The concept of time in the works of St. Theophan the Recluse

Annotation. This article is devoted to the question of studying the concept of time in the interpretation of St. Theophan the Recluse, set out by him in written works. Saint Vyshensky, considering various theological issues in his works, repeatedly touched upon the problem of time, highlighting it as the most important component of a person’s Christian life. Being in line with the patristic tradition, Saint Theophan pointed out the soteriological significance of the category of time, considering its main goal to be repentance and eternity. According to researchers, “time is one of those realities that from ancient times determined the semantic field of human worldview” [1, p.5], being a fundamental concept of human thinking. The problem of time is studied in philosophy, theology, and is closely related to history, physics, sociology and other sciences. “In you, my soul, I measure time,” confessed Blessed Augustine in his “Confessions” (Confessions, 1, XXVII), thereby changing the usual vector of understanding of time among ancient philosophers and transferring it from the cosmic realm to the personified realm. For ancient philosophy, the soul of man correlated mainly with the soul of the cosmos. Christian theologians, following the Apostle Paul, called for turning to the knowledge and renewal of the “inner man” (2 Cor. 4:16), to compare time with eternity, with the problem of salvation of the individual person. Famous theologian and spiritual writer of the 19th century. Saint Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky, repeatedly emphasized the soteriological significance of the category of time. “The Word for the New Year,” spoken by Saint Theophan in 1856, introducing the problematic of Christian temporality by the title itself, is dedicated to “thoughts about time” [2, p. 1], which “concerns a very significant feature in our temporary life” [2, p. 1], – preparation for eternal life. The saint defines the “goal of time” as repentance. Subsequently, in his interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesians, he will once again confirm his statement: “the purpose of time is in Eternity” [4, p. 518]. “The river of time flows continuously and quickly and rushes to the line beyond which there will be no more time” [2, p. 1]. The time of life, as the saint notes, on the one hand, is fleeting and passing, on the other hand, it is connected with eternity, because “what must be done in its continuation has an eternal price” [2, p. 2]. A correct understanding of the category of time is important for the salvation of every person; this knowledge “leads us to very important truths - such truths that should guide us in the use of the time given to us and govern our entire life” [2, p. 2]. Characterized by extension, time has a past, present and future, which are interconnected by cause-and-effect relationships. The past determines the present and future of a person, for “nothing disappears, nothing turns into nothing - not a thought, not a word, not a desire” [2, p. 5]. Many people mistakenly think that the past is disappearing into oblivion, “...we ask: where did our past go? Where is what happened in a year, in a day, in an hour? Seems to be swallowed up by nothingness. What was is no longer there: our deeds and words are gone, there are no sorrows and joys, there is nothing that was in our soul and in our heart. And we ourselves are not there” [2, p. 5]. However, what is done in the past “does not turn into nothing” [2, p. 5] it permeates the soul of a Christian. To explain this idea, Saint Theophan uses the method of similarity, comparing actions with “the sap, particle by particle, forming a tree” [2, p. 5], in another case, comparing with the lower threads in a ball, in which “the threads are wound layer by layer and form a ball: only the top layer is visible, but the others are all intact, only covered” [2, p. 6]. Like the lower threads, past “deeds have not disappeared, but exist - they have only hidden inside the heart and conscience” [2, p. 6], in the future they will appear before the Court for acquittal or condemnation. In the future, all these cases will be revealed, because they have an “eternal price” [2, p. 7]. Understanding the meaning of each act and its impact on eternal life, it is necessary to have spiritual vigilance over your soul, “not to allow anything unclean and sinful into yourself, - to set the standard for your eyes, lips, hands and feet, and what corresponds to them in the soul, thoughts, feelings and desires, so that the treasury of our being, (heart and conscience), that consists of them, is always pure, bright and God-loving” [2, p. 6]. The present, which is connected by the past and determines the future, is “one moment, like one thin strip of light among the thick darkness of the night” [2, p. 3], is determined “not by the laws and forces of nature,” but “by the power of God acting in us” [2, p. 4], because “He who created us, in whom is the source of all being, who contains and lives everything,” therefore “nothing can happen for even one minute without the action of the almighty power of God in it” [2, p. 3]. The awareness that in our life the Lord is close and sees all the movements of our heart is “comforting and terrifying” [2, p. 4]. Strengthening the idea of ​​the closeness of the Lord to the Christian, the saint says that the Creator “does not only see us mentally; no, it touches us like a hand to a hand, or air to a body” [2, p. 4]. The main thing in the present is to prepare yourself for the future, to correct bad deeds through repentance in order to be worthy of the closeness of the Lord. The future, which is in the hands of God, determines the eternal life of man. It is hidden from man: “We can tell what will come from this or that seed; but we cannot say what will happen to this or that person, although his future, as from a seed, is revealed from him, from what he is now” [2, p. 8]. Although the future is hidden, the hope and trust in the providential and good care of the Lord for His children is based among Christians on the properties of the Savior: “Our God is endless love, he is our God, and we are His children and wants only good for us; and not only wants, but also arranges everything so that we taste this goodness, and brings His very providential arrangements into fulfillment. He embraces us with His care, seeks us with His blessings, and fills us with all goodness” [2, p. 9]. From here the moral law is derived: the sorrows that accompany a person’s life are a consequence of deviation from the will of God or a consequence of sin, “let us leave sin, and there will be no sorrows and troubles” [2, p. 11]. The saint confirms this idea with Old Testament episodes when God’s threatening decree was canceled: after the prayer of the dying Jewish king Hezekiah, the Lord extended his life (2 Kings 20:1–11); after the repentance of the inhabitants of Nineveh, the Lord changed the decision to destroy the city (John 3:1–10). “God acts on us according to how we behave in relation to Him. We do not repent, he punishes... we repent, he has mercy. Here the key to explaining upheavals and changes is not in our private lives alone!” [2, p. 12]. Thus, the Lord gives a Christian the opportunity to change his future in the present! The means to this, as shown in the Bible, are a contrite heart, repentance and prayer: “... the whole future is in the hands of God: therefore, either walk in devotion to God blamelessly in His will, or hasten through repentance to avert the threatening decree of His judgments. Here is a lesson from the future" [2, p. 12]. Commentaries on the Apostolic Epistles In the interpretations of the Apostolic Epistles compiled during the Vyshensky retreat, the category of time, which the saint interpreted in one of his early sermons, is revealed holistically and consistently, in the tradition of patristic exegesis. The problem of the beginning of the world, the categories of time and Eternity is studied by many holy fathers: Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine the Blessed, Maximus the Confessor, etc. The Christian understanding of time differs significantly from the pagan one, in which the idea of cyclicality and repeatability of times prevails. This understanding of time is partially reflected in the book of Ecclesiastes, which mentions the cycle, the cyclical nature of time: “... there is something about which they say: “Look, this is new”; but this was already in the ages that were before us” (Eccl. 1:10); “The wind goes to the south and passes to the north, whirling and whirling as it goes, and the wind returns to its circles” (Eccl. 1:6). However, at the end of the inspired book there is a clear expectation of a change from earthly time to heavenly time, when Eternal Life will come. Saint Theophan puts Christ at the center of the entire flow of time: “Christ is the center of the movement of humanity in time. To Him - everything until His coming in the flesh; and from Him are all things after His coming” [3, p. 385]. According to Saint Theophan, eternity is higher than ordinary time, possible “only in God,” for he is “before all ages”: “The Lord Jesus created the eyelids. Therefore, He is before all ages, that is, eternal. A new indication of the Divinity: for eternity takes place only in God. The Apostle called the Son the Creator of the ages, teaching and admonishing that He is eternal, because He was always above all, no matter what temporary extension” [8, p. 618]. In his interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Theophan the Recluse connects created beings and time. The Apostle Paul writes: “In these last days he spoke to us by the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds” (Heb. 1:2). In his interpretation of this message, Saint Theophan emphasizes the idea of ​​completeness and integrity of understanding of God’s creation and time: “The age is not some essence, but something dependent, accompanying what the created nature has. He is a product of time associated with created natures. Because of this inseparability of the age, or time, from created things, the creation of the age is inseparable from the creation of things, and to say: “the ages were created” is the same as saying that all creatures were created” [8, p. 618]. In his interpretation of the Epistle to the Romans, the saint notes that time must be “kept”, considering one’s actions with time: “... the Apostle sets out the knowledge of time as an incentive to act in accordance with it” [7, p. 373], that is, a certain time corresponds to the office that concerns every person. He remembers the words of the Lord: “Because,” he says, “you did not understand the time of your visit (Luke 9:42–44)” [7, p. 174], therefore, there is a certain flow of time, which every rational creature is called to be aware of. The saint calls to remember the limited time, noting in his interpretation of the First Epistle to the Corinthians: “Shorten it to one moment, and with this thought move from moment to moment, so until the end of your life” [5, p. 357]. He advises: “...having a wife, you will be like one who does not have one,” that is, recognize the present time only as a certain moment of fleeting life, preparing us for eternity: “Get in such a mood, - then, even having a wife, you will be like one who does not have one, that is, you will forget about everything about marriage, and not only will you not make plans to get married if you do not have a wife. “What does it mean: “like the poor”? “That is, they will forget about the marriage bed and will not listen to their wives when they pester them with demands to fulfill their crazy worldly desires” [5, p. 357], writes the saint. This promises freedom from carnal attachment, at least from dependence, if a person develops a correct understanding of time. In his interpretation of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Theophan gives an explanation of the “acceptable time” (2 Cor. 6:2), which is “only time and favorable for salvation”: “The time is favorable. What time is it? “A time of gift and grace, in which they do not demand an account of sins and do not pronounce condemnation, but with the forgiveness of sins they offer countless benefits for enjoyment, justification, sanctification and all others” [6, p. 269]. Today, a person lives by the grace with which the Lord raised him from non-existence into being, while from the side of His supernatural providence everything has already been arranged well for your salvation: “But without any labor on our part, this time has come, bringing with it the remission of all former sins” [6, p. 269]. Therefore, every moment of life is priceless for us, as a time of preparation for eternal life. In his commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, the saint notes: “...by not allowing even small periods of his time to be spent in empty pursuits, he redeems all his time. The reason why we must hurry to redeem time is because the present day is evil. Evil means evil, and it also means cunning. You think you are about to catch a cunning person, but he slips out of your hands. This is how time flows: it flows quickly, it flows so quickly that you can’t catch it. The Apostle says, as it were: hurry; do what you can at every moment; don’t let it go in vain, it will go away, you can’t turn it back” [4, p. 519]. This step is the responsible and conscious choice of every Christian, because the world in which we live is not stable. In the “Word for the New Year” the saint compares him with “a guard at the prevest” [2, p. 3], that is, with a constantly slightly trembling scale needle. This unstable world is leaning now to the right, now to the left, now towards creation, now towards destruction. And only “by the power of God working in us. The Lord, who bears everything (the universe) with the verb of his power, also carries each of us with the verb of his power” [2, p. 4]. In his interpretation of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, the theme of the future is interpreted by Saint Theophan in a moral aspect: “... judge no one before his time” (1 Cor. 4:5). Theophan understands the apostle’s words as a prohibition: “... do not judge before the time. The Lord will come, discuss everything, and reward everyone according to their deeds” [5, p. 204]. These words of the saint also contain a reference to the Gospel words about the “fulfillment of times” (1 Cor. 1:10), when, according to the interpretation of the holy fathers, the coming of Christ is expected [5, p. 96–99]. The “fulfillment of the times” indicated by the prophet Daniel (Dan.4:1–21,48–55) is the complete revelation of the mystery of God’s will. The last times are times of unbelief. In his interpretation of 1 Timothy 6:15, Theophan the Recluse advises maintaining sobriety and firmness in the faith: “The Lord will undoubtedly appear and decide your fate forever. What do you need to know, whether it will appear today or tomorrow? Be prepared, that’s what you need!” [9, p. 586]. To form the “right attitude for the future,” active preaching by pastors and lay missionaries is necessary, which the saint calls for in his interpretation of the First Epistle to Timothy: “The shepherds do not teach, and the flock remains ignorant of sound teaching; They do not admonish those who sin, and they become stubborn in depravity” [9, p. 804]. It is necessary to prepare for the future in the present, praying and waiting, “so that what God wants will happen to us, and pray for one thing: Thy will, Lord, be upon us! “This is the most reliable guiding light in the darkness of the future, a rein for our vague desires, empty fears and bleak hopelessness!” [2, p. 10]. The understanding of time in the homiletical and exegetical heritage of St. Theophan is in line with the patristic tradition. For the saint, the most important is the soteriological aspect of the interpretation of the category of time. Relevant for the theology of the saint is the thought of the Christ-centricity of time: “Christ is the center of the movement of humanity in time,” therefore the “goal of time” is a constant movement towards this center, which is achieved by repentance and continuous moral and spiritual improvement. 1. Gaidenko P.P. The concept of time in ancient and early medieval philosophy // Historical and Philosophical Yearbook, 1998. 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Theophan the Recluse, St. Interpretation of the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Titus, to Timothy (pastoral epistles). M.: Rule of Faith, 2005.