Thoughts on education as a holy matter in the teaching of St. Theophan the Recluse

Annotation. This article is devoted to consideration of the problem of religious and moral education of children and youth in the thoughts expressed by St. Theophan the Recluse. The ideas of St. Theophan on education and upbringing are still relevant, since they are aimed at the spiritual development of not only the individual student, but also the teacher, as well as parents. He believed that education should develop not only the mind, but also ennoble the heart. Saint Theophan considered Christian love to be the beginning of educational measures, and the church of God and worship as the best environment and means of good education. He believed in the power of Christian love and attached great importance to its moral impact. A large number of publications are devoted to the analysis of certain aspects related to education in the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse, among which one can recall at least an article from the last issue of “Theophan’s Readings” by Priest Nikolai Antipenko, which discusses the topic of ascetic work in the life of a teenager according to the works of St. Theophan the Recluse [see: 1, p. 100–108]. Of the special dissertation research related to the topic of education in the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse, one can note the candidate's work of Alexander Ignatov, in which he analyzed the pedagogical views and practice of spiritual education of St. Theophan. In his dissertation research, A. Ignatov came to the conclusion that Saint Theophan “embodied the best features of a Russian teacher: deep love and a constant desire to help the student, high professional skill...” [2, p. 4]. In the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse, an important place is occupied by the teaching on education, which he called “a holy work,” and he himself directly took an active part, first as a mentor in various theological educational institutions, and later, when he went into seclusion, through his numerous letters, which contained many answers to questions related directly or indirectly to education. In education, Saint Theophan emphasized Christian love as the beginning of educational measures, and church and worship as the best place and means for Christian education. He attached great importance to the power of Christian love and its moral impact. When asked about the best ways to educate, he answered: “Love children, and they will love you” [4, p. 78]. “Dissolve the severity of power with meekness, try to earn love with love” [3, p. 21]. Saint Theophan believed that moral education should be religious, that it is precisely such education that corresponds to the very nature of man, and churchgoing is the best means for this. Saint Theophan the recluse himself was constantly present at the prayers of his students when he was inspector and rector of the seminary, and on holidays he himself performed divine services. He held conversations with his students about the basics of Orthodox life, about the need to maintain purity of heart and mind when turning to God. He constantly turned to the Bible and patristic works, and taught his students to work and paint so that they would not be idle. As a teacher of moral theology, Saint Theophan compiled a guide for spiritual life, “The Outline of Christian Moral Teaching,” which was published under the title Letters on the Christian Life (published 1898–1901). He was one of the first among Orthodox theologians to give moral phenomena a psychological basis; this was facilitated by observations of the spiritual world and the depth of knowledge in this area, as well as his inner spiritual experience. Saint Theophan the recluse in his works touched upon many important issues on Christian pedagogy. He outlined the quintessence of his views, which reflected his pedagogical thoughts, in a work entitled “The Path to Salvation” (1868–1869). Notable in this work is the saying in which Saint Theophan writes: “Education is the most holy of all holy deeds” [5, p. 51]. He considered the main task in education to be activities pleasing to God, and he gave scientificity as a rational comprehension of teaching an additional quality necessary only for temporary life. According to his teaching, every science taught to a Christian should be imbued with Orthodox principles. Theophan the recluse believed that in order to educate someone else, a teacher himself must go through all the degrees of Christian perfection. He attributed the shortcomings of upbringing to alienation from the Church and its grace-filled means, which leads to the spiritual decline of Orthodox life; and inattention to bodily needs leads to the bodily development of passions. Saint Theophan, addressing the parents of his pupils, noted that in order to improve the process of education, it is necessary to first understand the meaning of genuine Christian education, applying it in one’s own family, since it is home education that lays the foundation for everything that follows. He emphasized the churchliness and piety of parents as the best educational means. According to his teaching, a special spiritual atmosphere from infancy is given by sacred objects, such as an icon and a cross, and the pious example of the life of parents. Church sacraments, especially the Eucharist, preserve a life of grace from infancy: they sanctify and pacify the child. A special way of communication between the souls of a child and parents is through the heart, when one spirit influences the other. The conductor of such external spiritual influence is the gaze, through which the meeting of soul with soul occurs. According to the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse, with age the pupil must develop all the powers of the soul: mind, will and heart - and learn to monitor their formation [4, p. 45–47]. With such development of the powers of the soul, the pupil’s mind will be filled with sound reasoning and concepts, the distinction between good and evil. Saint Theophan believed that this is best achieved through oral dialogue in question-and-answer form with students. Strengthening the child’s will is carried out through obedience, cutting off self-will and teaching him to do good, using such a quality as the child’s “curiosity.” Saint Theophan the recluse considered fear of God, conscience and prayer to be the highest human abilities, since they are the ones who reveal his spirit. The fear of God gives birth to prayer and cleanses the conscience, and the sooner the fear of God and prayer are awakened, the stronger will be the piety in subsequent years. But most importantly, children should develop a conscientious and conscious mood. The will of parents for children is the law of conscience and God. Therefore, parents should have enough prudence not to put their children in such conditions that they would violate their will. And if this happens, induce them to repent. Saint Theophan the Recluse also gives advice that promotes the formation of good habits. He writes that in nutrition children should be taught moderation, in movement - to work, liveliness and sedateness, in relation to sensitivity - to fearlessly endure changes in temperature, pain, bruises, etc. At the same time, the human body is considered as an instrument of the spirit, therefore it must be developed in such a way that it contributes and helps, and does not hinder the development of our spiritual activity. Everything that excites sensuality and feeds passions must be eliminated from a child's life. The upbringing of a young man, just as in childhood, should be of a religious and moral nature, so that what was formed at an early age does not collapse. Saint Theophan the Recluse gives a detailed description of adolescence, considering it as an age that is more difficult than others for educational influence. According to his teachings, this age is characterized by a thirst for impressions, a tendency to communicate, a desire to criticize everyone and other qualities that give rise to imbalance and the ability to take a teenager beyond what is permitted. The thirst for impressions leads to the intention to experience the experiences of others in one’s life. To satisfy this thirst, the teenager reads a lot and indiscriminately, which leads to the development of a tendency towards easy, superficial and random reading. The very height of danger for teenagers is from the point of view of maintaining chastity. According to the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse, this is treatment of the opposite sex. He also notes that one should be wary of a state of excessive rationality, which looks at everything skeptically and rejects what does not coincide with the measure of its understanding. For this reason, during adolescence, students often remain cold to faith and the Church and instead turn to theories that are incompatible with Church teaching and even common sense. True Christians for them are mystics, confused in their concepts, or hypocrites. Without going into a detailed discussion of educational measures and rules, St. Theophan the Recluse gives general recommendations for choosing strictly discipline and the authority of the teacher as a reliable guide. The success and influence of educational measures in adolescence is largely determined by the character that is inherent in the initial family upbringing. Because exactly how a person emerges from adolescence most often depends on how he enters it. Saint Theophan the recluse recognized as fruitful only that education that develops not only the mind, but also ennobles the heart. In his opinion, any good Russian school should be based on the principles of religion and morality. With this, Saint Theophan the Recluse wanted to point out that before imparting any scientific knowledge to those raised, it is necessary to give them sound concepts about the main Christian truths - about God, the world, nature, man. To do this, you first need to thoroughly imprint the basic moral truths in your mind and heart, and only then build the entire system of scientific education on their basis. So that as scientific education deepens, moral ideas have greater significance. Reflecting on what a school can do for the spiritual good of its pupil, St. Theophan the Recluse dwells on two main points: enlightening the mind and educating the heart as the true center of spiritual life. Thus, the ideas of religious and moral education of the younger generation according to the teachings of St. Theophan the Recluse remain relevant in relation to addressing the spiritual holistic development of not only the student’s personality, but also his mentors. 1. Antipenko N. Ascetic work in the life of a teenager: according to the works of St. Theophan // Theophan’s Readings. Ryazan, 2021. Issue. 14. p. 100–108. 2. Ignatov A. A. Pedagogical views and practice of spiritual education of St. Theophan the Recluse: Author's abstract. dis. Cand. ped. Sciences: 13.00.01 / Ignatov Alexander Alexandrovich. Kursk, 2004. 3. Thoughts for every day of the year // Smirnov P. A. The life and teaching of the Right Reverend Theophan, the Vyshensky recluse. m., 1915. 4. Smirnov P. A. life and teaching of the Right Reverend Theophan, the Vyshensky recluse. 2nd ed. m., 1915. 5. Theophan the Recluse, St. The Path to Salvation: A Brief Essay on Asceticism. M., 1899