"Einkehr" by Gerhard Terstegen and the "inside-dwelling" of St. Feofan the Recluse: on the question of the relationship between concepts

Annotation. The publication is devoted to a comparative analysis of the teachings of the German mystic Gerhard Terstegen about the inner life, expressed by the term “einkehr,” and the teachings about the “inside-being” of St. Theophan the Recluse. There are parallels between these terms at the level of their conceptual expression and biblical origin. The closeness between them is also noted in terms of those spiritual experiences that accompany the inner life of a Christian. At the same time, the fundamental differences between these authors in their understanding of the terms under consideration are pointed out. It talks about the cultural and theological prerequisites for these differences in the views of St. Feofan and G. Terstegen. Abstract. The publication is devoted to a comparative analysis of the teachings of the German mystic Gerhard Terstegen about the inner life, expressed by the term “einkehr” and the teachings about the “inside-stay” of St. Theophan the Recluse. There are 58 Priest Daniil Salishchev parallels between these terms at the level of their conceptual expression and biblical origin. The closeness between them is also noted in terms of those spiritual experiences that accompany the inner life of a Christian. At the same time, it is pointed out that there are fundamental differences between these authors in their understanding of the terms under consideration. It is said about the cultural and theological prerequisites of these differences in the views of St. Theophan and G. Terstegen. Gerhard Terstegen was a layman, a representative of German Protestantism, a mystic, and a writer who lived in the first half of the 18th century. From an early age he strove for a solitary life of prayer. He was able to fulfill his dream when he turned 22 years old. He settled alone and began to lead an essentially monastic lifestyle, coupled with the strictest asceticism. His handicraft was that of a ribbon weaver. It brought him a small income, which he immediately distributed to the poor. The period from 1719 to 1724 in Terstegen's life was marked by a severe spiritual crisis. Frequent headaches and a feeling of spiritual dryness and abandonment by God led him to despair. However, in 1724, on Maundy Thursday, “his heart was enlightened by the Divine light, and he completely calmed down” [1, p. 17]. After this, Terstegen’s active “spiritual” and preaching activities began. He holds extra-liturgical meetings, writes books, and answers letters. This is a short spiritual biography of Gerhard Terstegen. A distinctive feature of his spiritual path was that he, formally belonging to the Protestant Church, did not actually participate in its liturgical and sacramental life. He called himself a “separatist.” Separatism is a phenomenon that arose in the Protestant environment from the second half of the 17th century and differed from sectarianism or schism. The separatists retained formal affiliation with their church, but did not participate in its external life. At the same time, the separatists “sought to pursue a more or less strict Christian way of life, without associating themselves with the official church” [3, note. 22 on p. 291]. The significance of G. Terstegen for Western Christianity was that thanks to him the Western world became acquainted with the ancient Christian patristic teaching on spiritual life. In particular, the modern Terstegen scholar Hansgünther Ludewig writes about this: “Through him, the “smart prayer” of the Eastern Church became widespread in the evangelical space for the first time in an amazing way” [1, p. 51]. Let’s say a few words about the cultural and theological processes that took place in parallel in the 17th–18th centuries in the West and in Russia and were in many ways similar. Understanding these processes will allow us to see the internal connection between the works of such different and not directly related authors as G. Terstegen and St. Feofan. In the 17th–18th centuries, a number of Western authors (including Terstegen), reflecting on spiritual life, turned to ancient Christian texts and tried to find in them the source of early Christian spirituality. In particular, Terstegen quoted such holy fathers as Saints Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great, Nile of Sinai, John Cassian the Roman, John Climacus. In their lives, Terstegen wrote, “the original, strong in spirit, inner Christianity was preserved and transmitted to the greatest extent” [3, p. 272]. In Russia, this period is also associated with a revival of interest in Greek ascetic literature. In Moldova, a monastic and translation tradition developed around the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky, then through his disciples this tradition spreads to central Russia. And Saint Theophan continues the work begun by Elder Paisius. At the same time, Russian authors of the 17th–18th centuries experienced another influence, namely from early pietism and quietism. Pietism came to Russia through Johann Arndt’s book “On True Christianity” (which was greatly appreciated by St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, and recommended by the Ministry of Education for parochial schools) [see. other: 8]. Quietism was known to us from the writings of Madame Guyon and Archbishop Francois Fenelon, whom St. quoted in his early sermons. Filaret (Drozdov). Thus, the Russian theological-ascetic space of the 17th–18th centuries represented the intersection of two traditions: Western and Eastern. The West, in turn, also experienced the influence of the ancient Christian East. It is difficult to find people more dissimilar from each other than Gerhard Terstegen and St. Theophan the Recluse. The first is a layman and a Protestant with a noticeable influence of pietism and quietism, a church “separatist” in terms of his confessional affiliation. Saint Theophan the Recluse is an Orthodox bishop who could not imagine his spiritual life without the Church and church sacraments. This is perhaps the main difference between these authors. Nevertheless, their thoughts about spiritual life, in particular, about such a phenomenon as “inside-being,” largely coincide. It should be clarified that St. Feofan, with a high degree of probability, was not familiar with Terstegen’s literary heritage, since the first and only translation of his book “The Path of Truth” appeared in Russia only in 2019. Until this time, not a single work of Terstegen had been published in Russian. Regarding the acquaintance of St. Theophanes with the original texts of Terstegen, then the translator of Terstegen into Russian, Abbot Peter (Meshcherinov), believes that the Vyshensky Recluse was not familiar with the works of the German author and adds that otherwise he “would have had to reconsider his attitude” to Western mysticism [1, p. 9]. “The Path of Truth” is a collection of treatises by Terstegen, written by him at different times and first published by the author himself as part of this collection in 1753. The main theme of the book is to describe the ways of connecting with God. Throughout the book, the author consistently contrasts internal and external piety with each other and comes to the conclusion that the essence of the Christian life is to stand before God in one’s heart. Terstegen calls the state of deepening into oneself to stand before God internally with the term “einkehr” [see, in particular: 10, s. 333]. Russian-German dictionaries offer the following translation options for the word einkehr: “to delve into one’s thoughts, engage in introspection, reflect (think) about oneself” [9]. Hegumen Peter (Meshcherinov) translates it into Russian with the word “inside-stay.” This Russian term was introduced into the theological and ascetic lexicon by Saint Theophan the Recluse. The teaching of Saint Theophan on inward abiding is one of the key ones for understanding his ascetic system as a whole. It is presented in a relatively systematized form in two of his books: “Letters on Spiritual Life” and “The Path to Salvation.” “Letters on Spiritual Life” is a collection of comments on letters about the inner life of Count M.M. Speransky, which were published in the magazine “Russian Archive” for 1870 [2]. “The Path to Salvation” contains a special section called “dwelling within.” Let us compare the terms “einkehr” and “inside-dwelling” to understand whether their authors intended the same meaning. The comparison will be made based on several parameters. First of all, we will be interested in the conceptual field of these terms, that is, what synonyms are used by St. Feofan and Terstegen for their description. Secondly, it is necessary to study the range of biblical texts to which both authors referred, revealing the meaning of these concepts. Thirdly, the semantic component of the terms einkehr and inwardness will be analyzed. The entire book of G. Terstegen “The Path of Truth” is devoted to inner life. Two appendices to the treatise “On the Different Understandings of What Piety is” are devoted to a special consideration of what is in-dwelling (einkehr). The appendices are titled “On true mysticism” and “A brief explanation of what mysticism is.” In them, the term einkehr is closer in meaning to such concepts as mysticism and prayer [see, for example: 3, p. 287, 297]. Also, as a synonym for einkehr, Terstegen uses the expression “verborgenen leben” [10, p. 330] (“inner life”) [3, p. 287, 288, 289, etc.]. Terstegen also calls the state of inwardness “heart life,” “theology of the heart.” In fact, the outlined circle of terms is used by Terstegen as synonyms. It is in being within that the essence of Christian life consists [3, p. 334]. This is “the most ancient true worship, Christian life in its simplicity and authentic form” [3, p. 287]. The biblical basis of inner life, according to Terstegen, is the following passages of Holy Scripture: hidden life with Christ in God (Col. 3:3) [3, p. 285], walking with God (Gen.17:1) [3, p. 294], serving God in spirit and truth (John 4:24), living in heaven (Phil. 3:20) [3, p. 287], as well as many other fragments of the Bible 1. Saint Theophan uses the expressions “hidden life”, “mystical life”, “life in Christ” as synonyms for the term inwardness. He also sees the basis of this life in the Holy Scriptures: “The Apostle Paul calls it the life hidden with Christ (Col. 3:3); the Apostle Peter - the hidden man of the heart (1 Peter 3:4); The Savior Himself is the Kingdom of God within us (Luke 17:21)” [5, p. 10]. The beginning of this life, according to the thoughts of both authors we are considering, is repentance. Terstegen draws attention to the fact that “God has established certain preconditions and preparations for the soul so that it can perceive the state of grace,” in particular, “He calls the poor and the sick to Himself - therefore, before people come to Him, they must feel like such. There must be conversion and self-sacrifice in advance” [3, p. 207]. Turning inward, Terstegen notes, is difficult. This difficulty in entering oneself is connected, from the point of view of the thinker, with the following reason. A person receives “a certain small light that reveals to him a vision of universal fallenness and damage.” But “immediately,” Terstegen continues, “the evil serpent appears” and turns the thoughts and feelings of such a person on others. “And that light and that grace, which are given to him only for the knowledge and correction of himself, the poor person begins to use in order to look at other people” [3, p. 328]. And in another place: “Ah! how much you will see and discover in yourself of this selfhood when, renouncing everything, you learn to approach yourself and God!” [3, p. 334]. Gradual rooting in the “inner man” gives a Christian the opportunity to see himself as he really is, and not as he wants to appear to himself [3, p. 301–302]. “For such a person, not only evil deeds become intolerable, but also insufficiently pure motives, even in very good undertakings” [3, p. 265]. Being in the feeling of the presence of God, with which inward-dwelling is associated, a person begins to notice in himself the slightest manifestation of selfishness, pride, self-satisfaction and “goes away, runs away from himself in true self-sacrifice and dying to himself” [3, p. 265]. Terstegen repeatedly says that the inner presence of God is associated with the labor of cleansing the heart “from that which is not God and God’s” [3, p. 295]. Repentance and humility accompany a person throughout his inner life: “The essential property, sign and measure of true inner life is the deepest humility and sincere self-abasement” [3, p. 280], writes Terstegen. Elsewhere he notes that “we ourselves do not always need to know our own good; when we see it in ourselves, it most often ceases to be good” [3, p. 336]. The essence of indwelling lies for Terstegen in intimate communion with God. At the same time, the German mystic’s thoughts on this topic are far from exalted. He says that mystical experience does not always manifest itself in direct “seeing and tasting,” but always in faith [3, p. 267]. “The essence of Christianity and true holiness,” writes Terstegen, “is not in gifts or anything like that, but in dying to oneself and to every creature and living a hidden life with Christ in God and before God” [3, p. 281]. Moreover, he notes that feelings of spiritual joy, sweetness and enlightenment lead to a false opinion about oneself. Those who have these gifts often “think of themselves that they are reverent, holy and lead a perfect inner life, while instead of the necessary self-abasement and humility before God, they are filled with self-love, self-will and self-indulgence!” [3, p. 281]. Ultimately, the author concludes, you need to look for your peace in God, and not in His gifts [3, p. 281]. St. Theophan characterizes the state of being inside in a similar way in “Letters on Spiritual Life.” “The distinctive feature of the state when the kingdom of God is revealed inward, or, what is the same, when a non-waste spiritual fire is kindled in the heart from a relationship with God, is inward abiding. Consciousness is all concentrated in the heart and stands before the face of the Lord, pouring out its feelings before Him, most of all painfully falling to Him in humble feelings of repentance, with an inherent readiness to devote one’s entire life to serving Him alone <...> Along with the formation of such a system, all the disorder that had existed inside until this moment, during the period of quest, ceases <...> The uncontrollable fermentation of thoughts ceases; the atmosphere of the soul becomes pure and cloudless: there is only one thought and memory of the Lord. Hence the lightness in everything internal. Everything is clear there; every movement is noticed and worthily assessed, with the intelligent light emanating from the face of the Lord being contemplated. As a result of this, every unkind thought and unkind feeling that strikes the heart meets resistance at the very beginning and is driven away <...> The warmth of unceasing prayer is the spirit of this life” [5, p. 55–56]. Both Terstegen and St. Theophan tends to separate external and internal piety from each other. In particular, speaking about the so-called. “external participation in church rites of grace” or “generally accepted external prayer” [3, p. 295], Terstegen notes that all this is “schoolmasters (Gal.3:25) and supports of internal sanctification” or already its fruits, but in no way the essence [3, p. 297]. Terstegen sees the danger of excessive striving for external piety in the fact that it can only become an obstacle on the path to one’s heart [3, p. 297]. According to Terstegen, the desire to fulfill certain prayer rules corresponds to the stage of novice. Gradually, these rules can replace the true hidden life in Christ. Saint Theophan also has similar thoughts. He also looked at the prayer rule as a means to acquiring the prayerful spirit, but not as an end in itself. And yet, he assigned a somewhat larger role to external prayer and observance of rules than Terstegen. In his teaching about “What does one who has repented and entered on the good path of salvation need,” he dwells in detail on the importance of protecting one’s life with rules [4, p. 173]. Their significance is to strengthen constancy and zeal in spiritual life. In the First Word on Prayer of St. Feofan writes that its beginning is associated with difficulty in performing external prayers with attention [7, p. 32–41]. Despite all the importance of the rules, their purpose, according to the saint, is nothing more than “the spirit that must be in God” [4, p. 179]. And if during prayer there is a desire to stop with “attention and feeling” at some place, then you should not tear yourself away from this state, “so if time is pressing, it is better to leave the rule unfinished, and do not ruin this state” [7]. In one of the private letters to St. Feofan urges his addressee not to bind himself to a rule and notes that there is nothing valuable “in the fact that you have such a rule or always follow it.” And further he writes: “The whole price is in the heartfelt surrender before God” [6, p. 51–52]. The conclusion of this letter is as follows: “The rule must be handled with complete freedom. Be the mistress of the rule, not the slave. She is only a servant of God, obligated to devote all the minutes of her life to pleasing Him” [6, p. 52]. The only issue in which Terstegen's thoughts fundamentally differ from the views of St. Feofan, is associated with the relationship between the state of being inside and churchliness. Terstegen sees belonging to one or another Christian denomination as one of the external forms of churchliness, which does not affect the depth of the inner standing before God. For St. Feofan, belonging to the Orthodox Church is more than a form of external piety. As noted earlier, Gerhard Terstegen classified himself as a “separatist”. His teaching on spiritual life was fundamentally non-denominational. In particular, he wrote that “mystics” (let us recall that the understanding of this term was similar between him and St. Theophan) can be found “among Roman Catholics, among Protestants, among the Greek Church without claiming any special doctrinal positions or religious actions” [3, p. 290]. This statement by Gerhard Terstegen must be interpreted correctly. Its incorrect interpretation can lead to quite tempting conclusions. Terstegen's non-confessionalism should be viewed from the point of view of the cultural and theological context of his time. It is incorrect to transfer it to modern reality. However, this is done by the translator and popularizer of G. Terstegen’s ideas in Russia, Abbot Peter (Meshcherinov). In particular, Father Peter notes that the process of cooling off towards external church-disciplinary life (observance of established fasts, attending statutory services, etc.) is not so much a temptation as a normal stage in the spiritual growth of a Christian [1, p. 53] 2. Terstegen's own reflections on this topic should be viewed from the point of view of his contemporary theological context. By the 18th century, Protestantism found itself in a rather difficult situation: trying to overcome the extremes of Catholic jurisprudence and formalism, the Reformation actually created an even more complex doctrinal system. As an attempt to get out of this crisis, various mystical movements began to emerge, which distanced themselves from theological polemics and spoke about the need to revive the inner life in Christ. Gerhard Terstegen was one of the authors of this circle. Thus, for an 18th-century Protestant, the departure into “separatism” was a consequence of the theological crisis of the Reformation. Terstegen’s “church separatism” cannot be transferred to Russian religious reality, but can be justified solely by the experience of this thinker’s life in the bosom of the Protestant church. Feeling a desire for a special, intimate heartfelt presence with Christ, he could not help but feel the insufficiency of the grace-filled sacramental life that his church offered. And going beyond its framework seems quite appropriate, which cannot be said in relation to the Orthodox Church. Let us formulate the main conclusions of a comparative analysis of the terms “einkehr” by Terstegen and “inside-being” by St. Theophan the Recluse. 1. There are similarities in the description of those spiritual sensations that accompany the state of “being inside.” Both authors are alien to exaltation, warn against being seduced by special grace-filled gifts or feelings, and speak about the importance of repentance and humility as criteria for the truth of spiritual experience. 2. Both authors talk about cleansing one’s heart as a condition for inner standing before God. However, St. Feofan dwells on this issue in more detail. 3. Terstegen more than St. Feofan, calls for freedom regarding prayer rules. The Vyshensky Recluse speaks about the importance of external rules in more detail, but in general emphasizes that they are not an end in themselves of spiritual life. 4. Terstegen and St. Feofan have different views on the importance of institutional and sacramental connections with the Church. This difference is rooted in their belonging to different Christian churches, as well as to different cultural and theological eras in general. 1. Peter (Meshcherinov), abbot. Gerhard Terstegen - mystic, pietist, poet (preface) // Gerhard Terstegen. The path of truth. M., 2018. 2. Speransky M.M. Letters from F.I. Tseyer // Russian Archive. 1870. T. 8. No. 1–3. 3. Terstegen Gerhard. The path of truth. M., 2018. 4. Theophan the Recluse, St. Small works. P. 173. 5. Theophan the Recluse, St. Letters on spiritual life. M., 2010. 6. Theophan the Recluse, St. Letters on prayer and spiritual life. M., 2008. 7. Theophan the Recluse, St. The beginning of the science of prayer // Simple truths of the heart. M., 2007. 8. Khondzinsky P., prot. Two works “On True Christianity” - St. Tikhon of Zadonsk and Johann Arndt. URL: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Pavel_Hondzinskij/dva-trudaob-istinnom-hristianstve-svjatitel-tihon-zadonskij-i-iogannarndt/ (date of access: 06/17/2022). 9 . Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Leipzig, 1907. URL: https://archive.org/details/allgemeineslexi01vollgoog/page/16/mode/2up (access date: 06/17/2022). 10. Tersteegen G. Weg der Wahrheit die da ist nach der Gottseligkeit, bestehend aus 12 Stücken und Tractätlein. Solingen: bey Joh. Schmitz, Buchbind, 1768. URL: https://books.google.ru/books?id=D-88AAAAcAAJ&pg=PP7&hl=ru&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false (access date: 06/17/2022). John 15:4; 1 Corinthians 6:17; John 4:24; 2 Cor.7:11; Rom.5:5; 1 John 4:18; 1 John 2:20; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 14:21,23; 2 Cor.6:16; Gal.2:20; Phil.4:7; John 17:23 [3, p. 294]. See also. Interview with abbot Peter (Meshcherinov) to the Internet portal “Pravmir”: Peter (Meshcherinov), abbot. “Man is a sieve with holes: grace immediately leaves him.” URL: https://www.pravmir.ru/igumen-petrmeshherinov-chelovek-dyiryavoe-resheto-blagodat-tut-zhe-iz-nego-uhodit// (access date: 06/17/2022).