Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his pastorate

With the blessing of His Beatitude VLADIMIR, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Archbishop Anthony (in the world Vasily Ivanovich Fialko) was born on October 2, 1946 in the village. Dulitsky, Skvirsky district, Kiev region in Ukraine, in a family of Orthodox Christians. In 1960, after graduating from school, Vasily Fialko entered the Kiev Construction College at the Faculty of Industrial and Civil Construction. In 1964, he completed a full course at the technical school and worked in various positions (work manager, engineer, senior engineer) in construction organizations in Kiev. In 1973 he graduated from the Voronezh Engineering and Construction Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering for Industrial and Civil Construction. From 1973 to 1974 he served in the ranks of the Soviet Army. In 1975, he entered the 4th grade of the Leningrad Theological Seminary, but had to interrupt his studies due to family circumstances. Since 1976 - subdeacon of Bishop Chrysostom of Kursk and Belgorod and reader of the Kursk Cathedral. On April 24, 1976, on Holy Saturday, Bishop Chrysostom of Kursk and Belgorod ordained him to the rank of deacon and appointed deacon of the St. Joasaph Cathedral in the city of Belgorod. On August 14, 1977, Archbishop Chrysostom of Kursk and Belgorod ordained him to the priesthood and appointed rector of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in Stary Oskol, Belgorod region. In January 1978 he was transferred to St. Michael's Church in Belgorod. Since June 1978, he has been a clergyman of the Vinnitsa diocese of the Ukrainian Exarchate, and on December 12 of the same year he was appointed full-time priest of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Cathedral in Vinnitsa. On April 10, 1979, in the sixth week of Lent, on Christmas Day, the Cathedral of the Mother of God in Vinnitsa, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, was tonsured into monasticism by Bishop Agathangel of Vinnitsa and Bratslav with the name Anthony, in honor of St. Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk. For the holiday of Holy Easter in 1980, Hieromonk Anthony was awarded a pectoral cross by His Holiness Patriarch Pimen. Since 1980, he was appointed dean of the parishes of the 7th district of the Vinnytsia diocese. On April 7, 1982, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, Archbishop Agathangel of Vinnitsa and Bratslav, Hieromonk Anthony was elevated to the rank of abbot with the laying of a cross with decorations. In 1982, Abbot Anthony graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary in the first category, and on November 1 of the same year he was appointed rector of the St. Paraskevinsky Church in the village. Kalinovka, Vinnytsia region, and on September 8, 1983 - rector of the Holy Dormition Church in the village. Murafa of the Vinnytsia diocese. In 1985, on the occasion of Holy Easter, Archbishop Agafangel of Vinnitsa and Bratslav, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Pimen, elevated him to the rank of archimandrite. In 1987, Archimandrite Anthony graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy, first class. On the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Anthony was awarded a second cross with decorations by His Holiness Patriarch Pimen. On January 9, 1989, he was appointed secretary of the Khmelnytsky diocesan administration, dean of the 1st district of the Khmelnytsky diocese and rector of the Khmelnytsky Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral. From the first day after his appointment, with the blessing of His Eminence Agafangel, Archbishop of Vinnitsa and Bratslav, who temporarily ruled the Khmelnytsky diocese, Archimandrite Anthony was actively involved in the management of the diocese. During this time of perestroika, the most important issue for the Orthodox believers of the Podolsk region was the construction of a new Holy Intercession Cathedral in the center of Khmelnytsky on the site of the small and dilapidated Holy Protection Church. Possessing organizational skills and experience in construction work (according to secular education and profession), Archimandrite Anthony managed, and then it was very difficult, to begin construction of the cathedral and personally led it. The selfless work of Fr. Anthony earned him the deep respect and trust of the city residents, who elected him as a deputy of the Khmelnytsky Regional Council of People's Deputies. Finding himself at the center of the spiritual and social life of the diocese, with his ministry and works, preaching the word of God, he gained authority among the believing people and authorities and played a major role in the revival of spirituality and strengthening of the Orthodox faith in the Podolsk region. As secretary of the Khmelnitsky diocesan administration, with the blessing of the ruling archpastor, Archimandrite Anthony practically cared for the entire diocese, its clergy and believers. He prepared proteges for ordination to the priesthood and paid much attention to issues of spiritual enlightenment and church construction. Thus, under his rectorship (from January 1989 to April 1990), the construction of the new Holy Protection Cathedral was almost completed, into which he invested all his knowledge, skills, and soul. In 1990, by the decision of the Holy Synod, the Khmelnytsky diocese was made independent under the administration of the Khmelnytsky bishops, and Archimandrite Anthony transferred to the clergy of the Kharkov diocese, where until 1992 he served under the obedience of the rector of the Holy Dormition Church in the city of Zolochev and the dean of the Zolochiv district. In 1992, the episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which in 1990 gained independence in governance, elects a new Primate. Many values ​​in the state are being reviewed and interpreted in a new way, and democratic transformations of society have begun, which also affected the Church. In this difficult time, the Church calls Archimandrite Anthony to a new ministry: on July 27, 1992, he was consecrated Bishop of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky, and the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church appointed him vicar of Metropolitan Vladimir (Sabodan) of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and shared his work in governing the Church. On June 22, 1993, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Bishop Anthony was appointed Bishop of Khmelnytsky and Shepetovsky, governing the Khmelnytsky diocese, since the ancient Podolsk see, according to this decision, is divided into two dioceses - Khmelnytsky and Kamenets-Podolsky. Having taken over the administration of the Khmelnitsky diocese, Bishop Anthony zealously set to work. First of all, he took care of completing the construction of the Holy Intercession Cathedral, its painting and decoration, as well as expanding the territory of the diocesan administration. The archpastor pays great attention to issues of spiritual, moral and religious education, publishing activities in the diocese, in particular the publications of the diocesan newspaper “Podolsk Diocesan Gazette”. Bishop Anthony has repeatedly participated in international peacemaking and scientific-secular conferences dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' and the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ, and other important church and social events. One of his reports, “Common Traditions of the Church and Medicine,” received great resonance in scientific circles. He was also a participant in the official meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, Ecumenical Patriarch Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome Bartholomew I and His Beatitude Catholicos, Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II, which took place in Odessa in September 1997. The bishop's charitable activities, mercy and help to those in need are widely known. Not a single visitor, no matter what problem or request he approaches, leaves without an answer or consolation. Despite his enormous busyness and many matters related to the administration of the diocese, church-educational and social work, His Eminence Anthony, Bishop of Khmelnytsky and Shepetovsky, also finds time for scientific and theological works. The result of such labors was the defense in 1998 of the thesis “St. Demetrius of Rostov and his pastorate” at the Department of Pastoral Theology of the Kiev Theological Academy, for which he was awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Theology. Bishop Anthony, for his diligent service to the Church, was awarded the orders of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the Venerable Nestor the Chronicler, as well as the orders of the Local Orthodox Churches. On the feast of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir on July 28, 1999, Bishop Anthony, in consideration of his church merits and for his zealous service to the Holy Orthodox Church, was elevated to the high rank of archbishop by His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. With rigor and justice, sensitivity and simplicity, deep knowledge and spiritual experience, His Eminence Bishop Anthony earned the love and respect of his flock. This publication is being published by decision of the Academic Council of the Kyiv Theological Academy. It is dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ and the 25th anniversary of my service to the Holy Church and the people of God. The work presented to the attention of readers, exploring the life and works of St. Demetrius of Rostov, was written by me immediately after graduating from the Theological Academy, but, unfortunately, numerous concerns did not allow me to defend my dissertation and present my modest work to the readers. I thank the Lord, by whose grace the work was finally published, I hope that it will benefit a wide circle of readers who are seeking spiritual guidance, who love God, “Wonderful in His saints,” and especially the shepherds of the Church of Christ, who can learn a lot for themselves from this book. Special thanks to His Beatitude the Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Academic Council of the Kiev Theological Academy for the opportunity to publish my work. May the blessing of the Lord be with us all! Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his pastorate Abstract of the dissertation submitted for the academic degree of Candidate of Theology 1 The study of hagiography and religious phenomenology is now one of the urgent tasks of the Christian and national revival of our people. A huge role in Orthodox piety belongs to the veneration of the holy saints of God. Saints are those who, through the feat of their virgin faith and active love, realized in themselves the likeness of God, revealed in power the image of God, and thereby acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. In the acquisition of the Holy Spirit through the purification of the heart by the feat of soul and body lies the salvation of every person in whom Christ appears: “... it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). The ways to acquire grace are different, diverse and unique, just as every person is unique. The life feat of every saint has a character unique to him. The Church knows different ranks of holiness, or spiritual images of salvation: prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, universal teachers, saints, unmercenaries... This list, of course, is not complete: not all saints are known to the world; there are those whom the Lord has imprisoned in obscurity, and the Church honors their memory on the Feast of All Saints. The righteous, having achieved holiness, conquer sin within themselves and become stronger in goodness. Their spiritual strength is freed for active and prayerful love. Such spiritual freedom, which they received while still on earth, becomes complete after they move into the heavenly abodes. The holy saints of God also help us because of the spiritual freedom they receive and the love that is achieved by their feat. They are the “hands of God” with which God accomplishes His works. It is given to saints even beyond death to do deeds of love for the sake of the salvation of their earthly brethren. The measure of the active participation of saints in the life of mankind corresponds to the measure of the spirit and the greatness of their exploits, “for star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). In Russian saints we honor not only the heavenly patrons of our sinful land: in them we see revelations of our own spiritual path. We believe that every people has its own religious calling, and, of course, it is most fully realized by its saints. Their ideal has nourished the life of the people for centuries; from their fire all of Rus' lit its lamps. In different historical eras, seeing the spiritual state of people, the Lord sent true shepherds to the Church of Christ to give true spiritual guidelines in the darkness of moral degradation and spiritual blindness, pointing the way to truth and eternal life. The 18th century was marked by Peter's reforms, transformations associated with the destruction of ancient foundations, the destruction of the centuries-old way of life to which the Russian people were accustomed. Truly, in this difficult time, a lamp was needed to light a ray of faith in a spiritually impoverished people. And the Lord, in His ineffable mercy, for the healing of human souls, erected such a lamp on the candlestick of the Church of Christ - St. Demetrius of Rostov. Saint Demetrius, in the world Daniel Tuptalo, was brought up in a pious Christian family, where the seeds of a godly life were sown in his soul. The education he received at the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium and the teachings of the elders of the Kyiv Cyril Monastery awakened a love of science in the heart of the future saint, which allowed the young monk to enter the circle of the most educated and progressive people of his time, who stood at the origins of the development of the socio-cultural, political and religious life of Ukraine in the second half of the 17th century. With his ordination in 1675, the young hieromonk Demetrius began his preaching work. First he was a preacher in Chernigov under Archbishop Lazar Baranovich, whom he called “the great pillar of the church,” and then in Vilna and Slutsk. In Little Russia, Demetrius was abbot in various monasteries, where he saw with his own eyes the sad situation of the Ukrainian people, who suffered double oppression: social - from the Polish gentry, magnates, and spiritual - from the Catholic Church. But the abbot's service of Saint Demetrius did not last long. Having a natural inclination towards a contemplative life and the thought of God, he was burdened by his troublesome obedience. In 1864, with the blessing of Metropolitan of Kyiv Varlaam Yasinsky, Demetrius moved to the Lavra, where he began compiling the Chetyi-Menya, or Lives of the Saints - the favorite reading of pious Christians. Saint Demetrius, along with Nestor the Chronicler, Epiphanius the Wise and Pachomius Logothetes, made a feasible contribution to hagiographic literature. Of course, his predecessors, such as Metropolitan Macarius, St. Peter Mogila, and contemporaries - Innocent Gisel, Varlaam Yasinsky, etc., helped him in this difficult work. Around 1689, Saint Demetrius visited Moscow on church business, where he was introduced to Patriarch Joachim and the young Tsar Peter. In 1701 in Moscow he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Siberia and Tobolsk, but poor health prevented him from occupying this chair, and he could continue his work only where enlightenment was concentrated. In 1702, after the death of Joasaph Lazarevich, Saint Demetrius became Metropolitan of Rostov, and in 1705 he completed the Chetya-Minea. He also worked hard to organize the life of his flock. The morals of the diocesan clergy were extremely low: even the children of priests almost never received communion. The works written during this period tell about the difficulties Saint Demetrius had to face in his diocese. As the ruling bishop, he was forced to take measures to streamline diocesan affairs. First of all, at his house he opened a school for the children of the clergy, and he himself oversaw their education. In his district epistles, he constantly instructed the priests on how to carry out their ministry with dignity, how to preach to schismatics, etc. The archpastoral concern of the saint for the Church of God was expressed not only in taking practical measures against error and evil, but also in accusatory writings, such as “On the image and likeness of God in men,” in sermons, as well as in the polemical work “Search for the schismatic Bryn faith...”. All the saint’s labors were a great success, rumors of which reached the king. But more than with his messages, the saint taught the priests the worthy example of his pious life: meek and gentle in governance, he was an example of kindness and mercy; His sermons were distinguished by simplicity and liveliness. He was deeply revered by all Orthodox Rus' - from commoners to the royal family. The saint was blessed with many spiritual gifts, including the gift of prophecy. Thus, he predicted the time of his death and his arrival in Rostov for the holiday in honor of the Tolga Icon of the Mother of God of Queen Praskovya Fedorovna. “Here come two guests - the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Earth,” he told his treasurer Filaret. “But I won’t be able to see them, but you, treasurer, must be ready to receive them.” Soon he fell ill, and on the day of his namesake he could no longer deliver a sermon. Throughout his illness, the saint indulged in fiery prayer, and a day later, on the morning of October 28, 1709, he was found dead on his knees. Saint Demetrius of Rostov left believers a creative legacy amounting to about 20 volumes of works. His incorrupt relics were found in 1752, 43 years after his death, during the renovation of the monastery cathedral. In 1757, Saint Demetrius was canonized by the Church. In his numerous writings and sermons, Saint Demetrius always emphasized that the highest and most important goal of shepherding is concern for the restoration of the image of God in fallen human nature, in tirelessly reminding man of his great calling - to be a joint heir of eternal life and glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. Man, according to the teachings of St. Demetrius, can overcome his sensual nature, rise above the laws of the material world, can achieve immortality, true freedom from sin, since he is able to respond to the love of God with his love for Him. According to him, the image of God is also in the soul of an unfaithful person, but there is a likeness only in a virtuous Christian, and if a Christian commits a mortal sin, then he “is deprived of the likeness of God, but not the image...”. About freedom, the saint writes: “...God says to the sinner this way: I could create you without you, but I cannot save you without you... If you yourself do not want salvation, if you yourself are running away from eternal life, if you love your destruction more than salvation, then neither My wisdom, nor My mercy, nor My omnipotence will help you.” God, having created man rational and free, does not save him by force. After all, everything has been given to man so that he can realize his real position in the world, believe God, respond to His love, most fully manifested in the fact that He gave His Son for the sake of people: “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and build a life in accordance with his calling to salvation and eternal life. Sin is a great evil, resistance and disobedience to the will of God; it removes a person from the Creator, deprives him of sonship and grace. Sin has taken such hold of human nature that no one except God is able to restore man to his primitive purity. One Son of God could repay the debt to Divine justice and give “satisfaction to God the Father through His voluntary suffering for universal sin and through the cross open the entrance to heaven.” The priceless human soul was redeemed at the price of the blood of the Son of God. Thus, Saint Demetrius considers the spiritual and moral uprising and justification of man a miracle higher than the one that the Lord performed over the four-day Lazarus and, most importantly, that this miracle is possible for every repentant sinner who resorts to the feet of the Savior due to the fact that the image of God is still preserved in man. The rise from death to a God-like life leads a person to moral rebirth and perfection, for the value of the human personality lies precisely in its free choice and active striving for the high calling of the Creator. The saint writes that it is impossible for a person to be saved without the grace of God. Man is saved only in Christ, and the grace of God in this salvation is the main active force. She enlightens the soul, she revives it, “communicates to it both its action and its properties.” Preaching in the spirit of Eastern theology, he teaches that salvation is an unceasing action of God’s grace: “Salvation is created by the grace of God, and without it, virtue will not help a person to be saved.” Thus, efforts alone are not enough for salvation, but they are necessary to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit, which brings us closer to the Prototype. God contributes to the salvation of man with his grace, strengthens him in good deeds, and man, in turn, strives to correct his sins, change his thoughts, purify his feelings and achieve unity with the Creator: “Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). From these words it is clear that in the matter of saving a person, constant feat is required. Speaking about man's path to God, Dimitri Rostovsky focuses our attention on three great Christian virtues: faith, hope and love. He says that “faith is something that your fleshly eyes do not see, nor your hands touch, but your heart, your mind, undoubtedly affirms within itself that it is so and not otherwise.” Faith is the basis of man’s saving activity, the beginning and engine of his spiritual life in God: “Faith is youth without old age, for Enoch, delighted with it, still lives and has not grown old. Faith is a living, bloodless sacrifice, for by faith Abraham offered his son Isaac as a living sacrifice.” The path of Abraham was completed and fulfilled in the path of Jesus Christ, which the believer is called to follow. Christ’s obedience to the Heavenly Father led Him to the Cross, where He cried out in the hopeless night of God-forsakenness: “My God! My God! Why did you leave me?” (Mark 15:34). He, who “trained obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5:8), became “the author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2). Thus, in the New Testament, faith is called obedient, trusting adherence to the will of God. The saint, continuing this thought, says: faith consoles in sorrows, helps in illnesses, strengthens in trials; Faith is the primary virtue and the path to Christ, since without faith in Christ, human salvation is impossible. Faith is the driving force behind the spiritual and moral renewal of a person, the basis on which many other Christian virtues grow. So, faith is the path, but one should set out on the path with hope in order to achieve the goal. And hope, “given to the human heart by God’s inspiration and enlightenment,” provides effective assistance in achieving personal salvation and Christian achievement. The strength and inviolability of hope depends on a person’s faith and his spiritual and moral state. True Christians base their hope on unfeigned reverence for God by living righteous and godly lives. The crown of all virtues is love. “God is love” (1 John 4:8) - this is how the Lord revealed Himself in the incarnate “for our salvation” Son of God, whose earthly feat is a feat of love. Only love can lead a Christian to moral perfection, to unity with God. She is the gift of the Holy Spirit, inflaming the hearts of Christians with reciprocal love for the Creator and for their neighbor. What wings are to a bird in flight, so is perfect love to a Christian on the path to God. Love is the foundation on which the entire world created by the Lord stands, and on which our path to the life of the next century, to eternal salvation is based. The true sign of love for God is disgust from the world (which lies in evil) and everything sinful in it. Speaking about the meaning of love in the life of a Christian, Saint Demetrius quotes the words of the holy Apostle Paul: “Love is long-suffering, merciful, love does not envy, love does not exalt itself, is not proud, does not act outrageously, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love will never cease, although prophecies will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished” (1 Cor. 13:4-8), and further explains what our love for each other should be: “Love cultivates patience in a Christian, teaches us to endure insults, and be condescending towards the imperfections of our neighbors. And the highest perfection in love is the virtue of love for enemies, because it is higher than human nature. Nature, distorted by sin, demands retribution, and love is ready to forgive everything, thereby healing the infirmity of one’s neighbor, and defeats evil with good.” In the name of this Divine law, the law of love, all of us, who seek forgiveness from the Lord, must tear out all the tares of insults and sins against each other that are rooted in our hearts, and the Lord, the Knower of the Heart, will forgive us our countless sins. Saint Demetrius characterizes Christian morality as the highest level of human perfection, which comes from faith, love and God-given sources of grace and sanctification. The main place in his works is occupied by moral and edifying teachings for shepherds: “The order of the priesthood,” notes Saint Demetrius, “was instituted by the Lord on earth not for the sake of peace and coolness, but also for the greatest labor, the Saint was concerned, he was concerned about the salvation of all.” He compares the meaning and height of the priesthood with the heavenly luminaries: just as the sky is illuminated by the sun and stars, “so the Church shines with its luminaries - its shepherds and teachers... each according to rank and honor and title and according to the degree of perfection in a virtuous life and spiritual wisdom.” The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us the ideal of boundless moral perfection: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Achieving this ideal is not so much ethical as religious-aesthetic in nature: a person cannot change morally unless he first sees the intelligent beauty of the heavenly world and strives for it as the highest and dominant value in life. In his sermons, especially addressed to shepherds, St. Demetrius focuses on examples from the lives of saints - the Apostle Paul, St. Tikhon of Amathus, etc. A true shepherd, following the example of the ministry of the Chief Shepherd, Our Lord Jesus Christ, “enters the sheepfold through the doors, and the sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and follow him.” The saint emphasizes the qualities of a good shepherd: “he must preach, teach spiritual wisdom,” “he must serve as an example for the sheep, and not the sheep for him.” The shepherd needs to follow the path of spiritual and moral improvement and, through his life example, teach others, “to be not only intelligent, skillful and teaching in the Divine Scripture, but virtuous and holy in life, for it is appropriate to teach the verbal sheep not only with words, but also with the image of a good life in God.” And if the shepherd’s deeds and life do not diverge from his words, then his teaching and labors will be successful and bear worthy fruits. I would like to draw attention to how the saint teaches shepherds to love God: “When God said that shepherds would be after His own heart, He also indicated that they would love him with all their hearts, keeping His commandments. And if such were the shepherds in the Old Testament, then, even more so, now in the new grace shepherds must be after God’s heart, keeping the commandments out of heartfelt love for Him.” Love must occupy a central place in pastoral ministry. As the highest manifestation of the pastoral spirit, it is expressed in sacrificial love for neighbors, because without the latter there can be no true love for God. The saint repeatedly warns against temptations on the path of pastoral service, saying that he who has taken the good yoke of Christ must devote all his strength, all his thoughts to this great work. Like an angel standing before the throne of God in unceasing praise and prayer, the shepherd must perform his service with great attention and with all reverence, firmly remembering that God invisibly receives every word from his mouth, like some valuable beads. In pastoral service, constant vigilance, constant strengthening of one’s inner spiritual strength, and readiness to protect the flock from attacking “wolves” are also necessary. Pastoral activity is the totality of everything that is done for the eternal salvation of the flock, this is the provision of all saving means to them: the Sacraments, worship, preaching, counseling, attracting to God with a living word and an example of an exalted and worthy Christian life. Saint Demetrius devotes a significant place in his writings to pastoral counseling, i.e. guiding a person’s spiritual life and helping him in his fight against sin and evil. The saint draws attention to repentance as the greatest work of salvation, the beginning of all types of Christian achievement. In his opinion, repentance is the door to resurrection, “for when a person sins, he dies in soul, and when he repents, he is resurrected.” Most of the sermons of the Rostov saint are a continuous call to repentance in the deepest sense of the word, i.e. to rebirth, a complete revaluation of life values, to a new vision and understanding of all life in the light of the commandments of Christ. To receive forgiveness of sins, you need regret, contrition for them, consciousness of your guilt and your unworthiness before God. The main fruit of repentance is the correction of one’s life, reconciliation with everyone and hope in God’s mercy. A person who performs a real feat of repentance becomes an heir to eternal life, receives a reward and is awarded the crown of holiness. On the path of holiness, the saving virtue of a Christian is the fear of God, which awakens and strengthens in the human heart from the knowledge of the truth of God and spiritual laws, from reflection on the destinies of mankind and the posthumous fate of the righteous and sinners. A person who has thought about all this at least once in his life and has begun to realize that life as a whole can be given only to God has already taken the path of repentance, and this consciousness, in itself, carries the power of renewal, conversion, and the return of the lost paradise. Due to sinfulness, human spiritual nature is upset, and its spiritual powers are weakened to the point that a person cannot control himself and his feelings, often following sinful habits. The saint teaches that the most powerful and effective means for liberation from sin and returning a person to the true path is the fear of God, which “one must... obey and obey as God’s builder.” In the process of spiritual and moral rebirth of a person, fasting and prayer are also important. Fasting, according to St. Demetrius, must be accompanied not only by physical abstinence, but also by spiritual abstinence, consisting of removing oneself from all evil and mortifying passions in order to create favorable conditions for the planting and growth of high spiritual qualities. Prayer is evidence of God’s great mercy and love for humanity, for the Lord has endowed intelligent creatures with the ability to turn in prayer to their Creator. It is an urgent necessity in a person’s spiritual life, an expression of faith and hope in God, evidence of a Christian’s striving for perfection and holiness, and an indicator of his spiritual and moral state. Great is the power of prayer. “Prayer,” says the saint, “not only defeats the laws of nature, but even restrains the hand of the omnipotent God Himself, raised to defeat sinners.” Let us at least remember the Savior’s answer to the Canaanite woman who begged Him for the healing of her sick daughter: “Oh, woman! Great is your faith; Let it be done to you according to your desire” (Matthew 15:21–28). Therefore, the power of prayer depends on the faith of the person asking. Therefore, a Christian must with great diligence and zeal ask with faith, seek with hope, knock with love. “And you all ask by prayer, seek by good conduct and knock with great diligence,” the saint teaches. Showing concern for his flock, Saint Demetrius left behind a memory as a gifted preacher and teacher who worked zealously in the field of education throughout his life. His edifying sermons, containing both moral and dogmatic truths, are relevant for any time, for they are aimed at lifting up the Christian’s grief and preparing him for eternal life. In every word of the saint one can feel the pastoral love for his flock and for God. As a teacher, he cared about the education of not only the upper classes of society, but also the lower ones, and for this purpose he established a public school, thereby giving the opportunity to study to everyone who strived for knowledge. And the last thing I would like to draw attention to when talking about the pastoral activity of St. Demetrius is his painstaking work in compiling the “Lives of the Saints,” which were composed on the basis of Greek rhetorically developed hagiography (in particular, Symeon Metaphrastus) and raised Russian hagiographic literature to a new stage of development. Over the centuries of its existence, Russian hagiography has known different forms and styles. And if the lives of the holy saints of God, compiled in the pre-Mongol period, were brief, insufficient from a rhetorical and factual point of view, representing, rather, only a outline for future legends, then the Lives of Demetrius of Rostov were written in artistic form using rhetorical techniques and contain rich factual material. And today, reading “The Lives of the Saints” by Demetrius of Rostov, no one can remain indifferent and not fall in love with this truly greatest pearl in the boundless sea of ​​Christian literature. After all, here a pious layman will find the necessary advice and teachings, a priest will find abundant material for preaching and spiritual guidance of his flock, and a scholar-theologian will find important historical and dogmatic information. Saint Demetrius is an exceptional and extraordinary phenomenon: he embodied devotion to Orthodoxy and the simplicity of a child’s faith, great teaching talent and truly apostolic non-covetousness. He was a conscious unmercenary who gave all his modest means to the poor - a beggar metropolitan. Here it would be appropriate to quote a few words from the will of the saint, in which he asks not to look for the property left after him, for “from my youth until approaching the tomb, (I) did not acquire property or wealth...” However, he left behind immeasurably more than material wealth, a priceless treasure - a huge spiritual heritage, showing pastors and Christians of all generations a worthy example to follow. In this world the saint was a guest. Studying his life, we begin to understand what great suffering was caused to the Rostov archpastor by immersion in the world, and we are imbued with great love for this humble worker, because, burdened by the world, he so easily bore the yoke of his archpastoral service. An unchanging champion of Orthodoxy and preacher of the dogmatic teaching of the Orthodox Church, Saint Demetrius of Rostov always firmly adhered to the tradition of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church. Their sayings acquired exceptional power in his mouth, since they were deeply felt by the hierarch in his personal spiritual and ascetic experience. For modern shepherding, what is important, first of all, is the example of the personality of the saint - an inspired pastor-preacher and demanding administrator, a scholar-theologian and spiritual poet, a fatherly caring teacher of youth and a zealous apologist for the Orthodox faith. The saint did not teach his flock anything new and unusual, but only conveyed, based on his own spiritual experience, the teaching of the holy fathers. Thus, he cultivated in his spiritual children inner conviction and confidence in the real possibility of overcoming evil and taming passions, which made everyone morally purer and kinder, turned them away from slavery to sin and captivated them into obedience to Christ. Truly, “to those who love God... all things work together for good” (Rom. 8:28), and the example of the Rostov saint shows that impartiality and uncompromisingness in matters of spiritual life only strengthen the authority of the shepherd, and not only among his contemporaries, but leave a good memory of him for centuries. Likewise, Saint Demetrius of Rostov was not only a worthy example to follow in his time, but also became a bright lamp of spiritual activity and a teacher of piety for us, his descendants. Secretary of the Academic Council of the KDA Abbot Panteleimon (Lugovoy) on the dissertation of His Eminence Anthony (Fialko), Bishop of Khmelnytsky and Shepetovsky, on the topic: “St. Demetrius of Rostov and his shepherding”, submitted for the degree of candidate of theology Bishop Anthony's (Fialko) dissertation on the topic “St. Demetrius of Rostov and his pastorate,” submitted for the degree of candidate of theology, consists of an introduction, five logically completed parts and a conclusion. The theme of the essay, expressed in its title, is fully disclosed and, “undoubtedly, is useful for modern shepherding, since the study of the pastoral experience of St. Demetrius brings us closer to the patristic heritage, provides an example of genuine pastoral self-sacrifice and pastoral wisdom, savingly guiding the sheep of Christ’s flock in the most unfavorable conditions.” The relevance of the topic follows from the basic idea of ​​Christianity: the reconciliation of man with God, the cessation of all enmity against the Creator, so that His all-encompassing love meets the active reciprocal love of man. Reconciliation of a person with God is impossible without his moral and spiritual rebirth, which takes place, first of all, in the Church of Christ under the leadership of shepherds called to recreate the image of God in people. Following the thought of St. Demetrius, the author argues that the main thing on the path to human salvation is the acquisition of Christian virtues - faith, hope and love. In this matter, the shepherd plays an important role. It is in him that people can see the ideal of piety and service to the Church. One of the most important tasks of pastoral activity is the evangelization of the Word of God. It was to this problem that Bishop Anthony devoted his work, based on the example of the life and work of the outstanding hierarch of the Orthodox Church, Saint Demetrius of Rostov, for “no one, having burned a lamp, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed; but he places it on the candlestick, so that he who enters may see the light” (Luke 8:16). One of these lamps, placed by God on the church candlestick, was Metropolitan Demetrius of Rostov, who shone forth in the difficult times of Peter the Great. The historical objectivity and philosophical courage of St. Demetrius has always attracted scientists and theologians, archpastors and monks, students and ordinary lay people - the children of the Orthodox Church. The saint not only raised the study of religious-philosophical and literary-historical questions of existence to the proper level, but presented them in such a way that they still sound as modern today as they were modern for people of the 17th–18th centuries. The value of Bishop Anthony’s work lies in the fact that, based on the systematization of enormous church-historical material, he was able to present a theological and scientific interpretation of many factual data relating to the personality and works of St. Demetrius. The dissertation author conscientiously and comprehensively revealed the topic of the work; when writing it, he used a large number of works of St. Demetrius, which are quoted from the five-volume edition of 1839–1840, as well as studies by various authors about the life and pastoral activities of Metropolitan Demetrius. The essay is easy to read and the presentation of the material is concise. The bibliographic apparatus of the work and footnotes are designed correctly, in accordance with the rules of bibliographic description. The only drawback in this regard is that the list of sources does not indicate the Bible, although there are footnotes to the Holy Scriptures in the work. The introduction should provide a more complete overview of the literature on the research topic. The practical significance of the dissertation lies in the fact that it provides a theological understanding of the works of St. Demetrius, which makes it possible to more fully reveal the essence of the ministry of the priesthood as performers of the Divine Mysteries and preachers of the truth of Christ, especially in difficult external church circumstances, during critical periods of history. The work makes a worthy contribution to the development of pastoral theology; its material can also be used in general theoretical works on the history of Ukraine and the Church, in the development of individual educational topics for special courses in the specialties “Homiletics” and “Church History”. Pedagogical practice shows that without a serious manual, a thoughtful attitude to the patristic heritage on the part of the children of the Church and, above all, Orthodox students is impossible. It should be noted that, like any development done for the first time, this work has some shortcomings, but they are not of fundamental importance. They can rather be attributed to the individual characteristics of the author’s style, which do not affect the significance of the work done. Head of the Department of Moral Theology of the KDA, Archpriest Dimitry Grigorak, on the dissertation of His Eminence Anthony (Fialko), Bishop of Khmelnytsky and Shepetovsky, “St. Demetrius of Rostov and his shepherding,” submitted for the degree of candidate of theology The topic of the presented work is undoubtedly very interesting and relevant. Despite the fact that there are already studies (articles, monographs) about St. Demetrius of Rostov, his personality, heritage, his role in the history of Russian spirituality and significance in the history of the Church are of enduring interest. The author of the dissertation rightly notes in the introduction that “Divine Providence was pleased to call St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, to serve the Church in difficult times for the Russian state.” Saint Demetrius was distinguished by his high humanism, exceptional education and breadth of views for those times, a thirst for beneficial changes in the life of society and indefatigable activity. With deep humility and great wisdom, St. Demetrius had great courage and boldly denounced the Tsar himself: “Today everyone will stand before you, but the morning is dead, who will fear you? Today you are unapproachable, and in the morning you lie in the tomb, trampling everyone underfoot,” this is how the saint addressed Peter I in his sermon, denouncing those who are subject to fits of violent anger. In another sermon, the saint contrasted Christ's feast with Herod's feast, branding drunkards and adulterers who went from Bacchus to Luther and abolished fasts in the regiments. This was an unambiguous protest against the royal decree that abolished fasting in the regiments. (The dissertation author briefly mentions this sermon in the last chapter of his research - “St. Demetrius as a preacher, teacher, hagiographer”). However, in less fundamental matters, St. Dimitry Rostovsky knew how to yield, distinguishing the main from the secondary. So, to the question: “By decree they bleach our braids, but we are ready to lay down our heads for our braids. Holy Master, what do you order? - the saint jokingly answered: “What will grow back: a cut off head, or a shaved hair?” Subsequently, on this topic, St. Demetrius of Rostov dedicated a separate treatise “On the Image of God and His Likeness in Man,” because he understood that in Russia, where a beard has long been considered a sign of the likeness of God, people resist the royal decree for fear of eternal destruction. These are just a few of the many examples of the high pastoral service of St. Demetrius: the ability to raise one’s voice in defense of the truth, regardless of secular power, and attention to the last of “these little ones,” understanding their needs, wants, faith and fear. The first chapter of the dissertation research, “The Life of St. Demetrius of Rostov and the State of Shepherding in His Time,” contains similar examples. Thus, it is said how the Tsar “zealously treated the saint with wine,” and he obeyed the will of the Sovereign, but did not answer questions, limiting himself only to blessings. One can agree with Bishop Anthony that this testified to the “spiritual and pastoral wisdom” of the saint. However, there were cases when the wisdom of the saint was manifested in formidable denunciations of the king, and he, struck by the spiritual greatness of the saint, was forced to remain silent (and this is the formidable Peter I!). In the chapter “The moral character of a shepherd according to St. Demetrius of Rostov” and the following chapter “Pastoral counseling according to St. Demetrius”, it is valuable that the author provides information about the pedagogical activity of St. Demetrius of Rostov, about his zealous labors in the field of spiritual enlightenment of the younger generation. The history of the “school, Greek and Latin” that he created and the closure of this school, so dear to him, without his knowledge and in his absence, is one of the most glorious and at the same time one of the most tragic episodes in the life of St. Demetrius of Rostov. This is evidence of his love for enlightenment, for genuine culture and knowledge, his heroically selfless service to the Church and courage in the performance of his pastoral duty. The author of the dissertation reveals the cultural and educational side of the pastoral activities of St. Demetrius of Rostov, reflected in his teaching, apologetic, theological, dramatic and poetic works, which are equally marked by excellent style, brilliant talent and a desire to morally improve people. St. himself Dimitri Rostovsky valued them very much: according to his will, drafts of his works were placed in his coffin instead of a pillow. In general, the author of the dissertation did a very great job and gave a fairly coherent, systematic presentation of his complex and multifaceted topic. Regarding the design: the author is recommended to correct the title page of the work, since it is made according to the old model. I believe that the author of this work, Bishop Anthony, can be awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Theology. It pleased God's providence to call Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, to serve the Church in difficult times for the Russian state. The era of Peter's reforms was accompanied by the destruction of ancient foundations, the destruction of the centuries-old way of life to which the Russian people were accustomed. Piety, spiritual ideals, monastic feats - all this ceased to be valued at the top of Russian society, and at the bottom it caused an increase in drunkenness, debauchery, and ignorance. It was difficult in such conditions to lead the flock, directing it to the narrow gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. It was necessary to truly be a burning and shining lamp, in order to show people the path to the Truth in the darkness of moral savagery and spiritual sleep, to awaken in them a craving for eternal life. And the Lord, by His ineffable mercy, raised up such true shepherds who rightly ruled the Word of truth. One of them, and, moreover, probably the most outstanding, was St. Demetrius. An educated theologian, a talented preacher, a historian, an experienced ascetic who knew how to heal human souls - St. Demetrius was just the shepherd who was so needed in the spiritual field at that time. His life and numerous works entered the treasury of the Orthodox Church. And in this precious heritage of the saint, an important place is occupied by the experience of his counseling and pastoral activity, the study of which is the main task of this work. The chosen topic is undoubtedly useful for modern shepherding, since the study of the pastoral experience of St. Demetrius brings us closer to the patristic heritage, provides an example of genuine pastoral selflessness and pastoral wisdom, savingly guiding the sheep of Christ’s flock in the most unfavorable conditions. What sources and aids did the author use when working on the chosen topic? First of all, these are, of course, the creations of St. Demetrius himself. They are cited in the work from the five-volume edition of 1839–1840 (in this case indicated: “Works”, volume and page number) and from the one-volume edition of Tuzov of 1888 (in this case marked simply “Works”, without indicating the volume). In addition, sometimes individual works of the saint are quoted - “Chronicle” according to the edition of Soykin, B.G., and “Search for the Bryn faith...” according to the Kiev edition of 1903. From the research on the life and work of St. Demetrius, the work primarily used the following: Shlyapkin I.A. Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his time. St. Petersburg, 1891. Popov M., priest. Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his works. St. Petersburg, 1910. Nechaev V. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. M., 1849. Issues of the pastoral activity of St. Demetrius are discussed in the works: Maccabees N. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, as a shepherd and pastorologist. Kyiv, 1910. Pitirim (Starinsky), hierodiac. Saint Demetrius of Rostov, his theological works and pastoral activities. Zagorsk, 1972. The last source is a course work completed at the Moscow Theological Academy. In addition to it, the author used two more works of the Moscow Theological Academy: Derzhavin A., prot. The Chetia-Minea of ​​St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, as a church-historical and literary monument. Zagorsk, 1954 (master's thesis). Nedosekin V., prot. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, and his homiletical heritage. Zagorsk, 1970 (candidate's essay). Chapter 1. The life of St. Demetrius of Rostov and the state of the pastorate in his time Saint Demetrius was born in 1651, and in holy baptism his name was Daniel. He spent his childhood in the town of Makarov, not far from Kyiv. The father of the future saint, Savva Grigorievich Tuptalo, centurion of the Zaporozhye army, and mother Maria Mikhailovna were pious and deeply religious people. Savva Grigorievich was always concerned with his duties, took part in the defense of Orthodoxy from Catholic influence, and devoted the last years of his long life to the Church, retiring with the rank of ktitor of the Kyiv St. Cyril Monastery. Saint Demetrius testifies to the good and exemplary life of his mother in his diary: “May the Lord grant her a good answer at His Last Judgment, although I do not doubt God’s mercy and her salvation, knowing her constant virtuous and pious life” 2. Without a doubt, the Christian lifestyle of the parents was imprinted on the heart of their son and planted the seeds of piety in his soul. The shrines of Kyiv, where they moved in 1660, further increased Daniel’s desire and attraction to a life pleasing to God. He continued his literacy training, which began in his parents' house, at the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium, where he was assigned to study in 1662, during the rectorship of Ioannikiy Golyatovsky, a famous rhetorician and preacher. No detailed documentary information has been preserved about the years of study of St. Demetrius. The scholastic direction of education that existed within the walls of this institution could not but influence the students. But this method, according to some researchers, met the urgent needs of that time, providing the necessary knowledge and skills in the struggle for the purity of Orthodoxy against Latinization. And this justified the negative aspects (scholasticism): it is impossible to doubt the ardent love of the school’s students for Orthodoxy, which they witnessed by their zealous struggle for its purity. According to researchers, the saint studied at the college for no more than three years and during this time he had the opportunity to complete the course of study and gain knowledge within the framework of the program 3. It should be noted that these years were very difficult for the Kiev-Mohyla Collegium. The decline of education was due to the uncertainty of political events and the unrest experienced by Kyiv and Ukraine, which were located both politically and territorially between two strong rivals - Catholic Poland and Orthodox Russia, which left its mark on church life. But even with all this, the saint took away from school a rich store of knowledge, had an excellent command of the Latin language and, thanks to his hard work and abilities, received good training under the guidance of such mentors as rector Ioannikiy Golyatovsky, Archimandrite of Pechersk Innocent Gisel, abbot of the Kyiv Cyril Monastery Meletius Dzik and others who took part in his fate. In 1668, Abbot Meletius Dzik tonsured Demetrius to the monastic rank. He lived for almost seven years in the Kirillov Monastery, learning from experienced mentors humility, obedience and brotherly love. In addition to monastic works, Demetrius was also engaged in science: “in his cell he wrote and composed, ordered by the abbot and from other senior leaders, diligent in reading spiritual books” 4. All these circumstances allowed the young monk to enter the circle of the most educated and progressive people of that time, who stood at the center of the socio-cultural, political and religious life of Ukraine. On March 25, 1669, he was ordained a hierodeacon by Metropolitan Joseph of Tukalsky of Kyiv, whom Innocent Gisel characterized as “a saint of the holy faith, an unshakable pillar of the East” 5 . The dedication took place in one of the ancient (12th century) monasteries in the city of Kanev, which was under the patronage of Hetman Doroshenko. In 1675, in the Gustinsky monastery of the city of Priluki, Archbishop of Chernigov Lazar Baranovich ordained Demetrius as a hieromonk. On the recommendation and with the assistance of the Kiev-Pechersk abbot Meletius Dzik, the future saint, already distinguished by his oratory skills, was left by Lazar Baranovich as a preacher in the cathedral and other churches in the city of Chernigov. With the blessing of Lazar Baranovich, who was engaged in literary activities, Demetrius compiled at this time a collection of tales about miracles revealed in the Trinity-Ilinsky Monastery from the miraculous image of the Mother of God, called “The Irrigated Fleece.” In July 1677, Saint Demetrius left for Lithuania, where he lived until 1679. Outside the Moscow state, in the southwestern region, which was under the yoke of lordly Poland, he saw firsthand the difficult situation of the Ukrainian people, who were undergoing double oppression: social - from the gentry, magnates, and spiritual - from the Catholic Church. The consequences of the liberation movement of the Ukrainian people led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, which ended with the annexation of Left-Bank Ukraine to Russia, did not humble the pride of the Polish nobility. The government and the gentry pursued the policy of Catholicization even more cruelly, seducing the Orthodox into the union and not disdaining any methods or means. The Polish kings Jan Casimir, Mikhail Wisniewiecki, Jan Sobieski were obedient executors of the will of the magnates and the Catholic clergy. Churches, monasteries, and property were taken away from the Orthodox; the clergy, not excluding hierarchs, were subjected to violence and oppression. The Sejm constantly passed laws directed against the Orthodox brotherhoods, which were the stronghold of Orthodoxy in this struggle. Literary controversy also intensified. For almost two years, the future Saint Demetrius lived in the Polish state, serving as a people's preacher at the Slutsk church brotherhood, in a word establishing Orthodoxy, calling not to weaken in spirit in the struggle. Communication with champions of Orthodoxy, such as Theodosius Vasilevich, Bishop of Belarus, Klimenty Trizna, abbot of the Vilna Holy Spirit Monastery, strengthened his desire to serve the suffering people and his native Church. In Poland, Saint Demetrius studied the Polish language, here he became acquainted with Catholic theology, with the works of secular and religious thinkers of the West, and encountered the machinations of Catholic propaganda. Hetman Samoilovich invited Dmitry to his place several times, and therefore he took advantage of this opportunity and arrived in the city of Baturin, where he settled in the St. Nicholas Monastery. Here he began to write his Diary, a diary. But soon the quiet life ended for him. In 1681, Archbishop Lazar Baranovich promoted Hieromonk Dimitri to hegumen of the Maksakov Monastery. Five months later he was transferred to the abbot of the Baturinsky Monastery. However, Demetrius's leadership did not last long. Having a natural inclination towards a contemplative life and the thought of God, the saint was burdened by his troublesome obedience, so in 1684, leaving his abbess, with the consent of the new Pechersk Archimandrite Varlaam Yasinsky, he moved to the Lavra. In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Demetrius took upon himself a new obedience, which glorified him for all times: the compilation of the Chetyi-Menya. This work was begun by Peter Mogila, who for this purpose ordered the Greek handwritten Lives of the Saints by Simeon Metaphrastus from Athos, but did not have time to complete his plan. Lazar Baranovich also made an attempt to correct the situation, but it ended unsuccessfully and brought only grief to the saint, serving as a reason for ridicule from the Latins. Innocent Gisel was seriously involved in this matter and even asked Patriarch Joachim for his blessing to send Makaryevsky Menaions from Moscow. His request was granted, but the books were rewritten in cursive, and therefore sent back, due to the “difficulty of cursive writing.” Once again, Varlaam Yasinsky and other clergy of the monastery began the difficult work, but Dimitri was appointed editor-in-chief. Compiling lives completely fascinated him and took up so much time that he often went to rest without undressing an hour before Matins. Soon the election of a new Kyiv Metropolitan Gideon (Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky) took place, who fled from Polish self-will under the protection of Samoilovich, who petitioned the Moscow government for him. And in January 1686, when Dmitry and Yasinsky went to congratulate the new metropolitan, he was again asked to accept the abbess at the Baturinsky monastery, where he continued his work, and the hetman himself assisted him, turning to Moscow to Prince B.V. Golitsyn with a request to send the Great Menaions. With great difficulties arising from disputes between representatives of the metropolitanate and Patriarch Joachim, the first quarter of the Menaion was printed in 1688 at the expense of the Pechersk monastery. The published book was submitted to the council of elders and the metropolitan for consideration, and then sent to the patriarch for approval. By that time, there was a debate in Moscow between Sylvester Medvedev and the Likhud brothers on the issue of the Holy Eucharist and the time of the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. Aware of the peculiarities and views of the Ukrainian clergy, subject to Western influence in this matter, and also wishing to show their rights in the metropolis and confirm them, the patriarch demanded that the metropolitan send representatives of the clergy to explain and resolve controversial issues: “On behalf of your (Little Russian) spiritual rank, a husband of humble wisdom, sincerely of the Eastern Church of the son, who knows the writings of the holy fathers, the ancient teachers of the Holy Christ’s Eastern Churches, and not merely exercising themselves with syllogisms and arguments... and thus all disagreement is driven away” 6 . The new hetman Ivan Stepanovich Mazepa at that time also gathered in Moscow to express his devotion to Princess Sophia and Golitsyn. On August 10, 1689, representatives of this embassy, ​​together with clergy, including Demetrius, arrived in Moscow. On August 11, they introduced themselves to Princess Sophia and Ioann Alekseevich, and then to Patriarch Joachim. A month later, Mazepa hurried to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra to convince Tsar Peter of his good intentions, due to rapidly developing events, fearing to remain in Sophia’s camp. And here the clergy also visited the patriarch and discussed issues that worried him. At the monastery, according to the testimony of Saint Demetrius, they often visited the patriarch, who treated this humble worker condescendingly, blessing him to continue the work he had begun and presented him with an image of the Most Holy Theotokos in a frame. The boat of time sailed steadily forward, life and events took their course, about which in 1695 the saint wrote in his diary: “At the very beginning of the month of Januarius, another book of the Lives of the Saints was completed” 7, i.e. for December, January, February. Together with Metropolitan Varlaam, Hetman Mazepa also asked for the Makaryevsky Menyas to be sent from Moscow. Simultaneously with the publication of these books, the first collection of the saint, “Irrigated Fleece,” was published in 1696. In 1697, Demetrius was appointed abbot of the Kirillov Monastery, but soon he was transferred again and appointed archimandrite of the Chernigov Yelets Monastery, and then the Novgorod-Seversk Archimandry was transferred to his jurisdiction. While fulfilling the duties assigned to him, he did not abandon his first obedience: “On the day of 1700 in the month of January, the third book of the Lives of the Saints, compiled through the labors of the inspired husband, Hieromonk Dmitry Savich Tuptalenko, was published and filled the hearts of curious book people with spiritual joy” 8. Soon a new period began in the life of Demetrius, Rostov, and the Lord was pleased to glorify the tireless worker in the field of hierarchical service. After the illness and death of Ignatius Korsakov, Metropolitan of Siberia, a worthy candidate was needed for the vacant department, about which Tsar Peter himself showed concern. In 1700, the tsar sent a decree to Metropolitan Varlaam of Kyiv, who commanded: “For the establishment and increase in the Orthodox faith and the preaching of the Holy Gospel in idolatrous peoples, also for bringing yasak peoples into the Christian faith - the Great Sovereign ordered to look in the Little Russian region, cities and monasteries for archimandrites and abbots or other famous monks of the good, and a scientist, and a good, immaculate life, who would be a metropolitan in Tobolsk” 9. Patriarch Adrian also made a similar request to the Metropolitan. In December 1700, a personal decree followed “for the election to the Siberian metropolitans, and to be a metropolitan in Ignatiev’s place, in Moscow... of the Chernigov region to the Novgorod archimandrite Dimitri”... 10. On February 10, 1701, he arrived in Moscow and greeted Peter, and on March 23, during the Week of the Cross, in the 51st year of his life, Demetrius was elevated to the rank of bishop. The dedication was performed by Metropolitan Trifilliy of Sarsk and Podolsk, Metropolitan Isaiah of Novgorod and Alatyr, and Metropolitan Stefan of Ryazan and Murom. In the spring, it was not possible for Dimitri to go to Siberia due to the mud. Therefore, he temporarily settled in the Chudov Monastery, where there were the clergy and sacristy, the singers of the Siberian Metropolitan, who arrived with Metropolitan Ignatius for the service. The saint was busy with the affairs of his vast diocese, performed services, preached the gospel, and received visitors. In the summer his departure was prevented by a sudden illness. The Tsar himself inquired about his health and visited him personally. It became clear that for Siberia, with its harsh climate, Dmitry was in poor health. The illness was further aggravated by internal worries about the unfinished great work of compiling the Menaion. Tsar Peter canceled his order and took care of the appointment to Siberia of Filofei Leshchinsky, the future educator of the region, with whom Demetrius was connected by ties of friendship. At that time, the Russian state was going through a difficult period in its history - renewal. It took a colossal effort of the entire people and all classes of society to overcome stagnation - patriarchal Rus' to become one of the leading states in the world, to reach the level of developed powers in Europe. The ongoing war with Sweden absorbed enormous financial and material resources and placed a heavy burden on the shoulders of the working people. Therefore, a number of the highest decrees and commands followed to raise funds in the state budget. Saint Demetrius was a witness to this great era and an accomplice in the people's feat. After the Narva defeat, it was ordered to take a quarter of the bells in all dioceses for casting cannons. The Patriarchal rank was abolished and an inventory of monastic property was ordered, a Monastic Order was established, and it was forbidden to recruit novices. Quit-rent articles in the estates of the patriarchs, bishops and monasteries were farmed out. Control was introduced over monastic incomes, and then the monks were transferred to cash salaries and annual bread allowances, and the remaining income went to the treasury. One of the legends that testifies to his spiritual and pastoral wisdom relates to the short period of St. Demetrius’s stay as Metropolitan of Siberia. The Emperor, wishing to test the saint, invited him to his place and diligently treated him to wine. The saint obeyed the will of the Emperor, but did not answer questions, limiting himself only to blessings. On November 10, 1701, Joasaph Lazarevich, Metropolitan of Rostov, died, and in his place, at the request of Stefan Yavorsky, on January 4, 1702, Saint Demetrius was appointed. On March 1, 1702, the saint arrived in the city of Rostov. He was met by the flock with the icon of the Mother of God of Bogolyubskaya with the wonderworkers of Rostov standing before Her. Having entered the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery, under the shadow of the Church of St. Anna, he prophetically predicted and indicated the place of his burial: “Behold my peace, here I will dwell forever and ever.” After celebrating the Liturgy in the Assumption Cathedral, he delivered a welcoming speech to the flock, in which he defined the purpose and nature of his future life and pastoral activity: “I have come, not to serve me, but to serve you... not to please myself, but to admonish the disorderly, to console the faint-hearted, to intercede for the weak... to love the good, and to show mercy to the evil. punish, seek the benefit of everyone, carefully seek salvation for everyone, pray for everyone” 11. This speech also reflects the problems that the saint had to face in his diocese. About the state in which the flock of St. Demetrius, his contemporaries testify. So, I.T. Pososhkov speaks about the clergy: “The current flock is very faulty... these elders live in the city, and they do not really know what sin is, what salvation is, and for this reason they do not force their parishioners to repentance and do not instruct how to live soul-savingly. Only that presbyter can very little directly celebrate the Liturgy, who spent a good amount of time in the city at the cathedral or under a reasonable presbyter... but if he didn’t stay much, he can’t send anything according to the books. Our rural priests are burdened with agriculture and for this reason they are not as concerned about church service as they are about their arable land, and the spiritual flock has already begun to be on the sidelines... rural presbyters are the most simple people: he grows up in the village, and thinks about village affairs. If he doesn’t plow the arable land, then he’ll be alone” 12. Saint Demetrius asked one of the shepherds: “Why bring you to the priestly rank? Also, in order to save them too? Not at all, but to feed his wife and household... He looked for Jesus, not for Jesus, but for a bite of bread” 13. The moral state of the clergy was unfavorable. Literary works of that time, folk tales, songs, and proverbs told about the tricks of the priesthood and monastics, ridiculing their greed, laziness and drunkenness. The saint, in his writings and messages to his flock, more than once pointed out the vices of the clergy. The flock was no better. “I,” writes Pososhkov, “truly saw such old men even in Moscow that for fifty years they had not gone to confession, not for the sake of schismaticism, but for the sake of presbytery non-coercion.” The Rostov archpastor also confirms such phenomena: “Some have not received communion from ten years old, others from twenty years old, and others do not even know in their entire lives that it is possible to partake of the Divine Mysteries, unless when the baby was baptized, then he received communion, which he does not remember” 14. It is enough to get acquainted with the contents of one petition letter to imagine what difficulties the saint encountered in his diocese: “The city of Uglich, Resurrection priest Ivan beats his forehead: the parishioners of that church, and his priest’s spiritual children get drunk, they don’t go to the Church of God, and they are disobedient to his priest in no way, and they revile his priest with unheard-of words, because he is the priest of their parish people (allegedly) the father teaches against the rules of the saints, he does not sanctify the well. The parishioners object that the priest does not go to houses, does not give the cross, fights, takes off his vestments, and bruises a parishioner with his fist” 15. Among the monastery and bishop peasants, things came to bloody battles, in which up to three thousand people took part. In such conditions, Saint Demetrius was forced to take measures to streamline affairs in the diocese. The already difficult situation was aggravated by state intervention in the affairs of the Church. Stewards, solicitors, clerks, who were not at all distinguished by decency, were sent to bishops' houses and monasteries. As a result, the peasants left their places and fled to schismatic monasteries, the monasteries became poorer, the clergy became poor and could barely make ends meet. The educational activities of the archpastor, his messages to the priests and flock, numerous sermons, the establishment of a public school in Rostov - all this was aimed at healing social ills and eradicating evil. Realizing that “all the cold was due to the lack of teaching of an infant,” the saint decided to found a school and obtained permission from the Monastery Order: “In the current year 1702, on May 28, we indicated, according to the painting of the Right Reverend Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov... to issue two monks and translators thirty rubles a year;... to issue with signatures to teachers of Greek and Latin language for thirty rubles per person; for a Russian, five rubles, and bread for the poor, who will learn Russian literacy, one money per day, and those who learn Greek and Latin, then two money per day” 16. This document indicates that not only the children of the clergy, but also ordinary townspeople, and even the poor, studied at the school. An order was sent throughout the diocese to send children to school. In addition to languages, children were taught rhetoric, spelling, singing, and the Law of God. The students spent their vacations and holidays in the bishop's villages: Demyanakh, Shestakovo, Kaptsy, here they rested, swam in the lake, performed plays and comedies. In 1702, a famous play was staged for the Nativity of Christ. For some plays, the bishop himself composed the text. Schoolchildren replaced the saint’s family and friends and consoled him in moments of trials and illness. He invited them to his place and forced them to read the “Our Father” prayer five times in memory of the five wounds of nails on the Most Pure Body of the Savior. The presence of students at the service was mandatory. The Bishop himself gave them communion, urging them to live in purity, chastity, and to pray fervently. He promised to pray for them himself, and did not forget about them later, during times of poverty. Grateful pupils called him “a philanthropist and the father of all,” remembering “our priest, Metropolitan Demetrius of blessed memory,” 17 . The school did not last long: in 1705, during one of the bishop’s trips to Moscow, it was closed by order of the steward Voeikov, about which the saint complained in a letter to Metropolitan Job of Novgorod: “By God’s permission, poverty was created in the bishop’s house and the teachings were left, which, because of our indignation, feeds us, as if much were coming out.” expenses for teachers and students, and already everything that the bishop’s house receives from us has been taken away, the essence of it, not only the fatherland, but also church tribute, and the coronal memory, and so on, and so on, having become impoverished in everything that is impoverished and in teachings” 18. “A house is not built all at once, nor is a book written suddenly; and, having finished the work, the master repairs it, correcting and completing it,” said Saint Demetrius about his books, research and works 19. Day and night he did not part with his pen: during the day he wrote by the dim mica window, at night - by the flickering of a candle. The saint was more afraid than death of leaving the compilation of lives unfinished. Thus, in one of his letters, he wrote: “Terrify me with the death of the late Joseph Koldychevsky, the fear of death will attack me, and the extreme fear that we don’t know the day and the hour... but the work of writing books will remain, will anyone be willing to take it up and do it, and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done” 20. And the saint had many different plans and plans for the future. While dealing with the affairs of the diocese, he collected historical information about the Rostov Metropolis, appending it to the Menaions. On February 9, 1705, the great long-term work of the saint was completed, marked by the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now do you let go of your servant, Master...” 21. Concerned about raising the educational level of the clergy, he began to compile a new book, “The Chronicler,” as a guide to Sacred history from the creation of the world to the sixth century of the fourth thousand years. The history of the century fit into one chapter, and if there were no important events in it, then the saint filled the chapter with a moral teaching or a sermon, which, in fact, was the focus of the work: “On the chronicle writing that we have begun, with God’s help, let those who want to know know that our intention is not only to delve into stories, but also to learn from moral teachings and interpretations of the Holy Scriptures” 22 . In the summer of 1705, Saint Demetrius visited Yaroslavl, a large trading city that had become the center of the schismatic movement. Archpastoral concern for the Church of God was expressed not only in taking practical measures against schismatics, but also forced the bishop to again take up the tried weapon, the pen, to expose their errors in the essay “Discourse on the Image of God and the Likeness in Man,” sermons, and then in the treatise “Search for the schismatic Bryn faith.” In his sermons to the “simple people,” Saint Demetrius mercilessly castigated such vices of schismatics as ignorance, lies and immorality. He points out the reasons that forced the saint to use such strong means, characterizing what was happening: “The Holy Church is severely oppressed, diminished, both from external persecutors and from internal schismatics... almost in every city, some kind of special faith is being invented, and about faith, both simple men and women... dogmatize and teach, like the addition of three fingers, saying not right and new cross to be" 23. The struggle of Saint Demetrius against the schism, his polemics, according to the testimony of the schism teachers themselves, was a success, as the tsar knew about. In need of statesmen and capable people to carry out reforms, Peter I, taking into account the authority of the Metropolitan of Rostov, his literary talent and the effectiveness of his words, had the intention of publishing his book with an appendix to the Trebnik. In August 1705, in accordance with the sovereign decree and the permission of Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky, the saint of Rostov arrived in Moscow as the next bishop for priestly service and obedience “with the sacristy, and with the choristers, and with the house people, and with the reserves” 24. He spent almost a whole year in labor, performing sacred acts, preaching the gospel in various churches on topical issues, and teaching the people. It was to this period of his activity that the most significant number of sermons dated back. Their main theme is the achievement of Christian perfection, a moral ideal. The affairs of managing the diocese, relationships with secular authorities, trips to Moscow, worries about the bishop's house, and scientific works took a lot of strength and health from the saint. Along with ordinary labors, he also performed an ascetic feat. He exhausted his body like a repentant sinner. He often spread himself with a cross on the ground, in the summer he gave his body over to be eaten by mosquitoes, he limited himself in food, eating once during the first week of Great Lent - on Thursday, and also on Holy Week. Often, despite his rank, he traveled on foot from Rostov to Yaroslavl and back. This blond, gray-haired, thin, seemingly inconspicuous man, short in stature, hunched over, with a small wedge-shaped beard, wearing glasses, who usually wore a woolen duckweed of his favorite dark green color, hid within himself an amazingly powerful spirit. Writing on spiritual topics for the benefit of Christians was his urgent need. His pen includes: “Spiritual Medicine for Confused Thoughts”; “Mirror of the Orthodox confession, dogmatic content”; “12 articles on the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ”; “On the Communion of the Holy Mysteries”; “Grateful remembrance of the Passion of Christ and prayerful reflection and lamentation at the burial of the God-bearing body” and other works. The saint suffered a lot, seeing the decline of church life and splendor, the ruin of the bishop's house, the poverty of the clergy and people, and he himself endured poverty with them, being forced to limit himself even in small things. This is evident from his letters, when he asks benefactors to send him “some tea,” because “in Rostov there is nowhere to get it, but like time,” when he invites them to his “cell for mushrooms,” when he reports: “I’m almost wandering around on foot, neither horse nor rider. The sheep are depleted of food and there are no horses” 25. Back in 1707, the saint left a will in case of death. He felt the approach of death, often called the poor and beggars to his Cross Chamber, served them a meal, showed mercy, redeemed debtors from their rights, relieving them from punishment. The year 1709 for the Rostov diocese was marked by a number of important events and visits. And the saint was forced to overcome weaknesses and illnesses. In the summer, Rostov was visited by princesses Natalya, Maria and Feodosia Alekseevna, who were present at the consecration of the Church of St. Artemy in the Epiphany Monastery. At the beginning of July, news arrived of the victory of Russian troops “over the adversary, over the Swedes near Poltava.” The saint himself performed a solemn prayer service and noted this event in his diary. In the fall, news came of the arrival of Tsarina Praskovia Feodorovna in Rostov to venerate the miraculous icon of the Mother of God in the Tolga Monastery. In order not to bother the distinguished guest with a tiring journey, it was ordered to bring the icon to Rostov. The saint became so weak in health that he did not hope to live to see that time: “Here come two guests,” he said to the treasurer Philaret, “the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of Earth. Only I won’t be able to see them anymore, but you, the treasurer, must be ready to accept them” 26. On October 25, the day of his Angel, he was exhausted from coughing attacks, but he himself performed the Liturgy in the cathedral. The choir read the lesson for him, and the saint sat at the royal gates. October 26 was the last day of his life. On the morning of October 28, 1709, he was found in his cell on the floor, resting in a kneeling position of prayer. The body of Saint Demetrius was buried according to his will in the Spaso-Yakovlevsky Monastery. The funeral service was performed by Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky, a friend of the saint, who repeated in the funeral homily: “Holy Demetrius, holy!” The discovery of the relics of the Rostov archpastor took place 43 years later, and on April 22, 1757, he was canonized, to the great council of the saints of God, whose glory he captured in his works. According to researchers, the creative heritage of St. Demetrius amounts to up to 20 volumes of essays and works, testifying to him as a tireless worker, an ascetic of science, and a church encyclopedist. His personal library consisted of over 300 volumes, and he constantly replenished it with books received from booksellers in the West and Russia, as well as those sent by friends, to whom he always reminded of the need to send rare copies needed for work. A scientist and theologian with a large store of knowledge and experience, the saint, examining the monuments of church writing of Eastern and Latin origin, the works of the Fathers of the Church, like a bee, extracted the nectar of wisdom from everywhere. He mentions more than 60 names of church and secular writers, historians, teachers of the Church and theologians in his works. Among the used St. Demetrius's list of monuments of church writing included ancient patericons, Prologues, chronicles, and chronologies. The most important place in the writings of Saint Demetrius is given to the fathers of the Holy Church, theologians, teachers, preachers, whose pastoral experience he was guided in his ministry and activities. He himself brings their names before the eyes of listeners and readers. These are the Monk Macarius of Egypt, Saints Athanasius the Great, John Climacus, John of Damascus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian, Ephraim the Syrian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Dvoeslov, blessed Jerome, Theodoret, Augustine, Hieromartyr Cyprian and many others. Of the literary monuments of the Russian Orthodox Church he used, mention should be made, first of all, of the Great Chetya-Menaion of Metropolitan Macarius, which had fundamental significance in the creation of his Lives of the Saints, the works of St. Maxim the Greek, Lazar Baranovich and a number of others, which he used in clarifying religious and dogmatic issues. Analyzing and carefully studying the enormous literary material, noting the errors and disagreements that have crept in, Saint Demetrius approaches it critically and at the same time expands his horizons and knowledge. Often, when encountering contradictions, he pays tribute to the authority of the fathers, and sometimes he submits them to pious Christian reasoning and faith, trusting the conciliar reason of the Holy Church, possessing the fullness of Divine grace and knowledge. At the beginning of the saint’s creative activity, the influence of Western scholasticism is noticeable in his writings and sermons: its inherent methods, sophisms and allegorical devices are used, but in the second half of his life the works acquire greater simplicity and clarity of thought. All the works of Saint Demetrius can be divided into four types 27: 1. Dogmatic. These include “Search for the schismatic Bryn faith” and “Mirror of the Orthodox Confession.” 2. Spiritual and moral. These include the teachings of the saint, such as “The inner man in the cage of his heart is solitary, studying and praying in secret,” “Apology for the consolation of sorrow,” “General confession of sins,” “Adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ,” “Spiritual Alphabet,” 120 sermons that have come down to us. 3. Historical. These are, first of all, 12 volumes of the Lives of the Saints, “Chronicle”, “Irrigated Fleece”, “Diary”. 4. Poetic. Spiritual dramas “The Nativity of Christ”, “The Repentant Sinner”, “Esther and Ahasfer”, poems (or cants) - “My Most Lovable Jesus” and others. Chapter 2. Saint Demetrius on the revival of man to spiritual life Divine grace and man's personal participation in the matter of salvation The highest and main goal of shepherding is the salvation of human souls, concern for the restoration of the image of God in fallen human nature, guidance on the path of truth, which consists in spiritual care. All the writings and sermons of Saint Demetrius are imbued with this paternal concern, in which the main idea is about the great calling of man to become a joint heir of eternal life and glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. To achieve bliss and unity with God, it is necessary to make efforts, overcome the difficult path to salvation in a constant struggle with the forces of evil and one’s own sinfulness, and lay the beginnings of Christian virtues as the foundation of one’s salvation. Being an experienced mentor and preacher, Saint Demetrius knew how to convey his spiritual impulse to his listeners, kindled gratitude and love for the Savior in their hearts, and awakened a desire for moral revival. When presenting the issue of the spiritual and moral renewal of human nature, Saint Demetrius in his works draws the attention of pious readers to the high destiny of man, starting from the time of his creation. Even in the eternal Council of the Holy Trinity, it was decided to create a person, “for whom (God) created and arranged the entire universe, prepared for him a special, most noble, most beautiful and worthy place on earth, like a royal city, who should become the king of the whole earth, a blessed paradise, I say, planted in the east” 28. Of all earthly creatures, only man was honored by the gift of the image of God. In the Chronicle and in the Search, the saint explains what the image and godlikeness of man consists of. “The image of God and likeness is not created in the human body, but in the soul, for God does not have a body. God is an incorporeal Spirit" 29. The Lord endowed man with properties similar to Him: “... and He created the human soul disembodied, similar to Himself, free, rational, immortal, participating in eternity, and united it with flesh” 30. Human nature is dual. By his material essence, by his body, man belongs to the entire created world, has much in common with it, but in his soul he bears the image of the Creator, and can and is called to become like Him. The image of God in the human soul is revealed and visible in its properties: just as the soul is invisible, so God is also invisible, it is rational, just as the Creator of the world is the God of intelligence, the Giver of wisdom. God is in three Persons, and the soul has three powers: mind, word and spirit; just as the soul is in its body, so God is present everywhere in the world 31. The soul is a rational being that gives life to the body; as a reflection of the Divine, she is alive - and God lives forever 32. In human nature, the image of God is wisely united with bodily nature, and at the same time has the opportunity to communicate with the Creator, and therefore the saint calls it “most God-like” 33. “The soul is the most God-like nature, that is, it is closest to God, has the image of its Creator” 34. “Let it be known to you,” the saint teaches, “that the image of God exists in the soul of an unfaithful person, but the likeness exists only in a virtuous Christian” 35 . Therefore, a person who loves his Savior and God never transgresses His commandments, strives to remain in holiness, and becomes like the Creator. But if “a Christian commits a mortal sin, he loses only the likeness of God, not the image. And if he is condemned to eternal torment, then even then the image of God remains with him forever, but there is no longer any likeness in him” 36. One of the manifestations of God’s love for man is the freedom given to him by the Creator, which the Lord does not limit in any way: “if God allowed and did not prevent both the devil and man from sinning, then this is because God does not violate free will” 37 . And even in terms of a person’s personal salvation, God does not act violently over his freedom. “It is not in vain,” the saint writes, “in one place God says to the sinner this: I was able to create you without you, but I cannot save you without you... If you yourself do not want salvation, if you yourself are running away from eternal life, if you love your destruction more than salvation, then neither My wisdom, nor My mercy, nor My omnipotence will help you” 38. Sin has taken such hold of human nature that no one except God is able to restore it to its original purity. For Adam’s sin alone, all the Old Testament righteous could not give satisfaction to the truth of God. “After Adam’s crime, paradise was closed to the human race, and no one could open it for five thousand years. Everyone, even the holy saints of God, at the end of this temporary life went not to heaven, but to hell” 39. Sin is a great evil, resistance and disobedience to the will of God, it removes a person from his Creator, deprives him of sonship and grace. “King God is angry with that man whom He created, enriched with His grace, loved like a father a son, and for whom He has prepared eternal blessings in heaven,” but who, having despised such great mercy, “the love and beneficence of his Creator, begins to transgress His commandments... From this let us understand how great the evil is sin, since it can be the cause of such great disasters” 40. But God’s love did not deprive humanity of hope for deliverance from sin and death, “for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29) 41. One Son of God could repay the debt to Divine justice, give “satisfaction to God the Father through His voluntary suffering for universal sin and open the entrance to heaven with the cross” 42. The priceless human soul was redeemed at the price of the blood of the Son of God: “The soul has as many centuries as the blood of the Son of God has... Drain the blood of the Son of God, and you will hang the honesty of your soul” 43. Praising God’s wisdom, Her providential action for the salvation of mankind, the saint resorts to images from sacred poetry: “The human soul is the only daughter and bride of Christ our Savior. Daughter, for He raised her from death to life through His Blood. Bride, for He united with her in such a strong union of love that He did not refuse to die for her love. It is not in vain that the Song of Songs says: “Strong as death is love” (Song of Songs 8:6).” The saint considers the spiritual and moral uprising and justification of man a miracle higher than that which the Lord performed over the four-day-old Lazarus. It is possible for every repentant sinner who runs to the feet of the Savior because the image of God is still preserved in man. “Now it is clearly visible how much greater the triumph and miracle of Christ is to resurrect the soul of a sinner who has died in his sins than the miracle of resurrecting a four-day-old dead man... Lazarus died again, although many years later. When He resurrected the soul of a sinful woman who was crying at His feet, this soul was already immortal” 44. The image of God is manifested in the ability of will, when a person freely chooses which path to follow: to eternal death or to life with God, to holiness and eternal bliss. This is the idea of ​​human personality. The rise from death to a godlike life leads a person to moral rebirth and perfection. The value of the human personality lies in its free choice and achievement of perfection, to which the Creator calls every person. The soul is blessed because it can transform from “the likeness of hell into the beauty of heaven” 45. Saint Demetrius distinguishes three stages of spiritual and moral state on the path of spiritual renewal and improvement of a person, his ascent to God. “If a person has abandoned sin, but does not enter into a struggle with it, then he belongs to those who work for God “out of fear of torment”, do good, fearing punishment. This is the rank of slavery, work without a heartfelt attraction to God. The second rank is mercenary work, labor in the hope of payment or reward of the Kingdom of God. The third rank is those who work “for God for the sake of God’s love itself.” These include those who “neither seek retribution nor fear torment, for perfect love casts out fear” 46 . The spiritual and moral sermons and teachings of the saint give a complete and comprehensive understanding of the process of human rebirth and the action of God’s saving grace in him, and reveal the doctrine of salvation. Man receives from God the gift of salvation through the grace of God, poured out through His infinite love for people. Saint Demetrius bases this view of salvation on Holy Scripture, which indicates that man inherits eternal life from God, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). From the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the saint, confirming this, it is clearly seen that God's grace is the supernatural saving power of the Holy Spirit, sent down to the Church for the sake of the redemptive feat of Christ the Savior. “The Father sends Him, according to the words of Christ the Lord spoken to the Apostles: “The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things” (John 14:26)” 47. The Church, like a tree watered with grace-filled gifts, blossomed and, like leaves, was adorned with saints 48 . It follows that for a Christian, the grace of God is necessary, for it enlightens the soul. What the soul itself is to the body, so is grace to the soul. “As long as a person holds on to God, his Creator and Giver of Life, by whom he lives and moves and exists, until then he is not a dead soul before God, until then God lives in his soul, until then grace revives him. But as soon as a person turns away from God and from a virtuous life, then God immediately separates from his soul, departs from him with His life-giving grace” 49 . It revives the soul, imparts to it both its action and its properties 50. The saint expresses the idea that human salvation is an unceasing action of God’s grace, without which there is and cannot be salvation. The grace of God makes the soul a temple of the Holy Spirit and makes it an heir to heavenly bliss. “The grace of the Holy Spirit is for us either a shining fire or a cooling cloud. No one can enter the land rightfully without the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit... Those sailing towards eternity through the sea of ​​this world benefit from the wind of the Holy Spirit, without Whom all our efforts, all our preparations are all in vain and inactive” 51 . Salvation without the grace of God cannot be achieved because it strengthens a person in saving virtues, frees him from sinful inclinations, God affirms, “helps us in every state, whether we are in grace or in sins: if in grace, then it believes that we will not suffer as a result of falling away from it; gives affirmation to those who come from sin, so that they do not fall away from it again” 52 . Salvation, according to the saint, is created by the grace of God, and without it, virtues will not help a person to be saved 53. The saint sees various actions of God's grace, providentially given to a person at a certain stage of his salvation. “Prevenient” grace guides the path of salvation and promotes success. She comes like the wind into an earthly cave, settles in a purified heart, shakes it and encourages it to piety 54 . “Accompanying” grace helps in sorrows, so that we “receive with gratitude from the hands of God all kinds of mental and physical sorrows” 55. “Consequent” grace strengthens our will in goodness, supports us in remembering our Creator and our own imperfection 56 . “Confirming” grace promotes success in the fight against carnal lusts, “gives strength to begin divine works and confirms us to always remain in the service of God, in zeal and grace” 57. Without grace, a person is powerless to be saved: he becomes bitter and no longer cares about his soul 58 . But it does not invade the soul spontaneously, does not force the will of a person who is stuck in sins. “As long as a sinful person remains in sins without repentance, so long he remains in darkness and does not have the light of God’s grace. When, having come to his senses, he begins to repent, God’s grace immediately begins to shine in his heart” 59. Pointing out the importance of God's grace in the matter of man's salvation, the saint also draws attention to the necessity of the person being saved's own efforts. The decisive factor is a person’s free choice: to repent and do God’s will, goodness, or remain in sin. Neither the wisdom of God, nor His mercy, nor omnipotence can resurrect the soul of a sinner unless he himself desires and takes a counter step. While he is in a sinful sleep, he is on the path of destruction; sinners “who completely despaired, turned to stone in their hearts, and abandoned God and gave themselves up to the enemy... through this they have already written themselves down in the perilous book of those condemned to hell” 60. The first condition for salvation is repentance and faith, for “the Lord is near to all who call on Him” (Ps. 144:18). Those who repent, we can boldly write among the saints and call them new saints 61. The saint's works contain many instructions and teachings about the path of salvation leading to unity with God. As an experienced shepherd, Saint Demetrius confidently says that there is only one path to God - the path of sorrows and trials, along which the Lord Himself walked, who predicted to His disciples that they would not be able to avoid it: “In the world you will have sorrow... You will weep and lament, and the world will rejoice, you will be sad...” (John 16:33-20). However, He dissolves these very sorrows with joyful consolation: “But your sorrow will turn into joy... and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:20-22). “Don’t we read in books, don’t we hear in stories, don’t we see how it actually happens that everything that happens by God’s permission from the world, the flesh and the devil to God’s servants: all disasters, sorrows, persecutions, insults and even bitter death are transformed for them into eternal glory, praise, into endless life and into heavenly crowns” 62 . This is the lot of those who walk the narrow path to the Kingdom of Heaven. According to the saint, although there are great trials and difficulties along this path, which require a lot of effort to overcome, this is a sign that the Lord cares about our salvation. “By God’s permission, man suffers for his sins many disasters, misfortunes, embarrassments, loss of friends and children, depletion of property; this is a hammer striking the heart and saying: come to your senses, make peace with God” 63. Salvation is available to every person, regardless of his position in society and vocation. The world is like a stormy sea in which everyone is a swimmer. “Our life is a swim in the sea of ​​peace. The swimmers in the common ship of the Church and the kingdom are people of faith, great and small, dignified and common people. Opposite winds, storms, waves - these are many different and varied disasters in the world” 64. Due to the multiplication of sins, iniquities, untruths, due to the lack of repentance and virtues, the sea of ​​life is troubled. “As long as that Judas, that is, sin, habitual sin, remains on the ship of our life, until then we will not have any good, until then we will be overwhelmed by waves of disasters and evils” 65. On such an unsafe voyage, the saint advises leading the boat of salvation along the royal path: “If you have nothing of good deeds, you will capsize in the abyss of temptation. If you begin to lift a burden above your strength, you will soon be overwhelmed by exhaustion or pride. If you work and strive to the best of your ability, you will remain free from disasters. Know that the royal path is moderate exploits, a moderate life and a clear conscience. Thus, little by little, from virtue to virtue, you will ascend to heaven, as if on a ladder, and you will be in paradise” 66. According to the saint, God and man himself participate in the spiritual renewal and salvation of man. God promotes the salvation of man by His grace, strengthens him in good deeds, and man must create the fruits of repentance with his virtuous life, because the Lord said: “Not everyone who says to Me: Lord! God! He who does the will of My Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 7:21). From these words, it is clear that the matter of saving a person requires constant feat. Here on earth there is an opportunity to bring repentance and grow its fruits, to receive forgiveness from God. To enter heavenly Jerusalem, it is necessary to begin the procession from Olivet, where these fruits grow in the spiritual garden. “Let everyone be like a fruitful olive tree, bringing their spiritual fruit to God. “The fruit of the Spirit,” says the Apostle, “is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Let a person do something good,” the saint continues, “let him fast, pray, give alms, let him leave a debt to his neighbor; forgive the sin of the one who saddened him, let him leave behind all evil deeds, repent and, turning away from evil, begin to do good. All this is spiritual fruit pleasing to God, and man himself is “a fruitful olive tree in God’s house” 67 . According to the saint, our Lord Jesus Christ gave the parable of the barren trees for the instruction of those who have faith and prayer, but do not work to fulfill the will of the Lord. Therefore, he advises calling on the Savior for the third time: “Lord!.. You see all my labors of repentance in satisfaction for sin, you see my humility and my work. Prayer and repentance without labor are unclean bread, full of chaff. He is not brought into the heavenly granary" 68. For the shepherd, virtues are the instrument and means by which he leads his flock to salvation and which help to put off “the old man with his works” (Col. 3:9) and put on the new, which “is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:10), so that “what is mortal may be swallowed up in life” (2 Cor. 5:4). In his spiritual and moral works, the saint expounds church teaching about the basic Christian virtues, their interaction, and gives pastoral advice and instructions on ways to acquire them. To master virtues, successfully fight sin and achieve perfection, it is necessary to make efforts, perform feats, plant and cultivate a spiritual vineyard. Divine grace leads a Christian to the Savior, who taught people the perfect law of faith and morality, saving for the whole world and for all times. High and glorious is the face of the apostles, prophets, teachers, saints, virgins and other saints, “and our Lord Jesus Christ appeared as an example for all of them” 69. Gradually, the image of Christ is imprinted in the soul of a Christian. The purpose of imitation of Christ is to achieve a close union of man with God, just as God Himself was united with human flesh in His incarnation 70 . This unity must be so monolithic and strong that it will never be separated from Christ, just as He was forever united with us. The Death and Resurrection of the Redeemer of the world laid a solid foundation for our resurrection. Christ sacrificed Himself for us and thereby healed us from spiritual death and mental illness. He is the Source of our resurrection and eternal life. And a Christian must still here on earth unite with Christ, so that his earthly life becomes the beginning of heavenly life. The merciful Lord, who wants everyone to be saved, knocks on human hearts, and a person’s future depends on his free choice: to respond or drown out this call. The work of Divine providential action is manifested in the sending down of grace, and consent and desire to accept it with faith are required from a person. Christian virtues and means on the path to salvation The main content of the Christian faith lies in the free and conscious acceptance by man of the Gospel teaching about God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, about Divine love for fallen humanity and the redemptive feat of the incarnate Son of God. The source of saving faith is Divine grace, which confirms a person in God 72. No one from the human race can independently come to the knowledge of God and believe in His Only Begotten Son without grace-filled help from above. “No one can come to Me,” Christ says to His disciples, “unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Saint Demetrius, according to Divine Revelation, teaches that the Holy Spirit, the Source of all goodness, sends down faith to humanity, like “a dove with an olive branch” 73 . The Lord gives people faith as a means of understanding Divine truths hidden from the human mind. The saint gives the following definition of faith: “Faith is that which your fleshly eyes do not see, nor your hands touch, but your heart, your mind undoubtedly affirms within itself that it is so and not otherwise” 74 . By faith, various secrets and laws of the world are revealed to man, in which man sees his place and calling. “To know God is all the happiness of a Christian, all spiritual joy, all hope for salvation and even salvation itself... Faith knows God, knows that there is a God in heaven, that the whole earth is filled with Him” 75. Faith is necessary for humanity to know God, but when “the worthy come to God, then there will be no need for faith, for face to face they will see Him in whom they, while living on earth, believed without seeing Him” 76 . Evangelical faith is, first of all, faith in Christ as the Son of God, who descended to earth for the salvation of the human race. Therefore, no one can be justified and receive salvation before God without Christ, without faith in him. “She... what we do not see with our bodily eyes, we are undoubtedly convinced of by faith and see as if it were an existing thing. Bodily we do not see Christ the Lord, but by faith we undoubtedly see Him everywhere.” 77 The Holy Scriptures and the Gospel call a person to God and teach him to follow the teachings and life of the Savior - the ideal of spiritual perfection. Faith is the basis of man’s saving activity, the beginning and engine of his spiritual life in God: “Faith is youth without old age, for Enoch, delighted with it, still lives and has not grown old. Faith is a living, bloodless sacrifice, for by faith Abraham offered his son Isaac as a living sacrifice... Faith is an intelligent eye, for it knows how to bless Jacob and how to bless Esau. Faith is a prophet, for with it Joseph predicted the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. Faith is the bottom of the sea that carried Israel dry. Oh, how many great praises of the holy faith the Apostle wrote! Let us also look carefully at how the Apostle ends his praises. Faith, he says, is the only salvation for a sinner or a sinner: “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish” (Heb. 11:31)” 78. The perfection of faith has a relationship with the inner, spiritual growth of a person. Perfect faith encourages him to live according to the Divine commandments, directs his will and strength to fulfill the will of God. Therefore, spiritual perfection and salvation are impossible without perfect faith, expressed in deeds and deeds, for “what is the benefit for a Christian only to believe in Christ, but not to have Christian deeds? What is the use of only praying to Christ, but transgressing His commandments... If you say that Christ is with you, and you are with Christ, then show me this in your life, as the Apostle says: “Show me your faith by your works” (James 2:18)” 79. Faith teaches a Christian to maintain piety and be virtuous in various conditions. Faith consoles in sorrows, helps in illnesses, strengthens in trials. Faith is the first virtue and path 80. “Therefore,” says the saint, “the forefathers are called righteous, because with their faith in God, which they had, they did not do, nor said, nor thought a lie, never offended anyone, nor slandered, nor lied, and did not commit any untruth, either in word or in deed... What are our exploits? What are our works against their righteousness alone? 81. True faith, assimilated in the mind and heart, is the guiding principle of the life of a Christian. It has a decisive influence on the will of a person in his conscious striving towards the path of salvation. Only living and active faith, bearing the fruits of Christian piety, is pleasing to God. Such faith is the foundation of the real, God-like life of a Christian, the “dove” of the gospel, the harbinger of his future glorified state in eternal life. Pointing out the meaning of true faith, the saint instructs: “Faith has as much as a person believes. He who believes little receives little, and he who believes more receives more. Whoever believes that the Providence of God will be accomplished in him, it will happen, but whoever does not believe, it will not happen. So, choose for yourself whatever you want to receive from the hands of the Lord: it is better to seek eternal than temporary blessings” 82. As you can see, the impoverishment of faith comes from negligence. Those who wish to inherit salvation must maintain and strengthen their faith in Christ, not follow the lust of the flesh, and not cling their hearts to the world, glory, riches and honors of this temporary life, for “there is no temporary happiness in which one could not drown. He (the Apostle Peter) was saved by the hand of Jesus not only from drowning in water, but also from drowning in unbelief, and after that he was already the firmest in faith. You see, Peter, what your desire has brought you... to be better, higher and holier than others, do not be proud of yourself: these people are sitting in a boat, and I am walking on the waters” 83. A wise person, thirsty and seeking salvation, does not seek temporary blessings, but strives for the knowledge of God; above all else, he places knowledge of the secrets of the spiritual world; this is the highest philosophy 84. Every Christian must make efforts to strengthen faith, always feel God’s omnipresence and have His saving fear, “for where right faith is located along with good deeds, God dwells there” 85. An important means that “assures a person of God and teaches him to please God” is the word of God, the reading of Holy Scripture, which saturates a person with spiritual food and encourages wakefulness 86. From all that has been said, it follows that faith is one of the main Christian virtues, since without faith in Christ, human salvation is impossible. Faith is the driving force behind the spiritual and moral renewal of a person, the basis on which many other Christian virtues grow. In accomplishing personal salvation and Christian achievement, effective help and strength is provided by hope, “given to the human heart by God’s inspiration and enlightenment... a virtue given from above, through which the blessings of eternal life are expected with firm faith” 87. This virtue is given to the believer in God's grace if he fulfills His commandments and unites with the Lord Jesus Christ through Holy Communion. Christian hope is of great importance for a person exposed to various trials, and helps in the fight against the devil, as “the anchor of Christians sailing on the sea of ​​this world in the ship of the body” 88. The strength and inviolability of hope depends on a person’s faith and his spiritual and moral state. True Christians base their hope in the Savior, in unfeigned reverence for God, leading a righteous and pious life. “Let us think about this,” the saint reasons, “that in any person his righteousness and piety, in that there is also the hope of the joy of Israel, that is, the future life of the saints, which consists in saturation with the sight of God... If someone is righteous, then there is already an undoubted hope that he will receive a crown in the Kingdom of Heaven” 89. The grace and mercy of God are so great that they can cover the many sins and failures of a Christian, if only he wishes to be healed and repents. “Just truly repent,” the saint urges, “and make a promise in your heart not to return, like a dog, to your vomit. Dare with fear, and fear with hope, and receive communion, without doubting God’s love for mankind, and you will receive remission of your sins” 90. Despair of salvation is an insidious weapon of the enemy of our salvation, the devil. When a person sins, he inspires him that salvation is no longer possible for him, trying to plunge the person into the abyss of despair. And only a Christian’s hope in God destroys the devil’s trap. She convinces the Christian that God accepts repentant sinners. The saint cites many such examples from the Holy Scriptures and patristic works. Judas and Peter fell away from the Lord. “Judas repented and confessed his sin before everyone, going to the bishop, saying: “We have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:4). However, his repentance is not accepted, but Petrovo is accepted: Peter is saved, and Judas is lost. Why is this? But because Peter repented with hope and hope for the mercy of God, but Judas repented with despair. This abyss is terrible! Without a doubt, it must be filled with hope for God’s mercy” 91. Hope helps a person in the fight against sin, and it is strengthened by repentance and good deeds. Real hope in God requires a person to actively fight temptations and be patient in trials. All this prevents a person from despairing of his salvation and strengthens his strength in trusting in the mercy of God. Christian doctrine values ​​nothing so highly as love for God and neighbor. The Lord Jesus Christ himself called this virtue the greatest commandment: “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Only love can lead a Christian to moral perfection, to unity with God. For this purpose man was created, for this purpose the Lord accomplished his redemptive feat, and the Church directs the Christian to this 92. Saint Demetrius, addressing Orthodox listeners, speaks of two ways of knowing God: by faith and love. “Both of these ways of knowing God and achieving eternal life are very good... faith is sometimes perfect, sometimes imperfect, the second way, that is, love, is completely perfect. Love truly is the right way, for “love ceases to exist” (1 Cor. 13:8)” 93. All Christian virtues “not only come from love, but are also connected with it, as the right path” 94. Love is necessary for a Christian as the guiding principle of Christian morality. Faith must be evidenced by deeds of love: “It is not enough to just believe in Christ, for according to the words of the holy Apostle James, “even the demons believe and tremble” (James 2:19). What is the benefit for a Christian to only believe in Christ, but to transgress His commandments?” 95. The Savior's contemporaries saw His miracles and could not deny the evidence of Divine greatness in Him, but not many were saved, since they did not have active love for Him. In its essence, love is indefinable by human standards, for it has a Divine nature. She is the gift of the Holy Spirit, inflaming the hearts of Christians with reciprocal love for God and man. What wings are to a bird in flight, so is perfect love to a Christian on the path to God. “Just as a bird cannot fly with one wing, so love cannot fly to heaven with one wing of love... The Holy Spirit unites love for God and love for neighbor so that no love can be without the other, for He is the very love of God the Father and God the Son, pouring out to the human race. And love is the most beautiful, the most perfect and the most praiseworthy, which exists both for God and for one’s neighbor, and unites both into one” 96 . Every Christian must testify to his love for God not only in words, but also in his deeds, throughout his life, and “no one knows God until he has tasted Him” 97 . The main sign of true love for God is the Christian’s aversion from the world and everything sinful in it. Love cannot be divided, because “it does not like for someone to love God with one half of his heart, and with the other to love secular vanity: “You cannot work for God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).” On the other hand, perfect love seeks God not for the reward of future benefits, not for its own sake. “Whoever has true love for God desires nothing but God Himself: neither heaven, nor heavenly crowns, nor the sweets of heaven. He desires only one God, and he desires more than heaven and more than all the luxuries of paradise” 98. Whoever loves God with all his heart and strives to spiritually unite with Him, nothing will force him to retire “to a distant country.” True love will never think of angering Him 99. The feeling of gratitude will not allow one to insult God's greatness 100. Speaking about the meaning of love in the life of a Christian, the saint cites the words of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Love is not angry, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth: it loves everything, it endures everything” (1 Cor. 13: 4-8) - and gives a brief explanation of them. Love cultivates patience in a Christian, teaches him to endure insults, and be lenient towards the imperfections of his neighbors. Such prudence of a follower of Christ contributes to the creation of the world, heals the ailments of those around him, having a beneficial effect on their souls. The highest perfection in love is the virtue of love for enemies, because it is higher than human nature. Distorted by sin, nature demands retribution, and love is ready to forgive everything, thereby healing the infirmity of one’s neighbor, and defeats evil with good 101. A Christian should not allow anger and hostility to flare up. Therefore, the saint concludes, “he who loves his enemy is a miracle worker” 102. In the same “Instruction”, spoken by Saint Demetrius in 1701 in connection with the message about the war between Russia and Sweden, it is said about the duty of a Christian to defend his Fatherland: “Do not think, my listener, that I would say about those enemies who are at war with our Christian Fatherland and are at enmity against our pious faith: not only is it not necessary to love such enemies, but we must fight them for our property” 103. The high ideal of perfection outlined by the Savior in the commandment to love enemies (Luke 6:27) is achieved by man gradually, facilitated by self-sacrifice and compulsion, through which he receives from God the gift of love for all people. An example is the holy martyrs, ascetics, wounded by the love of Christ. A true Christian endures suffering with Christ, patiently and resignedly endures everything that happens to him by God’s permission. The Savior's sufferings on the Cross, like arrows shot from the cross of Calvary into human hearts by the Catcher of Souls, kindle a response of love towards Him 104 . Truly love is the perfect way of knowing God, closely uniting us with Him, like skin with flesh 105. Love will help a Christian in the difficult struggle with sin and burns the thorns of passions with blessed fire. The heart of a Christian should be like an altar, in which “the fire of our love for God must always burn, heated and supported by the thought of God” 106. And vice versa, as St. Demetrius notes, “alien fire, that is, worldly, sinful, should not be brought into the heart under threat, under the fear of eternal death, so that the fire of hell does not burn us forever” 107. Saint Demetrius has entire hymns dedicated to love, which protects from sinful falls and betrayals of the Lord, making a person a saint: “O sweetness, most beloved sweetness! What else can we love besides You, our most beloved Lord, Whom we desire to love in all ages? How else shall we sweeten our bitterness, if not You, sweetest Jesus, with Whom we hope to be satisfied; instill in us the love you desire. Grant that we may love You and love You! Grant that we may desire You and thirst for You! Scatter us into Thy love, Word of God, Only Begotten!... May Thy love, O Lord, captivate us into Thy love” 108. The constant remembrance of God by a loving heart, according to the saint, lies in a feeling of gratitude for His mercies to the human race, in prayerful communication and contemplation of God, in the constant collection of spiritual treasures. “The desire to continually be with Christ is a clear sign of gratitude... Gratitude is the guardian of all virtues... The soul of a God-loving person, like a dove, having found the great benefit of Christ’s redemption, is so grateful to Him that it never wants to be separated from these wounds” 109 . Chapter 3. The moral character of a shepherd according to St. Demetrius of Rostov The ideal of the “good shepherd” (John 10:11), “the author and finisher of the faith” (Heb. 12:2) has attracted the hearts of people throughout the centuries-old history of the Church. And in our time, the true shepherds of the Church see in Him an example for their ministry, and strive to the best of their ability to bring this ideal to life. Jesus Christ is the first, in the full sense, greatest and most perfect Shepherd, the Founder of shepherding. The entire ministry of the Church is expressed in His life and ministry. The Gospel of Matthew testifies that Jesus Christ not only Himself shepherded, but, taking pity on the multitude of people, “that they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), attracted and called to fellowship the apostles, and in their person - shepherds, priests, continuers of His work. “Follow Me,” He says to Peter and Andrew, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The verb “I will do” indicates an action combined with effort, and in connection with the following words: “fishers of men” - it acquires an educational meaning, suggesting the need for experience and labor. “The order of the priesthood,” notes St. Demetrius, “he was brought to earth by the Lord, not for the sake of peace and coolness, but because the saint worked hard and cared for everyone’s salvation” 110. This is how the saint of Rostov described the difficulty and complexity of pastoral ministry. He compares its meaning and height with the heavenly bodies. Just as the sky is illuminated by the sun and stars, “so the Church shines with its luminaries - its shepherds and teachers... each according to their rank and honor and title and according to the degree of perfection in a virtuous life and spiritual wisdom” 111. Like the luminaries, who constantly carry out their course according to established laws, “the shepherds of the church, constantly working and steadfast in their calling, must follow the path established for them by the law of God” 112. The saint depicts the ideal of shepherding in some of his sermons, namely: in the “Sermon on the Most Honorable Memory of Our Father Tikhon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Amathunta,” in the “Sermon on the Shepherding of Spiritual Shepherds” and others. This is the ideal of good shepherding in Christ, to which Archpastor Saint Demetrius of Rostov has always strived, this is the virtuous life in Christ, of which he has always served as a bright example for his beloved verbal flock. Having received the covenant from “the Great Bishop Himself, the Chief of all shepherds”: “Feed My sheep,” he fulfilled his pastoral duties with love and offered his flock examples for edification from the Lives of the saints, the most effective of which was his holy life (John 21:16). Truly, imitating the Chief Shepherd, he was “an example for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). In him, as in the image of Christ, “the following words of Christ are fulfilled: “I am the good Shepherd” (John 10:11).” Through his shepherding, he taught his brethren what a shepherd of the verbal flock of Christ should be. He did not limit his activities to administrative measures alone; priests always saw in him an example of diligent service to the Church of God 113. The high ideal of pastoral service is depicted by Saint Demetrius, praising Saint Tikhon, Bishop of Amathunta. An example of such service was set by the Chief Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. “I am the good Shepherd” (John 10:11), he said to his disciples, the apostles, the successors of His shepherd, the priesthood, commanding them to shepherd His flock, the Church of God. The work of shepherding requires not only great labor, but also art, for “if Jacob, shepherding a dumb flock, endured such labor “in the burning days of the heat and in the cold nights,” without giving sleep to his eyes, then how much more labor and vigor are needed for the one who shepherds human souls” 114 . In his archpastoral messages and sermons, the saint identifies the main signs by which “a good shepherd is recognized. Firstly, the good shepherd enters the sheepfold through the doors... He who is elected and elevated to the rank of hierarchy by the good pleasure of Christ Himself” 115. It is no coincidence that the saint mentions this, since in his time there were many even “from the highest spiritual rank” who received rank “by secret trade, striving for the bishopric in order to dominate, and not to serve, not for Jesus, but for a bite of bread” 116. Hierarchical service is high and difficult; the desire for this service is tantamount to voluntary martyrdom. “The Apostle did not blaspheme those who wished to become bishops precisely because in those apostolic times martyrdom followed martyrdom 117. Because of the great responsibility for the souls of his flock, he warned contemporary seekers of the order that archpastoral service is associated with many hardships, using as an example the holy fathers of the Church who ran from the episcopate: “It is proper to fear and tremble for this both for the sake of conscience and for the sake of the burden of the authorities” 118. The shepherd of the flock of Christ must know the path leading to the Heavenly Fatherland, know the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Just as the Old Testament high priest, entering the tabernacle before the face of the Lord, had to have golden bells on his clothes, so the New Testament priesthood must be adorned with wisdom, be educated, and “educational.” If in the Old Testament God rejected and punished with death those who rejected wisdom (Hos. 4:6; Wisdom 3:11), then all the more now “those who do not have these golden spiritual bells of reason and the art of books, who have not acquired the spirit of wisdom” 119 are subject to spiritual death. Shepherds have the responsibility to evangelize the word of God, preach, admonish, convict the erring, and instruct them on the path of truth, for human souls are entrusted to them. Therefore, the silent one, “as if with his own hand, kills a sinner who did not try to admonish him with his tongue and turn him away from his sins: the silent tongue of a shepherd is like a sword killing the souls of sinners” 120. The saint, like a prophet, threateningly denounces negligent shepherds: “Woe to the silent shepherd, woe to his tongue, which does not preach the word of God and does not teach. But how can the tongue preach the word instructively and profitably if the mind has not learned spiritual wisdom? (Ezek.3:17-19)" 121. In his address to the clergy of the diocese, he commands: “On all Sundays and holidays, let the priest teach the people in the church from the holy books, adding useful advice from his own mind” 122. A practical measure to eradicate ignorance was the opening of a school in Rostov, so that “priestly children would not be stupid when they are awarded the priesthood in place of their fathers, so that they would be able to teach the people not only by reading books, but also by oral instruction in the word of God” 123. The second quality of the “good shepherd” “is that he walks before the sheep, and not behind the sheep... should be an example to the sheep, and not the sheep to him” 124. Christ gave strength to the apostles and disciples to perform sacred rites and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19) and taught them practical instructions to facilitate this. He offered them His own example as a powerful educational and motivating means. “I have given you an example, so that you should do the same as I have done to you,” Christ bequeathed to the disciples (John 13:15). The Apostle Paul, who always had before him the example of the Divine Shepherd, also calls for imitation of Christ: “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2). Saint Demetrius also speaks about this in his pastoral letters: “No one can be a good shepherd unless he himself first becomes a good sheep of Christ. And the Son of God, who came to earth to fall and save His people, first became the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world” 125. Pastoral service in the Lord's field must be preceded by an exemplary life in God and worthy preparation, starting from a very early age. “It is a great and glorious thing to begin to work for God from one’s youth,” says the saint in his homily on the day of remembrance of St. Tikhon of Amafunt. As an example, he cites the life of a saint who, in imitation of Joshua, from his youth incessantly remained in the church of the Lord. Pious upbringing, affirmation in the Christian faith and the acquisition of virtues from a very early age are the key to successful shepherding. “For this is the solid foundation of an entire virtuous life, many in their old age want to build for themselves a kind of home, a life pleasing to God, and to acquire salvation for their soul, but they cannot, since they did not lay a solid foundation in their youth... And how can anyone touch those feats to which he has not been accustomed since his youth? He who has established his life in God from youth, in old age ascends to the very top of virtuous perfection and is awarded by God with great gifts” 126. Therefore, Saint Tikhon, “having accepted the rank of shepherd... truly showed himself to be a good shepherd. Just as in his youth he was a good sheep of Christ, so, having reached the age of perfect manhood, he showed himself to be a good shepherd of Christ’s Church” 127. The shepherd needs to follow the path of spiritual and moral improvement, and with his life, by example, to teach others, “to be not only reasonable, skillful and teaching in the Divine Scripture, but virtuous and holy in life, for it is appropriate to teach the verbal sheep not only with words, but also with the image of a good life in God” 128. If he does not lead a virtuous, righteous life, he will not be able to lead the salvation of his flock: “Will he who himself goes to hell guide anyone into the Kingdom of Heaven?” Can someone who is covered with scabby ulcers and is overcome by a serious illness heal ulcers and illnesses? Will not everyone say to such a person: “Physician, heal yourself” (Luke 4:23). The lofty words and speeches of a careless priest cannot produce any positive effect on his flock; on the contrary, his unworthy behavior and sinful life can destroy them and make all his labors in vain. The shepherd must lead a life equal to the angels, be immaculate, and this is the key to success: “Be an angel in life, and everyone will happily listen to your words and do what you command; If you yourself do not follow the path of salvation first, you will not motivate people to love God.” Therefore, “it behooves a shepherd to be a lover of God” 129. Purity and holiness of life, fulfillment of God's commandments, fear of breaking and transgressing them - this is evidence of true love for God! “What is the sign that someone loves God with all his heart?” - asks the saint. “This sign was indicated by Christ Himself,” he answers, “when he said with His most pure lips: “If you have My commandments and have kept them, this is the one who loves Me” (John 14:21). A sign of love for God is the fulfillment of His commandments. And therefore, when God said that shepherds would be after His own heart, He also indicated that they would love Him with all their hearts, keeping His commandments. And if such were the shepherds in the Old Testament, then much more now in the new grace shepherds must be after God’s heart, fulfilling all His desires, keeping the commandments out of heartfelt love for Him” 130. If the shepherd’s deeds and life do not diverge from his words, then his teaching and labors will be successful and bear fruit: “first do it yourself, and then you can teach others, for the voice of action is more effective than the voice of word. The word is heard for those who are coming, but the work is preached to the ends of the earth. Why is it necessary for a pastor to have a virtuous life along with teaching” 131. Christian doctrine must be a deep conviction in the life of a clergyman. Deep, meaningful faith provides invaluable assistance in the proclamation of the gospel word and in the work of ministry, and “he who wishes to kindle the love of the Lord in others must himself not be ice, but flame, like a seraph, with divine desire; whoever wants to enlighten others should not be darkness, but light” 132. Faith leads to love, which contains the essence, the content of eternal life. Love is of heavenly origin: “the Father gave it to us, that we might be called children of God” (1 John 3:1). Love must occupy a central place in pastoral ministry. As the highest manifestation of the pastoral spirit, love is the key to the successful completion of a task. The shepherd's love for God is the main condition for worthy completion of high service. “Love for God is known,” the saint teaches, “by a virtuous life, revealing along with the word the life of a shepherd” 133. Our Lord Jesus Christ is not just an example for a shepherd, but a living, eternally active Divine Person. The shepherd is most closely united with Him in his shepherding, and from Him he constantly draws strength and Divine grace. The pastor has living communication with God in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, as a manifestation of God’s immeasurable love for man. To be worthy of Divine communion, a priest is obliged to guard himself in all purity and integrity, to cleanse his soul by repentance. While performing the Liturgy, he must be embraced by love for God and his neighbors; at this time there should be no place in his heart for anger and hostility, grief or resentment; one cannot begin the service “until you destroy hostility through reconciliation and cleanse mortal sin through repentance” 134. It is necessary for the priest to adorn himself with the basic Christian virtues: “In the beginning, before communion, let faith, hope, and love precede” 135 . With deep faith and reverence, the shepherd must approach the Holy Mysteries, giving them due worship, for the altar and the church are the “chamber of the Heavenly King.” It is necessary to believe “that the true Body of Christ is precisely that which was conceived in the Virgin’s womb by the Holy Spirit, and was born incomprehensibly, and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father” 136. The priest must have hope that the Holy Body and Blood “are received for the healing of soul and body, and for eternal life, but not for judgment or condemnation.” In a gracious union with Christ still here on earth, having loved the Lord, the priest anticipates the blessings of eternal life 137. The shepherd's love for God is manifested in sacrificial love for his neighbors. Without love for one's neighbor there can be no true love for God. “Whoever says: I love God, but hates his brother,” teaches the Apostle, is a liar: for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). An example of genuine pastoral love for people, for humanity, was shown by the Founder of the New Testament shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. His disciples, the holy apostles, followed the example of the Savior. Their love was active, capable of any work for the salvation of believers (1 Cor. 9:19). And the Rostov saint says that in addition to being a teacher and living a holy life, a pastor must also have “great care to work and be watchful” 138 . By performing the Divine Sacrament of the Eucharist, the clergyman himself perceives the grace of Christ, and then brings this gift of God to all participants and worshipers, contributing to their spiritual rebirth. And in order to be a worthy conductor of God’s grace, the priest requires special purity, external and internal purity. “Let a man examine himself,” writes the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 11:28). Saint Demetrius, in his message “On the Preparation of Priests for Divine Communion,” compels priests to frequently confess their sins to their spiritual father. “And since a priest must often perform the Liturgy and partake of the Divine Mysteries, it is fitting for him to often confess even his small sins in order to be able to worthily enter into communion with Christ” 139. By daily testing of conscience, the shepherd determines his spiritual state, reveals shortcomings, noticing small sins and insignificant transgressions in himself, because “just as one large stone, being tied to a person’s neck, will plunge him into water, so sand, although small in itself, but if it is saturated with it, the full one will plunge a person into the abyss” 140. The creation of a repentant feeling and mood is facilitated by fasting, abstinence and moderation in the personal life of the pastor, modesty, and non-covetousness. It is necessary to abstain from food and drink before worship, one must keep oneself sober, not overeat, not get drunk, not talk too much and be attentive to oneself, the saint teaches the priests. It is necessary to avoid verbosity, “not to talk to anyone unnecessarily... to say what needs to be said.” Those of them who do not come to their senses, he sobers up with the words of Saint Epiphanius: “If any of you, my children, is worthy of altar service, take off the boots of carnal, wordless passions, do not approach the Divine altar bound by voluptuous lusts.” 141 The great temptation on the path of pastoral service is the love of money, pride, and “woe to the shepherd who seeks only his own benefit, shepherds only himself, and does not care about the sheep! Woe to that shepherd who seeks only pastoral honor, but does not do the work due to him! Such a shepherd is like an idol!” - concludes the saint. And it is not in vain that the Scripture says to such a shepherd: “Oh, shepherd and idol” 142. The hidden life of the spirit, the constant desire to ensure that the inner church of the soul is the dwelling place of God - this is what the priest should pay special attention to. On the path of spiritual improvement, it is necessary to overcome many obstacles; personal feats and cultivation of high qualities are necessary. “It is fitting for a shepherd to be wide-eyed not only externally, but also internally,” teaches Saint Demetrius, “not only correcting the sins of others, but also carefully protecting himself from falls and temptations. He must watchfully look inside himself” 143. A priest who has taken the good yoke of Christ must devote all his strength to this great work. Like the Apostle Paul, he must fight the good fight (1 Tim. 6:12), be always bright in life and filled with inner strength in the performance of his ministry, “be like an angel standing before the throne of God and bringing warm prayers for the whole world” 144. One should approach service “with fear and great reverence, in order to perform one’s service with faith and love, having all one’s thoughts collected, and not scattered and scattered everywhere.” Like an angel standing before the throne of God in unceasing praise and prayer, the priest must perform prayers with great attention, firmly remembering that God invisibly receives every word from his lips, like some valuable beads. Prayer without attention, cold, mechanical, without tenderness, like “a censer clanking without fire and incense.” The Rostov saint cites in his memoirs “one terrible thing,” a case when in one of the churches a priest performed the liturgy without a Service Book, without prayers appropriate for the service, uttering only exclamations. To the remark that followed, he replied that he read the prayers at home and “learned this from the old priests.” “Oh, the extreme madness and negligence of the stupid priests,” exclaims the narrator, “or, better yet, the scoffers of Christ! Oh, how great is God’s patience, for fire does not fall from on high on such priests and does not burn them alive in the same places where they perform the Liturgy or, truly speaking, scold Christ. So, beware and pay attention to yourselves, priests... so that you do not perish, soul and body, and receive the same fate as those who crucified Christ and mocked Him” 145. When healing the ailments of his flock, healing their painful ulcers, the priest should not be proud of his clergy, but sacredly keep the secret of confession, and not be “a destroyer of the sacrament of God and a violator of the seal of the Holy Spirit” 146. And the piety of a shepherd who abhors the sinful wounds of his flock is false piety. The shepherd, as a spiritual doctor, must be able to penetrate into the depths of the human soul, and not reject those who seek his help: “We command the priests by the commandments of God to take every possible care for the salvation of human souls, both day and night, so that they do not despise the poor and the poor, but treat them equally as the rich, for during a terrible trial they will have to give an equal answer to everyone.” 147 And in this the saint sees the main task, the goal of the calling, the third sign of a good shepherd, laying down “his life for the sheep entrusted to him, according to the word of the Lord: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).” An example of such service was shown by the holy apostles, the Savior Himself and the fathers of the Church. It is the duty of every true clergyman to love Christ with all the blood-bought members that make up His spiritual body. “The Lord Himself,” writes the saint, “wanting to make Saint Peter a shepherd of the verbal sheep, first of all asked him three times about love, saying to him: “Simon Ionin, do you love Me?” And when Peter answered Him three times: “Yes, Lord! You know that I love You,” the Lord entrusted him with the flock: “Feed My lambs” (John 21:15).” The grace of Christ received in the sacrament of ordination assists the shepherd in his difficult work, and here he “needs care for the flock, for God will demand an account of the flock entrusted to the hands of the pastor” 148 . Therefore, Saint Demetrius likens the good shepherd to the many-eyed cherubim, who prefigured the evangelists and apostles as shepherds of the Church. They, the shepherds, need great courage, like guards assigned to guard the city from the enemy. For the words of God spoken to the prophet Ezekiel apply to every shepherd: “I have set you a watchman for the house of Israel” (Ezek. 33:7). The ministry of a shepherd is difficult and responsible: he must always be awake, strengthen his spiritual strength, be internally collected, ready to protect the spiritual flock from the attacking “wolves”, “strong like a lion, hardworking in his rank like an ox, merciful and compassionate like a man, and soaring high in his God-minded mind like an eagle” 149. Love for the flock, care for each person as an individual, and above all, “great care for the flock” 150 should be the driving force of pastoral activity. This requires knowledge, teaching, experience of spiritual life, personal testimony, and an example of a good life. Following Christ's parable about the good shepherd, the priest is obliged, if necessary, to offer his shoulders to the sheep entrusted to him and bear its burdens. The saint compares the shepherd with a mother who carries her own child and feeds him herself: “Not only as a shepherd carries a sheep, but also as a mother carries her child and feeds it with her teats, so the shepherd must spiritually carry his verbal sheep, feeding them with spiritual food, like babies with milk, and not denying the needs of the body, but, if possible, making up for the insufficiency of the poor” 151. The care of Saint Demetrius for his spiritual children and fatherly love for them are known. He did not seek personal gain and earthly goods, as he wrote about in his will. The saint asks not to look for property after his death and not to torture those who served him for God's sake: “From my youth until I approached the tomb, I did not acquire property or take money, except for the books of the saints... even a few of the parishes: I paid for my needs and dependents, and for the needs of the needy. If no one wants to give me such a poor burial as usual, then let them throw me into a wretched house. Demand a bribe for the remembrance, I pray, that the poor may not remember me, leaving nothing for the remembrance” 152. He was a conscientious unmercenary who distributed all his meager funds to the poor, a beggar metropolitan who left 39 rubles 20 altyns in the bishop's treasury upon his death 153 . But spiritual values ​​remained indelible for the Holy Church and the Fatherland after him! And the heavy burden of shepherding was light for him. Chapter 4. Pastoral counseling for St. Demetrius God's mercy does not deprive sinning people of the opportunity to regain their former holiness and righteousness through repentance. This sacrament, established by the Lord Jesus Christ, is a gift of God's mercy for the salvation of sinners. The first condition and guarantee of a person’s salvation is repentance. It reveals and awakens in the soul a feeling of lost bliss and the joy of being with God - the source of true happiness. “Our ancestors Adam and Eve, not despairing of God’s mercy,” writes the saint, “but, trusting in His compassion for mankind, in their repentance began to invent ways of serving God. They began to bow to the east, where paradise was planted, and to pray to their Creator... which was an omen of the sacrament of new grace” 154. True repentance consists not only in confessing one’s sins and illnesses of the soul to God. It should become for a Christian the beginning of healing and his personal feat in the matter of salvation, as a means necessary for assimilation of the fruits of redemption accomplished by the Savior, Who calls every sinner to cleansing. “Repent,” it is said, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near” (Matthew 4:17). He who does not confess his sins has the doors of his heart locked. Christ will not enter to him and will not live with him... Therefore, if we, my brothers, confess our sins with which we have angered our Creator, and make satisfaction for them, then we also open the doors of our hearts, then He will come to us to live like a King in beautiful chambers” 155. Saint Demetrius pointed to the sacrament of repentance as the greatest instrument of salvation and, using numerous examples, revealed its power. First of all, he tried to arouse in his flock a feeling of repentance, which is the beginning of all Christian deeds. “What returns the grace of God to our souls and revitalizes them? Truly, there is nothing other than true repentance, says the saint. When a person repents, he is resurrected. And just as sin is to blame for the death of the soul, so the resurrection of the soul is caused by repentance” 156. For weak human nature, disfigured by the disease of sin, independent rebellion is a very difficult task and requires God’s help: “The most severe thief on this path is sinful habits. It is not possible to overcome and overcome it quickly, not easily, but only with great difficulty, for if sinful habits take root in someone, they become, as it were, a second nature and even a necessity... On this path you need to be a fighter and have God’s grace” 157 . As a loving Father, God calls sinners to repentance in various ways: by reminding them of the hour of death, through reproaches of conscience, and awakening them from the sleep of death by sending down temporary disasters and punishments. “This voice of the Son of God,” the saint writes, “cries out to us constantly, day and night, cries out every hour, putting into our minds and hearts the memory of death... Listen and know that this is also the voice of God” 158. In one of his Lenten teachings, he compares repentance to cleansing vessels with ashes: “Dishes and vessels are cleaned with ashes, whether they be tin, copper or silver. If they have become blackened by something, then as soon as they are rubbed with ash, they regain their shine. Through holy repentance, sinners are cleansed and brighten before the eyes of God like the sun” 159. According to the saint, repentance is the door to resurrection. Until a person repents, he, although physically alive, is spiritually dead. Therefore, through repentance he must be resurrected during his lifetime. This resurrection - repentance must be done throughout life, “for when a person sins, he dies in soul, and when he repents, he is resurrected” 160. Grace, infused into the heart, renews it and adorns it with the fruits of virtues, which are evidence of spiritual and moral renewal. They are necessary for a Christian to be strengthened in righteousness on the path to salvation. “The repentance of one who wants to cover up frequent overeating with short-term abstinence from food and fasting is vain,” the saint teaches, “the repentance of one who, with a short sigh and stress on the chest, wants to justify many lies, thefts, murders, thefts, and insults is in vain. Repentance and justification are hopeless for those who want to wash away great defilements and iniquities with small tears. If you want to delight yourself before the Lord and receive forgiveness of sins... create fruits worthy of repentance, compare your labors with your previous sins, even surpass them, and then expect forgiveness and salvation” 161. He who does not care about acquiring the fruits of repentance, but repeats previous sins, is far from salvation, is seduced by the false hope that there is still time for correction and does not know God 162. “Such a person,” the saint concludes, “is sick both with his mind—the outward appearance of his soul—and with his conscience—with his inner being. He humiliates himself with reason, and completely destroys himself with hope” 163. And moreover, no efforts of the sinner and his imaginary virtues are pleasing to God. Sinful evil deprives a person of temporal and eternal blessings 164. And the one who performs a real feat of repentance, with all his might avoids sinful inclinations, endures all adversity and wishes to accept death rather than offend God and fall from His mercies, becomes the heir of eternal life, receives a reward, is awarded crowns along with virgins: “Let him judge as he wishes. I am not ashamed to put it in the image of virgins and write it with virgins” 165. Therefore, “no one should fall into despair, even if he is burdened with many sins, but having repented, it is graceful to reunite with God in order to be numbered among the saints” 166. The saving virtue for a Christian is the fear of God - “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). On it, according to the teachings of St. Demetrius, rests “the beginning and foundation of a godly life” 167. Without it, a person cannot achieve unity with God and eternal bliss. The absence of the fear of God is the cause of all sins, evils and troubles of man, for “he who does not have the fear of God commits himself to every evil deed” 168 . The presence of the fear of God in a person “is, as it were, a rein and bridle that leads a sinner away from his lawless path” 169. If a person leads a godly life, seeks God, then he is given this gift of God 170. A necessary condition for accepting it is strong faith in the Lord 171; this virtue develops in a person and strengthens in him with the desire for a pious life. With the appropriate spiritual disposition, a Christian overcomes sinful inclinations and is confirmed in the fear of God. “Thus, from the fear of God,” the saint teaches, “human salvation begins, for he who fears the Lord God walks in His ways, that is, keeps all His commandments, and loves Him, and works diligently for Him” 172. The fear of God develops and is established in the human heart from the knowledge of God's truth, spiritual laws, from reflection on the destinies of mankind and the fate of sinners. A God-fearing person always, in any place and at any time, feels God’s presence, and this helps him remain unharmed from sin: “If for the sake of His presence, fear and love for Him, he does or speaks, or thinks, then he does all this pleasing to God... and he spends his entire life, which is, as it were, before the eyes of God, virtuously and soul-savingly, often repeating in himself with fear the following words of the holy prophets Elijah and Elisha: The Lord lives, before whose all-seeing eyes I walk, stand, sit, eat, drink, speak, talk, think, and everything I do, I do for Him, who is looking at me” 173. On the other hand, forgetting about God's omnipresence deprives a person of fear; The saint emphasizes that this is extreme madness and stupidity, pushing a person to do godless deeds 174. Thus, the fear of God is the strongest Christian weapon in the fight against sin and a saving means for strengthening in piety, and contributes to the development of other Christian virtues, the highest of which is love. “The fear of the Lord is the guide to salvation and the beginning of the love of God, in the words of the same Moses: “Now for Israel, whatever the Lord your God asks of you, that you may fear the Lord your God and walk in all His ways, and love Him, and serve the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut. 10:12)” 175. Without the fear of God, salvation is impossible: “When there is a great war ahead, when there are many obstacles on the path to salvation, how can you be saved without fear?” - asks the saint 176. The Lord especially generously pours out His gifts of grace on those His servants who do every deed and life in the fear of God. “Whoever has it in his heart will truly succeed in every good deed, for at every time and hour he is ready to please God, moving away from every evil and tempting thing” 177. The fear of God is the Christian's teacher on the path to salvation. He who has it will achieve eternal life and find peace in the Kingdom of Heaven, having avoided temptations and sin on earth. Therefore, the saint once again calls on his listeners to have the fear of God, since “it is fitting for all of us to appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10) 178. Salvation is achieved through constant struggle in the process of internal renewal and struggle against sin. A Christian must put on Christ, imagine Him in his heart. To do this, he needs to put off the old man, free himself from sin and all filth. In holy baptism, a person receives the opportunity for such renewal, he becomes a new creation, is born for eternal life, but he needs to be established in holiness. Often, having grace-filled means of salvation, a person again moves away from God because of his sins: “Spiritual leprosy, that is, sin, is very similar to bodily leprosy, it interferes with God-like beauty, the grace of God” 179. This is facilitated by the sinful nature of man, who more often follows his own lust than the will of God 180, the delights of the world and the devil. “The sinner will be blinded with spiritual eyes through the bodily senses, through which, as through doors or windows, spiritual enemies, the world and the demon with the helping flesh, first blind the soul with their arrows, and then kill it” 181. In spiritual warfare, the saint advises Christians not to weaken in spirit, no matter how difficult or insurmountable the trials may seem to them. Gradually, a Christian not only becomes stronger in the struggle, but also gains experience: “Anyone who wants to cast out a seven-headed and multi-faceted demon must have many feats of virtue, but not without Peter, James and John, that is, not without firm faith, not without a persistent struggle with passions, not without the special grace of God, which is given to those who diligently seek God and truly love Him” 182. A person’s struggle against sin and the slander of the devil can be successful if he has strong faith and has God as his helper. The holy apostles could not cast out the demon “because of the unbelief of that person himself. Faith can do anything, but unbelief even creates an obstacle to what is possible” 183. A person who does not have firm faith and remembrance of God cannot lag behind a sinful life, from vices that remove him from the Source of life, offend Divine majesty, and lead to eternal destruction. Such a person “spends his ways and his life prodigal, because there is no God before him, his mind is far from God, and God is far from him. When the sun sets, night comes: similarly, our life becomes dark and bad when God retreats far from us or we retreat far from God” 184. A strong and effective means in the matter of salvation, according to the teachings of the saint, is the fear of God, which “one must learn to have, and seek a teacher, and listen to, and obey him, as God’s builder” 185 . Due to sinfulness, human nature is upset and its spiritual powers are weakened to the point that a person cannot control himself and his feelings, often following sinful habits. In order to defeat the tendency to sin and eradicate passions, the Holy Father advises rejecting all the delights of the world. “It is appropriate to fight and despise everything with the vigor of the heart that enjoys honor among people, for all this enslaves the sons of Adam, that is, acquisition, honor, idleness, glory, physical beauty and other similar things that excite lust” 186. As a warrior of Christ, when fighting an enemy, a Christian must always be fully armed, ready to repel any attack, and must not fall into despair or despondency, but firmly trust in God’s help. “The world gave up the holy martyrs to desecration, the most severe torment and death, for they were displeasing to it. They were disliked because they were kind, meek, and pleasing to God, they moved away from all worldly uncleanness and exposed the errors and failures of the wicked. But what has the hated world achieved by hating and destroying the saints? He himself perishes, and they live forever, and their reward is from the Lord: they were destroyed by the world in many different ways, but not only did they not perish, but they did not even lose a single hair from their heads.” 187 And if a Christian becomes accustomed to doing good, strengthens himself in God, and remains in hope in Him, then he will receive a reward from the Chief Shepherd. Subject to a person’s personal aspiration and with the help of God’s grace, which promotes salvation, he can overcome sinful passions and overcome the devil. Therefore, the saint advises the Christian to turn for help to the Physician of souls and bodies, “to pray to God that He will raise us to true repentance and arm us weak against demonic power, girding us with His Divine power from above” 188 . In the process of spiritual and moral revival, fasting is important, as a necessary means for healing the soul and curing ailments. Christ the Savior Himself, entering His service to humanity, began His feat with fasting, “so that we could leave an image and by His example arm us with fasting against the devil, for otherwise we are not able to defeat him” 189 . Fasting is necessary as a healing means for putting off the old man with all his sinful nature, which hinders spiritual growth. “Fasting and abstinence dry up our body, kill carnal lusts and sinful passions in us... tame all the power of the enemy” 190. Saint Demetrius, explaining the laws of spiritual life, pays great attention to this virtue. This difficult feat for a Christian must be accompanied not only by physical abstinence, but also by spiritual abstinence, which consists of moving away from all evil, for “if someone, while fasting, embitters his neighbor, fasts in litigation and quarrels, such fasting does not find grace from God” 191 . True fasting helps the spirit to dominate the physical nature and makes a person a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. Fasting, as the saint noted, is also useful for physical health 192. The food taken by a person should be consumed in moderation, not to please the flesh, but to maintain physical health, so that a person is able to work and do deeds useful for his salvation and for the glory of God. It is very important in fasting, says the saint, abstinence from anger, vanity, alienation from evil, abstinence of the tongue, putting aside rage, excommunication from lusts and the eradication of lies and perjury - abandoning all this is true and favorable fasting 193. As we see, spiritual fasting is given the most importance; it should occupy more of a Christian’s attention in order to serve to mortify passions and create favorable conditions for the planting and growth of high spiritual qualities. Only such fasting is saving for a person and pleasing to God 194. If the Lord led the people of Israel in the desert for many years in order to destroy from their memory “all the evil that was in Egypt before He brought them into the Promised Land, then all the more necessary is this for those entering the open heaven” 195 . Thus, fasting, according to the teaching of St. Demetrius, assists a Christian in the matter of salvation and pleasing God. Prayer occupies an important place in Christian spiritual and moral development. It contributes to the spiritualization of a Christian, the purification of his heart and the enlightenment of his mind, strengthens him in heroism, in the fight against passions. Saint Demetrius draws the attention of his listeners to the fact that prayer is evidence of God’s great mercy and love for humanity, for the Lord has endowed intelligent creatures with the ability to turn in prayer to their Creator 196 . Through prayer, people can communicate with Him, the Provider, the Savior and the Giver of all blessings, “this is the key to the treasures of God, through which anyone who wishes opens the door of God’s mercy for himself and enters and leaves and finds pasture” 197. Prayer is an essential necessity in a person’s spiritual life, an expression of faith and hope in God. Prayer is food for the soul. It “is as necessary for a person as daily food is for the body: bread strengthens the flesh, prayer strengthens the soul. And just as the body is exhausted without food, so is the soul without prayer. The soul cannot receive grace from God for its strengthening and revitalization if it does not ask for it through prayer. “Ask,” it is said, “and it will be given to you, for everyone who asks accepts” (Matthew 7:7)” 198. Prayer, the skill to perform it, are sent down to man from God, therefore, “let everyone ask from God Himself for the gift of prayer, who Himself teaches prayer to the one praying: “We must not pray as we should, unless He guides us with His Holy Spirit”” 199. In his teachings, the saint points out the need for prayer for every believer. Numerous misfortunes from external and internal enemies, sorrows, needs, troubles, temptations prompt a Christian to turn to God in prayer; prayer is necessary for the soul, like walls are for a city besieged by foreigners. “For the soul is the city of the great King God, and in this city good deeds dwell as citizens, and the gifts of God are kept as royal treasures... Truly, only a prayer wall, when it is strong and has boldness towards God, can drive away their many insidious powers” ​​200. Prayer is an indicator of a Christian’s striving for perfection and holiness, the level of his spiritual and moral state. Great is her strength. Like “a shield and a weapon in battle against enemies, she not only arms weak men against strong men, but also takes up weak vessels against brave men... To show the power of prayer, I will say the following. Prayer not only defeats the laws of nature, but even restrains the hand of the omnipotent God Himself, raised to defeat sinners” 201. Turning to God in prayer gives consolation in sorrows and disasters, delivers from troubles and inclines the righteous Judge and the Rewarder of sinners to the mercy of sinners 202. But in order to find real prayer, effort and exercise in it are necessary, a tearful appeal to God, good deeds, “it is necessary to add to prayer undoubted faith in receiving what is asked, hope... kindness, mercy” 203. Living faith, firm hope, unfeigned love for God awaken in the soul of a Christian a feeling of complete devotion to His all-holy will, an undoubted confidence that the Lord knows all his spiritual and bodily needs and is ready to satisfy them, if only they are useful for his salvation. Therefore, a Christian must with great diligence and zeal ask with faith, seek with hope, knock with love. “And you all ask by prayer, seek by good conduct and knock with great diligence,” the saint teaches 204. The power and meaning of prayer lie not only in the mechanical pronunciation of words, but in the attentive turning of thoughts and feelings to God, for “prayer without attention is like a censer without fire and incense, a lamp without oil, a body without a soul. Such prayer is an abomination, and not pleasing to our Master Christ, for it is not the words emanating from the mouth that implore Him, but the mind, wholly turned to Him. It is not the voice of the larynx that reaches the ears of the Lord of hosts, but the groaning of a contrite heart, and the Lord does not bow to the many words of the one who prays.” 205 Saint Demetrius distinguishes two types of prayer: external and internal. The first is apparently performed, this is a conciliar prayer, performed according to church rules, to which people are called by ringing. The second, “an arbitrary prayer done in secret, happens untimely, when someone wants, without any call, only according to the movement of the spirit itself... The first is pronounced aloud with the lips and voice, the second - only with the mind. The second is solitary and takes place in a closed cell” 206. The external environment is of great importance for attentive prayer. Solitude is the best way to promote a prayerful mood and concentration... A Christian’s personal desire, spiritual experience, and skill also provide important assistance in acquiring prayer. Therefore, the saint believes, “a short, but often performed prayer is more useful than a long one. Let your frequent but short prayer not be multiplied by unnecessary words, as the holy fathers teach about this." 207 Learning to pray is inextricably linked with the moral perfection of a Christian. To become accustomed to true prayer, one needs not only mental composure, but also an active desire for God, a firm intention to fulfill His commandments, His will, if we want Him to hear our petitions. Only prayerful work and an exemplary virtuous life, inextricably linked with each other, are favorable to God. Pharisee prayer, without a holy life, will not only not be heard by God, but also turns into sin 208. Before fulfilling your prayer and pouring out your petition before God, you need to make amends for previous sins, unevenness, and prepare yourself by practicing all sorts of virtues: humility, fasting, alms. Virtues are “the wings of prayer, on which it flies to the Most High, sitting on six-winged seraphim” 209. Prayer is facilitated by petitions with tears that ascend to heaven and appease God 210. Sincere and constant prayer is necessary for everyone: both righteous and sinners. Therefore, when gaining experience in prayer, it is necessary to remember that it is a Divine gift. Anyone who wants to acquire it must make his own efforts and ask the Holy Spirit to give him the joy of “enjoying the Lord” (Ps. 36:4). Chapter 5. Saint Demetrius as a preacher, teacher, hagiographer Preaching works of Saint Demetrius Saint Demetrius constantly showed concern for the enlightenment of his flock with the word of God. Having extensive experience and knowledge and being a gifted preacher, he worked zealously in this field throughout his life - first in obedience in various cities and monasteries of the Kiev Metropolis, and then fulfilling his duty as a teacher in the priesthood at the Rostov See. All the saint's sermons can be divided into two periods. The first period is from 1675 to 1701 and the second is from 1701 to 1709 211. In the sermons of the first period there are many allegories, metaphors, symbols, many of them in the Ukrainian dialect with the addition of Polish words. In the sermons of this period, the main subject of teaching is ways to glorify God in soul and body. The scholastic influence is felt to a large extent in them, which is expressed in the abundance of rhetorical figures and the convergence of examples from various sciences. For example, from the field of natural science, the remark about the peacock attracts attention: “The peacock rules about the proud bird, but when he looks at his nose, but falls down” 212. In the sermons of the second period, the saint touches on issues of life in his contemporary society and in particular its shortcomings: the low level of mental, religious and moral development of the people. The fewer scholastic techniques in sermons, the later the sermon is delivered. The second period includes all the sermons delivered by Saint Demetrius at the Rostov See and in Moscow. During the life of the saint, his sermons were not published by his contemporaries for the benefit of soul salvation and edification. According to his will, the drafts of the sermons were placed with the body in the coffin and decayed, but the lists of sermons remained in the Rostov bishop's house. Some of the sermons were discovered in the Sophia manuscript in Petrograd, some were found in the possession of private individuals. Of all the known 122 sermons of St. Demetrius of Rostov 9 belong to the Kyiv period, the rest were pronounced in Rostov and Moscow. The first collector of the saint's preaching heritage was Bishop Ambrose of Pereslavl and Dmitrov. It is safe to say that the sermons that have reached us constitute only a small part of the saint’s labors in the field of evangelism. The scholastic methods of presentation, learned by Saint Demetrius at the college and during his preaching activities in Chernigov, gradually disappear, words, speeches and teachings become more accessible, concise, and simple in form. But the content of the sermons remained the same: love for God, for the Church and its servants, love for neighbors, compassion and mercy for every suffering soul. His speech, distinguished by its cordiality and warmth, as well as deep wit, attracted the people, and his sermons were a success. The saint did not limit himself to simply expounding the truths and norms of Christian doctrine, but sought to convey their power and spirit to all listeners, both educated and simple. In the sermon for the “Feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of Don,” the preacher makes the following addition at the end: “And it’s time for me to finish the laudatory conversation about the Most Pure Virgin, it’s time to end with an amen. But my mind is confused by a certain thing, for it seems to me that everything that I said to sinners was not understandable to unlearned people, and I am afraid that they will not go away without benefit and that I will not turn out to be a long-winded rhetorician and not a useful teacher, and therefore I will say a few more words for the benefit of the simplest ones” 213. In terms of content and richness of useful and edifying thoughts, the sermons of St. Demetrius are acceptable for any time. When expressing his thoughts and justifying them, he always used the Holy Scriptures, explaining them in literal and spiritual senses. Scholasticism left its mark only in the external design of sermons: construction and artistic techniques. The texts of the Holy Scriptures are skillfully intertwined with the saint’s own speech, so that his sermons, forming an amazingly beautiful and inspired whole, always made a strong impression on the souls of his listeners. In words and teachings there are often sayings of philosophers and sages of antiquity, examples from the history of various nations. The preacher's thought constantly moved through time and space, captivating and leading the minds and imagination of the listeners. Confessing the holy truths of Christian morality, not only with his mind, but more with the experience of a life pleasing to God, the saint always spoke with deep conviction, from the abundance of a God-enlightened heart. The sermons of St. Demetrius of Rostov are imbued with the spirit of pastoral love, spiritual goodness and peace. Therefore, his speeches and addresses to listeners are filled with pure love for God and neighbors, distinguished by sincerity, simplicity and cordiality. The action of the grace of God abounding in him gave his gospel a special power of influence on the minds, hearts and wills of his listeners. The main task and goal of all the preaching works of the archpastor was a guide to eternal life and salvation: “This is all the happiness of a Christian person, this is all spiritual joy, this is all hope and salvation itself, this is the first aspiration of the eternal life, and the eternal life itself, to know God, to the Orthodox listener! This is the eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God (John 17:3)” 214. A person then truly knows God when he loves Him with faith, and truly loves Him, and he only reaches the eternal life 215. Saint Demetrius, as the shepherd of the Church, knows the ways of knowing God - faith and love. “Faith is a matter of knowledge. Faith,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “is therefore the knowledge of God, because by that omnipotent power the eyelids were formed... God is known through love, as the Lord Himself says in the Gospel (John 14:21)” 216. There is evidence of true love for God and perfection, “when someone, for the sake of his beloved Lord, with all his might is careful not to fall into mortal sin” 217. Disposing believers to reciprocal love for God, the saint asks: “What will we bring, what will we give, or what thanksgiving will we offer to our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ; for He does not require our good things, but from His one compassion not only created this visible world for our sake, but also in it enriches and preserves us, gives us life and dwellings and nourishes us” 218. Unity with God is an undoubted belief that if we spend our lives with Him and in Him until the end of our days and with hope in Him we come from this sinful world, He will not reject us in His eternal Kingdom, according to His promise: “Him who comes to Me I will in no way cast out” (John 6:37). Achieving the desired unity with Christ, as the source of eternal life, is accomplished through spiritual and moral ascent and perfection. Therefore, the saint’s sermons are aimed mainly at explaining the inner content of Christian doctrine; he points, first of all, to the ways and means of pleasing God. To preach only moral ideals means to present one consequence without revealing their source. Realizing this, the saint often set out dogmatic truths in his teachings, for from ignorance or misinterpretation of the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, many errors, heresies, and superstitions arise that lead people from salvation to the wrong path. From all the works of Saint Demetrius, one can collect a whole set of books expounding dogmatic truths, the purpose of which is to raise a Christian to heaven and prepare him for eternal life. In addition to oral sermons, the written work “Mirror of the Orthodox Confession” is devoted to dogmatic issues. In it, the saint outlined and gave explanations of the Creed, a system of Christian dogmatic theology, presented in a brief form. Outlining the teaching about the Holy Church and its relationship with every believer, the saint writes: “The Church is said to be the assembly of the faithful, not in one place only, but throughout the entire universe of those who exist, and for this reason it is said to be the holy catholic Apostolic Church, which from end to end of the universe, in every generation and language, faithfully glorifies Christ the God. The foundation of this Church is Christ Himself, the walls are the law of God, the pillars are Apostles, Evangelists, Teachers, the cover is the Holy Spirit" 219. The saint speaks succinctly about the need for salvation to remain in the Orthodox Church: “There is nowhere to take holy things except the Church” 220 . All dogmas guide a person to the knowledge of God, the Provider of our salvation: “I believe that God Almighty alone is the Creator of all visible and invisible creatures, the Father and Keeper, and that He created heaven with all its creation and Angels, the earth with men and animals, and everything else in His time from nothing by His omnipotent command and will, and contains them” 221. The saint always turned the minds and feelings of his listeners to the Son of God crucified for us. This main dogma of our faith was the focus of all his teaching. In “A Word for the Nativity of Christ,” he explains the meaning and content of the festive chants of the 9th song of the canon, which heralds the greatest event in the history of mankind: “I see a strange and glorious sacrament, heaven, den...” The great mystery of the incarnation of the Lord took place for the deliverance and salvation of people according to the great mercy and love of God: “Being an unapproachable Light, He was clothed in darkness. The eternally existing Word of the Father, speaking through the prophets, became mute. The strong and strong deigned to be silent in the infant body. This is how He exhausted Himself and became poor for the sake of love for us” 222. Countless examples from the lives of God's saints and the Word of God testify that spiritual life is accomplished under the guidance and influence of the forces of the spiritual world - angels, in constant warfare with the devil. Enlightening his listeners, the preacher talks about the ministry of the angelic world, and also warns against the influence of the forces of evil. “What we need for our souls and what we need for our bodies, they care for them and provide for them, they keep us in our ways... they teach us in the purity of Christian life, they drive away demonic power from us, they transform our minds and bring our prayers to God” 223. Faith in the redemptive power of the sacrifice of Christ the Savior and love for God, for neighbors and enemies, mortification of the flesh and renewal of the inner man with the assistance of God's grace - these are the areas on which the saint focused the attention of his listeners. “His love is so great that, like delight, it does not pay attention to anything and seems to forget itself. We may be dark, filthy, vile and insignificant, but by His great Divine love we are made into holy, bright, pure and higher people than the angels. This is how strong God’s love is for us” 224. On Sundays and holidays, choosing the texts of the Gospel readings as the topic for preaching, he introduced his listeners to the times of the Savior, conveying the spirit of the gospel, and explained the content and meaning of what was read. The decline of Christian piety and righteous life in God testifies, in the opinion of the saint, that the Calvary sacrifice for many remained silent and distant, and the grace of God did not touch the hearts of people: “O heart, sinner’s heart! O bitterness of the insensible soul! The hardness of stone is nothing compared to your petrification; the hardest stone is the heart." 225 Exclamations like this are very often found in his teachings on soul-saving topics. In his sermons, the saint denounces and tries to correct the vices of his flock, revealing a sad picture of the morals of that time. “What is our piety? - exclaims the distressed archpastor. – What kind of Christianity? What kind of love for God is gained? Whenever we see the churches being idle, the teaching of the laws, that there is no one to hear, is abandoned. Malice, insults, untruths, outrages and obscene language are filled everywhere; gluttony and drunkenness did not exactly make many people miserable and become possessed and go crazy, but also gave them over to cruel deaths untimely and completely eradicated them. They call and invite people to the Holy Church to sing and praise the Lord God, it is fitting to have all the love for the Unman, no one comes... And at the feasts, drinking and mocking, sit for days, and then it’s as if it’s business, and idle, and in indecent fun you’re not bored. It is harmful and detrimental to her, and not only to her soul, but also to her body, beyond natural measures. And now people are already inventing things for other people and drinking a lot about their health in absentia, but ruining themselves excessively” 226. As a vigilant shepherd and guardian of the spiritual flock, he sees sinful habits, the diseases of his contemporary society and heals them, choosing what is needed at a time when ordinary readings contain more useful and convenient examples. Thus, in his homily on the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, he says: “Let anyone interpret the current Gospel, which is noble and well-known to everyone, spoken by the Lord, about the Publican and the Pharisee, about the Publican and the Pharisee, as he wants, but I only want to know and offer it to our love; to whom our Lord speaks" 227. The preacher reveals in this sermon the vices of vanity and slander, especially characteristic of that time. Along with this disease, he also sees a danger for the Holy Church emanating from the same beginning: the spirit of Pharisaic leaven and slander on the part of schismatics, which has infected not only the people, but also the shepherds of the Church. The saint denounces the inveterate vices of his listeners, especially irreverence and ingratitude to God. For example, in the word on the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ, he denounces those who stand irreverently in the church of God: “Oh, Christ the Savior! Even if You had now entered Your church and seen that they were acting outrageously, You had done the same or greater things, and we do not know that You had spared anyone: now there is great fearlessness in the Church, a den of thieves and a dishonorable house are creating Your house. Where can I meet whom? In the church. Where do they greet each other, congratulate each other, ask about their health, about their wife, children and others? - In the church. As if the church was created for this reason, so that people would converge on politics and lawlessness, and not on the prayer of God” 228. Often one can hear good nature in the tone of the saint’s denunciations. Such denunciations are aimed not so much at hurting the listener, but at revealing and criticizing known weaknesses and vices. In such cases, the sermon has a tinge of irony, coming not from a mocking mind, but from a heart saddened by the foolishness of one’s neighbor, and sympathetic to the actual situation. Sometimes whole pictures are presented to the imagination of the listeners, such as: “A lazy donkey is lazy and a sinner: with many beatings you can hardly convince the donkey of the yoke, but you can convert a depraved sinner and with many inconvenient testimony to correction; The donkey, even if beaten, does not come soon, it barely drags along the way, and there is never any sign of running soon; and the sinner does not rush to salvation, even if sometimes the one who is beaten is not allowed by God” 229. In any word of the preacher one can feel the pastoral love for the flock and for God, dissolved by heartfelt sorrow over the ingratitude of people towards their Savior. This feeling is sometimes expressed either in righteous indignation at the careless, or in fiery prayer and petitions to God for His weak and infirm servants. Just as a loving mother cries, reproaching her son, threatens him with punishment, and then regrets and no longer holds a grudge, so the saint was lenient towards his spiritual children. In his homily on the day of remembrance of St. Alexis, St. Demetrius sadly exclaims: “Oh, our times, or better yet, our damned morals! How far we have fallen behind the sheep of Christ, from those sheep that were before us, which were shepherded by the All-Russian shepherds Peter, Alexy and Jonah!... Oh, Saint of Christ, our good shepherd! Let us be goats and beasts to each other, let us anger God and disobey you, however, do not abandon us... your children, until by your intercession for us to God you have turned us from goats into sheep, from children of wrath into children of God” 230. In the last years of his life, Saint Demetrius put in a lot of work in the struggle for the purity of the faith and for the spiritual flock entrusted to him. The schismatics that spread in the Yaroslavl province and the ignorance that accompanied it prompted the saint to raise his voice in defense of the Holy Church. He acted as a teacher defending the dogmas of the Church, as a shepherd protecting sheep from predatory wolves. Thus, in his teaching on the worship of holy icons, he sharply denounces the iconoclasts: “And what does the seven-headed serpent say about this, the iconoclastic heresy, which sweeps aside holy icons... First of all, I ask, poisonous asp! What is an idol? And what is an icon... An icon is an image of a true thing, and an idol is an image of delusion” 231. In simple, accessible language, the saint revealed to his listeners the errors of the schismatic teachers, proved the inconsistency of their ritual faith, and spoke about their harmful influence on the souls of believers. Explaining the true meaning of veneration of the cross, icons and other church shrines, he denounces the Old Believers’ commitment to “smoked” icons: “Christians venerate the Holy Gospel... in which many things are invented, paper and ink... sometimes overlaid with silver, gold, sometimes with precious brocade. Whenever we worship the Holy Gospel, what do we venerate, and in what is the power of worshiping the Holy Gospel: whether we venerate soundboards, or silver, or gold, or brocade, or paper. I think I’m not the only one among the Orthodox who says this. What the hell are we honoring? We honor the words of Christ, the teaching of Christ, and the entire history of the life of Christ. Also, when we bow to an icon, we honor not the deco or vases, but the images of the Prototype” 232. In the teaching of the 21st Week according to the Holy Spirit on the Gospel words: “He went out to sow his Seed: and as he sowed, he fell along the way, on the stones, on the thorns” (Luke 8:5), the Rostov archpastor pours out his sadness that he found his flock unenlightened by the Gospel preaching. “The sowers do not sow,” he laments, “but the earth does not accept, the priests are careless, and people are mistaken” 233 . Self-will and disobedience of the Holy Church entail disasters, the wrath of God, about which the prophet Amos announced to the Jewish people: “I will send a famine on the earth, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord... They will flow around those who seek the Word of the Lord, and will not find it” (Amos.8:11-12). Spiritual hunger was aggravated by the fact that the Word of God was drowned out by tares, which, according to the word of the saint, were schismatic errors that intensified in his diocese. Horror and grief take possession of the preacher when he sees that children do not listen to their father, spiritual sheep do not follow the shepherd, sinners avoid the church and shun repentance, become sons of perdition, heirs of hell. The spiritual seed that has fallen on a corrupted heart is trampled underfoot by evil thoughts, vanity and sinful desires: “They were joined to foolish cattle, and became like them” (Ps. 49:13). Such a heart does not bear spiritual fruit, because “the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart” (Luke 8:12). The devil is the bird that steals the word of God from human hearts. He multiplied the number of his followers in the Bryn forests and sent them to cities and villages to peck at the seeds of God's gospel and destroy the teachings of the Holy Church. Therefore, the saint instructs his listeners not to move away from her, to hold on like a mother, for the Church gave birth to us through holy baptism into eternal life. In his speech the saint addresses the disobedient with anger: “Oh, foolish Galatians! Who taught you to resist the truth? Has the Church changed? Has the priesthood ceased? Will the Church endure until the day of judgment? After all, even the gates of hell will not prevail against her (Matthew 16:18), according to the word of the Lord. Who is easier to believe? To you or to Christ the Lord? 234. The temptation of schism and sinful delusions has penetrated so deeply into Christian life that not only ordinary members of the Church, but also pastors began to neglect their duties. The shepherds, according to the saint, are not only not enlightened by the teaching themselves, but they do not like those who know, “they even condemn the teaching and blaspheme.” The ignorant priests themselves advised their flock not to receive communion often. “And what’s most amazing,” says the saint, grieving, “is that the priest’s wives and children never receive communion... the priest’s sons come to be placed in the places of their fathers, whom we always ask how long ago they took communion, many truly say that they don’t remember when they took communion. Oh, cursed priests who neglect their home! How can they care for the Holy Church if they do not bring their household to Holy Communion?” 235. The saint wanted the priests to walk with reverence before God and honor His Holy Mysteries with due honor. “In the ministry, let promiscuity not begin before even a candle is lit at the Holy Altar,” says the saint, giving practical advice to the priests. “In the same way, the beginning of the Holy Liturgy itself is: “Blessed is the Kingdom,” let it not begin before even a candle is lit at the Holy Throne” 236. If, out of our zeal, we light many candles in front of the holy icons, thereby signifying the “influx of the Holy Spirit into the fires,” then all the more with what zeal should we light them on the Holy Throne, where Christ Himself “rests in the ranks of angels” 237 . Let the priests “teach their children to read and write, preparing them to enter the Rostov school, so that when instead of their fathers they are awarded the priesthood, they would be able to teach the people in the church.” They should not forget about the spiritual enlightenment of their flock; those who do not know the most basic prayers, namely: the “Jesus Prayer”, “Heavenly King”, “Trisagion”, “Our Father”, “I Believe in One God”, “Virgin Mother of God” and “It is Worthy to Eat”, the priests should teach in church on holidays and Sundays after the Liturgy 238. Those who do not care about their salvation always find a reason to postpone Holy Communion, but the saint persistently asks such people not to refuse communion with Christ, justifying their unworthiness. The Lord came not for the sake of the righteous, but for the sake of sinners, to save them. He came not to heal the healthy, but to heal the sick. If someone is unworthy because of his sins, then let him become worthy through repentance. “You are doing well to be afraid, but you are doing badly by running away. God is not your enemy, but a doctor: He wants to heal, not destroy. God is not your adversary and destroyer, but the Father: He seeks not to kill you, but to revive you. God is not a beast for you, but a merciful benefactor who desires your salvation and not your destruction. Why are you running away from His Divine cup?.. For as long as you remain in sins without repentance, as long as you work for the devil and are his slave and captive” 239. He who partakes of the cup of the Lord is united with Christ and “changes in Christ” and is deified. The saint became aware of those iniquities that “even the pagans, neither the Turks, nor the Tatars do not have” 240, committed according to the teachings of the Bryn false teachers: “They teach to have common wives and consider fornication not a sin, but the love of Christ” 241. Addressing the leaders of the schism, he calls them “birds of demons, cursed wolves, holding to the Nicolaitan teaching, fornicators, adulterers and defilers.” “Repent,” he says, “lest the two-edged sword that proceeds from the mouth of Christ strike you.” 242 At the end of the teaching, the saint affirms the faith and piety of his listeners: “You, true believers and Orthodox Christians, beware of those seductive demonic birds flying out of the Bryn nest and hiding here as thieves and seducing lost and insane people, for whom the end will be destruction, from which may Christ the Lord deliver us with His mercy.”243 As an educated and enlightened shepherd, he explains the meaning of the name of the Lord and how to correctly read: Jesus or Jesus: “The schismatics, who only say Jesus in two syllabi, do not confess the Savior... but a certain Jesus with equal ears. We have one, Who was before, and now is, and will be forever, Jesus, the spoken Savior.... not two, but three syllabs! 244. With a simple and intelligible word, the saint revealed the truth to the people, showing the harm of false teachings and the ignorance of false teachers. Sometimes his denunciations, in their sublimity, resemble the voice of a prophet, consumed by zeal for the glory of God, for example, in a word denouncing the Arian heresy: “Open, Arie, the tomb of your larynx, filled with dead verbs: for thou shalt not imitate the words of this life-giving one, which thy words were created and created. But he, said abiye from the Scripture of the verb, creates the beginning: you, the hearer, as a faithful one, do not be afraid, when you see him from the Scriptures saying: for the devil, when he came to Christ, tempted him, from the Scriptures he spoke with him, saying: “If you are the Son of God, look down from below.” 245 . Discussing the Arian heresy, the saint warns his listeners against misunderstanding the Holy Scripture and willfully interpreting it, as the schismatics of the Bryn Forests did, and all heretics did the same in order to catch inexperienced Christians in their nets. In everything that concerned the interests of the Church and his flock, the saint was attentive and decisive, as evidenced by the incident with the schismatic priest, for whom Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna stood up. To her petition the saint answered: “All the evil and insults that the estranged one inflicted on me personally, blaspheming me with all sorts of blasphemous words, calling me a heretic and a Roman, I forgive Christ for my sake. But I am afraid of God’s wrath on myself, even if I am a wolf in sheep’s clothing, I will let people into the flock of Christ destroy human souls with schismatic teachings. I pray, your royal honor, do not put anger on me because I cannot make things impossible." 246 As an enlightened and cultured person who personally knew Peter I, the saint understood his aspirations and the importance of state reforms, supported his activities aimed at renewing the state, and encouraged the development of science and culture. “I praise the good custom of modern times, according to which people go to other states for the sake of education,” says the saint in the Word on Saturday of the 4th Sunday of Great Lent, “for from across the sea they return wise. I also heard that some sages called the thought of death philosophy, a special wisdom. If mortal memory is philosophy, then it is inconvenient to study this wisdom while sitting at home, but one should seek it in foreign countries” 247. At the same time, he believed that visible external successes should not be achieved at the expense of the spiritual life of the people, which contains the true strength of the state, the guarantee of the future. He was a supporter of the spiritual way of life that prevailed in Rus' and was the custodian of this heritage - a living and active faith. Such views of the saint were reflected in his literary and social activities. It is known that Peter I did not observe fasts and considered it unhelpful for soldiers, so later, in 1716, he asked the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah III for permission for them to eat fast food during all fasts, except the week before communion. In a sermon delivered on this occasion on August 29, 1708 in the Moscow Ivanovo Monastery, the archpastor very vividly depicted a picture of a feast of pagan gods, thereby denouncing the innovations introduced and the drunkenness, adultery, misanthropy and murder that accompanied them. Describing Herod's feast, he shows the power of sin when the king, under the rule of Bacchus, falls into greater evil: being enslaved by passion for a woman, he serves her and fulfills her will - he kills the prophet John the Baptist. “When I look at Herod’s feast, I see Bacchus sitting next to Venus, who in Hellenes was the god of gluttony, the god of gluttony and drunkenness, about whom the Apostle also remembered: “Whose belly is God, and whose glory is in their cold, who philosophize on earth” (Phil. 3:19)... but as I see, our destined to be Orthodox Christians are the same. I don’t dislike God, I liked him... imitating Bacchus’s disciple Luther. Not observing fasts is not a sin: to drink day and night is humanity, to be in a party is friendship, and after death the soul is told where it should go, a fable... Speaks Bacchus, the gluttonous god, with his disciple Martin Luther: it is necessary not to fast in the regiments, to eat meat during fasting, so that the regimental people in the army are strong, strong in battle, and not weakened in battle from fasting and abstinence... You are a liar... you are alien to the feast of Christ” 248. Brought up in the spirit of church canons, as a hierarch and defender of the interests of the Church, the saint mourned the disasters caused by exorbitant taxes and extortions, and sometimes raised his voice in defense of church property: “Do you want to rob the church, ask Iliodor, the treasurer of the Syrian king Seleucus, who came to Jerusalem to rob the church and was beaten by angelic hands” 249. The saint also did not agree with Peter I’s view of monasticism as parasitism, defending its purpose. “The Lord upholds this world with monastic prayers: even if little ones think of monastic prayers, they strengthen the whole world. Look, what happens, what does the grapevine contain? On a single stake, dry and barren. Take it away... the corn will fall to the ground and not bear fruit. Take away the monastic rite from the Christian world, like a dry and barren stake from a grape; judge for yourself what peace there will be” 250. The sermons of the Rostov archpastor are filled with gratitude and love for God; they call for compassion and mercy towards those in need, which is evidence of true love. He protects these smaller brothers of ours from violence, insults and oppression from the merciless rich and judges. To fully represent all reality and display the suffering and grief of the people, he sets out with his listeners to look for Christ: among the clergy, among the boyars and judges, among the people. And He finds Him among those who suffer and are in trouble! “Oh, new sufferers, passion-bearers and martyrs! “I pray to you,” the saint addresses them with such words of consolation, “and I exhort you, do not become weak in patience, but give thanks to your Christ. After His resurrection, He will come to visit you, and not only to visit you, but even to stay with you inseparably, for the Gospel says about each of you: “I and the Father will come and make our abode with him” (John 14:23)” 251. With his strong and effective words, as the shepherd of the Church, he awakens the public conscience, removes the veil of sin and opens the eyes of his contemporaries to reality, calling for active Christian love. The sermons of St. Demetrius attract attention not only because of the richness and variety of content. They are also valuable in form, in those external techniques that this skillful, educated and talented preacher used to convey his archpastoral word to his listeners as best as possible. What can we say about the external side of the sermons of St. Demetrius? In the arrangement of material in St. Demetrius, a certain sophistication is noticeable, which comes from the inevitable influence of the rules and examples of Western eloquence. At that time, allegorical interview techniques were in particular use. Therefore, preachers used images from the Holy Scriptures, the works of the holy fathers, from nature or from a range of ordinary everyday objects. Saint Demetrius often followed the same custom. But at the same time, he had sermons, although written according to the same method, but simpler in composition and therefore more accessible to the common people. The images used by the saint helped the believers to assimilate the instructions taught in the sermon. In this regard, Saint Demetrius has exemplary conversations for listeners of all classes, for example: a word on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit 252, a lesson on Cheese Week 253, a lesson on the first Week of Great Lent 254 and others. The sermon on Pentecost was composed on the theme: “The Spirit of the Lord fill the world” (Wis. 1:7). Its main subject is an indication of the gracious actions of the Holy Spirit on the human race, redeemed by the most pure Blood of Christ the Savior. The subject is quite difficult to present from the church pulpit, but Saint Demetrius presents it in a form accessible to listeners. He draws attention to the images in which the Holy Spirit appeared in the New Testament, and, explaining these images, sets out His saving actions for man. “The Holy Spirit,” says the preacher, “appeared in the form of a dove, when Jesus was baptized in the waters of the Jordan, in a cloud, when Christ was transfigured on Tabor, in the wind, when the house was filled, where the Apostles sat down (after the Ascension of the Lord) ... in the Gentiles, when He descended on Apostles. What do these phenomena mean? – The Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove in order to show in whom He loves to dwell. The Holy Spirit appeared in the cloud to pour out the rain of grace on our hearts. The Holy Spirit appeared in the wind, may he separate the tares from the wheat in the world, may he uproot pompous, proud and arrogant people, and may he shake the hearts of men, turning them to repentance. Finally, the Holy Spirit appeared in fire, may it inflame our hearts with the fire of Divine love, in which is the beginning and perfection of salvation” 255. The listeners, memorizing the images presented, easily retained the content of the entire conversation in their memory and, when they came home, could tell their household what they had heard. The saint’s skill in this is so great that he could often compose sermons rich in content from the simplest texts. Many of Saint Demetrius’s speeches are constructed simply, according to logical laws (Western rules) of dividing objects into parts. Although these rules were not always strictly followed by the saint, he always chooses those aspects of the subject, the disclosure of which is primarily edifying. As an example of such a structure of a sermon, one can point to the word on prayer in the 4th Sunday of the Holy Spirit, according to the text: “Many will come from the east and the west” (Matthew 8:11) 256. After the introduction, the holy preacher defines the content of his word with the following questions: “Who will be driven out? Why will he be expelled? from where will Kamo be expelled? These questions are simple and understandable to everyone, and therefore every listener will eagerly await their solutions. This accuracy is less observed in other sermons, for example, in the sermon on the Ascension of the Lord, 257 which, meanwhile, is especially edifying for listeners. Saint Demetrius sets out in it the reasons for the ascension of our Lord from earth to heaven. This teaching is simple in composition, edifying, accessible and close to the hearts of the listeners. From all these examples it is clear that Saint Demetrius did not miss an opportunity to instruct his flock, and above all the common people. So, he has the word “To the common people in Rostov” for the text: “Go out and sow” (Luke 8:5). It has already been mentioned above. This teaching vividly characterizes the state of the Rostov flock. Explaining the parable of the sower and the seed in relation to his time, the preacher says that in his flock there are neither good sowers of spiritual seed nor good soil. The external techniques of St. Demetrius’s sermons also include drama. Quoting the words of the Savior: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” the preacher says: “Oh, merciful Lord! All Your servants are happy, everyone in heaven is blessed, only the meek ones are unhappy, those on earth have been granted bliss from You. Is food on earth comparable to heavenly bliss? Have pity, Lord, have mercy on the meek, and take them to heaven into heavenly bliss; people: Blessed are the meek, for even these are the Kingdom of Heaven. “But our Lord will not change His holy words, written in the Gospel, for the sake of obscene prayer.”258 Another feature of the saint’s sermons, like those of other southern Russian preachers, was the appeal from biblical events to modern mores. Saint Demetrius ends his sermon for the Week of Raw Food with this appeal to the listeners: “I would like to offer an even better taste of your love, manna... but I pity those who are in a hurry to the wasteful meals of today, so that time will not continue with my wretched complacency; However, I advise you in short words: if anyone begins to fast on Holy Pentecost until the sun sets, then dry bread will be like manna to him. For fasting sweetens bad food, and turns bitter radishes and horseradish into honey and sugar.” Further, reproaching the evil fasters, he compares them with a bear: “Many people are in the habit of being angry, and angry, and grumbling in their fasts, in the likeness of a bear, who during the winter lies in his bed, eating nothing, only sucking his paw, and purring incessantly” 259. Saint Demetrius left a rich homiletical heritage, which is still useful for pastors in the work of holy evangelism and enlightenment. Carrying out his archpastoral ministry, he even now appears before the Church as a skilled guide, “a teacher of golden words, who has written everything for instruction to everyone, so that he may win everyone, like Paul to Christ” 260 . Pedagogical activity of Saint Demetrius Familiarity with the saint's sermons shows the great importance he attached to education. This was especially important for priests who, according to the then established tradition, prepared their children to be their successors and therefore had to engage in their spiritual education from childhood. However, the Rostov shepherds showed amazing negligence in this matter, which greatly upset the zealous archpastor. He understood that in this state of affairs, when the priests are careless about raising their own children, they are even less interested in engaging in the spiritual education of their parishioners. Therefore, Saint Demetrius himself took care, with his characteristic zeal, to open a school in Rostov for the spiritual education of youth 261. The Rostov school fully preserved the tradition of Old Russian schools, imprinted in epics - to teach “Russian literacy and church chanting.” When teaching the Law of God, prayers were probably first memorized. This should also include catechetical instructions, an excerpt from which has survived to our time 262. At first, for younger children, both examples and exercises are characterized by simplicity of thought and expression. For the most part, they contain either moral instructions, or humorous remarks, or phrases from everyday life. For example, the student who wrote the best essay is like a cedar of Lebanon, the second is like a cypress, the third is like a date, “if anyone from you does not sit on the highest place, he will be a simple willow or a bitter aspen” 263 . Topics in older ages are often taken from Scripture. For example, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is interpreted: the teacher explains, very unsuccessfully, that the rich man’s fire is pride, and the water he asks for is the tears of poor Lazarus. A more successful interpretation (it seems, according to Chrysostom) of the parable of the traveler who was robbed on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem is the thought of God, Jericho is the moon of impermanence, this world, the robbers are sins. Let's turn to the internal structure of the school. The students were divided into three classes, and in the first, like the Likhuds, there were two sections. The classroom had tables, benches, a small blackboard, a ruler, rods, ink and pens. They sat in the classrooms depending on their success: the best students were in the front, the bad students were in the back, near the stove, at the door. The first student was called the emperor and sat in front of everyone in a special place. At the same time, the emperor was also an auditor: he asked lessons, put marks, explained and repeated lessons. Entering the classroom, the emperor took his place with special ceremonies; the students sang to him: “Hello, new emperor!” He also kept order. The senior (sometimes a senior student) also kept order, and could even “train the students like gypsy horses.” The first senator sat next to the emperor. All these school customs of purely Latin-Jesuit origin, of course, brought a lot of entertainment to the students amid the monotonous monotony of school life. During non-class time, the students, although they lived in the bishop's house, enjoyed complete freedom - preparing or not preparing lessons was entirely at their discretion. Free days from teaching were holidays and Sundays, name days of bosses and teachers, afternoons on Thursday and Saturday, two days of Christmastide and a three-week vacation in August. In case of a visit from some important person, the students were given leave. So, one day they were waiting for the head of the monastery order, I.A. Musina-Pushkin: “Palladian baby! Even in the month of April, invite your great guest, the close boyar of the Tsar's Majesty Ioann Alekseevich Musin-Pushkin, to school, and prepare all the school's resistance armor, so that in May the blossoming May will ask you for your kind answers to his questions at the three-day walk, and let you run around the island of Rostov Lake and swim along the fast river, also called Uda (Mouths?)" 264. This same essay also introduces us to the pastime of students during vacations. They walked in the field, went by boat to the island of Lake Rostov, and visited the bishop in his villages of Demyanakh, Shestakovo and Kaptsy. On holidays they made speeches and acted out theatrical plays and dialogues. The play has reached us: “The crown of the gloriously victorious heroic hero of Christ, the holy great martyr Demetrius, on the day of his glorious feast is solemnly celebrated by the humble name-bearer, the Right Reverend Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, pupils of the grammar of the students of infants, a poem woven in Rostov in 1704.” 265. Theatrical performances, singing and music undoubtedly had a very fruitful influence on the aesthetic sense of the students. They had to draw the scenery and prepare the costumes. The performances, in the words of the Spiritual Regulations, developed in students “resolution, which is prudent courage.” That was the entertainment. The maintenance of the students was quite decent, they were fed enough; in the summer they received fruits: cherries, apples, pears. They bought cloth for clothing. The teachers' treatment was relatively mild, and punishments were given not so much for failure as for bad behavior and obvious laziness. The teacher encouraged the unsuccessful and incapable student with words and advised him to pray to the saints. The teacher treated the newly admitted “beast-like” students very gently: “New students Luko and Andrei, don’t be a crazy elephant! Don’t tremble, beast-like disciple!” The preface of the textbook was addressed to them: “Bitterness is the root of your teaching; growing from this bitter teaching the root of sweet virtues, honor and glory signs; Great-power royal scepters are spreading from the root of the teaching, the staffs of the bishops are vegetating, the maces of unconquered princes and generals are growing... The search for wisdom gives the length of days, all wealth and triumph over enemies... If you desire wisdom with its fruits as temporary as they are eternal, speak these words to God with Solomon...” 266. The students, however, were not distinguished by excessive good behavior: “the younger students are staggering, only the older ones are studying,” the teacher said. The singers who studied Latin left school as if they were going to church, to mass. Others did not go to school at all. Rumors about the bad behavior of the disciples reached the saint. “Children f... children! He wrote, I hear bad things about you: instead of learning, you are learning to be irritated, and the nets from you, following the prodigal son, went to convert with pigs. I am very sad and angry with you, and because the fault of your corruption is that everyone lives according to their own will, everyone is greater; For this reason, I am appointing you as seigneur, Mr. Andrei Yurevich, so that he can train you like gypsy horses, and whoever is nasty will receive a whip.”267 The above letter indicates that the entire structure of the school was of a family nature. This sharply distinguished the Rostov school, the original favorite brainchild of St. Demetrius, from schools that arose by order, which stood in relation to students on the basis of official, strictly legal relations 268. This nepotism is even more evident in the relationship of St. Demetrius to teachers and students. How much he cares for the former is evident from the letter to governor Vorontsov: “Humble Demetrius, by the grace of God, Metropolitan of Rostov and Yaroslavl, to the steward and governor Larion Gavrilovich. The heavenly Archpastor's blessing (and) our humble prayers (may) be with you. We thank your humble nobility, that in Rostov you greeted our school teachers with your mercy, and especially showed them the mercy you showed to them without us, and on your appearances, with all sorts of parting words, let them go to the city of Yaroslavl honestly and treated and escorted them in every possible way; For this reason, I owe it to the humble to always pray to the Lord God for your health. May the mercy of God and the Most Holy Theotokos and the great miracle workers, blessings, (and) our humble prayers be with you now and forever. Yaroslavl July 19. I wish all the best to your honor, Bishop of Rostov and Yaroslavl Dimitri the sinner. With your grace's brow for the vodka, we drank to your health and give thanks." 269 There is nothing to say about caring for students. The archpastor often visited the school, listened and tested the students' success. Having selected the most capable, he taught them: in the winter, in the bishop’s house, he interpreted some books from the Old Testament, and in the summer, in the village of Demyanakh, he explained the New Testament. During divine services, the disciples corrected the position of singers not only in Rostov, but also in other places, as can be seen from the unpublished word of the saint on the day of Boris and Gleb; the bishop himself confessed and communed them; promised to pray for them if he achieved mercy after death; He exhorted them to study and distributed money to the more diligent, a penny for each, or an altyn for two, and took them to their villages for vacations. During illness, he sent for his disciples and ordered them to read the “Our Father” prayer five times in remembrance of the five plagues of Christ. And subsequently he did not abandon his students, as evidenced by a letter from the students of Zalenia and Blagoveshchensky dated October 10, 1708 from Moscow. Magnifying the saint as “Maecenas” and “father of all,” they thank him for being generous and showing them great mercy to the poor: he sent alms in times of poverty. The latter, in a petitionary letter to Dosifei, the successor of St. Demetrius, remembers “our Eminence Metropolitan Demetrius of blessed memory” 270. So, let’s summarize the conclusions we came to while reviewing the Rostov school. This school corresponded to the ancient Russian elementary parish school of literacy, in which, under the general church-Orthodox direction, they taught reading, writing and singing. The Rostov school represented a movement forward compared to the ancient school, since Greek and Latin were introduced into the range of teaching. The latter was especially important because in Latin, which was then an international language, there was extensive literature on all branches of knowledge. Having borrowed some formalities from Western schools, Saint Demetrius did not accept their spirit. Nepotism, simplicity of relationships with a certain severity that was quite common at that time, a complete absence of official formality and jesuitism constitute the main side of the internal life of the school. The teaching itself was not imbued with the dry abstraction and stiffness of scholasticism; it was distinguished by its lively, of course, relatively, character and vitality. The main merit of Saint Demetrius is that he took the initiative in establishing a new, albeit on an old basis, elementary public school, at a time when no one thought about them. The Rostov school was accessible to everyone, and not just to the children of the clergy; it was general, not special; This distinguished it from the Petrovsky schools, which were strictly special and intended for a certain class. With all that, the Rostov school was established on the principles of Orthodoxy - the foundation of the Russian nation. Saint Demetrius as the compiler of the Lives of the Saints The characterization of the pastoral activity of St. Demetrius in our work would be obviously incomplete if we passed over in silence such an important aspect of his activity as the compilation of the “Lives of the Saints,” which required dozens of years of painstaking and intense work 271 . It is appropriate to emphasize that the saint’s intention in writing this grandiose work was purely pastoral, for, according to him, the Cheti-Minea is not a historical work, their purpose and purpose is not to report accurate and strictly verified facts from the life of one or another saint of God glorified by the Church, but to give the reader an edifying, soul-helping reading in order to arouse in him admiration for virtue and before those who were its bearer on earth. The fight against Catholicism, which attacked Orthodoxy, determined the content of southwestern literature, and it also influenced the development of forms and techniques of writing. Under the influence of the same struggle, the idea arose in Kyiv of publishing their own Chet-Menya, compiled for the whole year. Of the Polish hagiographic publications, the famous book by Piotr Skarga, “The Believes of the Saints,” was especially dangerous. This zealous propagandist of the union, working on his work, undoubtedly had in mind not only Catholics of the same faith with him, but also Orthodox Christians who knew the Polish language. To do this, he, pursuing his favorite idea - to prove the inextricable connection of the Roman Church with the ancient Christian Church, combined in his book the lives of ancient Christian and new Catholic saints and, talking about the first, referred to the Greek hagiographers, well known to the Orthodox and respected by them. The Lives compiled by Simeon Metaphrastus, borrowed from the editions of Aloysius Lippomanus and Lawrence Surius, are just as often quoted in Skarga’s book as in the Four Menaions of St. Demetrius. Skarga's book was widely distributed among Orthodox Christians; it was read in the original and translated. The translators were not always able to understand well the material proposed by Skarga and, along with general Christian ones, sometimes included the lives of Catholic saints in their collections. Thus, in the minds of Orthodox readers, the idea of ​​the holiness of the Catholic Church was imperceptibly strengthened, and Skarga’s goal - the joining of the Orthodox to Catholicism - was gradually realized. Saint Demetrius is not just an imitator and certainly not a translator of Skarga. However, he learned a lot from the famous Polish hagiographer, borrowed a lot from him, which made his Cheti-Minea so little similar to the ancient Slavic and Moscow collections of lives. He translated the lives he collected for the Orthodox reader, enriching them with the gifts of his natural mind and writing talent. He gave not translations, but retellings of lives, and, moreover, not from one source, but from several. We believe that the saint owes this method in some way to Skarga, who also, after a careful study of the sources, gave a free retelling of the lives in his book. We do not know how large the number of sources Skarga used was, but, apparently, he was not limited to Lippomanus and Surius, but also turned to other hagiographic collections that then existed in the West. Saint Demetrius put the same matter much more broadly: he, as we have seen, collected for his work everything more or less outstanding that existed and could be found from the field of hagiology in his time. In order not to turn out to be weaker than his opponent, the saint, brought up in the school of southwestern Orthodox writers, also used Western literature, and even put it at the forefront of his works. True, those Latin sources that Skarga and St. Demetrius used were not independent. The saint not only did not find anything dangerous in using the works of Latin hagiologists, but also treated them with due attention and respect. He, for example, included in the lists of teachers, writers, historians and narrators, according to which his Cheti-Minea were compiled, Blessed Jerome, the father of Roman Catholic science, despite the objections of Patriarch Joachim. He also referred to the Roman Martyr's Word as a source and quoted it several times in his Lives. Thus, in the life of the holy martyr Theodosia, the maiden of Tire (May 29), the saint cites a whole episode from the “Roman narrative” and, without hiding, notes this. In many places of the Chetyi-Menya, he set forth Latin opinions about persons and events that disagree with the Orthodox understanding, and in some cases he calmly refuted them 272, and in others he conveyed them as worthy of attention and credibility 273. However, paying tribute to the Latin hagiographers and abundantly drawing from them material for the Chetyih-Menya, Saint Demetrius did not ignore Slavic hagiographic literature. Of the total number of lives of Russian saints cited by him, sixteen were written according to the Great Four Menaions, and therefore it is hardly correct to say that these Menaions were needed by Saint Demetrius only as a guide when working on Russian hagiography. The saint used the Makaryevsky Menaion in this regard, too, but their significance for his work was far from limited to this. The saint also used materials from the books of Suria in the month, subjected them to revision and replaced many of the lives and legends given in them with those borrowed from other sources. It seems that in some cases the reason for such a replacement was not only the discovery of other sources that were more satisfactory to the saint, but also doubts about the purity and correctness of the information reported by Sury. So, September 4 and 24, December 9, 25 and 26, January 1, etc. in the month's book there are references to Suriya, but in the Chetyi-Menaia, the lives and legends placed under these numbers were written not according to Suriya, but according to other sources. A remark made on December 26, after the life of St. Joseph the Betrothed, gives us the right to assume that in this case, and perhaps in all those mentioned above, Surii was dismissed because his legend supported Catholic views and did not agree with the Orthodox tradition. Consistency with this tradition was, therefore, the main criterion in the selection and evaluation of the hagiological material borrowed from Suriya. The saint rejected everything that deviated from it, even to an insignificant degree, strictly protecting the purity and integrity of the tradition of the Orthodox Church. In the same way as Surius, Saint Demetrius treated other foreign sources of the Chetyih Menaion. No matter how thorough and authoritative they were, the saint never completely submitted to them and, as a strict zealot of Orthodoxy, always knew how to stand up for its truth. In this regard, Saint Demetrius is one of those best representatives of southwestern Orthodox literature who borrowed from the West only that which they found in agreement with the tradition of the Orthodox Church and that, while contributing to the development of original Russian literature, did not depersonalize it and did not make it slavishly dependent on foreign literature. Of the many examples that confirm what we have said, we will indicate at least a few: July 22, for the life of Saint Mary Magdalene, the saint in the second month indicates several sources: Suria, Baronia, Acta Sanctorum, the book of Peter Skarga and the sermons of Mlodzianowski. However, in his presentation of the life of the Myrrh-Bearing Equal-to-the-Apostles, he does not follow any of these sources, but describes life according to the Gospel, the Prologue, the history of Nicephorus Callistus and his synaxarion for the Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women. After his life, the saint places a note in which he refutes Western hagiographers who consider Saint Mary to be the sister of the quadruple Lazarus. The saint also took a critical approach to the exposition of the life of Saint Joseph (December 2), about whom, in his words, “in the West they say that he was a virgin even before his death, having never known marriage, but in the East they say that he had a wife and gave birth to children.” Refuting the statements of Western hagiographers, the saint further cites the evidence of various church writers, mainly historians, and concludes that “this is undoubtedly known, as Saint Joseph was married and gave birth to sons and daughters” and, thus, decisively rejects the Latin opinion. The correlation of Latin and Slavic sources we have examined, we believe, shows with sufficient clarity how high the trust the latter, especially the Makaryev Great Chetya-Menaion, enjoyed in the eyes of St. Demetrius. Truly, these Menaions were for him, as Varlaam Yasinsky puts it in the preface to the first book of the Chetyih Menaion, “the pinnacle of all truth and authenticity of perfection.” If the Great Menaions had been in the constant and free use of Saint Demetrius, then their influence on his work would have been even more profound and significant. But even without that, in terms of the degree of authority, they occupy the first place among all the sources of the Chety-Menya. True, they were often corrected and replaced by Latin sources, but it is not difficult to notice that the corrections were most often caused by obvious errors and errors in the Slavic translation, and the replacement took place when using the Latin text seemed more convenient. We do not say how beneficial such an attitude towards the Great Menaions was for the work of St. Demetrius, but the general direction of southwestern Russian literature was quite consistent here - we have in the Chetiy Menaions a combination of Latin and Slavic sources with a clear preference for the latter, as alien to any suspicion of non-Orthodoxy. Having determined the general, fundamental significance of Slavic and foreign sources in the work of St. Demetrius, let us now move on to characterize his literary techniques in order to find out how he used the material found in the sources, how he created his narratives about the lives of the saints that still deeply touch the pious reader. From everything we have said earlier, it is clear with what reverence, with what amazing attention the saint treated each life he compiled. First of all, he tried to collect all the material available in the sources for each saint individually. This collection required considerable searching and work. Many notes to the lives are instructive in the same regard. For example, on September 1, after the life of the Monk Simeon the Stylite, the saint tries to determine how long the saint’s standing on the pillar lasted. To do this, he cites the opinions of the Lvov Triphologist, Simeon of Polotsk (“The Soulful Dinner”), various historians, those writers according to whom the life was compiled, and then gives his account “not from the ancient chroniclers, but from the very years of recounting.” The question, as we see, is of a private nature, and the saint decides it independently, and yet how much attention is paid to it and how much work is in finding different opinions 274. Very often, pointing out the diversity of sources, the saint exhorts the reader not to torture which of them is true. “We,” he says after the legend about the belt of the Mother of God (August 31), “are not subject to the need to experience the times and summers; we must know the miracle that happened and glorify the Mother of God.” With these and similar remarks, the saint clearly shows that the purpose of his work was to edify his readers, and not just to present historical events. In the mind of Saint Demetrius, as soon as he set to work, the principle that he followed in compiling the Lives was immediately determined. According to the saint, in the biography of the holy saints of God, what is important is not eloquence and not “weaving words,” even very skillful ones, but deeds and facts. In the same manuscript and in many others we see how he searches for these facts in the verbose Lives, noting in the margins: “beginning”, “fatherland”, “death of the firstfruits”, etc. Consequently, he saw his task as conveying, if possible, the entire story of the saint’s life, in its exploits and deeds, but conveying it simply, without unnecessary words and stylistic embellishments. Of considerable importance here was the practical goal that the Chetii-Minei were supposed to achieve. We know that the idea of ​​publishing them arose in Kyiv and was caused by the needs of the Church. It was necessary to protect the Orthodox from heterodox hagiographic works and give them a book that would enter into church use. The lives of the saints collected in it were to be read in church during services. This required a certain brevity, and therefore Saint Demetrius, along with concern for factual completeness, also had to think about conveying all the events from the life of the saint in a short story, convenient for reading at one time. But the same reading in church made one more necessary requirement for the lives - strict edification, spiritual benefit, so that readers and listeners would receive from them the same lessons that church services give. Perhaps this demand forced the saint to completely abandon historical criticism and provide only edifying material in his Chetyi-Menaia. First of all, we will consider the lives independently compiled by the saint. In the four books of Chetyih-Menya, each of which contained lives for three months, there are more than forty such lives. If we compare them with the sources from which they were written, we will see that the saint chose from the latter only that which related directly to the life of the saint, to his works and exploits, and omitted the rest of the material. In the text of the lives we will not find anywhere, for example, anything borrowed from the scientific explanations of the Bollandists. But the saint chooses facts and biographical information with amazing care. At the same time, he does not limit himself to any one legend given in the Acts, but certainly looks through all the material from different places, often even from individual words and sentences, like a bee, “laboriously” collecting and compiling its honeycomb - the life of the saint. For example, in Acta Ss there is no complete life of Saint Matrona of Thessalonica, but a historical sylloga is given, representing a number of extracts from the month book and various ancient Menaia. The saint, having selected biographical information from this collection, compiled a life from it, and omitted everything that in the same syllog belonged to the collectors - the Bollandists. About the saints Apostle Andronicus and Junia in Acta Ss there is a brief legend from the minology of Emperor Basil, excerpts from the letters of the Apostle Paul, hymns of Joseph the hymn writer and an excerpt from the synopsis of Dorotheus, Bishop of Tire. The saint, composing his life, took the beginning from Paul’s epistles, set out the middle according to Dorotheus and the minology, and brought the end from his Chetyi-Menya for February 22. But what is especially remarkable is that the saint in the lives he has just analyzed is not satisfied with the material found in Acta Ss, but supplements it with new facts that he himself found in other sources. In the life of St. Cyril of Alexandria he introduces the 46th chapter, not given in the Acta Ss, the 3rd chapter from the “Spiritual Meadow” and the letters of Isidore Pelusiot, missed by the Bollandists, and supplements the life of Patriarch Sophronius with information about the Persian king Chosroes, the capture of the Cross of the Lord and the 77th chapter from the same “Spiritual Meadow”, which is not in the Acta Ss. Why did the saint need this? Why, having omitted in the main source very important information about the useful activities of Saints Cyril and Sophronius for the Church, did he turn to other manuals and from there supplement his stories about the saints? Without a doubt, because I found new information there, and this information was useful and edifying for a simple believer. In the opinion of the saint, such information was more necessary for his Chetya-Menya, for he pursued didactic tasks, and therefore he spoke about everything that did not have the nature of edification only insofar as the duration of the narrative as a daily reading allowed, or he completely omitted such material. If the life in the source corresponded in volume and content to the type of life adopted by the saint and if the day was not too rich in hagiological material, then he more or less closely adhered to the original and conveyed it in detail; if the specified conditions were absent, the original was shortened and much of it was not conveyed at all. Analysis of at least some of the lives makes it possible to get an idea of ​​these issues. Let's take, for example, the life of the Venerable Barlaam and Joasaph of India. It was written by the saint from some manuscript, which contained the full text of this wonderful and instructive story. The saint selected from it all the factual material, everything that related to the life of the Monks Barlaam and Joasaph, and those speeches and parables with which Barlaam taught young Joasaph, he only briefly retold indirect speech, and some were completely omitted. Of the numerous teachings of Varlaam, only one has been fully conveyed - the catechumens, probably because it sets out the main tenets of the Christian faith. In the life of Saint Gregory, Archbishop of Omirite, having conveyed factual information quite close to the original, the saint, beginning to present the debates of the saint with the Jews, says that he “from many” conveys only “small” and, indeed, makes significant abbreviations. Close to the source, he sets out only the beginning of the first debate, and then indicates only the main subjects discussed, and lists the most important evidence given by St. Gregory in defense of the Christian faith. From the second and third debates, only some questions and answers are also taken, the fourth debate - on the veneration of icons - is presented in the most detail, and the conversation after it is published completely; The end of the life - the appearance of Christ the Savior to the Jews through the prayer of St. Gregory - is conveyed without abbreviations and very close to the original. In both of these lives, which were very rich in didactic material, the saint, as we see, shortened precisely this material, choosing from speeches and teachings only what he considered the most useful and necessary for his readers. More often, however, in the Lives compiled by Saint Demetrius, when retelling the source, one encounters not abbreviations, but additions. These additions are sometimes so numerous that the main source is completely lost in them, and the work of the saint takes on an independent character, as if independent from him. Without a doubt, in order to provide complete biographical information about Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, the saint did not limit himself to the description of the saint’s torment given by Surius and in the Great Menaions, and turned to Baronius and other sources. Based on them, he outlined the life of Dionysius before his conversion to Christianity and his apostolic activity and, thus, instead of a brief account of his torment, he gave a complete biography of the saint. The same motives forced the saint to supplement the Metaphrast Lives of Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, from the Great Menaions, the Holy Great Martyr Catherine - from the Anthologion, the Holy Martyrs Nazarius, Gervasius, Protasius and Kelsius - from other sources cited by Surius, the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki - from the Great Menaions, the Holy Martyr Vincent the Deacon - from Skarga, as well as many other lives of saints described by Metaphrastus. Adding to the life of the Venerable Onuphrius the Great, for the sake of completeness of his biography, the story of his birth and adolescence, the saint notes: “In the life of the Venerable Onuphrius in the Slavic dialect, his family is not remembered, who he was, who his parents were and from which country, because based on his life we ​​especially believe about him, even though we are found in other languages” 275. Saint Demetrius of Rostov in the history of Russian pastoralism is an exceptional phenomenon, both in terms of the wealth of natural talents that manifested themselves in a wide variety of ministries, and in terms of the “power of life”, thanks to which his constant and intense labors brought and continue to bear abundant spiritual fruits. For the pastorate as a whole, what is important, first of all, is the example of his personality, which accommodated and harmoniously developed numerous talents - an inspired pastor-preacher and a demanding administrator, a learned theologian and spiritual poet, a fatherly and caring educator of youth and a zealous apologist for the Orthodox faith. And with all this variety of talents, his integrity is amazing; the basis of all his activities is constant self-motivation, overcoming the “old man” within himself, true monasticism, patient bearing of his life’s cross and tireless asceticism. It was this unshakable determination to follow the paths of God in life that attracted grace to his soul and filled him with spiritual strength, with which he so skillfully and irresistibly acted on his flock. Having become acquainted with his teaching about grace, about virtues, about passions and means of combating them, you notice that the saint did not teach his flock anything new and unusual. On the contrary, his thought flows as if along a beaten path, repeating the preaching path of the holy ascetic fathers. But this is the power of the pastoral word of Saint Demetrius, that he does not simply repeat other people’s thoughts and sayings, but speaks from his own experience, as an ascetic who has experienced the harsh school of struggle with passions and acquired inner conviction, which he could convey to his listeners. At the heart of all his instructions is one desire, one desire - to make people morally better and kinder, to turn them away from slavery to sin and captivate them into obedience to Christ. And this pastoral love of his knows how, when necessary, to find a word of consolation and a formidable warning, to expose vice and to hit the heart with an unexpected comparison, an example from biblical history or from the life around us. Truly, “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). The example of the life of St. Demetrius shows that a true shepherd is not withered by learned scholasticism, that in the high post of metropolitan one can remain an ascetic, that one can expose the tsar for moral laxity and preserve the reputation of a holy man in his eyes. This is probably the main significance of the activity of St. Demetrius for his time: he revealed the ideal of a holy shepherd and with his holiness was able to reconcile the confrontation between the “Great Russians” and the “Little Russians” in the circles of the highest hierarchy, to eliminate prejudice against “Latin” education in central Russia; finally, being a “Little Russian” himself, he accomplished a task of truly all-Russian scale - the compilation of the “Lives of the Saints”, a task that forever attracted the hearts of the Russian people to him and imprinted his holy name in the memory of grateful descendants. 1. Bible. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Ed. Moscow Patriarchies, 1976. 2. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Works: In 5 vols. M., 1839–1840. 3. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Essays. St. Petersburg Ed. Tuzova, 1888. 4. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. A chronicle telling of events from the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ. SPb., Publishing house Soykina, b.g. 5. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Search for the schismatic Bryn faith. Kiev, 1903. 6. Anikeev P. Saint Demetrius of Rostov, as a theologian and writer // Church Gazette. 1909. 7. Anthony (Khrapovitsky), archbishop. About Orthodox shepherding. M., 1906. 8. Bartholomew, Met. Novosibirsk. About the pastoral nature of the works of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov // ZhMI. 1949. No. 1. 9 . Gadetsky V., priest. St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov // ZhMP. 1947. No. 6. 10. Golubev S. Kiev Academy at the end of the 17th century. Kiev, 1901. 11. Golubev S. Kiev Metropolitan Peter (Mogila) and his associates. T.1. Kiev, 1883. 12. Derzhavin A., prot. The Chetia-Minea of ​​St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, as a church-historical and literary monument. T. 1, 2. Zagorsk, 1954 (typescript). 13. Znamensky I.P., prot. Theological schools in Russia. Kiev, 1881. 14. Kostomarov N.I. Russian history in the biographies of its main figures. Book 2. St. Petersburg, 1912. 15. Krylov A. Hierarchs of the Rostov-Yaroslavl flock // Yaroslavl Diocesan Gazette. 1862. 16. Lakhotinsky P., prot. The personality of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, according to his life and teachings // Addition to the “Church Gazette”. 1909. No. 45. 17. Macarius (Bulgakov), Metropolitan. History of the Kyiv Theological Academies. St. Petersburg, 1843. 18. Nedosekin V., prot. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, and his homiletical heritage. Zagorsk, 1970 (typescript). 19. Nechaev V. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. M., 1849. 20. Pervukhin N. Saint Demetrius of Rostov as a teacher // Yaroslavl Diocesan Gazette. 1902. No. 10. 21. Petrov N.I., Kiev Academy in the second half of the 17th century. Kiev, 1895. 22. Pitirim (Starinsky), hierodiac. Saint Demetrius of Rostov, his theological works and pastoral activities. Zagorsk, 1972 (typescript). 23. Popov M., priest. Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his works. St. Petersburg, 1910. 24. Patorzhinsky M., prot. History of Russian church preaching. Kiev, 1901. 25. Preobrazhensky A. Saint Demetrius of Rostov as a preacher. Kazan, 1909. 26. Pypin A.N. History of Russian literature.Vol.2. St. Petersburg, 1907. 27. Words of the saint and wonderworker Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Sergiev Posad, 1913. 28. Titov A. Life of St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Rostov-Yaroslavsky, 1902. 29. Titov A. New data about Saint Demetrius of Rostov. M., 1881. 30. Titov A. Holy Sermons. Dimitri in Ukrainian dialect. Typescript. MDA Library. 31. Titov A. Saint Demetrius of Rostov. Brief teaching on the seven Sacraments of the Church. M., 1880. 32. Titov F., prot. Printing house of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. T.1. Kiev, 1918. 33. Titov F., prot. Western Rus' in the struggle for faith and nationality in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Kiev, 1905. 34. Titov F., prot. Russian Orthodox Church in the Polish-Lithuanian state in the 17th-18th centuries. T.2 Kiev, 1905 35. Kharlampovich K.V. Little Russian influence on Great Russian church life. Kazan. 1914 36. Chistovich I.A. Essay on the history of the Western Russian Church. T.2. St. Petersburg, 1884 37. Shlyapkin I.A. Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his time (1651–1709). St. Petersburg, 1891 The defense of the dissertation took place at the Kyiv Theological Academy on March 26, 1998. By vote and resolution of the Academic Council of the Academy, approved by His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, Bishop Anthony was awarded the academic degree of candidate of theology. St. Demetrius of Rostov. Essays. vol.2, p.37. Shlyapkin I.A. Dimitri Rostovsky and his time. St. Petersburg, 1991, p.6. Shlyapkin I.A. Dimitri Rostovsky and his time. St. Petersburg, 1991, p. 15. Shlyapkin I.A. Dimitri Rostovsky and his time. St. Petersburg, 1991, p. 201. Shlyapkin I.A. Dimitri Rostovsky and his time. St. Petersburg, 1991, p. 252. Shlyapkin I.A. Dimitri Rostovsky and his time. St. Petersburg, 1991, p. 275. St. Dmitry of Rostov. Works, p.995. Shlyapkie I.A Decree. op. pp.423–424. Popov M.S., priest Saint Demetrius of Rostov and his works, St. Petersburg, 1910, p. 223. Shlyapkin I.A. Decree. cit., pp. 423–424. Nechaev V. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, M., 1849, p. 174. Shlyapkin I.A. Quote op., p.378. Popov M.S., priest Decree. cit., p.273. Quoted from: Pitirim (Starinsky), hierodiac. Saint Demetrius of Rostov, his theological works and pastoral activities. Zagorsk, 1972 (typescript), pp. 74–136 St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. A chronicle telling of events from the beginning of the world to the Nativity of Christ. St. Petersburg, ed. Soykina, b.g., pp. 14–16. St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov. Search for the schismatic Bryn faith, Kiev, 1903, p.4. Quote by: Nedosekin V., prot. Saint Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, and his homiletical heritage, Zagorsk, 1970 (typescript), p.152. Quote from: Shlyapkin I.A., Decree. Works, p. 410–411. See: Nedosekin V., prot. Decree. cit., p.51. Titov A. Holy Sermons. Dimitri in Ukrainian dialect. Typescript. MDA Library, pp. 10–25. Quote From: Pitirim, hierodeak. Decree. cit., pp. 149–151. Shlyapkin I.A., Quote. cit., p.439. Compiled from: Nedosekin V., prot. Decree. cit., pp. 57–69. See: Shlyapkin I.A., Decree. cit., pp. 331–353. See: St. Demetrius of Rostov. Brief teaching on the seven sacraments of the Church. Ed. A. Titova. M., 1880. Quote from: Shlyapkin I.A., Decree. cit., p.335. Titov A. New data about Dmitry of Rostov. M., 1881., p. 14. Quote from: Shlyapkin I.A., Decree. cit., p.348. See: Znamensky I.P., prot. Theological schools in Russia. Kiev, 1881., p.390. Quote from: Shlyapkin I.A., Decree. cit., pp. 350–351. See: Derzhavin A., prot. The Chetia-Minea of ​​St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov as a church-historical and literary monument. T. 2. Zagorsk, 1954 (typescript), pp. 259–327. See, for example: the life of St. Joseph the Betrothed (December 26) and a remark after the life of St. Mary Magdalene (July 22) - approx. prot. A. Derzhavin. See: note after the life of St. mts. Charitines (October 5) or the first remark after the life of the holy martyr Favius, Pope of Rome (August 5) - approx. prot. A. Derzhavin. See: Derzhavin A., prot. Decree. op. Part 2, p. 305.