the beautiful structure of the Church. He who does not have this is an Arian; for him the Lord is not God. If not God, then not the Savior. And to whom Jesus Christ is not the Savior, he is a victim of destruction and is subject to the condemnation of the 318 God-bearing fathers who were at the First Council of Nicaea, although outwardly he belongs to the Church of God. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.174 179. May 17. The Right Reverend Theophan was presented with a submission from the Tambov Theological Seminary for No. 599, signed by the rector - Archimandrite Feoktist (Popov), the inspector - Hieromonk Sergius (Marmarissov), the economist - teacher Mikhail Kadomsky: “In relation to His Holiness, Mr. Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod to Your Eminence, dated May 5 under No. 4125, which followed: The Holy Synod, at the discretion of which they proposed the content of Your Eminence’s relationship under No. 132, decided by a determination dated April 25 of this year; 1) open an icon painting class at the Tambov Seminary, so that not all students are allowed to study icon painting, but only those who have the ability and desire for it, and that two lessons per week are assigned for teaching it, during hours free from other classical classes, and 2) the salary of the icon painting teacher is set to be one hundred and fifty rubles. silver per year, attributing this expenditure to the account of spiritual and educational capital, and, in addition, to make from the same capital the release of fifty rubles per year for the purchase of materials necessary for the drawing class. It is my duty to notify Your Eminence of this determination of the Holy Synod for your decision. humbly asking you, dear sir and archpastor, to notify him of the time of the opening of the icon painting class at the Tambov Seminary in order to order the release of the money assigned for this class. The resolution of Your Eminence that followed in this regard states: to the board of the seminary for implementation. The board of the seminary believes: 1) in pursuance of the decision of the Holy Synod, to open an icon painting class at the Tambov Seminary on May 17; 2) two lessons per week assigned for this class should be assigned to the afternoons on Tuesday and Friday; 3) from among the 100 students who expressed a desire to study icon painting, select the more capable; 4) to admit the scribe of the consistory, Mikhail Borisov, to the position of mentor for this class, about whom Your Eminence presented it to Mr. Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod on February 4, No. 132; 5) inform the Chief Prosecutor about the opening time of this class in accordance with his attitude. Which opinion I most humbly present to Your Eminence for archpastoral consideration and approval, and at the same time presents a draft attitude on this subject to Mr. Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod.” Based on the results of the selection of those wishing to study icon painting, there were 70 students in the class: ‒ Tambov Theological Seminary: 3 people from the Higher Department; 11 people in the middle department; 24 people of the lower department. ‒ 1st Tambov Theological School - 12 people. ‒ 2nd Tambov Theological School - 20 people. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 4. L.14 15; GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 21. L.57–58 vol. Permission was received from the St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship to publish the first edition of Bishop Theophan’s work “Letters on Christian Life,” vol. 1, 2, 3 and 4 253 printed this year. May 19. Bishop Feofan put resolutions on several cases considered by the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory on May 13. The consistory considered: 1. A certificate with an extract from the laws to the petition of the homeless priest John of the Uspensky 254 for permission to appeal to the Synod in connection with, in his opinion, the wrong oppression of him by the local diocesan authorities. From the provided certificate it is clear that he was removed from his parish for “indecent life,” and after serving his sentence he was allowed to seek a priestly position. Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To deny the priest of the Assumption his petition, and to invite him to enter the monastery, as a widow and without a family.” 2. A certificate from the office of the consistory, presented with information delivered by priest Mikhail Prudkov 255, dean of the village. Pushkov, at the request of a supernumerary deacon with. Kriushi of John Maksimov about the failure of his son-in-law, deacon of the same village, Gabriel Benevolensky, to provide him and his family with food. On other affairs of the consistory of May 13, a general resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1702. L.49, 55 rev. 56. May 22. Holy Trinity Day. Pentecost. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the Day of the Holy Trinity: “What grace surrounded the Holy Church on the Feast of Pentecost! We see special manifestations of joy in songs, in the image of sacred rites, and in the decoration of churches, houses, and even paths. ...Nowadays everyone prepares for themselves bunches of flowers and fragrant herbs, the aroma of which is inhaled with effort at that special time when prayer appeals to God, worshiped in the Trinity, are read. What does this very simple-looking action mean? It expresses that the descent of the Holy Spirit has the closest resemblance to breathing. The Divine Spirit descended, and humanity came to life, breathing in the Divine Spirit - this is for the first time, like a newborn child, coming into the world, inhales air for the first time. The Apostles, or the entire first Church gathered in the Upper Room of Zion, were only the lips through which humanity received this first inhalation of the Spirit. Having once breathed the Divine Spirit, the human race has been breathing It incessantly ever since. The lungs in which this is accomplished are the Holy Church; the channels in the lungs are the Divine sacraments of the Holy Church and its other sanctifying actions. The vibration of the chest is the annual movement of all the sacred rites of the Church, for example, Great Lent with all its rites, then the fifty-day festivals, then there will be fasting again and again bright days, and so on, this is exactly the vibration of the chest. This is how the Church of Christ, or all Christian believers everywhere, breathes. ...Just as in order for breathing to produce its full effect in the body, it is necessary that the channels of the lungs are not damaged or clogged, so in order for the Divine Spirit to exert its full effect, it is necessary that all Divine sacraments and sacred rites be preserved in the form in which they were established by St. apostles. Thus, among the papists, all the sacraments are damaged and many saving sacred rites are distorted. Papacy - mild with scabs or suppurated. Among Lutherans, most of the sacraments and sacred rites were rejected, the rest were distorted both in meaning and in form. They are like those whose three-quarters of their lungs have rotted and the rest is smoldering. Close to them, but even more damaged are our schismatics - the Molokans, the Khlysts, and so on. All of them do not breathe or breathe incompletely; Therefore, they are smoldering corpses or wasting away, like one whose chest is upset. However, let us not delude ourselves that we have sound breathing instruments. Christian sinners are deprived of the Spirit: but they fast. they confess, partake of the Holy Sacraments and again begin to breathe the Divine Spirit. He who lives like this breathes the Spirit and is quickened by Him. The true evidence of spirituality is prayer, which is rightly called the breath of the Spirit. He who prays well, collectedly and warmly at home or in church breathes the Spirit... I pray you, brothers, do not get drunk with the wine of sensual pleasures, but rather be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself in psalms and songs and spiritual songs, chanting and singing in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks for everyone in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and the Father 256. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.179 183. May 27. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Usman Sophia Monastery 257: “Hear what was said to the ancients: Do not swear to a lie, but take your oaths to the Lord 258: The meaning of this saying is this: what is promised to God with an oath must certainly be fulfilled. It was as if the Gospel now began on purpose, beginning with these words, so that on my first visit to you, sisters, it would give me a reason to remind you, and with you, myself, of the vows we have made. For all Christians make vows to God in the sacrament of Baptism, and those who enter into monasticism add new vows to those common to all, which lie exclusively with them alone. You know, sisters, what these vows are; you repeated them publicly in front of the Church - aloud to all Christians, monastics and non-monastics - and at the same time heard an admonition from your father. Promises are good; but remember that the Lord will reward you not according to what you promised, but according to what you manage to do. For my part, calling upon God’s blessing for your labors, I wish one thing: continue as you began; do not weaken, remembering that the end crowns the work and that only he who endures... to the end will be saved 259. So do not weaken in the labors of monastic life! Move and disturb your soul yourself, so that it does not indulge in dormancy and do not give the enemy a chance to laugh at you. Do everything so that this strength of spirit does not weaken: for all the strength lies in it. Namely: Remember often the first inspiration with which you, leaving your entire family, kinship, and hopes, came here. Remember how your soul burned then, how you thought that, having entered the monastery, you would only pray - both in the cell and in the church, only engage in contemplation of God, soul-saving conversations or reading spiritual books, that you would live in solitude, not get into fussiness. Of course, your desire was sincere. Bring this first inspiration to your memory more often, and it will be renewed in you. ...Keep in your memory as many examples of zeal as possible presented in the lives of the saints. Read the Chet-Minea and collect in your memory how tirelessly the holy men and women of God worked, sparing neither their strength nor even their stomachs. Aren’t there any zealous people among you - so zealous that their zeal is more noticeable among everyone? But even without that, encourage each other with advice and examples. What do you talk about when you are together? Don't talk about anything other than your main cause, which you took part in. But do not forget that everything will be of no use if in the order of your life - I mean the private cell and the general monastery - there is something that can directly extinguish this jealousy. Get yourself in such an order that you know only the church and the cell (or general obedience) and in the cell - handicrafts, reading and prayer. For all that, do not let go of the end to which a zealous and careless life leads. Remember the parable of the wise and foolish virgins and put yourself in the same mood that both of them should have experienced. Some are received into the palace by the bridegroom, while others hear from Him that we do not know you 260. Stand mentally at this palace and imagine what will happen to you if you hear us not knowing you! - and thus irritate your spirit. Whatever someone sows, that will also be reaped. What will a field give birth to when its reins are not watered with sweat? Thorns and thistles, whose fate is burning. Remember this, sisters, thereby kindle the spirit of jealousy in yourself. The fact that you have left the world is good and valuable before the Lord. But take care to complete this matter perfectly. Look what the current Apostle preaches! It is said there that he is not a true Jew, who outwardly belongs to the Jewish people: but he is a Jew who is inwardly such in his mood of spirit. The same can be said for us. Whoever is within the walls of a monastery does not follow from the fact that he is already a monk... No, one must also create within oneself the spirit of monastic life. Be jealous about this. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 184–190. May 30. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Lipetsk Cathedral 261: “Looking around your churches 262, I saw your unflattering zeal to rush towards the house of God and your readiness to cordially deal with everything that works and by whom works in them. This alone pleases and testifies to your living faith. But when I bring to mind your intentions - either to renovate dilapidated churches, or to restore abolished but still memorable monasteries, then I cannot help but say with the apostle: I thank my God Jesus Christ... for your faith is so clearly proclaimed by your deeds in the presence of all those who know you 263. Therefore, further, wanting, like the same apostle, to teach you some spiritual gift, for your confirmation, I must involuntarily limit myself to one consolation - your common faith and mine 264, and one expression of good wishes to you. But at the same time I cannot hide my fears: the enemy would not laugh at the simplicity of your faith. In this assumption, I consider it my duty to remind you of some warnings, which, however, are valid everywhere and for everyone. 1. In deeds of piety and in works pleasing to God, do not forget to balance the internal with the external. External things are things that are visible to everyone; internal is invisible to others, but nevertheless known to conscience and visible to the All-Seeing mood of the mind and heart, that is, the way of thoughts, dispositions and feelings. Where the internal does not agree with the external, there is contempt, hypocrisy and hypocrisy... May the Lord save us all from this infection that is destroying many, many! Often, by virtue of our position, we must appear to be what we are not in our inner mood. But there will be a time when all this will be brought to universal fame. And then someone will be praised not according to what he appears to be, but according to what he is in his heart. This is the first and most important thing! 2. Set laws for your inner life: submission of the mind to the definitions of dogmas, submission of the will to the commandments of the Gospel, submission of the heart to detached hopes and aspirations for good in the future. Do not say: it is difficult to overcome yourself and resist the hobbies of others. We are not alone. The Lord is near, Who said: ...Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world 265. The Lord Himself is our wisdom, and strength, and comfort. 3. For your external affairs, make the statute of the Holy Church a law. Take a good look at this charter - and you will find that it determines our behavior in all, one might say, details. Here food, work, rest, staying at home and in the church, activities of the day and night, etc. are defined. Whoever does not submit to him resists God. The holy apostles, martyrs and all the saints who lived according to the order of the Church and laid down their lives in it, are witnesses to the fact that there is nothing arbitrary or fussy in it, but everything is established and imposed on everyone as a duty with wise proportionality and awareness of need. Are not the experiences of all the essence of indicating the urgency of the law? 4. Having thus established your inner and outer self, do not, however, rely on your own labor or tension, but completely surrender yourself to the all-arranging welfare of God. Look for fulfillment from Him, just as from Him there is beginning and continuation. Without Him everything is nothing. Many people think that the more independent they are, the higher they are. But this is flattery. Because of this, Satan fell and thus drags everyone into his fall after the first successful experiment with our forefather. Come to Me and I will give you rest 266, says the Lord; and didn’t say: “And rest yourself as you know...” Thus, in devotion to God, live according to the rules of the Church, in obedience to the dogmas, commandments and prohibitions of God. By balancing your inner with your outer in this way, you will glorify God in your souls and bodies; glorify with complete glorification, for which He who Himself was glorified by the Father after He glorified Him on earth will not deprive you of eternal glorification. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 190–195. Summer. From “Memoirs of the Right Reverend Theophan the Recluse” by A.G. Govorov, nephew of St. Theophan: “The Eminence was constantly in prayer and labor. He had an excellent library, which was replenished with newly published publications. Only for a short time did he go for a walk in the garden at the bishop’s house, and in the summer he sometimes allowed himself to go somewhere and almost always took me with him. He passionately loved nature, admired it and saw traces of the Creator’s wisdom in everything, which he tried to instill in me.” “Every summer we moved to the bishop’s dacha, two or three miles from Tambov. There was a two-story stone house with a house church, a beautiful flower garden and a large orchard. A river flows not far away, and behind it is a forest. How many unforgettable, touching memories swarm in the soul at the thought of these trips to the dacha!..” June 2. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Troyekurovskaya community 267 at the foundation of a small warm church: “Seeing the constant rise of your community from strength to strength, one cannot help but rejoice; One cannot help but rejoice at the multiplication of your tabernacles, and the increase in the number of those who work and want to struggle in the same field with you - and this zeal to have a separate, more secluded place for trusting the Lord with the innermost desires of your heart and attracting from Him the help that is so much needed in your internal and external life. In your present form, you are a community. But this is only a preliminary state, half-worldly and half-monastic. You can't stop halfway there. We must go further; to show the virtues of those who have the most perfect rank revealed, so that they do not enter into it unprepared. As for the community, here is the law for you, represented by the example of the first Apostolic Church: But the people who believed were one in heart and soul, and not one thing was said to be from their possessions, but everything was common to them 268 . Just as everything was common there, so let everything be common among you: one goal, the same work, the same joy and sadness - the same cares and concerns. Like-mindedness and unanimity, connecting you internally with mutual sympathy, will lead you to quick cooperation and mutual assistance and, making everyone into one body, will make each of you as strong as all of you together are strong. A sample for you is a bee. Look at the constant troubles they are all in... But everyone is building one cell, everyone is acting at the same time - in unison, under the control of one queen. That is why their honey is sweet, because the world that animates them is sweet. But, being such as community members, plant the seeds of virtues and the monasticism and even hermitage that has to open in you. Learn to detach yourself from everyday customs, reducing them more and more. Learn to keep your senses undisturbed: the eye from visions, the ear from hearing, taste with smell and touch from sweets and tenderness. Get used to working according to orders and undertakings according to advice, so as not to do anything according to your own will and your own intelligence, but everything according to the judgment of your elders, and thus in advance show yourself to be students of true obedience, zealous to succeed in renouncing your will. Most of all, get used to the work of prayer, rushing to the house of God and alone in the cell, falling painfully to Him as often as possible. The more sisters achieve this perfection, the more your community will approach the level of a monastery. And when you have all become such, then spiritually you will enter the rank of monastics, whether you are externally defined as such or not. Wishing this for you, I pray through my unworthy prayer to the Lord to help you both in the labors of building your external life and achieving internal success; May you achieve everything according to the age of the fulfillment of Christ. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 195–199. June 3. His Grace Theophan consecrated the church in honor of the Nativity of Christ in the Sezenovsky St. John of Kazan Monastery and delivered a sermon: “The All-merciful Lord especially deigns to be present in churches consecrated by prayerful invocation of His grace. Therefore, such churches are rightly called the tabernacle of God with men, a place of special dwelling among the people of God, as He Himself certifies: ... I will dwell in them and walk, and I will be their God, and they will be men to me 269. When the tabernacle was consecrated and built, God commanded Moses from that time on to arrange the procession so that three tribes walked in front, three behind, three on the right and three on the left, and in the middle the tabernacle moved, carried by the tribe of Levi. This is an image of the fact that in our march to the heavenly fatherland under the leadership of the Church, three feelings and dispositions must be in front, three behind, three on the right and left sides, and one more core, corresponding to the tabernacle itself. I will briefly show you what these are, not allegorically interpreting the names of the sons of Israel, but arranging the feelings according to their inner meaning. The three front ones are the highest spiritual feelings. This is: faith that the Lord truly is here from now on with His gracious presence, that this church has become His house, where His eye is directed and where His heart dwells; the hope that the Lord, who is here, clearly listens, like a loving father, to all the requests sent to Him and is ready to satisfy them; love for the church, which makes it sweet to dwell in it, as in the house of one’s own father. On the corresponding back side there should be bodily works in relation to the house of God, like a house of prayer - prayerful works lifted by the body. And there are three of them too; the work of unlaxly going to church - to all services at the first call, without reservations and without self-pity or rewarding imaginary obstacles, according to the following law: as soon as you hear the call, drop everything and rush to the church; the work of patiently staying in church from the beginning of the service to the end - without moving, always in one place, without loose limbs, with some of their tension, giving vivacity; the work of reverent standing - quiet, with bows; with eyes turned to the valley or mountain, to icons or sacred rites; with ears fixed on what is sung and read; with a silent tongue; without looking around, wandering the eyes and without talking. ...The cross line is made up of spiritual prayer works, or activities, namely: on the right side there will be three positive deeds. This is standing with the mind in the heart in the presence of God, accompanied by fear, sobering, imparting vigor and refreshing our inner church; an in-depth understanding of the power and meaning of everything that is sung, read and acted with a heart open to accepting the possible feelings and dispositions that are born in it; a peaceful disposition of a benevolent spirit towards all people, not excluding the enemies themselves, according to the commandment of the Lord: “If you remember that your brother has something against you: leave the gift at the altar and go and make peace” 270. On the left side there will be three negative deeds, namely: not plundering thoughts, or not allowing the mind to wander to different places and objects when we are standing in the church, and returning it back every time it voluntarily indulges in dreams; not burdening the heart with the worries of life, mercilessly driving the devotee further and further and leaving him no free time to occupy himself with heaven; non-attachment to anything earthly, or freedom from all attachments that drag down and do not allow grief to rise. Whoever sets himself up in this way in relation to the church, in this very mood he will find the right guidance and a way to achieve the heavenly fatherland.” Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 199–204. June 4. The word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Sezenovsky St. John of Kazan Monastery upon the tonsure of several sisters into the ryassophore: “Thank the Lord. So, even on the tree of your monastery, ovaries appeared, even in the field you cultivated, trustworthy shoots vegetated and emerged from the ground, still new brides are brought and betrothed to the Groom. Thank the Lord! But we must not forget that it is not a matter of numbers, but of strength. All the power lies in cleansing the heart from passions. Those who have fallen after baptism are offered the sacrament of Repentance, in which the vows of baptism are repeated again and the lost powers of grace are renewed... The repentant, if he falls again, rises again in the same way of repentance... He will fall again, and he will rise again... and so on until the end of his life... And this is the general path of salvation. ...It happens that a Christian cannot stand and falls, or he stands twice or thrice, but falls the fourth and fifth time. He repents, but falls again. But it hurts to fall as long as your conscience is true and your sense of piety and fear of God is alive. How to eliminate this nuisance partly lies in our will, then another person is inflamed in spirit - to arrange oneself in life in such a way as to fulfill the vows of baptism and repentance without failure. Not hoping to successfully fulfill this in society, another leaves, running, and settles in the desert, that is, he leaves society and enters the monastery. Thus, entering into monasticism is the determination to live, no longer succumbing to the passions of passions, and monasticism itself is a continuous feat in overcoming passions and eradicating them in order to appear pure and blameless before the face of God. So that's your business! Pay all your attention to it and direct all your strength. The monastic rule, the main points of which are fasting, obedience and prayer, provides you with an order of life that does not provide food for passions or in which they can be unexcited. But it does not destroy passion. You can be completely correct in the behavior required by the monastic rules, and be full of passions in your heart. There are laywomen dressed in light dresses. - nuns in spirit, and there are manateans - laywomen in heart. You need to get close to your heart and see what comes from there, and cut off everything that is passionate. If you want to be saved, go inside yourself, pay attention at the entrance of your heart and consume everything that is enemy, coming out and suitable. Having lived like this, you will appear unflatteringly as servants of God in monasticism. Whatever you succeed in, may the Lord grant you both meaning and strength. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 204–208. June 7. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Cathedral Church of the Intercession in Kozlov 271: “Walking around your city and examining your churches 272, I could not help but see so clearly your love for the holy faith and the Church imprinted on everything, I could not help but notice the spirit of sincere piety animating you. I rejoice in this, as having gained much gain, and I thank the most merciful Lord. But, expressing such joy about you in front of you, I cannot hide my fears for you, lest your minds decay from simplicity 273, lest you deviate into crossroads - to unfruitful concepts and deeds. Therefore, I consider myself obliged to say a few words in relation to this as a warning to you... Take care, brothers, most of all, so that the spirit of zeal for St. faith and life pleasing to God. You have it, and it is predominant. But since many spirits have entered the world and every spirit seeks dominance, then be careful not to be carried away by any of them, not to the glory of God and not to your own praise. One cannot live without the spirit of life; Everyone who lives is inspired by something. The spirit inherent in us is the spirit of Christ, which alone must animate us, subordinating all others to its power and making them instruments of service to itself. The Spirit of Christ is known to you as Christians. This is to do everything for the glory of God and one’s salvation. Opposite to it is the spirit of the world, according to which they tirelessly act in oblivion of God, chasing empty dreamy goals, never achieving them and never enjoying the peace of this achievement. Otherwise, he is called a flattering spirit, which, under various appearances, captivates many, transforming into an angel of light. For example, it is impossible not to have. But who, with oblivion of God and His St. the law indulges in covetousness, he is inspired by an unkind spirit. Acquire, but according to God and for God. It is impossible not to have pleasures in life: otherwise life is not life. But whoever sets the goal only for joy and pleasure has strayed from the wrong path. You must have a good name. But anyone who only bothers to hear good reviews or the noise of flattering rumors is pursuing a dreamy goal. All these are wrong spirits, each of which is born into many branches and species, which it is impossible to count. One thing is common to all of them - to turn away from God and, plunging into forgetfulness of God, extinguish zeal for salvation. Watch out for all this, keeping the true spirit of Christianity still alive within you.” Words. Tambov. 1861. P.208 213. June 8. In the church of the Tambov Theological Seminary 274, in the presence of mentors and students, the annual solemn funeral mass and memorial service were celebrated in memory of the benefactor of the seminary, collegiate assessor Konstantin Avvakumovich Truntsevsky 275. TEV. 1861. No. 8. Aug 20 Add. P.199 200. June 14. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the decision of the consistory in the case “On inducing priest Joachim Kochetov to demolish a building from the church estate of the village of Khomutovka, Spassky district, needed for the priest of that village, Dimitry Dobrokhotov,” which was considered at a meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory on June 8. The consistory ordered: “The priest Kochetov 276 was moved from the village of Khomutovka to the village of Ermolovo by the Right Reverend Macarius, but so far in this village he has not cleared the estate from his building for the settlement of the priest Dobrokhotov, who took his place. Two months have been appointed for the cleansing of the estate. Fine one silver ruble in favor of the Trusteeship, assigning it a deadline of two months for clearing the estate.” Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Kochetov should be fined ten rubles for disobedience and henceforth every month a five ruble fine will be collected from him until he clears the estate.” On other matters of the consistory of June 8, a general resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1703. L.54, 56. June 18. Bishop Feofan sent an order on catechetical teachings to the Tambov Spiritual Consistory: “Our catechetical teachings are not going well: they are not spoken continuously; instead of catechetical teachings there are sermons for holidays or weeks; in cities, residents probably do not know about the existence of such teachings, because neither the time - when, nor the place - where they are spoken is determined; we must give them a better institution. Create a program. Catechetical teachings must explain: a) the Creed; b) the commandments are actually catechetical teachings; c) the Lord's Prayer. N.B. When these subjects are explained, you can further read in the order of dogma, Christian moral teaching. Explain separately the doctrine of the Church, sacraments and worship. Teach the history of the Church: the Old Testament (in the form of teachings), the New Testament, the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy apostles, the history of the founding of the Church, martyrs, councils of saints, special cases from history. Especially the history of the Russian Church. All this in every city - certainly, in order. Having taught everything, start again from the first. Establish a pronunciation order. 1. Set one time for him throughout the year and one place. Time: Sunday Vespers; place - a cathedral or that church that is in the center of the city. Every Sunday at Vespers in a certain church there is a catechetical teaching. This is an immutable law. 2. Give an interesting situation: A) All clergy and church officials of the city must gather, excluding those who are employed. A local archpriest with a dean on each – urgently. B) Start singing harmoniously. C) The priests, each in his own parish, should encourage parishioners to attend hearings - they themselves will set an example. 3. Accordingly, to establish catechesis, or the compilation of teachings. A) Since it is difficult for one catechist to present a teaching every week, appoint two or more catechists for each year who speak the teachings alternately; but not changing every Sunday, but like this: when one finishes his treatise, another begins to speak - and the same until he finishes his treatise. The series cannot last less than three months, but it can last longer. B) For greater convenience, everyone capable of catechism will, in advance, at will, sort out the objects for themselves. Some will take the dogmatic part, some the moral, some the liturgical, some the historical. There can be two for each part and more if you have enough. Let the one who chooses work on his part. But not all of them operate every year, but two, many three. C) The one who has chosen a part - dogmatic, for example - having explained it to the listeners in full, which can be done in more than one year, begins again from the beginning, and so on. To make it less boring, you can conduct series of teachings in increasing order of completeness. Namely: in the first course - in the form of general reviews, such as the rudiments: in the second - in more detail, like a lengthy catechism; in the third - in even more detail, like a system. 1. When compiling catechetical teachings, attention should first of all be paid to the literal meaning of the Creed, the commandments and the Lord's Prayer - so that every word is explained. 2. The language of teaching should be the most understandable for listeners; however, not common people, but decent for a church pulpit. 3. Role models should be primarily the works of St. John Chrysostom and St. Tikhon of Voronezh. 4. The volume of teachings should be average, therefore the teachings should be no less than a sheet of paper; however, there should be no more, if the very subject of the teachings does not require this. D) The list of who will take what part is kept in the consistory, which, on the basis of it, appoints catechists. She also keeps a record of which subjects have already been taught in which city, so that in each city everything is taught and not a single subject is forgotten. D) Having finished a series of his teachings and being replaced by another, the catechist immediately sends his teachings for review, notifying together who began to speak about what after him. The latter will do the same, transferring his work to the first, because the two will not have to take up the task twice. E) Parish priests are not exempt from delivering teachings in their churches on Sundays and holidays. They can even interpret for their own parish everything that is interpreted in the next catechism, but not during Vespers on Sunday, but at Matins or Liturgy. G) If in any city there are few priests or few capable ones, then invite the nearest rural priests who are capable, whom the diocesan authorities will have in their attention, as well as all catechists. This is the best clergy in the diocese; under other conditions. 3) Capable deacons, school teachers and mentors of rural schools can be admitted to this, where they are located in cities. Catechesis in Tambov will be under my direct orders.” ARPMA. F.svt. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.15 18 rev. June 19. Bishop Theophan spoke on the 4th Sunday after Pentecost: “How merciful and condescending is the Lord towards us! How much He has done and is doing for us - and how little He requires! He adorned us with His image, He put everything under our feet; when we fell, He Himself deigned to come to us and suffer for us and surrounded us with all saving means in His Holy Church; guides us in every possible way on the path of righteousness and, preserving here, promises the Eternal Kingdom to the obedient. Is all this not enough? How much does he require from us? No more than how much we ourselves voluntarily give to destroying sin when we are devoted to it. I speak humanly, teaches the Apostle Paul, because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as your servants presented uncleanness and lawlessness as iniquity, so now will your servants present righteousness into holiness, 277 as you heard in the present Apostle. That is, work for the Lord with at least the same zeal as you worked for sin. I don’t think anyone would refuse such a small request. The matter is so obvious that it naturally obliges every conscience that sincerely desires to work for the Lord. I’ll just add one thing. Finally, look where sin leads and where truth leads. Or what is the fruit of both. Now the Apostle points out that the end of sinful deeds is death, but the fruit of righteousness is life. That is, sin kills, but truth gives life. Have you seen how, when sharp acids are poured on any metal, these acids begin to little by little corrode and decompose its constituent parts and finally completely eat up the seemingly solid body so that it is impossible to guess what was before. This is exactly the same effect that sin has on our being. Like some poison, entering inside, it decomposes the soul and body and every part of the soul and body, and thereby destroys a person. Just as into a greenhouse full of various plants and flowers, the cold or harmful air introduced kills flower after flower that it touches, so sin destroys ability after ability in the soul and strength after strength in the body. It seems that there is enough incentive to run away from sin. On the contrary, just as spring warmth and moisture revives everything that froze during winter, so everything killed by sin comes to life in the composition of our being when our spirit turns to God and devotes itself to pleasing God. For then the Sun of Truth shines in the mind, the breath of Divine love warms our soul, the life-giving elements of God’s grace penetrate and refresh all the powers of soul and body. God is the source of life. He who surrenders himself to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord and drinks with full lips the drink of life from this inexhaustible source. This alone is characteristic of true life. Or that's the only way he lives. Others have only a ghost of life, although they reveal a multi-moving and seemingly multi-sided life. God! we ate Thy light and Thy truth - so that we could clearly distinguish between the ways of life and death, good and evil, fire and water and, being wise for salvation, willingly enslaved to the truth, freed from sin: let sin not reign in our dead body and so that we do not listen to it in its lusts 278. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.213 218. June 21. Bishop Feofan put forward resolutions on the cases considered by the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory on June 15: 1. “Report of the Shatsk spiritual board dated June 7, the case of the abduction allegedly by the priest of the village of Studenets 279 Ivan Tardin 280 from the church of 30 rubles. silver, which remained the responsibility of the investigator dean s. Sasov by priest Pyotr Ostroumov 281, who for almost six months did not complete the proceedings without any good reason.” The consistory decided: “Fine priest Pyotr Ostroumov seven silver rubles in favor of the Trusteeship.” Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “The fine is to be postponed for another time.” 2. Report of Archpriest Socrates Kozmin 282, dean of the village. Trubetchina, Lebedyansky district, dated June 3, “about the rudeness inflicted on the priest of the village of Slanskoye Alexey Diev 283 in the church by the state peasant Averky Gubanov.” The resolution on this report from Bishop Feofan: “Report with an opinion on how to eliminate such cases.” They ordered: “The consistory intends to inform the Tambov Chamber of State Property and ask to issue its order to force the parishioners of the village of Slanskoye and other villages to carefully and unremittingly listen to the Christian teaching taught in churches on Sundays and holidays by the pastors of the church about various necessary and necessary subjects for an Orthodox Christian.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Add to the Chamber that it requires assistance on its part due to the order made, according to which the priest is obliged in the church to literally teach the parishioners the Christian faith, commandments and prayers.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1703. L.80, 81 vol. June 25. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on an article in the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of June 21, where the petition of priest Efim Voinov was heard. Sukmanovka of Borisoglebsky district “on his release from the supervision of Dean Pichaevsky.” The consistory decided the following: “Since priest Voinov, by resolution of his Eminence, was “entrusted to the supervision of Dean Pichaevsky,” the consistory decided to leave the matter without orders.” The resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “to strictly order the priest. Voinov should be in complete subordination to the dean.” The other articles were followed by a general resolution: “Execute.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1703. L.122, 125 rev.–126. June 28. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, a report was heard from the deputy of the village. Trinity Roslyai priest Alexander Radugin 284 dated June 9, in which he asks to be dismissed from conducting investigations into the illegal actions of priests of the village. Gryaznusha in connection with his “chest illness” or about postponing the investigation until he recovers. This report was followed by a resolution from Bishop Feofan: “To order the priests and the dean of the village of Gryaznushi, regardless of office work, to sincerely make peace and live in harmony from now on under the fear of being removed from this village. For it is noticeable that the business that has arisen among them is not supported much by their peaceful relations with each other.” GATO. F.181 On.1. Item 1703. L.138, 141 vol. 142. June 30. The Tambov spiritual consistory accepted the proposals of Bishop Feofan on June 22: "1. In churches, silence is not observed during services, many of the laity enter the altar, and purse collection is carried out at the most important moments in the liturgy. Make an order to eliminate these malfunctions. There should be no purse collection under any guise from I Believe to Our Father inclusive. Have small bells, cover the plates with cloth so that no knocking can be heard, and do not rattle money when changing. 2. It has been noticed that many sacred persons, even those who should set an example, cross themselves incorrectly: they do not fold their fingers and do not place the cross itself properly. Command to make the sign of the cross, as depicted in the Psalter. Watch this strictly. 3. Priests read very long and tedious teachings in church, and without reading them first. They undertake to first read the teachings that they intend to deliver in church, so that they can read clearly, without errors; and choose simple and small teachings, in two, no more, printed octets 285, so as not to tire you. This does not apply to catechetical teachings read at Vespers on Sunday, which can be longer, because then only for this purpose do people gather in church. 4. The monasteries, male and female, are ordered, in addition to the Chetya Menaion and others, to purchase ascetic books in Russian translation: Macarius of Egypt, “The Ladder”, St. Dorotheus, Isaac the Syrian, “Memorable Tales”, “Lavsaik”, “Limonar”, “The History of the God-Lovers”, Mark the Ascetic, etc.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 78. L.54 55. July 14. Bishop Feofan put forward a resolution on the case of Deacon Georgiy Herosky and Priest Theodore Pospelov 286, which was considered at a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on July 5. "Deacon s. Chashchina of Borisoglebsk district 287 Georgy Heroysky on September 9, 1859 explained that the homeless priest of that village, placed in the village. Krasnoye, Usmansky district, Fyodor Pospelov is selling his house with a church estate, meanwhile he does not have an estate near the church and asks to be allowed to occupy the said estate.” Permission was given to this request, but, despite this, priest Pospelov sold his house and estate to the peasant Chebotarev. On April 13, 1860, the consistory ordered that priest Pospelov be obliged to subscribe so that “he demolishes his house from the estate and does not sell the estate, and the peasant Chebotarev is removed from occupying the estate by police measures.” It turned out that Pospelov refused to carry out this order. Having once again considered the case, the consistory ordered: “Priest Pospelov “be removed from correction of positions in the church and parish and from income until he fulfills the specified order.” Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “From the priest Pospelov, until he clears the estate and pays off the village of Chashchina properly, take five rubles for the Trusteeship. silver every month - instead of removal from office and income.” For other consistory matters, a resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.181 On.1. Item 1696. L.10, 12. July 16. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory dated July 11, where, among other matters, the report of “the bookseller of the cathedral deacon Terenty Mikhailov 288 dated July 5 about the deportation of church books indicated in the attached register for the store was considered.” They ordered: “With the written report and the attachment of the register of books, inform the Moscow Synodal Printing House, asking it to send the books listed in the bookseller’s register to this consistory.” Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Fulfill. write out the newly published Gospels - 100 copies in Russian and 100 copies in Slavic and Russian.” For other affairs of the consistory, Bishop Theophan put forward a resolution: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1696. L.12. July 18. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, the decree of the Holy Synod of June 11 No. 2543 was considered, with the forwarding of the kamilavka granted to the priest of the cathedral church of Tambov Vasily Malilovsky 289. On the decree is the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Send for receipt.” The consistory decided: “After making a copy, attach the decree to the same cases, and invite priest Malilovsky to His Eminence to receive the award. Report the receipt of the award to the Synod on behalf of His Eminence.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1704. L.80 July 21. Bishop Feofan put the resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of July 15. The consistory considered the petition of the schismatics of the village of Lokhmytovka, the parish of the village. Glukhovka, Kirsanovsky district 290, about their oppression by the clergy p. Glukhovka, which does not allow them to perform schismatic services (burials, baptisms, etc.). The consistory decided not to interfere with the schismatics in performing sacred rites, only to observe and, if necessary, notify the diocesan authorities if they committed illegal actions, and also to allocate a special place for the schismatics to establish a cemetery. Those peasants who again deviated into schism, on the basis of paragraph 1 of Article 21 of the Charter of Spiritual Consistories, are subject to a two-month admonition from the local dean. Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Present the case.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1413. L.60 61. July 26. His Eminence Theophanes put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated July 18, where the “Relation of the Tambov City Court dated July 13, No. 4874, which notifies that the state peasant Marya Nikolaeva Shemonaeva from the Tambov order of public charity for males, whether the baby Luke was taken into the house of the city of Tambov by the Regimental Sloboda, is baptized or not, it depends on the case.” not visible" 291. They ordered: “Although the Tambov order of public charity, when issuing a foster child from the foundlings of Luka to the state peasant of the Tambov Regimental Settlement, Maria Nikolaeva Shemonaeva, in the certificate given to her, Shemonaeva, dated December 11, 1842, No. 5187, writes that this foundling was named Luka at baptism and was sent to the order from the Tambov city police in relation from December 3 of the same year already having one month from birth; but as the Tambov district court, in relation to the same consistory dated July 13, No. 4874, notified that from the case of this foundling Luke it was not clear that he had been baptized, then the consistory, on the basis of the 83rd rule of St. Basil the Great, proposes to baptize the named foundling with the addition of the words when performing baptism; “the servant of God is baptized” the words: “if he is not baptized” and leaving his real name with him, about which the parish priest is ordered by decree, so that he, according to the proper record of the baptism of the foundling in the metric books, with an indication of the years of the foundling, starting counting them from November 3, 1842 on the basis of the relation of the Tambov city police dated December 3 of the same year in which (the relation) this foundling sent to the order who already had a month from birth, conveyed to the consistory permission or not permission for the named foundling to marry before reaching the age of majority, which will be in four months and a few days, to be granted to the archpastoral will of his eminence.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “It is incredible that a foundling was not baptized... He entered the order for one month with a name, and it is known that he was baptized there. Instruct Archpriest Bereznegovsky to make the most probable inquiries and report to me.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1704. L.73, 78 vol. 80. July 29. Permission was received from the Moscow Committee of Spiritual Censorship to publish the magazine “Strannik” No. 8, in which the publication of Bishop Feofan’s article “Teachings on the Path to Salvation” began. Wanderer. I860. T.2. No. 8. pp. 153–159. July 30. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov spiritual consistory dated June 20, where, among other matters, his resolution on the journal of the consistory on the issue of books to the bookstore was considered: “To write out the Gospels, newly published, - 100 copies in Russian and 100 copies in Slavic and Russian” 292. They ordered: “To write out another 100 copies of the Gospel in Russian and 100 copies in the Slavic-Russian language.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “To write out only one hundred copies of the Gospel in Slavic and Russian.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1696. L.88, 88 vol. 89. August 1st. Permission was received from the Moscow Committee of Spiritual Censorship to publish the magazine “Strannik” No. 9, in which the publication of St. Theophan’s article “Teachings on the Path to Salvation” continued. Wanderer. 1860. T.2. No. 9. pp. 157–164. August 2. The Tambov Spiritual Consistory considered: 1. Request of priest Ivan Spesivtsev 293 “for permission to bring a complaint against the diocesan authorities to the Holy Governing Synod and seek the protection of Her Imperial Majesty Maria Alexandrovna with the placement of his children somewhere” 294. As a result of this petition, Bishop Feofan’s resolution followed: “Declare to Spesivtsev that he should immediately go to the village assigned to him and move his family there; a better place should be considered unworthy. Entrust him with the special supervision of the dean.” 2. Request from priest Ivan Spesivtsev “to give him an allowance of 50 rubles. silver." Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Give a one-time allowance to Spesivtsev of 50 rubles. silver." GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1696. L.139 140. August 8–9. From the memoirs of an eyewitness: “The 8th and 9th of last August, 1860, will be remembered for a long time by the people of Tambov. During these two days, a significant part of the city's houses burned down. The consuming flames of the fire spared neither huge buildings nor poor dwellings. Here, without distinction, everyone’s property was lost, both rich and poor. On the evening of the 8th I had to walk through one of the burning streets, where people were still crowded, and the fire brigade was pouring water on the burning brands. Here I met a gentleman unknown to me. Looking at me carefully, he asked: “Father, are you the local priest?” “No, rural,” I answer. “What a misfortune,” he said, pointing to the burnt square. - After all, the Lord sent it for our sins. We have completely forgotten God. Vei evaded, together it was inaccessible: do not do goodness, do not do one thing 295! Our zeal for the holy faith and godly life has cooled. Like a whirlwind, every minute we spin in the bustle of the world. Club, theater, music, dancing, walking in the governor’s garden and everything that happens there, which, in the words of the Apostle, is shameful to eat and talk about 296, has become our urgent need.” Here my interlocutor stopped his speech and, after several minutes of silence, bowed to me, he hurriedly walked down the street to the cadet corps, and I went my way. On the 9th, a fire broke out again in the city. At three o'clock in the afternoon thick smoke appeared on Dvoryanskaya Street near the Voronezh outpost. People were running there from all directions. Residents of Dvoryanskaya and the streets closest to it, in great fear and despair, hurried to save their property. A strong wind was blowing from the southwest, and the fire, despite any efforts to stop it, quickly rushed to the very center of the city. At this critical time, the miraculous icon of the Tambov Mother of God 297 was taken out of the Stefanovo church, towards which the fire was directed, and at the sight of the terrible picture of destruction they served a prayer service to the Queen of Heaven. After the prayer service with the singing of the troparion, the miraculous image of the Zeal Intercessor was surrounded by the circle of the church. So what? The southwest wind, which had been raging until now, suddenly turned back - from the northeast, straight towards the burnt places, and thus the fire ended. The sages of the present time will explain this wondrous event, perhaps, as an accident; and I, as an eyewitness of this, no matter what you say, attribute this to the merciful intercession of the Queen of Heaven, who, having heard our prayers, took pity on the unfortunate and with her intercession quenched the wrath of God.” TEV. 1862. No. 29. 14 Jan Add. pp.63–64. In the summer, due to severe drought, fires started in Tambov and county towns. “In moments of difficult life trials that befell the diocese, His Grace Theophan gave himself entirely to his flock, and survived all its bitter troubles. Thus, during the most acute period of fires, for three days in a row, he called believers to the church of God for public prayer and in fiery speeches full of deep sorrow and heartache, he revealed the moral significance of the disaster as a cleansing test, called not to lose heart and be inspired by hope for a better future 298 . He wept with his flock when the trouble reached critical limits, and rejoiced heartily at the first signs of its weakening. In a time of such grave public calamity, His Grace Theophan supported his flock not only with consoling words, but also with deeds. From his personal funds, he provided significant material assistance to victims of fires, especially helping widows and orphans from the families of poor clergy. He placed his apartment and all the free premises of the bishop’s courtyard at the complete disposal of the fire victims, and he himself settled in a country house.” Tertyshnikov. MD. T.1. Part 1. pp. 116–117. August 14. 12th Sunday after Pentecost. The first word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 299: “What should I tell you and what should I start talking to you about? Our situation is sad, our sorrow is great! The hand of the Lord is heavy on us! How long have we been tormented by drought? But before this disaster had passed, another one struck - a fire. We had not even begun to think about how to recover from this fire when another one attacked. Before this was over, the evil news about the continuity of fires spread everywhere and drove us out of our homes. Our city is now like Job, who was oppressed by one disaster after another, until, having been deprived of everything and covered with wounds, he was thrown out of the city. And so, just as he sat on rot outside the city, so now all of us have almost been taken out of our houses and live in wastelands, coastal areas and dried-up streams, like bees driven out of their hives by suffocating smoke. This is what we have come to! It seems like quite a test. But the hand of the Lord is still high. Everything that could depend on human foresight has been done 300, and - thanks be to the Lord! – the danger is no longer as formidable as it was at the beginning. But still, peace has not yet returned to us, a sense of security does not come and trust does not dawn on our spirit. What else should we do for the Lord to return our peace to us? Yes, if we had started repentance and correction earlier, then this misfortune would not have befallen us at all. If we had understood the drought, the fires would not have come. But just as during the drought our churches were empty and our places of entertainment were full, then new admonition was needed. And here it is! And that this is so can be judged by the example of Nineveh. What is more menacing than that definition: three more days, and Nineveh will turn into 301! And yet, Nineveh remained intact. Why? Because, as soon as the prophet announced to the Ninevites about the execution of God prepared for them, they immediately repented before the Lord in sackcloth and ashes. They repented and were spared; for the Lord does not seek destruction, but salvation. But someone will say: “We are already overwhelmed with grief and losses, and now they beat us with reproofs and strict lessons. Give us a word of comfort. Pour oil on the burning wounds of the heart.” But, brethren, I was not concerned about sweet words, but wanted to show you a deed that alone can give you true and lasting consolation; and not only provide consolation, but also avert the very disaster that befell us, and restore everything to its former order and order. For there is nothing more powerful than repentance. And there is nothing to say about that, that we must complacently endure the disaster that has befallen us. That's what you do, as far as I know. And remain unchanged in this disposition, inspired by the example of Job, who alone suffered more than all of us, and yet did not cease to be of good nature. Outwardly, we are already similar to him. Let us take care to become like him in the inner mood of our minds and hearts. May Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, as we trust in Thee! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 218–223. Second word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 302: “The Lord has already begun to show His mercy to us by sending rain. Thanks be to His merciful condescension towards us! It’s time for us to rise to trustworthiness and calm down. But yesterday’s – albeit small – fire renewed our fear, and we are again tormented by the expectation of a sudden disaster, we have no trust in anyone or anything, and in every unfamiliar face we continue to meet our ill-wisher. That is why our holiday is not a holiday, so that the prophetic threat was fulfilled over us: I will turn your holidays into pity and all your songs into lamentation 303. Well? And let's cry... We have now gathered to the place of crying. Behold a field watered with tears! And who among the city residents has not spilled them here?! So, according to your kinship, come... and let us mourn before the Lord who created us 304, like the Israelites who mourned Jerusalem on the rivers of Babylon! The Mother of God will not be offended by this! She herself, I think, not without sorrow now looks at this place, which in previous years was seething with crowds on this day, but now is so empty; and this is not due to a cooling of zeal, but all out of the same apprehensions and fear. But, brethren, let us weep and grieve in sorrow—only all in a Christian way, and not like pagans who have no hope. May no word of murmuring come from our lips, and may the feeling of despondency and hopelessness not darken our hearts. Grieving, crying and being sick is a human thing, but giving in to despondency and despair, murmuring and blasphemy is a satanic thing. Let us dissolve sorrow with hope, and a cry of tenderness will be born, not burning and tormenting, but spreading joy and softening. Let us cast sorrow upon the Lord, and He will save us 305; for he who trusts in the Lord will receive mercy 306. We confess the truth of God in punishing us, and He will send mercy to meet it; for He has not only judgment, but also mercy. Let us endure in complacency; for the Lord is not completely angry, and does not quarrel forever 307 . He is beating us; Let us feel the pain and, praying for mercy, we will reinforce the prayer with the determination not to offend Him any more with our sins. Let us cry out: “Have mercy, Lord, have mercy!” - adding, moreover: “We will be,” so that the reproach of the prophet would not apply to us: You beat them, and without being hurt, you crushed them, and did not want to accept punishment: you hardened your face more than a stone and did not want to turn 308. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 223–226. August 16. The third word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 309: “Have you, brothers, ever been in the work of a carver or sculptor? If you have ever been, you have probably noticed how artists of this kind, having drawn in their minds an image of what they intend to make, then proceed to work, using tools adapted to different techniques in different ways, cutting, cutting and finally finishing part by part, until the taken substance takes on a form similar to the insubstantial image that they carry in their minds. I came up with the idea of ​​these works on the occasion of the current holiday of the Image Not Made by Hands of our Lord and Savior and together on the occasion of the embarrassing situation in which the fires put us. Having compared one with the other, I find that the latter in the hands of God’s Providence are the same as the actions of a chisel and other tools in the hands of an artist, that through them the Lord wants to imprint on us the thought that He has destined for us in His mind. Hence, to our great consolation, I conclude: our present sad situation means that the Lord, as an artist, providentially took us into His hands, like an unfinished substance, suitable, however, for dressing. - and with misfortunes, like blows of a hammer, one after another he cuts off in us everything that is unnecessary and contrary to the image into which He wants to lead us. In fact, what are we in the hands of God if not a substance processed according to His intentions for us?! Don’t stop wondering: where is our freedom and where is God’s truth? The all-wise Lord always knows how to reconcile this kind of action with both our freedom and His justice. Let us take better care to correct our short-sighted conclusion about the nature of the educational and educational actions of God's Providence. We are used to saying when any grief befalls us: God forsook us, forgot us, abandoned us. But according to the indicated apostolic teaching, it turns out quite the opposite: that this means that the Lord has turned His eyes to us and that from now on he begins to act on us with special care and solicitude, as the same apostle literally interprets in another place: He... loves, - says, - the Lord, punishes and beats every son who accepts him. If you endure punishment, as God will be found to you as a son 310. So, now we should not be discouraged or kill ourselves with grief, but rejoice at God’s special election and thank the Lord for it, and not so much keep grief in mind as care about showing ourselves worthy of such a good Providence of God for us; so that the Lord would not otherwise repent that he took on us, assuming we were capable of fulfilling His goals, and again would not leave us to disappear into obscurity, like worthless people, producing only crackling and dust - restless and useless. Of course, it is painful to endure; for we are a living, feeling creature; but let us reinforce our complacency by representing the spiritual beauty to which the trial we endure will raise us. And here is the final lesson for us from the trial we are in: to listen, to learn, to bow to suggestions and turn them into a law for ourselves, or, something like that, into a living trait of the spirit. The more suggestions we translate in this way into a law for ourselves, the more we will have the features of the image that the all-building Artist wants to reproduce in us. The more such traits there are, the closer to the end of the artistic actions of our formation by the Providence of God, the sooner the end of our shy position. You see for yourself what all this obliges us to do. Let us hasten to take advantage of God’s instructions! Let us hasten to follow the prescribed program and soon we will leave the bonds of labor into the freedom of the children of God 311. Let us not miss the opportunity to earn God’s mercy and to be enriched by spiritual perfections, so that later we will not regret that we had good in our hands and lost it through foolishness. May the Lord make us all wise for salvation! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.226 231 August 20. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated August 10. On this day, the consistory considered the report of Archpriest Stefan Bereznegovsky, priest of the hospital Alexander Nevsky Church in Tambov, “on the case of allowing the foundling Luke to marry” with the resolution of his Eminence 312: “Consider, make a new resolution regarding the foundling Luke.” The consistory journal contains a summary of the report of priest Stefan Bereznegovsky: “Although Archpriest Stefan Bereznegovsky, based on information collected through private inquiries, believes that the foundling Luka was born in the village of Bokino from the third wife of the state peasant Shishkin, Marfa Nikitina, and was baptized in the same village on October 18, 1838, but how the investigation of those responsible for the birth and abandonment of the baby Luka carried out by the Tambov city police in 1842 has not been openly revealed. it is not open that he was baptized, and the assumptions of Archpriest Bereznegovsky clearly contradict the testimony of the Tambov Order of Public Charity, issued on December 11, 1842 to Shamanaeva’s single-family home that the foundling Luka was given to her to raise instead of her son, because in this certificate the foundling Luka is shown to be only one month old and, therefore, born not in 1838, but in 1842." The consistory decided: “The foundling Luke is to be baptized, with the words uttered during the baptism: “If he is not baptized, he is.” Then the permission or non-permission of the foundling Luke to marry is presented to the archpastoral will.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “The foundling Luke is allowed to marry after baptism.” Regarding other affairs of the consistory, a resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.181.Op.1. Item 1696. L.168–169. August 21. The fourth word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 313: “Thank the Lord! Calm begins to overshadow our city, houses welcome their residents and the flow of business no longer encounters obstacles due to the absence of workers 314. The attempts at fire, after repeated failures, almost ceased, thanks to the vigilance of the guardians of public safety - both always and especially established for this case. The named members of 315 can now more easily attend to the healing of the wounds inflicted on us, as far as means allow. So - thanks be to the Lord! – we have good hopes! But we have not yet completely returned to normal order; we are still not without fears and embarrassments. Just as a slight rustle frightens someone who is afraid, and just as a sore spot worries with pain from a light touch, so for us, smoke from a chimney at an unusual time or a poorly visible column of dust in the distance seems to be the beginning of a menacing disaster and again revives already hushed anxieties. From this side we can say that the cloud has not yet cleared! Such a long ordeal! And perhaps more than one of you has a soul crying out from the heart: “Relax us, Lord, so that we may rest!” Yes, let us cry out more earnestly in prayer, so that the Lord will weaken us! However, we will not allow ourselves to be cowardly for the sake of something that does not weaken us as quickly as we would like. That's right, that's how it should be. After all, you are not one of the Nevers who attribute everything to chance. After all, you believe that everything is from the Lord - both big and small. Add to this faith also that reassuring confidence that everything that comes from the Lord comes not to harm, but to our good; that, therefore, what we now endure was allowed by the Lord for our creation and salvation... And having established yourself in this thought, wait complacently for the end, strengthened by the conviction that, most likely, not everything has happened in us that the Lord intended to produce in us. The healer, having applied the plaster to the wound, does not immediately remove it, but waits until it produces its effect. You will not deny that we are all wounded by sin and that we need bandages. Here they are attached. Let them have their effect. Be patient and don’t demand that they be picked as soon as possible. Let the malignant matter be pulled out and the affected area tightened. We are being treated by a wise Physician, Who has no equal. Let us complacently surrender to His healing actions on us! Do not focus your attention and feeling on your present state alone - mournful and difficult; but rather direct the eyes of your mind to the future, to the good that will be brought to us by sorrow if we are complacent. We used to think that the Lord burdens us when he sends some kind of disaster. But it turns out the other way around: we bother the Lord, putting Him in the need to invent such admonitions for us. So, brothers, the Lord is working on us today. We will not allow such a complaint to fall on us. Let us hasten to guess what the Lord wants from us, and we will do it. And what he wants, this will be told to each of us by our own conscience. Amen". Words. Tambov, 1861. P.231–235. August 28. The fifth word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 316: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee! Now we are almost completely calmed down, brothers! The expectation of troubles, either from the duration or from the failure of the fire, no longer torments us and does not strike us with crushing fear - and everything with us has taken its usual course. Previously, either grief over losses or fear of new losses disturbed the eye of our mind, and we could not calmly turn to ourselves or discuss what was happening around us. Now we can, it seems, calmly talk about everything that happened to us. What happened to us and what came out of what happened? Is it a test or a punishment? A measure of correction or a sign of God's rejection? No, the Lord does not reject us, otherwise He would not have admonished those who are vigilant about our safety to so quickly and actively block all passages to the evil-directed fire and would not have given them the opportunity to so quickly stop its actions. No, he does not reject, otherwise He would not have preserved our churches 317, which, having preserved, He gives us the assurance that His arms are open to receive us, and clearly tells us: Come to Me... you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest 318. No, he doesn’t reject it. If it were the wrath of rejection, who could resist, and what force could stop its effect? But now we see that the Lord is not completely angry with us and is not at enmity forever 319. What has He done to us? He took us to war to show ourselves and others how courageous we were and how skillful we were in waging war for the salvation of the soul and the glory of our Hero and God. The devil slandered Job against God: “He honors You insincerely; he only shows that he honors You, because You endow him with everything; but command to take from him wealth, glory, power, health - and you will see that he will fall from You like an autumn leaf from a tree.” And so, to justify Job and His favor towards him, the Lord takes him out to battle, without telling him in advance: “Stop, there will be battle” - being confident that he will stand anyway. Don’t look at the fact that he became poor, lying on rot and in wounds. This is not what the enemy needed. It was not houses and herds, not children and slaves, not external splendor and color of the body that he coveted. He wanted to shake the spirit of Job's piety and tear the word of grumbling out of his mouth or settle a feeling of despair in his heart. How he failed to do this means he lost the victory. Job justified God’s favor towards him, and God doubly rewarded him against everything he had lost. A similar thing happened to us. Just as Job triumphed in victory on the dungeon, so we, with the loss of our homes and with all the anxieties that troubled us, could not be defeated. For strength does not lie in the external position, but in the internal mood of the mind and heart. If we hesitated, the victory was lost. If we stood firm, the victory was ours. If there was something wrong, we will grieve about it and correct it. If something is weak and lifeless, we will resurrect it and raise it to inspiration. Let us take care of this, for only such feelings are a sure guarantee that the Lord will soon compensate for our losses and return us to our former prosperity! May the all-merciful Lord grant this to all of us! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.235 243. September 1st. Resolution of Bishop Theophan on the journal of the secret committee meeting by decree of the Holy Synod, No. 456 of June 16, 1860, which was ordered to deliver: a) information about one male and one female monastery of the diocese for the placement of various types of penances in them and b) considerations on the grounds on which instructions should be drawn up for the abbots and abbess of correctional monasteries: “Sanaksarsky a monastery for penance men can be indicated. “I entrust the dean of the monasteries, the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Theoktistus, with drawing up thoughts on the basis on which instructions for the abbots and abbess of correctional monasteries should be drawn up, which he will present by September 15 of this year.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 78. L.84 85. September 3. The sixth word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 320: “Thanks be to the all-merciful Lord, who keeps your city safe and sound! See what troubles are heard around you, but they turn their menacing faces away from you! In the surrounding villages and neighboring cities, fire is consuming the property of civilians, and you, like some kind of shelter, are protected from its sudden attacks. True, your trouble was not far away, but like some unintentional blow, it soon stopped and never happened again. So, thank the Lord! But, brethren, beware and take care not to lose such great mercy of God and do not bring upon yourself the sorrows and troubles that will pass you by. The Lord's mercy and judgment are swift. Position yourself so as not to drive away mercy and attract judgment. Let no flattering thought enter your heart, as if you are getting rid of real troubles for the sake of some distinctions and advantages, as if others are more sinful than you and therefore suffer; and you are more worthy than them, therefore you are free from suffering! No, it’s not like that. This is because they are stronger in spirit than us, and we are weaker than them; they endure misfortune complacently, but we would perhaps fall into murmuring and despair. Those, despite the cloud of troubles, can see the finger of God in them and understand His hidden intentions; and we would, perhaps, be completely lost if such a grief befell us now. So the Lord spares us not because of any merit, but because of our extreme weakness. He chose those - the strongest - as teachers for us - the weakest; through them admonishing us and stimulating us to consciousness and self-correction. Therefore, thank God, and not only show compassion to the victims, but also give honor to them as mentors and saviors. Position yourself in this way, not allowing yourself to indulge in thoughts that are derogatory to our suffering brothers. Humble yourself, and do not exalt yourself, so that it is not considered necessary to humble those who exalt themselves against their will! Do not think, however, that the Lord looks at us less kindly or considers us worthless for anything good. No, and we are given our due. They are honored by teaching, and we by prudent discipleship; Those are considered strong in spirit, and we are attentive to the ways of God's Providence and prudent. Through the misfortunes of others, the Lord clearly tells us: wake up from sleep, look around, correct yourself! We will be attentive and we will fix everything that needs to be corrected. After all, the law of God’s judgment was pronounced long ago, and no one has the power to abolish it. Remember what is written in the Gospel! The pillar of Siloam fell and killed eighteen people. Citing this incident in His teaching to the people, the Lord said this: “Do you think that those eighteen were more sinners than all those living in Jerusalem? No. But I tell you that if you do not repent, you will all perish in the same way” 321. Hearing this, understanding this, let us understand the ways of God’s truth and, following their instructions, let us hasten to turn away the wrath of God, which is always ready, and to retain His mercy, which now covers us. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.243 256. September 4. The seventh word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 322: “You, sisters, were a little alarmed, and I was going to console you with my weak word. But, thank the Lord, your sorrow has already been dissolved by the consolation of the active participation of charitable people whom the Lord has raised up to help you. It is impossible not to rejoice to find you in this state animated by joy. Of course, you would have been able to bear the grief that befell you with a complacency worthy of you; but the Lord, condescending to the possible weaknesses of the heart in you, did not allow you to be under temptation for a long time. The wound is already healing, and soon, perhaps, no trace of it will be noticeable. Therefore, I put aside a word of consolation, so as not to shame you by suggesting cowardice in you. Nevertheless, however, I find it indecent not to occupy your attention with what happened to you. Here, apparently, there was a visitation of God on you, and where is the visitation of God, how not to stop at feeding your soul with the lessons hidden there? In fact, blow and pardon, wound and healing, threat and mercy - the Lord wanted to tell you or show something special in you. What would it be? Let's not go far and get lost in guesswork. He wanted to test whether you are attached to perishable, material, everyday things. A simple lesson, but very important! Remember your vows, how, taking upon yourself the monastic life, you promised, leaving the world, to leave all its worries, so that in solitude you could serenely stand before the One God in unceasing prayers. All worldly addictions, like unnecessary growths, should have fallen from you outside the gates of the monastery. The predilection for the earthly and material is well compared to the rooting of a tree on earthly soil. The more multi-branched the root and the deeper it sends its branches, the harder the tree stands and the more difficult it is to pull it out. Equally, the more attachments the heart has and the stronger these attachments, the more difficult it is to tear it away from the earth and the more painful it is for the heart when it is torn from it against its will. This is what the Lord wanted to bring you to see! But what is in you and with you? What is in you, you will determine for yourself with your conscience - and hasten to renew and purify your covenant with the Lord, Who sees everything. I’ll say one more word! It is comforting to see compassion for you in those living near you! It's comforting to know that you are surrounded by sympathy! And who doesn’t know how necessary this is in our earthly life! But let this not turn you away from your main sympathy - for the invisible world. Your life is the life of the angels. Move your attention and heart to heaven and live there. This is both because of your significance and because only in this way will you find peace for your souls despite all the worries that are inevitable under the conditions of earthly life! They say that the higher you are from the ground, the less vibrations and movements there are in the air; and there, at the very height, everything is quiet and calm - no storms, no thunder, no lightning. This is an image of the peace that a soul finds when it has extinguished all earthly attachments and lives in heaven with its heart - in unceasing warm prayer and constant devotion to God. I wish this blessing for you above all. Then, no matter what happens to you, nothing will alarm or disturb your peace. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.218. September 5. Secretary Pavel Ostroumov 323 sent a note to the board of the Tambov Seminary: “During the testing of the students of the Tambov Seminary, His Eminence made some comments on the notes on some academic subjects, namely: on the subject of patristics: “Make a note - one - so that they all are - and you can teach them; more occupied with reading”; on the subject of logic and psychology: “Turn logic and psychology into questions and hand them over to students at the beginning of the course... one of them is a task, and a lesson during free hours in classes”; on the subject of general church history: “How to manage to know church history?”; on the subject of general civil history: “We must learn to tell in our own words... Pass historical questions - according to all historical circumstances - and in your free time ask and guide in the answers”; on the subject of reading the Holy Scripture: “We need to increase the knowledge of the Holy Scripture. It is necessary that the contents of the book be told in detail from the books... and in this we put the main subject of study - to explain later - during repetition, if anything comes across as necessary." GATO. F.186. Op.66. Storage unit 2, L.1–1 vol. The board of the Tambov Theological Seminary submitted for the consideration of the Right Reverend Theophan the rank lists of students and notes of the teachers of the Tambov Theological Seminary for the year 1861/1860 324. Review of lessons on dogmatic theology by professor of theological sciences Archimandrite Gennady 325, taught to students of the higher department of the Tambov Seminary in the first half of the 1860/1861 academic year. Introduction to the course of theological sciences. 1. The concept of theology. The concept of theology by the meaning and use of the word. The concept of theology according to its subject. The concept of theology according to the way of knowledge. The concept of theology according to the method and volume of presentation. The concept of theology in relation to its beginnings or sources. The concept of theology in relation to purpose. Definition of theology. 2. Definition of the principles of theology. The beginnings of theology. Inaccurate start. Scripture. Composition of Holy Scripture. Use of Holy Scripture. Sacred Tradition. Use of Sacred Tradition. The beginning of theology is leadership. The meaning of reason in the science of Christian theology. 3. Method of theology. Method of studying theology. Educational rules. The rules are practical. Introduction to the course of dogmatic theology. The concept of dogmatic theology. The subject of it. Duty and essential character. The essence of dogmas and the main idea of ​​dogmatic theology. Part one. Contents and division. Section 1. The doctrine of God is one in essence. The truth of God's existence. The incomprehensibility of the essence of God. The need to know about God. Possibility of knowledge of God. The way of knowing God is natural. The insufficiency of the natural way of knowing God. The way of knowing God is supernatural. Properties of frank knowledge of God. The names of God as the beginning for delivering some concept of God. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.59–60. Review of lessons taught to students of the Tambov Seminary of the Higher Department by teacher Alexander Studenetsky 326 in the class of general church history for the September third of the 1860/1861 academic year. Period one. From the death of the apostles to the autocracy of Constantine the Great. Section 1. The external state of the Christian Church in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Spread of the Church in the 2nd and 3rd centuries; reasons for the rapid spread of Christianity; persecution of Christians by pagans; persecution of Trajan; persecution of Marcus Aurelius; persecution of Septimius Severus; persecution of Maximilian; persecution of Decius; persecution of Valerian; the state of Christianity under Gallienus; persecution of Aurelian; the attack on Christianity by Neoplatonist philosophers; persecution of Diocletian. Section 2. The Teaching of the Church, The Fate of the Holy Scriptures. Articles of Faith; apostolic men; fathers and teachers of the Eastern and Western Churches; Alexandria Catechetical School; her most famous teachers. Section 3. The internal structure of the Church, or the state of churchness The state of the church hierarchy; the rights and duties of bishops, presbyters and deacons; lower degrees of clergy - reader, subdeacon, etc.; the origin of the power of metropolitans; mutual relations of Churches among themselves. Public Christian worship. The State of Christian Worship; sacred places; sacred vessels and icons; times of worship; holidays; dispute about the time of Easter celebration; posts; sacraments. Baptism; dispute about the baptism of heretics; Confirmation; Repentance; sacrament of Communion and liturgy; sacrament of Marriage; burial and commemoration of the dead. Section 4. The state of Christian life. Spiritual gifts; the contrast of Christian life with pagan life; behavior of Christians in relation to civil life; private exploits of Christians; feat of martyrdom; love for neighbors; asceticism in the proper sense. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.61–61 vol. Program of subjects taught to students of the higher department of the Tambov Seminary by Professor Archimandrite Gennady in the class of history on the Russian schism during the first half of the 1860/1861 academic year A. About heresies in the ancient Russian Church. 1. Heresy of Hadrian and Dmitry 327. The beginning of this heresy. The essence of the teaching and its fate. 2. Heresy of Martin the Armenian 328. The beginning of this heresy. The essence of the teaching. The cathedral is against it. 3. Heresy of the Strigolniks. The beginning of this heresy. A reason to spread it. Means to eradicate it. 4. Heresy of the Judaizers. The beginning of this heresy and its teaching. The essence of the teaching. Measures to weaken it. Her attitude to the main schism. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.62 62 rev. Review of lessons taught to students of the higher department of the Tambov Seminary by teacher Alexander Studenetsky in the class of church liturgics during the September third of the 1860/1861 academic year Introduction. The subject of liturgics and its duty. Division of liturgics. Part 1. Divine services of the Orthodox Church in general. 1. General concepts about the worship of the Orthodox Church. Establishment of Christian worship; the essence of New Testament worship; internal composition of the service; types of prayers and their expression in the Church: the use of singing in church; properties of church singing; an image of the hymn performed in our Church. 2. General accessories of church worship. A. Sacred persons. Three degrees of priesthood; ordination as a bishop; ordination to the priesthood; image of diaconal ordination; promotion to clergy positions, as well as to protodeacon, abbot and archimandrite; the difference between the three degrees of the priesthood by vestments: a) the sacred vestments of deacons, b) the sacred vestments of presbyters, c) the sacred vestments of bishops; external signs that distinguish the bishop's priesthood. B. Sacred places. The concept of sacred places and the various names of sacred places; external view of churches; interior decorations of churches; the beginning of the use of icons and the establishment of icon veneration; the holiness of the church and the things in it; internal arrangement of churches; altar and its accessories; holy throne; accessories of the holy throne: the altar and the sacred things contained on it; high place and co-throne: the concept of the iconostasis; arrangement of doors and holy icons in the iconostasis; accessories of the middle part of the church; the concept of the porch and its purpose; A note about the different names of churches. B. Symbolic actions used during worship. Indicating them; the concept of the sign of the cross and the antiquity of its use in the Church; the antiquity of the use of candles and oil during temple services and their signification: the signification of bows, head bowing and kneeling; a sign of the blessing taught by the bishop and the priest, and of the bishop’s overshadowing. Part II. About different types of church services. Separation of church services. 1. About church services that are constantly performed in the church. About everyday worship. The time of daily church services: the general beginning of all church services. A. About evening worship. Contents, purpose and beginning of the establishment of the ninth hour; general content of Vespers; private content of Vespers; content and purpose of Compline. B. About morning worship. The purpose of establishing the Midnight Office and its content; difference in the administration of the midnight office; general content of Matins; its private content; the concept of the canon and its composition; the concept of irmos and troparion; the concept of kontakion, ikos, synaxar, lamp and exapostilary; great praise and praise; the beginning and purpose of establishing the service of the first hour and its content; the purpose of establishing and content of the third hour; the purpose of establishing and the content of the sixth hour. B. About the Divine Liturgy. The concept of liturgy and its establishment; composition of the Divine Liturgy, 1. Proskomedia. The concept of proskomedia; a substance necessary for the sacrament of the Eucharist; cooking St. lamb; the purpose and commemoration of the other four prosphoras. 2. Liturgy of the Catechumens. Contents of the Liturgy of the Catechumens; the meaning of the small entrance and the lamp offered before the Gospel; the meaning of the Trisagion and its miraculous origin; reading the Apostle and the Gospel; a special litany for the catechumens. 3. Liturgy of the Faithful. General content of the liturgy of the faithful; marking the great entrance; the meaning and signification of the Cherubic song; the commemoration of the closing of the royal doors with a veil; preparing the faithful for a dignified presence at the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist; celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist; the meaning of the victory song; the offering and consecration of the Gifts; the celebration of the gospel during the celebration of the Eucharist; the meaning of the remembrance of saints and still imperfect members of the Church - living and deceased; preparing believers for communion; image of the communion of clergy and people; the meaning of the transfer of the Holy Gifts from the throne to the altar; thanksgiving after communion; blessing and release. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.63–64 vol. A review of the lessons taught to the students of the higher department of the Tambov Seminary by the assistant rector, Archpriest Pavel Rozanov in the class of doctrine and religion and homiletics during the September third of 1860 I. From the doctrine of religions. Introduction. The concept of this science. Its subject. Divided into two parts. Part one. About Western religions. On the confession of the Roman Church. The concept of this religion. Distinctive features of this religion: 1) the pope is the head of the Universal Church; 2) The Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son; 3) in the sacrament of the Eucharist, one must teach the laity the Body of Christ, and, moreover, use unleavened bread during this sacrament; 4) the sacrament of Confirmation should be performed no earlier than the age of seven years for children, moreover, the right to perform this sacrament belongs to bishops; 5) people who have died in the true faith, but managed to atone for their sins with the fruits of repentance, undergo fiery purification in the so-called purgatory; 6) The Church has the right to give Christians indulgences, or letters of absolution from sins; 7) priests, without exception, must lead a celibate life; 8) must fast every Saturday. The grounds on which Roman theologians try to establish the distinctive features of their confession. The denunciation of this confession, Preliminary concepts. Definition of homiletics. The concept of a church interview. His main goal. Private or special purposes and interviews. The need for church interview science. Homiletics is divided into three parts. Part one. About the matter of church interview. The subject of this part and its division into two sections. 1. About the matter of church interviews in general. The subject of church teachings in general. The need to offer dogmas in preaching. What dogmas should be proposed in the church pulpit? An image of the presentation of dogmatic teaching. Urges to talk about natural objects. The way they are presented. The teaching of the Church is historical as the subject of preaching. A selection of items from church history. Use of civil history in preaching. An image of the presentation of historical subjects. Moral teaching as a subject of teaching. Moral teaching about man in general. Types of this teaching: a) the doctrine of sin; b) the doctrine of moral perfection. Moral teaching on political subjects. Selection of these items. The need to talk about church rituals and worship. Selection and use of these items. 2. On the choice of the material of teachings in relation to external circumstances. Different types of circumstances and their division. Words for church events. Contents of teachings for church holidays. Words during the celebration of the sacraments of Communion and Marriage. Words on the occasion of the consecration of churches. Words at burial and their division into two types. Words in cases concerning the fatherland. The meaning of highly solemn days. Words for the days are highly solemn. Words on the occasion of the change of judges. Words at the consecration of banners. Words at the opening of charitable institutions. Words in times of public distress. Words for deliverance from disasters. Words at the beginning and end of the teaching. Part two. On the nature of church teachings. 1. The main signs of the true nature of church teachings. The concept of edification and its main properties. Biblical spirit. Its main features are holiness, truth and salvific value. Means for assimilating the spirit of the Bible. 2. Orthodoxy: dogmatic, practical, ritual. Means for a preacher to be Orthodox. The people and their demands. Compliance with the decrees of the supreme power, the hearing of the people, the character of the flock and the spirit of the times. Means of being folk and modern. Persuasion of the will. The basis of the Christian belief of the will. Mental method of persuasion. The Christian origin of this method. Experienced means to know the soul. Anointing. Properties of anointing. Gospel grace, prophetic severity, apostolic power and paternal meekness. The effect of the anointed word. Means for acquiring the anointing. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.65–66 vol. Review of lessons taught to students of the higher department of the Tambov Seminary by teacher Vasily Pospelov 329 in the class of agriculture 330 during the September third of 1860 About the benefits and disadvantages of the three-field farming system and means to improve it. The division of plants included in field cultivation into 4 categories: grain, fodder, root and commercial. About grain plants. They are divided into spiked and broad-leaved. On the cultivation of spiked plants. General botanical characteristics of spiked plants, their homeland and reasons for widespread breeding. Cultivation of rye, wheat, barley, oats, corn and millet. On the cultivation of broad-leaved plants. The benefits of cultivating them in agronomic and economic terms. About the cultivation of peas, lentils and buckwheat. About forage plants. Benefits of growing fodder plants. Breeding red clover and toritsa. About root plants. Benefits of growing root crops. About growing potatoes and beets. About commercial plants. About the cultivation of tobacco, flax, hemp and madder. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.67–67ob. Summary of subjects covered in anatomy and physiology during the September third when teaching medical lectures to students of theological seminary Anatomy: definition, indication of its parts, the significance of bones in the human body. The skeleton, or bone skeleton, with its division into natural and artificial, the articulations of bones with their differences; division of bones according to their shape, being external and internal. The purpose, or purpose, of tubercles, elevations, depressions and wells on bones. The closeness of the composition of bones to fossil bodies, the discovery of the constituent parts of bones through digestion and the action of mineral acids on them; parts that make up the bone: the number of cranial bones and the way they are connected to each other. The number of personal bones with their names: the number of teeth in adults and their names; bones that form the eye sockets, nasal and ear cavities, cheekbones, chin. Formation and location of the frontal, or air, sinus; difference between the human head and other animals: its angle and size; composition of the body and its connection with the head; the number of vertebrae in the body in general and separately in the neck, back, lower back, sacrum and coccyx: the composition of the vertebrae in general with the vertebral support and notches they form: remarkable processes in the dorsal vertebrae and the difference in the transverse ones; direction of the spinal column in the neck, lower back, back and sacrum; the difference between the two upper cervical vertebrae and the others with their names; dependence of the oblique movement of the head on the first (atlas) vertebra, and the circular movement on the second (dentate), a measure of flexion of the spine with an indication of the direction; connection of the ribs with the dorsal vertebrae, participation of the ribs in the formation of the back, sides and chest of the body; the number of true ribs connecting to the sternum; the image of the connection of the upper three false ribs and the same two lower ones; the bones that make up the lower part of the body, or the pelvis, with their separation in children; the outline and position of the iliac, pubic and ischial bones with an indication of their articulation, the formation of the acetabulum, its structure and significance in the body, the excellent composition of the femur. Bones that make up the upper arm, forearm, wrist, metacarpus and fingers; outline and articulation of the scapula, articulation of the clavicle, position and articulation of the humerus; the location of its end at the elbow and its connection with the bones of the forearm, free movement of the forearm and the entire arm; action of the radius in up and down rotation; the composition of the wrist and the movability of both its bones and metacarpal bones; the number of joints in the fingers and the diversity of their movements; excellent mobility of the thumb compared to others. The outline and articulation of the femur with the pelvis above, and with the lower leg below; the formation of a knee with a cup lying on it, the similarity of the lower leg with the forearm, and the foot with the hand, but the dissimilarity of the tarsus with the wrist and the big finger with the same hand. The connection and cover of movable bones, limited movement in some bones, the way or method of nutrition of the bones and their fluid = (synonia). (p.208) The importance of muscles in the body with an indication of their action, the purpose and benefits of muscle tendon stretching; fatty tissue that covers the fleshy fibers of the muscles; the cause of strength and strength in the body and also roundness and density in the members; the volume of the medial and terminal muscles with the transition of the latter into the tendon; the commonality of muscles for all animals, and the exclusivity of their whitish color for some; changing the direction of fibers during muscle movement, the reason for increasing natural strength in the body and the purpose of gymnastics, the benefits of moderate and harm of excessive muscle movements; number of paired and especially unpaired muscles; names of muscles according to parts of the body, according to their mode of action and depending on arbitrariness; the range of action of voluntary, unconscious and middle muscles, the existence of the penultimate in the circulatory and digestive organs, and the latter in chest movements; subcutaneous muscles and their action; the body’s ability to perform various movements and increase them; Predominant action during breathing of the pectoral abdomen and abdominal muscles. The location of fatty fiber and the difference in its density; skin with its continuation inward; the skin, its properties and the Malpighian mucous membrane, which gives color to the skin; wells, or pores, of the skin, serving its evaporation, excluding the lack of it in the dog breed of animals. The composition of the general integument of the body with related hair and nails; properties of hair and strengthening of their follicles; location of nails and their benefits; parts of the body that are devoid of sensation. Air pressure on the body and the reason for its tolerance; deviation from the normality of the skin with its transformation into horny and callous growths. Chewing food in the mouth with teeth using other parts of it; the number of all teeth and their division according to action, the way teeth are fed and the reason for their hardness; assistance of the tongue in crushing food and in detecting its taste or tastelessness; the structure of the tongue, its connection and the ability to sense taste; existence of mucous membrane in the oral cavity. Salivary glands with their ducts, ease of swallowing food mixed with saliva and mucus; the entry of food into the pharynx without it flowing into the larynx and nasal cavity, passing it through the pharynx through the abdomen into the stomach; outline and essence of the stomach; combination of food with gastric juice; the action of a worm-like movement of the stomach over it; the transition of food gruel into the intestinal canal of the same structure as the stomach; the outline of the intestines, their length and division; the name of the small intestine, connecting to the stomach, and the end of the large intestines; the adjacent insides of the stomach on the left side, on the right and partly under it, behind and below it; the position of the intestines in the belly, which can hold them in it; the gradualism observed by nature in the assimilation of food by the animal body when it passes salivated from the mouth when mixed in the stomach with its juice and when producing nutritious or milky juice in the small intestines when mixing food gruel with bile, with pancreatic and intestinal juices. The passage of nutritious or milky juice from the thinnest vessels of the intestines through the mesenteric glands into a common trunk, not exceeding the thickness of a writing pen; the passage of this trunk along the vertebrae through the thoraco-abdomen into the chest and the connection on its left side with the subclavian vein carrying blood to the heart, a drop-shaped transition into this vein of the nutrient juice absorbed by the milky vessels from the intestines after joining it with lymph, or sap, collected from the whole body. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.68 69 ob.. A review of the lessons taught to the students of the secondary first department of the Tambov Theological Seminary by the teacher, inspector Hieromonk Sergius in the class of reading the Holy Scriptures during the September third of the academic year 1860/1861 Preliminary concepts about the Book of Job, its reliability, antiquity and content are taught; read the entire Book of Job with a detailed account of the contents of the book and with an explanation of especially remarkable texts and some words; concepts about the book of psalms were taught, the psalms of the first two kathismas were read and explained. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.70. Summary of subjects taught to students of the secondary first department of the Tambov Seminary by the teacher, priest N. Afanasyev 331 in the logic class for the September third of the academic year 1860 Introduction to logic. Concept of logic; dividing it into theoretical and practical; the importance of this science. Contents of theoretical logic. 1. About thinking in general and its basic laws. The concept of thinking in general: the concept of the basic laws of thinking and their number: the beginning of identity; the beginning of a contradiction; the beginning of the excluded middle, or third; the beginning of reason and consequence. 2. About private actions of thinking and their laws. Particular actions of thinking: concept, judgment and inference. a) About concepts. Definition of a concept, the basis for the division of concepts in the discussion of quantity, quality, relationship and imagery. b) About judgments. The concept of judgment and proposal, the difference between judgments and concepts; matter and form of judgments and propositions; different types of judgments. c) About inferences. The concept of inference and syllogisms; matter and form of syllogisms, general rules of syllogisms; dividing them in the reasoning of the essential form; definition, form, beginning and rules of categorical syllogism; definition, form, beginning and rules of the conditional syllogism; definition, form, beginning and rules of the divisive syllogism; definition and form of dilemma; division of syllogisms in reasoning of a random form; division of syllogisms into secret and disorderly, simple and complex. Contents of practical logic. 1. On the acquisition of knowledge. Contents of this section. a) About the sources of knowledge. The first source of knowledge is experience, observations and experiments; rules for observations and experiments; another source of knowledge is the higher powers of the mind; rules for acquiring speculative knowledge; the third source of knowledge is the communication of knowledge by others; rules for assimilating the knowledge of other people; rules for determining the reliability of evidence; rules for researching the authenticity of essays; rules for interpreting essays: rules for reading books; rules for assimilating knowledge imparted to us by others through oral instruction. b) About obstacles to knowledge. Various obstacles to knowledge from feelings, memory, imagination, language, passions, external circumstances and means to eliminate all such obstacles. 2. On bringing knowledge into the system. Methodology. The concept of methodology and its content. a) About a system or science. The concept of a system or science; idea of ​​science; matter, form and method of science. b) On the main conditions for bringing knowledge into the system. The main conditions for bringing knowledge into the system: 1) explanations; concept of explanation; various types of explanations; the rules thereof; 2) divisions; concept of division; various types of division; division rules; 3) evidence; concept of evidence; matter, form and force of evidence; various types and rules of evidence. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.73 74 rev. A review of the lessons taught to students of the secondary first department of the Tambov Seminary by teacher Vasily Pospelov in the natural history class during the September third of 1860 Introduction to Natural History. Subject of natural sciences: physics, chemistry and natural history; the division of natural bodies into mineralized and non-metallic, the difference between them and the division of natural history into zoology, botany and mineralogy. The subject of zoology, the difference between animals and plants, the distribution of animals into divisions, showing the need and basis for such division. Comparative anatomy and physiology of humans and animals. Overview of the human skeleton: skull, torso and limbs. Muscles: their purpose, division and movement based on them in humans and their parts and animals. General human integument: fiber and skin, hair and nails; general coverings of animals. Nutrition of humans and animals. The concept of nutrition and its division into digestion, absorption of juices from food, blood circulation and respiration. a) Digestion. The apparatus of digestion in humans: the mouth with its parts, the esophagus, the stomach and intestines; and digestive apparatus in animals. b) Absorption of juices from food. Milky and pascal vessels. c) Blood circulation. Circulatory systems in humans and animals. d) Breathing. Respiratory systems in humans and animals. Nervous system. Cranial and spinal brain, nerves and nerve plexuses. Tools of the Five Senses. The structure of the eye, ear, nose, tongue and general integument in humans and animals. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.75 75 rev. A review of the lessons taught to the students of the secondary first department of the Tambov Seminary by teacher Alexander Studenetsky in the class of church biblical history for the September third of the 1860/1861 academic year Introduction to Church History. Definition of Church History; dividing it into subjects; its benefit is general; the benefit is special for the pastor of the Church; its end; its division by time; division of Old Testament church history; the main source of church history is the Holy Scripture; the other closest source for the history of the Church of the Old Testament is the writings of Josephus; division of church history according to its sources. First period. Where does church history begin? How can you know about the beginning of the world? Order and continuation of creation; the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth days of creation; creation of man; the conclusion of creation; origin of the Church; the perfection of reason in the primitive state of man; perfection of will; primitive religion: test of the obedience of the first man; the establishment of the primitive Church; the visible pledge of the covenant on God's part; seat of the primitive Church; enemy of the primitive Church; the story of the fall of man; punishment: restoration of the primitive Church; the dwelling place of fallen man; the rest of Adam's life; the story of Cain and Abel; the most famous patriarchs before the flood; mixing of tribes and the concept of giants; Providence's care for the preservation of true faith in the human race. Period two. The need for first world execution; its extension to a senseless creature; the foretelling of the flood is proof of Noah's hope; concept of the ark: contents in the ark; flood; Noah's renewal of the world; renewal of the human race: renewal of the Church; eclipse of the Church of Noah; Noah's prophecy; pandemonium and division of nations; origin of peoples; nations from Shem: the family of Arphaxad; the beginning of idolatry. Period three. The life of Abraham before his calling; the state of the Church in the time of Abraham; God's first revelation to Abraham; second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth revelations of God to Abraham: the rest of Abraham's life; life of Isaac; properties and lot of Esau and Jacob; Jacob's journey to Mesopotamia; the adventures of Joseph; Jacob's migration to Egypt; the death of Jacob and Joseph; the condition of the Jews in Egypt; The Church is outside the race of Abraham; worship and rituals. GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 22. L.76–76 vol. September 7. Bishop Feofan consecrated the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Olshanka, Borisoglebsk district and delivered a sermon: “If we were to gather together the souls of everyone who is here, and to look around everyone with one glance, then, with all the diversity of faces and states, with all the differences in thoughts and dispositions, it would be impossible not to see one thing common to all and imprinted in everything, a feeling of joy and spiritual joy about the construction of a church, and such a church 332. This on our part is a due tribute to the pious zeal and patient work of the church builder 333, a tribute to the free spirit, which is, however, involuntarily extorted. But, brothers, we should not limit ourselves to this alone. The peace of consolation, in fact, is only fitting for the sacrifice of love. So that we, who have not made such a sacrifice here, may deserve to enter into the same peace, let us also make a different kind of sacrifice on our part - the sacrifice of ready submission to the will of God, which is revealed in the construction of churches among Christians and for Christians; because this is associated with well-known obligations imposed on us, which we must renew in our conscience every time we participate in a celebration similar to this present day or celebrate a celebration commemorating it. The integrity of the heart in the body is a condition of life. Hit the heart - and immediately death. Shouldn't the same be said about the church? Yes! Do not afflict the church with vanity and self-will, otherwise you will die in spirit. This is, of course, not the substance of the church. Its material composition often ages, burns, and collapses, but those belonging to the church, despite this, still remain alive in spirit. But ascend a little higher than these material vaults or penetrate a little deeper than this material composition of the church - and you will see that it is so. Look at those who shun churches and expose their inner mood! Why does it blow coldly from them, like from a grave? Because their spiritual life is either shortened or completely extinguished by cutting themselves off from the churches and their entire order. Here we mean not only Molokans and schismatics, but also - even more so - superstitious people who, under the pretext of some purity of concepts, rise above these complex, however, buildings and everything that is in them. May there be no such thing between us! Whether all of us who are present here are so disposed towards the church - let everyone’s own conscience tell us about this. For my part, I will only remind you that the current day of the consecration of the church obliges us to delve into our relationship to the church, trust them and correct them if something wrong has crept in. Do not neglect these responsibilities and do not consider them unimportant. The church is a symbol of Christianity and a place of God’s gracious means. He who is alienated from the church has become outside the streams of grace and is in danger of drying up. Blessed, on the contrary, are those who are devoted to the church and everything in the church! They soon become like a tree planted by rising waters, always bearing fruit abundantly 334 . In conclusion, I again invite you all to give thanks to the Lord for the completion of this church! May His all-generous goodness bless those who labored in its creation, and may this blessing remain in their generation from generation to generation! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.256 263. September 10. The eighth word of His Grace Theophan on the occasion of fires 335: “There is a time to be silent 336,” says the Wise. And isn’t this remark directed at us – in the current circumstances?! Sorrow compresses the heart and binds the tongue. So Job’s friends, seeing him for the first time in a painful state, sat with him for seven days in silence - either unable to utter a word from the tightness of their hearts, or unable to find words to fully express their compassion. What can I tell you that is commensurate with your grief?! The prophet Jeremiah, seeing his holy city of Jerusalem devastated, sat down on its ruins and mourned its destruction in lamentable songs that now make up one of the sacred books. Jeremiah the prophet did not sin in expressing his lamentation. We would not sin if we began to mourn your losses together with you. But aren’t they already mourned and aren’t they still mourned, more bitterly than any lamentable word?! And what is the use of remembering to etch wounds that have already begun to gradually heal from time to time? So, let's look for better words of consolation! What exactly the Lord wanted to do in you by sending you your misfortune is not with our minds to guess; but, it is true, in one - one thing, in another - another, in each - its own. Only one thing can be considered common to all - this is the incentive to repentance and correction of life. Thus, having recognized in our misfortune the finger of God admonishing us, let us all go into ourselves together and each separately, subject everything to a strict conscientious analysis and, if we find anything there that cannot be pleasing to God, we will make a firm intention to leave it behind and correct ourselves. By this we will reproduce in ourselves a mood of spirit that is capable of attracting from heaven not only consolation, but also mercy. In this case, consolation will undoubtedly be poured out on us, and it will be poured out immediately; and mercy can come immediately, or it can be delayed, according to the insight of God, who knows what is more salutary for us. But it is certain that the Lord is not completely angry and is not at enmity forever. He struck and he will heal. In His right hand are both life and death. He who trusts in the Lord will receive mercy 337. This effective hope will be reborn in a purified conscience - it will undoubtedly be reborn and will undoubtedly attract mercy. In these feelings, come, let us bow down, and let us fall down and weep before the Lord who created us 338 Lord, raise up Your power and come to save us! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.248 251 September 14. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord in the Sukhotinsky Convent: “We now celebrate the glorious Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Everyone knows why it was necessary, how it was accomplished and why it is celebrated with such greatness in the Christian Church. Remember all this. Remember also that each of us has his own cross, with which, at the calling of the Lord, he follows Him and on which he must, following the example of the Apostle, be crucified with Christ. Golgotha ​​for this cross is our heart; it is erected, or erected, by a zealous determination to live according to the spirit of Christ, and is composed of different heartfelt dispositions, main and inaccurate in Christian life. Just as the salvation of the whole world comes from the Cross of the Lord, so our salvation comes from our crucifixion on our own cross. But just as the Life-giving Cross of the Lord was thrown into a pit and covered with rubbish, so we can throw our cross and throw it away with negligence and carelessness, and then we are not among those being saved, but among those perishing. Therefore, we urgently need to clearly understand for ourselves what our cross is made of in order to correctly understand: is it standing in our heart or has it been cast off from it, are we walking with this cross after the Lord, or have we turned aside and, casting off this good yoke of Christ, are wandering, not knowing where and why? I will not explain everything to you in detail, but I will only point out those feelings and dispositions without which you cannot take a single step in monasticism, without which you cannot live in a monastery like a monastery - and monasticism is not monasticism, but ordinary life, only within the monastery walls. So listen! The lower part of the cross, the one that enters the earth, corresponds in the inner cross to self-sacrifice, with which the earth of the heart is torn apart and the cross is implanted into it. The upper part of the inner cross, or the one going up, standing straight - the longitudinal one - is made up of patience, that is, such firmness to stand in the intentional, which is not shaken by any obstacles, any displeasures and labors. Without patience, it is impossible for anyone to stand in goodness, much less for a monk to stand in monasticism. For a layman, patience is constancy in enduring all the labors to fulfill his duties; for a monk, moreover, it is the firmness of staying in his rank and in his place. The transverse part of the internal monastic cross is obedience - an attitude in which they do not undertake anything themselves, do not plot anything, but only listen and unquestioningly carry out the orders of others. Now put everything together and you will see that death gives everything entry into the monastery, patience makes staying in it safe, obedience embraces all the activities of those staying inside it. Here is a three-part cross from which true monastic life flows! If the cross is imagined as a tree, then its root is faith, from which first of all grows self-sacrifice and the determination to give up everything and take on the one task of saving the soul at a distance from everything. From self-denial is born love, ready for any obedience; out of obedience, or contemporaneously with it, patience develops, crowned with hope that ascends to heaven - into the inner veil, as the apostle says. Where all these dispositions exist, the tree of the cross does not stand alone bare, but branches into many shoots of various virtues, is covered with the leaves of external virtue and abounds in the fruits of good deeds. But I cannot help but add a desire or even a petition: if you find that your cross has either bowed down, or completely fallen, or, even more, is covered with dust and debris of bad thoughts and desires, take care to open it, cleanse it with repentance and again erect it and plant it in your heart with a firm determination to be zealous for the salvation of your soul to the point of your stomach. Believe that without this cross there is no spiritual life and no salvation, no joy in monastic life. Without the cross, no one has been saved and will not be saved. Just as the Lord entered into glory by suffering on the Cross, so all who follow Him, through a kind of cross, enter into co-glorification with Him. Do you want to enter into this glory? Climb first to the cross - and from the cross you will go to heaven. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 263–268. September 17. His Eminence Theophan put a resolution on the petition of the collegiate assessor Pyotr Kamensky. “My nephew, a student of the Tambov Theological Seminary of the secondary department Feodor Karaevsky 339,” Pyotr Kamensky reported in the petition, “due to illness, could not appear for the exam last July, and therefore was left in the same class. Meanwhile, he, Karaevsky, had all the knowledge necessary to transfer to the higher department of the seminary, and during the holidays he still prepared. Why do I humbly ask Your Eminence to allow Karaevsky to take the exam now, and if he is awarded a transfer to the higher department of the seminary, then, in order not to constrain the staff assigned to the local seminary, notify him of his transfer to the Samara Theological Seminary, where, upon being awarded the transfer, he will certainly go to continue his studies under the supervision and support of his uncle, the Samara police officer, who lives in Samara Kamensky. Otherwise, he, Karaevsky, due to the lack of a full-time position in the local seminary, in the higher department, must remain in the same middle department.” Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Admit to the exam - and as a result of it, make a decision on transfer to a higher department.” GATO. F.186. Op.66. Storage unit 14. L.1 1 rev. September 18. The ninth word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the occasion of fires 340: “Upon my return, I hoped to find you completely calm and, in my first service, to celebrate with you the complete cessation of all your troubles; but I am not worthy of such consolation! And our present goodness would be so little comforting! So our future is darkened by drought. What should we do and where should we turn?! Where to look for relief and what medicine to apply to your wounds? There is nothing left for us to do but turn to the Lord and cry out in tears: “God, be merciful to us sinners!” Let us imitate in this the ancient prophets, who, appearing among the people of God during public calamities, either consoled them, then reproached them and urged them to repentance, or simply indulged in tears: they cried themselves and called everyone to weeping. Oh, brothers, has the Lord really abandoned us alone, to be trampled underfoot by everyone who passes by, and will not return His mercies to us?! No, merciful Lord! Do not lose heart, lift up your heads, arise to trust! Let us turn to Him in repentant contrition and humility, in undoubted hope, in persistent prayers. Let us call upon the Lady, the ambulance and the Intercessor for help. Let us call on all the saints, let us fall tearfully to everyone, so that with a common voice the Lord, besought, will soon turn His wrath into mercy and restore us to peace, security and contentment. We have no other refuge! Cry relentlessly: “God, be merciful to us sinners!” And He will turn His fatherly heart to us and will soon have mercy! 341 Amen." Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 252–255. September 22. Bishop Feofan sent to the Holy Synod, in response to Decree No. 615 of August 9, 1859, report No. 313 on the results of the investigation of the case of the priest Gabriel Tavitsky “on the return of his right to officiate and on his assignment to his previous position” (draft): “The priest of the village of Kalaisa, Kirsanovsky district, Gabriel Tavitsky, in a petition submitted to [my predecessor] 342 Eminence Macarius on June 5, 1858, explained: [the following: in December 1832 he accepted the rank of priesthood and has remained in it until now; Twenty years, it seems, is enough to endure the great misfortunes that his annual form reiterates, despite the fact that he lived before God and people with a good conscience, if possible: it is all the more sufficient that, due to the difficulties of suffering, he did not have the share of enjoying any fortune, living all this time either in apartments or houses, which, when moving, never returned the amount given for them]. Having his daughter Raisa, who is of age for marriage, he is not able to properly accommodate her with a reward, which is why he wants in return to give her the place he occupies in the village of Kalais. According to which petition, as a result of the conclusion of the consistory, which took place on July 18 and was approved by the Right Reverend Macarius, priest Tavitsky was required to provide additional information to the petition, in what position, after the surrender of his daughter’s place, he wishes to remain, i.e., in the supernumerary or due to widowhood, he wishes to enter the monastery; To which demand the priest Tavitsky replied that, upon transferring his place to his daughter, he had to ask for another place for himself; if his request is not granted, then he decides to become a hieromonk in some monastery. On the certificate with which the said review of Priest Tavitsky was presented, the Right Reverend Macarius gave the following resolution: “To the petitioner, declare that he has no right to expect another place and will not receive it; and only under this condition is he allowed to look for a groom for his daughter, giving up his place to him.” After this, the priest of Tavitsky and the priest of the village of Leontievki, John Bazidiev, asked the Right Reverend Macarius to move them - one in the place of the other - on the conditions explained in their petition regarding the change of houses; At the inquiry regarding this petition, the Right Reverend gave a resolution: “Let Tavitsky first find his son-in-law and give him the place, and then it will be seen whether the son-in-law agrees to exchange with Baziliev.” After announcing the above resolution to priest Tavitsky, in a petition submitted to the same eminence on January 24, 1859, he made the following objections: “On the certificate of my common petition with priest Basiliev dated January 22, 1859, I expected the following resolution: to refuse - either because Tavitsky’s place is subject to closure, or because Tavitsky is on trial for the marriage of an Orthodox groom with a schismatic bride, since this circumstance for a judge of an ardent disposition, at least for a while, could seem plausible for refusal. But to refuse because there might be a son-in-law in my place and whether he would want to change places with Baziliev, has nothing fundamental; It remains to be seen whether I will hand over my place to someone, because I am not obliged to do so. It is also unknown: my daughter, my bride, will ever marry anyone, for this is a matter of her arbitrariness. Until all this is accomplished experimentally, I am the master of the place; I have the right and can transfer it to whomever I want; That’s why I ask you to transfer the place to priest Baziliev, subject to his condition regarding the purchase of the house, and Baziliev’s place to me, Tavitsky.” At this petition, the Most Reverend Macarius submitted a resolution: “Since the petitioner allowed me to make rudeness and threats in the presence of all the petitioners, then report about him with an opinion in a special journal, taking into account a complete certificate about him.” The Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory, after making inquiries in its conclusion, held on January 28, 1859 and approved by the Eminence, laid down the following. From the certificate it is clear that the Holy Synod, after considering the conclusion of the diocesan authorities, was entitled to: the priest of Tavitsky for naming his sons Yana - names not used in the Orthodox Church; disrespect for the authorities, expressed in the unfounded and arrogant petitions he submitted to the Holy Synod and to the diocesan authorities, even if he should have been deprived of his dignity and expelled from the clergy, but in respect for his family and in the hope of correction, he, Tavitsky, should be relegated to a clerical vacancy for three years, by decree of December 31, 1855 g. let the diocesan authorities know that although the Holy Synod recognizes the conclusion of the diocesan authorities as being completely consistent with the circumstances relating to the Tavitsky case, but since all the actions of the priest Tavitsky followed the state of the most merciful manifesto, then on the basis of the 6th paragraph of it, without relegating Tavitsky to a priest, give him a place at the closest discretion of the authorities and then subject him to the strict supervision of the local dean, instilling in him that he should try in every possible way to make amends for all his actions by strictly fulfilling the duties of his rank in the future and unconditional obedience to his superiors, under the fear of inevitable punishment according to the laws for doing otherwise. Priest Tavitsky, instead of strictly fulfilling the duties of his rank, then married an Orthodox person to a schismatic; Instead of unconditional obedience to his superiors, in a request submitted on January 24 to move him to the place of priest, Baziliev allowed himself to use impudent expressions and in a verbal explanation allowed himself to make rudeness and threats to his Eminence in the presence of all the petitioners. Therefore, the consistory believes: priest Tavitsky for impudent expressions in the request, for verbal rudeness and threats to his eminence [on the basis of Art. 425. Code of Punishments] to be sent to the Sarov Hermitage for a year under the strict supervision of a builder with the prohibition of sacred rites; and since priest Tavitsky, neither by fulfilling the duties of his rank, nor by obedience to his superiors, in accordance with the above-mentioned decree of the Holy Synod, does not give hope for his correction, then, after surviving the term of the monastic subordinate, leave him, Tavitsky, forever among the supernumeraries, with the prohibition of sacred rites; in his place, according to the resolution of the Right Reverend, allow him to find a groom for his daughter [Raisa] from among those who have completed the seminary course. Then the place of priest Tavitsky was given to [Ivan] Trubyatchinsky, who had married his daughter and had completed his seminary course, and who was ordained by me to the priesthood on September 8, 1859. But priest Tavitsky had not yet fulfilled the monastic authority assigned to him by the diocesan authorities. Priest Gabriel Tavitsky, according to the clergy records for 1859, is shown to be 50 years old; after completing a seminary course on December 15, 1832, he was ordained a priest in the village of Kudrino, Kirsanovsky district; in 1837 he was moved to the village of Maly Khomutets, Lebedyansky district, and from there in the same year he was transferred to the village of Ivanovo, Tambov district; in 1847, moved to the village of Khlystovo, Morshansky district; in 1848 moved to the village of Vanovye, Shatsk district; in 1852 he was transferred to the village of Samovets, Kozlovsky district; 1853 to the village of Srednyaya Orzhevka, Kirsanovsky district; and from there in 1859 to the village of Kalane. Good behavior, widows. He was tried in twenty-two cases: 1 – in 1833, for reducing the candle amount, he was fined by collecting the missing amount of the amount together with other members of the clergy; 2 – in 1835, for disrespectful comments about the Fathers of the Church, he was banned for two weeks; 3 – for deviation in sacred rites from the church charter, he was fined with a three-month monastic sentence under supervision; 4 – in 1839, for disobedience to superiors and submission of clergy records without assault, he was subject to indefinite detention; 5 - in 1842, for noting in the clergy records about the affairs of his clergy, he was awarded a four-month subordinateship, from which he was released by the most merciful manifesto; 6 – for unauthorized absence from office, taking church keys with him, etc., he was confirmed not to do this in the future; 7 - in 1847, for not closing the royal doors during the liturgy, blessing the deacon during incense, and pouring over infants at baptism, he was fined by the authorities for three months with a ban on performing sacred acts; 8 – for embezzlement of church money, it was confirmed that he should not spend church money in the future; 9 – in 1849, for appearing before the bishop without a cassock, he was banned for one month; 10 - in the same year, for indecent acts in church during Vespers, he was sentenced to three months in the monastic command; 11 – in the same year, a reprimand was made to him for harassing parishioners and not serving the liturgy on April 22; 12 - in the same year, for arbitrariness with a comrade and making a signature across the search, he was sentenced to a month in the monastery under the command; 13 – fined 2 rubles for submitting incorrect documents. silver[ebrom]; 14 – for offensive language in a petition to the diocesan bishop, he was sentenced to two months under the monastic command; 15 – in 1849, for officiating six marriages outside his parish, he was sentenced to a month in a monastery; 16 – in 1850, a fine of 3 rubles was imposed for performing a marriage without a search. silver[ebrom]; 17 – in the same year, for writing a draft petition to parishioners, he was removed from his place in the village of Vanovye; 18 – in 1851, for preventing the volost government from obtaining a certificate of metrics, he was fined 100 bows; 19 – in the same year, for offensive language about moving to the village of Poganka, he was fined 100 bows; 20 – in 1853, for slandering members of the consistory by falsely drawing up certificates, he was sentenced to a monastery for one month; 21 – for naming their sons by names not used in the Orthodox Church; disrespect for the authorities, expressed in unfounded and arrogant petitions submitted to the Holy Synod and to the diocesan authorities, although he should have been deprived of his rank and expelled from the clergy, but was condemned to be demoted to clerics. By decree of the Holy Synod of December 31, 1855, on the basis of the most merciful manifesto issued on the 27th day of March of that year, subject to the strict supervision of the local dean, with suggestion. so that he, having felt such royal mercy, tried in every possible way to make amends for all his actions by strictly fulfilling the duties of his title and unconditional obedience to his superiors, under the fear of inevitable punishment according to the laws for doing otherwise; 22 - in 1859, for the wedding of the peasant landowner Naryshkin Yakunin, of the Orthodox faith, with the peasant girl of the same owner, the girl Tatiana Chemukina, of the Old Believer sect, he was appointed to the monastery subordinate for a period of one year with a ban on priestly service, which subordinate priest Tavitsky had not yet fulfilled. What I have the honor to convey to the Holy Governing Synod with the return of the petition of priest Tavitsky.” October 1st. Permission was received from the Moscow Committee of Spiritual Censorship to publish the magazine “Strannik” No. 10, in which the publication of St. Theophan’s article “Teachings on the Path to Salvation” continued. Wanderer. 1860. T.3. No. 10. pp.296–304. October 6. Submission of Bishop Theophan to the Holy Synod: “The Board of the Tambov Seminary, in its submission to me on October 6, informed that some clergy serve in the school department with excellent zeal and benefit, namely: 1) a teacher of the Tambov Seminary and an assistant to the rector in a professorial position. Archpriest of the Intercession Church Pavel Rozanov, who has been excellently holding his position for 13 years and, in addition, works very hard, but without compensation, to teach subjects and carefully fulfills various assignments of the seminary board, 2) teacher of the Tambov Seminary, priest of the Intercession Church Nikolai Afanasyev, who has been excellently holding a teaching position at the seminary for 13 years and is excellently diligent in fulfilling the position of assistant inspector of the seminary, 3) teacher of the Second Tambov spiritual district school, priest of the Tambov nunnery Ascension Monastery Vasily Kobyakov, who has served as a teacher for 24 years with excellent benefit for students, 4) teacher of the same school and priest of the same monastery Grigory Smirnov 343, who has held the position of teacher for 20 years with excellent benefit, 5) teacher of the same school, priest of the seminary Nicholas Church Alexei Peskov, who with excellent passing through the position of a teacher combines the diligent, but unpaid, post of assistant school inspector and, in addition, also without remuneration, but very diligently, the post of priest at the seminary of the St. Nicholas Church, and therefore, out of attention to the excellently diligent and useful service of the mentioned mentors and to encourage them to further work in the school department, asked me to petition for the awarding of Archpriest Rozanov with a velvet kamilavka, Priest Afanasyev with a velvet skufia, Priests Kobyakov and Smirnov with pectoral crosses, Priest Peskov with a velvet skufia. Recognizing the testimony of the seminary board about the excellently diligent and useful service of the school mentors mentioned above as quite fair and taking into account that these mentors are distinguished by their special zeal and diocesan service, I consider it my duty to most humbly present the award to the Holy Synod, and I am enclosing formal lists of their service.” GATO. F.186. On.67. Storage unit 47. L.7–7 vol. October 11. Bishop Feofan put resolutions on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated October 3, where the consistory, among other matters, considered: “Relation of the Tambov Chamber of State Property No. 21940, in which it presented a copy of its relationship dated May 7 of this year, No. 5923 regarding the withdrawal from the village of Vyshenka, Kirsanovsky district, of priest Yakov Seslavinsky 344 for oppressing parishioners and about leaving one priest, Abram Tserozov, in that village.” The consistory decided to conduct an investigation. Resolution of Bishop Feosran: “Add: if it becomes necessary to withdraw one priest from the village of Vyshenka, then let Tserozov prepare for the exit. as having been convicted several times.” “Report of the dean of the city of Morshansk, Archpriest Andrei Voskresensky 345 dated September 21, No. 62, in which a letter from Abbot Gerasim 346 and the brethren to the society from Morshansk on the occasion of the religious procession from the Vyshenskaya Hermitage 347 to the designated city is presented.” They ordered: “The report of the dean archpriest of Voskresensky with a letter from Abbot Gerasim should be attached to the case. Ask the city police to find out from the residents whether they agree to establish, instead of the procession with the Kazan Vyshenskaya Icon of the Mother of God in the autumn, one or more passages with local icons, and if they do not agree, then whether they agree to postpone the procession with the Kazan Vyshenskaya Icon of the Mother of God in the spring or summer.” The other articles of the consistory journal were followed by a general resolution: “Fulfill.” GATO.F.181. On.1. Item 1706. L.1–2 vol., 3 vol. October 13. At a meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, Mr. Dyakov’s petition dated October 9 was considered, “by which he complains about the deacon of the village. Mokrogo Elatomsky district 348 Mikhail Tardin 349 about his drunkenness.” The letter contains the resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Due to the persistence of the landowner’s request, I consider it incredible that the deacon was right. Now to ban him from sacred ceremonies and order an investigation - about his behavior - through a person who would not distort in this matter.” The consistory decided: “With the writing of a letter of petition with a resolution from His Eminence, send a decree to the Shatsky spiritual board for proper execution, so that the investigation carried out is submitted to the consistory with a short note and opinion within the legal period.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1706. L.55ob. October 21. Bishop Feofan approved the proposal of the board of the Tambov Seminary to move the rector Archimandrite Theoktist (Popov) to the Kyiv Seminary. “The Tambov Spiritual Consistory, in relation to its dated October 19, No. 12952, informed the seminary board for proper disposition that the rector of the Tambov Seminary, Archimandrite Theoktist, by decree of the Holy Synod of October 10, 1860, No. 4704, was transferred to the rector and professor of theological sciences at the Kyiv Seminary. Why does the board of Tambov Seminary think: 1) dismiss Fr. rector Theoktistos from his positions at the seminary and calculate the salary on the day of actual dismissal; 2) the correction of the rector’s position, pending the arrival of the new rector, should be entrusted to the seminary inspector, Hieromonk Sergius, and the correction of the inspector’s position, and together with the professor’s position, Fr. rector - teacher Archpriest Pavel Rozanov; 3) demand written information from the seminary housekeeper, secretary and librarian whether there are any government items, documents and books in Fr. rector Feoktist; 4) all sums of money stored in the treasury, as well as credit notes, should be verified with monthly statements and income and expense books, and an act on the availability of sums should be drawn up with the general signature of the members and then a receipt should be issued: 5) money for runs in the amount of 154 rubles. 65 kopecks, loaned out from the amount of the Tambov Seminary; 6) to the head of the province, on behalf of His Eminence, about the expulsion of the traveler; 7) inform the board of the Kazan Theological Academy about the time of departure of Father Rector Feoktist and about the assignment of positions. Which opinion I most humbly submit to Your Eminence for archpastoral consideration and approval.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 71. L.1–1 vol. In connection with the relocation of the rector, the head of the Tambov province K.K. An appeal was sent to Danzas with a request to send a travel document: “On the occasion of the transfer of the rector of the Tambov Seminary, Archimandrite Theoktistus, as rector to the Kyiv Seminary, I have the honor to humbly ask you, dear sir, to make an order to send to the seminary board a travel document for government reasons addressed to the rector of the Kyiv Seminary, Archimandrite Theoktistus, from Tambov to Kiev 350 for four horses under his own carriage with future ones with him.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 71. L.8 The board of the Tambov Seminary, as a result of its resolution approved on October 21 by Bishop Feofan, “in its presence on October 21, verified the seminary amount in tickets and cash according to income books and monthly certificates, and upon verification it turned out that the entire amount was available, namely in tickets 28,513 rubles. 85 1/2 kopecks, cash 2308 rubles. 94 kopecks silver GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 71. L.6. October. Bishop Feofan signed the following report to the “Board of the Kazan Theological Academy” 351: “The Board of the Tambov Seminary has the honor to inform the Board of the Kazan Theological Academy that 1) the rector of the Tambov Seminary, Archimandrite Theoktist, on the basis of the decree of the Holy Synod of October 10, 1860 No. 4704, to His Eminence what followed, he was dismissed from his positions at the seminary and on October 23 went to his new destination - the Kyiv Seminary; 2) the correction of his rector’s position, pending the arrival of the new rector, with the approval of the Right Reverend, is entrusted to the seminary inspector, Hieromonk Sergius, and the correction of the inspector’s position, and together with the professorial position of the rector, is entrusted to the seminary teacher, Archpriest Pavel Rozanov.” GATO F.186. On.66. Storage unit 71. L. 9. October 22. Word from the Right Reverend Theophan on the day of the celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God: “Now celebrating our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, miraculous for the sake of Her Kazan icon, for the deliverance of Moscow from Lithuania, your thoughts involuntarily turn to other places where She, our ambulance Helper, was pleased to show Her special mercy to us, such as: Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Murom, Tikhvin, Pskov, Smolensk, Kaluga, Tambov, Kursk, Kiev, Pochaev, etc. Judging by this, there is no doubt that the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God now, on the day dedicated to Her, expects a decent offering from us. Failure to do this is both uncommendable and unhelpful. What shall we bring?! Virgos love flowers. We will bring flowers to the Virgin Mary. But like the Most Pure Virgin - pure flowers, like the Ever-Virgin - unfading flowers, like the Queen of Heaven - flowers of paradise, heavenly, spiritual. You probably understand what kind of flowers these are? These are those who are seeded in the heart by the action of the Most Holy Spirit and, under His grace-filled influx, grow and blossom; flowers of holy feelings and dispositions with which the heart of a Christian should be filled and which are rightly called paradise, heavenly plantings in our heart. What will those of us bring to Her (if there are any) who not only cannot make a bouquet, but cannot even find one wilted flower in themselves? What will we bring to Her, poor people?! Let us bring tears of repentance, in the confidence that they can replace all flowers and all their various combinations. Have you seen how colorfully a ray of sun plays in a drop of dew when it catches it on a flower?! Let's do something for ourselves to adapt to this! Let us intelligently walk through all the colors of the virtues that are obligatory for us and, not finding them in ourselves, let us water them with tears of deep heartfelt contrition. When the Sun of Truth subsequently shines in us, His ray will be reflected in many colors in our tears. These are not our flowers, reflected, however, in our tears, and we will bring them to the Ever-Virgin, crying out: “Do not turn away from the current of our tears, Even though you have taken away every tear from every face, the Virgin who gave birth to Christ!” Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 268–273. October 31st. The Most Reverend Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, was sent a determination from the Holy Synod: “The proposal of the diocesan authorities to open a second priestly vacancy in the village of Stary Yuryev should be left without consequences.” The decision was made taking into account the proposal of Prince Sergei Nikolaevich Urusov, who was correcting the post of Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, 352 dated August 17, 1860, No. 5528, which cited the data of the manager of the Ministry of State Property: “The peasants who make up the parish of the Old Yuryevskaya church live, with the exception of only 13 souls, in one village, Old Yuryev, and according to the recall of the peasants there the priest does not encounter any difficulties in providing them with spiritual needs; there is no need to open a second vacancy for a clergyman at the Old Yuryevsk church, especially since due to the small amount of land available to the Old Yuryevsky peasants, it will be extremely difficult to allocate it for a new priest. Although the single-staff church in the village of Stary Yuryev has up to 1,600 male parish souls, at their place of residence at the church in the said village, with the exception of 13 souls settled in the village of Ostrovka, three miles from the church, there are no difficulties in fulfilling the requirements, according to the clergy and parishioners; “neither the parishioners of the Staroye Yuryevo church, consisting of state peasants, want the opening of a second priestly vacancy there, nor the local chamber, as well as the manager of the Ministry of State Property, with whom the communication was made, do not find the need to assign a second priest to the village of Old Yuryevo.” ARPMA. On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. No. 4084. L.13–14 vol. A meeting of the board of the Tambov Seminary was held, where they considered “a note from the teacher of icon painting at the Tambov Seminary, Mikhail Borisov, presenting books donated by the Right Reverend Theophan for the seminary library: Lapentire’s album with drawings and an anatomical atlas with explanatory text in French.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 1. L.158 rev. November 3. Bishop Feofan approved the submission sent to him by the board of the Tambov Seminary on November 2: “The Board of the Tambov Seminary on the occasion of the arrival in Tambov of Fr. Archimandrite Gennady's opinion suggests: 1) to transfer the correction of the post of rector from the inspector Hieromonk Sergius, and the correction of the post of inspector from the teacher Archpriest Pavel Rozanov; 2) hand over o. to Rector Gennady a large seminary seal and to certify the seminary amount from the income books; 3) inform the academic board about his arrival in Tambov and taking office, order it to the authorities of lower schools, the board of subordinates, and report to the consistory.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 71. L.10–10 vol. November 5th. Bishop Theophan sent a report to the Holy Synod: “The abbess of the Tambov Ascension Convent, Abbess Evgeniya and her sisters, in a report dated October 30th last, No. 42, informed me that, subjected by the highest order to the strictest supervision, the widow, collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, who was in the entrusted management of her monastery, during During the past six months she behaved unashamedly and was not noticed by them in any way, and added that the widow Stepanova constantly complains to her about the damp and difficult climate, from which she suffers greatly and, moreover, is very sad that she, according to her request, has not yet moved to the diocese she desired - Voronezh or to any other southern dioceses where the climate is suitable for her it would be warmer and more beneficial for her health, which is why he asks her, the abbess and her sisters, to again petition the authorities to move her. Having reported this to the Most Holy Governing Synod as a result of its decree of July 4, 1852 No. 4814, I consider it my duty, in accordance with my submission dated May 3 of this year No. 4939, to most humbly ask for the transfer of Stepanova to some monastery in one of the southern dioceses.” RGIA. F.796. On.133. Storage unit 795. L.94–94 vol. The magazine “Spiritual Conversation” published the first, second and third words from the cycle of sermons by the Right Reverend Theophan, “Words on the Occasion of the Fires in Tambov in 1860.” Spirit.B. 1860. No. 45. 5 Nov P.241 256. November 8. Bishop Theophan delivered a sermon on the day of the celebration of the Council of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Heavenly Powers: “We celebrate the day of the Archangel Michael and other ethereal Forces. You are now, probably, all in heaven, in the choir of angels, intelligently standing before God and together with them giving honor and glory to Him who sits on the high and exalted throne 353... I will not disturb your high chamber with my word and will not bring you down. Stay there. According to my strength, I will ascend to you, and together we will think about the inhabitants of heaven. Now come down from heaven and go within yourself. And we have an equal angelic power - the mind - the king in the head, as they say... And this king is in us and for us: either Michael the Archangel is the guardian of the glory of God and Divine institutions, or Satan is a fighter against God and a troublemaker. Our mind is rightfully called the king in the head; only he is not an independent king. For his sake we are called rational creatures; but it is not the source of our real rationality. God created him capable of recognizing the truth, but did not give him the power to discover and understand all truth himself. The fullness of all truth and all knowledge is in God. Our mind should already learn from Him... This is how God created him, and acted in relation to him... The mind that submits to this commandment of God imprinted in its being, preserves it and protects it, is Michael the Archangel, and the arrogant mind and in its arrogance rejects the revelation of God and preaches: “I don’t need the revelation of God, I want to know everything myself and I will find out everything myself” - such a mind is Satan the God-fighter. Be firmly convinced that reason is always a disciple: or a disciple of God - and then it sincerely accepts all the revealed teachings contained by the Church; or a disciple of Satan - and then he rebels with rage against the entire structure of our salvation. In vain does the mind boast and shout: “I know everything myself, I know differently, according to my concepts it doesn’t turn out that way,” and so on. It is Satan who teaches him to be so pompous and under this pompousness he covers up his disgusting personality. But the mind actually thinks that it means something, and begins to expand, rebel against everything and destroy everything, and not suspecting that it serves as an instrument of Satan. For there is only God’s order and Satan’s disorder... Where there is no God, there is Satan’s. So, by these signs, distinguish the spirits, who they are, and call everyone by their name, without fear of error or exaggeration. Take heart and stock up on courage for the future, asking the Archangel for Heavenly armies and Powers, and the ability to stand wholeheartedly for the God-established order of our salvation, even if for the sake of it we had to lose everything. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 273–279. November 10. From the decree of the Tambov spiritual consistory on the establishment of deanery libraries, adopted on the proposals of Bishop Feofan: "1. Spiritual literature is expanding every year. The priest needs to be familiar with it, both in order to improve his knowledge himself, and to more conveniently teach his flock the truths of God. Meanwhile, there are very few teaching books in the church libraries of the Tambov diocese, as can be seen from the information; not every church is able to acquire all the books that may deserve attention. In order to give priests the opportunity to read everything that is considered useful to them, it is necessary to establish deanery libraries in the following position: a) each church must contribute to the purchase of books and magazines for these libraries in accordance with the amount of the purse amount, excluding brownie churches, which do not have an amount for this item; b) the dean can also invite private individuals, known for their zeal for spiritual enlightenment, to participate in the subscription of books and magazines and to donate them to the dean’s libraries; c) priests and clergy must present money for the subscription of books and magazines to the dean, and he directly undertakes to subscribe for them; d) priests must read books and magazines one by one, and mutual consent between them is allowed; in any case, books are issued from the dean against the signature of the priests; e) entrust the dean with the obligation that at the end of each year they deliver to the local board, and those under the jurisdiction of the consistory - to the consistory, reporting on: a) how much money was received from each church for the issuance of books, what books were issued, at what price - signed by the priests subordinate to him under the reporting. The deadline for this reporting is set to be January 1 of each year, and spiritual boards are submitted to the consistory no later than March 1; b) whether all the written out books are intact, inviting the local confessor and deputy to testify and sign the reports in this case. If any book is lost over time, then indicate in the report who exactly it was lost, and write it out again to the account of the culprit instead of the lost one. These reports are submitted together with the above at the same time; f) books and magazines written out must be stored in the dean’s church, if it is made of stone, or in the nearest stone one, in a special cabinet, at his discretion, by an authorized representative and under his personal responsibility: in the event of a change of dean or death, they must be transferred to another who takes his place; g) in the event of a dean’s embezzlement of money received from churches for the purpose of issuing books, the dean is subject to legal liability by order of the diocesan authorities, and the money is immediately deducted from his income; h) if any misunderstandings are encountered during the establishment of these libraries, the dean hastily submits them to the diocesan authorities for decision. 2. Deanery libraries must gradually reach such perfection that every priest can find in them help for himself on all subjects related to the faith of Christ. They should include the works of the holy fathers, a collection of words and teachings of domestic preachers, treatises and books on dogmatic, moral, pastoral theology, liturgics, canon, Holy Scripture, church and civil history, apologetics, etc. Exactly which books and on what subject can be subscribed will be notified by special instructions or announcements. Now this is what is charged to the dean as an indispensable duty: to take care, first of all, to acquire the fatherly writings in Russian translation - these writings are placed in spiritual magazines and published separately. Purchase them in this order: a) write out for the current or next year “Works of the Holy Fathers in Russian translation” at the Moscow Academy 354. “Christian Reading” at the St. Petersburg Academy, where St. Chrysostom 355, and “Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy” 356, where St. Cyprian. Then continue issuing these journals every year without interruption; b) how the works of the holy fathers began to be published in Moscow in 1843, and in “Christian Reading” St. Chrysostom began to be published in 1848, then when checking out these magazines for the current years, and for past years – for a year, for two or more – one and the other magazine every year, as far as possible, until “Christian Reading” has been acquired in full since 1848; the works of the holy fathers, all from 1843; c) “Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy” began this year. Now write them out; d) to the extent possible, copy out every year a little and separately published patristic writings, namely: St. Chrysostom "Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew", on the Epistles to the Romans, to the Corinthians, to Galatians, 2, to Philippiseys, letters to Olympias, Macarius of Egypt, John Climacus, St. Dorotheus, Barsanuphius and John, Mark the Ascetic, Isaiah the Hermit, “Lavsaik”, “Limonar”, “History of the God-Lovers”, “Memorable Tales”. To them we must add the writings of St. Demetrius of Rostov, Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, Chetya Menaion; e) as for other spiritual journals, their publication is left free. It is better if there is an opportunity to write down all or at least some, such as: “The Wanderer” 357, “Sunday Reading” 358, “Spiritual...” 359 and “Home...” 360 conversations, etc. Without restricting, however, the acquisition of paternal writings; f) for those who have the opportunity, we can now point out some books on other subjects, namely: “Collected teachings on all Sundays and holidays” 361 at the Kyiv Theological Academy, “Catechetical Discourses” by Skvortsov 362, “Conversations on the attitude of the Church to Christians” by Amfiteatrov 363, “Letters on Christian life”, the third and fourth edition of which contains moral theology 364, “School of Piety”, “Days of Worship” 365 by Debolsky, “Care of the Orthodox Church for the Salvation of the World” 366 by him, “Biblical History” by the Right Reverend Philaret 367 and “Sacred History” by Archpriest Theologian” 368, “Church History” by Innocent 369, “Liturgics” by Priest Smolodovich Kiev 370, “The Truly Ancient Church” by the Right Reverend Gregory 371 ... What other books will be considered necessary will be announced later; g) the books that are now with the churches should remain with them. Do not transfer or sell them to the dean’s library.” GATO. F.186. On.66. Storage unit 78. D.116 118 vol. November 12. The magazine “Spiritual Conversation” published the fourth and fifth words from the series of sermons by Bishop Feofan “Words on the occasion of the fires in Tambov in 1860.” Spirit.B. 1860. No. 46. 12 Nov pp.273–281. November 13. Bishop Theophan spoke on the 25th Sunday after Pentecost: “Last year, from this Sunday, I began to explain to you what the path leading to salvation is. Now what remains? All that's left to do is walk. Let us go, so that the Savior’s reproach to the Jews for not wanting to take advantage of the instructions of John the Baptist would not apply to us differently: He was not a lamp of burning and shining. - said the Savior, - you will want to rejoice at the hour of his shining 372. So, when zealous for salvation, all attention should be paid to the structure of the heart or to the impression in it of truly Christian feelings and dispositions. For what is not in the heart is not in reality. Everything must be done with the heart. To love with your heart, to humble yourself with your heart, to draw closer to God with your heart, to forgive with your heart, to mourn with your heart, to pray with your heart, to bless with your heart, and so on and so forth. For whatever one is in the heart, such God sees him from the height of His Throne and accepts him accordingly. Cain and Abel sacrificed together; but God looked upon Abel and his gifts; but Cain and his gifts are not heeded 373. The publican and the Pharisee prayed together in church; but the publican is accepted, and the Pharisee is rejected. Where is the reason for such differences? In the mood of the heart. Why does God demand in the words of the Wise: rain, my son, your heart 374. And the prophet David puts into our mouths the following prayer: Create a pure heart in me, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb 375 . What should be the mood of the heart, characteristic of a Christian who is not going astray along the path of salvation, I will explain this to you little by little from time to time, although in the main features. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.279 283. November 20. Bishop Theophan spoke on the 26th Sunday after Pentecost: “In the last conversation, I brought you to the idea that the main thing in our life is the mood of the heart and that whatever one is in the heart, God has such, despite any external differences and advantages. I would like to focus your attention now on the same thought, in order to teach you to value your internal movements and thus encourage you to look more strictly at your heart and everything that enters and comes from it. I won’t go into arguments about this. I present only a few cases and examples from the word of God and the lives of saints in confirmation of this truth. Remember in the life of Andrew, Christ the Fool for the Fool, how the inner mood of one person was revealed to him. Everyone revered this man for his hard work, friendliness and self-control. But St. Andrew, approaching, saw the serpent of love of money entwined around his neck. Here one was on the outside, and the other on the inside. Another time, someone was walking, a man or a woman - I don’t remember. Nothing bad was visible in appearance, but the eyes of St. Andrew, and he saw an angel holding his nose. When asked what this means, the angel said: the stench of fornication that this face possesses is unbearable. But the appearance did not represent anything like that. If someone’s smart eyes were opened and he looked at us gathered here now, what would it be revealed?.. Grant, Lord, that we all be irreproachable before God according to our strength, as we are revered and wish to be revered among ourselves mutually, in our relationships. But, brethren, why is there a word of flattery here? Do not be deceived by self-confidence - go inside yourself and analyze the subtle thoughts and aspirations of your heart, each your own, and by this judge yourself and determine without partiality what you are, knowing that you are open to God and the entire spiritual world as such and not otherwise. And then correct the bad in yourself, and plant the good. Someone from St. Fathers depicted the heart as a vessel full of all sorts of reptiles and snakes, which, every time a person plans to do something, come out of it, and if the matter is bad, they feed on it, and if it is good, they try to defile it with their poison. If a person is attentive to himself, then, not allowing bad deeds and thus not giving food to snakes, he exhausts them and, cutting off their attempts to defile his good deeds, strikes them at the head. Continuing his work tirelessly, all in one kind and spirit, he finally kills these serpents and throws them out dead. Serpents are evil passions and inclinations. Their death is the cleansing of the heart from passions. This is what we're jealous about. Let’s stop committing sins, and let’s begin to do good deeds in such a way that no bad feelings or dispositions are mixed into them. And if something slips, we will clean it up with repentance. By doing this, we will appear pure not only before people, but also before the face of the all-seeing God... Grant, Lord! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 283–288. November 21st. Presentation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary into the church. Bishop Feofan preached a sermon: “The Most Holy Virgin, the Young Lady Mary, the future Mother of the Savior and all who believe in Him, is introduced into the church! Now celebrating this action from Her life, as Her children in faith and spirit, let us force ourselves to imitate this action in its strength and significance. The introduction, however, into the church of the Young Mother of God was only a sign of the ascension of all believers before the face of God. The foundation and the beginning have been laid for this, and the very path there has already been paved by the Lord Savior Himself - according to His humanity. In fact, believers enter before the face of God in this way, new and alive, after leaving the body. But in order to be worthy of this, it is necessary in this life, mentally or heartily, to accomplish what will be accomplished in deed after death, that is, it is necessary here with the mind and heart to ascend into the inner curtains, stand before the face of God and establish ourselves there for an inexhaustible stay. The Mother of God ascended in degrees. There are degrees of mental ascent to God. There are many of them. I'll show you the most important ones. The first step is the conversion from sin to virtue. The second stage is the conversion from external good deeds to the arousal and observation of good feelings and dispositions. The third step is turning from oneself to God, which consists of standing with the mind in the heart before the face of God, which, in fact, is entering into the inner - behind the veil - in a new and living way. Here are three steps of ascent following the Blessed Virgin before the face of God! Where do we stand, brothers? On the first, second or third? But no matter where anyone stands, everything is fine. If anyone wallows in sin and passions without caring about salvation, then it’s bad! And if someone has turned from sin and entered the path of virtue, he is already on the good side. Just let him not stand in one place, for this is dangerous, but everything moves little by little forward, the back... forgetting the front... stretching out 376, as the Apostle commanded. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. P.288 295. November 22. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas: “The abbess of the Tambov Ascension Convent, Abbess Evgeniya and her sisters, in a report to me on November 17th, No. 44, explained: she was informed that the 92nd block in the 1st part of the city of Tambov was designated for the construction of residential buildings, and half of it was already occupied by the buildings of charitable institutions that existed on that site, while the other half of this block, behind those institutions, was hitherto not occupied by any buildings. Meanwhile, the Ascension Monastery faces an urgent need for the construction of residential buildings, but has no place for this, since the space occupied by the monastery is blocked by buildings to such an extent that in the event of a fire (which God forbid), there is no possibility of saving not only these buildings and the churches of God from destruction, but it is also unsafe for those living in the monastery. Why and how the explained undeveloped half of the 92nd quarter is adjacent to the monastery, then she, the abbess and her sisters, would like to acquire it for the above-explained need, in order to subsequently seek government permission for the complete connection of that site with the monastery estate. On this November 17, she and her sisters submitted a petition to the Tambov City Duma about the acquisition of the registered land, which they ask to assign the designated plot to the monastery on a legal basis, and undertakes to contribute to the city revenues at a time for each estate, as many as are due, three rubles in silver, without assignment, however, bidding, for a private person can purchase an estate in any place, and The monastery needs this particular site. Informing your Excellency about this and considering for my part the acquisition of the above-mentioned plot of land for the monastery to be extremely necessary for the construction of residential buildings necessary for it, I have the honor to humbly ask you, dear sir, to issue an order depending on your part on the allocation without auction of the registered plot of land on the conditions set out by Abbess Eugenia, for the monastery, if anyone raises the price at the auction, due to its poverty, will not be in able to contest, and meanwhile may acquire an unpleasant neighbor, and remain in the same cramped position in which it is currently; about your subsequent order, do not leave me with your notification.” GATO. F.2. On.82. Storage unit 91. L.1–2. November 26. The magazine “Spiritual Conversation” published the sixth and seventh words from the cycle of sermons by the Right Reverend Theophan, “Words on the Occasion of the Fires in Tambov in 1860.” Spirit.B. 1860. No. 48. 26 Nov pp.329–350. November. Word from His Eminence Theophan to the students of the Tambov Alexandria Institute of Noble Maidens 377 after the funeral service for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna 378 on the fortieth day: “Listen, children! I want to say one or two words to you on this occasion, which is so sad for your heart. Your high patroness and trustee, your mother, has gone to the Lord. You did not have the consolation of being at her deathbed and hearing from her closing lips her last word, with which those who depart usually express their will and give their covenants to those close to them who remain here. You were close to your departed mother, the empress, just as she lived and lives constantly in your hearts; and it would not be alien to her to say a word to you, and it would not be undesirable for you to listen to it. It is no longer possible for this to happen. But let's try to make up for this damage mentally. Imagine yourself standing at the deathbed of the departing empress, and I will take the floor and, as if in her language, I will pronounce to you on her behalf her last will. “A few more and I’ll be gone. This is my will and my maternal testament to you: remain forever faithful to the spirit of your people and the requirements of your holy faith. Establishing and supporting your institutions, I had one thing in mind - to educate you as truly Russian and Orthodox. I don’t tell you: love your fatherland, for who doesn’t love it?.. But I can’t help but say: love it with true and enlightened love. In my concerns about arranging a life-saving course for you, this is what I consider necessary to remind you of! Here, in the establishment, you only pretend to live. The period of education will pass, and you will enter the broad field of public life, full of strength and hope. It is true that you are often transported there and from here by thoughts and desires. Do not dream too much and do not deceive yourself, preventing God’s determinations with arbitrary constructions of your fate, so that later reality, having dispelled dreams, does not strike your hearts with all the more sensitivity. Surrender yourself completely into the hands of God, who provides for us in a fatherly manner, and be ready to accept graciously that His holy will pleases. I wish you all complete happiness; but I cannot extend this desire beyond the boundaries of God’s commands about you, much less in defiance of them. For He knows better than we do what is good for us, and He desires to make us blessed more than we do; and what must be especially contained in thought is that He does not limit His gaze to the present alone, but extends it to the entire future, redeeming the eternal with the temporal. Among all the means that a person has in his hands to strengthen his character, there is nothing more powerful than mortal memory. This is the most influential and comprehensive teacher, suitable for the course of education, as at all times of life. What a pity that many come to know him even when they cannot take advantage of his lessons. I wish that you do not belong to this number. Don't be afraid to remember death. This will not poison your life, but, on the contrary, will distract you from the real, albeit sweetened, poison of life and teach you to find lasting consolations, such that will serve as a foretaste of endless bliss for you. Believe me it is true! Dying people don't lie. They are alone and can correctly assess the power of thoughts about the hour of death.” This is what you could hear from the lips of the dying Empress - your mother! I don’t find anything to add to this on my part, except for one sincere desire, so that this lesson is imprinted in your heart and becomes the guiding principle of your entire life. With my archpastoral word, I can assure you that here is written for you the most reliable and safe path of life, valuable in the eyes of God and man. Let me just remind you that your relationship with the late empress does not end with her death and these memorial services. You probably know that yourself. But do as you know. With your morning and evening prayers, always combine a short prayer for the repose of her soul like this: “Remember, Lord, the most pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.” This will be both comforting for her and edifying for you. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 295–301. November. Letter from Bishop Feofan to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod A.P. Tolstoy with the appendix of the decree of the Holy Synod of October 31, 1860 (draft): “Your Excellency, dear sir! By the Decree of the Holy Governing Synod dated October 31 of this year, No. 4084, I was given to know that the assumption of the Tambov diocesan authorities about the opening of a second priestly vacancy in the village of Stary Yuryev was left without consequences due to the fact that the parishioners of that village allegedly do not want the opening of it and that therefore the local chamber, as well as the manager of the Ministry of State Property, do not find the need to assign it to that village priest Having requested from the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory the case carried out in it on this subject and seeing from it a clear contradiction with the report of the Tambov Chamber of State Property to Mr. [Mr.] the manager of the ministry regarding the reluctance of the Staroyurevsky parishioners to have a second priest, I consider it necessary to most humbly ask Your Excellency, would it please you, dear sir, to submit to respect of the Holy Synod the following circumstances: 1. Residents of the village of Stary Yuryev, in three reviews given to the dean archpriest Pyotr Sveshnikov with their deputy, the volost head Nenashev, explained this: in the first - in our parish from the clergy in fulfilling Christian demands there is no stop at the present time, but due to the crowdedness they may later meet; and therefore, in order to avoid this, we, having in mind for two years already in our parish school a mentor who completed a seminary course, student Ivan Seslavinsky 379, a man of wonderful life and exemplary behavior, who in a short time forced attention to him, diligently practices singing in the church, which he taught his students, in whom we hope that, if he is also a priest, he will always give us all pleasure; Therefore, we humbly ask the diocesan authorities, if they wish to open a second staff in our village, not to leave the appointment of the mentor Seslavinsky, announced by us, as a priest, to which we agree, and upon whose admission we, aggravating ourselves, agree to allocate the land that is missing to the required double proportion; [in] the second - in addition to the testimony we gave regarding the opening of a second state in our village with the appointment of the mentor of our parish school student Ivan Seslavinsky as a priest, we have the honor to explain that he, in addition to our expressed approval, also involuntarily attracted attention by delivering sermons in our parish church, which he delivered very often, which most aroused our hearts to a sincere desire to have him as a priest; why do we again dare to ask the diocesan authorities to fulfill our desire; For his sake, we will allocate the amount of land missing to the double proportion; and [in] the third - regarding the opening of a second state in our village, we have the honor to explain that our desire for this matter was expressed in our first reviews, which we confirm with all our might; however, if for some reason the diocesan authorities do not wish to respect our desire to appoint the student mentor Seslavinsky, who we have requested, as a priest, then we do not interfere with the will of the authorities, let them appoint whomever they please. From the above reviews of the Staroyurievsk parishioners, it is obvious that the Tambov Chamber of State Property unfairly informed the manager of the ministry that the peasants did not agree to have a second priest in their village. 2. When, as a result of requests that came to me from parishioners of other significant villages to assign a second priest to them, the Tambov spiritual consistory communicated with the chamber about this, the latter resolutely each time did not express consent on its part without even explaining the reason. This happened because the former manager of the Tambov Chamber, now moved to Kostroma, apparently made it a rule to oppose all the good orders of the diocesan authorities regarding state peasants in religious terms. 3. In the village of Stary Yuryev there are now 1665 male parishioners and 1641 female parishioners, a total of 3306. Your Excellency, of course, will agree on whether it is possible for one priest in such a crowded parish to properly fulfill his duty. I am fully convinced that all the so-called demands, of which there can be at least ten a day, are performed by the priest hastily and as if mechanically, without any reverence, to the obvious temptation of the parishioners; and at the same time, these demands consume all his time, so that he has no time to think about his other, main duty - to prepare a lesson for the people on Sunday or a holiday. Is it again possible in such parishes to fulfill, as the Orthodox Church demands, the entire duty of one priest during the Holy Quatrecost, when every week over 500 souls come to him to clear their consciences, and in the first week of Lent - about 800. Meanwhile, from the hasty and careless, although, however, involuntary, performance of his duties by a priest, the peasants may naturally develop a cooling towards the Orthodox faith, and subsequently a deviation into schism. Having taken all this into consideration, I considered it my pastoral duty to ask the Holy Synod in July of this year to grant the diocesan authorities the right to appoint, at their immediate discretion, another priest to such parishes where there are over 1300 souls of the male sex, and moreover, when the parishioners ask for it, or the parish consists of several villages at a far distance from one another, or for other valid reasons. This measure is extremely necessary, and, in my opinion, in parishes with over a thousand souls of the male sex and, of course, the same number of females, i.e., in parishes of the 4th class, it would be much more useful for the parishioners in a moral sense to appoint another priest than as required by the states, i.e. over 1500 souls. In order to avoid unnecessary expenses for the treasury when states are put into effect, it is possible to completely abolish deaconal vacancies in rural churches and transfer their salaries to second priests, since in case of need for cathedral services, deacons can be ordained to this dignity in clergy vacancies. Conveying all of the above to the favorable views of Your Excellency, I have the honor to humbly ask you, dear sir, to petition the Holy Synod for the opening, in accordance with the proposal of the diocesan authorities, based on the desire of the parishioners of the village of Old Yuryev, of a second priestly vacancy in that village. At the same time, would it please Your Excellency to provide your assistance in satisfying my submission dated July 26 of this year regarding the transfer of some churches of the Tambov diocese, according to normal states, to the highest classes and granting the diocesan authorities the right to appoint another priest to such parishes where there are over 1,300 souls of the male sex, since such a measure was allowed by the Holy Synod in 1858 for the Kostroma and Volyn dioceses according to the views of local bishops (see extracts from the report on the Department of Spiritual Affairs of the Orthodox Confession for 1858, pp. 23 and 24)?” ARPMA. On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. No. 4084. D.7 12 rev. December 3. Bishop Theophan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov spiritual consistory dated November 24, where, among other matters, they heard the report of the builder of the Lebedyansky Holy Trinity Monastery 380 Hieromonk Joasaph 381 dated October 31, No. 44, in which he reports that the priest of Ryazan from October 6 to October 31, 1860 was in the monastery and performed daily divine services, during which he never had an attack of “epileptic illness.” Since during the period from October 6 to October 31, the priest of Ryazan did not have an attack of “falling illness,” the consistory decided: “To dismiss him, Ryazan, from the monastery and, according to the resolution of his Eminence, on September 24 at his request, allow him to find a parish where there are two priests, and upon finding, ask his Eminence for a determination to do so.” This report was followed by a resolution from Bishop Feofan: “To deal with the priest of Ryazan according to my resolution, given in the certificate on November 29.” On other consistory matters, a general resolution followed on November 24: “Execute.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1706. L.220.220 rev.–220a. about. The journal “Spiritual Conversation” published the eighth and ninth words from the cycle of sermons by the Right Reverend Theophan, “Words on the Occasion of the Fires in Tambov in 1860.” Spirit.B. 1860. No. 49.3 Dec. P.371 379. December 8th. Bishop Feofan sent a proposal to the Holy Synod on the establishment of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette”: “The Holy Governing Synod has authorized the publication of the Kherson diocesan bulletins, which are recognized as useful for places and persons subordinate to the diocesan administration, and for the diocesan authorities themselves. Desiring to the best of my ability to assist the views of the Holy Synod in the approval of such statements, I humbly ask that they be allowed to be published in Tambov from the next year, 1861, according to the program of the Kherson statements, attached with minor additions, and together to approve their editorial office at the Tambov Theological Seminary, the editor - the father rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Gennady, the censors - Archpriest Moskvin and Father Inspector of the Seminary, Hieromonk Sergius, under my direct supervision. Program of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette These statements will consist of two parts: official and unofficial, It can accommodate: A. The highest manifestos and commands on the spiritual department, decrees and orders of the Holy Synod, both general and related to the Tambov diocese itself and not subject to [classification as] secrets. B. News about new spiritual institutions, about changes in the highest government officials of the spiritual department, about the highest awards and expressions of blessing and gratitude on behalf of the Holy Synod, especially for the Tambov diocese, C. Orders of the diocesan authorities concerning the entire diocese or a significant part of it, demands from subordinate places for various information. D. Appointment and dismissal of officials in the local consistory, seminary and ecclesiastical boards, schools and clergy places of the diocesan department. E. Summoning petitioners or defendants to appear at the consistory, at the Guardianship of the Poor, at the seminary board, etc. on the basis of existing legislation on this subject. F. Announcement of vacant clergy and clergy positions at churches, construction and contracts for the diocesan department, donations to monasteries, churches, etc. G. Extracts from annual reports for various places of diocesan administration, such as: the consistory, the seminary, the Guardianship of the Poor, the orphanage for girls of the clergy, parish schools, almshouses, etc. 1. Brief extracts from the works of the holy fathers and spiritual writers, relevant to the spiritual needs of the flock and to the leadership of pastors according to local circumstances. 2. An indication for clergy of subjects about which on holidays, Sundays and fasts it is more necessary to offer teachings to the people, depending on their local moral ailments; as well as instructions on how best to expound and teach such teachings; Moreover, the very teachings, mainly extracted from St. fathers or compiled according to their example 382. 3. A description in parts of everything that is especially noteworthy in the diocese regarding historical events and church antiquities, churches, St. icons, utensils, religious processions, sacred tracts, etc. 4. The best of the teachings and conversations delivered in different places of the diocese, especially examples of simple instructions on various occasions for the villagers: series of catechetical teachings, conversations on Sundays and holidays of the Apostles and the Gospels, on the Psalter, parimia and other parts of Holy Scripture. 5. Notice of charitable deeds and donations, extracts from newspapers and spiritual and secular magazines about everything remarkable for the faith and the Church. 6. Invitations to participate in pious undertakings and to help the suffering; pastoral instructions relating to the entire flock, on any special occasions and events in the diocese. 7. Edifying reflections, spiritual advice, examples of piety in various states and circumstances of life, synaxari, the content of church services or their translation from Greek, stories on biblical and church history, rules of home education in rural life, simple recipes. 8. An indication of books that are edifying and useful for piety, with a brief indication of their contents.” RGIA. F.796. On.141. Storage unit 2466. L.1–3 vol. December 10. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated December 1, where, among other matters, a certificate was considered for the petition of the deacon s. Epiphany Pogost of Elatomsky district Feoktist of Epiphany and his daughter, the wife of the deacon of the village. Line, Anastasia Astrova about the inducement of sexton Astrov to deliver her “food” in the village. Epiphany Pogost, where she lives due to her husband’s cruel treatment of her. Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “Tell the wife of sexton Astrov to go to her husband in the village of Lineika.” On other affairs of the consistory, on December 1, a general resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO.F.181. On.1. Item 1707. L.1,2–2 vol. The “Spiritual Conversation” magazine published “A Sermon on the Consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the Village of Olshanka.” Spirit.B. 1860. No. 50. 10 Dec. P.403 409. December 11. Bishop Theophan spoke on the 29th Sunday after Pentecost: “More than once I have brought to your attention the simple truth that in Christianity the essence of the matter lies in the mood of the heart - in the internal dispositions, or our internal activity - with which, I think, you yourself were and remain in agreement. But until now I have not yet attempted to go inside with you, to examine everything that happens there, so that through this each person can then learn to distinguish between the good and the bad in himself and treat himself accordingly. Let's do it now. Close your outer senses, turn your attention inwards and see what is there. At first you won't see anything there; not because there is nothing there, but because there is too much of everything there and everything is knocked down and wandering around in disorderly confusion. You will experience the same thing that you experience in thick fog. Just as in this case, fog, like a wall, shields all objects from us and hides them within itself, so whoever turns inward for the first time sees that, like a dark veil, everything inside is covered. You can verify this now. But do not stop working on self-deepening. Be patient in this work, and you will soon begin to discern little by little what is happening inside you, just as someone who enters a dimly lit room from the outside, after standing for a while, begins to discern the objects in it one by one. One thought is quickly replaced by another; and it happens so quickly that it is almost impossible to give ourselves an account of what has passed through our heads. This mobility of thoughts does not leave us not only in between classes, for example when moving from one place to another, but also during them, no matter how important they are: during prayer here in church or at home, and during reading and even in-depth reflection, etc. This is usually called thinking; in the essence of the matter, this is theft of the mind, or absent-mindedness and lack of concentrated attention, which is so necessary in the matter of managing oneself. Let this be the first feature of our inner man. Its similarity is the confusion of snowflakes falling in the wind, or the jostling of insects in the air on summer evenings. The opposite state of the saints is the attention of the mind, according to which nothing willfully enters or leaves the head, everything is subordinated to freedom and consciousness, in which usually there is only God and His face contemplating. Between these opposites stand different degrees of souls, sweating in the struggle with thoughts and jealous of their pacification. Take a closer look - and you will discern in yourself, under this confusion of thoughts in your mind, in your will, a constant concern about the organization of your life, which constantly eats away at the soul, like a worm, drives the working person from one task to another, directing him ever forward. This disease is called over-concern, which eats away at the soul like rusting iron. The opposite property of saints is carelessness, which is not carelessness, but humble labor, correct, in surrendering oneself and one’s destiny to the providential care of God. The middle between them is the struggle of self-industry with the humble surrender of oneself to the Providence of God, with one’s own labor and one’s own ability. Look even deeper, and you should see inside a captive, bound hand and foot, dragged hither and thither against his will, in self-delusion, yet dreaming of himself that he enjoys complete freedom. The bonds of this captive are addictions to various persons and things around him, from which it is painful for us to lag behind and painful to part with when others take them away from us. Put this as the third feature of our internal state - partiality. The opposite property of saints is detachment from everything, freedom of the heart, inner independence. The middle ground between them is working to free the heart from addictions. Theft of the mind, over-concern and partiality are not our whole lot. Rightly, one of the ascetics, attentive to himself, contemplated the human heart full of poisonous serpents, which are passions. When any passion ignites, it is as if a serpent comes out of the heart and, turning towards it, stings it with its sting. And when the serpent emerges, it hurts, and when it stings, it hurts... By stinging, it feeds on the blood of the heart and becomes fat; becoming fatter, it becomes more poisonous and evil and even more tyrannizes the heart in which it lives. This happens not with just one passion, but with all, and they never live alone, but always all together, overshadowing one another, but not destroying. Such is the heart of a person who works against sin, no matter who he is. The opposite heart of saints is free from passions or adorned with dispassion. In the middle stand those who struggle with passions and lusts under the sign of the Lord, in His full armor. Enough! I won't expand further. But what? Has the darkness that hides our inner self now thinned out for you?.. And if it has thinned, is it for joy or sorrow? Woe to those who are absent-minded, overly concerned, attached to sensual things and tormented by passions! Blessed, on the contrary, are souls who are attentive to themselves, who rest in God, who are detached from everything and who have cleansed their hearts of passions! Blessed are the labors of those who, leaving behind the destruction of the first, strive to ascend to the bliss of the second! Where will your conscience place any of you? I would like you all to be among the blessed ones who enjoy perfection in the Lord. If this is not our destiny, be at least among those working and fighting to receive this honor of the highest title. But let no one remain among the careless, stricken by insensibility and blindness, and in this hopelessness tormented by passions amid scattered thoughts, worries and all kinds of addictions. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 301–306. December 13th. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Archpriest I. Pereverzev: “God help! Save yourself. I didn’t answer you... it was as if it wasn’t the right time. The matter concerns the arrangement of your fate, and this is no small thing. I didn’t want to send you to the gymnasium at the beginning. You wanted to - give in... You have been assigned to Shatsk... I am writing to you about the place of a teacher of the law without the desire to assign you there - and know that here is the path of God. You arrived in Tambov... Moskvin 383 confused you... A good well-wisher, but not always an efficient adviser. But it was all in my soul: it’s not your business to be a teacher of the law... I am prescribing all this to you because when the final speeches about teaching the law began, I did not strongly contradict when I met the opposition imposed from now on. Nowadays (since '57 the definition is not directly from me). And let them. In my opinion, in the current transitional state, the position of teaching the law is very fragile. So I won’t talk about it. Regarding the teaching of law in Shatsk, I did not understand. It's below you. So you're an honorary teaching observer. The caretaker of a spiritual school cannot be dependent on the caretaker of a secular school. This has been decided. They asked Novoselsky 384... refused. Stroganov Jr. 385 is determined. But this will only come from Kharkov University. Now about the place of Anikita 386...Who is taller? Him or you? Unnecessarily, they do not press down from above. Your place is prominent, and with merit... Hold on. And in Tambov you will disappear along with others. Your relegation to a parish place should be known in the Synod, for you are the Overseer. The Synod will understand that you are so bad that, despite the patronage of your uncle the bishop, they should have taken you from the district town and placed you closer to themselves... Do you hear it?!! This is where the whole obstacle lies. Therefore, there is no point in meddling in every place. Be there until the fairest road opens. This is my thought. But I won’t cross you in any way. If you want, I’ll probably transfer Anikita to his place (he’s still alive... and, it seems, he’ll get back on his feet), but you yourself must be responsible for the consequences!.. Are you afraid of what will happen when I’m not here? I’ll die... it might be difficult, but while I’m alive... nothing. Every bishop will have your attention. Just be worthy of it. What are you afraid of there?! Hooks are strong when there is untruth. Hold to the truth to the fullest of your conscience and allow nothing to cling to, and do not be afraid of hooks. I see that in the present I don’t see any need for you to move. The archpriest is worried... Assure her with my word that I will not rest until I see you in contentment and safety from everything. And Tambov - what an attractive place... What God gives ahead... Maybe something better will open up. Princess 387 is still here. Write to me in one letter. I wanted to go now, but Alyosha got sick. I am sending him with her. A year to chat. God bless you! The Protopopitsyns and their thoughts came quickly... because I will translate them, if you want. In any case, behave like my face and in my principles, which you know.” IR NBU. F.160. Item 1968. L.33 34 rev. December 17. Word from the Right Reverend Theophan to the newly tonsured Archpriest of the city of Shatsk, Gregory Agishevsky, who was named Herman in monasticism 389 and destined to be the archimandrite of the Nikolo-Cherneevsky Monastery 390: “I greet you, beloved fellow monk in the Lord, with greetings of joy and good wishes! We are happy to fuck you. We hope that you also rejoice, although not without trepidation. For if you have experienced in your heart what has happened to you in these moments, then you cannot help but experience strong sensations that usually excite conscientious souls who enter into the essence of the important matters they take upon themselves. I come to your aid and will try to streamline the movements of your heart with my simple word, although I will not say anything more than what the Holy Church has already spoken to you with my lips. Truly you have started a good deed. Who is against this? All that remains is to do it well. In this regard, I am not telling you: do not think that by putting on monastic attire all the work of seeking monasticism is over. By doing this I would offend your reasoning and heart. You know rightly that just as someone dressed in military armor may not be a warrior, so someone dressed in a monastic way may not be a monk. You are now ready for monastic rites and are entering the rank of those undergoing it. But your monastic service itself is still ahead. Draw a brighter image of the perfect monk in your mind and strive to realize it in the rest of your life, without sparing your belly. Have you seen how they release balloons? The ball is filled with gas - a celestial element, without which it is impossible for it to rise upward. But even when filled, it does not go up while it is tied to the ground with ropes. And the detached one already rushes upward according to the density of the air surrounding him and the subtlety of the elements filling him. There he finally disappears into the heights or is covered by clouds, where he remains alone, embraced by the sky on all sides. Here is the image of a perfect monk! Having renounced everything with his mind and heart, he rushes to the mountain and remains there united with the One God. Note that this is the essence of monasticism - to be one with the One God, not for a minute, not for an hour, not for a day, but incessantly. Nothing created - neither large nor small - should absorb the attention and heart of a monk... He is entirely in God and in heaven. What holds him there?.. The ball is kept at a height by the heavenly element it contains - gas... And the monk is kept by his consciousness in heaven due to the direction there of all the desires of his heart, kindled in him by heavenly grace. The gas in the ball evaporates - the ball begins to descend; and the more the gas evaporates, the lower the ball descends, until it falls again to the earth from which it had renounced... The monk’s desire for heavenly things diminishes - he falls down with attention and, instead of God, is occupied with the creature. Then he loses his character. Notice this and remind yourself of this more often. I won't continue the comparison any further. I leave it to you to develop it further. We hope that you will improve the monastery entrusted to you; but do not think that at the same time we agree that you care about its external splendor and contentment alone, leaving the internal perfection in monastic life in negligence. No. If you see that the first cannot be achieved without damaging the latter, leave the monastery in poverty, if necessary, so that it blooms with the inner beauty of spiritual perfections. I'll limit myself to this. For if we said everything, there would be no end to our speech. However, the wise man will see much in little things. And I offered you this little thing not to teach you, but to remind you only of what, of course, you yourself constantly contain in your mind and heart. May the Lord bless you and help you in all good things for the glory of His all-holy name. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 313–318. December 22. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of December 15, where, among other matters, the following was heard: Petitionary letter from the teacher of the Imperial Educational Society of Noble Maidens, master, priest Vasily Grechulevich 391, in which he asks to announce throughout the diocese the publication of the magazine “The Wanderer” and a detailed comparative review of the Four Gospels with the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “I find it useful to subscribe to the magazine for deanery libraries, and for the same libraries and monasteries to write out the “Review of the Four Gospels” 392. Is it possible to write them out through the consistory? Having considered the case, the consistory decided: “In pursuance of the resolution of St. Theophan, to order the dean’s libraries to subscribe to the magazine “The Wanderer” for the next year, 1861. Regarding the “Review of the Four Gospels,” order at least 100 copies of it.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Written 110 copies.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1707. L.54 55. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory of December 16, where the attitude of the Tambov Chamber of State Property dated December 8 for No. 28473 was heard, in which they asked to make an order to determine the church with. Kalais of the Kirsanovsky district of two priests in connection with the death of the previous ones. The state peasants of that village are asking the Chamber of State Property to appoint clerks. Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “Provide a detailed certificate about the number of souls and land in the village of Kalansa.” GATO. F.181 On.1. Item 1707. L.62, 66 vol.–67 vol. December 25th. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the Nativity of Christ: “Glory to You, Lord! We have also waited for the bright days of the Nativity of Christ: now let’s have fun and rejoice! The Holy Church, deliberately in order to increase our joy in these days, instituted fasting before them - a certain constraint, so that, entering them, we would feel as if we were going into freedom. With all this, however, she does not want us to indulge only in the pleasures of the senses and only carnal pleasures. But from time immemorial, having called these days holy days, he demands that our very joy during them be holy, just as the days are holy. So that no one would forget, having fun, she put into our mouths a short song in praise of Christ who was born, with which he calms the flesh and elevates the spirit, showing him activities worthy of these days: Christ is born - glorify and so on. Glorify Christ, and glorify so that the larynx, soul and heart are delighted with this glorification, and thus the urge to any other work and occupation that promises some kind of joy is drowned out. Praise Christ. This is not like composing long songs of praise to Christ. No... But if, thinking or listening about the Nativity of Christ the Savior, you involuntarily exclaim from the depths of your soul: “Glory to Thee, Lord, that Christ was born!” That's enough. This will be a quiet song of the heart, which will, however, pass through the heavens and enter into the ears of God. I do not try to instill such joy in you with my word: it is beyond the reach of any word. The work accomplished by the born Lord concerns each of us. Those who enter into communication with Him receive from Him freedom, healing, peace; possess them and taste their sweetness. There is no need to say “rejoice” to those who experience them within themselves, for they cannot help but rejoice, and to those who do not experience them, there is no need to say “rejoice,” for they cannot help but rejoice. A man bound hand and foot, no matter how much you tell him “rejoice at your deliverance,” will not rejoice; covered with the wounds of sins, where will the joy of healing come from? How can one who is terrified by the thunderstorm of God’s wrath breathe freely? To such one can only say: “Go to the Midwife, lying in the manger, and seek from Him deliverance from all the evils that beset you, for this is the Savior of the world, Christ.” I would like to see all of you rejoicing in this holy joy and not wanting to know other joys. But not all who are of Israel are Israel. Empty amusements will begin for you - violent, inciting lusts: ogling, circling, werewolves. No matter how much you say to those who love this, “Tame yourself,” they close their ears and do not heed, and they will always bring the bright holidays to the point that they will force the merciful Lord to turn His eyes away from us and say: “All these festivals of yours are an abomination to Me.” And in fact, it is true that many of our public amusements are truly pagan abominations, that is, some are directly transferred from the pagan world, while others, although they occurred later, are imbued with the spirit of paganism. And as if on purpose they are invented in large numbers on the days of Christmas and Easter. Being carried away by them, we give the prince of the world - our tormentor, the enemy of God - a reason to say to God: “What have you done to me with your birth and resurrection?! Everyone is coming to me!” We are fascinated by enlightened Europe! Yes, there for the first time the pagan abominations that had been expelled from the world were restored. And from there they have already crossed over to us and are moving on. Having breathed in this child of hell, we are spinning like crazy, not remembering ourselves. But, brothers, let us remember the year 12. Why did the French come?.. God sent them to destroy the evil that we had previously adopted from them. Then Russia repented, and God had mercy on her. But now, it seems, that lesson has begun to be forgotten. If we come to our senses, of course, nothing will happen; and if we don’t come to our senses, who knows, maybe the Lord will again send us our teachers to bring us to our senses and put us on the path of correction. This is the law of God’s righteousness: to heal from sin is the one who is attracted to it. These are not empty words, but a deed affirmed by the voice of the Church, as you will now hear in prayer at the molieben. Know that God cannot be mocked, and knowing this, rejoice and rejoice in these days with fear. Sanctify the bright holiday with holy deeds, activities and amusements, so that everyone, looking at you, will say: “They are celebrating Christmas time, and not some riotous games of wicked and debauched people who do not know God.” Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 318–322. December 26. After-feast of the Nativity of Christ. Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the second day of the Nativity of Christ in the Ascension nunnery in Tambov: “Of all the sayings with which the Nativity of Christ and our attitude towards the Born are depicted, the following words come closest to you, sisters: Christ from heaven - hide. Christ descends from heaven, come out to the meeting! I say this, adapting to the parable of the ten virgins: for there, too, in the middle of the night a voice came: Behold the bridegroom is coming, come ye out to meet him 393 . The difference is that there the Judge comes, and here the Savior comes. There, as He found the virgins, He decided them forever - the wise remained wise, and the holy fools remained holy fools, unable to correct their fate. But that’s not the case here; but let some prove to be holy fools at the hour of meeting; There is still time for them to become wise, just as the wise are not without the danger of falling into the number of holy fools. With all the more caution we must learn and carry out how to worthily meet the born Lord, who came down from heaven for our sake as a man and for our salvation. The Savior comes and brings salvation. Kindle the desire for salvation. You entered the monastery precisely because of this desire: but the length of time, the beginnings of success, and perhaps other things could have weakened or completely extinguished it. Take care now to kindle this fire within yourself more powerfully. Accept with all your heart this dispensation of salvation brought to earth by Him - in all its fullness and details, without giving up anything and without applying crooked interpretations to anything. Rest in peace about your salvation in Him, and in Him alone. Don't look for anything else: everything is with Him, and everything that He has is yours. And intelligence, and strength, and joys, and beauty, and peace - and everything is ready for you, just lean towards Him with all the aspiration of your spirit... Now glorify the wealth of God’s bounty and condescension. Give thanks to the Lord both for the fact that He did not abandon our family, but created for it a wondrous image of salvation, and for the fact that He brought this salvation closer to us and showed us examples of the saved in excitement for the salvation of our spirit. This is how you build a manger from your heart for the born Lord and surround them with these sacred dispositions: the desire for salvation, active perception of the entire dispensation of salvation, tranquility in the Lord and grateful praise to Him. This will provide the highest occupation for your spirit in these days, will sanctify your holidays and together will give you the opportunity to fulfill in the most accurate way what is contained in the song: Christ from heaven - hide. Amen" Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 323–326. December, Word of the Right Reverend Theophan to the newly elected judges: “Glory to You, Lord, you and I will say too! Your labors and restless thoughts are over, your desires have subsided, order has been established, all that remains is the hope of the fulfillment of what was expected... And you have now gathered in the church: alone - to offer gratitude for the completion of your work and to surrender your hopes to the Lord in the elections; others - to ask for God’s blessing to begin new works and to sanctify their first steps on the path of service with prayer. May the Lord bless you through your prayer! As you have now done, do so throughout your ministry and in all your deeds. Especially when your thoughts are in two minds or circumstances are such that it is difficult to determine which side you should lean towards with your assistance, always turn to the Lord for admonition - and you will receive what you ask for. I think there is no need to say that the main thing you should have is evidence of conscience. This you know; but I consider it not superfluous to add: a conscience enlightened by the word of God and strengthened by the grace of God and prayer. Conscience can always be confused by misinterpretation. Its faithful guide is the word of God. Under his instructions, clarify for yourself your business and your duty and then act according to this, only managing not to distort matters in applying principles to circumstances or in the direction of these latter principles according to accepted and destined principles. I think everyone does this. But here’s what, perhaps, not everyone does, or not everyone does with the proper persistence and effort. It is necessary to build a program for your actions in the spirit of Christianity and act in this same spirit in all circumstances. After all, you, like all the characters, are among the organizers of the people’s good. Good should belong to man by nature, but it does not. Why? Because he rebelled against God in the person of his forefathers and fell. The goodness of God restores him in the Lord Jesus Christ in St. Church, or through Christianity. He who has accepted the spirit of Christianity receives the right to external good and actually accepts internal good, is restored spiritually within himself with the right to return what was lost externally, if it is good for him and at the discretion of the Benefactor. This is how this law is expressed: Seek... first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you 394. So, if you want to build the welfare of the people lastingly, kindle the spirit of Christianity in it and do not allow anything that could in any way extinguish or weaken it. But there are still a number of things that attract the curse of God, which are not recognized as such by everyone. This is a way of thinking that is contrary to the rule of faith. With real enlightenment spreading everywhere, it is very important to both contribute to this spread and observe its spirit and character. All that glitters is not gold. You know how many bad thoughts go through books that are decorated with good titles. And even without books, ideas scatter everywhere as if by an electric telegraph and corrupt the good thoughts of sincere believers... I think that you are expecting mention of the impending change in our mutual relations. There is nothing to tell you about this from this place, except one thing: let us pray that the Lord will give a peaceful outcome to this great matter, as a reward for the meek and peace-loving spirit that prevails everywhere among us. We hope that this will happen, by the goodness of God. If, beyond expectation, some disorder occurs somewhere, let us pray that the Lord will give local leaders the intelligence and strength to quickly resolve this mood and turn everything to the common good. Most likely, we will hand over both this and everything else into the hands of God’s providential care for us! For he who trusts... in the Lord will receive mercy 395. In these thoughts, I finish my word to you, calling on you the blessing of God and praying for His goodness to help you act in the spirit that will present you pleasingly before the face of His unchangeable truth on the day of final reward for all those who act in the course of the affairs of the whole world. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1861. pp. 306–313. Information about the management of the Tambov diocese from the report for 1860. “The administration of the Tambov diocese included one consistory, eight ecclesiastical boards, the Guardianship of the Poor of the clergy and 98 deans. The presence of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory consisted of six members: 1 – Rector of the Tambov Seminary, Archimandrite of the Kozlov Trinity Monastery, Master Gennady; 2 – Archpriest of the Cadet Corps, candidate Ioann Moskvin; 3 – Archpriest of the Church of the Sign 396 Jacob Bondarsky 397; 4 – Archpriest of the Archdiaconal-Stefanovskaya Church Mikhail Arkhangelsky 398; 5 – priest of the same church Timofey Belsky 399; 6 – priest of the cemetery church Nikolai Bodrov. The office of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory consisted of a secretary, five clerks (one of them together and an assistant secretary), a registrar, a cash register clerk, an archivist and 30 clerical servants. The secretary of the chancellery is collegiate assessor Agafonik Radkevich. Assistant secretary - collegiate assessor Andrey Lebedev. The guardianship of the poor ecclesiastical rank consisted of four permanent members: 1 – Znamenskaya Church priest Anikita Levitsky; he is also the treasurer; 2 – of the cathedral, custodian Archpriest Alexander Tikhonravov 400; 3 – Trinity Church 401 priest John Novoselsky 402; 4 – housekeeper of the bishop's house, hieromonk Arkady 403. “In addition to these, in order to increase the collection of voluntary donations in favor of those in need, all full-time archpriests of district towns, treasurers of the Kozlov Trinity and Tambov Tregulyaev Forerunner monasteries hold the rank of trustees and the rank of trustees - abbess of the monasteries: Tambov Ascension, Sukhotinsky Znamensky 404, Kirsanovsky Tikhvino-Bogoroditsky 405 and Sezenovsky Ivanovsky, and, moreover, 98 priests, one in each deanery.” The office of trusteeship consisted of a secretary and two clerks. The secretary was titular councilor Avksentiy Rozanov; he is also the head of the Tambov Consistory.” TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Official P.7–8. Information about the spiritual boards of the Tambov diocese from the report for 1860. “The number of spiritual reigns. Spiritual boards are located in eight district cities: Shatsk, Temnikov, Morshansk, Kirsanov, Borisoglebsk, Lipetsk, Lebedyan and Kozlov. The other three cities with counties are ranked: Elatma - to Shatsky, Spassk - to Temnikov and Usman - to Lipetsk spiritual boards. Composition of ecclesiastical boards and their offices. The Shatsky spiritual board has four members: the rector of the Cherneev Monastery, Archimandrite German, the local cathedral archpriest candidate John Pereverzev, the priest of the cathedral church Grigory Konstantinovsky 406 and the priest of the Trinity Church John Novoselsky. Temnikovsky has three members: cathedral archpriest John Petrov 407, Trinity Church priest Pavel Belovidov and cathedral church priest Semyon Bashkov 408. Morshansky has three members: cathedral archpriest candidate Andrei Voskresensky, Ascension Church priest Fyodor Vozdvizhensky 409, Nikolaev Church priest Nikolai Ponomarev. Kirsanovsky has three members: the cathedral archpriest Gabriel of Kalais, the same church priest Stefan Zolotnitsky 410 and the Tikhvin convent priest Vasily Bazilev 411. There are three in Borisoglebsk: the cathedral archpriest candidate Peter Aquilonov 412, the same church priest Artemy Orzhevsky 413, the Kazan church priest Nikita Nazarev 414. There are three in Lipetsk: the cathedral archpriest Stefan Smirnov 415, the Ascension Church archpriest Dmitry Orlov and the Trinity Church archpriest John Nesmelov. There are three in Lebedyansky: cathedral archpriest Vasily Cherneevsky 416. priest of the Nativity of the Mother of God Church Ioann Zhdanov 417, priest of the cathedral church Stefan of Kazan 418. In Kozlovskoye there are three: cathedral archpriest Andrei Studenetsky 419, Archangel Archpriest Lukiyan Taptykovsky 420 of the Archangel Church, candidate candidate Dimitry Ossianov of the cathedral church. The offices of the spiritual boards consisted of one chief of staff and from three to five clerical servants.” TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Official pp. 15–16. Statistical information about the state of the Tambov diocese, extracted from documents for I860. “There are 1016 all Orthodox churches in the Tambov diocese. This includes monasteries – 33, cathedrals – 12, parishes – 889, state institutions – 12, cemeteries – 16, chapels and prayer houses – 11, and ascribed without clergy and parishes – 13. Of these, the most noteworthy are: a) for the elegance of the architecture and for the structure and decoration internal - again consecrated in I860 in the village of Olshanka, Borisoglebsk district, built at the expense of Major General Voeikova; b) in terms of enormity - St. Sophia Cathedral in the city of Morshansk, as well as two newly built at the expense of citizens: under the name of new cathedrals - in the city of Kozlov in the name of the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God and in the city of Borisoglebsk in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord: and almost all seven parish churches in the city of Kozlov, the wealth of decoration and church sacristy testifying to the special pious zeal of the locals citizens. Of the monastery churches, those in the Sarov and Vyshenskaya hermitages, in the Sezenovsky and Kirsanovsky convents are especially worthy of attention in terms of structure and decoration.” TEV. 1861. No. 4. July 23. Official P.32. Statistical information about the state of the Tambov diocese, extracted from documents for 1860. “There are no incorruptible relics, glorified and openly resting, in the Tambov diocese. Particularly revered for their godly life are both local residents and residents of other neighboring provinces, who flock in significant numbers to perform remembrance and prayers: Bishop Pitirim of Tambov, who rests in the Tambov Cathedral; in the Sarov Desert, Hieromonk Seraphim; in the Sezenovsky women's monastery the recluse John and in the Troekurovsky women's community the recluse Hilarion. Among the icons glorified by the appearance of many miraculous healings and other actions of God's special help in private and public disasters: the icon of the Tambov Mother of God in the Archdeacon-Stephan Church of Tambov, the saint and wonderworker Nicholas in the village of Mamontov, Morshansky district 421 and the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God in the Intercession Kozlov Cathedral 422, where the cross is celebrated annually a procession with this icon around the city in memory of the end of the plague that happened in Kozlov in 1776; and since 1849, in the name of the same Bogolyubskaya Mother of God, a majestic church has been built in the city of Kozlov under the name of a warm cathedral, with the placement of the existing women’s community at it according to a special vow of citizens in memory of the end of the cholera that raged in Kozlov in 1831 and 1848.” TEV. 1861. No. 5. June 30. Official S.Z9 40. Statistical information from the report on the state of the Tambov diocese for 1860. “Monastic monasteries. There are sixteen monastic monasteries, male and female, of different names in the Tambov diocese. There are four regular monasteries: 1. Kazansky in the city of Tambov, at the bishop's house, under the direct supervision of the diocesan bishop. The housekeeper in this is Hieromonk Arkady. Brothers and novices – 27. 2. Tregulyaev Predtechev (3rd class) 423, 7 versts from Tambov. The rector there is Archimandrite Victor 424, there are 24 brethren and novices. The former Bishop of Tambov Nikolai 425 lives here in retirement. 3. Cherneev Nikolaevsky (3rd class), 18 versts from Shatsk. Its rector is Archimandrite German. Brothers and novices – 21. 4. Troitsky (3rd class), near the town of Kozlov. Its rector is Archimandrite Gennady, rector of the Tambov Theological Seminary. Brothers and novices – 25. There are two monasteries: 1. Troitsky, near Lebedyan. Its rector is Abbot Joasaph. Brothers and novices – 17. 2. Sanaksarsky Boroditsky, near the town of Temnikov. Its rector is Abbot Xenophon 426. Brother with novices - 45. 1. Sarovskaya Uspenskaya, 40 versts from the city of Temnikov, on the border with the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. Its rector is the builder, Hieromonk Seraphim 427. Brothers and novices – 185. 2. Vyshenskaya Uspenskaya, 25 versts from the city of Shatsk. Its rector is Abbot Gerasim, there are 72 brethren and novices. In all eight monasteries shown, there are 419 monastics and those preparing for monasticism.” TEV. 1861. No. 7. 13 Aug. Official pp.55–56. “Monastic monasteries. 1. There is only one full-time convent - Voznesensky in Tambov. The abbess there is Abbess Evgenia. Nuns and novices – 96. 1. Sukhotinsky Znamensky in Tambov district. The abbess in it is Abbess Dorothea. Nuns and novices – 73. 2. Tikhvino-Bogoroditsky in the city of Kirsanov. The abbess in it is Abbess Antonina. Nuns and novices – 172. 3. Sofia in the city of Usman, the abbess in it is Abbess Seraphim. Nuns and novices – 95. 4. Sezenovsky Ioanno-Bogoroditsky in Lebedyansky district. The abbess in it is Abbess Seraphima 428. Nuns and novices – 108. 5. Nativity of the Theotokos in the city of Temnikov, the abbess there is Abbess Afanasia. Nuns and novices – 87. 1. Bogolyubskaya in Kozlov. The boss there is the merchant girl Pelageya Voronova. Sisters and novices – 25. 2. Troekurovskaya Dimitrievskaya in Lebedyansky district. The head of one of the nobles is the girl Alexandra Zeleneva 429. 3. The Merciful Mother of God in the provincial town of Kadoma. The head of it is one of the nobles - the maiden Maria Mashkova.” TEV. 1861. No. 8. Aug 20 Official P.63 64. Statistical information about the state of the Tambov diocese from the report for 1860. “The number of white clergy. There are 1,172 priests in the Tambov diocese with archpriests at cathedral churches, parish churches, state institutions and convents; deacons – 681; deacons in clergy vacancies and clerics – 2148. Population movement in the Orthodox diocese in 1860 Born: male – 48611; female – 47933; total – 96544 people. Deaths: males – 37236; female – 37531; total – 74967 people. There were 19,462 couples who were married.” TEV. 1861. No. 6. Aug 6 Official P.47 48. Creations of Saint Theophan Teachings on the path to salvation // Wanderer. 1860. Teaching I. T.2. No. 8. S153–159. Teachings on the path to salvation // Wanderer. 1860. Teachings II-III. T.2. No. 9. pp. 157–164. Teachings on the path to salvation // Wanderer. 1860. Teaching IV-V.T.2. No. 10. P.296–304. Words on the occasion of the fires in Tambov in 1860 // Spiritual conversation, 1860. Words first, second, third. No. 45. 5 Nov. pp.241–256. Words on the occasion of the fires in Tambov in 1860 // Spiritual conversation. 1860. Word fourth, fifth. No. 46. 12 Nov pp.273–281, Words on the occasion of the fires in Tambov in 1860 // Spiritual conversation. 1860. Word six, seventh. No. 48. 26 Nov pp.329–350. Words on the occasion of the fires in Tambov in 1860 // Spiritual conversation. 1860. Word eighth, ninth. No. 49. 3 Dec. pp. 371–379. Word on the consecration of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Olshanka // Spiritual conversation. 1860. No. 50. 10 Dec. pp.403–409. Letters on the Christian Life. Vol. 1/2 ed. SPb.: Type. military training headquarters establishments, I860. – 281 p. Letters on the Christian Life. Vol. 2. – St. Petersburg: Type. military training headquarters institutions, 1860. 558 p. Letters on the Christian Life. Vol. 3. St. Petersburg: Type. military training headquarters institutions, 1860. 609 p. Letters on the Christian Life. Vol. 4. St. Petersburg: Type. headquarters of military training institutions. 1860. 372 p. January 12. The Holy Synod received an appeal from Chief Prosecutor Count A.P. Tolstoy regarding the works of Bishop Theophan: “Recognizing the book “Letters on Christian Life” published by the Right Reverend Theophan as very useful for reading by students of theological educational institutions, the spiritual educational administration would consider purchasing two copies of this book for the libraries of 4 theological academies and 50 seminaries and one copy each for 5 schools for girls of the clergy... with a payment of 3 rubles per copy... for the account of spiritual and educational capital." RGIA. F.796. On.142. Storage unit 57. L.1–1 vol. January 14. Bishop Feofan sent a notification to the Tambov governor K.K. Danzas: “In response to Your Excellency, dated December 31, 1860, No. 17800, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that I submitted to the Holy Governing Synod dated July 16, 1860, No. 9017, about the opening of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk on the site of the Poroyskaya hermitage that existed in ancient times, but in order to authorize such submission of a decree from The Holy Governing Synod has not yet followed.” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.131 January 15. 34th Sunday after Pentecost. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Kazan Monastery at the Bishop's House: “How varied are the paths by which the Lord leads souls devoted to Him to the perfection predetermined by Him in Christianity! He leads one with sorrows, another with prosperity; some - by external writing, and others - by internal suggestions; this is visible, but this is hidden. In response to this thought, I will tell you what happened to St. Herma, an apostolic man. You will see how caring and resourceful the love of God guides us to salvation, and together you will learn many lessons for yourself in correctly judging whether you are living as a mother-in-law should. You see how strictly one is punished not only for deeds, but also for thoughts; and be careful to have a pure heart before the eyes of God. You see that you will have to answer not only for your own sins, but also for the sins of others, about whom the care has been entrusted to us; and take care to save everyone in every possible way: parents - children, bosses - subordinates, shepherds - their flock, teachers - students. You see that not a single deed, not a single thought of ours is lost, everything is recorded. But it is not written down to harm us, but to give us a reason for repentance; and take care with your tears to wash away this record and whiten the charter of life. See what awaits the chosen ones! Take courage and walk with joy along the path that you have entered upon in faith. You see how terrible the fate of unbelievers and sinners is, that the human ear cannot bear the description of it; turn away (evil) from unbelief and sin, put to death... your evils that are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil lust and covetousness... anger, rage, malice, blasphemy and obscene language... for their sake the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience 430, as you heard in the current Apostle. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. pp. 1–6. January 16. The Holy Synod approved the appeal of the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod dated January 12, 1861 regarding the transfer to religious educational institutions of copies of the work of St. Theophan “Letters on Christian Life.” January 22. 35th Sunday after Pentecost. “Let us continue our conversation according to the guidance of Saint Hermas, the apostolic man. Have you heard the description of two visions of St. Erma, which concerned mainly himself and his family; the other two visions concern the internal structure of the Holy Church of God and its external fate, in which, however, everyone can easily see themselves, for their own edification and correction. All four visions seen by Herma. They are all edifying; but the third vision is the most abundant in edification - the structure of the tower, that is, the Church! Take a closer look at it! All of us Christians are destined to be part of the body of the Church. Shall we come in?! Grant, Lord!.. But for this, let us take care to show ourselves like white and quadrangular stones - polished, that is, let us take care to preserve the holy faith, whitening, to introduce into the heart a harmonious combination of pure and perfect virtues, and let there be among us no uncut stones, nor split, nor round, nor any other unfit for construction. Amen". Words. Tambov, 1867. P.7 13. January 27. Letter from Count A. Tolstoy to Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov), in which Bishop Feofan is mentioned as the main candidate for a trip to Constantinople: “Most Reverend Bishop, gracious sir and archpastor! I have the honor to forward to Your Eminence the letter I received from Prince Gorchakov 431. To this letter I immediately answered him that the excessive haste mentioned in it cannot be achieved because in such an important matter it is necessary, as he himself admits, the opinion of Your Eminence and, therefore, several days must certainly pass before receiving your answer. I did not have time to add to this, but at the first meeting I will certainly explain that with such haste it is now impossible to resolve matters between the Great Church 432 and the Bulgarians, already because the state of this matter, due to its confusion and inconstancy of the Bulgarians, which Prince Lobanov 433 mentions in all his dispatches, is constantly changing, so that the answer of Your Eminence may encounter new telegrams, which, perhaps, will present the matter in a new and unexpected form. This morning I was with the Empress, and Her Majesty resumed the conversation about sending a trusted spiritual person from the bishops to Constantinople, mentioning mainly the Right Reverend Theophan of Tambov, as knowing local languages. From the attached letter from Prince Gorchakov, Your Eminence, please see that the Emperor also approves of this idea. To carry it out, it would be possible to summon the person chosen to St. Petersburg, with instructions to go to Moscow to receive instructions from Your Eminence. In addition to the above two letters, I have the honor to enclose printed copies of the appeal of Patriarch Joachim 434 to the Bulgarians in Greek and Bulgarian and the Bulgarians’ response to it and the Russian translation of the last of these documents (in manuscript), humbly asking you, dear sir and archpastor, to return these papers to me once the need for them has passed. Asking for your holy prayers, with excellent respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, gracious sovereign and archpastor, most humble servant.” NIOR RSL. F.262. K.52. Storage unit 37. L.15–17 vol. January 29. 36th Sunday after Pentecost. “What have you heard so far from the writings of St. Ermas, this is not all that I intended to convey to you and what may be useful for you in working on the well-being of your hearts! Listen again. I think that the word of the apostolic man will be more convincing for you than our feeble ranting. That’s why I don’t want to leave him behind until I finish it. After the visions already known to you, follow those of St. Hermas commandments, which form the subject of the second book of his Shepherd. He begins to present them as follows: “My shepherd, the Angel of repentance, offered me twelve commandments in the following order: 1. Believe in the One God, worshiped in the Trinity, the Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible, Who from nothing called all creatures into being and gave them as many perfections as each of them can contain. 2. Live in simplicity and purity, do not harm your neighbor even with a word, on the contrary, help everyone in their needs, without discerning who asks and to whom you give. 3. Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth: love the truth and flee lies. 4. Preserve marital fidelity like the apple of your eye, for this is the immutable law of the Creator to be pure and blameless before Him either in virginity or in an honestly preserved marriage. If you get married, don’t look for permission or another wife; decided to be a virgin - do not look for a wife. Also, when a husband or wife dies, the surviving half does not sin when he enters into a second marriage; but he receives greater honor from God when he decides to keep his widowhood pure and pure. I asked him: “What should someone who sins do?” “Repent,” the Shepherd Angel answered me. I tell him: “I heard that, besides baptism, there is no other repentance, that by plunging into the waters of rebirth, we receive remission of all sins and should not sin in any way after that.” The angel answered me: “Baptism is not called repentance. God established repentance for those who, having been called through baptism into the number of believers, then fall into sins through the machinations of the devil. The merciful God accepts the repentance of such people: but one must know that frequent falling into sin, corrected even by frequent repentance, makes repentance itself suspicious: and one can finally fall in such a way that after that fall there will be no opportunity to get up again and begin to live for God. Let everyone who looks lightly at sins fear this.” 5. Walking the path of the commandments, you cannot avoid obstacles and labors. Take courage, and let your heart be strong: be patient in doing good deeds and enduring all the troubles along the way. 6. Remember that with every person there are two angels - good and evil. One attracts him to good deeds, and the other to sins and vices. Pay attention to yourself and lean towards the first, and reject the second, guessing from the inner thoughts of your heart which of them is giving you lessons at that time and wants to rule over you. 7. Fear the One God, Creator and Provider and Savior, and do not humiliate your childish devotion to Him and your strong trust in Him with the empty fearfulness of the dark forces. 8. Make sure to show yourself as a zealous fulfiller of all God’s commandments without exception and a careful doer of all the deeds that the Angel inspired in your heart, or indicates the combination of circumstances of your life, and you will be a son in the house of God, and not a slave. 9 . Pray, strain yourself in prayer, pray unceasingly, so that every time, as needed, the power to do good and help to evade evil will come to you from above. Prayer makes the earth-born a celestial being and clothes him with heavenly purity and holiness. 10. Flee false prophets - fortune-tellers and magicians, through whom the enemy destroys the servants of God. Those who are weak in faith turn to these deceivers, and they, answering them according to the desire of their hearts, fill their heads with dreamy hopes. Immediately, mixing a drop of truth with a sea of ​​lies, they seduce them and again draw them back to paganism. He who sincerely believes and has devoted himself to God will not go to them. Such a person seeks heaven, but usually only wonders about earthly things. 11. May the living Church of God be your teacher, your only teacher, the pillar and affirmation of the truth. In it is the light of immutable true knowledge. Outside there is darkness and darkness. There the prince of peace set up his teaching pulpit and blinds the minds of those who listen to him and do not want to listen to the voices of the Church, because they are secular. Here's a test for you: what disagrees with the teachings of the Church, that is, the voice of the father of lies! Pay attention and keep yourself clean from this fall. Here is another sign: the word of truth establishes deep peace, tranquility and sweetness in the believing heart; the word of the deceitful raises dreams and doubts and, like salt water, kindles the thirst for knowledge, locking the mind like a prisoner in an uncertain dark desert. 12. Without your closest leaders it is impossible to live holy on earth. You will find them in the Church, where the Holy Spirit appoints them to shepherd the flock of Christ. Pray to the Lord to grant you what you need. At the right time and without your asking, he will speak a comforting word to you. The Spirit of God will teach him what is appropriate to say to you, and you will hear from him what God wants from you. Beware, however, of flattering spirits here too. Humility and quietness adorn a true leader. Where there is pomp in words and life, there is flattery. Heed this and you will be saved. These are all twelve commandments that the Shepherd Angel gave me. Accept them with your heart in simplicity, without thinking, and you will not encounter any difficulty in fulfilling them. But as soon as you begin to decompose in your mind whether and how it is possible to do both, and whether it is impossible to somehow free yourself from under this yoke, the enemy will creep up, put relaxation in your heart and make you incapable of any good, unless you do something, there is no salvation for you, there is no salvation for you, nor your children, nor your family. He who always has God in his heart will easily fulfill these commandments. Whoever has Him only at the end of his tongue will fall under the weight of them, considering them impracticable. The enemy has no power over the servants of God. He can tempt those who believe in God with all their hearts, but not rule over them. Resist him with courage and he will run away from you. That was the end of the angelic instructions; The second book of “The Shepherd” by St. also ends. Erma." How comforting it is to know that in our time they say the same thing that was said under the apostles, immediately after the apostles, and that, consequently, for eighteen and a half centuries in the Church of God the same word of truth has been heard unchanged. If now, with two and three witnesses, every verb stands, then how firmly should the verb of truth stand, preached in the Church of God, when such an immense host of witnesses stands for it? And what should these exclamations of superstition, which the foolish dare to throw in the face of the truth, mean before sanity? Don’t you sense God’s definition here: heaven and earth pass by, but words... do not pass by 435? Amen". Words. Tambov, 1867. P.13–19. January 31st. At a meeting of the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary, “a note from the seminary inspector, Hieromonk Sergius” was heard; with which he presents to the seminary board the 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions of “Letters on the Christian Life” donated by his Eminence for the permanent seminary library.” GATO. F.136. On.67. Storage unit 1. L.23 vol. February 2. Meeting of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Kazan Monastery at the Bishop's House; “What a touching picture the Presentation of the Lord presents to us! The very old man Simeon, holding the Infant of God in his arms, on both sides of him are Joseph the Righteous and the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos; Before him is Anna the prophetess, an eighty-four-year-old faster and prayer worker. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the Savior. In Him they disappear with attention and from Him they drink spiritual sweetness that nourishes their souls. You can judge how great was the bliss of these souls!.. But, brothers, we are all called not to merely imagine this bliss in our minds, but to actually taste it, because we are all called to have and carry the Lord within ourselves and to disappear in Him with all the strength of our spirit. And when we achieve this state, then our bliss will not be lower than the bliss of those who participated in the meeting of the Lord. They were blessed - having seen; we will be blessed - having not seen, but believed 436. Pay attention. I will briefly show you how to achieve this. Here's what to do and do. 1. First of all, repent. Without repentance, nothing can be done. This will be the same as turning your gaze and your whole body towards the path to meet the Lord and entering this path for the first time. 2. Then, keeping the feeling of repentance constantly unchanged, arrange for yourself such a type of life and behavior that at every step you take or with every movement, the Lord and our Savior is, as it were, written to your attention. 3 We must not, however, forget that all these works and studies are only preparatory. One should not stop at them alone, but must move on. Just as from the food we take in a rough form, the subtle elements of life are then refined, so from these activities, visibly performed, tangible, the subtlest dispositions, or aspirations, towards the Lord should be formed in the spirit I wish you all who are now celebrating the Presentation of the Lord to be worthy of this blessing. If someone, complaining, said: “The fruit is desirable, but the work to get it is too hard,” one can answer like this: “Well, there is an easier way, or a simpler way. Here it is: repent; then, zealous for the fulfillment of every commandment of God, walk relentlessly before the Lord, directing toward Him with all the attention of the mind, with all the feelings of the heart, with all the desires of the will. Having settled in this way, you will soon meet the Lord." TEV. 1862. No. 30. 21 Jan II added. P.84 88; Words. Tambov, 1867. P.19 22. February 5th. 37th Sunday after Pentecost. “Let us now complete our brief review of the writings of St. Erma, so as not to leave any of his edifying thoughts unknown. Now we should review the third book, the content of which consists of parables and comparable images of moral Christian truths. They are offered to Herma by the same Shepherd Angel. It will take a very long time to convey them all to us in detail. I will limit myself to indicating the general flow of thoughts of St. father. The instructions begin with the statement that we do not have a city that abides here, but must look for the future, which could serve as an eternal shelter for us. Having listened to this, Erma asked: “How is it that we do not have a permanent city here, but we are forced to have a lot and have a lot? What to do with this estate? “Don’t worry,” answered the Angel, “there is an opportunity to strengthen this transitory property, which comes and goes, goes and comes. Give the excess to the poor. Their hands are eternal repositories. Refrain, says the Angel further, from fussiness, much care, and much enterprise. Being entangled in many things, you will easily forget about God and godly deeds. And your thought and heart will be occupied with something completely different. And then you will not be able to avoid many and serious sins. Live in such detachment, be zealous for the strict fulfillment of God’s commandments, in which lies all the hope of salvation. Do not think that the sins of those who have sinned and bring repentance will be immediately blotted out. No, not right away. The repentant must torture himself in all sorts of humbling ways and endure various kinds of labor. It is easy to sin; but it is not easy to pay for sin. And it is mercy that one is given the opportunity to appease God’s justice!!! Those who believe in simplicity of heart and are zealous for virtue, living in peace with everyone, always ready to do good to everyone and share their labors with everyone without thinking, are the true children of God. God, seeing their simplicity and holy childishness, blesses their labors and favors all their deeds. Those who pleased God most of all are those who, having believed with childish simplicity and sincerity, do not allow bad feelings or do bad deeds, and throughout their entire lives remain equally faithful to all the commandments of God.” Here are the instructions given by the Shepherd Angel to St. Herma, which he then ordered to be written down as a keepsake and [for] edification to all subsequent generations. Enter, brothers, into the goals of the heavenly mentor and accept as a lesson whoever finds it necessary! Now all the talk was about the deeds of repentance, about its difficulties and hopes. So it came at the right time; for in another week we will hear: “Open the doors of repentance, O Life-Giver!” It was precisely at this time that I wanted to read with you the soul-saving writings of St. Erma; for in all parts of it - in visions, and in commandments, and in parables - he has one main thought, that for us who have fallen there is no salvation as in the Lord Jesus Christ. Accept with faith all the teachings of Christ, live completely in the spirit of this faith - you will be saved. If you have sinned, repent; sin again, repent again - and so on until the end. And this is what we need to be reminded of in the approaching course of mental healing. Amen". Words. Tambov, 1867. P.22 27. February 6. Permission was received from the St. Petersburg Committee of Spiritual Censorship to print the work of Bishop Feofan: “Words to the Tambov flock of Feofan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, in 1859 and 1860” 437. Words. Tambov. 1861. P.2. February 10. The secret attitude of Tambov governor K.K. Danzas to Bishop Theophan: “The Tambov police chief, in a report dated February 7, No. 223, presented to me the information of the local tradesman Ivan Shvechinov that his brother, Afanasy Shvechinov. belongs to the Khlysty sect and allows similar sectarians to gather at his place to perform their rituals, added that upon the sudden arrival at the house of the tradesman Afanasy Shvechinov, people of different ranks were actually found, who were taken and kept under arrest. Due to the importance of this circumstance, having prescribed this matter to the police chiefs in a legal manner, I have the honor to notify Your Eminence about this and humbly ask for your order to appoint a deputy from the spiritual side in a short time. Honor me with notice about what follows.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1588. L.2–2 vol. February 12. Week about the publican and the Pharisee. “The preparatory weeks for Lent have arrived again! Thanks be to the Lord, who has made us worthy to live until this soul-saving time. Let us pray that He will help us and use it according to His good intentions for us. In this regard, however, I do not find it necessary to tell you much. This is not the first time you have encountered this time; more than once have you heard an explanation of the meaning of these days and an indication of what you should take as a lesson from them; more than once, it’s true, you have actually experienced how they are used to build yourself and how to destroy yourself. And with this, what is the need for long instructions? Enough to say: brothers and fathers, do as you know, as your conscience and your experience teach you. Therefore, I will limit myself to some general reminders to you. Today and throughout the next week, let's take a lesson from the publican and the Pharisee and study it. It is short and clear: do not rely on your own righteousness, but with all the wealth of good deeds, place all hope of salvation in the mercy of God and cry out from the depths of your soul: “God, be merciful to us sinners!” Work and work diligently for the Lord, according to the entire breadth of His commandments, but place all hope of salvation in His mercy. You will never reach the point where you will always be perfect in everything before the eyes of God. Therefore cry out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” This is today's lesson. Teach him. Here's what to do in the guide. Briefly run through your life in your thoughts and see if there are sins in it - sins in word, deed and thought. Oh, that's right, you'll find a lot! If so, then how not to cry: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner”? Collect all your good deeds or those that your self-praise considers good. Look, how many of them will there be?! How much we could and should have done in three hundred and sixty-five days, and what did we do?.. It may be that among you there are no such people who, in self-praise, would brazenly say out loud, like other people, 438 but I think there will be a rare one who would not allow the thought of self-feeling, according to which, without comparing himself with another, a person says to himself: “It’s not that I don’t mean anything; I’m good at both.” This feeling of self-praise is also not right. There are no more evil thoughts of self-aggrandizement or self-justification... It directly falls on the feeling of contrition and cools it. Just as fire and water cannot be together, so contrition cannot be combined with a sense of righteousness; just as paralysis affects the organs of movement, so well-being cuts off any tension of strength for good. Just as evil dew destroys attractive vegetation, so it destroys all the good deceptive self-satisfaction in us. Choose, brothers, what is good and reject what is evil. In the songs of the Church, a self-righteous Pharisee is compared to one sailing on the sea on a strong ship, and a self-deprecating publican to one sailing on a thin boat. But that one was drowned by a storm of self-arrogation with a blow against the stone of pride, and this one was drowned by the deep silence of hopeful self-abasement and the quiet breath of tearful sighs that led safely to the pier of Divine justification. The Pharisee is also compared to one riding in a chariot, and the publican to one walking. But the latter, harnessing humility to contrition, forestalled the former, who blocked his path with stones of self-praise. Looking at these examples, brethren, may you comprehend this. Let you have the sea - tears, self-abasement - the boat, the wind - sighs, the publican's voice - all the orders for the voyage, and you will undoubtedly reach the refuge of God's mercy and soon step onto the shore of the cleansing of conscience, where you will taste the sweetness of peace in God. What and may His generous goodness bestow upon you. Amen". Words. Tambov, 1867. P.27 32: TEV. 1862. No. 30. 21 Jan Add. P.79 84. February 14. A circular decree of the Holy Synod was sent to Bishop Theophan “on the appointment of a priest to every Sunday school opened in the cities, who, in addition to the duty of teaching the Law of God, would observe, together with the school authorities and with their assistance, that nothing contrary to faith and the principles of morality is allowed in these schools.” TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Official P.10. Bishop Feofan's response to Tambov governor K.K. Danzas for a secret message dated February 10, 1861: “In response to Your Excellency dated February 10, No. 27, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that I have appointed the dean of the city of Tambov, the dean of the city of Tambov, the Znamenskaya Church, as a deputy from the spiritual side for the investigation into the case of the Tambov tradesman Afanasy Shvechinov, who runs the Khlyst sect, and about the secret meetings in his house of persons of various ranks of this sect. Archpriest John Almazov, to whom this decree was prescribed along with this.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1588. L.4 4 rev. February 19. Week of the Prodigal Son. “Last Sunday the Church taught us to cry out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Now she wants to lead us to an inspired determination to leave sin and return to the Heavenly Father. For this purpose, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, on the one hand, it depicts the sad state of a sinner in falling away from God, on the other, the joy and peace into which the repentant is accepted by the Heavenly Father. Let us follow this sinner, his fall and rebellion. Few of us standing here will not find our history in any way - light or dark. Therefore, reviewing it, we will learn self-knowledge in those forms, so that together with the prodigal son we can say: “I rise up” - having risen from a great or small fall. Think back to the time last year when we fasted, confessed and partook of the Body and Blood of the Lord. What blissful state was our soul in then? How brightly did she see everything both in herself, and around her, and above herself, and in the distance of the past, and in the depths of the future? What kind of silence reigned around the heart, what kind of order came into life, what kind of sedateness in plans and strength in the fulfillment of good intentions, what kind of readiness to seek the One God and walk steadily along the path of the commandments? It seemed to us that there was no one more blessed than us. We told ourselves: we will never change the good life we ​​have begun, so that we will never lose this joy and always belong to the Heavenly Father, the touch of whose protective right hand our hearts felt. And how truly blessed are those who have actually maintained, even if not fully, their intentions and expectations! But are they all like that?.. Haven’t most of them repeated the story of the prodigal? Now, whoever has been subjected to this misfortune, compare what is in you at the present time with what was. Grieve and cry. How it was light then, but now there is darkness all around: all the pure concepts and truths of God are as if stolen and do not come to mind, but when they come, they seem incomprehensible. Go to the Heavenly Father, Who is waiting for you, and not only waiting, but seeking... and by all means trying to turn your thoughts to Him and your former abode, and He will be your helper! This is what we now wish for ourselves, and for each other, no matter how big or small the fall. Let us desire and compel each other... so that not individually, but all together, we return to the Father and become one with Him and His whole house, the whole kingdom of those who are being saved - blessed and destined to be blessed forever. Amen". Words. Tambov, 1867. P.32 36: TEV. 1862. No. 31. 28 Jan Add. P.98 103. February 22. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Archpriest I. Pereverzev: “God help! Save yourself! How late I am and owe you an answer! That's it! About how the cathedral should be changed, ask Agafon Pavlovich 439 in more detail... It seems possible... but how, ask. The petition must come from the townspeople or from those persons who are obliged to visit the cathedral, but find it difficult... and the like. ... not sent, it’s not Korsunovsky’s fault, but mine. He will send... and two more books of psalms... At the same time, take up the task of composing conversations about the deeds or stay on earth of our Lord Jesus Christ 440. The order must be taken from the biblical history of the Most Reverend Philaret, if there is one... If not, then Grechulevich has a set of Four Gospels. Here the package itself is assembled. I ordered this book to be written out for the dean's libraries... It has become, and it should be in Shatsk. So, take it, and work... and prepare conversations - simple, clear, warm, without smearing. К июню тогда пришлешь. Vedomosti has given permission and will begin in the middle of the year. Meanwhile, for these Gazettes, compile something about the antiquities and amusements of Shatsk... Vyshi, Chernavy and around the district. We will publish everything that is practical and wonderful. A description of the diocese, especially on the Gazette, should be included. Announcements about this will be sent out soon... Take care to arrange among the non-spiritual, so that they write out... There is nothing from the family. Верно, все хорошо. The princess bows, she was ill. Emancipation 441 approved... Will be announced in the first week. So the rumors..." IR NBU. F.160. Item 1968. L.25 26 rev. February 23. На заседании правления Тамбовской духовной семинарии слушался «Рапорт смотрителя Тамбовского д[уховного] училища протоиерея Иоанна Москвина к его преосвященству, коим доносит о получении денег 997,90 руб. присланных на имя его из духовных правлений за книжки «О начале христианской жизни», пожертвованные его преосвященством в пользу бурсы, и 100 рублей, пожертвованные липецким купцом Хренниковым, и просит указаний, на какой предмет употребить означенные деньги». Резолюция преосвященного Феофана на рапорте: «Деньги хранить для постройки церкви в 1-м Тамбовском училище». GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 1. L.40. February 26. Meat week, about the Last Judgment. “Now the Holy Church reminds us of the Last Judgment. She has already sent us to learn from the publican how to cry out humbly: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” She has already inspired us not to give in to the fall, but after the prodigal son, having risen, go to the merciful Father and beg Him to accept us, unworthy, to be called His sons, even as mercenaries. But she is still afraid that someone might inadvertently miss those lessons and, out of hardness of heart, put off using them properly. Therefore, now, painting the picture of the Last Judgment, he says to everyone: “Repent, for if you do not repent, you will all perish.” No truth is so powerful to soften unrepentant hearts as the truth about the Last Judgment of God. The enemy knows this and in every possible way manages to put us in such a state that we either do not think about this Judgment at all, or, if we do think about it, we think superficially, without carrying this thought to the heart and not allowing it to produce its full effect there. If the memory of the Judgment did not leave us, and its action were accepted by us with all our hearts, there would be no sinners or there would only be accidental, accidental, momentary sinners who immediately rise up after an accidental fall. But we do not enter into God’s intentions, and therefore we sin and remain stuck in sins with unrepentance. Come, brothers, let us outwit the enemy who is thwarting us and, in defiance of him, let us now constantly remember the Judgment and perceive in our hearts all its power and all its fear. Let us draw a picture of the Last Judgment in our minds and carry it within us constantly. Only let this thought not be idle in us; let us deepen it and accept with our hearts the Judgment, the condemnation, and the execution of the judgment. Is there anyone today who would judge himself correctly and be judged correctly by others? Otherwise it will be there. И себе будем все мы открыты, и другие будут видеть нас, каковы мы во всех помышлениях, и словах, и делах. Ныне мы изобретательны на снисхождения и разными изворотами извиняем себя и пред собою, и пред другими, и пред Богом. Тогда не будет места никаким оправданиям... Ныне нередко проволока следственных дел облегчает преступника и манит его надеждою. It won't happen there; все совершится во мгновение ока: и Суд без следствий, и осуждение без справки с законами, и определение без апелляций. По мановению Божию отделятся праведники от грешников, как овцы от козлищ... и все умолкнут... ничего не имея сказать против Суда и осуждения. That's what will happen! And this is what the Holy Church now wants to impress on our hearts! Восприимем же чувством сию безотрадность состояния грешника в Последний День – безотрадность, в которую поставят его тогдашний Суд, осуждение и решение. – let us then perceive it in order to avoid that bleakness. No one can escape the Judgment! Now is the auspicious time beginning! The eve of Lent is already approaching. The reduction in the satisfaction of the needs of the flesh is then instituted to give more scope to the activities of the spirit. Get ready! The same thing that has spoiled the coming week, the evil customs of the world, run away as much as possible, according to your conditional relationships and the weaknesses of your characters, so that we are sufficiently prepared to enter the field of fasting and fasting - to be cleansed, to establish ourselves in purity and to establish for ourselves the opportunity, purified, to appear before the terrible Throne of the Judge. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. pp. 36–40; TEV. 1862. No. 32. 4 Feb Add. pp. 123–127. February 27. На заседании Тамбовской духовной консистории слушалось «Отношение господина обер-прокурора Святейшего Синода от 1 7 февраля за № 879, коим сообщается для зависящих распоряжений со стороны епархиального начальства об объявлении духовенству относительно священной его обязанности, лежащей на нем по случаю ожидаемого в скором времени приведения в исполнение мысли Государя Императора об улучшении быта помещичьих крестьян, с резолюцией его преосвященства: «Консистории иметь учинить немедленно по сему распоряжение»». GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1725. L.8 v.9. March 2. Слово преосвященного Феофана на погребение генерала от артиллерии Пармена Ивановича Стаховича, командира 6-го армейского корпуса 442 : “The general relinquishes his power and distinction and retires. And now, instead of solemn sounds, we now hear dull tones and instead of verbose conversations, deep silence! It is impossible not to grieve and lament. But will we pay our last debt to the deceased with this alone? Those who remain bear the duty of remembering a prolific life with praise; and not only with praise, but also with lessons - as a consolation to everyone, and especially to those whose hearts the change that has happened is so close and so bitter... The course of a multi-service life is over, and what a course! Beginning in the sixteenth year, it ends in the seventieth. From the age of eighteen, campaigns and labors; and not a single movement of troops, in war or peacetime, took place without his participation! The first experiences of active warfare include participation in a campaign against the Austrians in eastern Galicia (1809). The following year he goes to the Turks, where during the capture of Silistria, during the siege, attack and assault of Rushchuk, he acted on the battery. In the memorable war with the French (1812), he participated from the beginning to the end of the campaign in many battles in Russia, Germany and France, namely: at Borodino, at Krasny, at Bautzen (1813), Reichenbach, Kulm, Leipzig and in Paris itself. During the second war with the Turks - already with superior orders - during the transition through the Balkans, he commanded three sections of mountain artillery and participated in the occupation of Adrianople. In the war against the Polish rebels, he also acts with commanding orders - first in wise retreats in view of the rapidly advancing numerous army, then in battles and movement with strong marches to the outskirts of Warsaw, finally, in a general battle during the assault on the advanced fortifications of the city rampart and the capture of Warsaw itself. During the Hungarian turmoil he was sent to the Polish kingdom. He guarded the same well-known country during the last war. So many feats! After this, should we remember these annual shows from [18]30 to [18]57 inclusive, for almost thirty years, which always ended with the monarch’s favor towards him, although they, as you know, are not the same as a walk for one’s own pleasure. So much work and deeds! And all of them are accomplished in an increasing degree of difficulty and effort - sometimes as a subordinate, sometimes as a participant in superior orders, sometimes as a chief manager - in the ranks of colonel to corps commander. You will say: by what means was all this accomplished and achieved, and where can I get the strength to endure everything that has been endured? Look how it all started. We cannot point out either the nobility of the family or the brilliance of upbringing. He is a simple nobleman of the Poltava province, he studied at home and in one private educational institution. It seems nothing special; but that’s the peculiarity. Bear with me! I cannot resist saying: you see, that simple education in the spirit of a father, even without exposure to foreign enlightenment and education, gives the most faithful and trustworthy servants to the Fatherland, and therefore the current universal passion for foreign things has no confirmation in examples of the past. The future is seen only by God, Who commanded us to learn from those who were before, and not from those who were to come: ask your fathers, not your grandchildren! The journey of life has begun. What supported you on this difficult path? First of all, love for activity, kindled by a sense of duty. As if it were necessary for anyone to provide experienced assurance that labor overcomes everything and that the earlier labor begins, the more bearable it is later, the stronger the strength and the longer it lasts. They've had enough of fifty-odd years of tedious activity! Thus, conscientious work with selflessness and selflessness in devotion to one’s duty is in itself a rich reserve of productive forces. However, physical strength is not so important as the animating spirit. In this regard, one cannot help but point again to the spirit of love for all relatives that the deceased breathed. And look how strong this spirit is! It unites with the entire national body and as much as it inspires the actor, it spreads around him confidence in him - in everyone, near and far. And from both of these, that moral strength is composed that has no barriers and does not see insurmountable difficulties. This is where the source of both general trust and royal mercies are, worthily poured out! These are all true servants of the Tsar and the Fatherland! With all this, however, we must firmly remember that not everything is from us. There is an all-governing and all-guiding power of Divine Providence. And therefore, after the usual means, everything is completed by the spirit of piety, attracting the mercies of God. Everything that is in us is from God, and everything that happens to us is also from God. Where God's blessing is, there is multiplicity. Here is the complete answer to the question we proposed at the beginning: by what forces was everything accomplished, transferred, achieved? Faith in God, devotion to the Tsar and the Fatherland, conscientious work in fidelity to duty... Imitate whoever wants and whose competition for good has not died down. When the Emperor called the deceased to the highest honor and service on the other side of the Fatherland or beyond, commanding you to stay in place, you, of course, would grieve, being separated from him, but you would not indulge in joyless melancholy and grief, consoling yourself with the glory and honor that lies before the one from whom you are separated. These are exactly the circumstances you find yourself in now. The Heavenly King called your husband and father to Himself, to the honor of the highest rank, and ordered you to stay here: because this is necessary for your good, according to His wise order. Those who depart are born into a completely new life, never to die again. But this is a feature that should be admired, and not tormented. If, therefore, there is reason to be sure that the one who departed has not gone over to the worst, rejoice and be merry. To what, if anything needs to be added, add a prayer that we ourselves will quickly get rid of this evil age and follow after the one who has departed. However, not as we want, but as the Lord wants. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.41 48. March 4th. Letter from A.P. Tolstoy to Bishop Theophan: “Most Reverend Bishop, gracious sir and archpastor! A Nestorian priest, Fr., arrived in St. Petersburg about a month ago. Michael from the city of Urmia (in Persia) sought the spiritual protection of Russia for the entire Nestorian society living in Asian Turkey and Persia and extending, according to him, to 30,000 families, moreover, promising the speedy accession of this entire society to the Orthodox Church. Even before that, he submitted a petition to the head of our Mission in Jerusalem, which was forwarded in due time to the Holy Synod. Information about this, reported to the Holy Synod from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the testimony of Fr. Mikhail agree and are very favorable for his face. It is clear from everything that the subject deserves the full attention of the Holy Synod and that it will be necessary to find an Orthodox clergyman to whom it would be safe and reliable to entrust the study and, if God blesses, the successful completion of this important matter. If the information collected about him is favorable, then it will be possible to speed up permission to come to Russia and here, providing him with the necessary instructions, send him back under some pretext for the indicated purpose. Addressing Your Eminence with a question about Metropolitan Amid, I have the honor to add my most humble request that, in addition to answering the proposed question. You, dear sir and archpastor, took the trouble to inform me of other, albeit general, considerations about the work ahead of the Holy Synod, which your Eminence can be inspired by a close, experienced acquaintance with the situation in the East of the Orthodox Church and the societies that have fallen away from it.” ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.23 28; RGIA. F.797. On.29. Dept.2. Art.2. Storage unit 347a. L.113 vol. 114. March 5th. It's a damp week. Воспоминание Адамова изгнания. Forgiveness Sunday. “Remember from where you fell - this is what the Lord says to the Angel of the Ephesian Church in the Revelation of St. John the Theologian. And he says: “remember” - not for the sake of curiosity or idle passing of time, but in order to find in this remembrance an incentive to repent and return to previous good deeds. Remember from where you fell, and repent, and do the former works 445. This commandment should be constantly instilled in every person and all fallen humanity! Remember the primeval bliss of the primordial ones - great and indescribable - lost through the fall, and thereby irritate and kindle in yourself jealousy and concern for the uprising and return of what was lost. Thus, a sick person, remembering his recent state of health, wishes for a speedy recovery; a prisoner, remembering the joy of freedom, seeks liberation; an impoverished person, remembering the peace of contentment, invents all sorts of ways to become rich again. I think that there would not be a single person careless and careless about their salvation if they properly remembered how good it was before the fall and how bad it became after the fall. Of course, this memory could plunge us into despair if we did not have at hand the means to improve our condition. And this is the intention with which every year the story of the fall of our ancestors is offered to us, before the beginning of Lent. We are told through this: remember what you were before, what you have become now, and stop wallowing in the mud of your fall. Jealous to rebel. Now is the time favorable, now is the day of salvation 446. But, as if in defiance of God’s care for us, of all the saving truths that are few remembered, the least remembered is our fall in the person of our forefathers. As if everything should be as it is. What a shame! It’s as if the tsar’s daughter, being carried away by low affairs, and through them relegated to a low state, became so insensitive that she forgot that she was not in her place and not in her appearance, that she should not walk around in this rags, live in a dirty hut and do menial work: this would be a pity, and even more a pity if the royal house were in sight, and the method of appeasing the tsar was open, and the tsar’s readiness to accept his daughter again and return everything to her was known and announced. This is precisely our soul, created in the image and likeness of God, when it does not contain in its thoughts what it was initially and what it has now become. Pity are all those who do not feel the fall... and do not seek rebellion; all the more pitiful are Christians and those who live in the face of Christianity. Before us is the house of salvation, and we have already partaken of the healing powers operating in it. It would be a pity if we came out of it and ate the food that destroyed us. But it is even more pitiful if, standing outside, we indifferently look at the loss and, in carelessness, do not strive to go inside again and enjoy the good things there. Awake your souls, brothers, if they have fallen asleep. Wake up! Here are a few more - and the saving time of fasting will come, favorable to the uprising and inviting to it! Let us use it according to the instructions of our wise and instructive Mother! Let’s take advantage, because we don’t know whether another time like this will be given, but to remain in the fall and through the fall to appear in another life - how is it possible? Let us take advantage, remembering that, according to the Savior’s word about the fig tree, this may be the last year that we are left alive - waiting to see if we will bear fruit, if we will correct ourselves. Now, if we don’t correct ourselves, we will be flogged and thrown into the fire. Let us motivate and force ourselves to revolt. The work is not great, but the benefit is great! Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.48–51; TEV. 1862. No. 33. 11 Feb. Add. pp. 142–143. March 8. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Kazan Monastery at the Bishop's House on Wednesday of the first week of Great Lent: “Thanks be to the Lord, who has vouchsafed us to live long enough to see holy fasting and to begin the field of fasting! But let us take care to use this mercy as it should, so that it serves us for salvation and not for condemnation. The purpose of our fasting is preparation for the non-judgmental acceptance of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. It has become the main thing for us to cleanse our conscience and reconcile with the Lord in the sacrament of Repentance - that is, to repent as we should. Ask: who repents as he should? The one who knows his sins and confesses to them sincerely: having confessed, mourns them and laments about them; having become contrite, he sets the intention to no longer offend God with his sins: and, finally, in these dispositions, he humbly confesses all his sins before his confessor, in order to receive permission from them and appear justified and pure before the eyes of God! The passion that overcomes us and the sins with which we most offend the Lord cannot hide from our attention. They stand in the foreground and are irresistibly crowded into our consciousness. So impose on them all the severity of self-examination and self-condemnation. For there is deceit in our sinful heart, that it is ready to strictly judge itself in everything insignificant, except for its main weakness. However, everything else, except for the main sin, in moral terms, is a small thing. And it turns out that we are straining out a mosquito and devouring a camel in our internal judgment. Now correct this wrong within yourself, that is, recognize your main passion and your main sins, and condemn yourself for them, not allowing any apologies. And then turn to the knowledge of other sins - side ones, which, compared with the first ones, can be called small, few, as if accidental. Look through the commandments of the Decalogue and the Commandments of the Beatitudes - and see which commandments are broken and which virtues are lacking in the heart. Just as in a clean mirror, when one looks into it with unclosed and unpowdered eyes, small specks are visible on the face, so all our misdeeds, sins and crimes, committed in word, deed and thought, will be revealed when we force our conscience to look in the mirror of the commandments of God, indicated in the word of God. All that remains is to add to this self-condemnation - the consciousness that you are guilty. And this will come when we reject any justification for ourselves by anything and do not excuse ourselves either by the degree of education, or by temperament, or by the circumstances of life, or by the type of service and the conditions of class relations, or by passion, or by ignorance, in a word, by nothing; but let us position ourselves in such a way that, as soon as sin is known, we can say sincerely: guilty, unrequitedly guilty. Having confessed to sins, one must mourn them - lament the fact that they were done. Whoever sincerely said: guilty is not far from saying: why was all this done? To regret it, to be ashamed of oneself, to be ill before the Lord and to be afraid of His Judgment and the misfortune that awaits the one who remains uncorrected in sins. It is not far from this, however, and this requires the work of self-government and self-coercion. For there is a hardening of the heart, according to which, recognizing sin and not having anything to justify it, they say: what is this? So it is necessary to take with the firm hand of reasoning the hammer of the crushing truths of God and strike with them the petrified heart until it softens and breathes. Along with heart disease about sins, the intention will come to give up on them, not to offend the Lord with them anymore and not to destroy oneself; This will be followed by the most sincere confession of sins, for the sake of which their self-effective resolution will be given. And truly saving repentance will be accomplished. Grant, Lord, that in these days all of us may be worthy of this gift of God! But what good is it if, without feelings, with boredom or distraction, we stand idle during services, annoyed that they drag on for a long time: while we spend the time free from services in half-asleep and inaction; and then we will coldly say in spirit: I am a sinner, and then about the sins that they will ask about, and without having the thought that the main goal should be the correction of life. This will mean that we fulfilled the custom of fasting, and did not fast for salvation. Be careful how dangerously you walk, 447 especially in these days, when the enemy, without tempting us with sins, renders useless the means given to us by the grace of God for cleansing from sins and through this reserves the right to continue his power over us. Amen". TEV. 1862. No. 34. 18 Feb Add. pp.154–158; Words. Tambov. 1867. pp.52–56. A circular decree of the Holy Synod by the diocesan bishops “to oblige seminary students, when ordaining them as priests, to acquire the necessary books for their own or church library, especially the “Dogmatic Theology” of the Right Reverend Anthony 448, the “Long Catechism” 449, the “Book of the Offices of Parish Presbyters” 450 and others, according to the special circumstances of the parish, needed in priest's allowance." TEV. 1861. No. 4. July 23. Official P.27. March 10. His Grace Theophan read out a manifesto on the abolition of serfdom at the Kazan Monastery. A religious procession took place under the bell ringing. “Tambov Provincial Gazette” in No. 18 for 1861 reported the announcement in Tambov and the Tambov province of a manifesto on the abolition of serfdom: “On March 8, 1861, a manifesto was received in Tambov on granting serfs the rights of free rural inhabitants and on the same day the head of the province, the actual s[tat] with [adviser] K.K. Danzas was read at an emergency meeting of the provincial government. On March 10, in the cathedral, in the presence of the head of the province and all military and civil officials and in front of a large crowd of people, the Right Reverend Theophan served a liturgy, then a manifesto was read and a prayer of thanks was performed. The manifesto was also read in the city square. By March 20, the manifesto was announced throughout the Tambov province.” Memoir book from the editorial office of the unofficial department of the Tambov Provincial Gazette. 1888. P.69. March 14. The Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory, according to the resolution of His Eminence Theophan, notified the Tambov Chamber of State Property of its consent to “the establishment of tombs in state-owned villages for the temporary placement of dead bodies until they are committed to earth”: “Finding the arrangement of the mentioned tombs useful, he considers it best to build them separately near the churches along a fence, with adaptation to their purpose, and in a decent form, and so that they are not covered with straw, but at least with planks, for the safety of the churches. In residential guardhouses, which are sometimes needed for church services, it is inconvenient to supply the dead, unless they consist of two rooms separated by a vestibule, of which the non-residential room is free. Likewise, the construction of tombs in bell towers can only be allowed if the bell towers are built separately from churches and have no connection with them. In general, when arranging tombs, the participation of the local clergy is necessary. What the consistory, in accordance with its conclusion, for information and for proper observation, as follows, from the dean and local authorities, announces throughout the diocese.” TEV. 1861. No. 6. 6 Aug. Official pp.43–44. March 15. The Holy Synod received an appeal from Comrade Chief Prosecutor Prince S.N. Urusov regarding the work of Bishop Feofan: “Keeping in mind that the work of the Right Reverend Theophan, Bishop of Tambov, which was published last year, under the title “Letters on Christian Life”, in its truly Christian direction and according to the high rules contained in the book for life in the spirit of faith and piety, can be used with particular benefit for home reading, I went to the Empress with a most humble report, asking for permission When students graduate from schools in Tsarskoye Selo, Kazan and Irkutsk this year, give each of them one copy of the said work and, in addition, purchase a sufficient number of copies to supply students from subsequent graduations. On the 24th day of last February, my Her Imperial Majesty deigned to express her consent to such a proposal. This year, the number of students completing courses in schools for girls of the clergy is as follows: in Tsarskoye Selo - 29, in Kazan - 18 and in Irkutsk - 17. Why would I consider purchasing 600 copies for the account of spiritual educational capital ... " RGIA. F.796. On.142. Storage unit 504. L.1–2 vol. March 17. Memory of St. Alexy, man of God. The word of the Right Reverend Theophan in the Ascension nunnery in Tambov: "Life of St. Alexy, the man of God, presents us with a mirror of monastic life in its full perfection. Come, sisters, let us look in this mirror; Having seen enough, we will believe whether everything is as it should be, so that we can then become more firmly established in what should be, remove what is not necessary, and fill in what is missing. The beginning of monastic life is supposed to be the abandonment of the world and everything that is appropriate in human cohabitation. That is why those who renounce the world, almost all of them, flee into the desert or beyond the walls of monasteries! This was not how Saint Alexy, the man of God, was! It was not enough for him to follow the common path. He chooses for himself a new one, as much as a strange one, as well as a tall one. Did he love his father, mother and bride? Of course he did; and, perhaps, stronger than how much they loved him. It was not out of hatred that he left them, but because he was consumed with great love for the Lord. Well, has this love dried up that he is returning to his father’s house?! No. But it required new victims, just as fire requires the constant addition of new combustible substances in order to burn more fieryly. And this is what he gave her to eat! The most tender natural feelings are constantly renewed in the heart by his vision, hearing and very presence. The man of God arranged for himself continuous suffering - from the minute he entered his father’s house until he closed his eyes. He looked like someone who would be cut line by line with a knife; or someone who would be whittled with iron nails and never stopped whittling; or someone who would be put in iron boots with sharp nails inside and forced to walk without stopping, in order to tear apart painful wounds more and more. He was in his position truly a burnt offering. His nature burned within him; the fire in which it burned was the fire of love for the Lord. Man of God! Should we just praise you or, while praising, strive to imitate you?! In every possible way, however, you who have renounced the world, stand here and decide for yourself: having renounced the world, have you also renounced everything worldly; and, having renounced everything, do you make a sacrifice to God or only give yourself peace? Having renounced the world, they enter the monastery and begin a very difficult life there in fasting, prayer and patient obedience with renunciation of their will. Work hard! But do not think that having done certain things once or several times, you have completely gotten rid of them. No. You must do it continuously, go higher and higher without stopping, until you achieve the measure of perfection destined for each part of monastic life. Look closely at the works of the man of God and you will see everything to what extent your exploits should bring you. Look at how little he has achieved in satisfying the needs of his body, what his prayers are, and what his renunciation of his will is like; force yourself to be like him. Do not consider all this to be inapplicable to you, remembering that strength is not in form, and do not dismiss yourself from a conscientious answer: are the beginnings of the traits of the life of a man of God laid in the monastic life of each of you? Here is a short sketch of the mirror of the monastic life! Look; but not so that, having looked, you forget what you saw, but so that in what you see you have either the joy of inspiration for the best, or an incentive to cleanse and correct what is bad. May the Lord make you wise for salvation through the prayers of Saint Alexis, the man of God. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.56–60; TEV. 1862. No. 33. 25 Feb Add. pp. 178–182. March 19. Week 2 of Lent. Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonites. “Our Lord Jesus Christ said: He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I am in him 451. Rejoice, reverent communicants! No matter how false the word of the Lord is, it is just as certain that the Lord is in you even after the communion of His Holy, Most Pure and Life-Giving Mysteries. But, brethren, the Lord, having come and dwelt in us, cannot leave Himself untestified in this internal action within us, just as He does not leave Himself untested in the external Providence for us, from heaven giving us rain and times of abundance. Well, have you accepted and carried this testimony within yourself? I offer this question to you because of the fact that of you present here, perhaps there is not a single one who did not partake of the Mysteries of Christ yesterday or last Saturday. Have you had time to notice whether that which should be a consequence of the acceptance of the Mysteries of Christ has begun in you? The Lord, having come, brings supper with Him; brings all spiritual blessings for salvation, of which He is the only source, and gives them to the soul to eat. Go inside yourself and look! The Lord is light. He brings light with Him and into the soul that receives Him. This is the light of knowledge and understanding of all truth, necessary for salvation. The Lord is the all-giving power. He brings strength with Him and into the soul that receives Him. Every soul that has received the Lord must feel spiritual strength and strength within itself, that is, feel an inspired zeal for every good thing or for the fulfillment of every commandment of God, insurmountable by any internal obstacles erected by passions and bad habits, not stopped by either negligence, evasion, or procrastination. The Lord is peace. Peace, which surpasses all minds, He brings with Him and into the soul that receives Him. In the soul, usually agitated by many thoughts, desires, enterprises and movements of the heart, upon receiving the Lord, deep spiritual silence should be established, undisturbed by anything either from the outside or from the inside; silence, making it possible to hear clearly and a light voice - either from heaven or from earth. The Lord is a warming fire. He brings spiritual warmth with Himself and into the soul that receives Him. Spiritual warmth, like some kind of clothing, dresses the soul that receives the Lord in His Most Pure Mysteries. So the light of vision, the power of inspiration, peace of spiritual strength, sweet warmth of the heart - these are the main witnesses of the indwelling in the hearts of the Lord’s true participants, the supper with which He treats the soul that has received Him! Hearing this, perhaps more than one of you will be troubled in spirit and ask: what if someone does not feel such evidence in himself, does the Lord not exist in him? I will not falsely reassure you. Yes! The Lord is not in it! And I will carry this word even further - that if the Lord is not in us, then there is no salvation for us. The day does not suddenly dawn; but as soon as dawn begins, everyone knows that the night has passed and the day is approaching. So also understand the fruits of receiving the most pure Mysteries of Christ, testifying to the Lord’s indwelling in us. They are not in full force; but perhaps they are in the beginnings. Be patient and remain in the order in which you can expect them to appear perfectly, and you will receive what you expect. Ask: How can we know if good has begun in us? I will answer: if you are concerned about salvation with the effort to fulfill everything that requires salvation, know that the Lord has begun His work in you, no matter to what extent the indicated witnesses of His presence in us may be in you. Continue this with patience and see what the beginning will accomplish. If this is not there, then there is nothing: forgetfulness of God, insensibility and carelessness are decisive signs that the life of the spirit has not yet begun. Do not despair, however, in this case either. Have you not started your spiritual life? We need to start. Then life is also given to us so that we can come to our senses and repent. This is what needs to be done. There is still a favorable time for fasting for this – let’s take advantage of it. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.60–65; TEV. 1862. No. 34. 18 Feb Add. pp. 158–163. March 23. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas: “In response to Your Excellency dated March 16, No. 3177, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that I submitted to the Holy Synod dated July 16, 1860, No. 9017, about the opening of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk on the site of the ancient Poroy Hermitage, but I have not yet received a decree from the Holy Synod to authorize such submission. received, and I have the honor to add that upon receipt of permission from the Holy Synod, I will not hesitate to notify Your Excellency at the same time.” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.132–132 vol. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Confidential and secret”: “It has come to my attention that in the city of Spassk, after the death of the old man Karasev, 452 his eldest son, Gregory, took upon himself to manage the affairs of the schism and took up this matter with such zeal that he was ready to lay down all his fortune just to spread the schism and glorify his name through it. Considering this matter to be very probable and fearing harmful consequences for Orthodoxy from such a person, I ordered the clergy of the city of Spassk to aggravate their pastoral concerns about the protection of the Orthodox in Orthodoxy by means appropriate for them; but at the same time, I consider it my duty to bring this to the attention of Your Excellency, asking you, dear sir, to take this matter to heart, to have plans to prevent possible damage to Orthodoxy in this city, which is suffering so much from schism.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Storage unit 1580. L.2 2 rev. “The day of our salvation is the greatest! 453 - this is how the Holy Church defines the meaning of the current holiday. She calls the Holy Annunciation the main principle of our salvation, that is, its beginning, source, seed, root. But, brethren, you know that for each of us personally, the economy of salvation becomes salvific from the minute we become partakers of its salvation. Is it possible to see in the Holy Annunciation the primacy of salvation in this regard? Can. Namely: in the image of the Annunciation and its spirit, those main dispositions of the heart or that main mood of the spirit are indicated to us, which testify to the beginning of salvation in us and make us worthy of it. Here is the radical, productive beginning of salvation in us! Not a vision of everything as it is and should be, but only knowledge that God wants it this way - knowledge accompanied by unconditional submission. The mysteries of salvation remain mysteries to this day - both in dogmas and in many commandments, and even more so in the communication of gifts of grace. It is not knowledge that saves, but faith. In the Annunciation, which marked the beginning of our salvation, everyone only submits and does not reason - the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, the Archangel, and the Blessed Virgin! Let it be so in each of us! Someone will say: these rules and instructions are too general. I answer: exactly general and comprehensive; That is why they are considered the main and inaccurate ones in the matter of salvation. But for the same reason, they do not soar at some indefinite height, but have and should have an application in every saving action, they constitute or should constitute his soul. Whatever work you take, in each, as the hidden productive forces, there must be self-sacrificing self-abasement, humble and unthinking obedience, and zeal for purity, merciless towards oneself. Having realized this, let us act in this way for the glory of the Incarnate Lord, in honor of the Most Pure Virgin and our own salvation, so that not only with our tongue, but with our whole being we sing: The day of our salvation is the greatest. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.65 70; TEV. 1862. No. 37. March 11. Add. P.225 230. March 26. 3rd Sunday of Lent, Worship of the Cross. “Yesterday we sang: Rejoice, full of grace; Now we sing: We bow to Your Cross, Master. Yesterday we praised the Most Holy Theotokos for the fact that the Most High descended to us to eat; Now we praise Her for the fact that She is a mysterious paradise, Who planted the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross on the earth 454. Yesterday the Holy Church wanted to lead us to a feeling of joy of deliverance; Now she wants to inspire us to lift up the sorrows of crucifixion. What would such a combination mean? What is being instilled in us and what lesson is being given through this? This instills in us that without bearing the cross there are no true joys. Do you want to be happy? Carry the cross first. Joy is the goal; the cross is a means. If you want the first, want the last. Joy and gladness should belong to us by our nature. God created man in His image and likeness. But just as God is all-blessed, man also had to emerge from the hands of the Creator as the owner of bliss. Look what happened to us in the fall! The Apostle Paul calls the evil that came to us through the fall the old man, or sinful man. Explaining this, Macarius the Great says that through the fall another man arose into us - and a complete man, with all his limbs, was grafted onto that man who came out of the hands of the Creator, and drowned out, or killed, him with himself. That is why man no longer had the joy of life, because it was not a real man who began to live, but another, sinful man, who is not inclined to rejoice. Now it is self-evident that in order to restore the joy of life to ourselves, we must kill this sinful and alien person within ourselves. And, according to the apostle, this means putting together the old man with his deeds 455, crucifying the flesh with passions and lusts 456, or, what is the same, ascending to the cross. So, brothers, the cross is needed, and we certainly need to climb it. But remember that the stranger is crucified, and we only hurt because we cannot tear him away from us without pain; in fact, we are not crucified, but are freed from bondage, healed, freed from bonds. Here's something else you should remember! The very pain of self-crucifixion has its joy; and this is not only because it is expected, but also because in these moments it is felt - both from the action of grace and from the feeling of health that begins to spread throughout our entire spiritual composition. You just need to decide on the crucifixion itself one day and turn this determination towards everything generally sinful that characterizes us, no matter in what form it manifests itself. When such a turning point occurs, or this defeat of a sinful person at the root of his life, then his defeat in parts will not amount to any work, pain, or suffering. Wishing all of you this good, I remind you together not to shun the internal and external crosses encountered in life, and, looking at their good ending, to be inspired to bear them complacently and patiently. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.70 75. TEV. 1862. No. 36. March 4th. Add. P.193 198. March 28. Order of Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas to the mayor of Spassk on preventing the spread of schism in the city: “The Tambov Eminence Theophan, as a result of information that reached him, informs me on March 23, No. 6077, that in the city of Spassk, after the death of the merchant Karasev, his eldest son, Gregory, took upon himself to manage the affairs of the schism and set to work on this matter with such zeal that he was ready to lay down all his fortune just to spread the schism and glorify his name through it 457. Considering this to be very probable and fearing the harmful consequences for Orthodoxy from such a person, he, the Right Reverend, ordered the clergy of the city of Spassk to aggravate their pastoral concerns about the preservation of Orthodoxy by means appropriate for them, and he asked me to pay special attention to this subject and take legal measures against this. Letting Your Eminence know about this, I strictly instruct you to have a clear vigilant and secret observation of the actions of the mentioned Karasev and to use all measures and means that you, based on your considerations, recognize as useful to prevent any influence from him on the Orthodox, in particular I instruct you to strictly monitor and observe his failure to publicly demonstrate his schism and in case of the slightest discovery of it, immediately stop it by the means provided to you by law, while at the same time bringing each such case to my attention with a detailed explanation of all the measures taken by you in this case.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Storage unit 1580. L.4 5. Letter from Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas to Bishop Theophan with the note: “Confidential”: “Your Eminence, dear sir! As a result of Your Eminence’s confidential letter of March 23, No. 6077, having also let the Spassky mayor and zemstvo police officer know about its contents, I strictly ordered them: firstly, to have the most vigilant and secret observation in the units entrusted to them over the actions of the merchant Karasev; secondly, to use all means and measures that, for local reasons, they recognize as useful to prevent any influence on the Orthodox by him, and, thirdly, to strictly monitor and observe his failure to publicly demonstrate his schism and, in case of the slightest detection of it, immediately take measures specified by law. Regardless of this, I entrusted Navrotsky, an official with me for special assignments, who is now in the northern districts on official business, to monitoring Karasev’s actions.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Storage unit 1580. L.6 vol.–7 vol. The Tambov spiritual consistory listened to the decree of the Holy Synod of January 18, 1861 No. 202 “on permission to the Tambov diocesan authorities to publish statements from 1861, according to the attached program 458 with the resolution of His Eminence: “The father-rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Gennady, is appointed as editor, father is appointed censor Archpriest Moskvin and father-inspector of the seminary, Hieromonk Sergius. Prepare a message to the governor of the province with a notification of permission from the Holy Synod to publish diocesan statements according to the order I made regarding the censors, and make an announcement with the same notification to the Mr. Manager of the Chamber of State Property, in whose printing house the statements will be printed." GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1724. L.122 rev. Bishop Feofan put a special resolution on the 13th article of the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory dated March 15, which considered “The attitude of Mr. the head of the Tambov province dated March 13 for No. 956, who asks for permission to rent the church basement of the church newly built in the city of Kozlov in the name of the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God, belonging to the Kozlov women's community 459 , for the placement of government wine, with the resolution of His Eminence: “Report with an opinion.” This attitude was followed by a resolution: “The consistory cannot, on the basis of the law, allow the placement of a state-owned wine cellar in a newly built church. On behalf of His Eminence, notify the governor of the province about this.” Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “under Article 13, ask the archpriest why there is a wine cellar under the church and who came up with the idea to enter the auction for placing government wine in the cell. Should I also ask the Morsha archpriest what use is being made of the basement built under the new cathedral?” GATO. F.181.Op.1. Item 1725. L.55.62 rev.–63. March 30. The Holy Synod, in response to the proposal of the Chief Prosecutor of February 21, 1861, ordered the purchase, at the expense of spiritual and educational capital, of one copy of the book of St. Theophan the Recluse “Letters on Christian Life” for 26 schools for girls of the clergy. RGIA. F.796. On.142. Storage unit 354. L.1–4 vol. March 31st. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “At the same time forwarding to Your Excellency a list of the denunciation of the priest of the village of Pakhotny Ugla, Tambov district, Ioann Dobroserdov 460 about the deviation into the Molokan heresy of the parish of his state peasant Mikhei Semenov Uvarov and about his actions carried out in the house of the priest Dobroserdov in front of Orthodox witnesses, I have the honor to humbly ask you, dear sir, both about the prescribed actions of the peasant Uvarov, who deviated into Molokanism, on the basis of Article 134[th] of the XIV volume of the “Charter on the Prevention and Suppression of Crimes against the Faith”, and about the seducers of him, Uvarov, into the Molokan heresy, the Molokans Galtsev, the three Shchukins and the tramp Veshnyakov, on the basis of Article 71 of the same charter and secret instructions from Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs to Mr. Tambov Civil Governor dated March 16, 1837, No. 618, according to the highest order that followed on measures to prevent the spread of the Molokan sect, to make the appropriate order and honor me with a subsequent notification.” GATO. F.2. On.83. Storage unit 136. L.1 1 rev. The secretary of Empress Maria Alexandrovna sent a message to Bishop Theophan about the grant to the St. John of Kazan Convent, located in the village. Sezyonov, Lebedyansky district, full of a sacristy “made of crimson velvet with gold embroidery for the priest, deacon and psalm-reader, with clothes for the throne, altar, analogies and a table with three airs.” TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Official S.6. Notes from Bishop Theophan on an article on Greek-Bulgarian church relations (draft): “You definitely need to be very careful, especially now, when people are looking for new things everywhere... and when the most practical adjustment and change seems to be the fruit of one passion for new things. As for the Bulgarians, we must act not according to the feeling of blood, but as things go. According to rumors, they have a strong movement. If so, then they will do their thing - with all the people, that is, they will put aside and go to the Catholics. This is not the first time they have done this. Napoleon's answer 461 should not put us to sleep. It comes to mind that he only ordered it to be announced as it was announced (what is it like dad!!!), but he acts differently. That's right, a flock of Jesuits was sent under various pretexts (or she herself, taking advantage of the Bulgarians' appeal to Napoleon, rushed there) ... to act inside and, that's right, they act. Then, when a general movement towards the papacy is revealed, Napoleon will say: “By non-intervention, leave the matter to the dispensation of the people themselves...” And the people will declare themselves Catholics... And we will have a hangover at someone else’s feast. Maybe this is an empty thought (and it is desirable that it be so), but in every possible way we need to make sure that the Jesuits are not active in Bulgaria now? It would be good if the Bulgarian movement ended in nothing; What if they really fall away from Catholicism? Then what? Everyone will be guilty, those who could have restrained it and those who could not. After all, the separation of the hierarchy does not mean a falling away from Orthodoxy, but turning to the pope is destruction... The hierarchy itself is of Divine origin, and the form of the hierarchy is of earthly origin... church, sometimes political, or both. The Church determines the limits of this power, and by it they can be changed (for example, where are the metropolitans now in the canonical force?), just as the form itself can be changed by it... (we have metropolises - Patriarchate - Synod). There is one law for the wise Church: everything is in order and in order, and also: everything is for creation. If a form of hierarchy does not edify, but ruins, it must be abolished and replaced by another. This must be done by the Church itself. The hierarchical form of the Bulgarians ruins the people, and does not create... Everyone has realized this and demands that this form be changed. It has become so unbearable for them that they are now in a state of despair. They are ready to do anything just to get rid of the Greeks... Those who are close see this deep antipathy, which is why it is no longer possible to be with this people. Things may appear differently to those in the distance. But that shouldn't stop you. Is it obvious what needs to be done? Help the Bulgarians get rid of the Greeks. Leaving the latter over the former means ruining the Bulgarians. To get rid of them is to save them. The choice after this is not difficult. Let's get to it. One might wonder if it were possible to save the Bulgarians differently... and also: if the separateness of the hierarchy was contrary to the divinely established order (Apostolic Canon 34). There is neither one nor the other. Therefore, what is there to think about? Who says that Bulgarians want a separate hierarchy?! In the past, they only wished that they should have bishops from the Bulgarians and that there should be one metropolitan over them, who would be in charge of all the diocesan bishops and alone would communicate with the patriarch and his Synod. If their demand still remains in the same form, then why bother. This is exactly what the aforementioned apostolic rule contains. If the demand has risen to the point that they want a completely separate hierarchy - independent... the Greeks are to blame... at first they did not pay attention to the cry of the people - large, strong. He was rejected, reviled and slandered before the Porte and before the Russians. All this became known to the entire people. The disgust increased, and here is the fruit, if it is true that they want to separate themselves completely. But let whoever is to blame here: this matter is not in the least contrary to the above-mentioned apostolic rule. Therefore, from this side there is no reason for us to contradict the Bulgarians. Will there be any evil from here? On the contrary, the Bulgarians hope to escape in this way from the evils that oppress them. Let us leave aside the thought that the Bulgarians had in mind - to achieve political independence over time through a separate hierarchy. This thought is hardly there. But if there is, why can’t it be fulfilled?! Let's leave this thought aside... the people simply irresistibly want to throw off the yoke of the Greek hierarchy, not the hierarchy in general, but the Greek one, and they expect all sorts of benefits from this... The hierarchs will start their own schools - small and large - and, after preparing the people, they will start Bulgarian literature. The consequence of this will be education - the unification of thoughts, the development of the people's consciousness, the strength of the people... Grant them, Lord, all these blessings!!! The Bulgarians do not have their own schools, Bulgarian ones, and the Greeks put in every possible way obstacles to their establishment - I mean schools equal to our district schools, gymnasiums and seminaries and higher... There are absolutely no books in the Bulgarian language. Has the Bulgarian book society produced anything?! What are people breathing?! This is how it was before, and this is how it remains to this day. The Greek hierarchy did not bother to remove both even after the movement was discovered. On the contrary, they publicly revealed their hostility towards the Bulgarians. And now, with the establishment of a new order of the synodal dispensation, what did the Greeks do? Are any of those participating in the selection of the patriarch Bulgarian? Not a single one. The entire part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople located in European Turkey consists of Bulgarians, and not a single Bulgarian is present when choosing a patriarch. What is this if not contempt for the Bulgarian people, if not the desire to keep them captive under your feet?! As it should be, it should be like this: the patriarchs alternate - one from the Bulgarians, the other, the next, from the Greeks... so alternately. Half of the Bulgarian bishops and half of the Greek bishops should sit in the Synod. Of the secularists, when choosing a patriarch, also half - half. Now what? Everyone will see that the Greeks, the minority, have no regard for the Bulgarians, the majority. Then the Turks oppress them... The Russians are not for them. At least someone's patience will run out. So that's it!.. The Bulgarians have every right to seek what they are seeking: the Greek hierarchy, if it has not lost its meaning and the spirit of Christ, should willingly satisfy their desire; we must contribute to a successful outcome of the matter, disposing the former to moderation and persuading the latter to yield. What a shame if Napoleon does for the Bulgarians what they expected from us! And such a thing is not at all contrary to the spirit of the Church and can be done by us without offending it, which, therefore, we do not do only to please custom and the Greeks, who despise us and are ready to sell us at every first possible step. Look what Napoleon is like! I immediately understood what was happening. He sees that the papacy is only an excuse. The people want to center themselves around the Church, which the people's instinct points to, perhaps, as a means to civil independence. For this they need their own hierarchy... Napoleon understood this, and a word was spoken according to the hearts of the people, which strengthened them in desire and inspired them with hope. About preserving peace. But you have to act in these circumstances, right? The question is, how? For the Greeks? This means giving a strong push to the neck of a person who is standing in thought over the abyss into which he wants to throw himself. (After all, the Bulgarians have no joke, a deep pain in the heart, a vital need, and not a whim.) Against the Greeks? The world will be disrupted. If it is violated, it will be violated not by us, but by them, and not according to the truth of God, but from human species - earthly ones. And let them be violated... There is nothing to be afraid of. We will stand for a just cause, which they don’t seem to understand. And this is not a problem for us, but for them. See what happens. The Bulgarians are ours, like all the Slavs, the Hellenic Greeks are ours, the Arabs (hence the Antiochian, Jerusalem and Alexandrian Patriarchates) are ours. What will remain for the Greeks-Constantinopolitans?.. Only themselves. This is how it will be, you just have to act... The Greeks, when they decide to move, can show it... But why assume such fears of breaking peace with the Greeks?! By acting in favor of the Bulgarians, there is no need to violate peace with the Greeks. We will act as mediators in order to somehow keep the Bulgarians in the depths of Orthodoxy or within the limits of prudence (peace or discord with the Greeks does not mean peace or discord with the Church). Here's the remedy! Bulgarians want complete independence. And we will advise them to limit themselves to semi-independence, and we will persuade the Greeks to grant it to them. Namely: give them one metropolitan, who will be under the authority of the Synod and the Patriarch and sit there. The other Bulgarian bishops only know this metropolitan and remember him. The Metropolitan establishes everything according to the canons, and the Patriarch and the Synod do not interfere with these orders. The Bulgarians may be satisfied with this and the Greeks will not be completely irritated. Yes, without acting in any way in the present, we will fall into discord with both the Bulgarians and the Greeks... Napoleon will do what he has in mind - he will give the Bulgarians their own hierarchy. Now the Greeks will sharpen their teeth at us for not interceding, and the Bulgarians will despise us for allowing the Franks to do what, in their thoughts, we should have done. At present, the question is not entirely clear to me: what is the matter? Previously, the Bulgarians had not sought complete independence. Now, they say, the thought is confused by the news that the Bulgarians, one after another, are separating from the patriarch and they themselves decided to surrender to the pope, but stopped due to Napoleon’s favorable response. I am writing from the thought that everything is in hot motion, where meanwhile we cannot remain indifferent and wait until minds calm down, but we must act now. If the movement is not so violent and there is an opportunity to keep things in statu quo, then we need to act, namely, we need to act in every possible way so that the Greeks remove everything that irritates the Bulgarians, that is, so that they not only do not interfere with, but promote the establishment of Bulgarian higher schools, so that they take care of publishing books in the Bulgarian language, so that Bulgarian celebrities are accepted into the Synod of Bulgarian bishops and into the people's assemblies as their representatives. But it seems that time has already passed by then. Now it’s better for us... to get along with Napoleon and arrange things together with him... He is with the Porte, we are with the Greeks, so that they agree voluntarily. Immobility in the matter of faith regarding what is commanded by God is an urgent duty: stand here until your stomach is in position. And regarding what was left to the freedom of the Church, which was established by it for good purposes and turned out to be useful, should not be hasty. It is commendable to stand in this until the last opportunity. But as soon as the need and benefit of the Church requires the abolition of something as something that has become detrimental to the salvation of souls, one should not persist in immobility, for everything must be sacrificed for the salvation of souls. Was it a bad thing that the Athens Synod was established or that the Hellenic Church was recognized as independent? No, okay. But the Constantinopolitans persisted for a long time! Then they realized that it was better to give in. And they did the deed by voluntarily giving in. Now they are in fraternal fellowship. They will say: Bulgarians are in the same state. Well? And the Cypriots are in the same state, but independent... And the Bulgarians were previously independent in this regard. And what is the very establishment of patriarchates if not the formation of independent church administrations?! But they were established in one state - Rome. Do you need to adapt to the state of affairs? We must keep in mind the situation of the Bulgarians and hasten to arrange them in accordance with the spirit of the Holy Church. That today, both here and everywhere, the direction of minds is contrary to Orthodoxy, there is no dispute about that. But this does not give us the right to adhere strictly to that which is left to the freedom of the Church and turns out to be harmful to Christianity, and thereby increase the dangers of Orthodoxy and Christianity. This obliges us to one thing: everyone who knows this and is able to act, let him use everything on his part to eliminate evil and save the simple from destruction... Archimandrite Photius 462 is not yet a terrible phenomenon. There are worse things. But one must be surprised why nothing has been done so far in the Holy Synod against the general bad mood of minds. This carelessness depends on the fact that there is no person on whom this lies. It is necessary to appoint an educational administration under the Holy Synod for this purpose. For this purpose, to transform it. Namely: to seat the archbishop with two alternate archimandrites and two St. Petersburg rectors. They will be assisted by the members of the conference - and other scientists at their discretion, who will all together form the council... Its current structure will remain as it is: there will be enough to do. This will be like an academy of spiritual sciences. They will be in charge of the spread of Christian education throughout Russia... they will also be in charge of monitoring the current way of thinking from printed books and from everyday speeches. Members sort out among themselves all writing - secular and spiritual: periodical and non-periodic. Each person strictly re-reads his part and takes notes - on what is wrong - and submits it to the board of educational management. This one instructs to write against and publishes what is written on the general discussion in his journal, which will be called the journal of the spiritual-educational administration. Regardless of this, the council presents wrong thoughts to the Holy Synod, which, after comparing these opinions with dogmas, publishes everywhere with special circulars that such and such thoughts are thoughts prohibited by the Church. It seems like this should really seal the minds. At the very least, it will give those who want to think right a way to find this right thinking. The forcible establishment of a hierarchy... Timidity to act is not at all a reproach. Whoever has such an important matter will not be able to do without strong shocks when it is necessary to take the first step - pro or contra. But why stand in indecision?! The greater the danger, the bolder you need to act. The Bulgarians are not violent. They naturally developed a need, and they are close to the sin of forcibly wresting power over themselves from the Greeks. We need to save the Bulgarians from this sin, which will separate them from the Church, we need to remove them from self-will in this matter. We will not stop the progress of things with our reluctance. Who will stop the common desire and demand of an entire people? We, outside spectators, must do our best to ensure that the Bulgarians receive this benefit in a legal manner. For this it is necessary that the Great Church itself give them the benefit they seek, like the Hellenes. This is where all our action should be directed. May the Lord enlighten those who are able to act! Russian hierarchs, as well as spiritual scientists, should not be suspected of freethinking. Units have always broken through and are breaking through. What is power for? We need to hit them on the head so they don’t forget. But about all spiritual people intact we must say: thanks be to the Lord! Phanariots should not be put in parallel with the Russian clergy and attacks on us should not be compared with attacks on those. Phanariots are a part of the Greeks, spiritual and secular. The real Greeks themselves cannot stand them. And their reasons for attacks are not the same as ours. Here we have a misunderstanding, but there we have blatant injustices and bloodsucking! Attacks on the Orthodox Church are heard from everywhere. The spirit of Christianity weakens... and they rebel against the Lord and His Christ. For Bulgarians, movement does not have such a meaning. They boast of preserving Orthodoxy at all times, without the help of hierarchs. And now they are moving, not having the thought of losing Orthodoxy, and then in order to preserve it and show themselves to be truly Orthodox. When there are attacks on Orthodoxy, we must act in defense of it - both in word and in writing. It is not our clergy’s fault that they are not strong defenders. The St. Petersburg clergy is overwhelmed with business... But that rumble does not reach us, provincials. That’s why it doesn’t even occur to us to write anything. It even seems strange when a controversial article appears in a magazine. Everyone thinks why we have it. The province is not St. Petersburg or Moscow. Christianity still prevails among us... and the contrary does not dare to be publicly revealed. In twenty years, maybe it will be hard for us too. It is necessary to set up a training department as shown... Then what can be done! Merits of the Greek and Russian clergy. In the present case, one must look at these merits when thinking about Bulgaria. There is not a single spiritual or secular book in the Bulgarian language. Where are the hierarchs looking?! If the Russians - spiritual ones - published something in a different dialect for our other nationalities, then they are higher than the Greeks. Regarding the message of Patriarch Gregory, the translator wrote that if it was published, notes 463 should be attached to it, explaining historical incidents and the beliefs of the Lutherocalvins - with a refutation of them, which would now be strong. Then this message satisfied the Greeks. Now it will not satisfy them, and not just us. Therefore, it is better not to publish it without notes. It would be nice to publish it with notes. The message would be published as a monument to the hierarch's jealousy. The notes seemed to be intended to supplement and clarify the hierarch’s thoughts, but in reality to better beat the Lutherocalvins and thereby strengthen the Orthodox. Everyone who has to read this message thinks the same thing. The response to the Pope's message of 1848 [g.] should have been made by the Greeks, because it was sent to them, but we did not know it. The translation of the answer, as many as I heard, was accepted with pleasure by everyone. It cannot be said that our answers to the Jesuits were weaker than the Greek ones. And if so, what wonder? We are just beginning to openly enter into polemics, and until now we have limited ourselves only to lessons on polemical theology. The Greek who wrote against Gagarin had previously written several articles against the papists, regarding their attacks on the Eastern Church - there in Constantinople. So it didn’t cost him anything to jot down a few thoughts. This article is distinguished more by the resourcefulness of a sharp mind than by the solidity of its arguments. Letters against Gagarin in “Spiritual Conversation” are both more harmonious and more solid 464. Question about resignation. I remember they were talking about allowing widows to resign... Will those who are guilty be relinquished their ranks?! Now, if someone widowed comes and begs: “I can’t resist sin, take rank from me!” - nevertheless, you will have to remove it due to your fault! If it were supposed: everyone who wants is allowed... or: everyone who is a widow must resign, it would be absurd. And when only widows are allowed, and only the weak among them, it’s sad, but there’s nothing to do. If you don’t want to resign, stop lust. By leaving the weak in this position, we knowingly keep the unclean in the altar and become partakers of their sin. But this issue has already been resolved for us a long time ago. We allow people to lay down, but it is necessary that the person laying down the title is deprived of his rights for several years. I don’t know what’s going on now. What's wrong with translating the Bible? We need to publish Bibles not in just Russian, but in all languages. Because those who do not read Slavic and Russian read the Word of God in other languages ​​in non-Orthodox translations and become accustomed to the wrong text. To translate from 70 or from Hebrew - here you need to think about it and decide with general advice. Our hierarchs, I believe, are not against 70. We must stand behind this translation, and that’s true. are standing. They think, perhaps, not that everything should be translated from Hebrew, but that in some extreme cases, they should turn to the Hebrew text and convey it more in accordance with it, or indicate this translation under the line, putting the translation of 70 in the text. There is nothing nasty about this. This is the fatherly way. It is not bad, of course, to translate the Bible, but I am more of the opinion that it would be much better to publish the Slavic Bible with an interpretation, where it would be possible to include a Russian translation of each text. Translation does not interpret, and everything that is incomprehensible remains incomprehensible... and much of what is understandable is understood crookedly and gives rise to differences of opinion. How to do this?.. Rebuild the educational administration, and it will fix everything. There is a special Russian monastery on Mount Athos - what a miracle?! There are special Serbian ones, special Bulgarian ones, there were special Iversk ones - Georgian ones. What prevents you from being a special Russian? Everything is in order here. So that Sergius 465 was a stain and a shame, I didn’t hear. I saw monks from there, and excellent ones. What did thirty million and two produce? We need to take a closer look. And it may turn out that the ratio of the products is not thirty to two, but something else. The Greeks have nothing... The Holy Fathers should not be taken into account in this court. How long have we had schools, seminaries and academies? But the dean informs me that many priests speak from twenty to thirty teachings of their own composition a year, and from ten to twenty are very common. When there are no teachings of their own, they read printed ones. That's all. I hear from landowners that there are quite a few priests with whom it is pleasant to spend time talking about what I wanted. Do the Greeks have this? Does anyone there hear a Bulgarian preaching in Bulgarian and an Arab preaching in Arabic? Never. And the Greeks are very rare. There are exceptions, however. But even among the Greeks, in our memory, one metropolitan threw himself into an empty well and killed himself... and another surrendered to the schismatics... And you never know what happens. The Holy Russian Church has its own calendar, Russian, no less than Greek. Thank the Lord! This means that it is not in vain that Russians bear the name of Christ!.. But at the same time, decide why the Greeks do not recognize our saints? From national pride... which, perhaps, will prevent them from seeing the demand of the Bulgarians - one cannot judge everything by appearances... How many mentors we have! They all do their job. How many priests teaching and leading the people! These things are not brought out into the open... but they exist. They don't write books. No big deal! But this cannot be said either. Are there not enough of them now? One thing is missing: the direction of writers according to one program and the development of the most necessary subjects. It is not their fault... Transform the spiritual and educational administration, it will give practical direction to everything. Yes, let the Greeks be better than us in all respects... Therefore, we should not give them the right to oppress the Bulgarians. Should they be considered teachers and therefore value their communication?.. Let the Universal Church be our teacher, but what about the Greeks? In Halki, theology is read according to Feofan Prokopovich... Communication must be preserved... And if they do evil and persist in doing evil - what to do?.. Then you can quarrel. The Greeks are not the Eastern Church. And the Greeks of Constantinople are a small part of the Greeks.” ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.42. Storage unit 4330. L.2 8 rev. April 2. Week 4 of Lent. St. John Climacus. “This Sunday is dedicated to the memory of our holy father John, the writer of “The Ladder.” And there is nothing to say about why this is the case in the Holy Church. Holy fasting was established not only to cleanse us, but also to strengthen us in goodness, not only to make a good beginning, but also to move forward on the path to perfection. To help you in this matter, it would be best to briefly describe to you the holy ladder - the ascent to godlike perfection. But I think that the same can be achieved by depicting the life of St. John Climacus, for not only by writing, but also by his life, he shows us the ladder along which everyone who wants to improve in spiritual life must climb. The biography of Saint John Climacus is short; but it combines a lot in a small way, or, better to say, everything. This is how each of you can become a complete imitator of St. John. So, brethren, take this course so that you will comprehend 466. Rise up to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ 467 . See what a sample! Before him, everything we have is nothing. Why stare at our little things? Forgetting what is behind, stretch to what is before - to the honor of the highest calling in Christ Jesus 468. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.75–80; TEV. 1862. No. 36. March 4th. Add. pp.198–204. April 3. The diocesan magazine reported on the government order “to rank with the Order of St. Anne of the third degree as a reward for serving with special zeal for over twelve years in the position of dean”: Archpriest of the Church of the Sign of the Sign in Tambov, Ioann Almazov; Archpriest of the St. Nicholas Church in Morshansk Vasily Syademsky 469; priest of the Church of All Saints in Temnikov Alexy Lentionov; archpriest s. Zamartynya of Lebedyansky district by Mikhail Vladimirov; priest s. Ilovai-Rozhdestvenskoye Kozlovsky district Xenophon Petropavlovsky 470; priest s. Sasov, Elatomsky district, Peter Ostroumov; priest s. Treskin, Kirsanovsky district, Georgy Pevnitsky. TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Official P. 1 2. April 8. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas: “In the decree of the Holy Governing Synod dated March 17th last March No. 206, which followed me, it is stated: by decree of His Imperial Majesty, the Holy Governing Synod heard the case of the widow, collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova, kept in the Tambov Ascension Convent under supervision, as a result of the highest command ordered: 1852, in pursuance of the highest command announced by the Adjutant General Count Orlov, about sending the widow of the collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova to one of the remote monasteries, the Holy Synod appointed her to be placed under the strict supervision of the abbess [in] the Usman Sophia Monastery of the Tambov province, where, by order of the St. Petersburg military Governor General and she was delivered on July 4 of the same year. In 1858, regarding the request received from Stepanova for her dismissal due to her poor health, to St. Petersburg or to the Lipetsk mineral waters, the Holy Synod, having seen from the report of His Eminence Macarius, the former Bishop of Tambov, that Stepanova was behaving very reprehensibly and treating the servants cruelly, despite the suggestions made to her by the abbess of the monastery, On July 23/August 20, he determined: to move Stepanova to the Kirsanovsky Tikhvin-Bogorodsky Convent, subjecting her to the strict supervision of the abbess, with the prohibition of accepting outsiders without her permission, even for her own servants, and with the suggestion that if she continues such actions, she will subject herself to strict judgment according to the laws; Stepanova’s request to be sent to St. Petersburg or the city of Lipetsk for treatment should be left without respect. A decree about this was sent to His Eminence Macarius on September 2 for further orders. Then, in 1859, the said Stepanova, in a petition to the Tambov diocesan authorities, explained that the cold and damp Kirsanov air had a strong effect on her health, why she was stricken with paralysis, and since there were no means to cure her in Kirsanov, she asked to be moved to Tambov or Voronezh. The diocesan authorities, reporting this to the Holy Synod, petitioned to move Stepanova to Voronezh with the explanation that although Stepanova, as reported by the abbess of the Kirsanovsky convent, makes some demands that are unsatisfactory within the means of the monastery, for example, better food, which cannot be delivered to her, but, however, during the six months she behaved decently and is really in a painful state. The Holy Synod, having taken into account that it would be unfair to leave Stepanova in Kirsanova, where she does not find the means for her cure, and among the places where Stepanova hopes to receive relief from her illness, she points to the city of Tambov, and in fulfillment of the highest command of Stepanova she should have a stay in the monastery, on September 4/28 determined: to transfer Stepanova from the Kirsanovsky Tikhvin Monastery to Tambov Ascension Convent, instilling in her that she, Stepanova, living in this monastery, should not declare such demands that cannot be fulfilled by the means of the monastery. A decree was sent to His Eminence on the 28th of September regarding the implementation of this determination. The now-mentioned widow Anna Stepanova went back to the Tambov diocesan authorities with a request to move her to a convent in the city of Voronezh or to a similar monastery in another diocese, where the climate is warmer, out of respect that the climate of the city of Tambov has a very harmful effect on her completely disturbed health, as proof of which she presented a medical certificate issued to her on April 2, 1860 by the senior doctor of the Tambov charitable institutions. This evidence really means that Stepanova’s constant painful state, resulting from the constantly developing febrile thinness, is gradually intensifying under the influence of the intermittent fevers and harsh climate raging in the city of Tambov; Therefore, the said doctor finds it necessary that Stepanova be assigned a place of residence whose climatic conditions would correspond to her painful condition, that is, remote from low-lying areas and in a more southern climate. Why did His Eminence, agreeing with this, enter the Holy Synod with a proposal to move Stepanova to some monastery in one of the southern dioceses. After considering all of the above, the Holy Synod determines: out of attention to the painful condition of the widow Stepanova, transfer her to the Penza Trinity Convent 471 as remote and located in a place where it is possible to deliver medical benefits to Stepanova, subordinating her at the new place of residence to the strict supervision of the abbess, so that the said transfer is carried out at the expense of Stepanova herself. Reporting this to His Excellency, His Eminence humbly asks you, dear sir, to send the said collegiate assessor Anna Stepanova to the Penza Convent, in accordance with the decree of the Holy Governing Synod, to make the necessary order on your part and to honor me with notification 472 in the future.” GATO. F.2. Op.83. Storage unit 134. L.1–5. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of March 2, where, among other matters, the case “about the commission of the Elatom district with. Mokrogo by Deacon Mikhail Tardin on October 9, 1860. liturgy while intoxicated." From the certificate of the consistory journal: “Deacon Mikhail Tardin, 56 years old, son of a deacon, from the lower class of the Spiritual School, on January 22, 1822, he was ordained to the surplice for the deacon’s place in the village. Kargashino, March 29, 1825 ordained deacon in the village. Wet, not marked in behavior at all. In 1834, for the solemnization of minor marriages, he was in the monastery subordinate for a year and 2 months. He has a wife and three children in his family.” “Tardin explained that he was never drunk during the Divine Liturgy, he really did, due to his old age and due to the fact that he did not have glasses at that time, he, Tardin, began to read on the wrong day of Sunday, stopped, and then, having found it, read it without stopping to the end.” The investigation found that the deacon had been slandered; in any case, it was not possible to prove his guilt and the deacon himself did not admit it. The consistory decided: “Deacon Tardin, as having expressed a desire to resign from the staff and present his place to his daughter, instead of being demoted to a clerical position 473, be sent to the Shatskaya Vyshenskaya hermitage for three months with his employment in accordance with his years in labor and obedience, so that after surviving this period, if his Eminence does not deign at his discretion to give his place to his daughter, he, Tardin, moved, exchanging with someone, to another place.” Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Deacon Tardin 474 should not be sent to the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, but immediately transferred to the Shatskaya Black Settlement 475 with permission to serve as priest, under the strict supervision of the local dean. And send the Chernoslobod deacon to this position.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.251 265. April 9. 5th week of Lent. St. Mary of Egypt. “Why did the Lord refuse the holy apostles James and John and their mother their request? They did not ask for anything bad, namely, a place in the Kingdom of Christ the Savior: grant... that one may sit at Thy right hand and one sit at Thy left in Thy glory 476. Is it really impossible to pray about this? Why is it commanded: seek first of all the Kingdom of God? And why does the Holy Church teach us all to pray: “Do not deprive us, O Lord, of Your Heavenly Kingdom”? What is the reason that they were refused? After all, they received the Kingdom and were glorified. The reason is that they appropriated to themselves the right to the Kingdom, and not only to the Kingdom, but also to a certain, very first place in the Kingdom. But it is impossible to appropriate to oneself not only a certain degree of glory in the Kingdom, but also the Kingdom itself; for this gift consists in the will of the Heavenly Father, which even with strict fulfillment of all conditions we cannot know. ...To sit on My right hand and on My left side is not My will,” says the Lord, “but it has been prepared for by My Father 477.” So here is the lesson for us from the current Gospel: not to appropriate the Kingdom for ourselves, but, working diligently to receive it, surrender the very receipt to the will of God, expect it as mercy from our Heavenly Father - work in hope, without pretensions, saying within ourselves that we are unworthy servants 478 - even if we have done everything that was commanded. It is necessary to remind us of this, because little by little we will work to please God - and we will begin to sound the trumpet before ourselves, elevate ourselves and place ourselves in the ranks of the great saints; and although we speak humble words with our tongue, we feel differently in our hearts; and thereby we destroy ourselves, through foolishness and imprudence. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and not boldly prescribe laws to God - to grant it to us. Avoid this destructive weakness, and interpret what you can base such right and such confidence in completely differently - in the form of humility and self-abasement. Whoever truly works to please God and save the soul sees clearly that if not for God’s help, we will not do anything. As this lesson is repeated throughout one’s life, a deep conviction is formed in the heart that all ours is bad, all that is good comes from the Lord. And after this, what remains? There is only one thing left to do - to cry out: God, be merciful to us sinners. But without any movement of despair or even hopelessness. So the Lord, when he offered the sons of Zebedee the condition: “Can you drink the cup,” and they promised, saying: “We can,” that is, they accepted the condition, he did not say to them: “You will not receive,” but only said: “I have not to give, but for them it has been prepared from My Father.” That is: drink the cup; otherwise, bear all the difficulties associated with following Me, but for that, receive the Kingdom and the degree of glory in the Kingdom, surrender to the will of My Heavenly Father. And this is the same thing: work in aspiration, without appropriation. That’s it, brethren, and you will comprehend it. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.81 86; TEV. 1862. No. 38. March 18. Add. P.245 250. April 13. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory 479 on the case of “the drunken life of the deacon of the village of Kolikin, Lebedyansky district, Pavel Nazarov, and his other illegal actions.” The consistory ordered: “The opinion of the Lebedyan spiritual board on the dismissal of Deacon Nazarov from his post with a ban on the priesthood and relegation to a clerical vacancy until the perfect correction of his behavior is approved and determined where an idle clerical place will open up. What is the opinion and submit it to His Eminence for approval with a file in which there is information about the petitioners in the place of Deacon Nazarov: Deacon Peskov; sexton, son-in-law of Nazarov, Khrushchev; school mentor Lebedev and Deacon Perlovsky.” Resolution: “Approved. Deacon Nazarov is appointed to a clerical vacancy in the village of Kropotkino, Borisoglebsk district 480. In his place, transfer the Mordovian deacon Perlovsky. And in Mordov, to appoint an assistant mentor to Lebedev for a deacon’s place, so that his mother and orphans will be supported by him.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1698. L.266 275 rev. April 15. Bishop Feofan put the resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, which took place on April 11. At the meeting, among other things, the following was heard: “The petition of the deacon s. Chernyanoye Alexey Glagolev about his release from issuing to the widow of the same village, deaconess Maria Bogoroditskaya, an allowance of 25 silver rubles per year.” The consistory decreed: “Deacon Glagolev, 44 years old, upon entering this place, assumed the obligation of his predecessor, Deacon Orest Sukhina, to give his mother-in-law, the widow, Deaconess Bogoroditskaya, and her six children 25 silver rubles annually. In addition, last March, the entire clergy with. Chernyanoye is obliged to give the family of the deceased priest Melchizedek 50 rubles in silver and, in addition, 2 tithes in each field for the part of Deacon Glagolev. The children of his deceased brother, Glagolev - Mikhail, 16 years old, studying at the seminary, and daughter Alexandra - after the death of their mother in 1860, their mothers were left as orphans. They ordered: “Payments to Glagolev should be reduced by half.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “to leave the obligation on Glagolev as before.” On the consistory journal the general resolution of St. Theophan is: “Fulfill.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1724. L.179, 184 vol.–186 vol. April 16. Letter from Bishop Feofan to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count A.P. Tolstoy (draft): “Your Excellency would like to know my opinion about Macarius, Metropolitan of Amids. I have the honor to answer this that I personally did not have the opportunity to be acquainted with this ruler, but during my stay in Jerusalem, and especially during my last stay in Constantinople, I heard a lot of good things about him. Why am I convinced that he is sincerely devoted to Orthodoxy and sincerely desires that other erring people turn to him. Metropolitan Peter of Syria (Jacobite), it seems, at his prompting and guidance, turned to the Holy Synod expressing his desire to belong to the Orthodox Church. I cannot determine how capable he is for the proposed assignment, but his ability to keep himself and his diocese in Orthodoxy, despite troubles and needs, highly recommends him as a prudent person and strong in character. However, I consider it my duty to add that, in my opinion, this matter should not be entrusted to him alone. He may be the most faithful and powerful collaborator, but the main character must be Russian. There, on the spot, it can have a decisive effect (on the Jacobites and Nestorians), certifying by its very presence that they are ready to accept and patronize them. Shamie, who now lives in St. Petersburg, can also be a very reliable assistant in this matter. He worked in the translation of the Jacobite liturgy with Peter, Metropolitan of Syrian, and Archimandrite Zephaniah 481 and was already appointed consul to Diyarbakir in order to promote the conversion of the local infidels to Orthodoxy. The war prevented this from happening. And now we can send Shamiyeh there as consul or vice-consul, if only our indifferent ministry would agree. In terms of his efficiency and ability to act in those countries, one can expect a lot from him. This is what the aforementioned Metropolitan Peter wrote about him in a letter to me in Constantinople, which did not find me there: “You know about the appointment of our beloved son Nicholas Chamiyeh as consul in the countries of Kurdistan, Kharbut and Diyarbakir for the protection and support of the Orthodox, in accordance with the will of the God-protected Russian sovereign, who was pleased to increase the number of consuls in our countries. This appointment was not fulfilled due to the war.” Asking me to work with Butenev to enforce this determination, he adds: “We would like the aforementioned Nicholas to be appointed consul, and not someone else, because he is a very zealous person for the spread of Orthodoxy and an ardent defender of his Orthodox brethren. He will protect our Syrians too. Moreover, he knows many languages ​​and is devoted to the Russian government. When I was in Constantinople, he always visited Fr. Archimandrite Zephaniah, your predecessor, where we all translated and explained our liturgy together.” (Only this was already received in St. Petersburg.) If this assumption were fulfilled now, then the Russian ambassador to those countries would have the most favorable situation: Shamiye is a consul or vice-consul, Fr. Agapius is a dragoman 482, there, on the spot, are his associates - the already famous Metropolitan Peter and Macarius, Michael who arrived to them and others... Thank the Lord! He finally listened to the cry of many thousands of souls who had long been awaiting the joy of unity with the Orthodox Church! From rumors and from contacts with individuals when I was in the East, I was definitely convinced of the closeness of all Christians who had long been estranged from Orthodoxy from Orthodoxy, and of their readiness to unite with the Orthodox Church through the medium of the Russian Church. If we had begun to act on them before, we would have had success, all the more can we hope for this success now that the desire to join is revealed by them with such strength and persistence. Regarding the Christians of those countries, I have one extract from a letter to Fadlallah, our Jerusalem dragoman, which he received in St. Petersburg in 1857 and read to me: “Their (Sirians, Jacobites) Patriarch Jacob 483 signed the petition of Patriarch Elijah 484, his predecessor, for the Syrians to join the Orthodox. In addition to him, Abbuanur, the bishop of Kurdistan, and the bishop of Mosul signed this petition. In addition to this petition, their local bishop and the vicar of the patriarch wrote another petition about the same thing. They all profess the Orthodox faith. The number of their flocks in the countries of Mesopotamia, Kharbut and Diyarbakir exceeds half a million, and everyone is friendly to the Russians and loves them. Protestants and Catholics are trying hard to seduce them.” I believe that they are now in a hurry with this matter, being pressed by Catholic and Protestant missionaries, who are not limited to simply tearing souls away from their churches, but through the mediation of European governments are taking away their churches and property. By uniting with the Orthodox Church, they hope to stop the destructive actions of Western propaganda and bring themselves peace in religious terms. Their entire hope is in Russia, which, as they expect, on the one hand, will not allow them to be offended, on the other hand, in opposition to Western missionaries, who mainly operate through the establishment of schools and hospitals, will establish Orthodox schools and their own hospitals with them and will in every possible way help to calm their conscience, outraged by the attacks of Westerners. All this must be kept in mind when discussing how to arrange the accession and how to simplify it. After the Nestorians and Jacobites, we must expect the conversion of the Copts and Abyssinians. It is necessary to accept the former in such a way as not to push them away, but rather to incite the latter to a speedy union. I believe because there is no need to postpone, but we must get down to business now, that is, now send there, as expected, some trustworthy person so that he inquires about the sincerity and breadth of the desire for conversion; revived it if it was weak; eliminated obstacles and misunderstandings, if any; in general, so that the connection is finally prepared or even actually accomplished. We must hurry because now, as it seems, there is a ready readiness, which from delay can weaken and thereby increase the work of subsequent action. Besides, Catholics and Protestants do not sleep. Therefore, why wait until the ruler of Amid arrives, until he makes a collection, and then return. This is excessive slowness! And unnecessary if it is recognized that it is better to send a Russian person there. The allowance Amidsky needs can be sent from here now; If necessary, he can come after for the fees. Now let him remain in place to promote the cause of accession. We are accustomed to acting more secretly than openly. I think that even now this is a useful precaution, so as not to irritate and not arouse opposition. In honor of this, the messenger can go there as a traveler, with scientific purposes, for example, as a researcher of church antiquities, to cover up the real purpose, if this is considered necessary. Only necessary and trusted persons, ours and theirs, will know the real goal. It is impossible to hide this matter. But in every possible way, at first, it seems that if they do this, it will be less disturbing. The messenger will act according to the instructions that the Holy Synod wishes to give him. But in every possible way he must have in his hands the means to do charitable deeds... start a school or support the one that exists, help build a church, etc., in addition to private benefits for the poor, ruined married people, etc. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide him with a sufficient amount of money and, moreover, to make such an order so that he can immediately receive the required amount in case of need from Beirut or Damascus. We need to give him some room to act in this way. These things will be done openly, but as if in passing. Then, in order to win over those who have not yet settled down and dispel mistrust in the matter, if anyone harbors it. This is not so as to attract people to oneself with interests, but because the ambassador will be hurt and ashamed if he is deprived of the opportunity to act in this way. Although not widely, it is necessary. The amount needed for this can be deducted from the collection for Jerusalem, which it is time to stop or rename it the collection for Christians of the East. For this same purpose, the ministry gives a secret order to the consuls so that they really undertake to defend before the Turkish government the persons about whom the envoy will hint to them, and strive to succeed in doing so. (Usually ours act sluggishly.) This is the most reliable way to position in your favor. However, one can be sure that as long as the Jacobite and Nestorian patriarchs agree, the matter of unification will not encounter great difficulties either from Christians of those confessions or from the Turkish government, which is completely indifferent to religious changes in Christian societies. Only the one acting, when the matter is revealed, must conduct it in such a way that they believe that the union is being accomplished with the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Russian side is only well-wishers, as co-religionists. Dogmatic questions are unlikely to be encountered. As for the hierarchy, I believe that its structure can be left as it is now, without changes. For the Mesopotamians and Persians had independent Catholicoses from the very beginning, when they were still in union with the Church. With all this, it is in no way superfluous to provide the ambassador with sufficient guidance in case of meeting sharp differences in prayer, beliefs and other things, so that he is not perky and does not miss anything important without attention. One must assume that the matter is not suddenly being done. The space is big. When God blesses this endeavor with success, the very act of unification must be performed in Constantinople, in the Great Church, in the presence of a Russian actor. The Russian Church will bring this gift to its mother. The question arises: who to send? Archimandrites Porfiry 485 and Sophrony are the ones who are most familiar with this matter. Archimandrite Antonin 486, who is attached to the Constantinople mission, may also be suitable. The first one is the most reliable. He is already known there. If in some way someone from those without holy orders was needed, then one could have in mind Kaminsky, the author of memoirs of an admirer of the Holy Land... He is only very suspicious and distrustful of himself. N.V. Elagin is more beautiful, the disadvantage is little acquaintance with the East. I conclude with the wish that the Lord may hasten this work to be accomplished for the glory of His holy name and the holy mother of our Orthodox Church...” ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.41. Storage unit 4011. L.171 173 vol. April 22. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” in the section “On the highest awards” placed the decree of the Holy Synod, approved by the emperor on April 22, 1861, on awarding, according to the ideas of His Grace Theophan, the clergy of the Tambov diocese: “For excellent and diligent service” the Archpriest of the Tambov Cathedral Nikifor Telyatinsky 487 was awarded the Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree, decorated with the imperial crown. To the Order of St. Anne, 2nd degree without decoration - member of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, Archpriest of the Tambov Archdeacon-Stephan Church, Mikhail Arkhangelsky and dean of the city of Kozlov, Storozhevskaya St. Nicholas Church, Archpriest Alexy Novospassky. TEV. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Official P.23. “Conferred with the Order of St. Anne, 3rd degree for excellent and diligent service: Hegumen of the Shatsk Vyshenskaya Hermitage Gerasim, Archpriest of the Lipetsk Cathedral Church of the Exaltation of the Cross Stefan Smirnov, Tambov Hospital of the Alexander Nevsky Church Stefan Bereznegovsky.” TEV. 1861. No. 7. Aug 13 Official P.49 50. “Rewarded for excellent and diligent service with pectoral crosses issued by the Holy Synod: the abbess of the Sukhotinsky Znamensky nunnery (in Tambov district) Abbess Dorofey, the Tambov Cathedral of the Transfiguration Cathedral priest Georgy Khitrov and the Tambov Znamensky Church priest Anikita Levitsky.” TEV. 1861. No. 8. Aug 20 Official P.58. The following were awarded the kamilavka “for their diligent service in the diocesan department”: priest of the Elias Church in Kozlov Alexander Belyaev 488, priest of the cathedral church of Temnikov Simeon Bashkov, priest of the Trinity Church of Shatsk Ioann Dimitrievsky, priest of the village. Bolshoi Khomutets of Lebedyansky district Joseph Pavlovsky, priest of the village. Peresypkina, Kirsanovsky district, Eleazar Sokolov, priest of the village. Kosmodemyanskaya Ira John of the Resurrection, priest of the village. Alshanka, Tambov district Pavel Voskresensky, priest of the village. Our Elatomsky district Timofey Saltykov and the priest of the village. Ozerki, Kozlovsky district Alexy Smirnov. TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.66 67. The following were awarded the skufya “for their diligent service in the diocesan department”: priest of the Church of the Intercession in Tambov Nikolai Afanasyev, priest of the Varvara Church Hilarion Nechaev 489, priest of the seminary church Alexy Peskov, priest of the Kazan Church of Borisoglebsk Nikita Nazaryev, priest of the village. Nikolsky (Kabanye) Borisoglebsky district Petr Diogenov, priest of the village. Bogans of the same district Petr Stavrov 490, priest of the village. Pichaev of the same district Georgy Razumov 491, priest of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary convent in the city of Temnikov Matthew Tikhorsky, priest of the Cathedral Church of the Transfiguration of the city of Spassk Peter Raisky, priest of the village. Bogdanovka, Spassky district Tikhon Radugin, priest of the Church of the Presentation in the city of Elatma Alexander Tsarevsky 492, priest of the village. Kargashina, Elatom district Joseph Samuilov, priest of the village. Gladyshev, Tambov district Timofey Dobrokhotov 493, priest of the village. Bolshaya Lipovitsa of the same district Alexy Petrovsky 494, priest of the village. Vorontsovka of the same district Alexander Georgievsky, priest of the village. Dmitrievshchina of the same district Mikhail Gavrilovsky 495, priest of the village. Savvatma of the same district Grigory Belyakov 496, priest of the village. Temirev of the same district Fotiy Nazarev 497, priest of the village. Balushevy Pochinki of the same district John Bogoroditsky, priest of the village. Volkhonshchina, Morshansky district Alexy Vasilievsky, priest of the village. Kashma of Morshansky district Petr Mudrov 498, priest of the village. Old Berezovo, Shatsk district Sakerdon Uzorov 499, priest village. Zhidilovka, Kozlovsky district Vasily Rozanov 500, priest village. Bibikov, Kozlovsky district Alexander Krylov, priest of the village. Kirillov of Spassky district Vasily Belsky 501, priest of the village. Chamlyk Usma of a certain district Timofey Orlov, priest of the village. Troekurova, Lebedyansky district Nikandr Andreev 502. TEV. 1861. No. 10. 3 Sep. Official pp.76–77. April 23. Bright Resurrection of Christ. Easter. April 25. Letter from Bishop Theophan to Archpriest I. Pereverzev: “Christ is risen! Thank you for your congratulations and I congratulate you on the holiday... The letter was received; but I wrote something before that, where I mentioned the conversations; therefore, I consider the answer to have pre-empted the question, (not discussed here) 503 one should not wait for an answer... and now more often. You haven’t written for a long time, I began to think that you don’t know what’s going on there. What is life like and did you like Shatsk? Please be patient if there are any inconveniences. God makes ways... He will expand what is tight if He wills. They say that in the gymnasium there are 504 teachers of the law. They only say; but the director has not mentioned this to me yet. Someone suggested that I place you in this position. Is it good? It seems awkward to me because I was busy and busy at the Synod about Archpriest Shatsky’s caretaker, and then a year has not passed - again to bother about something new... This circumstance most of all disgusts me to start this matter. Then at the gymnasium they began to fall in love with Khitrov... Khitrov himself, I think, would not object if you told him to back off. But this is what will happen next... The self-chosen one will be all good, no matter what happens... but the one imposed on one is not good enough... and there will be little cry. What do you think about all this, write as soon as possible. Why don’t you write about the change in the cathedral church... Ask Agathonik 505 how to proceed with the matter. Concerning conversations 506. Start with God... You must write warmly and so that there is no idle talk, but every word with power. The length of the conversations is two octets of XP reading, no more. I don’t determine the time period in which you will place it, but it will go for at least five years. But once you start, you must constantly continue. Surely you will soon receive advertisement 507... You need to take care of tempting you to subscribe... in every issue there will be a sermon on Sundays and holidays, and a conversation, and then other articles. The unofficial portion will always be 1 1/2 sheets... Anna Chernyavskaya 508 was very sick. Thank God I got better. The princess was also sick and recovered. Why don't you write to her? She will be interested in knowing something from you. Write. We're doing well. Alyosha and Vanya bow. Now there was mother 509 - your mother-in-law! God bless you! I wish you peace." IR NBU. F.160. Item 1968. L.31–31 vol. April 28. “At a fire in the village of Makhrovka, Borisoglebsk district, Tambov province, priest Theodore Lubvin 510 performed a feat of philanthropy and selflessness. On the recommendation of His Eminence Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, the Holy Synod awarded the hero a gold medal with the inscription: “For the salvation of the perished” to be worn on the chest on the Vladimir Ribbon.” TEV. 1863. No. 1. 1 Jan Official P.3–4. May 4. Letter from the Tambov provincial government to Bishop Feofan: “I have the honor to notify Your Eminence that the provincial government in April of this year informed the Tambov district court about the contents set out in the copy sent by Your Eminence on April 4 of this year from the report of priest Dobroserdov about the schismatic, state peasant Mikhei Uvarov. The provincial government, having informed the Tambov district court, proposed to carry out the strictest investigation into this case through a judicial investigator attached to a deputy from the spiritual side and in the future proceed according to the laws. To monitor the progress of this investigation, the provincial government informed the Tambov Chamber of the District Court the same April.” GATO. F.2. On.8З. Storage unit 136. L.8–8 vol. May 5. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory 511, where, among other things, a case was heard about the circumstances of the beating by the priest of the village. Makhonova of Lebedyansky district Nikolai Milovidov 512 together with his wife to the sexton of the same village Pyotr Zelenev and his wife. Having considered the case, the consistory decided: “The opinion of the Lebedyansky spiritual board on the dismissal of priest Nikolai Milovidov from his priestly position with the prohibition of sacred rites and his relegation to a clerical vacancy for the future for one year, according to the stated circumstances, as correct and in accordance with the laws, shall be approved, having first been submitted to his Eminence for archpastoral consideration and approval, after which carry out through the Lebedyansky spiritual board in accordance with the order thereof, the case, as completed and decided by the diocesan court, shall not be transferred for consideration to the Lebedyansky district court.” Resolution: “It is approved... but priest Milovidov should be relegated to the position of clerk indefinitely.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1698. L.313 325 rev. May 6. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “In the Tambov district of the village of Panovy Kustov, priest John Novoselsky 513 with a report dated April 14 of this year informed me that the Molokans who are in his parish - the village of Panovy Kustov, scattering at every opportunity their false teaching among the Orthodox among whom they live, add to this the fact that at present the Molokans, like other schismatics, have been granted by the government freedom in relation to their thinking about the faith and the practice of their rituals, from which they draw the conclusion that the Molokan faith, in their words, means good, which more than once he, Novoselsky, had to hear from his Orthodox parishioners, and that the great sovereign allows us now, to speak again in their words, from the Orthodox to convert to the Molokan sect, for it makes no difference whether to be Orthodox, or Molokan, or some other a schismatic, and that this is not necessary for the salvation of a person, but only good deeds are needed for this - which, without a doubt, seduces many Orthodox, weak and unsteady in the faith, into the Molokan sect; Because of their harmful suggestions, the Molokans, the following from the state peasants, have recently re-opened in his parish: Rodion, Judas and Ivan Dubinin with their stepmother and their families, excluding their father Alexei; Efim and Vasily Paroshin with their families, excluding one wife of Efimova, Alexandra, who, despite all their efforts to convert her to Molokanism, remained firm in the Orthodox faith; of which the Dubinins were previously converted to Orthodoxy from the Molokans in their homeland, in the village of Panovyi Kustakh, and the Paroshins in the remote regions of Russia, where they were resettled, probably for their errors, and, as having converted to Orthodoxy, were returned to their homeland, to their former society. At the present time, Ivan Semiletov with his brother Silo and with their families, and Adrian Malmalayev with his family, have again deviated from the Orthodox to the Molokan sect; the last one, Adrian, even dared the image of St. Archangel Michael, who was in his house, was stabbed in the face and eyes with something not too sharp, and which he then gave to his brother Vlas, whose image he, Novoselsky, was really ulcerated in three places, namely the face and eyes, which is now kept in the church. Having publicly declared themselves Molokans, boasting and rejoicing in this, they divulge that they will attract many other Orthodox Christians to the Molokan sect. Priest Novoselsky, seeing what influence the Molokans have on the Orthodox by their separation from the Orthodox Church, and not finding any means to stop this spiritual infection, cannot guarantee that this infection will not spread to many of his parishioners, for in many ways he already sees a weakening in faith and their readiness to fall away from the Orthodox Church. Reporting this, he asks for His Excellency’s order, whether he would not find it possible to publish now that the government does not and cannot allow any sect contrary to the laws, and especially the Molokan sect, which is placed on a par with the Judaizers and eunuchs and is directly recognized as evil, and to honor me with a subsequent notification.” GATO. F.2. Op.83. Storage unit 137. L.1 3 rev. May 11. The relationship of the Tambov spiritual consistory to the Tambov provincial government: “In the Tambov district of the village of Panovy Kustov, priest John Novoselsky, in a report dated April 13, reported to his Eminence that the state peasants of his parish: Rodion, Judas and Ivan Dubinin with their stepmother and with their families, excluding their father Alexei, Efim and Vasily Paroshin with their families, excluding Efim’s wife Alexandra, Ivan Semiletov with his brother Sila and Adrian Malmalayev and his family deviated into the Molokan heresy. Reporting this to the Tambov provincial government, the consistory asks it to issue an appropriate order, on the basis of Article 75[th] of Volume XIV of the “Charter on the Prevention and Suppression of Crimes against the Faith” and Article 21[th] of the “Charter of Spiritual Consistories”, on the expulsion of named peasants who have deviated from Orthodoxy to the Molokan heresy, for the proper admonition of them to conversion into the bowels of the Orthodox Church, into this consistory, and notify the consistory of your order.” GATO. F.2. Op.83. Storage unit 137. L.4 5 rev. May 13. Bishop Feofan sent a report No. 5735 to the Holy Synod with a petition for the provision of one-time cash benefits to certain persons from the white clergy of the Tambov diocese who suffered ruin from fires. TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.65. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “The dean of the city of Spassk, Archpriest Theodore Molodov, introducing himself personally to me on service matters during my inspection of the diocese, when I was in the city of Spassk last year, 1860, on August 17th, among other reports on the state of the churches of his department, he explained to me that on July 4th of that year, he, Molodov, was invited by the quarterly overseer Stezhensky to inspect the Old Believer chapel, threatening to fall; As a result of this explanation, I ordered Archpriest Molodov to describe this incident in its entirety, namely: when it happened, who was there, what they did and what needed to be done; then - what has been done and where this done is located. The now dean Archpriest Molodov explained in his report: a) that through the communication dated July 4, 1860 No. 353, the Spassky quarterly overseer Stezhensky was required as a deputy from the spiritual side for the inspection entrusted to him, Stezhensky, by the Spassky mayors of the repaired dilapidated wooden Old Believer chapel, so that Molodov would take with him a church seal in case sealing of this chapel. When the quarterly Spassky with the Ratman 514 Ivan Alyabkin, the vowel 515 Ivan Lebedev and attesting witnesses and with them he, Archpriest Molodov, arrived at the place of this chapel for an examination, then the trustees of the chapel and the Old Believer Society of the Spassky merchants Vasily Karasev and Nikita Turusov, requested by the quarterly Stezhensky, turned to the archpriest Molodov, with insolence they said: “Why did you come here, because you have been refused from us” - and then they began to scold the witnesses, and made a very unpleasant noise, so that Archpriest Molodov, for fear of further insults and unpleasant consequences, especially noticing Ratman Alyabkin’s inclination towards the side of the Old Believers, was forced to retire from there to his house, awaiting notification from the quarterly overseer Stezhensky about the end of this matter. The quarterly Stezhensky, like Molodov, often heard, drawing up an act of witnessing the chapel and a journal about the insult caused to him and the witness by the said slanderers, presented it to Mr. Mayor, who decided this matter: but how and with what - he, Molodov, does not know; b) Archpriest Molodov, as a former deputy in the prescribed subject, demanded. dated November 7, 1860 for No. 117, from Mr. Spassky mayor, a copy of the proceedings and the decision of this case for presentation to his superiors; what is the attitude of the mayor, as can be seen from the presented genuine answer, based on paragraphs 2 and 3 of the instructions, the highest approved for actions with schismatics, which says: in § 2 - “All police orders regarding the illegal actions of schismatics belong to the civil authorities; the clergy does not interfere in such orders, limiting itself to the range of purely spiritual actions”; in § 3 - “The Orthodox clergy in any cases on the subject of schism does not make demands or denunciations to secular authorities, etc.,” dated November 14, 1860, he notified that without the orders of the highest civil authorities he considers himself not to have the right to satisfy this demand, adding that this matter does not involve any seduction from Orthodoxy into schism and nothing tempting for the Orthodox; c) the designated wooden chapel, to witness the amendments of which he, Molodov, was invited by the quarterly overseer Stezhensky and in which schismatics gather for prayer, contrary to the legal prohibition, was and is being corrected by schismatics skillfully - from the inside with iron, and from the outside hidden with darkened planks so as not to change its outer dilapidated appearance; otherwise, without amendment, it would have collapsed long ago, which is evidenced by the fact that this chapel, built in 1827, for 33 years still stands under one, supposedly the same, plank roof, while on the other, also in the city of Spassk, there is a wooden schismatic chapel, built from the best wood after that in 1831, but as sealed with a ban on schismatics from gathering in it, there is a plank roof Everything was rotten and even the ceilings collapsed. From the certificate extracted in the consistory from the confidential attitude of Your Excellency, which followed to the former Right Reverend Macarius dated April 24, 1859, No. 81 with the proposal given to you from Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs, as a result of the request of the Spassk Old Believers regarding permission to open their existing sealed chapel to perform divine services in it, by the way, it is seen that in the city of Spassk there are two schismatic chapels, both moved from their previous places and built on the present places by schismatics with improper action on this subject by the local police, who either sealed or unsealed these chapels; one of these chapels was moved and built in 1827. and was sealed that year, and another in 1831, and sealed in 1834; in the first, which was unsealed unknown when, divine services are still being performed by schismatics, and in the second it has not been performed since it was sealed in 1835, that is, the first, unsealed unknown when, is the one about which the present case is in question, the amendment of which in July 1860 is evidenced; and the second chapel is the one for the opening of which, both on the basis of the highest order, which took place on the 28th day of April 1856, and because of the growing schism in the city of Spassk and in the surrounding villages, the diocesan authorities did not express consent and notified Your Excellency of May 28, 1859 No. 132. Having compared the explanation of Archpriest Molodov with the attitude of Your Excellency of April 24, 1859. for No. 81 and the laws, I find: a) that paragraphs 2 and 3 cited by Mr. Spassky mayor from the instructions, which were highly approved for actions with schismatics, as the basis for refusing Archpriest Molodov to demand a copy of the production and the decision of the case on the examination of amendments to the old schismatic chapel do not at all relate and do not fit the circumstances of this case, since Archpriest Molodov was officially invited by the quarterly supervisor Stezhensky to act during the examination of the amendments to this chapel, not as a parish clergyman, but as a deputy from the spiritual side and therefore, on the basis of Article 162 of the XV volume of the 2nd book, he had the right and had to demand from the entire proceeding or [from] some necessary papers a copy for presentation to his diocesan superiors; b) that, according to such an incorrect and perverse concept of paragraphs 2 and 3 of the said instruction, as trustees of the chapel and the Old Believer Society, the merchants Karasev and Turusov did not have the right to prevent Archpriest Molodov, as a deputy, from witnessing the amendment of the chapel, and even less had the right publicly, in front of members of the magistrate and the Duma and in front of witnesses, to insult him with impudent words: “Why are you here?” came, because you were refused from us” - and Mr. Spassky mayor did not have the right to refuse him, Molodov, the copy he demanded, but, on the contrary, was obliged, after the above-mentioned 162nd article XV of volume 2 of the book, to give it to him, as a deputy, for his testimony of its fidelity; c) that Mr. Spassky mayor, in his response to Archpriest Molodov to his aforementioned demand for a copy, incorrectly said that this matter, that is, the examination of the repaired dilapidated chapel, does not contain anything tempting for the Orthodox, whereas, according to the meaning of the note to § 5 of the above-mentioned instruction, the amendment or renovation of schismatic old chapels is a proof schism, tempting for the Orthodox, otherwise - if, according to the concept of Mr. Spassky mayor, the amendment of schismatic chapels or chapels was not a sign of schism, tempting for the Orthodox, it would not have been prohibited by law (Article 62 of Volume XIV of the “Charter on the Prevention and Suppression of Crimes against the Faith”) and punishment for it would not have been determined by Article 226 of Volume 1 of Book 1, and d) that with such a perverse concept of the rules of instruction, favorable to schismatics, the highest approved for actions with schismatics, and in general with such indulgence to schismatics on the part of the local police, the schismatic chapel, for the inspection of which he was invited in July 1860. Archpriest Molodov, from the time of its construction in 1827 until now, it could only really be maintained in its existence by skillful amendments; and with such amendments, this chapel, with all its outward dilapidation, can exist indefinitely to maintain and strengthen the schism in the city of Spassk and the surrounding villages, while paragraph 1 of the instruction, the highest approved for dealing with schismatics, charged the civil authorities with the main duty in the matter of schism to act unanimously with the spiritual, striving for one goal - to eradicate the schism. Then, seeing from the course of this case the connivance of the schismatics on the part of the local police in relation to the amendments to their dilapidated chapel, especially revealed since the publication in 1858. instructions, highly approved for actions with schismatics, through an inaccurate and perverse concept of the rules of this instruction, that is, as if by the rules of this instruction schismatics were placed at the disposal of the police, and the clergy were completely removed from any actions with schismatics, which was clearly expressed to Archpriest Molodov both by the mister Spassky mayor, and especially by the trustees of the chapel and the schismatic society, merchants Karasev and Turusov, with testimony chapel, I consider it my duty to inform Your Excellency about the above and humbly ask you, dear sir, to make an order: a) to take appropriate measures to prevent any amendments and repairs to the dilapidated schismatic chapel in the city of Spassk, as, through the gathering of schismatics into it, which serves as the main means of maintaining and strengthening schismatic errors in the city of Spassk itself and the surrounding villages, and about directing the local police to an accurate and correct understanding of the instructions, most highly approved for actions with schismatics, so that in all their actions regarding schismatics the fulfillment of § 1 of that instruction is expressed; b) about the delivery by Mr. Spassky mayor, by virtue of Article 162 of the XV volume of the 2nd book, a copy from the production and the decision of the case about what was done in the month of July last, 1860. examination of the amendments of the dilapidated schismatic chapel to Spassky Archpriest Molodov, as a deputy in this case, for presentation to his superiors; c) on the consideration, by virtue of Article 325 of the XV volume of the 1st book, of the act of the trustees of the chapel and the Old Believer Society of Spassky merchants Vasily Karasev and Nikita Turusov, who insulted Archpriest Molodov with impudent words when he was holding office as a deputy from the spiritual side, who was present at the witness of the repairs of the chapel, and d) on the commission of the most self-righteous and detailed examination of the amendments to the indicated dilapidated wooden chapel, in which the schismatics continue to worship, through a trustworthy official, with the deputy from the spiritual side of the village of New Vyselok of the Spassky district, priest Ioann Bratanovsky 516, so that if, after the examination of the chapel, there really are amendments to it, a formal investigation would be carried out on this subject; and honor me with notification of the consequences of your orders on this subject.” GATO. F.2. On.83. Storage unit 138. L.1–9 vol. May 14. Letter from Bishop Feofan to N.V. Elagin: “Christ is risen! God help you, Nikolai Vasilievich! Save yourself! You scared me. So I’m trying to make sure that by delaying the answer we don’t forget about the answer, just as we forget the matter of salvation in general in the same way. Bless you, Lord, and grant us peace! You are all wondering about how you will arrange yourself 517. Stop thinking, just look at your feet and around you. The Lord's way is arranged quietly, not with discretion, as those who boast of prudence boast. He comes by himself. Once you enter it, you will only be amazed at how everything worked out. So decide... You wrote down the solution yourself: for the peace of mind of parents 518 you need to be here!!! Everything is decided here... This is God’s commandment. No one in the world has ever thought of pleasing God by violating a commandment. Do you feel... You want to remove this obstacle... Wait... It will remove itself. Then be the will of God. Until then, thinking and guessing means wasting time. It's good to live in a monastery for a while. Isn't it possible to build a monastery at home? A real monastery is at home. When you get used to living like a monastery at home, life in the monastery will be pleasant. And now, may I ask, are you on a disastrous path?!! What hindrance is there for you to save yourself?! It is right to believe, to fulfill the commandments, and St. to be sanctified by the sacraments, to guard thoughts, and to govern the feelings of the heart as it should be... and so on, and so on. Help you, Lord, in everything! I am writing this to you as a joke. And there you yourself, as you know. Everyone will answer for themselves. " Collection of letters. Vol. VII. pp. 17–18. SPbDV. 1897. No. 46. WITH . 912–913. May 20. Bishop Feofan sent report No. 6053 to the Holy Synod with a petition for the provision of one-time cash benefits to some of the white clergy of the Tambov diocese who suffered ruin from fires. TEV. 1861. No. 9. 27 Aug. Official P.65. May 23. Letter from the Tambov provincial government to Bishop Feofan: “Your Eminence, gracious archpastor! I have the honor to humbly ask Your Eminence, would you consider it possible to expedite the delivery of a notice to the Mr. Governor of the province dated November 15, 1860, No. 17900, in the case of the separation of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk.” GATO. F.2. Op.80. Storage unit 67. L.133. May 25. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory on April 14, where the case of the wedding of the landowner collegiate assessor Ivan Fedorov Likharev with the daughter of state councilor Nil Egorov Evsyukov, the maiden Sofia Nilova, who were closely related, was heard by the non-local priest Alexy Smirnitsky. The consistory decided: “The priest of Smirnitsky, who married persons belonging to another parish, and was repeatedly convicted of solemnizing illegal marriages, descending to him according to the largeness of his family, should be relegated to a clerical vacancy indefinitely until repentance and perfect correction.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Approved. But Smirnitsky will be relegated forever to the rank of clerics.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.381 410. At the meeting of the Tambov Theological Seminary the following were considered: “A note from the steward of the seminary teacher Mikhail Kadomsky, which reports that in the shop of the Tambov merchant Ivan Anosov he bought fish for Palm Sunday for the pupils: 1.5 pounds of salted stellate sturgeon for 3.50 rubles. per pood for 5.25 rubles. and fresh crucian carp and perch 1 p[ud] 14 lb[lb] 2.80 rub. per pood for 3.78 rubles. “Only nine rubles and three kopecks.” Opposite this entry is a note from St. Theophan: “This is a lot.” “Note from the seminary steward. At the request of the doctor Seminarsky, three measures of cranberries were purchased for the hospital from carpenter Khariton Lavrentyev for 1 ruble each. for 3 rubles and a pound of juniper berries for 2 rubles. “Only 5 rubles.” Opposite this entry is a note from St. Theophan: “For how long is this?” "Note from the housekeeper. Tambov bourgeois Anna Preobrazhenskaya sewed six new tabletops for the pupils’ canteen with her own threads from government-issued tablecloth, 22 kopecks each. for each – 1 rub. 32 kopecks and 12 old table tops were altered, repaired and darned in places, 25 kopecks each. for each, for 3 rubles. - in total she is owed 4.32 rubles.” Opposite this entry is a note from Bishop Theophan: “In the certificate, indicate when the previous tablecloths were installed.” “Note from the seminary steward. For the maintenance of pupils with food: 7 pounds [pounds] of pepper, 70 kopecks each. for 2.80 rubles, 5 pounds of bay leaf, 30 kopecks each. per pound, 1.50 rubles, 6 pounds of granulated sugar, 20 kopecks each. per pound - only 5.50 rubles. Regarding the contents of the seminary house: a foreign barrel with yellow hoops was taken for 6 rubles.” The entry is underlined by Saint Theophan with his note: “What is this!” “For the maintenance of the seminary hospital: 6 pounds of ammonia, 30 kopecks each, for 1.80 rubles, 2 pounds of juniper berries for 20 kopecks.” This entry is underlined by Saint Theophan, and opposite it there is a note: “Where did the pood go?” “137/8 refined sugar, 26 kopecks each. by 3.61 rubles.” Opposite this entry is a note from St. Theophan: “Reduce housing consumption, let them have their own sugar.” “1/2 pound of family tea – 91 kopecks.” Opposite this entry is a note from St. Theophan: “You never need tea, but herbs.” Bishop Feofan’s note on the expenses of the office: “All expenses of the office must be reduced.” “1 dozen pencils 80 kopecks.” Opposite this entry is a note from St. Theophan, and he underlines it: “This is something else.” At the journal of the meeting of the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary dated May 25, Bishop Feofan put forward a resolution: “Implement. Strictly monitor expenses and not expand them, but reduce them.” GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 1. L.69, 71 vol.–72 vol., 74–74 vol. May 27. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “The dean of the Shatsky district of the village of New Tomnikov, priest Nikanor Aleev, in two reports, dated April 25, No. 52, and May 6, No. 66, reported to me: 1) the arrival of his temporary peasants of Count Vorontsov-Dashkov of the village of New Tomnikov Nikolai Vasiliev Kurdenkov, Kosma Ivanov Karmannikov, girls Anna Vasilyeva Kurdenkova. Nadezhda Dimitrieva Potapova, Domna Egorova Kulagina and the villages of Vorontsovka Anton Pavlov Kosolapov, Alexey Mironov Khamov, Vasily Grigoriev Khamov, Anton Osipov Maksimenkov and Andrey Egorov Maksimenkov in February of this year, as it became known to him, submitted a petition to Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs for permission to freely perform the rites of spiritual Christians. In some of the registered peasants, even before this year, he, Aleev, noticed omissions in the performance of Christian duties, but this was partly due to excusable reasons, and partly to their negligence; this year, when he noticed that all those peasants resolutely did not go to church for services on Sundays and holidays, he addressed them with an admonition about this; At the same time, they covered themselves with various pretexts, without at all expressing a deliberate evasion from the Orthodox faith. The reason for their falling away from the Orthodox faith is an unconscious trust in cunning seducers, lured mainly by selfish motives, since in general all the followers of the Molokan sect try to spread such a rumor among the people that those who are in their sect are never abandoned in everyday needs by strong and rich like-minded people. Priest Aleev suspects the Morshan merchant Gabriel Stepanov Bolotin of seducing the above-mentioned peasants, because they have communication with him; 2) during Holy Week. Easter families from the above-mentioned peasants, namely: Nikolai Vasilyev Kurdenkov’s wife Anna Stepanova, their daughter Akulina, their mother Paraskeva Sergeeva; Anton Pavlov Kolpakov's wife Avdotya Stepanova with four children: Grigory, Vassa, Paraskeva and Pavel; Alexey Mironov Khamova wife Maria Andreeva, mother Tatyana Ivanova; Vasily Grigorieva Khamova, wife of Agrafen Vasilyev, with three young children: Ivan, Pavel and Andrey; Vasily’s brother Timofey Grigoriev, his wife Anna Mikhailova with four children: Anisya, Kosma, Afimya and Ksenia; Anton Osipov Maksimenkov's wife Stepanida Egorova, their daughter Avdotya, and also the peasants of the village of New Tomnikova Pyotr Ivanov Ovchinnikov, his wife Ekaterina Maksimova with two young children: Grigory and Varvara, his sister the girl Ekaterina Ivanova; the girls Maria Kireeva and Avdotya Karpova Antonov and the village of Vorontsovka Ivan Vasilyev Rogozhin, his wife Natalya Dimitrieva, their children: Nikolai, Marya, Grigory, Pelageya and Avdotya and Rogozhin’s sister, the girl Khristina Vasilyeva with her young daughter Avdotya - also retreated from the Orthodox faith in the Molokan heresy. In reporting this to Your Excellency, I have the honor to humbly ask you, dear sir, on the basis of Articles 74 and 75 of Volume XIV of the “Charter on the Prevention and Suppression of Crimes against the Faith,” to make an order, depending on your part, to take measures against the increasing corruption of Orthodox Christians into the Molokan heresy in the village of Temnikov, Shatsk district, and to subsequently honor me by notification." GATO. F.4. Op.1. Item 1584. L.10 12 rev. “In the Tambov suburban Pyashkelskaya Sloboda, priest Ioann Bolkhovityanov 520 reported to the consistory on May 5, which had first become known to him privately, and then when he arrived, the sotsky at the bailiff of the 1st camp explained to him that the state peasant of the Pyashkelskaya Sloboda Nikita Vasiliev Peredelkin, who had once been converted from the Molokan heresy to Orthodoxy, goes to the houses of peasants and, gathering them in his house, explains to them about the importance, in his opinion, of the Molokan heresy. His actions began recently and, apparently, are already gaining success. Reporting this to Your Excellency, I have the honor to most humbly ask you, dear sir, to do what is in your power, on the basis of paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of the highest command, in the secret order of Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs dated March 16, 1837, No. 618 depicted, on measures to block the spread of the Molokan sect, an order to stop the seductive actions of the peasant Peredelkin and to subsequently honor me with a notification, and I consider it my duty to forward a copy of the said secret order of the Minister of Internal Affairs.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1584. L.13–14 May 31st. The definition of the Holy Synod in the name of Bishop Theophan: “In order to spread the knowledge of faith between the lower military ranks and at the same time not to burden exclusively some regimental priests with a new duty,” it was commanded: “For units of troops located in villages, separately from regimental headquarters, to enter into an agreement with local parish priests for teaching the Law of God on those conditions that [gentlemen] private commanders find possible. So that the local clergy, as far as possible, assists the military authorities in the good cause of spiritual education of the lower ranks.” In accordance with the order of the Right Reverend Theophan, “The Tambov Spiritual Consistory, in accordance with a circular order from the Holy Governing Synod, announcing this throughout the diocese, imposes an obligation on all parish priests so that, if they are invited by the heads of military commands, they do not shy away from teaching the Law of God to the lower military ranks.” TEV. 1861. No. 6. Aug 6 Official P.42. . Letter from Bishop Feofan to N.V. Elagin: “Father, Nikolai Vasilyevich! Save you, Lord, and have mercy! For the last time I say to you: Christ is risen! May the Lord bless your complacent patience and undoubted trust in His all-arranging Providence. Wait... press - and it will open... otherwise God’s will be done. To whom does God send ministry? To some it is gold-bearing, and to another it is honey-bearing. What to do?! God leaves the final settlement until the next century... No one will be harmed there. Until that time, this is what is written... if all our hope is limited only to this century, then we are the most wretched of all people... How is it?! There is a piece of bread - glory to You, Lord! There is an opportunity to give a glass of water to the poor - twice, glory to You. God! What next? And this prevails... I wish you peace. God bless you! " Collection of letters. VII. pp.14–15; SPbDV. 1897. No. 44. P.867. June 1st Ascension of the Lord. “It is written in the Gospel that the apostles, having seen off the Lord who had ascended into heaven, returned to Jerusalem with great joy. It is true that with their minds and hearts they felt all the greatness of the blessings poured out on our race through the Ascension of the Lord, that when, judging humanly, they should have grieved, they rejoiced, and not only rejoiced themselves, but they later passed on this joy and the basis for joy to the Holy Church, which convenes us to this triumph every year. So we celebrate. But, brethren, the Holy Church does not want us to forget about what makes us celebrate, and with external festivity to obscure the greatness of the Ascended One and the beneficence of the Ascension. No - she wants us to renew in our thoughts what the Lord’s ascension brought us, and in our conscience to restore the consciousness of what we should be as a result of this and whether we are such. Come, let us mentally ascend to the Olivet, let us fix our intelligent eyes on the ascending Lord and learn from this contemplation. Come, let us all come up - especially you, sisters, who have called us to celebrate with you in your monastery. More than you, I say, because in the ascension the life characteristic of you is depicted, or the perfect image of your rank is written from its inner side. What does the Ascension of the Lord teach you in your monastic life? You have determined yourself to cry about sins. And weep in order to attract the power of the intercession of Him who, having ascended into heaven, is at the right hand of God the Father, and may intercede for us. Having begun with weeping and repentance, you entered into labors and exploits with all kinds of hardships, voluntary and involuntary. Don't shy away from what you started. To this, the ascended Lord, to whom you have enslaved yourselves, invites you from the height of the Throne, saying: “Work: for your labors I have prepared a place for you: when you are ready, I will take you to Myself.” Working in the sweat of your brow, in the strain of your mental and physical strength, you, however, are not looking for earthly things, but are jealous to reflect in yourself the spiritual perfections outlined by the Lord in His word about the beatitudes. And be jealous. This is the main thing for you. This is what the apostle meant when he said: ... seek the things on high, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God 522. Is this all true for you and me, brothers and sisters? Grant, Lord, that everything will be like this! For only by walking in this way will we ascend the spiritual Olivet, in order to be taken from it into heaven, where Jesus 523 was the forerunner of us. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.86 90. June 2. Letter from Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas to Bishop Theophan with the note: “Secret”: “By this May 27, No. 6395 and 6394, Your Eminence, informing me about the temporarily liable peasants of Count Vorontsov-Dashkov of the Shatsk district who have turned from Orthodoxy into schism, as well as the state peasant of the Tambov suburban Pyashkelskaya settlement Nikita Peredelkin, please ask me to take measures to suppress this evil. Taking into account that on the basis of the instructions approved in 1858 for guidance in executive actions and deliberative matters regarding schismatics, drawn up in agreement with the Holy Synod (clause 11), the persecution of seducing the Orthodox into schism is ordered to begin not before testing the power of spiritual admonitions over those who have seduced; and in one of your indicated relations, Article 75[th] of Volume XIV of the “Charter on the Prevention and Suppression of Crimes” also indicates the procedure for these admonitions; and therefore it is not clear from your demands that all this should be observed in relation to real schismatics; I find it premature to begin persecuting them, especially since if they turn to Orthodoxy, they, within the meaning of Article 75, should no longer be subject to further liability. In informing Your Eminence, I have the honor to most humbly ask you, would it please you, in advance of any orders on this subject, to order you to test the power of spiritual admonitions on those who have seduced, in everything according to the rules proposed in the given laws. At the same time, however, I consider it my duty to add that due to the spread of the schism that has recently emerged, I, along with this, strictly ordered the city and zemstvo police to have the strictest supervision and to use all measures permitted by law to suppress this evil. I have the honor to forward a copy of this order to Your Eminence.” GATO. F.4. On.1. Item 1584. L.19 20 rev. June 5. Bishop Theophan put the resolution on the circular decree of the Holy Synod of May 22, 1861. Circular decree of the Holy Synod: “By decree of His Imperial Majesty, the Holy Governing Synod on cases of misconduct by clergy against positions and good behavior that reached resolution had the following reasoning: that in most cases, actions of clergy inappropriate for the title of servants of the altar of the Lord, about whom the cases arise, have a basis in the vicious inclinations of the accused, which with careful attention it would be impossible to discern before the construction such persons to the clergy; that in the clergy, when assigning to clergy positions, the strictest caution is necessary, especially before all other ranks, since - with the insufficient funds of our parish clergy, with their family condition and exceptional position arising from the fact that many of the ways of acquiring means of life permitted for other classes are completely prohibited for persons of clergy, both by canonical decrees and civil laws, equally established opinion in society, - elimination from the positions of persons once honored with elevation to the clergy, as depriving them of all means of support, is always coupled with extreme difficulties - that the highest attention of His Imperial Majesty was drawn to the need for strict caution in the selection of persons ordained to priestly positions. They ordered: to instruct the diocesan bishops by circular decrees that they place the authorities of theological educational institutions under the strict obligation to monitor the development of the moral inclinations of the ecclesiastical students and, when the latter enter the diocesan department from the school, to present to the diocesan authority the most accurate and complete information about their characters and inclinations, and that those of the students in whom the school authorities or the dean, under whose supervision the spiritual pupils come upon graduation from institutions, or directly by the diocesan authorities, will notice inclinations that do not correspond to the moral qualities that, according to the commandment of St. The Apostle Paul 524 should have clergy; the diocesan authorities, out of any respect, did not allow them to receive the priesthood.” Resolution: “Inform the board of the seminary, which will come into consideration and report to me with an opinion on how to implement this resolution. The dean should be instructed to strictly monitor the children of clergy during their stay in the homes of their parents and to report their observations on the character and inclinations of the children to the board of the seminary, at the same time reporting to me, and also provide me with correct information about the behavior and character of all those who left the school department for the diocesan department - annually, but especially from the clergy registers. GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 31. L.4–5. June 9. At a meeting of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory, they heard the “Report of the housekeeper of the bishop’s house, Hieromonk Arkady 525, dated June 7, on the opening of a bookstore at the Tambov bishop’s house, on the transfer to this shop of books received from the Synodal Printing House to the shop established at the cathedral.” The consistory decided: “As, by virtue of the resolution of His Eminence, which followed on January 10, 1861, the decree of the Holy Synod, a shop has already been set up at the Tambov house of His Eminence for the open sale of books, the consistory decides: to close the bookshop at the Tambov Cathedral, and transfer the books to a newly established shop,” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1727. L.54. June 10. Holy Trinity Day. Pentecost. According to the resolutions of the Right Reverend Theophan, “at the request of the parishioners of the village of Podysakova, Shatsk district 526 and the village of Nikolskoye, on Suren, Kozlovsky district 527, it is allowed to make the following amendments at their own expense in the parish churches: the first - to cover the roof, and the last - to paint the inside of the walls with sacred images.” TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official P.101 102. June 11. Holy Spirit Day. “The Holy Spirit, having descended on the divine disciples and apostles, was no longer withdrawn from them, but remained in them, and through them in all believers in words for their sake. According to the promise of the Lord, it is fitting for Him to remain with us forever, as the Spirit of truth, enlightening us with knowledge, and the Spirit of holiness, strengthening us for all good. Therefore, He is poured out abundantly on every believing soul through the Divine Sacraments, both upon entry into the number of believers, and throughout the entire time of living and acting among them; so that spirituality and spirituality constitute the distinguishing characteristic of Christians. This is why the Apostle Paul calls all believers those who have received the betrothal of the Spirit 528 and bearers of the Spirit, saying or don’t you know... that you are the church of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you? 529 Great, brethren, we have this advantage over all those who do not know the Lord; Not having the Spirit is the same as being dead, but having the Spirit means being alive. We are alive from the dead; for we, who were dead in sins, are revived by the merciful God in Christ by giving us the Holy Spirit. Glory to Thee, most loving Lord! If someone, having stopped loving earthly things and loving heavenly things, condemns himself to labors of self-sacrifice for the mortification of the flesh and everything carnal, and through this cultivates in his heart all the variety of good feelings of love and piety, he is undoubtedly a spirit-bearer. But whoever lives only for the earth and earthly things, who does not like not only to strive, but also to deny himself anything and does not care about the well-being of his heartfelt feelings, judge for yourself whether the Spirit is in him. I bring this to you as a reminder, either to please you or to arouse sleepy concern for yourself and your soul. For what the apostle says: sow to the flesh... from the flesh he will reap corruption: but he who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit he will reap eternal life 530 . Choose the best for yourself. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. pp.90–94. June 15. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev 531: “In response to Your Highness, dated May 23 of this year, No. 7608, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that I submitted to the Holy Governing Synod dated July 16, 1860, No. 9017, about the opening of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk on the site of the ancient Poroy Hermitage, but in order to authorize such submission of a decree has not yet been received from the Holy Synod; and as soon as permission is received, I will at the same time consider it my duty to notify you. However, wouldn’t it please Your Highness to enter into direct communication on this subject with the gentleman holding the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Prince Urusov?” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.134–134 vol. June 16. Letter from Bishop Feofan to N.V. Elagin: “God help you! Save yourself! Dear Nikolai Vasilievich! I was interested in Buchner 532. Now spiritualism occupies 533 opposites... But both are evil enemies of God, destroyers of blind humanity! I purposely copy out all the books of spiritualists in order to familiarize myself with them briefly. It's hard to judge from the reviews of others. Meanwhile, we are also fighting against materialism. So in general it doesn’t cost anything to decide, but when you touch on the details, it’s much more difficult. A lot needs to be reviewed!.. And there are intricate points... Geology is on the road, and there is a big stone that will not be moved soon, especially since it is difficult to study it yourself. What can we, provincials, do? You should have started a whole society of apologists there... And write, and write. What can we do? " Collection of letters. VII. pp. 18–19. SPbDV. 1897. No. 46. P.913. June 20. Decree of His Imperial Majesty from the Holy Synod on the appointment of festivities on August 13, 1861 on the occasion of the opening of the relics of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: “The memory of the Right Reverend Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, from the day of his repose, which followed in the Zadonsk Mother of God Monastery 534 on August 13, 1783, was reverently honored among the Russian Orthodox people, who flocked in large numbers from distant places to the Zadonsk Monastery, to the grave of the hierarch, to offer prayers for the repose of the soul of this saint, with trust in his prayerful intercession before God. Believers were drawn to veneration of the saint by memories of the lofty Christian virtues with which he shone during his earthly life, and by the broadcasts of the wisdom of the Gospel left in his God-enlightened writings, and by the miraculous healings of various ailments that took place at his grave. On all this was based the pious hope that this hierarch, glorified by God, was already canonized. Even at the end of the last century, such hope was expressed in petitions received by the highest name and the Most Holy Synod, but then the hour ordained by the Lord for the glorification of the saint had not yet arrived: signs of God’s will about this were later, In 1846, on the occasion of the construction of a new church in the Zadonsky Monastery in honor of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, there was a need to dismantle the dilapidated stone church and altar, under which the deceased archpastor was buried in a special crypt, and his coffin was moved for convenience to another place. In this case, it turned out that the crypt under which the saint rested had collapsed due to the passage of time, the coffin lid was crushed by bricks and the coffin itself was close to destruction; the bishop's vestment, in which the Right Reverend Tikhon was buried, despite his 63-year stay in a damp place, was found intact and even slightly changed in its color, and his body was found incorrupt and remaining in the position and form in which the saints of God rest in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. As a result of this, the body of the saint was placed in a new tomb, placed in the warm monastery church. At the same time, the late Archbishop Anthony of Voronezh 535 reported to the Holy Synod twice, bringing to its attention at the same time the many miraculous healings that took place on different persons during the prayerful invocation of the Right Reverend Tikhon. Along with the second report to the Holy Synod, His Grace Anthony, six hours before his death on December 20, 1846, signed a letter addressed to the highest name in God of the late Emperor Nicholas I, in which he testified to the bishop's conscience that, by special inspiration, he made it his sacred duty to bring to the highest knowledge about the miracles performed at the tomb of the Right Reverend Tikhon, as well as about the universal “sweet and tremulous desire” of numerous pilgrims flocking from distant places to Zadonsk, “that this great lamp of faith and good deeds, now lying in hiding, may be revealed before the eyes of all.” In the subsequent time, although no formal reports on this subject were received from the diocesan authorities, it was known from private information that the actions bearing the stamp of gracious signs and wonders, which the believers received from the Lord, calling for the help of St. Tikhon in serious and incurable illnesses, in difficult circumstances of life, in spiritual sorrows and everyday needs, continued and that in The Orthodox people grew more and more confident in the holiness of this hierarch. At the beginning of last year, His Eminence Joseph of Voronezh 536, having fully confirmed all the previous reports of Eminence Anthony, at the same time testified. that even in very recent times, miraculous healings took place at the tomb of St. Tikhon, many people repeatedly expressed to him, the Right Reverend Joseph, a universal desire for the discovery of the relics of this hierarch of God; moreover, His Eminence Joseph delivered the handwritten testimony of the monks who had been in the Zadonsk monastery since 1846, and certified copies of a note and a detailed account of miracles from St. Tikhon. All these documents, together with the response of His Eminence of Voronezh, were submitted to the highest opinion of the Emperor and, following the consent of His Majesty to the report of the Holy Synod that now was the time to begin the necessary orders to verify the truth of the incorruption of the body of St. Tikhon and the authenticity of the miracles performed on believers at his tomb, the nearest examination of the case was entrusted to His Eminence Metropolitan of Kyiv (now Novgorod and St. Petersburg) Isidore 537, the local Eminence Archbishop Joseph and the Moscow Pokrovsky Monastery Archimandrite Paisius 538, who, having joined themselves with two persons from the Zadonsk clergy, enjoyed general trust due to their impeccable life. and two hieromonks of the Zadonsk Monastery, known for their piety, on May 19 of last year opened the tomb of St. Tikhon and at the same time, after examining it, they found that the body of St. Tikhon, by the grace of God, was preserved incorrupt and the bishop’s vestment in which the saint was buried also remained intact, despite the dampness of the grave. Regardless of the above-mentioned examination, the Reverends Isidore and Joseph, together with other designated clergy, received the affixed testimony of various persons, who testified under oath that some of them experienced miraculous healings on themselves, and others on their relatives, through the intercession of the saint through the prayerful invocation of his gracious help. They examined 48 such events, covering the passage of time from 1820 to January of this year, of which 19 were at one time included in books specially kept at the Zadonsk Monastery. The Synod, having examined in all detail and with all possible care all the above circumstances, came to complete conviction in the truth of the incorruptibility of the body of St. Tikhon and in the authenticity of the miracles performed through him, and, having given praise to the wondrous Lord God in his saints, who has ever been the blessing of the Russian state, strong in forefathers' Orthodoxy, even now, in the days of the blessed reign of the most pious sovereign Emperor Alexander Nikolayevich, as of old, who was pleased to show by glorifying the hierarch of the Russian Church a new and great sign of His benefits to her, presented His Imperial Majesty on the 25th day of last May with an all-submissive report, in which he expressed the following opinion: 1. In the fragrance of the shrine, the deceased Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, is recognized as a saint, glorified by the grace of God, and his incorruptible body is recognized as holy relics. 2. Having carried them with due honor from the Church of the Nativity of Christ, where they now rest, to the main Mother of God Cathedral, they were placed in a decent and open place for general worship. 3. Compose a special service for Saint Tikhon, and until the time of its preparation, send him a common service among saints, and celebrate the memory of the saint both on the day of his repose, August 13, and on the day that His Imperial Majesty will be pleased to appoint for the opening of the relics of the saint. 4. Announce this publicly by decrees of the Synod. During this report, the authentic act of witnessing the relics of St. Tikhon and a description of cases of miraculous help to those who resorted to his intercession in illness and misfortune were presented at the royal discretion. On the said report of the Synod, the Emperor, on the 25th day of May, deigned to write in his own hand: “I agree with the opinion of the Holy Synod. Alexander". Moreover, His Majesty was pleased to entrust the discovery of the relics of the saint to Metropolitan Isidore of Novgorod and St. Petersburg together with Archbishop Joseph of Voronezh and Zadonsk, with permission for them to call Bishop Sergius of Kursk 539, closest to Voronezh, for the same purpose, and to set the day for this celebration on August 13th. The Synod announces this to the pious sons of the Orthodox Church, so that together with it they will give glory and thanksgiving to the Lord, who has so willed, and may they accept this appearance of a new intercessor and wonderworker as a new heavenly blessing for the reign of our august monarch, who is making tireless efforts for the good of the Russian Orthodox people and with his royal love and care embracing all his loyal subjects of every rank and condition. " ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). Op.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.25 28; MV. No. 144; TEV. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Official P.17 23. June 21. The relationship of the Tambov spiritual consistory to the provincial government with the note: “Secret”: “In the Tambov district of the village of Trinity Dubrava, 540 priest Alexey Gribanovsky 541 reported to his Eminence on June 8 that in his parish the former state peasant Evdokim Andreev Sushilin, formerly of the Molokan sect, was exiled with his family to the Transcaucasian region, where, after the death of his father, he and his mother joined Orthodoxy, as a result of which he was returned to his place of residence, to the village Trinity Dubrava. Having lived in the village of Trinity Dubrava for at least 15 years, now during Holy Easter he announced to him, Gribanovsky, that he, Sushilin, with his family belonged to the Molokan sect and destroyed the holy icons in his house, adding that now the Molokans freely perform their rituals and do not exile them anywhere. Reporting this to the Tambov provincial government, the consistory asks it, on the basis of Article 88[th] of Volume XIV of the “Charter on the Prevention and Prevention of Crimes Against the Faith” and Article 224[th] of Article XV of Volume 1 of the Book, to take action against the peasant Sushilin and his family, after joining the Orthodox Church from Molokanism in exile and upon returning from exile, again evading Molokan sect, proper order and consideration and then notify the consistory.” GATO. F.2. On.83. Storage unit 140. L.1–2. June 23. On the day of the celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, Bishop Theophan, surveying the diocese, performed a divine service in the Tikhvin Church 542 of the former city of Good 543. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the day of the celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God: “Now celebrating in honor of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos, who worked wonders for the sake of Her icon of Vladimir, I cannot attribute it to chance that I celebrate together with you, the residents of the village. Hello. I think, on the contrary, that it was arranged this way for your sake, for the sake of the extreme need to remind you, above all others, about imitation of the kindest qualities of the Lady Theotokos, although everyone needs to be reminded of this as often and more urgently as possible. Addressing my word to you for the first time, I should tell you: let your life be after your name. Let your name be a teacher and mentor for you on how you should live: be kind as the inhabitants of the village. Hello. If at the same time any of you wanted a more definite indication of what your kindness should consist of, I will tell you: look at the image of the Most Pure Lady Theotokos, who gave birth to us a Savior, more beautiful in kindness than all the sons of men 544; on the image of the Lady, about whom it was predicted that She would appear at the right hand of the Lord God as a Queen, in robes of gilded garments and speckled 545; look at Her face and strive to imitate Her like a mother’s children - and you will be good not only in name, but also in deeds, that is, enriched with all kindness. Learn by mentally going through the life of the Most Holy Mother of God and transferring Her kindness feature by feature to yourself, to your deeds and undertakings. I hear discord and enmity in you that are not heard of in other places. It’s not appropriate for things like this to happen, my brothers! I hear in you an impoverishment of brotherly love that cannot be found in other, even godless, faiths; so not only do you not share what you have with those in need, but they allow you to take away their last from them - and this from those who have lost everything and are even deprived of shelter. It’s not appropriate for things like this to happen, my brothers. I hear in you a diminishment of zeal for the churches of God, which are empty on Sundays and holidays; and this for the sake of the temporary profits of trade, which may take place at other times. It’s not appropriate for things like this to happen, my brothers! I say this not to irritate you, but to bring the truth to your mind. If you want to attract God's blessing and always see good days, avoid these evils. Whoever lives in discord, the Lord will not be peaceful to him; and whoever is not generous himself, the Lord will not open his generous hand to him. Whoever does not approach God by sneaking around in His house, God will not approach him either. Compliance, pliability and sacrifice of time to God collect and create, but self-righteousness, alien appropriation and self-reliance, as if collecting, waste and ruin. Remember that the sin of one person attracts the wrath of God upon him alone; and the sin of an entire village or city - the whole city or village attracts the judgment of God with the corresponding execution. The number of sinners does not reduce, but increases, the formidable retribution. Take heed to yourselves, brethren, and be not children in your minds: but be childish in malice 546. May the Lord God help you in this, through the prayers of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.94–99; TEV. 1861. No. 21. 19 Nov pp.501–506. June 24. Nativity of the honest, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. Bishop Theophan performed a divine service and delivered a sermon at the Sezenovsky St. John of Kazan Convent, in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. During this service, the builder of the Lebedyansky Holy Trinity Monastery, Hieromonk Joasaph, “for the prudent management of the monastery entrusted to him,” was ordained as abbot, and five novices of the Sezenovsky monastery were tonsured into the ryassophore. TEV. 1861. No. 8. Aug 20 Official P.59. The word of the Right Reverend Theophan on the Nativity of the honest, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, pronounced in the Sezenovsky St. John of Kazan Monastery: “How appropriate is it for a desert monastery to celebrate a holiday in honor of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John? For the holy Forerunner was the first inhabitant of the desert after the Nativity of Christ. All subsequent hermits followed in his footsteps, inspired by his example and imitating his rules. Therefore, everyone who leaves the world should delve into the features of the life of the Forerunner of the Lord John, in order to guide their course through them. Come, sisters, let us learn the life of the world from the Forerunner of the Lord. You know why you are more motivated to do this than others. Today we remember the Nativity of St. John, the Baptist of the Lord, the beginning of his life. Pay your most attention to it. For just as the destiny of the whole plant is seen in the seed, so the Nativity of the Forerunner is the complete outline of what happens to everyone who begins to become a monk. The wondrous signs around the cradle of John had just ended - persecution began. It is not known how he was saved from the sword of those who beat infants, but, most likely, not without special help from God. Every beginning of monastic life is surrounded by troubles. One has more of them, the other has less; for one they are more internal, for the other they are more external. But everyone has them, and they are difficult for everyone accordingly. It is necessary to break off previous ties, it is necessary to renounce old customs and become contrary to them; It is sometimes necessary to overcome more than one will - to fight with an entire family, and sometimes with an entire kinship; you have to bide your time, tormented by the uncontrollable desire to leave everything as quickly as possible; For others, the path to the monastery and the very entrance to it is fraught with great difficulties, and there is nothing to say about the fact that the world does not like those who renounce it and openly and secretly oppresses them. All this is in the order of God’s works and is not a sign of God’s displeasure, but a field of testing and strengthening the will at first for the subsequent most reliable course. Perhaps there has not yet been a single direct monk who could easily obtain monasticism! But let the beginner not be discouraged. The harder it is at the beginning, the harder the monk is after. In the circumstances of the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, I showed you how the monastic life of almost every renouncing world begins. Many of you may see this as the general outline of your own lives. Here you have everything for successful monasticism. But monasticism itself is not given for free. How much sweat and illness it requires - both internal and external! You know that. But, it’s true, you also know the consolations that fall to the lot of working women, and you clearly see the end, where everything will lead. Don't weaken. God will not forget your work, just as He did not forget others who labored for glory for His name. Your memories of those who laid the foundation for the monastic stay here are still so fresh, the succession of their spirit is still so close. Do not extinguish, but ignite this fire even more, rousing yourself by their example. Your advantage is that you have such leaders. But it is good for you only when you follow their paths. For this we pray to the Lord, may He bless you in your labors, with the prayers of St. Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.99–104; TEV. 1861. No. 13 September 24 Add. S287–292 From the memoirs of His Eminence Theophan by his nephew A.G. Govorova: “When the Right Reverend had to go somewhere to celebrate the Divine Liturgy - whether to a cathedral or a parish church, he also took me, and while he performed the service, I stood with his bishop’s staff.” June 28. “The Holy Governing Synod, after hearing two reports from His Grace Bishop Feofan of Tambov and Shatsk dated May 13 and 20 of this year, No. 5735 and 6053, with a petition for the provision of one-time monetary benefits to certain persons of the white clergy of the Tambov diocese who suffered ruin from fires, determined: to issue from spiritual and educational capital to one-time allowance: for priests - Tambov Trinity Church to John Novoselsky 75 rubles, Elatomsky district of the village of Sasova to Alexander Belyaev 547 70 rubles, Tambov district of the village of Ivanovsky to Ioann Pozdnyakov 548 60 rubles, Morshansky district of the village of Volkhonshchiny to Alexey Vasilievsky 50 rubles, Shatsky district of the village of Kalinovtsa to Gabriel Zolotov 549 45 rubles; deacons - Tambov Trinity Church to Matvey Davydov 50 rubles, Tambov district village of Ivanovsky to Foma Krinov 550, Elatom district village of Sasova to Yakov Epiphany 551 40 rubles each. and of the same village to Alexey Venkov 30 rubles, Usman district village of Dryazgov to Vasily Semenov 20 rubles; clerics - Tambov district, village of Ivanovsky, Andrei Nikitin and Peter Troitsky, Elatom district, village of Nesterov, Ilya Smiryagin, 25 rubles each, the same district, village of Sasova, Ivan Mikheev, 15 rubles. and Vasily Granatov 20 rubles, Lebedyansky district of the village of Kopyla to Alexey Lakedemonsky 50 rubles, Nesterova village to Alexey Lvov 30 rubles, Lipetsk district of the village of Alekseevki to Mikhail Ventsev 20 rubles; widow deaconess of the Borisoglebsk cathedral church Matryona Sakharova 20 rubles. and the city of Tambov, Znamenskaya Church to the widow of the sexton Anna Dobronravova 50 rubles.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.65 66. June 29. Glorious and all-validated supreme apostles Peter and Paul. “As we now celebrate in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, we must receive from these apostles the instruction appropriate for the day, so that we do not celebrate idly, but in the celebration learn the laborious Christian life. Everything about the holy apostles is instructive: the example of their lives, their works in preaching the Gospel, and most of all their inspired writings, which are offered to us every year in church readings. Maybe someone wants to draw guidance from this abundant but deep source. Now I want, together with you, to focus on what is simpler and closer to us, namely, on the names of the holy supreme apostles, and from them I can take myself and you a lesson for today. And first, delve into the meaning of the names of these holy apostles. What do the names Peter and Paul mean and why did the Lord arrange it so that they are combined in a single celebration? "Peter" means "stone" and indicates hardness, strength and steadfastness. “Paul” means “small” and indicates a low opinion of oneself, self-abasement and humility. Peter and Paul together teach us that we must be firm in faith and Christian life and at the same time humble and self-abasing, and point out that one cannot be firm without being humble, and, on the contrary, the more humble one is, the more firm and unshakable in Christian faith and life. Pay attention, secondly, to the change in apostolic names. Peter was formerly called Simon, and Paul Saul. The Lord changed their names and called Simon Peter and Saul Paul. This change in names also means a significant change in the souls of the apostles themselves, for God does not name names in any way, but in such a way that by this naming the deed itself not only signifies, but also produces. So, brothers, all of us Christians receive a new name through a significant change in us. A Christian is adorned with the name of Christ because he receives new life from Christ the Lord. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation 552. This is accomplished in the sacraments of the saints, and is accomplished through the word. Together with the word “the servant of God is baptized,” the old man dies and a new man is born; Together with the word “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit,” new powers of grace descend and are impressed in our being. But let our life be according to our name. Just as Christ, having risen, no longer dies, so we, having been reborn to new life, will begin to walk in newness of life 553. The Eternal God, even before the foundation of the world... called us Jesus Christ for adoption as sons 554. But having so named, He then chose or appointed us in Him to be holy and blameless before Him in love. So, brethren, the title of heavenly partaker 555, walk worthy of the title, in the same manner as the title 556, so that otherwise the reproach does not fall on any of us: the name of Imasha is alive, but you are dead 557. The name alone is not good for us. You need to add a case to your name. The Jews called themselves children of Abraham and were proud of it, but what did the Lord say to them? You are your father the devil 558. Since we, in fact, are as the Lord sees us, although sometimes we would not like to see them as such. Our name is Christians; but in fact, perhaps some of us are pagans, others are infidels in their way of thinking and living. God sees him as such, and secretly calls him such, although outwardly the same name remains on him, not as an excuse, of course. and as a reproach. Let us be zealous to be such as God desires to see us all in our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, holy and blameless in love, as He called us in Him before the foundation of the world. And for this purpose: on whomever lies service, serve; on whom is the teaching - teach; whoever is the boss, rule with diligence; whoever has wealth, give in simplicity; Let us live among ourselves in unfeigned love, hating evil and clinging to what is good, we will not be lazy with diligence, we will be on fire in spirit, working for the Lord in home and church prayers in general, according to the Apostle, we will not be conformed to this age, but will be transformed by the renewal of our minds, tempting what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God 559. If we arrange ourselves in this way in our life and persevere in it, overcoming all obstacles - both internal and external, then look what great promises the Lord proclaims to us: to the one who overcomes I will give food from the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is written, which no one knows, except accept 560. Further: He who overcomes, he will be clothed in a white robe, the imam will not blot out his name from the books of animals, and we will confess his name before My Father and before His Angels 561. Finally, I will make him who conquers as a pillar in the church of My God, and there shall come no more: and I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name 562. What could be higher than this? Have ears to hear, so that he may hear 563. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. pp. 104–108 Decree of the Holy Synod addressed to Bishop Theophan: “The Holy Governing Synod, after considering the proposals of the diocesan bishops regarding the awarding of various clergy for excellent and diligent service in the diocesan department, decided: 1. Honor Inspector Hieromonk Sergius with the elevation to the rank of Archimandrite of the Tambov Seminary. 2. To give the blessing of the Holy Synod to the builder of the Temnikovskaya Sarov hermitage, Hieromonk Seraphim, the abbess of the Usman Sophia Monastery, Abbess Seraphim, the archpriest of the Tambov Intercession Church Pavel Rozanov, the priests of the Tambov Ascension Nunnery Monastery Vasily Kobyakov, the Elatma Trinity Church Nikolai Znamensky 564 . village of Lysykh Gory to Alexander Bodrov, Spassky district, village of New Vyselok to Ioann Bratanovsky.” TEV. 1861. No. 4. July 23. Official P.25 26. July 1st. On the recommendation of Bishop Feofan, by decree of the Holy Synod, the priest of the village was awarded a skufia “for excellence”. Solomenka, Morshansky district Vasily Dimitrievsky. “The peasants of the village of Solomenka of the landowner Fitilgof, carried away by various rumors about some kind of imaginary freedom and the existence of some new situation with a golden cross, were ready, following the example of their neighboring peasants of the Penza province, to completely disobey the landowner, divide his land among themselves and act in everything according to their own will. But before all this was carried out, they came to the local priest Vasily Dimitrievsky and urgently demanded the above provisions from him. Wanting to calm the peasants, the priest called them to church, read to them the position sent to him by his superiors and swore before the Gospel and the image of the Mother of God that there was no other position and could not be, and thus stopped the excitement that was ready to flare up.” TEV. 1861. No. 15. Oct 8 Official P.105 106. July 2. At the request of Bishop Feofan before the Holy Synod at the Tambov Theological Seminary, the first issue of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette magazine was published. In the Official section of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” there is a message “On the spread in the diocese of the sale of books printed in synodal printing houses” as a response to the circular decree of the Holy Synod of November 22, 1860: “In pursuance of this decree, the Tambov diocesan authorities proposed to open a bookstore: to establish for the first time at the Kazan Monastery bishop’s house, and after the sales experience in this shop, enter into discussions about opening similar shops in other places.” TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Official P.2–3. “Reverend Theophan himself compiled the program of diocesan bulletins, giving them the appearance of a more literary than official journal. The “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” began to be published in two books a month, and each book was divided into two parts: the 1st was the Official Part and the 2nd was an Addendum to the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette”. They were published at the Tambov Theological Seminary under the editorship of the rector and under the censorship of the seminary inspector. His Eminence Theophan was the most active contributor to the magazine. Collaborating in it himself, he also attracted seminary mentors and subordinate priests, urban and rural, capable of literary work. Thus, everyone worked, from the bishop to the priests of the most remote parishes. This is how it should be according to the very idea of ​​a local body, and in this one cannot help but see the wisdom of the high leader - His Eminence Theophan. Collaborated in the magazine for free. The first department (Official) contains mainly official news and orders from the authorities. Advertisements for various magazines and newspapers and for the sale of books are also placed here, and advice is often given on which books are useful for the clergy to subscribe to, suitable for their self-education and for pastoral practice. The second section - Addendum to the Tambov Diocesan Gazette - is very informative. At the beginning is the “Paterikon, or Instructions of the Holy Fathers,” for example, “On Lack of Will,” “On Contrition of the Heart,” and moralizing incidents from their lives, conducive to faith and piety; then there are speeches and sermons first from the holy fathers, for example John Chrysostom, Ephraim the Syrian and others, and then from new and modern preachers. for example, His Eminence Nicholas, His Eminence Jacob of Nizhny Novgorod 567, His Eminence Theophan himself and various clergy of the Tambov diocese. After these articles there was a section entitled “Explanation of the Holidays”, in which various holidays were described and explained (for example, the Presentation of the Lord, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, etc., the appearance of miraculous icons - for example, the icon of the Kazan Mother of God), sacred chants were explained (for example, the troparion to the righteous Job), kontakia (for example, kontakion on the Day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit): then came historical articles (for example, “History of the Tambov Diocese”, “Tambov Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior”, “Tikhvin-Bogoroditsky Convent”, “History of the Tambov Theological Seminary”, etc.); information on sectarianism and schism in the Tambov diocese (for example, “Baku Molokans”), etc.; obituaries (e.g. Evgenia Bozhenova, Fr. Vishnevsky); articles of a scientific nature (for example, “Conversations about the properties of God”, “The concept of the soul according to the teachings of philosophers and physicians”); finally, instructive stories and incidents from the lives of modern Christians were offered, clearly pointing to the paths of God's Providence in human life, the intercession of the Mother of God and saints and punishment for violation of faith and piety (for example, “Admonition from above”, “Power of faith”, “Help from above”, “God’s punishment”, etc.), and poems of religious and moral content were placed (for example, “The Morning of the Bright Resurrection of Christ”, “The Mystery of Death”, “Open the Doors of Repentance”, “Spring”, “Blagovest”, etc.). This is how broadly the program of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” was set by His Eminence Theophan and how zealously it was carried out under the direct supervision of His Eminence Theophan himself. This is his invaluable service for the Tambov diocese. How great was his effort about the Tambov Diocesan Gazette can be seen from the fact that he diligently cared even about the correct delivery of this magazine to subscribers. By his order, an announcement was printed in the bulletins asking the deans to “immediately upon receipt send out the numbers according to their belonging, so that faulty delivery would not cool attention to the matter undertaken for the general spiritual interest.” “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported that “His Eminence Feofan, Bishop of Tambov, as a result of the report of the departmental dean that the priest of the village of Soldatskaya Sloboda 568 of the Tambov district Modest Spassky 569 opened a free school at his parish church to teach children of parishioners basic literacy, prayers and singing, in which now students of both sexes up to 40 children, deigned to reward the priest Spassky, as an encouragement to others, with a legguard.” TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Official C.4. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette began publishing the work of St. Theophan, “Instructions of the Holy Fathers on How to Achieve Perfection in Christian Life.” Note from Bishop Theophan: “The proposed translation of the patericon is made from the manuscript of the monastery of St. Savva, where it is not in one copy. There are similar patericons in Sinai, in the Sinai courtyard in Cairo, and in the library of the Patriarch of Alexandria. This shows that this patericon is in great use in the East. And worthy. It contains all the ancient legends known to us about the asceticism of St. fathers. Here is the skete patericon (the same as “Memorable Tales”), and “Lavsaik”, and “Limonar”, and “Terandikon”, or “The Old Man”. Sayings of St. ascetics are arranged in it by subject. Everything related to one subject is collected together and forms a special chapter. The first chapter is about perfection in the Christian life, the second is about silence, etc. In each chapter, first the sayings of famous fathers are placed in alphabetical order, and then the sayings of unknown ascetics with the same beginning for all, “The elder said.” These are the sayings that in our “prologue” mean from old age. The origin of this collection must be attributed to the 7th or 8th century. For “Lemonar”, from which the legends are borrowed in this patericon, was published for the first time at the beginning of the 7th century; the manuscript of this collection, located in the Sinai courtyard in Cairo, no later than the 9th century. One might think that it was made by Palestinian monks, and specifically the Savvinskys, among whom in those days there were zealots of spiritual enlightenment. The motivation for this was the scarcity of books, which were destroyed by the Saracens. For this reason, Antiochus, the monk of Savvina. compiled pandect 570 - a collection of sayings of Holy Scripture on various subjects in 130 chapters (beginning of the 7th century) and much later Nikon, abbot of the Black Mountain 571 - a collection of rules of St. fathers about church rites. Our “Fatherland” is later than the first and earlier than the last.” TEV. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Add. P.7–8. July 9. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” began publishing “Letters on Christian Life” by Bishop Feofan based on those published in 1858 and 1860. in St. Petersburg for book publications 572. TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Add. P.40–43. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" continued the publication of the work of St. Theophan "Instructions of the Holy Fathers." TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Add. P.30–33. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported on the bishop’s blessing given to the “Morshansky mayor, 2nd| guild to the merchant Andrei Platitsyn, Ascension Church to the patron, 3rd guild merchant Arkhip Boldyrev and his assistant tradesman Yakov Kaverin, cemetery Fedorov church to the patron, 3rd guild to the merchant Grigory Rozanov for their diligence in decorating churches and pious offerings in favor of them.” TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Official P.12. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported “about the reopening of priestly and ecclesiastical places”: “On the basis of a decree from the Holy Synod of November 1861, which followed the presentation of His Eminence Theophan, Bishop of Tambov, on permission to appoint second priests in some parishes of the Tambov diocese that have more than 1,300 male souls, a sufficient amount of church land, or at the request of parishioners and other local circumstances, second priests were appointed: a) Tambov district to the village of Pakhotny Ugol 573 for successful action against the Molokans, of whom there are more than 70 people in this parish and where, moreover, the church has a double proportion of land and more than 1300 souls, and b) to the village of Sayukino 574 where there is also a double proportion of land and more than 1400 souls, according to the petition of the parishioners. Mikhail Orlov, a graduate of the Tambov Seminary, was ordained a priest in the first village, and priest Andrei Govorov was moved to the last village from the village of Pokrovskoye, Tatar region 575. In Pokrovskoye, the mentor of the Gribanevsky rural school, Fyodor Kashmenopokrovsky, was ordained a priest.” TEV. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Official pp. 12–13. A resolution followed by Bishop Theophan with permission for the departmental dean to consecrate the newly built chapel in the name of St. Nicholas in the church of the village. Kochetovskaya Sloboda, Kozlovsky district 576. TEV. 1861. No. 8. Aug 20 Official P.58. July 11. Bishop Theophan sent a report to the Holy Synod under number No. 8256 “On the establishment of a religious procession with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God from the Shatsk Vyshensk Hermitage to the city of Morshansk”: “Residents of the city of Morshansk, in a petition submitted to the Morshansk mayor who was correcting the post, explained the following: when in 1853 an epidemic disease - cholera - appeared in many places in Russia, the residents of the city of Morshansk turned with prayer to the miraculous icon of the Kazan Mother of God, existing in the Shatsk Vyshenskaya Assumption Hermitage, took it to the city of Morshansk, carried it from house to house and served prayer services, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, their city was freed from cholera; Likewise, in 1859, when their city was also visited by cholera, the residents again came to the mentioned holy icon, brought it to the city and had it until the cholera began to stop. Since then, a feeling of gratitude to God and the Intercessor Queen of Heaven has left in the hearts of all residents of the city the desire - following the example of other cities - to bring the holy miraculous icon of the Mother of God from the Vyshenskaya Hermitage to the city of Morshansk with a diligent celebration once every year, both in gratitude for deliverance from cholera in 1853 and 1859, and to ask for the intercession of Her, the Diligent Intercessor, from all future trouble; and this desire is all the stronger because in the city of Morshansk there are no religious processions at all, as happens in many, if not all, cities of Russia, except for the generally established ones. As a result, they asked to petition the spiritual authorities for permission so that the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called the Kazan Mother of God, located in the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, would be brought with decent triumph to the city of Morshansk annually by the fifteenth day of August, for a period of at least one month, that is, in the first case, until August 15, and in the last case, until September 1, so that a) St. This icon, after being brought to the city of Morshansk, was placed in the cathedral church and b) so that the income that would be collected for prayer services during the capture of St. icons into the houses of residents, was turned in favor of the Vyshenskaya Hermitage, to which the rector of the Vyshenskaya Hermitage and the brethren agreed. The incumbent of the post of Morshansk mayor, presenting to me the above-stated petition of the residents of the city of Morshansk, asked, having blessed their godly desire on the prescribed subject, to allow it to be carried out. The Tambov spiritual consistory, upon consideration of this petition and the information collected on this subject, presented me with the following conclusion: in accordance with the wishes of the residents of the city of Morshansk, in accordance with attention to the reasons set out in the petition, a religious procession from the Shatsk Vyshenskaya hermitage with the icon of the Kazan Mother of God to the city of Morshansk annually by July 15, so that its stay in the city of Morshansk, precisely in the Trinity Cathedral Church 577 , lasted at least a month, and so that the income from prayers before the brought icon in the houses of residents was turned over to the benefit of the Vyshenskaya hermitage with the brethren, a consistory plans to establish. Having confirmed this conclusion, I consider it my duty 578 to report this to the Holy Governing Synod and humbly ask permission for the establishment of the said religious procession.” RGIA. F.796. Op.142. Storage unit 1237. L.1–3 vol. July 14. Letter from Chief Prosecutor Count A.P. Tolstoy to Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) at the beginning of the investigation into the Diveyevo case: “Since this matter had taken a serious turn, the Holy Synod at first intended to send His Eminence Theophan to Diveevo, but then decided to allow Your Eminence to send there an experienced archimandrite from the clergy of the Moscow diocese to examine on the spot all the circumstances surrounding the election of a new leader.” RGIA. F.797. On.31. 1861 D.11. L.40 40 rev. “[Reverend Theophan] had to fuss especially a lot regarding the Diveyevo convent, where great unrest occurred at that time. The Diveevo Convent was founded by St. Seraphim, ascetic of the Sarov monastery. This monastery belonged to the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, but in terms of location and internal structure it is in close relation to the Sarov monastery of the Tambov province. Hieromonk Joasaph was to blame for the unrest that arose in the Diveyevo hostel. Considering himself a disciple of Elder Seraphim and the successor of his work in relation to the Diveyevo monastery, he began to boldly, at his own discretion, act and manage in it, pursuing his own interests, and not the interests of the Diveyevo hostel. Moreover, his unreasonable and even illegal actions in some respects were even harmful to the morality of the sisters of this monastery. He showed particular self-will during the elections of a new abbess in the monastery at that time. He did not like Elizaveta Ushakova 579, who was elected by the majority of sisters (out of 500–400), and he tried to install his chosen one, Glykeria Lodyzhenskaya, as abbess, in whose favor there were only 40 sisters. To achieve his goal, Joasaph attracted to his side the Nizhny Novgorod Eminence Nektary, who was under his influence and even had him as his confessor. It was this matter, in connection with other circumstances, that caused unrest in the community, which lasted for quite a long time. The matter of the Diveyevo riots reached the Holy Synod, which entrusted Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, with the task of solving it. The latter decided to remove Hieromonk Joasaph from direct influence on the Diveyevo monastery: his chosen one, Glykeria Lodyzhenskaya, was removed from command at the monastery, and the monastery itself was removed from the jurisdiction and subordination of the authority of the Nizhny Novgorod bishop for several months and transferred to the jurisdiction of the Right Reverend Theophan. The Synod did just that. It goes without saying that the Diveyevo case could not help but upset His Eminence Theophan. He suffered a lot of unrest because of this matter, and when the Diveyevo Monastery was transferred to his jurisdiction, he used all his worries and efforts to stop the unrest and machinations of the opposing party that continued in the monastery and restore complete order in it.” July 16. The “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published “The Sermon on the Day of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary by the Most Reverend Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk,” delivered in the Sarov Hermitage in 1859. TEV. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Add. pp.55–61. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" continued the publication of the work of St. Theophan: "Instructions of the Holy Fathers." TEV. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Add. pp.53–55. July 18–19. Letter from Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas to Bishop Theophan: “As a result of your letter dated November 12, 1860, No. 14472, on the annexation of a plot of land to the Tambov Ascension Nunnery Convent, on July 15, No. 10557, I submitted to Mr. Administrator of the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the approval of the requested plot behind the monastery, of which I have the honor to notify Your Eminence, with a copy of my submission on that subject. Would it please Your Eminence to make a petition on this subject on your part as well?” GATO. F.2. On.82. Storage unit 91. L.31. July 19. From the presentation of the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary, approved by Bishop Feofan: “The resolution of Your Eminence, which followed the decree of the Holy Synod regarding strict prudence in the selection of persons ordained to clergy positions, states: “Inform the board of the seminary, which will come into consideration and report to me with an opinion on the methods of implementing this resolution. The dean should be instructed to strictly monitor the children of clergy during their stay in the homes of their parents and to report their observations on the character and inclinations of the children to the board of the seminary, at the same time conveying to me, and also provide me with correct information about the behavior and character of all those who left the school department in the diocesan year, but especially from the clergy registers"" 580. The Board of the Tambov Seminary, in pursuance of the resolution of Your Eminence, believes in its opinion: 1. Strengthen monitoring of the development of moral inclinations of spiritual students, and therefore make this the responsibility of Fr. the inspector and his assistants, as well as invite to participate in this matter all the mentors who can discern the moral character of the students from their classical answers, from their writings and from their attitudes towards them, 2. In opinions in reports on the behavior of students, do not limit yourself to general approval or condemnation, but highlight distinctive features of moral character, and especially religious features, 3. By the end of each year, instruct Fr. the inspector and his assistants submit to the seminary board a general report on the behavior of all students of the seminary, indicating in it the moral character of each. 4. Upon graduation from the seminary of students completing the course, based on the comments of Fr. inspector, his assistants and mentors, draw up a moral list of students with the inclusion of possibly correct and complete information about their characters and inclinations and present it to Your Eminence, separating out those who, due to their qualities, will be considered little capable of a priestly position. 5. Observations on the moral qualities of students should also be extended to school students, since the beginning of moral character is laid in schools, and therefore all school heads should be instructed to do so as a matter of urgency. Which opinion is most humbly presented to Your Eminence for archpastoral consideration and approval by the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Gennady; seminary inspector Archimandrite Sergius; Seminary economist teacher Mikhail Kadomsky.” GATO. F.186. On.67. Storage unit 31. L.1–1 vol. From the memoirs of a graduate of Tambov Theological Seminary: “The rector of the seminary was Fr. Archimandrite Gennady is an outstanding person for his spiritual gifts. Father Archimandrite Gennady, with his strong mind, was also distinguished by his strong feelings, sometimes reaching the point of pathos. His oratorical talent, representative appearance, exemplary loud-bass diction, highly expressive physiognomy and gestures made an indescribable impression on listeners - both from the professorial and church pulpits. He taught dogmatic theology in our theological class, as was generally accepted then. Our official textbook was “Theology” of the Right Reverend Anthony of Smolensk (the now deceased Archbishop of Kazan): but, demanding that we carry out the work according to the textbook, the rector himself did not stick to the book. His lectures on theology were powerful, inspiring and engaging. Starting usually with a low bass note, the rector rose and rose in tones of power and became more and more inspired, the class seemed to freeze - not a rustle, not a cough - and the mighty speech of Fr. the rector's office rolled out in waves... We literally stared at Fr. rector and were imbued with his powerful speech to the point that they did not notice how, listening to him, they sometimes sat long after the bell rang. In administrative terms - in managing the seminary - Fr. The rector held, according to those times, free views. Our life was little regulated by the seminary authorities; the inspectorate ignored us so much outside the seminary walls, and not particularly within the walls, that, for example, the assistant inspector hardly visited our apartments more than once a year, unless for some special need, and Fr. the inspector did not come at all, and even cooled Dmitry Nikolaevich’s “investigative” impulses 581 in the conviction that the students were behaving “very well.” In our time there were no punishment cells or starvation tables for the guilty; the whole matter of admonition and correction was limited mainly to personal reprimands, sometimes heated reproaches 582 about. the rector, although he sometimes sulked for a long time at some of the offenders; I don’t remember any cases with sad consequences - dismissal from the seminary for behavior. Reading books and magazines was not subject to strict control by superiors (“read this, but neither this nor that”), not without the guiding views of Fr. rector on famous authors and their works, since it was a time of heated literary struggle between trends, and we even wrote “Refutations of objections to the biblical story about the origin of the first man” (regarding the famous theory of Charles Darwin). Music was not pursued; this, they say, was sometimes the case in the past before us, although our aesthetic tastes were enjoyed only by the guitar and violin, and even by vocal singing, and almost every adult seminarian “wanted to sing in bass.” The path to places of public celebrations and to the theater was not strictly blocked... In general, our life was free; It was a time that we, comrades, still jokingly call “blessed times.” I leave it to the teachers to judge how rational such an educational institution management system was; Perhaps, in fact, there were some weaknesses and extremes in it, but we, pupils of the “Gennadiev’s” times, thought and still think that this system protected us from tortuous relations with the authorities and fostered directness, truthfulness of character, ease and freedom of spirit... Practiced by Fr. Rector Gennady, in general, free management of the seminary, it seems, did not weaken us in terms of education, but seemed to give us freedom and the desire for further development. The best proof is that our 1866 course included fourteen academicians: five by appointment and nine by volunteers - an unprecedented number for that time; some of whom are now working in the academic field with honor and dignity. These persons: Alexey Vasilyevich Vadkovsky and Mikhail Ivanovich Bogoslovsky 583 (associate professors of the Kazan Theological Academy), Nikolai Petrovich Ostroumov 584 (former associate professor of the same academy, who has now chosen a different career, it seems, in the Turkestan region), Semyon Ivanovich Zhemchuzhnikov 585, Vasily Yakovlevich Rozanov, Andrei Semenovich Bystrov 586, D.N. Astrov, Aristarkh Vasilyevich Alexandrovsky 587, Nikolai Stepanovich Bogoroditsky 588, Ivan Grigorievich Rozanov 589, Pavel Stepanovich Nenarokov 590.” TEV. 1881. No. 14. 18. App. July 22. In the Tambov Cathedral, on the namesake day of 591 Empress Maria Alexandrovna and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna 592, Bishop Theophan celebrated the Divine Liturgy and prayer service in the co-service of two archimandrites, the rector of the seminary Gennady and inspector Sergius, and the cathedral clergy. The sermon was delivered by the priest of the Znamenskaya Church, Anikita Levitsky. TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.70 71. July 23. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported on the opening of rural schools in the Tambov diocese: “The dean of the Spassky district of the village of Zarubkina, priest Konstantin Zernov, 593, as a result of a circular order from the diocesan authorities, reported that the clergy of eight churches subordinate to him, sympathizing with the government’s concern for the spread of literacy between state and temporary peasants, last June opened initial free schools for their children. Currently, 19 boys are already gathering for training in the village of Pokrovskiye Selishchi - in the church guardhouse; in the village of Novye Vyselki, 61 boys - in a public house; in the village of Novaya Potma, 21 boys are in the church guardhouse; in the village of Dubasovo there are 8 boys - in the priest’s house; in the village of Mordovian Pimbur, 19 boys - in a public house; in the village of Derebkino there are 9 boys - in the church guardhouse; in the village of Trekh Lipyaga, 8 boys - in the priest's house and in the village of Koshelevka, 3 boys and 2 girls - in the priest's house. They are taught primarily by priests with the help of the clergy, and for the first time, in order to acquaint the children with this new and useful activity for them, the teaching is supposed to continue until July 1, that is, before the start of field work. The report was followed by the resolution of His Eminence: “I thank the dean, and the priests, and everyone taking part in this matter. May the Lord bless these works." TEV. 1861. No. 4. July 23. Official P.28 29. In the section “News and Announcements”, “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” addressed readers with the message: “Bishop of Thebaid Nikanor 594, who resides in the city of Moscow, at the Alexandria courtyard, which is near the Khitrov market, informed his Eminence Bishop Theophan of Tambov about the urgent need for the poor churches of the Patriarchate of Alexandria in vestments of priestly and deacons and church utensils, asked to provide pious assistance to the designated churches. As a result, the Tambov spiritual consistory. in accordance with the resolution of his Eminence, announces this throughout the diocese so that pious offerings for the said item will be delivered by the donors themselves to Bishop Nikanor at the address.” TEV. 1861. No. 4. July 23. Official P.31. July 24. Bishop Theophan “taught his archpastoral blessing with inclusion in the formal lists, as a model for others, for special diligence and labor in compiling teachings delivered at the department of his Eminence, Tambov, to the priests of the churches: the cathedral - Georgy Khitrov, Znamenskaya - Ioann Sladkopevtsev and Pokrovskaya - Nikolai Afanasyev.” TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official P.102. His Eminence Theophan approved the report of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory on awarding certificates of commendation to the state peasant Andrei Yuryev from the village. Rostoshi Borisoglebsky district, state peasant Alexander Sushkov from the village. Nikolsky, on Tanai, and the peasant Ivan Bunin from the village. Arkhangelsky “for serving more than three years in the positions of church elders with zeal and benefit for the churches and the latter, in addition, for special donations.” TEV. 1861. No. 13. 24 Sep. Official P.93. July 27. In the Tambov Cathedral, on the birthday of Empress Maria Alexandrovna and the birth and namesake of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Elder 595 and the namesake of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich the Younger 596, Bishop Feofan performed the Divine Liturgy and prayer service, co-served by two archimandrites: the rector of the seminary Gennady and inspector Sergius, and the cathedral clergy. The sermon was delivered by Archpriest of the Church of the Sign Jacob Bondarsky. “All the Tambov clergy gathered for the prayer service.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official pp.70–71. Bishop Theophan sent to the Holy Synod a request for permission to allocate to the Ascension Convent in Tambov the land it needed “for the expansion of monastic buildings.” TEV. 1862. No. 29. 13 Jan Official P.17. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary, held in July, at which the presentation of the caretaker of the 1st Tambov Theological School, Archpriest Ioann Moskvin, was considered: “In order to improve the students of the school entrusted to me in the practical knowledge of the church charter, I find it useful to appoint four students from each class every day to perform choir services in different churches in the city of Tambov and am nourished by the hope that such a practice, under the guidance of experienced clerics, will accustom students to free reading from the Slavic press, acquaint them with church singing by note and involuntarily, so to speak, force them to learn the charter or order of worship, and therefore, submitting my opinion to the discretion of the seminary board, I humbly ask them to petition the diocesan authorities for permission to begin execution of this order." Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Regarding the training of students to perform church services, “appoint two” 597 ...discuss according to the situation.” For other affairs of the consistory, a general resolution followed: “Execute.” GATO. F.186. On.67. Storage unit 1. L.224.225. July 28. Celebration of the Smolensk Icon of the Mother of God, called “Hodegetria” (“Guide”). In the Tambov Cathedral, on the occasion of the church holiday in the chapel and in memory of the repose of St. Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov, who rests in the cathedral, the Right Reverend Theophan, in the concelebration of Archimandrite Gennady, Archimandrite Sergius and the cathedral clergy, celebrated the Divine Liturgy “with a large gathering of pilgrims, admirers of St. Pitirim, prayer the commemoration of which has long been beneficial for many through significant healings.” The sermon was delivered by priest Georgy Khitrov. “At the end of the festive solemn service, his Eminence consecrated and blessed outside the cathedral, in its fence, a meal for honorers of the memory of Saint Pitirim. This meal, supplied as charitable offerings on the day of remembrance of Saint Pitirim, has been taking place for several years in a row, this time it ended at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The number of guests at the table, which included passing pilgrims and local citizens, extended to 800 people.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official pp.71–72. July 31st. Circular decree of the Holy Synod on the appointment of members from spiritual consistories to provincial and regional statistical committees. It is ordered to “let the diocesan bishops know with instructions that they elect permanent members from the consistory to the local statistical committees and order that the clergy of the dioceses entrusted to them assist in providing the statistical committees with the numerical data and other information they need and in providing the secretaries of the committees or other persons authorized by them with the means to verify and supplement these data and information using authentic sources, if, however, there will be no particular obstacles to the satisfaction of this last petition.” An indispensable member of the Tambov Provincial Statistical Committee was approved on October 20, 1861, “from the members of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory, Archpriest of the Cadet Corps, candidate Ioann Moskvin, who, as before, was a member of the said committee.” TEV. 1861. No. 20. 12 Nov Official pp. 137–139. August 4th. During the review of the diocese, His Grace Theophan consecrated 598 in the warm house church 599 of the women's community of Kadoma 600 throne in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist and, after the liturgy, pronounced an edifying word: “Thanks be to the Lord, who has deigned to establish this church in your monastery, so much good for you. Seeing this, one cannot help but rejoice both because this means the prosperity of your monastery, and because, therefore, the monastery wants to prosper from the very side that constitutes an essential feature of the way of life you have perceived. You are prayer books. The church is a house of prayer. By being concerned with its construction, you have shown that you have a need and are nourished by a thirst for prayer. What should you do after this? All that remains is to apply to the task of building a church the work for which it was appointed, that is, to irritate in oneself more and more the desire to pray - and by the very act of praying. So, irritate yourself with prayer. Only a numb soul does not pray. Maintain the feeling of need within yourself and you will always be motivated to pray. And for this, do not look at what is in you, but look at what is not yet there. It is impossible for you to have nothing; but even if you had the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Abraham, the patience of Job, the fervor of the spirit of David - and all this is small compared to what still needs to be achieved. So set yourself up so that on earth it would be impossible to think of such an insignificance with which you could compare yourself. When this happens, there will be a feeling of need and misfortune; and when this happens, there will be a need to pray. But if only this need were constantly in the soul; and then she herself will teach you how to actually pray. Need teaches everything. Just don’t think that the matter of prayer is somehow cunning and confusing. The child wants to eat, comes to his mother and says: “Give me bread.” What's the point of this trick? The same is true in prayer to God. Sins bother you, come and say: “I have sinned, Lord, have mercy!” So it is in everything. If you feel a need, come and tell it to the Lord in the simplicity of your heart. Call upon the Mother of God as a prayer room, your Guardian Angel and all the saints, and together with them, under their protection, fall before the all-merciful Savior. That's it! And all tricks or tricks in prayer must be put aside. To add to this you just need to work to control your thoughts, which are reluctant to stand on one; and also, take care in every possible way so that the work of prayer does not stop with the end of the prayer rule, but occupies us at all other times. Whoever has this is a true man of prayer. But know that just as every work requires its own labor, so in prayer you need to work, and even overwork - both in body and, especially, in spirit. For the body - standing, bowing, praying; to the spirit - attention, feeling, detachment from everything and aspiration towards God. Joint work! And you have to force yourself to do both. Give your hearts to the Lord and from them make a church for Him, in which His Spirit will blissfully rest, bringing blessings to you - both internal and external. Amen". TEV. 1861. No. 25. 17 Dec Add. P.578 582; Words. Tambov. 1867. P.108 112. August 6. Transfiguration of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Bishop Feofan “with a large gathering of surrounding residents” consecrated in the village. Savvatma, Elatomsky district, a wooden church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, built at the expense of the parish landowner, actual state councilor Nikiforov 601. Word from the Right Reverend Theophan on the consecration of the church: “You have two celebrations: one common to all of us - the remembrance of the glorious Transfiguration of the Lord; Another thing that is special to you is the consecration of your church. And I don’t know what to focus on - on the Transfiguration of the Lord, who transformed our nature in Himself, or on the building of the church, which erected this house to our God! And this is great, as a matter of special favor from God towards us, and the latter is not insignificant, as a matter of special human piety and beneficence. And it is true that your thought does not want to lag behind either one or the other in order to fully enjoy the spiritual beauties contemplated in them. But I will tell you that there is no need to separate them, but, on the contrary, there is not only convenience, but also a special urge to contemplate them one in the other or to contemplate them together in one matter of our salvation. The purpose for which our nature is so changed in the Transfiguration indicates the goal; and what is contained and acted in the church represents a means to this end. Master the power of the church and achieve the glory of the Transfiguration. Let us thus celebrate two holidays—the renovation of the church and the Transfiguration of the Lord.” Words. Tambov. 1867. P.112 116. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” dated August 6, in the “News and Announcements” section, cites an appeal from the community of sisters of mercy, which asks the Tambov diocesan authorities to assist “in the dissemination of works and books donated to the community by benefactors, to support its means of existence.” When applying, an “essay program and a list of all books that can be received from the community” are attached. Further, the magazine cites the order of the diocesan authorities regarding the community’s request: “The Tambov ecclesiastical consistory, according to the resolution of His Eminence Bishop Feofan, announcing this throughout the diocese, adds that those who wish to subscribe to the books shown should be addressed on their behalf to the community of sisters of mercy in St. Petersburg.” TEV. 1861. No. 6. Aug 6 Official P.47. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported the orders of the diocesan authorities: With the blessing of His Grace Theophan, “the church, completed and equipped with the necessary utensils... in the village of Gromka, Morshansky district 602, was allowed to be consecrated by the departmental dean.” In the village Dvurechki, Lipetsk district, “by resolution of His Eminence, parishioners are allowed, at their own expense, to correct the dilapidation of the parish church 603, in its external and internal situation.” TEV. 1861. No. 6. Aug 6 Official P.45. August 10. Bishop Feofan left Tambov for Zadonsk to participate in the ceremony of opening the relics of St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, which took place in the Zadonsk Mother of God Monastery. TEV. 1861. No. 7. Aug 13 Official P.49. “Initially, the Most Reverend Theophan was not appointed by the Holy Synod to the opening ceremony, but then, by a special highest order, communicated through the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count A.P. Tolstoy, and he was added to the number of those appointed: Isidore, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, Joseph, Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk, and Sergius, Bishop of Kursk.” August 11. His Grace Theophan arrived in Zadonsk to celebrate the celebrations of the glorification of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. Discovery of the holy relics of our father Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh and Yelets. St. Petersburg, 1861 August 13, On the day of the blessed death of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, the celebrations of the opening of his relics took place. “To celebrate this most solemn event, the Most Reverend Isidore, the first member of the Synod, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, arrived at the Zadonsk Mother of God Monastery; His Eminence Joseph, Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk; His Eminence Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, and His Eminence Sergius, Bishop of Kursk and Belgorod. The opening celebration began on August 12. On this day, His Eminence Theophan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity Church of the monastery, where the holy relics of the saint and wonderworker since 1846 - from the time of their transfer from the crypt by the late Eminence Anthony, Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk - rested in a large tomb, under a silver board with an image of the saint in bishop's vestments minted on it. At the end of the liturgy, all the archpastors, together with the clergy concelebrating the Divine Liturgy, in the same church served a prayer service with the blessing of water before the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the gospel began with chime ringing both in the monastery and in the city Zadonsk Cathedral. By prior order, the white clergy of all dioceses gathered in the Assumption Cathedral of Zadonsk, from where, under the leadership of Archimandrite Theodsius 604. rector of the Voronezh Seminary, it according to rank went in procession to the Mother of God Monastery with banners and holy icons 605. There was a long line of clergy dressed in sacred robes, of which there were up to a hundred pairs of priests and no less than deacons and clerics. The march took place among the crowded people, who from the cathedral itself to the holy gates of the monastery formed a wall here and there, and the closer to the monastery, the denser it became. And all around the monastery, and even more so inside it, it was one continuous impenetrable mass. Archimandrite Dimitri 606, rector of the Bogoroditsky Monastery, and the brethren with a cross, holy icons and banners met the procession at the holy gates of the monastery with the ringing of bells - city and monastery. At 2 o'clock, the Metropolitan and the bishops, wearing robes according to church rank, entered the monastery cathedral church and, venerating the holy icons, put on full vestments at the altar. Meanwhile, all the clergy were established in the order in which they should be in the general procession of the cross. Having dressed, the archpastors left the altar and, standing in the middle of the church, distributed candles to the clergy and people. The Eminence Metropolitan, after the initial prayer with kneeling, read a prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ for a blessing for the uncondemned discovery of the holy relics of His saint. Then, with the tender and drawn-out singing of the 50th psalm “Have mercy on me, O God,” a general procession of the cross began from the Theotokos Cathedral - through the western doors, along the southern side of it, to the Church of the Nativity of Christ, where since 1846 the relics of the saint had rested in secret. When the procession of the cross entered this church, the Metropolitan, while singing the 33rd psalm “I will bless the Lord at all times,” cursed St. the throne, the holy icons, and the holy relics, and those who stood before him and, standing before the tombstone with the bishops and concelebrants appointed to bear the holy relics, sprinkled holy water on the lentions prepared for lifting the relics, and the covers to cover them, and then read with kneeling a touching prayer to the saint and wonderworker Tikhon, begging him to grant sinners with unworthy hands raise his holy relics. After reading the prayer, they raised the roof of the metal tombstone, inside of which stood a large wooden tomb, hiding a shrine containing the incorruptible relics of the saint. The tomb was closed and surrounded by a cord with a seal. The Metropolitan removed the seal and the cord that encircled the tomb, while the other bishops placed lentions under it and, together with their concelebrants, raised it with a loud cry: “Lord, have mercy,” which passed from the clergy to the people and filled the entire church. The tomb, raised in this way, slowly, with an incessant reverent repetition: “Lord, have mercy,” was transferred to the middle of the church and placed on a splendid bed prepared: the veils and the bishop’s mantle of St. Tikhon were placed on it. Standing near the archpastor, together with the clergy and all the people, they reverently honored the newly-minted miracle worker with earthly worship and, starting a prayer service for him after the proclamation from the metropolitan “Let us depart in peace,” they raised the bed on which the tomb was installed, hiding St. the relics of the saint, and they went out with him 607 from the church through the western door while singing the troparion to the saint. From your youth you loved Christ, O blessed one, you were the image of all in word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity and humility, and therefore you moved into the heavenly abodes, where you stand before the Throne of the Most Holy Trinity, pray to Saint Tikhon for our souls to be saved.” Upon leaving the Church of the Nativity of Christ, the procession headed near the altar of the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and, passing on its northern side, entered the western door into the church. The entire courtyard of the monastery was densely filled with people, who, at the sight of the tomb of the holy relics, fell on their faces, crying out: “To the Saint, Father Tikhon, have mercy on us!” Having entered the church, they placed the tomb with the holy relics on a prepared dais in the middle of the cathedral and, without opening it, finished the prayer singing of St. Tikhon. After the prayer service, many years were proclaimed to the sovereign emperor and the entire august house; ecumenical patriarchs; To the Most Holy Governing Synod, its leading member, His Eminence Isidore, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Novgorod; Joseph, Archbishop of Voronezh and Zadonsk; Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, and Sergius, Bishop of Kursk and Belgorod. veneration of all that is sanctified; the governing council and all Orthodox Christians. Then Little Compline began. The Metropolitan and the bishops with the servants entered the altar and undressed; The religious procession returned to the city in the same order at the sound of bells. At 6 o'clock in the afternoon the all-night vigil began, which was celebrated by the Metropolitan with the bishops and other clergy appointed to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on August 13 (12 couples). After the first kathisma, Joseph, Archbishop of Voronezh, spoke a word. Before the majesty, the Metropolitan, having distributed candles to everyone, unlocked the tomb and, together with the bishops, opened it. Several minutes of reverent, silent attention to the revealed holy relics followed. Then the reliquary with the holy relics [was] taken out of the tomb and placed on the bed, and the tomb was taken to the place where it was determined that the holy relics would always rest - under the canopy between the pillars on the north side. Having covered the holy relics with the cover that had previously been on the tomb, the metropolitan and bishops sang glorification to St. Tikhon according to the rite and surrounded the holy relics and the entire church, and after reading the Gospel, venerating the holy relics, they stood at the head and feet of the saint and anointed with consecrated oil all who kissed the holy relics. The all-night vigil continued until the first hour. On the very day of the celebration - Sunday, August 13 - at 9 o'clock in the morning the monastery began to announce the Divine Liturgy, which was performed by all the archpastors. During the small entrance, the holy relics were brought into the altar and placed on a high place facing the throne, and the Metropolitan and the bishops stood at their sides as concelebrants. The saint of God, who had died for 78 years, seemed to have again now appeared among the earthly clergy and took a primacy in their priestly service... At one time, Metropolitan Isidore uttered a word in which he depicted with particular clarity the entire instructive life of the saint. After the dismissal of the liturgy, the holy relics [were] taken out of the altar and again placed in the middle of the cathedral. Having begun a prayer service before the holy relics, the archpastors and all the clergy, in the prescribed order, made a religious procession around the monastery while the bells were ringing in the monastery and in the city cathedral. The procession stopped, as usual, in four places: on the southern, eastern, northern and western sides. It was not possible to see the people inside and outside the monastery in all directions; despite the fact that the move was made calmly and calmly. Everyone remained in the places where everyone had to stand, meeting and seeing off the holy relics with reverent bows, tears and prayerful sighs to the saint: “Father, save me! Father, help! Father, protect!” The entire path of the religious procession was strewn with scarves, towels, canvas, money, which were thrown by zealous saints, without considering where it would end up - and this in such quantities that in the end a continuous thick layer of it formed, covering the ground. Upon the return of the procession to the church, when the holy relics were placed in the place prepared for them, the Metropolitan read the prayer of St. miracle worker Tikhon. Upon dismissal and many years, both clergy and laity venerated the holy relics. Then the Metropolitan and the bishops, having undressed at the altar, left the cathedral in robes and, having blessed and sprinkled with holy water the meal arranged for the poor in the monastery, returned to their cells, blessing the people. In the cathedral, at the holy relics of St. Tikhon, prayer services did not stop until the evening bell, and the ringing of bells, both in the monastery and in the city cathedral, continued all day. On the night of the 14th to the 15th, on the occasion of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, at two o’clock in the morning, His Majesty Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich arrived at the monastery, listened to a prayer service to the saint and, venerating his holy relics, set off on his way. Thus took place the triumph of the discovery of the holy relics of Saint and Wonderworker Tikhon! Orthodox Christians showed a lot of faith and reverence for the saint, but the grace of healing also poured out abundantly from the holy relics of the saint of God. Apparently, in front of everyone, the blind were despised, the crumpled were corrected and began to walk, the possessed were delivered from demons, those suffering from wounds received healing, the deaf and dumb began to hear and speak, and from all kinds of ailments - obvious and hidden - those who resorted to the saint with faith received help and deliverance. It was evident that in these days the Lord opened all His treasures through the intercessory prayers of the saint!” TEV. 1861. No. 12. 17 Sep. Add. P.257 265. The anniversary collection of the magazine “Voronezh Antiquity”, dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary of the glorification of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, left the following testimony: “One of those who were in the altar during the service of the liturgy (metropolitan) told us that the Right Reverend Theophan, during the celebration of the liturgy 608, often wiped away the tears that appeared in his eyes with a handkerchief.” The discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon in Zadonsk was reported by the magazine “Orthodox Review” 609: “For the opening day of St. The relics of St. Tikhon in Zadonsk from all sides flocked to an extraordinary number of people of all ranks and ages. From official information it is known that from August 8 to August 15, more than 220,000 pedestrians arrived in Zadonsk and up to 4,600 carriages entered, not counting simple carts and carts. By special invitation, up to 300 nonresident white clergy, archpriests, priests and deacons with clergy arrived to participate in the solemn ceremony of the opening of the relics of the saint. It must be said that during and after the procession with the holy relics, the people, who were unable to get into the church due to the terrible crowding, wishing to express the feelings of joy in their holy cause with feasible offerings, threw money along the path of the procession, and things, canvas, earrings, rings, etc. on the church monastery porch and around it. According to eyewitnesses, in many places around the square there were heaps of things, canvas, belts, scarves and even money thrown by the people. In addition, significant monetary and material contributions were made from many people. In conclusion, we consider it our duty to add that, according to official information, from August 8 to 15, with a huge gathering of people in Zadonsk, there were no particularly significant incidents, such as murders, robberies, violence, fires, etc., there were no public health in the best condition, so that out of more than 250,000 people in Zadonsk from August 9 to 16, only 5 people fell ill, of which 2 died, one recovered and 2 remained in the hospital, and at the monastery hospital at that time there were 8 patients, who all recovered. The situation of residents in the surrounding villages and hamlets was the same as in the city.” BY. 1861. Sept. P.130 135. The word on the day of the opening of the holy relics of St. Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, said by the synodal member, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg Isidor (Nikolsky): “The lamp set by God burned here too, and its brilliance illuminated everyone with the life-giving light of reason and piety. As a guiding star, he pointed out the true path of life and salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. It was the great saint of Voronezh and Yelets, the Most Blessed Tikhon. His flock listened to his words with love when the saint of God sat on the episcopal throne. The loving father was seen off with deep sorrow and tears when, drawn by the Spirit, he descended from the bishop's see and retired to the modest Zadonsk monastery in order to give some peace to the spirit tired of cares and labors and in silence to devote himself to the innermost deeds of a strict monastic life. But no one... burned the lamp and covered it with a vessel 610. The time of true rest for the servant of Christ has not yet come. Only the field of work has changed. Just as a city cannot hide from the top of a mountain standing 611, so it is impossible for a righteous man standing at the height of virtues to hide from people seeking enlightenment and guidance in life according to the Spirit. He will be found in the deserts... and in the mountains and in dens and in the abysses of the earth 612. For the light shines everywhere, wherever the hand of God moves the lamp. And the glory of God’s people attracts the heart the more, the more they humble themselves before God and people. Is it surprising that the modest cell of this earthly angel became both a school of piety, and a doctor’s office for mental ailments, and a refuge for all who thirst for enlightenment, edification, consolation, admonition and advice! The life of the saint of God was the true light and blessing of God for this country. The time has come - the saint who fought a good fight passed away 613. It was fitting for the worker of Christ’s grapes to appear to the Lord of the House, so that he might receive his reward. Has lamp 614 gone out? Or, together with the vessel carrying it, is it finally hidden under the heavy cover of the grave? No. He was transferred to the candlestick to the Throne of the Father of lights, so that from above he would illuminate not one, but all regions of the earthly fatherland. Love for the deceased good shepherd prompted his children to describe all his deeds, to collect and put into writing all the soul-saving teachings of this new Chrysostom. And the spirit of the great Tikhon, with his word spreading everywhere, overshadowed all of Russia. Those who thirst for spiritual wisdom, noble and ignorant, educated and uneducated, draw from this abundant source both light for the mind and life-giving food for the heart. Even the Gentiles of distant lands translate into their own language the words of Tikhon the Wise 615. The rays of the lamp, carried from earth to heaven, stretched so far. May those unfortunate brothers of ours see the light of truth who, moving away from the Orthodox Church - the source of living water, dig up broken treasures for themselves and, senselessly zealous for the past, do not understand that it is not the old or new letter, but deeds of faith and love that place us before God. Thus, may your light shine before men, our saint, our Father Tikhon, for they may see your holy life and godly deeds and glorify our Father in heaven 616. Amen" TEV. 1861. No. 12. 17 Sep. Add. pp.268–274 From the memoirs of A.G. Govorov about the participation of Bishop Theophan in the opening of the relics of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk: “It is impossible to describe the joy of His Grace Theophan on this occasion! He often told me that from his early youth he deeply revered the memory of St. Tikhon and went from his homeland to the city of Zadonsk on foot to venerate the saint. At the discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon, I was also under the Reverend Theophan in the position of bearer of his staff.” From the memoirs of the merchant son Vasily Yaitsky, a resident of the city of Zadonsk, about the discovery of the relics of St. Tikhon. “But why,” I thought, “there are so many people again? And where are the people from? One from Siberia, another from the Caucasus - in a word, from all over Russia. All this in order to look at the saint’s shrine, to see the place of his exploits and resting place, to touch his holy right hand. Whatever free-thinking people say, there is a higher reason why so many people gathered in the city of Zadonsk upon the announcement of the decree of the Holy Synod; The reason for all this is the grace of God resting in the saint Tikhon. The grace of God calls to itself and, as it were, attracts the hearts of the faithful, like a magnet attracts iron to itself.” TEV. 1862. No. 10. 15 Nov Added S.365 367. August 14. From a letter from N.I. Subbotin 617 to Archimandrite Savva (Tikhomirov) 618: “I would like to write to you something about the celebrations that took place and are taking place these days in the monastery of St. Tikhon, but I consider myself completely unable to describe what God has vouchsafed me to see. Here is some, so to speak, official information. The service for the opening of the relics began on the 12th at one o'clock in the afternoon. After the ringing, a procession of the cross came from the city to the monastery cathedral; then four bishops (the fourth is Tambov, summoned here in case the meeting of the sovereign would prevent the Most Reverend Sergius from appearing in Zadonsk in time) in robes went to the cathedral, and after a long prayer for the worthy performance of the upcoming action, they went with a procession to the church where the relics of the saint rested; here the metal tombstone over the relics was removed, the coffin was taken out, transferred to the cathedral church and placed in the middle, a prayer was read to the newly-minted saint of God and small vespers began. At six o'clock they began the all-night vigil; During the magnification, the coffin was finally opened, and our unworthy eyes saw the incorruptible body of the saint and wonderworker Tikhon! In due time, the application to the relics began. On the 13th, a liturgy took place, which, one might say, was performed by Saint Tikhon himself: during the small entrance, the coffin was brought into the altar and placed on a high place, where it remained until the end of the liturgy. The holy relics were carried around the entire monastery. It was the most solemn time; Then it was possible to get an idea of ​​the gathering of people: the entire huge space in the monastery and behind the monastery was covered with people - both walls and houses; The roofs were dismantled in the Gospel style to make it easier to see the sacred coffin. According to the governor, there are 110,000 pilgrims at the outposts(?); but, it seems to me, it was certainly up to 500,000. Now the Most Reverend Joseph is celebrating the Liturgy, and tomorrow the Metropolitan himself and the other bishops are serving, and tomorrow they are leaving here.” NIOR RSL. F.269. Cardboard 42. Storage unit 28. L.4 vol. 5 rev. August 15. His Eminence Theophan concelebrated the Liturgy with Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) and Eminence Sergius at the Zadonsk Bogoroditsky Monastery. August 16. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “The dean of the Lebedyansky district, the village of Bolshoy Khomuttsa, priest Joseph Pavlovsky, in a report dated July 17, No. 83, reported to his Eminence that the parishioners of the village of Krivtsa, state peasants Ivan Andreev and Kalinnik Mikhailov Shchetinin, in March of this year deviated from Molokanism and have now been seduced into the Molokan sect and their families. After hearing this report, the consistory decided to ask the board to make an order to expel the Shchetinin families, seduced by them into Molokanism, to the Lebedyan spiritual board, for proper admonition to convert to Orthodoxy and to notify the consistory about the subsequent one.” GATO. F.2. On.83. Storage unit 139. L.15 16. August 20. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported: “By the resolution of His Eminence Bishop Feofan of Tambov, which followed the request of the parishioners of the village of Vlasovka, Borisoglebsk district, it is allowed to build a church again at his own expense with a wooden building instead of the one that burned down in 1860 619.” “By the resolution of His Eminence Bishop Feofan of Tambov, which followed on July 9, the departmental dean was allowed to consecrate the newly built chapel in the name of St. Nicholas in the church of the village of Kochetovskaya Sloboda, Kozlovsky district.” August 21. Letter from Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas to Bishop Theophan with the note: “Confidential. Into your own hands": Having seen from your Eminence's most recently received communications regarding the Shatsk schismatics that the Morsha merchant Gavrila Stepanov Bolotin is being suspected of maintaining the schism through his influence, I, in order to prevent this for the future, considered it necessary to instruct the Morsha mayor in a completely secret manner to collect at hand in a secret manner the most accurate information - both about Bolotin's lifestyle and behavior, and how he is generally known among the residents of the city of Morshansk, what position he enjoys in public opinion, and whether he has any noticeable influence on his like-minded people. Having now, as a result of this, received the completely secret report of the mayor No. 25. I consider it my duty to forward a copy of it to Your Eminence and at the same time add that Bolotin is known to me personally from the observations I constantly make, just as exactly as stated in the report.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1658. L.4 5. August 24. At the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory the following were heard: 1. “Report of the Committee on the Mordovian-Moksha dialect”, which presents “information from the clergy, in whose parishes there are Mordovians-Mokshas and who themselves know the Mordovian language, in which they state that they read several chapters of their Four Gospels to their parishioners, but the language into which they were translated turned out to be completely incomprehensible.” The Consistory decided: “With the writing out of the Committee’s review of the Four Gospels in the Mordovian language, sent from the Holy Synod under the decree of May 6 of this year, to report to the Holy Synod on behalf of His Eminence in execution of this decree with such an addition that then the publication in print of the Gospel of Matthew into the Mordovian language of Mr. Tyumenev’s translation is recognized as useful for Mordovians of the Tambov diocese" 620. “Report by the housekeeper of the bishop’s house, Hieromonk Arkady, dated July 13, to whom he reports that the bishop’s house is not able and is not obliged to pay for the treatment of the blind student Peter Saltykov, who is in the bishop’s house, 621 because he is not among the monastics, but is placed only for shelter. They ordered: “By the resolution of His Eminence on May 17, 1860, it was ordered to admit the student P. Saltykov to the Kazan Monastery. Payment for charity in hospitals for poor clergy should be from church funds. For the treatment of student Saltykov in the Tambov hospital, the order of public charity was assigned to the clergy of the church after his birth in the village. Novocherkutino, Usman district." GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1729. L.132.133 rev. 134 rev. August 26. Presentation of the Vladimir Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the village Rybnoye, Morshansky district, Bishop Feofan consecrated a stone church in the name of John the Evangelist, built at the expense of the parish landowner, staff captain Arkady Kolobov. At the end of the liturgy, the Bishop said a word and served a prayer of thanks for the health and longevity of “Their Imperial Majesties and the entire August House”: “Now the church has been built and consecrated for you, inhabitants of this village! Thanks be to the Lord, who inspired this holy work and helped it reach its completion! Thanks be to those who perceived this good intention and did not spare the labor to bring it into execution! It is impossible not to rejoice at this for outsiders, especially for you. For of all the benefits that man benefits man, the building of a church is the largest and most comprehensive. The establishment of schools is beneficial, the establishment of hospitals is beneficial, the creation of shelters and other resting places for the needy and suffering is beneficial. But the creation of the church is more beneficial than all of them, because the church alone combines everything that each of those institutions has, and, therefore, one replaces them all. Did he who labored in the construction of this church then undertake and complete this work in order only to arouse in you idle surprise and praise? No, he wanted the name of God to be glorified here and the salvation of all of you, as close to him, to be created. Never miss an opportunity to take advantage of the benefits offered to you in it, as in any other church. The church is a school, come and study, reverently listening to everything that is sung, read and preached here. The church is a nursery and a doctor's clinic. Come and eat here the bread of heaven and be healed by heavenly medicine. The church is a host to strangers. Take refuge here and throw yourself into the arms of the Father in prayerful sighs, under the spirit and protection of our heavenly brothers - angels and saints. The more diligently you come here, the more abundantly you will partake of these blessings, the more clearly you will see the truth of God in order to reflect all lies and delusions, the stronger day by day you will become in the good dispositions of your heart and the more decisively you will reject every temptation - both internal and external, the warmer you will love your heavenly fatherland, extinguishing any unjust attachment to earth and earthly things. - in a word, the purer, more perfect and ready you will be to enter unhindered into the eternal abodes in heaven - the unmade and indestructible church of our Heavenly Father. May this be so for all of you, brothers. Amen". TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official P.101; Words. Tambov. 1867. pp. 117–121 “On the highly solemn day of the coronation of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich, military and civil officials and citizens of the city of Tambov gathered in the cathedral to listen to the Divine Liturgy, which began at 9 o’clock in the morning. The Liturgy was performed, in the absence of his Eminence in the diocese, by the seminary inspector Archimandrite Sergius with the cathedral clergy, and before the end of it he, Archimandrite Sergius, said a word appropriate for the day. At the end of the liturgy, a prayer of thanks to the Lord God was performed for the health and long life of His Imperial Majesty and the entire August House, with kneeling. All the city clergy gathered at the prayer service.” TEV. 1861. No. 11. 10 Sep. Official P.85. August 27. Bishop Feofan noted the results of the diocesan clergy's responses to the determination of the Holy Synod of May 31, 1861; “As a result of the petition of the commander No. 1 of the battery of the 10th artillery brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Hirschheydt, His Eminence Bishop Feofan of Tambov blessed the priest of the Lebedyan city of the Kazan Cathedral Church Trofim Kalaisovsky for free teaching of the Law of God to the lower ranks of the said battery, of which more than 60 people showed very sufficient success in knowledge of prayers and, in general, the basic rules of faith.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.67–68 “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported on the awarding of church elders of the Tambov diocese: “According to the resolutions of His Eminence, which followed the reports of the deans, the city of Temnikov cathedral church 622 elder of the 3rd [th] guild, merchant son Ivan Shustikov, Morshansk suburban Bazievskaya church 623 temporarily obliged peasant of the Romanovsky princes Stepan Lyubimov and the village of Sukmanki 624 state peasant Ivan Stafintsev were awarded certificates of commendation for his diligent and useful service to the churches.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. 27 Aug. Official P.68. The Official Section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette reports the opening of rural schools in the Tambov Diocese: “During the past half of this year, as a result of a circular order from the diocesan authorities, schools have been reopened by the clergy to educate the children of parishioners, among other things, in the following schools: In the village of Karely, Morshansky district, with a parish school for boys of state peasants existing there, a girls’ school was opened in a public house, in which 69 girls are already being taught reading, writing and arithmetic: they are being taught by the daughter of the priest of that village, the girl Anna Skorodumova, under the guidance of her father, who is a mentor at the parish school. In the village of Kutle of the same district, through the diligence and care of the local priest Stefan Golubev 626, 25 boys were gathered to teach elementary literacy to the children of state peasants, with whom he had hitherto taught for free in the church guardhouse. Chamber of State Property. Having paid attention to the work and diligence of the priest, he proposes to transform it into a formal parish school in order to maintain and strengthen this school. In the village of Anosovo (Ermishinsky plant also) of Temnikovsky district, on the estate of Messrs. Batashev 627, to educate the children of factory peasants, through the diligence of the local priest Vasily Lavrov, a school was opened in a specially designated house; There are currently 89 students; Priest Lavrov himself is training them; subjects of study: reading, calligraphy, short catechism, sacred history and arithmetic.” TEV. 1861. No. 9. Aug 27 Official P.69. August 30. “On the highly solemn day of the namesake of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich 628 and His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich 629 and the birth of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna 630, military and civil officials and citizens of the city of Tambov gathered in the cathedral for a hearing liturgy and thanksgiving service. The sacred rites were performed, in the absence of his Eminence in the diocese, by the seminary inspector Archimandrite Sergius with the cathedral clergy. Before the end of the liturgy, cathedral priest Georgy Khitrov delivered an edifying word. All the city clergy gathered for the prayer service.” TEV. 1861. No. 13. 24 Sep. Official P.94. September 3. The decree of the Holy Synod “On the delivery of monthly information about the successes of public education” was published in the Official section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette. “On July 26, 1861, the Most Holy Governing Synod listened to the proposal of His Excellency Mr. Chief Prosecutor Count Alexander Petrovich Tolstoy with the following content: according to the definition of the Most Holy Synod of April 15 of this year, an all-subtle report was presented to the Emperor on the orders made by the Synod on the subject of disseminating public education in the Vologda province. On this report, His Majesty was pleased to write in his own hand on the 4th day of June: “Inform me monthly about the success in this matter and in other dioceses.” According to the information, it turned out that in a special note attached to the most submissive report of the Vologda civil governor on the review of the province entrusted to him, upon the governor’s announcement that, given the perceived lack of funds for education in the Vologda province, the clergy could provide personal service in this matter, His Imperial Majesty’s highest order followed: “pay special attention to the minister of Public Education and Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod.” Bearing in mind, firstly, that the churches of the Vologda diocese in 1860 consisted of 56 rural schools and in them there were 3,162 students, boys and girls; secondly, that in order to provide the urban and rural clergy with the means for the successful education of the people by the Holy Synod in 1860. An order has already been made for the distribution in a very significant number of copies to all dioceses for sale at the cheapest price (6 kopecks) of the primer compiled by order of the Synod, which, in addition to church and civil letters, contains morning and evening prayers, a brief sacred history, a catechism, a brief moral teaching, the outline of numbers and a multiplication table, and, thirdly, that in the same 1860. to the most holy The Synod ordered the diocesan authorities to pay special attention to the progress of public education and to report to the Holy Synod about those clergy who are especially zealously engaged in educating village children. The Most Holy Synod, by resolution on April 15, 1861, about the above information and its orders on the matter of public education, provided Mr. Chief Prosecutor Count Alexander Petrovich Tolstoy with information to convey to His Highest Imperial Majesty. They ordered: to announce by circular decrees to all the Eminence bishops the above-mentioned highest order to submit monthly information to His Imperial Majesty about the success of public education, ordering them, the Eminences, that in their diocese, every month by the 1st, they would certainly deliver brief information to the Holy Synod: exactly how much, by the month for which the information is presented, consisted in the diocese of schools at churches and how many students there were; how many such schools have been reopened within a month and how many students have entered them; by whom these schools were opened and where they are located - whether in the houses of clergy or in the houses of parishioners; about all those cases that occurred during the month that, in relation to the designated schools, deserve special attention.” “The Tambov Consistory, announcing this throughout the diocese, imposes on all deans the indispensable duty of delivering to the diocesan authorities what is required by the Most Holiness| The Synod, by the highest will, provides information about rural schools on a monthly basis and by all possible measures to promote the spread of public education,” TEV. 1861. No. 10. 3 Sep. Official pp.73–75. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported on the awards for the diocese: “By the resolution of His Eminence Feofan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, the priests of the villages of the Tambov district of Zemyatchina - Philip Sokolov and the Shatsky district of Nasin - Ivan Kobyakov were awarded legguards: the first - for good teachings and for diligence in compiling them, and the last - for opening a school at his church to teach literacy to parishioners’ children and for his work on this school.” TEV. 1861. No. 10. 3 Sep. Official P.78. By order of Bishop Feofan, to replace the priest with. Ryzhkov, Usman district, ordained a teacher of the Nizhne-Matrensky rural school from those who completed the seminary course, Vasily of Alexandria 631. “The clerical minister of the Borisoglebsk spiritual board, Mikhail Rozanov, has been moved to the office of the Tambov spiritual consistory.” TEV. 1861. No. 10. 3 Sep. Official P.77. September 5. Letter from Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg to Bishop Theophan: “Your Eminence, beloved brother in the Lord! Professor of the Tambov Theological Seminary, Master Vasily Maslov 632 came to me with a request to appoint him to a priestly place at the St. Petersburg Church of the Nativity on Peski. Therefore, I humbly ask Your Eminence to notify me whether there are any obstacles on your part to the dismissal of the petitioner from his school position, and if there are no obstacles, send him a formal list of his service.” Resolution of Bishop Feofan dated September 13, 1861: “Prepare a relationship with a formulary list.” GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 19. L.1. September. Bishop Theophan’s response to Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg to a letter dated September 5, 1861 (draft): “In fulfillment of the attitude of Your Eminence dated September 5 of this year for No. 2177, which followed to me, I have the honor to convey that there are no obstacles on my part to the dismissal of Tambov Seminary professor Vasily Maslov from his academic position. available. Moreover, I humbly present the formal list of Professor Maslov’s service.” GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 49. L.2. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of August 11, where the case “On the drunken life of the deacon of the cathedral church of Kadoma Semyon Grandov and the dean archpriest John Vysokopolyansky” was considered. The decision of the consistory: “Archpriest Vysokopolyansky, who incurred a slander from some people for the riots he himself committed during the service of Vespers, not entirely sober, is to be moved from the city of Kadoma to the place of one of the priests who, at the discretion of his Eminence, will be moved to the cathedral Kadoma church, with elevation to the rank of archpriest.” Resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “To appoint priest Semyon Tashkov as archpriest of the Temnikov Cathedral in Kadoma. And in his place put Archpriest Vysokopolyansky.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.799, 808. September 8. A report was submitted to Bishop Feofan from priest Vasily Belsky, dean of the village. Kirillov Spassky district (an inventory is attached to the report): “Due to the order of Your Eminence, given to me by the dean of the village of Zarubkina, priest Konstantin Zernov, an inventory of the icons in the second and other higher tiers of the iconostasis of the St. Nicholas Church of the village of Bogdanovka 633 with this Your Eminence I have the honor to present.” The following is an inventory of the icons of the iconostasis of St. Nicholas Church. ARPMA. F. cvm. Feofan (Govorova). On.21. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.60 62. September 9. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of June 27, where, among other things, the case was considered “about the infliction of offenses against the Shatsk mayor by the sexton Nikanor Kustodiev on the Nativity of Christ Church in Shatsk 634.” The decision of the Shatsky spiritual board regarding the sexton Kustodiev: “Send him to subordinate to the Sanaksar monastery.” The consistory decided to demote the priest Ioann Aromatov, who had been presented as a witness by the sexton Kustodiev, to the position of clerk for contradictory testimony. Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “The opinion of the board regarding the sexton Kustodiev is affirmed; and regarding the priest - the opinion of the consistory, but leave the latter in strong suspicion; After leaving the monastery, the first one to be ordered to look for a place in the village or be directly transferred to some village.” GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.815. September 10. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" published the order of Bishop Feofan to award a breech cloth "for diligently preaching the word of God in their parish churches": the priest of the village. Arzhanka Tambov district Nikolai Lebedev, priest of the village. Trinity Roslyai of the same district of Philip Kobyakov, priest of the village. Latrine of Borisoglebsk district Nikolai Vinogradov and the priest of the village. Makhrovka of the same district by Peter Popov. TEV. 1861. No. 11. 10 Sep. Official P.84. The Official Section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette contains a report on a free school for peasant children, established by the priest of the village. Mutasev Morshansky district by Pyotr Orlov in his house. The report was compiled and sent, according to the order of Bishop Theophan, in connection with the circular decree of the Holy Synod of July 26, 1861 on the provision of monthly information by dioceses on the success of public education. On the report is the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “I thank Father Peter.” “The school in the village of Mutasyevo began on February 5, 1845 at the suggestion of its landowner Count Kutuzov, who, having expressed a desire for this, supplied students with books, taken mainly from families on the recruiting line. In the first years the number of students was 33 boys. His children helped him with their initial education: but after his daughters entered into marriage and his son entered the seminary, the number of students decreased; in recent years there have been no more than 11 people; There are also girls who, in addition to studying, do handicrafts under the supervision of his younger children. The teaching was taught according to the program of a full-time county superintendent. to whom the statement is submitted annually on October 1. The landowner Kutuzov was pleased to instruct him to continue his studies no longer than 15 years of age, so as not to distract the children from homework. The course of study was prescribed for three years; at this time they are taught reading, writing, the short catechism, the short sacred history, and the three rules of the first part of arithmetic. One was taught some Latin; This student is at the pharmacy on the estate of Count Kutuzov, Tver province. The teaching subjects also included a lesson on beekeeping for those who expressed a desire, which was the reason for the Tambov seminary mentor, according to the inquiry in the agriculture class, Mr. Trostyansky, to place his classes in the “Notes of the Lebedyansky Society” for 1857, published in 1858 in the second part of “Description of beekeeping in the northern part of Morshansky district.” In this regard, he received a message from the landowner of the Moscow province of Kolomna, Mr. Babin, by whom he asked him to inform him of all observations and new experiments on beekeeping, and sent him to the school a book of works by the English beekeeper, Mr. Nudt. His students' beekeeping experience justified his efforts in this matter. Among his students there is one master at a steam plant in the city of Morshansk, where he himself makes paint from blood and various materials, which is sent abroad. Those of his students who entered military service within a few years received the rank of non-commissioned officers and in their letters to their parents express gratitude to him for teaching them. All positions on the estate in the village of Mutasievo, at the main office and at the farms, are filled by his former students. The calligraphy of some of the students according to the lists I sent interested Count Kutuzov to the point that he sent one boy a silver medal of his coat of arms to wear on his cap. Currently, most of the former students annually from March 1 to December 6 leave for the Stavropol province and the newly conquered region of the Caucasus for carpentry work, where, according to contracts and plans of engineers, they build various church and government institutions, and those who have not reached the age of majority, in addition to domestic work in the parish church, are engaged in reading, singing in the choir, serving censer, candlestick, making ringing, and often helping the clergy in reading the Psalter for the dead. In his absence, due to assigned investigations, they are also engaged in smallpox vaccination, since for 25 years he has been constantly vaccinating smallpox himself in his parish and among the clergy of his department. All those who are educated in their families literally teach the illiterate the commandments, prayers and the Creed. What he believes with the clergy is that he was in houses for serving prayers on holidays. From the very opening until now, the school has also been located in his house free of charge, for all this he enjoys special favor from the local owners Count Kutuzov and Mr. Trofimov.” TEV. 1861. No. 11. 10 Sep. Official P.86 88. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” continued the publication of “Letters on Christian Life” by Bishop Feofan. TEV. 1861. No. 11. 10 Sep. Add. pp.240–245. TEV. 1861. No. 11.10 September. Add. pp.237–240. September 24. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" published the order of Bishop Feofan on awarding the breechcloth to the priests of the Temnikovsky district of the villages: Novochadova - Timofey Zefirov 635, Isheiki - Matthew Lasitsky 636, Kondrovka - Petra Remorova 637, Zhegalova - Semyon Pichinsky 638, Enkaeva - Petra Krasivsky and Vedenyapin - Onisim Vesnovsky “for their diligence in compiling the teachings they delivered in their parish churches.” “For an idle priestly vacancy in the city of Shatsk to the St. Nicholas Church, after the death of priest Ivan Shchepotyev, a graduate of the seminary course, Stepan Dobrov 639, was ordained as a priest.” TEV. 1861. No. 13. 24 Sep. Official P.92. The “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published “The Sermon on the Nativity of John the Baptist,” delivered by His Grace Theophan at the Sezenovsky St. John of Kazan Monastery on June 24. TEV. 1861. No. 13. 24 Sep. Add. pp.287–292. September 26. The decree of the Holy Synod, which followed as a result of the representation of the diocesan authorities, allowing for tonsure as a monk: "1. Kozlovsky Trinity Monastery deacon - Dimitry Efimov and novices - Tikhon Vladimirov and Matvey Smirnov 640; Tregulyaev Baptist Monastery - Alexander Bredikhin; Temnikovsky Sanaksar Monastery - Grigory Alekseev and Perofey Lukyanov; Shatsky Nikolaevsky Cherniev Monastery - Alexander Konstantinovsky; Shatskaya Vyshenskaya Hermitage - Vasily Orlov, Ivan Faddeev, Vasily Naumov, Peter Alexandrov, Ivan Terpugov, Joseph Volkov and Agafon Vasiliev. 2. Sukhotinsky Znamensky nunnery - treasurer Paraskeva and novices: Vasilisa Lazarev, Anastasia Titova, Evdokia Ermilov; Temnikovsky Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery - Maria Strulnikova, Evdokia Ivanova, Maria Belavina, Pelageya Babinkova, Evdokia Danilov, Evdokia Malitskaya, Pelageya Cheprunova, Vera Golubtsova; Lebedyansky Sezenovsky St. John-Kazan Monastery - Varvara Dubinin, Anastasia Ilyin, Daria Kolykhalov, Matryona Danilov, Evdokia Chesnokov and Bass Ilyin,” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official pp. 129–130. September 27. Bishop Feofan, as a result of the “determination of the Holy Synod, held in relation to Mr. Adjutant General Milyutin, Adjutant General Milyutin 641”, was approached by the acting comrade chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Prince Urusov, with a request “to offer completely trustworthy students of the Tambov Seminary, who have completed a course of science and have not yet received an appointment, to enter the military department - the states 4[-th] and 6[-th] army corps located in the cities of Voronezh and Tambov, for training as auditors on the basis of the highest rules approved in April 1856, and about who exactly expresses consent to this and can be dismissed from the clergy, inform him, Mr. correcting the position of chief prosecutor, to offer information to the Holy Synod with an appendix certificates of those pupils, metric certificates and other documents about their origin.” By resolution of Bishop Feofan, the Tambov Spiritual Consistory announced this offer to students who had completed the seminary course. TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official P.130. September 29. The determination of the Holy Synod, which followed the report of the Tambov diocesan authorities: “For the completion of work on the reconstruction of the premises of the Tambov spiritual consistory and the construction of a new building for its archive, the amount requested by the diocesan authorities is 5878 rubles. 97 1/2 kop. in silver to entrust the economic management under the Holy Synod, after the current expenditure of the construction capital of the spiritual department, assigned according to the state list for 1861, to release it to the jurisdiction of the diocesan authorities, borrowed from the residual capital from the staffing amounts determined for the western dioceses, with the return of money to this capital from the amount that will be assigned according to the state list for construction needs of the ecclesiastical department in the future, 1862, so that both the 5,000 rubles allocated now and the previously allocated 5,000 rubles are submitted by the diocesan authorities in due time, where appropriate.” TEV. 1861. No. 21. 19 Nov Official P.141 142. October 1st. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported in the Official section about “teaching blessing and gratitude”: “According to the report of the consistory about the pronouncement in the past year, 1860, by some priests from 25 to 60 teachings of their compositions in parish churches, His Eminence The Reverend Theophan for such special zeal for teaching the word of God and edifying the flock deigned, as a model for others, to convey his blessing and gratitude by adding churches to the formal lists of the city of Temnikov: the Preobrazhenskaya Cathedral - Archpriest Ioann Petrov 642 and priests Simeon Bashkov and Nikolai Karamzin 643; Trinity Church - priests Pavel Belovidov and Georgy Tikhonravov; All Saints - Alexei Lentionov; Morshansk Cathedral Church of St. Sophia - priest Timon Ivinsky and dean of the village. Ilovai-Rozhdestvensky to the priest Xenophon of Petropavlovsk." TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official pp. 102–103. “Afanasy Mitropolsky, who completed his seminary course, 644” was ordained to the place of priest of the village of Tserleva, Elatomsky district. TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official P.99. In the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” there are messages about the opening of rural schools in the diocese: “From the reports of departmental deans it is clear that, as a result of the orders of the diocesan authorities, free schools were opened by clergy to teach village children basic literacy: Temnikovsky district in the village of Pashatovo, in the house of priest Ivan Vladimirov 645, for 21 boys; two in the village of Butakovo - one in the house of the priest Dmitry Vysokopolyansky for 37 boys, and the other in a specially designated house by the landowner Nikiforov for 27 boys and 4 girls; the latter are trained by the second priest Matthew Lisitsyn 646; Usman district in the village of Bereznegovatka, in a church guardhouse, 10 boys and 4 girls are studying under the supervision of the local dean priest Pavel Tikhomirov 647.” TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Official pp. 103–104. TEV. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Add. pp.314–321. October 5. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Governor K.K. Danzas with the note: “Secret”: “In the Tambov district of the village of Pakhotny Ugla, priest John Dobroserdov, in a report dated September 5, informed me that among those who seduced the state peasant of his parish, Mikhei Uvarov, into the Molokan heresy were the Molokans Stepan Shchukin, Uvarov’s neighbor, and the tramp Feoktist Veshnyakov, about which an investigation was carried out, at the end of which both Uvarov and his seducers who found themselves in guilty, were taken and imprisoned until the end of the case in the Tambov prison castle. After that, the peasant Mikhei Uvarov, at his, Dobroserdov’s, admonitions, renounced Molokanism, and meanwhile is still being held in the Tambov castle, while his seducers, the Molokans Stepan Shchukin and Feoktist Veshnyakov, and with admonitions in the presence of the consistory, completely renounced Orthodoxy, from the prison castle are now returned again to Pakhotny Ugol and handed over to Orthodox. Reporting this, priest Dobroserdov added that of the said persons, the peasant Veshnyakov, a native of the village of Pakhotny Ugla, but a landowner peasant and, moreover, an immoral man, had been on the run from the landowner in different places all his life, that during the investigation he himself testified that for more than twenty years he kept the Molokan sect in secret and, probably, spread it in the places where he lived, as a person who had the easiest opportunity, since he is a carpenter, joiner and cooper and usually carries out his work in the houses of ordinary people, which continues freely even now; for his removal from the village of Pakhotny Ugla, as a harmful person in all respects, he, Dobroserdov, deliberately asked both the bailiff in writing and verbally, and the commission of inquiry into this case, but these requests were not respected, despite the fact that all Orthodox parishioners of the village of Pakhotny Ugla unanimously wish for his removal, Veshnyakov, from the village of Pakhotny Ugla, as a harmful person. Reporting this to Your Excellency, I have the honor to most humbly ask you, dear sir, to make an order depending on your side to remove Molokan Veshnyakov from the village of Pakhotny Ugla, as harmful to the Orthodox and not belonging to this village, and to honor me with a subsequent notification.” GATO. F.2. On.83. Storage unit 136. L.25 26 rev. October 6. The definition of the Holy Synod on printing in the Mordovian language the prayers necessary for a Christian. Presented by the Tambov diocesan authorities, “a translation into the Mordovian language of the prayers necessary for every Christian, compiled by the priest of the Temnikovsky district. Kishal Georgiy Vadoveki and the attorney of a specially constituted committee, instruct the economic administration at the Holy Synod to print 1,200 copies at the expense of printing sums and then send them to the jurisdiction of the diocesan authorities so that the subsequent information will be brought to the attention of the Holy Synod.” TEV. 1861. No. 20. 12 Nov Official pp. 142–143. October 7. From a letter from Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) to Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev): “Then I, who had previously provided only information, without a decisive opinion, decided to propose and proposed a more modest measure, namely: to withdraw the Diveyevo Monastery from the department of the Right Reverend Nektary until further discretion and entrust it to the department of a neighboring bishop 648 in order In this way, put the matter in order, and admonish and admonish His Eminence Nektarios through the leading member of the Synod. I don't know if this will be accepted. Don’t leave this to anyone’s curiosity.” NIOR RSL. F.316. K.59. Storage unit 3. L.13 vol. Bishop Feofan put special resolutions on several cases considered by the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory: 1. In fact, the priest s. Rudovka of the Kirsanovsky district by Matfei Vissonov “about violent and other illegal actions”, which was considered at the meeting on October 4. According to the Kirsanovsky spiritual board, “the priest must be removed from his place” and sent to the monastic subordinates, but the consistory, taking into account the large size of his family (8 people) and that this was his first court case, decided to transfer the priest to the “worst parish.” Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Approved. But priest Vissonov should be required to serve a three-month subordinate period in the Tregulyaevsky monastery to gain experience in meekness, in accordance with the opinion of the Kirsanov spiritual board.” 2. In the case of “the opening of a third priestly vacancy at the Trinity Church in Kozlov”, which was considered at the meeting on July 31. Resolution of Bishop Feofan: “To move the archpriest of the city of Spassk Molodov to a third state based on his personal request for a change of place of ministry. Appoint Temnikov priest Belovidov as archpriest in the city of Spassk in place of Molodov. In Belovidov’s place, appoint a priest from the village of Dyuk Kurgansky 650.” GATO. F. 181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.1012, 1032 1033. October 8. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published the order of Bishop Feofan on awarding the priests with the breech cloth “for diligently preaching the word of God and edifying the parishioners”: Morshansk St. Nicholas Church - Dmitry Lebedyansky 651 and the Feodorovskaya Church - Vissarion Kalugin, as well as “for diligent service and care for the decoration of churches” priests: p. Tarksa Morshansky district - Petra Generozovo 652 and s. Vadikov of Spassky district - Ioann Potapevsky. TEV.1861. No. 15. 8 Oct. Official P.108. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported the completion of the establishment of a house church in the Troyekurovskaya community 653: “In the Troekurovsky Dimitrievskaya women’s community, with the permission of the authorities, a house church was built for the sisters in the name of the Vladimir Mother of God and permission was given to consecrate it to the abbot of the Lebedyansky Trinity Monastery Joasaph, and to conduct daily services in this church for the sisters of the community, according to the request of its head, a special priest was appointed, moved from the village of Kazovanya, Tambov district, Peter Pokrovsky 654". TEV. 1861. No. 15. Oct 8 Official P.107. TEV. 1861. No. 15. Oct 8 Add. pp.336–338. October 10. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Archpriest I. Pereverzev: “I haven’t heard from you for a long time. We need to notify you more often. The princess is here. Hello and bows. She has Alyosha, who is very tall in height, and partly in his head. Why does this start creaking with the trustee? You will creak with him, you will creak with his neighbor, and with his relatives... It is bad to live with a creak. Gotta get along with O... and tread more carefully. Well, if he didn’t have time to fix the roofs now, he’ll do it next year. If you are at odds... keep quiet for a while and go for peace... and having made peace, settle down for sacrifice. Abbot of Vyshensky 655 seems to be on good terms with him. Use it. So my thought: don’t creak - win with patience. What he doesn’t want to do now, he will do tomorrow. Morshants are slow to do this. And no one comes to our school. Cool, no need to act. Act as if you don’t notice. But there is no way to creak. After all, he did something. Was there any idea about his victims? Count what he did and imagine. If he comes in for 100 rubles, we’ll present him to the Synod. Especially if it approaches 150–200. He will receive a blessing and start working more cheerfully. If less than 100 – my blessing and gratitude. Do this... Don’t you have an archpriest, why don’t you say a word about her... Is she healthy? " Christian. 1910. No. 12. pp.773–774. October 11. Prince Urusov, acting as Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, reported circularly to Bishop Feofan about the rules approved by the Synod “on the procedure for supplying churches with aureoles and sheets of permission prayer and about reporting on them.” TEV. 1862. No. 28. 6 Jan Official pp.11–15. October 12. A report was received from the dean of the village addressed to Bishop Feofan. Zarubkin priest Konstantin Zernov, which lists and describes the icons placed in the 4th and 5th tiers of the iconostasis of the Church of the Nativity of Christ. Zarubkina. The report was drawn up “in pursuance of the verbal order given” by Bishop Feofan in August regarding the description and report of which saints’ faces are placed in the 4[th] and 5th[th] tiers of the iconostasis of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Zarubkina.” ARPMA. On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.63–64. October 13. From a letter from Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) to Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev): “The Diveyevo Monastery was removed from the department of His Grace of Nizhny Novgorod and entrusted for the time being to the Tambov Monastery.” NIOR RSL. F.316. K.59. Storage unit 3. L.15 vol. 16. October 14. The definition of the Holy Synod on the subordination of the Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery to Bishop Theophan: “1. The Diveyevo Monastery should be removed, pending a review of the case, from the management of His Eminence Nektary and entrusted to the management of His Eminence Tambov. 2. To order His Eminence Theophan that the decision of the Holy Synod on the abandonment of the Diveyevo Monastery, pending discretion, under the direction of the superior Elizabeth, be carried out immediately. 3. Instruct the Right Reverend Metropolitan of Moscow to instruct the investigators that, if necessary, they refer to the head of the monastery to Elizabeth, and not to Glyceria, and the decree about this of the Holy Synod was also announced to the monastery. 4. Let Eminence Nektary know about this order by decree, sending the same to Eminence Theophan of Tambov. 5. As it is clear from the report of the Most Reverend Nektarios that he especially relies on his use of the lot as an expression of the will of God, then leave it to the leading member of the Holy Synod to explain to the Most Reverend Nektarios the incorrectness of this opinion in a special way and offer him convictions so that he corrects his way of acting, which the Holy Synod more readily recognizes as a consequence of misunderstanding than disobedience, and so that he enters into proper obedience To the Holy Synod, in accordance with the oath given at the ordination: about which to send a decree to the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isidore, notifying the same to the Eminence Metropolitan Philaret.” RGIA. F.796. On.142. D.1011. L.77 rev.–78 rev. October 25. In the Tambov Cathedral, the Right Reverend Theophan served a thanksgiving prayer service with kneeling “on the occasion of the successful release of Grand Duchess Olga Fedorovna 656 by her son Mikhail 657.” After the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, the “all-day ringing” took place. TEV. 1861. No. 22. 26 Nov Official pp. 155–156. Letter from Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev to Bishop Feofan: “In response to the attitude of Your Eminence dated October 7 of this year, No. 464, I have the honor to notify that about the circumstances set out therein about the Molokans, temporarily obliged peasants of Mrs. Bibikova Maxim Zheltov, etc., it was ordered on October 19 of this year, No. 2394, to the Tambov zemstvo police officer to carry out an inquiry, and if the circumstances described authentic ones are confirmed, then at the same time make a proper order to remove the tenth Semyon Tsibin from office, with the removal of Orthodox Christians from living with the Molokans. Report what turned out to be the result of the inquiry to the provincial government, and in the meantime, transfer the circumstance of the seduction of Bibikova’s peasants into the Molokan heresy to the Tambov district court for investigation through a judicial investigator.” GATO. F. 2. Op.82. Storage unit 146. L.6–7. October 26. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev: “In response to Your Excellency dated October 11 of this year, No. 15239, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that in the case of the opening of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk on the site of the ancient Poroy Hermitage, permission from the Holy Governing Synod has not yet been received.” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.135–135 vol. Letter from Bishop Feofan to K.K. Zederholm 658: “Your Honor, dear sir Konstantin Karlovich! Forgive me for God's sake that I mumbled my answer like that. In part, they judged and decided what could be done with the manuscript you proposed. And I would like to take advantage... and you are afraid that we will not get along with her. My fears are overwhelming, and I find myself in the need to abandon this good material... We have begun “The History of the Tambov Diocese” 659... Its printing was interrupted for the sake of Chebotarev’s manuscript 660 about St. Tikhon 661... When this one ends, we must begin that one, for it is a shame to have started and not finish it, but it will last for a good year. I would like to thank our reports for your kindness. Somehow we will drag ourselves... But where was your manuscript when I was at the academy?! Let's decide this: send it to the Moscow Society of History and Antiquities (tea, Russians - so how?). If they don’t take it there, then all that’s left is for the manuscript to lie there. Send it to us. After finishing the “History...” of our diocese, we will also publish the “History of the Constantinople Hierarchs.” Well, our magazines are just a disaster... “The Spirit of a Christian” 662 distinguished itself again... He regrets the eradication of paganism - in an article about Julian the Apostate 663... But where are you looking? The articles of “Christian Reading” - about the universe - undermine Christianity at the root... Even if you run from the face of the earth. Having read the title: “Orthodox Review”... “The Spirit of a Christian”... you will say: “Glory to you, Lord!” And after reading the book, you will shout: “The power of the cross is with us!” In these thoughts - not sweet ones - I once sketched out the plan of the “Apologist”... and immediately wanted to send it to you to put it into action... if I could find sympathy. Then he hesitated. The princess took it in her own hands and sent it on. And a positive part can be added to that program: 1) interpretation of Scripture, 2) reviews of the teachings of the Holy Fathers, 3) history... As much as it is desirable for such a journal to exist, its implementation is doubtful. Protect us, Lord. The princess will bring your previous manuscripts. She's already getting ready... Fears of the road and troubles in St. Petersburg and Moscow are delaying her. Everything is fine with us. I was weak - in my legs and arms. Now it’s okay – I’m stronger. We had an empty rumor that I was [in] Kharkov. And she made some noise. It's a flattering place, but it's not for me. Yes, everything, in my opinion. There is no interest in moving from diocese to diocese. Things are the same everywhere. (The sexton and the deaconess got into a fight.) One thing interests me and will be accepted with gratitude - a stay in retirement with a small provision. Either way, God’s will be done! How to avoid getting into trouble. God bless you! I wish you peace... and strength... and good progress... Bow to those you know - Kavelin and others. " The project of the new magazine “Apologist”, sent by Saint Theophan in a letter to K.K. Zederholm as an application. “Goal: To defend the holy faith and everything in contact with it from wrongdoing. For this purpose: To monitor everything published in Russia, both in periodicals and in books, and to expose what is wrong. How to do: Major – radical, lies, expose lies with serious research articles. Petty reservations and nonsense should be collected under one review and discussed. There will be two sections: 1) Apologetic research, this is like general apologetics as applied to us living today, and 2) Apologetic review of literature Literary detective. We must also invite everyone who is confused by anything to communicate their perplexity or suggest questions. The apologist will answer everything – both big and small. Hence: 3) Answers to questions. The Holy Faith from the first days in the struggle, it was attacked and defended. It is edifying to know how all this happened, from here: 4) Apologetic history. In the West, the struggle has been open for a long time. Much of what is there is not useful for us. Articles and books against freethinking: Catholics - against Lutherans, Lutherans - against Catholics, etc... Hence: 5) Foreign apologetics - according to peoples or faiths... i.e. France, England, Prussia, Austria, Italy and so on... Or unbelief, rationalism, papacy, Protestantism. (NB. The East and we are one.) Publisher in St. Petersburg under the patronage of the Holy Synod, but all scientists are invited. Employees share items among themselves. Who is stronger in what? Or as indicated here, i.e., any of the 5 departments are taken alone, and so on; or in parts - theology, dogma, history, the word of God, worldview, etc. Review of employee activities: They share our literature among themselves and read, they notice errors large and small. After reading, they come together and decide what to write a study against and what to give to the detective for a general review... So every month. Research is sorted out by type of subject, who will take what, and is compiled either in relation to the articles or independently. There is one detective for every month - with a lively and resourceful pen. Foreign literature has its own employees. The procedure is the same. They suggest in the meeting that it be translated, or extracted, or placed in a review. The editor - if Rozhdestvensky 664 does not agree, then Archpriest Debolsky 665 . Employees: Bogoslovsky 666, Nikitsky, Dobronravin 667, Muretov 668, Delitsyn 669 Polessky 670, Arkhangelsky 671 ... Those who wish are from the mentors of the academy, seminary, and college. And there are many others in St. Petersburg and outside it in the dioceses, The guide would be one of the Synodals, at least at first. Funds: Give 6,000 rubles from spiritual educational capital. – with return. Employees share the dividend until it reaches 30 rubles. per sheet. When this figure begins to go beyond, then the surplus will be converted into payment for borrowed capital. When this amount is paid, then the entire dividend is divided, unless it is considered necessary to create your own fund - for a rainy day or for some other need. If the Holy Synod agrees to command that each deanery publish one issue, which, it seems, should be done, then the magazine could immediately get on its feet and be very cheap and, therefore, publicly available. Published every month - from 10-16 writers. Price 4 rub. no forwarding." NIOR RSL. F.107. K.6. Storage unit 30. L.31 34. October 29. According to the resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan “for diligently fulfilling priestly and mentoring positions and successful action against local Molokan sectarians,” the priest of the village. Novoe Garitovo, Kozlovsky district, Ioann Tsvetaev 672 was awarded a leg guard. TEV. 1861. No. 18. Oct 29 Official P.127. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported the blessing of Bishop Feofan, “given to the priests: the village of Zarubkina, Spassky district - Maxim Dubrovsky 673 for the work of teaching for ten years at the rural parish school, which now educates 70 boys, children of state peasants, as well as the villages of Kozlovsky district Shekhmanki - Dimitri Zvonarev and Plosky - Pavel Komelsky 674 for his diligence in compiling teachings for his parishioners.” The Official Section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette contains orders on the opening of rural schools in the diocese: “Due to a circular order from the diocesan authorities, for teaching elementary literacy to the children of villagers, schools were opened by clergy in the following villages: Tambov district - in Nikolskoye (Kolyagovshchina also) for 28 boys by priest Peter Algasovsky 675, in a public house; in Malaya Talinka for 30 boys by priest Alexei Zlatoustovsky, in the church guardhouse; in Soldatskaya Sloboda by priest Modest Spassky, in the church guardhouse, where 50 boys are now studying; and Morshansky district in the villages: Badin Ugle by priest Nikolai Gribanovsky 676, in his house, for 24 boys; in the village of Studenets by priest Vasily Dimitrievsky, in his house, for 15 boys and 11 girls; in the village of Kershinskiye Barki by priest Peter Nikolsky 677, in his house, for 12 boys; in the village of Serzhal by priest Zakhary Yastrebtsev 678, in his house, for 12 boys. From the newly received reports from the dean, as a result of the circular order of the diocesan authorities, it is clear that in order to spread literacy among the common people, the clergy have opened schools: Morshansky district in the villages of Perkine, Sokolinki, Pitersky and Ivinye through the efforts of local parish priests, in their own homes, in which 12 to 15 boys are educated under their supervision: Spassky district in the villages Aksenovka, Savva and Kazhlotka: in the first there are 36 boys, and in the latter - 12; The first two were started by local priests and placed in church guardhouses, and the last by the parish sexton in his house.” TEV. 1861. No. 18. Oct 29 Official WITH . 125. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published “for the information and due execution of those who should” the announcement of the Tambov Theological Consistory, in accordance with the regulations of the board of the Tambov Theological Seminary, approved by the Right Reverend Theophan, on the preparation of children for admission to theological schools: “The caretaker of the 1st Tambov District Theological School, in his presentation to the board of the seminary, stated: when admitting children from their parents’ homes to the school, many people noticed stupid reading from books of the Slavic press, and it was found out that many parents, when teaching their children, abandoning the ancient useful rule of starting reading with the Book of Hours and the Psalter, begin it from books of the Russian press. Why do school students, who have not been accustomed to Slavic terminology since childhood and are not familiar with Slavic syllable stress, read church books incorrectly and poorly? Drawing attention to this deficiency, which was passing from the homes of parents to the school, he asked that it be obligated, through whom it should be, the clergy. so that they take the trouble to present children at school with the knowledge of free and correct reading from books of the Slavic press.” TEV. 1861. No. 18. Oct 29 Official P.126. TEV. 1861. No. 18. 29 Oct. Add. P.414 415 November 5th. Bishop Feofan gave a blessing to the state peasant of the city of Morshansk, a suburban settlement, Paraskeva Fedorovna Chekunareva. who “at her own expense, according to her zeal, built an altar in the parish Theodore Church 679 in the name of the heavenly armies of the Archangel Michael for the amount of 500 rubles. ser.”, and the city of Morshansk to honorary citizen Mikhail Grigorievich Umnyakov, who “in memory of his late parent donated to the parish Church of the Ascension 680 full priestly and deacon vestments, as well as a cover and airs made of blue velvet and embroidered with gold. worth more than a thousand rubles in silver.” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official pp. 133–134. According to the resolution of Bishop Feofan, the priest of the village. Malaya Baygora, Lipetsk district, Ioann Chizhov 681 was awarded a legguard “for excellent, diligent and useful service, accompanied by a beneficial influence on temporary peasants, witnessed by the parish landowner Senyavin,” to the priest of the village. Nesterov of Elatom district, Konstantin Sokolov 682 was given an archpastoral blessing “for his care in decorating the church.” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official P.132. The official section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported on the opening of new rural schools in the diocese: “From the reports of the deans, received as a result of the circular order of the diocesan authorities, it is clear that in order to spread literacy among the villagers, free schools have been reopened by the clergy. In the Tambov district in the villages: Pyashkelskaya Sloboda as a local priest for 17 boys, in the house of a state peasant; in Podosklai by priest Vasilkov, in his house, for 5 boys; in Dimitrievshchina by priest Gavrilovsky, in his own house, for 11 boys; in Rozhdestvenskie Podvorki by priest Nikolsky, in a public house, for 20 boys. In the Kozlovsky district in the villages: Zhidilovka by priest Rozanov, in his own house, for 21 boys and 6 girls; in Ranin by priest Bogodarov 683 in his own house, for 25 boys; in Ternovoy by priest Kamnev 684, in a public house, for 20 boys; in Vostroluchye by priest Aleshkovsky 685, in his own house, for 16 boys and 2 girls; in Kochetovskaya Sloboda by priest Yastrebov 686, in his own house, for 20 boys; in Dimitrievka by the priest Epiphany, in his own house, for 20 boys.” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official P.132. In the Official Section of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette, the book “Reading for the Orthodox Russian People” 687 was announced, compiled by the publisher of the magazine “Home Conversation” V.I. Askochensky and “accessible to the poorest class of people”: “The sources for compiling the book were extracts from the work of Tikhon of Voronezh, various kinds of conversations, legends and articles scattered in spiritual magazines, and mainly in “Soulful Reading” and in “Home Conversation.” From our historians and poets we will borrow what is truly needed for the Orthodox people, and not eloquence or fables.” The announcement was accompanied by the resolution of the Right Reverend Theophan: “Notices should be sent out to the priests with an inspiration to encourage the common people to buy... These books are also in the bookstore at the Kazan Monastery in Tambov.” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official pp. 135–136. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published an announcement about the publication of a medical newspaper “Homeopathic leaflet and bulletin of hydrotherapy and gymnastics” 688, accompanied by the resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Priests involved in this branch of treatment are invited to subscribe to the said newspaper.” “The publishers of the said newspaper approached His Eminence with an attitude in which they asked for assistance in distributing among the rural clergy of the Tambov diocese the newspaper they published, which aims to disseminate information about the simplest and cheapest methods of treatment, which, moreover, can safely be provided to every educated person who has even a superficial understanding of medicine. All these methods of treatment can especially find application among the simple class of people, who, as is known, have a strong aversion to allopathic, pharmaceutical remedies and for whom these remedies are too expensive. Due to the lack of rural doctors in our country, caring for the health of the rural population naturally belongs to the rural priests; and yet very few of them know about the existence of a medical newspaper in our country, which aims to be as useful as possible specifically for non-doctors who are faced with the need to be doctors. Subscriptions are accepted at the editorial office: in St. Petersburg, on Zagorodny Prospekt, at Five Corners 689, in Ivanov’s house.” TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Official pp. 134–135. TEV. 1861. No. 19. 5 Nov Add. P.438 439. November 6. Letter from Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev to Bishop Feofan (draft): “In response to Your Eminence’s relations dated October 14 of this year, No. 486 and 485, I have the honor to notify that on October 31, No. 2466, the Tambov zemstvo police officer was strictly ordered, without allowing the slightest slowness, to conduct a top secret inquiry into the spread of the Molokan heresy in the Rasskazov section of the Tambov district by the peasants Zheltovs, etc. and immediately report the subsequent investigation to the provincial government, and meanwhile, those circumstances, if they turn out to be fair, are transferred to the Tambov district court for a formal investigation through a judicial investigator.” GATO. F.2. On.82. Storage unit 146. L.18–19. November 13. Letter from Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev to Bishop Feofan (draft); “The Tambov district court, in a report dated October 29 of this year, No. 223, reported that in this court a case was being heard about a state peasant in the village of Pakhotny Ugla. Of which I have the honor to notify Your Eminence in relation dated October 25 of this year, No. 444, and to add that since the peasants Shchukin and Vyshnyakov are on bail by order of the district court, and on the basis of Article 741[th] of the 2nd[th] volume, the provincial government has no right to enter into the proceedings of the essence of rulings and judicial places, and how the present case, in its essence, should be in consideration of the criminal chamber, then the Tambov criminal chamber was notified about the content of the said attitude of Your Eminence and the report of the district court in order to consider the actions of the district court when considering the said case.” GATO. F.2. Op.83. Storage unit 136. L.34 34 rev. November 17. The Holy Synod, on the recommendation of Bishop Feofan, issued an order “on the deduction from the priest of the village of Chikarevka, Borisoglebsk district, of the auxiliary salary due to him for converting the Molokans in the amount of 57 rubles 10 kopecks. and about its appointment to the priest of the village of Novospassky due to the special circumstances of this parish.” TEV. 1861. No. 27. 31 Dec Official P.2 3. On November 19, the Tambov Diocesan Gazette published the word spoken by His Grace Theophan on June 23, the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, in the village. Good. TEV. 1861. No. 21. 19 Nov Add. P.501 506. November 20. By the determination of the Holy Synod, according to the testimony of Bishop Feofan, the honorary guardian of the economic department of the Tambov Seminary, an honorary hereditary citizen of the city of Kozlov, Ivan Rogov, for a donation of 500 rubles in silver to the seminary, was given the blessing of the Holy Synod and issued the established letter: “This letter is written on parchment, decorated with sacred images of the Savior. Mother of God, Guardian Angel, cherubim, St. Nicholas and St. Sergius, Gospel, chalice, paten, banners, dikiria, trikiria, ripid, miter, crowns, accessories for the blessing of the loaves, candia, font with accessories for the sacrament of Baptism, lecterns with the Gospel and the Apostle, crosses. Approved by the seal of the Holy Synod and the signature of the first present member and chief secretary.” TEV. 1861. No. 26. 24 Dec Official pp.186–187 November 21st. In the Tambov Cathedral, the Divine Liturgy and prayer service on the occasion of the baptism of the newborn Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich was performed by His Eminence Theophan “at a meeting of the city clergy, military and civil officials and citizens of the city.” A thanksgiving service “with kneeling and all-day ringing and with the offering, both at such a prayer service and in all other services, of the name of His Imperial Highness at the Great Litany [and] the highest names of the august family in the new highest approved form” was also performed in all churches of Tambov. TEV. 1861. No. 24. 10 Dec. Official P.169 November 24. Memorial Day of the Great Martyr Catherine. His Grace Theophan delivered a sermon at the Tambov Convent: “For those celebrating in honor of St. Catherine, it is best to engage in the features of the life of the Great Martyr. For you and me, sisters, it is all the more fitting that the life of Saint Catherine is, in its main features, a complete depiction of monastic life. I do not make any stretch in this application. See for yourself. Here in front of you is an icon of St. Catherine. She is kneeling before the Mother of God, holding in her arms the Infant Savior, who is giving St. Catherine a wedding ring. This is the main moment in the life of a saint - disgrace to the Lord. But, as you know, it was preceded by a desire and search for something better, and followed by martyrdom. The desire for the best led the great martyr to the Lord. Having united with the Lord, she was led into the feat of martyrdom and crowned with His crown. These are the main features in the life of St. Catherine. The same main moments are in your life, if you go through it properly. Discouragement of the Lord comes from the determination to serve Him alone, and determination comes from the confidence that everything is possible; the best and perfect thing that anyone would want to possess, he can find only in the one Lord Savior. In Him not only are all the highest needs of our spirit satisfied, but, moreover, we acquire something that the seeker had never even thought of. Wasn’t this confidence for you, sisters, the first impetus to leave everything and devote yourself to the Lord? At least that's how it should have been. The difference for you is that, while Saint Catherine, realizing the unsatisfactoriness of the orders of life that surrounded her, had to still look for where the best orders were and in whom to find satisfaction, you, having felt a thirst for the best, knew in advance that this thirst could be quenched only in the Lord, Who calls everyone: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink 690 . Not commendable, however, I am writing a word to you here, sisters. No, I want to direct your thoughts to what must have happened in you before and at the hour of entering into the way of life you perceived, in order to rekindle the first heat with this memory and tell you: as you were in the beginning, such you will always be. A new turn of feelings is born in the heart, not so that, having begun, it fades away, but so that, having begun, it then serves as the activator of the entire course of life. If what was in you at the beginning fades away, then you are no longer what you should be! Know that peace and contentment is either the height of perfection, or a state of extreme decline, in which all spiritual aspirations and demands extinguish. Just as the first state is the fullness of life, so the last is spiritual death. The state of those moving towards perfection is a state of struggle - intense, difficult and painful. This is a close procession. Judge where you are by these signs. It would be desirable, of course, that everyone would be on the good side, but not everyone has reason. May the Lord make you wise for salvation. Amen". Words from Tambov. 1867. P.121 125. November 26. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” notified readers of the publication, starting September 1, 1861, in St. Petersburg of the monthly spiritual and literary magazine “The Spirit of a Christian.” The editors and publishers of the new magazine are priests Dm. Florinsky, I. Zarkevich, I. Flerov and A. Gumilevsky. The resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Send out an announcement throughout the diocese.” TEV. 1861. No. 22. 26 Nov Official P.156. According to the resolution of Bishop Feofan, the priest of the village. Poltev Penki of Elatomsky district Kozma Chugunov 691 “for taking care of the decoration of the church and diligent service” and the priest of the village. Kurovshchina of Kirsanovsky district Alexy Treskin 692 “for the zealous preaching of the word of God” were awarded a loincloth. TEV. 1861. No. 22. 26 Nov Official P.152. From a letter from Elder Ambrose of Optina (Grenkov): “Write to the Most Reverend Theophan that M. Macarius 693 will not become abbess, not only treasurer of the Troyekurovskaya community, if you invite her. It is reliably known that she evades her superiors, has more than 50 years of age, half of which she lived in a monastery, under experienced guidance, with a natural mind and considerable education. I don’t want to force your own convictions, but I must say that you will regret it a lot later if you happen to see this face and learn more closely what kind of abbess you deprived of the Troyekurovsky Monastery! However, the saints must have their own feeling and conviction according to God, without human admixture. Express these thoughts in your own way; soften, but do not persuade. Let it be according to the will of God.” NIOR RSL. F.213. K.55. Storage unit 22. L.331 332 vol. November 29. From a letter from Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) to Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev): “In Diveevo, even now they hardly know who the boss is. Glyceria 694, of course, having learned the decision of the Holy Synod, left; and the decree of the Holy Synod was not announced, because the one sent from me did not find the investigators on the spot; and why His Eminence Theophan is not in a hurry is unknown.” NIOR RSL. F.316. K.59. Storage unit 3. L.31 vol. From the decree of the Holy Synod according to the report of Bishop Feofan dated October 5: “With a petition for the provision of one-time cash benefits to victims of devastation from fires: Shatsky district of the village of Kalinovtsa, full-time clerk Semyon Vasiliev and supernumerary Fyodor Gavrilov, Kazan city Borisoglebsk church sexton Peter Khopersky and Borisoglebsky district village of Bolshiye Alabukhov to sexton Fedor Mudrov.” “Ordered: To be given to the designated persons from the spiritual-scientific capital as a one-time allowance: to the full-time sexton Semyon Vasiliev - 20, and to the unstaff Fyodor Gavrilov - 15, and to the sexton Fyodor Mudrov - 40, and to Pyotr Khopersky - 20 rubles, in silver - and the proper order to send these allowances for their intended purpose, with attribution to the account the mentioned source and those following the forwarding of their postal costs, to entrust to the spiritual and educational administration at the Holy Synod, of which His Eminence is to be informed by decree.” TEV. 1862. No. 28. 6 Jan Official P.9–10. December 1st. Letter from Moscow from Nikolai Barkov 695 to the acting chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Prince S.N. Urusov about the Diveyevo Troubles, where Bishop Feofan is mentioned in this connection: “Your Excellency, Sergei Nikolaevich! One can easily think that I live here in Moscow without a sufficient reason, and whether I am aware of the concern and obligation to return to St. Petersburg as soon as possible in order to report on the completed assignment. It is natural to admit this thought, if the completion here depended on me alone, what was done on the spot, On my part, with the help of God, what should have been completed: and one consequence, after the general signing of the report containing detailed extracts from the case, Father Archimandrite 696 and I personally presented it to His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret (which is already known to Your Excellency) and in the following days verbally in reports They explained that the bishop needed it. According to another consequence, it’s also over on my part. All that remains is to sign the report, like the first one. but he’s not ready; but I can’t leave without signing: I’m going to Father Archimandrite in the Danilovsky Monastery, who has both the real case and the draft report - both written and rewritten. Now only, precisely on Saturday (December 1), it is over. On Monday or Tuesday he will be presented to the Bishop. And I’m going to St. Petersburg immediately. It so happened that I alone visited the Eminence to supplement some of the explanations personally presented; and yet here is a circumstance that I consider it my duty to report. Reliable information was received here, except that (one might say, the ex-boss) Lukerya Vasilievna 697 the very next day after our departure from the monastery with the treasurer left for an unknown destination; the treasurer returned a week later, but she was not there; the monastery is in some kind of leaderless situation and in need; In addition, three sisters of the party of Joasaph, or Lukerya (it’s all the same), flew to Tambov to see His Eminence Theophan. There is no doubt that they will not succeed in anything; nevertheless, this resembles something that had already happened similar to this, namely (as we knew on the spot): when they learned at the monastery that the late Right Reverend Jacob 698 had been appointed to Nizhny Novgorod, then three sisters of the same party hurried to the Right Reverend Jacob in Saratov and managed to introduce themselves to him. The consequence was the acceptance of this party under his patronage, which continued, however, until the time the truth was exposed. Having received the information explained about the journey of the three sisters to Tambov, and most importantly, that until now there had been no order from the Tambov diocesan department to grant, in pursuance of the decree of the Holy Synod, the management of the monastery to the former abbess Elisaveta Ushakova, I thought on my own to write to the Most Reverend Theophan that there was an urgent need to carry out the decree of the Holy Synod: but to carry out the assumption He did not dare to do his own thing; he considered it necessary to submit his thought to the discretion of the Eminence Philaret. The Bishop approved and blessed me to write; and instructed to add in the letter that it was sent with the blessing of His Eminence. Along with this I am writing to His Eminence Theophan. According to the letters of one gentleman received here, a certain party boasts that they will manage to transfer the Right Reverend Theophan to another diocese - from Tambov 699 " RGIL. F.797. On.31. Dept.2. Art.2. Storage unit 11. L.130 131 vol. December 3. The “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published an order from the diocesan authorities that “information about the services of supernumerary clergy, as well as their orphaned families and methods of supporting them for the future, should be included in the clergy bulletins in full detail.” TEV. 1861. No. 23. 3 Dec. Official pp. 158–159. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette notified readers about the opening of rural schools: “Due to the order of the diocesan authorities in the Tambov diocese, through the efforts of the clergy, free schools were again established to educate the children of villagers in the following villages: 1. In the Lipetsk district of the village of Shekhmani, sexton Grigory Alyavdin teaches 11 boys in his own home; in the village of Khrennogo, priest Alexey Solntsev 700 teaches 12 boys in his own house; in the village of Tynkova, deacon Yakov Dobrotvorsky 701 teaches 15 boys in his house; In the village of Peskovatki, priests Afanasy Gorsky and Ivan Aristov teach 30 boys in their homes. 2. Lebedyansky district of the former city of Dobroye St. Nicholas Church, priest Aristarkh Dobrinsky in a public house teaches 6 boys and 4 girls; With. Yablonov Deacon Theodore Ostrovsky in his house - 21 boys; With. Krivets priest Feodor Bogodarov in his house - 10 boys; With. Preobrazhensky priest Mikhail Simonov 702 teaches 5 boys in his house.” TEV. 1861. No. 23. 3 Dec. Official P.159 160. December 4. At a meeting of the Holy Synod, the presentation of His Eminence dated October 17, 1861 was heard “on the transfer of residents of the village of Siliverstovka from the parish of the village of Kunikh Lipyagov to the parish of the village of Grachevki, Tambov district.” They ordered: “According to the proposal of the diocesan authorities, the residents of the village of Siliverstovka, including 225 souls, should be listed according to local convenience from the parish of the village of Kunikh Lipyagov to the parish of the village of Grachevki and then the churches of the villages of Kunikh Lipyagov and Grachevki in the new composition of their parishes should be listed first from the second class to the third, and the second from the fifth to the fourth. About what for the necessary orders and send a decree to his Eminence.” TEV. 1861. No. 27. 31 Dec Official S.3. December 5th. The Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod notified Bishop Feofan that “the Ministry of Internal Affairs has authorized the Tambov provincial authorities to allocate to the Ascension Convent in Tambov the plot of city land it needs for the distribution of monastic buildings for the one-time payment offered by the monastery in favor of the city.” December 9. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov spiritual consistory of October 11, where, among other things, the case of the priest Ivan Tardin 703 was considered, who stole the village from the church. Maly Studenets 30 rubles in silver. The consistory decided to return the money and fine him 5 rubles. silver, then sent to the monastic subordinates for 3 months, and after leaving, relegated to a clerical position. Bishop Feofan's resolution: “Approved. Priest Tardin should be appointed as clergyman in the village. Dekhtyanka, Kozlovsky district." GATO. F.181. On.1. Storage unit 1424. L.1202, 1276. December 10. The Official Department of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported that the number of monastic novices included: “State peasants of the Tambov province of the Spassky district of the village of Pichovki Spiridon Kozadayev and the Nizhny Novgorod province of the Lukyanovsky district of the village. Rizovatov Mitrofan Redkin, the village of Mikhailovki Petr Lashkin, the village of Maly Mamleev Anika Khichin and Arzamas district with. Kirillovka Andrei Voronin, as a result of their petitions, in which they presented certificates of dismissal from the societies, duly approved, and consent from the abbots of the monasteries, according to the resolutions of the diocesan Eminence Theophan, were determined to be among the novices: the Kozadayevs - to the Shatsk Vyshenskaya Hermitage, and the last four - to the Sarov Hermitage. TEV. 1861. No. 24. 10 Dec. Official P.171 172. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” in the section on the consecration of churches reported: “With the blessing of His Eminence Feofan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, it is allowed to consecrate churches by the departmental dean: a) in the city of Usman at the prison castle 704, b) Kozlovsky district in the village of Turmasovo 705; c) Shatsk district in the village. Kalinovtse, d) Elatomsky district in the village. Small Kusmore 706, e) Usman district in the villages of Krivka, Mordovo 707, Kosmodemyansky Chamlyk and Borovoy 708, f) Lipetsk district at the Jaeger School 709, g) Spassky district in the village. Deryabkina." TEV. 1861. No. 24. 10 Dec. Official P.172. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” continued the publication of the work of St. Theophan “Instructions of the Holy Fathers”, TEV. 1861. No. 24. 10 Dec. Add. pp.554–556. December 13th. Letter from Tambov Vice-Governor V.N. Tokarev to Bishop Feofan: “On the relations of Your Eminence dated October 7 and 14 of this year for No. 464 and 486, in accordance with the conclusion of the provincial government, I have the honor to notify, from the report of the Tambov zemstvo police officer dated November 10 of this year for No. 2004 and 2008, that temporarily obliged peasants of Mrs. Bibikova Nikolai Semenov Zheltov and others actually declared themselves Molokans and some of them went to the city of Lebedyan for the Pokrovskaya fair, but the real decree of the board, for the investigation, was sent through the investigator to the Tambov district court, and that the temporarily obliged peasants of Mrs. Bibikova of the village of Belaya Polyana, named in the above-mentioned relations of Your Eminence, declared during the inquiry that they accepted Orthodoxy not spontaneously, but by under the coercion of their mistress, in which they remained for several years, fearing that they would be turned into soldiers and exiled to a settlement. Upon receiving freedom by the highest command, they submitted a request to Mr. [Mr.] Minister of Internal Affairs that they wish to be Molokans; This request, as illegal, was denied to them; Then they announced their desire to their parish priest. About the workers they have, from Orthodox Christians, they announced that sometimes they only have day workers, and they do the tanning of leather themselves, which is why the police officer made an order to immediately remove the tenth Tsibin from office and not to appoint any of the Molokans to any positions; An order was given to the Rasskazovsky volost government regarding their failure to issue written forms for absence from residence; on the investigation into their seduction, the original decrees were transferred to the Tambov District Court; As for those who, at the direction of Priest Kasatkin, were seduced into the Jewish sect, upon investigation by the police officer it turned out that they, too, were seduced into the Molokan sect. On November 28, No. 2817, the provincial government informed the Tambov district court about the contents of these reports of the Tambov zemstvo police officer and ordered the Tambov district court to hasten the fulfillment of the police officer’s demands to order an investigation through a judicial investigator about the seducers of Mrs. Bibikova’s peasants into the Molokan heresy; about which the Tambov Chamber of the Criminal Court was notified on the same date under No. 2816 to monitor the conduct of the said investigation.” GATO. F.2. Op.82. Storage unit 146. L.45–46. December 14. His Grace Theophan entered the Holy Synod with a proposal to open a school in Tambov for girls of the clergy 710, in connection with which he asked to assign the land donated by Mrs. Ryndina to the school and to allow the purchase of a house by Mrs. Migrina 711 to house the school. From a short note about the establishment in Tambov of a school for girls of clergy rank by P. Ostroumov: “The final organization of this school fell to the lot of His Eminence Theophan. As soon as he took over the management of the Tambov flock, he turned to this matter with the warmest sympathy. And God helped him, in the person of some charitable persons, to soon find good associates for himself. The first to respond to his archpastoral voice was the titular adviser Anna Vasilievna Ryndina. She expressed her readiness to donate 80 acres of land and 1,500 rubles for this item. silver money. The Most Reverend Theophan was so happy about this donation that in a letter of gratitude to Mrs. Ryndina, expressing his spiritual pleasure about it and praising her Christian charity, he notified her that on account of the interest on her donations until sufficient funds were found for the opening of a formal school, he immediately made an order to open a small school for spiritual girls at the Sezenovsky convent. Recently, with the donation of Mrs. Ryndina, other donations have opened. Among the special benefactors in this matter, according to the trusteeship reports for 1861, are: His Eminence Nicholas 712, who donated 1348 rubles; actual state councilor Pyotr Petrovich Nikiforov - 1600 rubles; Sarov Desert – 1500 rubles; other monasteries – 373 rubles; clergy of the Tambov diocese one-time - 1890 rubles; editorial office of “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” No. – 1,500 rubles; Usman district landowner Elena Zotova - 600 rubles; widow of Major General Vera Nikolaevna Voeykova - 200 rubles; landowner Mikhail Ivanovich Stein - 100 rubles. In view of such solid means, the Reverend Theophan had a firm idea to formally begin the work of opening a school for girls of the clergy in Tambov - a matter that occupied so much of both his predecessors and himself.” TEV. 1864. No. 1. January 1. Add. P.48 49. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory of September 16, where the case “of the illegal disposal of church property by the priest of the Tulin factory of the Tambov district Alexei Treskin and the church warden Anton Polunin” was considered. The consistory decided: “Treskin interfered with the election of a new headman instead of Polunin, when the three-year period ended, he unauthorizedly spent 60 rubles. silver donated by Mr. Tulinov 713 for the purchase of wasteful equipment 714 for the church, collected 30 kopecks from parishioners for the benefit of the church for crowns at weddings. and at baptism, 3 kopecks, silver, and did not write it down in the books. And the elder Polunin withheld the 9 rubles donated for candles. The priest should be fined 5 rubles in favor of widows and orphans. silver." Resolution of Bishop Theophan: “Holy. Treskin must go to another parish. He has three months to find it. Choose a new church warden. The rest is confirmed." GATO. F.181. Op.1. Storage unit 1424. L.1141, 1176. December 17. In the Official section of the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” there is an order for the diocese: “Due to the report of the Kozlov spiritual board that the priest of the village of Trinity Dubrava, John Svetlov 715, did not speak a single lesson during the first half of the year 1861, according to the appointment of the diocesan authorities, the Tambov spiritual consistory concluded with its conclusion: the priest Svetlov, who without good reason did not speak a single lesson for an entire six months, is to be fined six silver rubles for widows and orphans of clergy. His Eminence, having agreed on this opinion of the consistory, gave the following resolution in the journal about this: “The one who did not speak the teachings should be sealed in the statements for the information of the diocese.” TEV. 1861. No. 25. 17 Dec Official P.183. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported that “according to the resolutions of his Eminence, which followed the reports of the dean of the city of Morshansk, Archpriest Andrei Voskresensky, an archpastoral blessing was given to: a) the honorary citizen of the city of Morshansk, Mikhail Umnyakov, for his donation to the parish Church of the Ascension of full priestly and deacon vestments, as well as cover and air for the Holy Gifts, made of blue velvet and embroidered in gold, valued at more than a thousand rubles in silver, and b) the citizens of Morshansk named in the report, from whom they, the dean, presented 104 rubles to the diocesan authorities. silver for the establishment of a religious women’s school proposed in Tambov.” TEV. 1861. No. 25. 17 Dec Official WITH . 181. The “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” published the “Sermon on the consecration of the church in the Kadoma Convent,” delivered by the Right Reverend Theophan on August 4. TEV. 1861. No. 25. 17 Dec Add. pp.578–582. TEV. 1861. No. 25. 17 Dec Add. pp.575–577. December 23. Bishop Feofan sent a report to the Holy Synod under number No. 15260 “On the implementation of the decree of the Holy Synod regarding the abandonment of the Diveyevo women’s community under the control of the head Elizaveta Ushakova.” “In pursuance of the decree of the Holy Governing Synod of December 12, No. 3687, I have the most honorable duty to convey that the decree of the Holy Synod of October 15 of this year, No. 3252, which followed me, on the removal of the Diveyevo convent from the management of the Nizhny Novgorod Eminence and entrusting it to me, leaving it in the future at the discretion, under the management of the former boss Elizaveta Ushakova, not Glykeria, I received on October 25 of that same year. Upon receipt of that decree, at the same time, I instructed the Tambov spiritual consistory to carry out due execution according to it, which on the same October 25, under No. 12944, ordered the dean of the monasteries of the Shatskaya Vyshenskaya Hermitage, Hegumen Gerasim, to immediately go to the said Diveyevo monastery to announce the above-mentioned decree to both the boss Elizaveta Ushakova and the sisters so that she, Ushakova, a) on the basis of Article 127 of the statute of spiritual consistories, she accepted from the head of Glyceria everything, both church and monastic property, and monetary capital, according to the inventory and income books through the dean, and about the subsequent, with a general signature in the acceptance of the first and the delivery of the last, reported to me and b) henceforth until a special order of the Holy Synod on all matters, concerning the Diveyevo monastery and its monastics, belonged to the Tambov diocesan authorities, under the general signature of the elder sisters of the monastery. A special decree of the same content was sent to the boss Ushakova and her sisters No. 12945. But, unfortunately, the dean of the monasteries, Abbot Gerasim, due to his serious illness, could not go to the Diveyevo convent to fulfill such an order, as he explained in his report dated October 31 of the same, No. 106. Upon receiving such a report from him, Abbot Gerasim, on November 6, I, recognizing it necessary to dismiss him from the post of dean of the monasteries, appointed Abbot Shatsky instead Nikolaev Cherneev Monastery of Archimandrite German, to whom on November 6, as a result of my order, the Tambov Spiritual Consistory sent decree No. 13522 with a special message from the consistory for the immediate execution of the decision of the Holy Synod. Archimandrite German, having received that decree on November 11, arrived at the Diveyevo Monastery on November 17 and on the same day announced it to the head Elizaveta Ushakova at a meeting of the monastery sisters at a meal. Then, through him, from the former head of the Glykeria, the current abbess Elizaveta Ushakova accepted with a receipt all church property, serfdom deeds, notes from various credit institutions belonging to the monastery and the clergy of the monastery, and other monastic property in the absence of a formal inventory according to the registers.” RGIA. F.796. On.142. D.1011. L.85–86 vol. December 24. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported “about the teaching of the archpastoral blessing for the diligent preaching of the word of God to the priests of the Tambov district of the villages: Pokrovskoye - Mikhail Vinogradov 716, Grachevka - Mikhail Pevnitsky 717, Aleksandrovka - Ermil Kritsky 718, Trinity Roslyai - Alexander Radugin; Temnikovsky district villages: Matchi - Vasily Saltykov 719, Voznesensky Plant - Pavel Slavolubov 720. Atyureva - Nikolai Troitsky 721; Babeev to Pyotr Troitsky, Isheyek to Matvey Lasitsky and Takshakova to Dimitry Vostokov.” TEV. 1861. No. 26. 24 Dec Official pp. 188 189. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” reported on the newly opened schools through the efforts of the clergy “to teach elementary literacy to the children of the villagers.” “In Morshansky district village. Parsky priest Semyon Dobrokhotov teaches 30 boys in his own home; With. Trinity Rosliai priest Mikhail Dobrov teaches 20 boys in his own home; With. Vyazhli priest Mikhail Uspensky 722 teaches 7 boys and 2 girls in the church guardhouse; With. Sosnovki Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, priest Arkhip Pyatnitsky 723 teaches 31 boys in the church guardhouse: p. Far Dubrova priest Ivan Voskresensky 724 teaches 40 boys in a peasant's house: p. New Dirty priest Matvey Malinovsky 725 teaches 27 boys in his own home; With. Matcher priests Theophylact Standrovsky 726 and Hilarion Skorodumov 727 teach 10 boys in their own houses; With. Tarksy priest Peter Generozov teaches 14 boys in his own home.” TEV. 1861. No. 26. 24 Dec Official P.189. “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” in the section “On the consecration of churches” reported that with the blessing of His Grace Theophan, “it is allowed to consecrate newly built wooden churches; a) cemetery - in the village of Strelnikov, Temnikovsky district 728, which belongs to the parish of the village of Novochadov, and b) parish - in the village of Nikolskaya Shibryayka and the village of Ulnivka, Kirsanovsky district; the first to Temnikov Archpriest Ioann Petrov, and the last to the departmental dean.” TEV. 1861. No. 26. 24 Dec Official P.188. TEV. 1861. No. 26. 24 December. Add. P.600–601. December 30th. Word from Bishop Theophan on the 31st Sunday after Pentecost: “I have already told you several times against the world and attachment to it. I don’t think that I have bothered you because of my confidence in your love for the truth and your readiness to listen to it, no matter how bitter it may be. But the thought comes to mind: don’t you consider strict sentences on peace to be my personal opinion about peace and peacefulness? Don’t you think that the world is not so opposed to Christ and worldly life is not so opposed to Christian life that it would not be possible to unite them and, while living in a worldly way, live together in a Christian way? At least, now the opinion is in vogue that strict alienation from the world and everything worldly is an attribute of close-minded simplicity or unreasonable jealousy and gloomy melancholy and that, on the contrary. The dignity of the present age and enlightenment lies precisely in the fact that now they are able to combine Christianity with a love of peace, with pity, looking at these poor idiots who, in the form of salvation and pleasing God, deprive themselves of certain blessings and pleasures of the world. I don’t dare to enter into an argument with such wise men. And now I have decided not to speak a word on my own, but to collect only together everything said in the word of God against peace and peacefulness. Turning to ourselves, each in his conscience, of course, will find a strict injunction to unquestioningly heed what the Lord commands, in defiance of all current opinions and all the counterfeelings and oppositions arising from our hearts. What the Lord and St. say clearly and definitely. His apostles are the law for us. Listen to what the Lord and St. say about the world. His apostles, and stop being so foolish. In what relation does the Savior present Himself to the world? I, he says, am not of this world 729 and My Kingdom is not of this world 730. Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out 731. Do you see what the opposite is? How do you want to please the world and be with Christ? What communication is there between light and darkness? Some... agreement between Christ and Belial? 732 Perhaps, however, the Lord is so strict towards the world Himself - in His person. But did He not make any concessions in this regard for His disciples? None. And they, he says, are not of the world, just as I am not of the world 733. I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you 734 “I,” he says, will send you a Spirit, such as the world cannot receive, 735, that is, a Spirit completely opposite to the spirit of the world. So, you see that in the Lord’s teaching there is no condescension towards the world. You can be sure in advance that you will not find any condescension towards him in the speeches of St. apostles Take John, who breathed love, and righteous James, who shone with truth. What are they saying? Both of them say in one word: Do not love the world 736. So let anyone who wants to contrive to be peaceful with the false hope of not becoming in opposition to the spirit of Christ. Don't get carried away and don't imitate them. The mere intention of this malice exposes the absence of the spirit of Christ - the accuser of the world. At an opportune time, I will come to your aid with my word, so that together we may succeed in the knowledge of the truth of Christianity, for our salvation and the glory of God in the Trinity worshiped, to whom be glory forever. Amen". Words. Tambov. 1867. P.125 131. Report of Bishop Theophan to the Holy Synod (draft): “Based on the 4th paragraph of Article 21 of the Charter of Spiritual Consistories, I have the honor to inform the Holy Governing Synod that this year the announcement of the highest manifesto on peasants who have emerged from serfdom has been made; Apostasies from the Orthodox Church began to become more frequent in many places in the Tambov diocese entrusted to me and a schism began to spread, mainly of the Molokan sect: a) they turned away to the Molokan sect: in the Tambov district in the villages: Rasskazov - 66 people, Panovy Kustakh - 28, Troitskaya Dubrava -19 and Pyatnitskaya Sloboda - 4; in Morshansky district 737 in the village of Griboyedovo - 87; in the Shatsk district in the Shatsk suburban settlements: Cossack - 6 and Chernaya - 42, in the villages: Siroveli - 5 families, Barki - 24 people, in Novy Temnikov - 47, in Stary Cherneev - 2 families, Yaltovo - 18 people; in the Kirsanovsky district in the village of Ryanakse - 2 families, in the village of Glukhovka - 64 people; in Lebedyansky district in the village of Krivtse - 3 families; in Borisoglebsky district in the village of Novospasskoye - 13 families; b) deviated into schism; in Temnikovsky district in villages; Tengushev - 24 people. Voznesensky plant - 48; in Spassky district in the village of Khomutovka - 25; in Morshansky district in the village of Vasilyevshchina - 40; in the Kirsanovsky district in the village of Glukhovka - 64 people. All of the above-mentioned departures began in due time and legal paperwork continues. Receiving sad reports about this and believing that such a free statement of sectarianism is a consequence of the false opinion of the sectarians 738 about granted freedom as permission for everything, I approached Mr. Tambov civil governor, asking him to pay attention to such a rapid spread of the schism throughout the Tambov province and to take appropriate measures to suppress this evil. Having made an instillation for the priests, so that, having a good life towards themselves, they in their teachings should pay more attention to those truths in which the sectarians are mistaken; and the consistory proposed to reconsider whether the priests located in parishes where there are sectarians are reliable. Mr. Tambov civil governor, in response to this attitude of mine, dated June 2, No. 164, notified me that he strictly ordered all mayor and zemstvo police officers to have the most vigilant and vigilant monitoring of the non-spread of schism in the cities and districts entrusted to them, using all measures and means permitted by law to suppress this evil and to discover those responsible for the spread of schism to bring them to legal prosecution. The consequence of the apostasy, of which the report was received, took place in August. At the present time, deviations from the Church are no longer repeated. Considering everything that happened with the circumstances of this year, it is easy to see that, no matter how sad the deviations that took place, they were for the most part nothing more than the falling away of members who did not heartily belong to the Church. Throughout the diocese there were and still are quite a few hidden sectarians who, while outwardly belonging to the Orthodox Church, inwardly harbored delusions. This part of the sectarians is made up of those who turned to the Orthodox Church without heartfelt conviction, either in order to avoid punishment for sectarian actions prohibited by law, or due to the influence of landowners, or due to the desire to return to their homeland from the Caucasus, where they were previously exiled by order of the government. What kept them from discovering sectarianism was fear, on the one hand, of the courts, and on the other, of the landowners. The fear of trial began to diminish as information about preferential rules for dealing with schismatics, published in 1858, spread. As a result, statements of desires for freedom of sectarianism began to be revealed as early as 1860, as can be seen from the Molokans’ petitions to Mr. Minister of Internal Affairs and even to Mr. Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod already in January 1861. The content of such requests is almost the same for all, namely: that the petitioners, although outwardly belonging to the Church, have always been Molokans in their hearts, and therefore want to freely perform religious services in Molokans. These requests were not accompanied by any unpleasant consequences for the Molokans, and this gave them a lot of courage. When, after reading the manifesto, they felt free from the coercive influence of the landowners, then one after another they began to declare their sectarianism and fall away from the Holy Church. The largest number of apostasies occurred in the months of April and May. Currently, the falling away has stopped; but it is impossible to guarantee that they will not be repeated after this, especially the defection to the Molokan sect, which has its roots in the Tambov province and to which many in the diocese remain secretive. This makes us concerned about measures to prevent evil. Judging by the nature of current affairs, I recognize the following as useful measures: 1. Reluctant to accept requests as long as there are strong reasons to suspect their dishonesty; for example, when someone converts after an investigation has been carried out on him for his sectarian actions, for which he is subject to exile, or when someone accepts the Orthodox faith upon the desire to return from the Caucasus (or from another place of exile), where he finds life unprofitable for himself. The former, remaining in place, the latter, returning to their homeland, are often secret distributors of sectarianism, especially if their place of residence is a village rarely visited by the priest. It would be possible not to accept all such appeals, but since among them there may be sincere converts, then, on the one hand, in order to avoid evil from the unscrupulous, on the other hand, so as not to deprive the conscientious of the means of salvation, it would be useful to rule that those applying in the Caucasus (or in another place of exile) do not receive the right to return to their homeland, but remain in place. Set up a church there for them and form a special parish out of them. Then, when someone, being on trial in a diocese, receives St. faith in order to avoid legal punishment for sectarian actions, do not reject his conversion, but, having been accepted into the Holy Church, indicate to the government that he, as a convert, should be sent to a parish formed from those who converted in places of exile. 2. It is necessary to strengthen the means to strengthen the people to the knowledge of the truths of St. faith. Priests have already been charged with the duty to speak teachings every Sunday and holiday and, moreover, between Matins and Liturgy, leave the people in the church and teach those who do not know the Creed, commandments and prayers - with a brief interpretation of everything they have learned by heart. Both are fulfilled. But what is the fruit of this? Does everything that is read and said by the priest reach everyone and is everyone assimilated? Does everyone know and to what extent do they know St. faith - not a single priest can say this definitively. Not knowing this, both in teachings and in conversations he confines himself to general reasoning, without touching on real shortcomings, and the ignorant all remain ignorant. Meanwhile, a thorough sectarian attacks these ignorant ones and seduces them. So that in the knowledge of St. To oppose the stronghold of faith to the seducers, it is necessary to bring the people to the true knowledge of St. faith. For this, it would be useful to add the following to the measures shown: to establish tests of parishioners in faith; namely: priests are required to walk from house to house upon arrival, without any outside sight, with one thing to do: talk to the family about St. faith. In this conversation, the priest will discover what the parishioners know and what they do not know from St. faith: do they know prayers, do they not harbor any prejudices and misconceptions, do they not follow any bad customs and rules. Here he can make up for what is missing, admonish about what is false and bad, and establish order of pious life in families. Having gotten to know his parishioners well in this way, he, both in church teachings and in other cases, will not limit himself to presenting some general truths and will pay all his attention to what is needed for his parishioners. The most convenient time for this may be fasting before Christmas. 3. To provide priests with the opportunity to enter the houses of sectarians and teach them the Holy Spirit. faith. Priests are charged with the duty of acting on Molokans and schismatics with a word of persuasion towards conversion, while there is no order by virtue of which sectarians could not always elude listening to the word of truth. It would be useful to decree that priests, without missing a single opportunity to talk with sectarians in their parishes, at least once a year go around their houses in order to conduct conversations with them about objects of faith. In order to induce sectarians to willingly receive priests, the latter can be given rules so that during their visits they conduct conversations primarily about the general truths of the faith or interpret the catechism, presenting the conscience of the sectarians themselves to make guidance from these truths to the untruthfulness of their beliefs. The priest himself can be allowed to touch upon these errors only when he is prompted to do so not by the subject of the conversation, but by the sectarians themselves, and, moreover, always in a spirit not of condemnation, but of loving compassion for them. One can hope that when the sectarians understand the essence of the Christian faith, they themselves will convert to Orthodoxy. Now they are deprived of the opportunity to achieve this understanding, not having knowledgeable teachers and not accepting books that explain this. Their ignorant mentors are mired in ignorance themselves, and they keep their like-minded people in the same ignorance. But for success in this matter, it is necessary to oblige the sectarians to receive priests into their homes and listen to their conversations, assuring them that the priests will not touch their errors and convert them, but will explain to them the general truths of the Christian faith. It will depend on their mutual agreement whether to listen to the priest’s conversations in each house separately, which will be much more useful, or to appoint one prefabricated hut for this purpose. 4. To remove the temptation, which can and does exist for the Orthodox, from the benefits that the Molokans and schismatics do not quite legally enjoy in their lives, namely: a) regarding entering into cohabitation and b) regarding funerals. a) From the cases of sectarian marriages, it is clear that schismatics enjoy benefits in relation to entering into cohabitation, which no confession in Russia and no estate has, namely: 1) they enter into cohabitation without any certificates of benefits required by law for those entering into marriage, and upon entering into cohabitation they are not subject to strict verification of the legality of years for this: 2) they have complete freedom to enter into cohabitation with whomever they want, without having any incentives to comply with any regulations regarding the degrees of kinship. For Orthodox Christians who live with them in the same places and are obliged in both cases to observe formalities, sometimes very embarrassing, this cannot but be (and is) tempting. Why, in order to avert such a temptation, it is necessary to subordinate the schismatics and the Molokans to certain formalities in both respects. Namely: 1) regarding the years for entering into cohabitation. Orthodox (Vol. X, on marriage, Art. 3 740), Christians of all other confessions (ibid., Art. 63), Mohammedans and Jews (ibid., Art. 91) are obliged to comply with the law on the age of marriage. Monitoring the observance of this law lies with the celebrants of marriages, and they are also responsible for non-compliance. In relation to schismatics and Molokans, all city and zemstvo police are ordered to have unremitting surveillance, so that the decree on the time of marriage that followed in 1830 is strictly observed by them (In relation to the minister to the chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, given in the decree of the Holy Synod of September 30, 1837 No. 11543, which kept in the affairs of the secret advisory committee.) Since the manner of this observation is not defined, it still remains indirect or is not done at all, and the Molokans and schismatics enjoy complete freedom in this regard. In order for this observation to be made as it should, would it not be fair, having made a strict order on the accurate keeping of records of those born between Molokans and schismatics (which lies with the local police), to decree that these sectarians, intending to enter into cohabitation, first take from the local police a certificate that there are legal years for this, and that those who enter into cohabitation without this certificate - especially without observing the law on years, - were subject to legal penalties for this, 2) Regarding the degrees of kinship. The general law in this regard is this: in all Christian confessions in general it is forbidden to marry in degrees of kinship prohibited by the rules of the Church to which those married belong (Vol. X, on marriage, Art. 64). No one knows whether the schismatics and Molokans observe any rules regarding degrees of kinship. To manage them with all others, it would be fair to subject them to known rules with penalties for non-compliance with them. Regarding the schismatic priests, it can be decreed that in discussing the degrees of kinship they should be guided by the “Helmsman’s Book,” which they unquestioningly recognize as binding on themselves; and regarding the Molokans (we have almost no non-priests), compared in the highest command (January 17, 1836) with the Judaizers and who strictly adhere to the Bible, it is possible to introduce into the law the regulations of at least the Old Testament (18 g[lava] book of Lev[it]). (It is known from cases involving Molokans that they do not comply with this.) The local police, under the leadership of the parish priest, will determine the ease of entering into cohabitation based on degrees of kinship in those cases where they themselves are not able to do this. b) There is one more possible benefit for schismatics and Molokans, namely regarding funerals. Orthodox Christians are buried no earlier than three days after death, and in the event of death without a farewell message, they are not buried without permission and research, which is sometimes very painful for the family, but recognized as necessary for the discovery of possible crimes. No one is free from observing the law on burying the dead after three days - therefore, neither do the schismatics and the Molokans. They are prevented from secretly burying the violently dead by the highest order (November 3, 1838), which ordered that their dead be certified by the local police and buried under their supervision. Since here the relaxation of the implementation of these decrees, the schism may seem more peaceful than Orthodoxy, and thus attract to itself or, at least, with great tenacity to hold in itself, it is recognized as necessary that the strictest order be made regarding the implementation of these decrees by the local police, so that the sectarians bury their dead no earlier than three days and do not bury them without examining the dead by the local police and without their supervision. 5. It is necessary to establish a better procedure for handling sectarian matters, namely: a) It is necessary to eliminate the slowness of office work, which is illegally permitted. At present, the civil authorities, in all cases regarding the schism that the spiritual consistory hands over to it - whether they concern apostasy, seduction, selfishness or blasphemy, even the most violent - pre-orders a secret inquiry and, based on the secret inquiry, an investigation (based on § 10 of the highest approved rules for actions with schismatics). Sometimes quite a long time passes between the secret inquiry and the formal investigation (in one case, up to nine months). This introductory order weakens the effect of government measures on sectarians, gives time for seduction to take root and gives scope for the actions of seducers, and instills the idea of ​​the futility of the efforts of the spiritual authorities to act against sectarianism and the indifference of the government in relation to the actions of sectarians. Recognizing this procedure for office work as illegal, I asked the head of the province to stop it, but received in response that such a procedure for office work was allegedly required by § 10 of the highest approved rules for dealing with schismatics... This paragraph states that one should not begin investigations based on rumors alone. But the denunciations of the priests, as a result of which messages are usually made to the civil authorities - denunciations of duty, indicating certain characters - cannot be regarded as mere rumor, and therefore formal investigations should be immediately assigned to them, and not secret inquiries, which only serve to slow down the progress of affairs and weaken the effect of legal measures on the sectarians. b) It is necessary to give force to previous orders regarding the action on the Molokans - the main evil of our diocese. Attention was paid to the Molokans and, as a result, special, highly approved rules were issued against them on February 13, 1837, in order to reduce the number of this evil sect. If the local police knew about these rules and acted according to them, then the Molokans could not have shown such courage as they showed in the aforementioned apostasies. For any manifestation of Molokanism should be stopped immediately and those responsible should be brought to trial (§ 1), Molokan meetings should not be allowed (§ 2), those guilty of seducing and enticing others should be expelled from their place of residence (§ 8) and so on. The civilian authorities do not adhere to these rules due to the fact that they were not included in the code of laws of 1857. But the highest command, not directly repealed in this code, should have its force even after its publication, as the Minister of Internal Affairs also stated in response to Mr.] the head of the province to his idea about whether the Molokans should be given tickets for absence from their place of residence, the issuance of which, which began in our province, was protested by the diocesan authorities. c) When carrying out investigations and trials regarding sectarian affairs, it is necessary to reveal the performers of their rituals and seducers, in order to deal with them according to the laws, without allowing the sectarians to hide them. For in the recently examined cases of sectarian marriages, those who entered into cohabitation testified: they went to Moscow and got married, we don’t know by whom and we don’t know in which church; in previous cases about the baptism of schismatic children there was the following testimony: we went to Spassk or some other place, where we do not know which person and in which hut baptized the child. The falsity of such testimony is obvious; Meanwhile, the investigators do not go further, but stop at them, as if they solved the case satisfactorily. Since such testimony is invented in order to hide each time the performer of schismatic rituals, who could be either a fugitive priest or an Austrian protege - persons not tolerated by the law (XIV vol. [“Charter on the] prevention and suppression of crimes against [the] faith”, § 68–69, and § 7 of the rules regarding schismatics), and allowing the concealment of such persons, in addition to the fact that there is an admission of harboring criminals, is at the same time promoting the spread of schism, then one should not be content with such testimony, but it is necessary to further investigate and seek certain testimony who the performer of the ritual or, in other cases, who is the seducer, which is what the investigators are obliged to do, allowing them to use measures permitted by law to incite those being interrogated to openness, or otherwise reveal the truth (vol. 140, 141, 174, 180). Then, in the case of persistent denial of the defendants in deciding the case, it is necessary to apply to them not only the laws against persistence in answers ([Vol.] XV, on legal proceedings, [Art.] 183), false testimony (ibid. [Ibid.], (Art.) 194) and concealment ([Vol.] XV, on punishments, [Art.] 1233, 1234), but also the laws against participation in the affairs of evil people (i.e. XV on punishments, 1125[th] art.), since fugitive priests, Austrian henchmen and other supporters of the split are a secretly operating gang of murderers, not tolerated by the law, therefore hiding from the supervision of the authorities. All the measures shown (except for the first two) were discussed in a secret advisory committee on sectarian affairs. Having reported all of the above to the Holy Governing Synod, I most humbly ask for permission for these instructions, adding that there is an urgent need for strict external measures, without which all the secretive sectarians, of whom there are still many in our diocese, could fall away, while, holding themselves, albeit by fear, in the depths of the Church, they would at least leave their children the opportunity to be sincere children of the Holy Spirit. faith." ARPMA. F. St. Feofan (Govorova). On.24. D.39. Storage unit 4009. L.29–47. December 31st. Decree of the Holy Synod on the report of Bishop Theophan on the printing of the Gospel of Matthew in the Mordovian language: “Seeing from the report of his Eminence that the copies of the Four Gospels in the Mordovian language located in the synodal book reserves cannot be used among the Mordovians of the Tambov diocese due to the difference in the dialect of this Four Gospel from the dialect that is used Mordovians of the said diocese, and that therefore there is a need for printing the Gospel of Matthew, approved by a special committee and authorized by the Holy Synod, translated into the Mordovian language by the former professor of the Tambov Seminary Tyumenev, the Holy Synod determines: to instruct the spiritual and educational administration to make an order for printing.” TEV. 1862. No. 31. 28 Jan Official P.29 30. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette reported: The archpastoral blessing was given to: “a) the priest of the village of Nesterov, Elatomsky district, Konstantin Sokolov, for his diligent service and care for decorating his parish church, and b) the Tambov 3[th] guild merchant Ivan Shustov for a donation of up to 300 rubles. silver for the amendment of the church of the village of Tsarevki, Tambov district 742, the establishment of the necessary sacristy and for the delivery of candles and flour for prosphora.” According to the resolution of Bishop Feofan, the church elders were awarded certificates of commendation: “a) from the Shatsky district of the village of Zhelanny, Countess Shuvalova, temporary peasant Ivan Trukhin for diligent care of the organization of the parish church and donations for it, b) from the village of Otskochny, Usman district, state peasant Afanasy Vytrikov for the acquisition of monetary donations in favor of the parish church up to 2500 rubles. and c) Temnikovsky district, village of Matchi, state peasant Ivan Vsevolodov for diligent 6-year service and for purchasing up to 800 rubles for the benefit of the church. gray." TEV. 1861. No. 27. 31 Dec Official S.5. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette continued to report on newly opened rural schools in the diocese: “The priest of the village of Shiringushi, Vasily Vadkovsky, reported in his report that he, conscious of his pastoral duties, both in the previous two parishes - in Gremyachka and Matcherka - maintained free parish schools, and after moving to the present parish, he also opened a free school for boys in the church guardhouse, and for girls - in his own house. There are now 40 boys being taught it with the help of a deacon, and 18 girls; in teaching the latter, his family helps him - his wife and sister-maiden. In the morning the boys study for three hours, and in the afternoon for two hours; The girls don’t have class after lunch, so as not to distract them from their own homework. The teaching begins with reading from the Gospel and short biographies of saints in Russian. On Sundays and holidays, boys and girls constantly go to church for the liturgy, and the first ones sing and read in the choir and serve the censer in the absence of a sexton. Boys, coming to and leaving school, always stop and pray for the church. This pious practice of theirs had a beneficial effect on all parishioners, so that now not a single person passes by the church without praying for it.” TEV. 1861. No. 27. 31 Dec Official P.7. December. Presentation of Bishop Theophan to the Holy Synod: “The teacher of the 2nd Tambov Theological District School, priest of the Tambov Ascension Nunnery Monastery Vasily Kobyakov, has been holding the position of teacher at the Tambov Theological School with excellent diligence and benefit to students for twenty-five years and with the same diligence has been fulfilling the position of priest for twenty years. Paying attention to such a long-term and excellently diligent useful service of the teacher, priest Vasily Kobyakov, I consider it my duty to most humbly submit to the Holy Synod about awarding him with a pectoral cross, and I am also enclosing a formal list of his service.” GATO. F.186. Op.67. Storage unit 40. L.2. In the archives of K.K. Zederholm contains handwritten notes from Bishop Theophan regarding the Greek-Bulgarian question 743: “In previous notes, the Greeks were kept on the sidelines. The main thing is that there were Bulgarians. If opinions regarding them agree, then there is nothing more to interpret, we must act... We must now become mediators between the Bulgarians and the great Church and resolve the discord between them. The excommunication of Hilarion 744 deepens discord!.. A whole people is dying - dear. We must hurry to save him... namely: to convince the patriarch to give the Bulgarians an independent or semi-independent hierarchy... This is the only favorable outcome. But the Greeks themselves will not do this without intervention - this is in the spirit of the East in general... we need to get down to business. Others, even if they begin to act, will not do so in the light of the church world. It is no longer possible to turn the Bulgarians back. The Great Church must bend to satisfy the wishes of an entire people, as it did for the Greeks - the Kingdom of Greece... If we leave things to the flow of circumstances, we will be the destroyers of an entire people. Regarding the Greeks, one can decide this: there are many good people among them, but there are also unkind ones; There are many good people among Russians, but there are also unkind ones. There will be a middle. That's the end of this matter. And it was not intended to completely humiliate the Greeks. Several words were caused by the humiliation of the Russians, which should not happen. When we have to talk about our respectful attitude towards the East, instead of the word “Greeks” it is more fair to use “Eastern Church”. We must have peace with all our eastern brothers and maintain it with all our might. But the good of the Church should not be sacrificed to a small handful of persons who illegally claim exclusive dominance, and when this turns out to be the case, it must be resisted, although also in the spirit of meekness and peace, truth and good will of all. God bless! Despite all the oppressions, the Bulgarians still adhere to Orthodoxy. What they did not tolerate and do not tolerate... because of Orthodoxy, and all are Orthodox. So the Arabs, out of displeasure with the hierarchy, indulged in the protection of an alien head, but when they saw an encroachment on Orthodoxy, which they had no intention of changing, they immediately returned under the previous yoke... from the best, apparently to the worst. Such peoples cannot be called without marking themselves with a firm religious character. They are worthy of compassion, respect and assistance. Among the works of Greek scientists there is little that is original today. Everything comes from the West... Here I have history at my fingertips, here is the law, here is the doctrine of St. fathers - everything is from there... So, rather than take it from the Greeks, it is better directly from the sources... But it is true that acquaintance with their literature must be established and maintained. That articles translated from Greek are not accepted for publication, the reason for this may not be a lack of love for the Greeks, but the unkindness of the writings or the translation. I say this from experience. Of the works listed as not translated, some will be translated in due time, others are not worth translating. What is the need to translate, for example, the interpretation of the liturgical canons of Nicodemus 745? And “Synaksarnik” 746 is scanty. I thought about putting it in translation in the statements, but decided against it. It needs to be redone, but it won’t be a translation. Martyrology 747 must be checked before translation, because similar tales are compiled there without any censorship or research. The interpretation of the Psalter Anthem of the Patriarch 748 - a paraphrase of Zigabin 749 - is weak and very unsatisfactory. A lot needs to be redone, otherwise I was thinking of putting it in the statements. Theophylact of Bulgaria on 14 Epistles of St. Apostle Paul 750, if it were at hand, could be placed in our journals. Answers of Patriarch Photius 751 can be published separately. Entrust it to someone. Also the writings of St. Gregory Palamas... List of Constantinople and Greek patriarchs after the fall of Constantinople, as well as an article about. arch. Porfiry, can be transferred to some historical collection. Or put it all together and publish it as a collection. The writings of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, as much as I had to read, do not give much and do not deserve approval, excluding translations from ancient Greek. Not only those books that are indicated have not yet been translated; there are many others. They will transfer in due time - a worthy one. For example, “Pandects” by Antiochus the monk, “Words” by Simeon the New Theologian and others. Everyone sees that we have become divided and crooked in our thinking. Among the secular in its entirety, among the spiritual in part. But why now sit with folded hands and wait for everything to go bankrupt? Now the child is still playing pranks, and after a few the child will begin to seethe. Let's catch ourselves, but it will be too late. We need to act. Whether to establish a council or something else, we just need to establish something now that will have a direct effect on evil. You can use power, and persuasion... both... but you shouldn’t leave things like that. Now it is necessary to put in place a leader or director of religious opinions and judgments on subjects, otherwise opinions will diverge I don’t know how widely, and then it will be more difficult to govern. There will be people for the council, if it is considered useful. Just because there were a few unreasonable talkers, it does not follow that there were none. You will also find a bunch in St. Petersburg... It’s as if we don’t have power. Instruct the censors to revise articles more strictly and not allow any absurdities to pass through. You can also ask the Sovereign Emperor, who truly does not know about the evil faith of our literature, to order the Minister of Education to make an order for the protection of St. faith from literary malice. So what is this? We will only look at the fire and whisper in each other’s ears: “Look, it’s burning... look how it’s burning.” Let it burn and flare up and burn a lot. And who should I answer? Why did God give power into our hands? I don’t think that our spiritual passions are deep. What is said is inspired by the spirit of the times. All you have to do is shout, and they will immediately sober up. The note of 1842 truly depicts the state of our theological schools at that time. But everything has already been fixed. Looking at the direction of the priests’ minds, one can only rejoice. I don’t know about you, but with us God still protects everyone from madness. While in St. Petersburg, I judged the clergy differently. Now I judge quite the opposite, having seen his goodness. I think all the bishops will testify to this, but your capitals are in special positions. We should not judge the provinces. We must in every possible way guard and support the clergy as a guarantee of the firmness of religious and political foundations, as long as it is what it is.” NIOR RSL. F.107. K.6. Storage unit 30. L.54–56 vol. Letter from Bishop Feofan to T.I. Filippov: “God help you! Save yourself! Terty Ivanovich! So this is it?! We’ve already collected all the reviews!.. But there wasn’t even a request from Tambov... It’s an overwhelming province, they say! And let it be for yourself... My draft was not there; but everything has been acquired and, in case of need, will be ready for services - and with allowances, if they do not disdain. Stand up! The need is present and pressing. But that's what worries! That our spiritual writing does not diverge... is little read and little known... but our secular writing is everywhere, with all its rubbish... And merchants, and townsfolk... even villagers are becoming acquainted. How saving this is is self-evidently clear, and what this can lead to is obvious... So what should we do? Let's leave it like that?! Or is it appropriate to think... Is it appropriate - for God’s sake, is it appropriate? And what is appropriate - about this the points follow... Yes, what points are there!!! Remember the plan that Prince Golitsyn proposed?! This is the real thing - what is needed now, right now... Ask him - and you will see. It seems that it was already sketched on paper... This is what seemed to be there. To be a daily or weekly newspaper - spiritual and secular, which combined everything necessary and interesting on politics and everyday life - in such completeness that there would then be no need to go to other books and sheets, and a complete depiction of the religious state in our country and beyond our borders... The latter, of course, is the main thing... and the first is like an appendage... With this news there can and even should be a department of scientific articles on religion, dogmatic, historical, critical, etc. sermons, reflections; solution to confusion, explanation of the text... Why could there be a feuilleton or a special floor. sheet. The news will also contain what is going on among Catholics and Protestants, with a twist, of course... But there’s nothing to say about the fact that eastern affairs should include... and so on, and so on... there was something else... But there’s no need to talk about that... You’ll figure out what to do. Don't you have enough heads there?.. The main thing, the main thing. It is appropriate to do this... and right now... Move one, another and the third... Find out in advance from Prince Golitsyn his plan better... Well, he explained something then... tea and Askochensky knows about this. Then hand it over to the Count, and Prince Urusov, and Solomon, and to someone else, and start the job... Now... There’s no point in delaying... It’s a shame that there is no church newspaper yet. Yes, it’s a shame - back and forth... the destruction is great! And God bless! Since the beginning of the year... The editor may be Askochensky, and his conversation is under the line in the same newspaper... with the inscription instead of a feuilleton - “Home Conversation.” Help for him in case - T.I. Filippov, A.D. Ushinsky or the prince himself. N.S. Golitsyn, or someone else... There shouldn’t be a lot of meetings... A quartet will appear, like that time on Ostrov! What is there to discuss... It's all about money... It is necessary that the money for the first year be given from the synod's sums, 10-15-20 tons. After all, they will return, and with a profit. So here is your task... You must decide and make a decision - to be like this... and not like a consistory... They listened - they ordered: refuse... you see, not on stamp paper!!! GARF. F.1099. On.1. Storage unit 2774. L.1 2. Statistical information from the report on the state of the Tambov diocese for 1861. About the population movement “In the Orthodox population of the Tambov diocese: There were 46,888 male births, 44,824 female births, total: 91,712. Males died - 37,708, females - 37,203, total: 74,911. The number of people born before deaths exceeds 16,801. There were 37,703 couples who were married.” TEV. 1862. No. 49. June 3. Official pp. 162–163. Publications of the works of Bishop Feofan in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette: Letters about Christian life//Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Add. pp. 40–43. Letters about Christian life//Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861 No. 11. 10 September. Add. pp. 240–245. Word on the day of the Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Add. pp. 55–61. Homily on the Nativity of John the Baptist, delivered at the Sezenovsky Monastery on June 24 by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 13. 24 September. Add. pp. 287–292. Word spoken by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, on June 23, the day of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Dobroy // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 21. November 19. Add. pp. 501–506. Word on the consecration of the church in the Kadoma convent on the 4th day of August by His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 25. December 17. Add. pp. 578–582. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 1. July 2. Add. pp. 7–8. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 2. July 9. Add. pp. 30–32. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 3. July 16. Add. pp. 53–55. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 11. 10 Sep. Add. pp. 237–240. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 14. 1 Oct. Add. pp. 314–321. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 15. 8 Oct. Add. pp. 336–338. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 18. 29 Oct. Add. pp. 414–415. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861 No. 19. 5 Nov. Add. pp. 438–439. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 24. 10 December. Add. pp. 554–556. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 25. December 17. Add. pp. 575–577. Instructions of the Holy Fathers on how to achieve perfection in Christian life // Tambov Diocesan Gazette. 1861. No. 26, December 24. Add. pp. 600–601. Words to the Tambov flock of Feofan, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsky, in 1859 and 1860. SPb.: Type. military training headquarters institutions, 1861. 326 [3] p. January 1st. Letter from Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) to Bishop Feofan: “Most Reverend Bishop, venerable brother in the Lord! Now I have received and read your letter and, first of all, I mutually extend to you the kiss of fellowship and joy in the name of the Lord, the Only Begotten Son of God, who came in the flesh into the world for our salvation. May His grace and peace be with your spirit. It would be better for you to contact the leading member of the Synod or the Synodal Chief Prosecutor about the Diveyevo affairs, because I officially participated in these cases until I carried out the decree of the Holy Synod, which ordered me to observe the investigation and present it with an opinion. The investigation has been completed; my opinion is represented; and the assignment given to me ended. However, as you wished to show me fraternal trust by communicating information and demanding my opinion on certain issues, I will say with fraternal frankness what I understand. The deanery of the Diveyevo Monastery really needed to be changed. She took intensive measures to compile a list of sisters in favor of the new boss, Glykeria, and included both the insane and the absent on it. The Treasurer, according to investigators, previously behaved impartially in relation to the parties, and already after her election to this position she began to strongly support Glikeria as the boss. Perhaps she could be reasoned with, but when you have already allowed her to change, going back would be harmful. The old woman exiled to Ardatov 752 deserves attention. She confessed her guilt and said to the Right Reverend Nektarios: “Joasaph persecuted us, and you are persecuting us; God will punish you." This was finally said after useless, humble begging for Elizabeth. The Reverend could have looked with indifference at the old woman’s brutal frankness. Even if it was necessary to punish her, a six-month exile is enough and she can be returned. I presented this opinion to the Holy Synod. That the boss’s idea of ​​not announcing where the absent sisters are is very ill-intentioned. In all likelihood, they were sent out for intrigue. The collectors in St. Petersburg are also probably doing good for their own pockets and harming the world of the monastery. They are unlikely to listen to the abbess. It would not be superfluous for you to request them to the monastery through communication with Mr. Chief Prosecutor. In the name of philanthropy, I thank you for instructing the Sarov builder not to deprive the Diveyevo Monastery of help. I heard that he, frightened of slander, wanted to refuse everything and stop all communication. By the way, I’ll tell you what has been proven by the investigation: the election of Glyceria is wrong; Joasaph is harmful to Diveev spiritually and economically; the head of the Diveyevo [monastery] Elisaveta and the builder of Sarov are respectable people and have been slandered unintentionally. From 40 to 50 sisters belong to the party of Glyceria and Joasaph. Of these, about 20 previously, for two or three years, were unapproved in the statements. It is inconvenient to leave them all in the monastery, but it is also inconvenient to send them all out. Is it not possible to limit ourselves to the removal of a few who more clearly violate the order and have a harmful influence on others? The abbess can divert those from the craze of the crowd. To admonish these latter, would it be objectionable for you to use the priest Sadovsky 753, who has served as the confessor of the monastery for many years and enjoys well-deserved respect. The Eminences Jeremiah 754 and Anthony treated him with special confidence and sometimes gave him instructions directly. Having told you what I understand, and submitting it to your consideration, I remain with true respect and love for the Lord, Your Eminence, the most humble servant Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. Judging by what is in the investigation, here are those who could have been awarded: Dean P., G.S., L.B 755.” DC. 1899. Part 1. P.104 106; Collection of letters. Issue V. P.3 6. January 7. His Grace Theophan delivered a word on the Week of Enlightenment. “Now is the Week of Enlightenment, or Sunday, on which, according to the instructions of the Holy Church, the glory of the baptized Lord in the Jordan should fall. Our eyes were saturated with the sight of the bright festival, and our ears heard plenty of delightful chants in honor of it. But the Holy Church wants us not to take our attention away from the Jordan and the wondrous work of God that took place there. You see - on the shore John in clothes made of camel's hair, girded with a belt 756. He is surrounded by countless people from Jerusalem, Judea and the entire Jordanian country. Everyone looks at the Son of Man ascending from the water - the Master, baptized from a servant. But with faith, wipe away the eye of your mind and, following John, passing by what is visible to everyone, fix your attentive gaze on what is not visible to everyone, on the open sky, the dove descending and the audible voice: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased 757. Fix your gaze on this wondrous vision and do not take your attention away from it. Once, remembering John the Baptist, the Lord reproachfully said to the Jews: “He was a lamp, burning and shining... but you wanted to delight in something else, not in him, in the hour of his light 758.” Every year, through the Holy Church, the Lord brings upon us the light of the Jordan at John’s Epiphany. Doesn’t He tell us through this: “This is where the light is burning and shining, look, don’t you also want to rejoice in the hour of its shining!” The world says: “Come to me! “I will give you peace and tranquility” - but he has not peace, but the ghost of peace, strive to the One who is the way, the truth and life, truth, sanctification and deliverance. TEV. No. 29. 14 Jan Add. pp.49–52 January 8. From a letter from Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Philaret (Drozdov) to Archimandrite Anthony (Medvedev): “I don’t remember about Diveyevo, whether I wrote to you what the Right Reverend Theophan writes. Elizabeth was restored to command only on November 17. I didn’t find a penny of money in the monastery. The Sarov builder wanted to refuse Diveev any help, but thanks to His Eminence Theophan, he ordered help. Some sisters are not in the monastery; The commanders do not first name where they were released. I hear from St. Petersburg that the Glykerian party is succeeding and the investigators are slandered. Save us. God". NIOR RSL. F.316. To 60. Storage unit 1. L.5. January 11. Letter from Bishop Feofan to Tambov Vice-Governor V. N. Tokarev: “In response to Your Excellency’s attitude No. 19155 dated December 31st, I have the honor to notify you, dear sir, that regarding the opening of a monastery in the city of Lipetsk on the site of the ancient Poroy Hermitage, permission from the Holy Governing Synod has not yet been received.” GATO. F.2. On.80. Storage unit 67. L.136 136 vol. Letter from Bishop Theophan to Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg: “Most Reverend Bishop! Responding to the decree of the Holy Synod regarding the Diveyevo monastery, I could not say anything about its situation without having official information about it. What I know from the private letters of the boss, I hasten to inform Your Eminence, probably believing that by this I will eliminate any concern that might arise about the fate of this monastery. The boss Ushakova did not accept anything in cash from the previous temporary boss and her novices. Why did I consider it not superfluous to order the builder of Sarov, who was about to reduce his hand due to slander, to help the monastery in every possible way, especially with firewood, which is now in great need there. A new treasurer and dean were appointed for the new boss. Although when eliminating the boss, it was obviously assumed that it would be legal to eliminate her assistants as well, but, thinking that keeping them could help to pacify the warring party, I wrote to Ushakova that it would be better to keep them in their positions. The boss replied that she could not have any trust in them. Why did I allow her to choose others - old or new - with the consent of the elders who were accepted by Fr. Seraphim. Judging by the character of the sisters of Joasaph’s party, I believe that there will be no peace in the monastery as long as these unpeaceful sisters remain in it. Why do I think that it is necessary to secure this side of the monastery by removing from it at least the instigators of discord. I'm waiting for the monastery's statement. The boss wrote that she had previously given good marks to the sisters of Joasaphova’s party, in the hope that they would make peace, but as it turned out to be the opposite, now she no longer wants to recommend them well, just as her predecessor, Ladyzhinskaya, did not recommend them. Therefore, I will ask the boss who among these disapproving instigators are maintaining discord, and I am thinking of decreeing that they be removed from the monastery. It is only given by the side to know that Glyceria and her party partook of the Holy Mysteries separately from Ushakova during the past Lent of Philip. I am waiting for a correct report on this. If this is true, then this gives the idea that the party, which is not peaceful in spirit, has completely separated from the peaceful one. And this confirms me even more in the idea that they need to be removed from the monastery. I receive news from significant persons who know the monastery in the neighborhood that the boss Ushakova is of excellent qualities and that the opposing party (40-50 of them all) is very wrong and unscrupulous. May the Lord pacify this monastery. It is heard that she is much confused by the rumors from St. Petersburg. Believing that the reason for this is the collectors living in the capital, who, not bringing anything to the monastery, only stir it up, I, when asked by the abbess about this, ordered to call them all and, if they do not listen, ask the higher authorities about it. I believe that if the possible increase in the weight and power of the boss is added to what is prescribed, then this monastery will soon come to a peaceful dispensation. I considered myself obligated to bring all this to the attention of Your Eminence and out of duty - although unofficially to supplement the incomplete report, and even more so, at the request of Your Eminence, to have a leadership instruction with which I humbly ask you to instruct me if you consider any of what you intend to be inappropriate, untimely and unfavorable. I also informed His Eminence, the Metropolitan of Moscow, about all this, who, as can be seen from the papers, was entrusted with the work of the Diveyevo monastery. Requesting the holy prayers of Your Eminence to help my weakness, with true respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble servant.” RGIA. F.796. On.142. Storage unit 1011. L.202 203 vol. January 12. A secret meeting of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory took place in the presence of its members: the cadet corps of Archpriest Ioann Moskvin, Znamensky Archpriest Iakov Bondarsky, Stefanovo Archpriest Mikhail Arkhangelsky, Stefanovo Priest Timofey Belsky, Assumption Priest Nikolai Bodrov. They listened: “The resolution of His Eminence dated January 9 on the reference to the petition of the village of Drakina, Spassky district, of the supernumerary priest Vasily Potminsky about the failure to give him and his wife and son food to his son-in-law, the priest of the village of Pavlovsky Maidan, Temnikovsky district, Afanasy Ilyinsky, who was in the village of Drakina, Spassky district, and the situation to him, Potminsky, with family from trusteeship - this: “On the resolution of the consistory.” They ordered: “From the certificate it is clear that the son-in-law of the petitioner, a supernumerary priest of Potminsky, priest Afanasy Ilyinsky, by order of the diocesan authorities in 1860, moved the worst parish from the village of Drakina and that from him, Ilyinsky, in the case of embezzlement of church funds in the village of Drakino, 52 rubles, 52 1/2 kopecks, silver, which amount, due to his insolvency, was spread over three years by the resolution of his Eminence on March 14, 1861, and that for these circumstances he, Ilyinsky, does not provide any assistance in maintaining his father-in-law with his family, as can be seen from the latter’s constant complaints. Therefore, the consistory believes: the admission of the petitioner’s son, a student of the seminary Konstantin Potminsky, to full government support, who is now on half-pay, should be reported to the board of the seminary for his consideration; As for the appointment of him, Potminsky, for the correction of the priestly position to the prison church in the city of Spassk, then give him the right to take consent on this subject from the trustees of that church and the clergy of the city of Spassk. Which he should announce through a decree to the dean.” His Grace Theophan, with the resolution “Fulfill”, approved the decision of the Tambov spiritual consistory to admit seminary student Konstantin Potminsky, the son of a supernumerary clergyman of the church of the village. Drakin of Spassky district, priest Vasily, for full government support. GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1751. L.28–29 vol. January 14. The word of Bishop Feofan “On the Week of Enlightenment” was published in the Tambov Diocesan Gazette. TEV. 1862. No. 29. 14 Jan Add. P.49 52. January 18. Letter from Metropolitan Isidore (Nikolsky) of Novgorod and St. Petersburg to Bishop Theophan: “Reverend Bishop. gracious archpastor! Your letter about the Diveyevo Monastery was reported yesterday to the Most Holy Synod, which, having approved all your orders regarding this monastery, left you to continue for the future to do everything that you, at your closest discretion, recognize as useful and necessary for the pacification and provision of the monastery, with the permission of the Sarov Hermitage, to help it with things and money, which over time can be returned to it. The expulsion of non-peaceful sisters from the monastery is necessary. The head of the monastery must demand that the collectors immediately return to the monastery. If she does not know where the collectors are, let her write to the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod to expel them. I wrote to you about the St. Hilarion Monastery 759. Afterwards they told me that this is a community. Consequently, it is useless to present it to the Most Holy Synod, because the amount that I had in mind was bequeathed to eight monasteries of the poor, and, by the force of the will, it cannot be used for communities. Committing myself to your prayers, with true reverence and brotherly love for Christ, I abide Your Eminence, most zealous servant Isidore, Metropolitan Novgorod and St. Petersburg". Collection of letters. Issue V. P.6 7. January 20. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory dated January 16, where, among other matters, the petition of the estate manager of Count Benkendorf, Major Ivan Seminikhin 760, for the establishment of a church in the village of Khristoforovna 761 of the Kozlovsky district 762 was considered. They ordered: “with the registration of this request, order the Kozlovsky spiritual board to conduct an inquiry into the content of it and send it to the consistory.” Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Fulfill” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1751. L.39–39 vol. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette" in the official part reported: “According to the resolutions of His Eminence, at the request of the parishioners of the Usman district of the village of Izlegoshchi 763 and the Shatsky district of the village of Istleyeva 764, it is allowed to correct the dilapidation in the parish churches at their own cost.” “According to the determination of the diocesan authorities, as a result of requests from parishioners, it is allowed to build new churches: a wooden building - Temnikovsky district in the village of Novoselki 765 Usmansky district in the village of Krasnoye 766, Borisoglebsky district in the village of Ivanovka 767, Kirsanovsky district in the village of Dmitrievka 768; stone building - Lebedyansky district in the village of Ekaterinovka 769, the estate of Prince Vasilchikov 770 ". TEV. 1862. No. 30. 21 Jan Official P.26. The Tambov Diocesan Gazette contains the words of Bishop Theophan “On the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee” and “On the Presentation of the Lord.” TEV. 1862. No. 30. 21 Jan Add. P.79 88. January 27. Bishop Feofan put a resolution on the journal of the Tambov Spiritual Consistory dated January 24, where, among other matters, the “petition of St. Chernyanogo Tambov district of the widow, deaconess Maria Bogoroditskaya, dated January 16 about her recovery of 15 rubles from the regular deacon of their village Alexei Glagolev. 50 kopecks silver, not given to her by obligation and for his unauthorized transfer of land to the state for rent to the peasants of that village, which belongs to her, and in the event of non-recovery of that money from him, the provision of his, Glagolev, deacon’s place to her daughter Nadezhda, with the resolution of his Eminence: “To present an opinion on the reassurance of the petitioner.” They ordered: “After the death of the petitioner’s husband, his place was first presented to his daughter Olga, with whom Orest Sukhin was appointed to this place in 1859 from among the disciples and with the obligation to support the widow-petitioner with her children 2, but according to the complaints that arose on both sides, on the part of the deaconess against Sukhin’s son-in-law for not feeding her with her children, and on the part of Deacon Sukhin for the grumpiness of her character, The conclusion of the diocesan authorities on June 17, 1860 established: in addition to what the deaconess received for children, 25 rubles. silver from trusteeship, due to her unwillingness to live with her son-in-law, oblige the latter to give her 25 rubles for maintenance. silver per year. In order to avoid constant trouble with his mother-in-law (Sukhin) twice asked to be moved to another parish. August 31, 1860 moved to the village. New Tarbeevo, Kozlovsky district, and from there [to the village. Chernyavoe was transferred. – Comp. ] Deacon Alexey Glagolev, who agreed to pay the deaconess 25 rubles. silver But Deaconess Bogoroditskaya, even now, does not cease to bother with constant complaints against Glagolev, either incomplete or untimely payment of her due allowance, but she did not provide evidence of both during the inquiry. To put an end to the constant and unsubstantiated complaints of the deaconess of the Theotokos and to calm the clergy. Chernyany, already burdened with the provision of cash and land benefits to other orphans and his numerous families, should be presented to her, Bogoroditskaya, as not having in the village. Chernyany settled down and at home, to find an idle deacon’s place for his daughter, and until that time to use the allowance of 25 rubles from Deacon Glagolev. silver per year." Bishop Feofan’s resolution: “Fulfill. Find out why Bogoroditskaya receives only 18 rubles from trusteeship?” GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1751. L.80, 83 vol. 85 rev. January 28. The editors of the Tambov Diocesan Gazette magazine reported: “Words to the Tambov flock of His Grace Theophan, Bishop of Tambov, have been published and are being sold.” Price 1 rub. 50 kopecks with delivery. Sold in St. Petersburg, from booksellers Sveshnikov, Korablev, Siryakov, and in Tambov, in the bookstore at the Kazan Monastery and in the office of the Right Reverend.” TEV. 1862. No. 31. 28 Jan Official P.40. In the “Tambov Diocesan Gazette” the word of Bishop Theophan “On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son” was published. TEV. 1862. No. 31. 28 Jan Add. P.98–103. February 1st. Bishop Feofan approved the decision of the Tambov spiritual consistory in the case of the establishment of a classroom school in the village. Pokrovka of Shatsk district: “We heard: a certificate submitted to the village of Pokrovka, Shatsk district, by priest Fyodor Ustinsky, by whom he asks to approve a class school in his parish, since in his house, under his leadership, more than thirty boys and girls are studying, and if the school is approved as a class school, he agrees to give up his own outbuilding for the school at a cost of 100 rubles. silver They ordered: from the certificate it is clear that in the village of Pokrovka, Shatsk district, the parishioners consist mainly of state peasants, of whom there are 470 men, and 110 landowners; then the consistory decides, with the written report of the priest of the village of Pokrovka, Fyodor Ustinsky, to inform the Tambov Chamber of State Property of our order on the establishment of a class school in the village of Pokrovka and regarding the premises of this school, asking for notification of the future.” GATO.F.181. Op.1. Item 1751. L.94, 96 rev.–97 rev. The resolution of Bishop Feofan supported the decision of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory in the case of storage of money donated “to improve the life of Orthodox worshipers in Palestine” and “in favor of the Holy Sepulcher.” GATO. F.181. Op.1. Item 1751. L.97 rev.–98. The resolution of Bishop Feofan supported the order of the Tambov Ecclesiastical Consistory to familiarize the dean with the decree of the Holy Synod on the new church in the village of Kamenka, Tambov district 771. GATO. F.181. On.1. Item 1751. L 103 103 rev. Word of the Right Reverend Theophan at the Presentation of the Lord: “How blessed are the persons whom the Lord vouchsafed to be participants in the event of bringing Him to the church on the fortieth day! Righteous Simeon took the Baby into his arms. But this Child was also God, perfect and containing everything. Simeon touched the flesh of the Human Child, but the Child God filled his soul, as well as the souls of all those present. And so Simeon sings a song, Anna prophesies, the Mother of God and Joseph reverently worship: for where God’s visitation is, there is a paradise of sweetness. The soul that has met the Lord and is met by Him tastes supernatural bliss. Let us be jealous, brethren, this is better