20-го числа

St. Rev. Euthymius the Great Euthymius the Great was born around 380 in Melitina, a city of the Nicene metropolis, from pious and noble parents, through their prayers, which had hitherto been endless, and was named Euthymius - the Compassionate, because of their joy and consolation about his birth. In adolescence, he was dedicated to God and given by his mother to be raised by her brother, and from him the Bishop of Melitinsky accepted Euthymia for education. Brought up in the rules of a virtuous Christian life under the paternal care of the archpastor of the Melitene Church, Euthymius was ordained by him as a reader and presbyter. He was entrusted with eldership and care of the monasteries of the city in which he lived. Therefore, loving monasticism and silence, he stayed more in the monastery, the neighboring city, and during the days of Great Lent he retired to the desert. Seeing that his silence due to the duties of his rank was often violated, Euthymius, 29 years old, secretly withdrew with his friend Theoktistos to a cave in the Jerusalem desert, which belonged to the Lavra of Paran. From their cave, every year on the 14th day of January, they retired into the desert and returned to their cells for a colorful week. Staying in the cave and desert, the saints ate the labor of their hands and had one concern - to please God. Five years later, two monk friends moved to an almost impassable desert for the highest feats of piety. But in a short time, these wild places, glorified by the exploits of Euthymius and Theoctistus, flourished with a pious society, and under their leadership the cenobia settled down. The Monk Euthymius was an image of piety and a spiritual doctor for all hermits: each of the brethren opened their conscience to him, confessing their thoughts. Students of their teachers. Euthymius fatherly corrected with teaching and admonition, instruction and consolation. He used to tell them: “Brothers, why have you withdrawn from the world, for this reason also strive! Do not neglect your salvation, but be alert every hour, according to the word of the Lord: watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (Matthew 26:41)! Know that those who have renounced the world and want to monk must renounce their will, maintain obedience in everything, and have in their minds the remembrance of death and the final judgment. With inner thought of God, monks also need to work physically, and especially young ones, who, while carefully guarding themselves, also need bodily suppression so that the flesh obeys the spirit. Let us be imitators of Ap. Paul, who worked day and night, not only escaping idleness, but also serving with his labors to himself and others: my demand, he says, and serve these hands to those who are with me (Acts 20:34). If worldly people do so much work and suffer, constantly working to feed their wives and children, and from their labor they bring and do alms to God according to their strength, and give tribute: should we not work for the needs of our body alone, so that we may escape idleness and not devour the labors of others, according to the commandment of the Apostle: if anyone does not want to work, let him eat (2 Thess. 3:10).” Edified by the holy instructions of Euthymius, the monks, laboring in faith and piety, created fruits worthy of their calling. Euthymy was especially strict with himself. “Thou didst not give,” the Church sings in his honor, “thou didst not give thy sleep, nor slumber at all, until thou freest soul and body from passions, and thou hast prepared for thyself a dwelling place of the Spirit.” One of Euthymius’ disciples says about him: “we have never seen him eating, except on Saturday and Sunday, nor talking with anyone without great need, nor resting on his side, but always sitting and dozing a little, sometimes standing and holding with both hands the rope, which was deliberately extended for this purpose.” Name of St. Euthymius was famous not only in Palestine, but also in the surrounding regions. Many flocked to him, seeking salvation. With his influence and wisdom he converted many Saracens to Christ; defended the faith against the Nestorians, Eutychians, Manichaeans; corrected Evdokia, the wife of Theodosius the Younger, from the error of the Monophysites; reinforced the right faith of the bishops who were going to councils. “Emitting rays of miracles everywhere, the saint enlightened everyone and, like a magnet, attracted them to his teaching.” Avoiding human glory and seeking silence, Euthymius often retired from the monastery to deserted places for silence, first for a while, and finally completely retired to the Zif desert near the Dead Sea, leaving the authority of the monastery to Theoktistus. But Rev. Euthymy did not remain alone for long in the new place of solitude. The Lord revealed to him in a vision that he would not forbid those who wanted to settle around him and be under his leadership. Thus, a new Lavra of Evfimiev was formed, in which he lived until the end of his life and was famous as a miracle worker and seer who knew human thoughts. In the year of his death, Rev. Euthymius did not go, as usual, into the desert during Lent and said to the brethren: “I will stay with you the first week, and on Saturday at midnight I will leave you”; - and exactly at this time his blissful death followed. Departing for eternal life, the monk bequeathed to the brethren: “Let the monastery gates never be closed to those who come; May you always be open to strangers, and offer everything you have to those in need, and so an abundant blessing from above will be given to you from God.” Rev. Evfimy was of a simple disposition, handsome in face, middle-aged, gray-haired, and even had hair down to his knees; lived 97 years and died in 477, January 20. Since that time, the Church has honored our venerable and God-bearing father Euthymius the Great. After his death, many miracles were performed from his relics. St. Damascus, Herman, Studite and Theophanes wrote many hymns for St. Day. Euphemia, now offered up by the Orthodox Church on this day. Damascene wrote a canon in praise of the monk with the following words: “Thou hast appeared the wealth of the earth-born, Euthymia.” The sacred readings on the day of St. Euthymius are the same as in honor of Anthony the Great. Holy Martyr of Inna, Pinna and Rimma (Enen, Niren and Stump) St. torment. Inna, Pinna and Rimma (Enen, Niren and Pen) Here are the first martyrs from the Slavs! In Vasily’s Menology (11th century) on January 20 we read the following about them: “The saints were from Scythia, from the northern side, disciples of St. Apostle Andrew. They taught about the name of Christ and converted many of the barbarians to the right faith and baptized them. For this reason, they were captured by the prince (παρα Αρχοντος) of the barbarians, but could not be brought to the point of renouncing Christ and sacrificing to idols. It was a harsh winter then; The rivers were sealed by frost so that not only people, but also horses and carts walked on the ice. The prince ordered large logs to be placed in the ice like whole trees and the saints tied to them. So, when the water became agitated, and the ice gradually increased, so that it reached the necks of the saints, they, exhausted by the terrible cold, gave up their souls to the blessed Lord” 209. A literal Slavic translation of this legend is read in the Belgrade Synaxar of 1340 and in the Serbian prologue of the 13th century. 210. Here the martyrs are called Enen, Niren and Pen. In Jerome’s Martyrology on January 20 it reads: “in Nivedun the martyrdom of Thyrsus, Cyriacus, Hellinicus.” So, the place of suffering of the martyrs was the new Danube, which stood on the banks of the Danube, in Lesser Scythia, and the names of the martyrs shown in the Greek and Slavic news were popular, Slavic, while after baptism the sufferers of the faith were called differently 211. It is believed that the suffering death of the martyrs was “somewhere much north of Kyiv, but, in any case, between the Russian Slavs” 212. But this is in vain. The big river mentioned in the story of suffering is the Danube, known to the Greek. On the other hand, since the Scythian preachers were disciples of Ap. Andrew, then Scythia must be looked for where Ap preached. Andrey. In the narrative of the monk Epiphanius of the 9th century. we read: “The Lord said to Andrew: go to Bithynia, I am with you wherever you go - Scythia is also waiting for you. When Andrew told John about this, they said goodbye: and Andrew, taking his disciples, went to Laodicea, and from there to Mysia, to the city of Odyssos. After spending a little time here, he installed Bishop Apion” 213. The latter, according to other monuments, is called Amplius and suffered martyrdom for Christ 214. Odyssos, Apollonia and Mesemvria are considered by Ptolemy 215 and Strabo 216 to be Scythia Minor. According to Pliny, the country owned by the Scythian farmers, stretching from the mouths of the Danube to Thrace, contained “the most beautiful cities of Dunajec, Tom (Kustendzhi), Kalatis, Krona” 217. So, there is no doubt that Ap. Andrew preached in Scythia Minor and appointed a bishop for it. And at the same time, there is no doubt that the Scythia of his disciples, who continued his preaching in Scythia, is the one that lies on the right bank of the Danube and along the western shore of the Black Sea. Those who lived here under the Apostles were neither Greeks nor Romans. They were called either Scythians, or Getae, or Sarmatians: in fact, they were Slavs, vigorous, warlike, but also engaged in agriculture. “Do you want to know what kind of people the Tomitan country is? – wrote the poet Ovid, who lived imprisoned in Tomi. – Although it is a mixture of Greeks and Getae, the inhabitants generally come from the Getae, of whom the majority of the population is. They ride back and forth on horseback, you won’t meet anyone without a spear, bow and arrows; a hand skilled in wielding the sword hanging at everyone's side. Very few traces of the Greek language remained, and even those, with Getian pronunciation, became barbaric. I have already learned to speak Geta and Sarmatian” 218. The poet, spoiled by Roman luxury, missed that “the Sarmatians come to Tomy with their creaking carts, - the Sarmatian bulls pull the barbaric carts” 219. The exact information about the inhabitants of the country is reported by Moses of Khorensky and the 7th century historian Simokatta. The first writes that “seven Slavic tribes” live in Thrace 220. Simocatta says that the Slavs who fought with the empire in the 6th century were called Getae in ancient times 221. Tertullian already knew the Christianity of Scythia Minor: “the tribes of the Getae (varietates Getulorum), Sarmatians and Scythians believe in Christ,” he wrote. 222 We are not talking here about the subsequent time 223. So the sermon of the disciples of St. Andrei brought abundant fruits among the southern Slavs. Rev. Euthymius the schema-monk and Lavrentiy the hermit of Pechersk Their relics rest in the Theodosian caves; see August 28 for details. Originally from Thessaloniki, the abbess of a monastery near Jerusalem, who was a model of purity and Christian asceticism, a zealot of the faith against the heretics of the Eutychians, was respected by royal persons and corresponded with Empress Pulcheria († 451). Menologium Graecorum, iussu Basilii imper. Urbini 1725. 2, 124. Zap. acad. Sciences VI, 106. 107. Lamansky, pp. 110, 111. Glasnik XVI, 37, 38. The popular names of the sufferers were not written the same way. In Vasiliev's menology: Ιννα, Ρημα καὶ Πιννα. In the Belgrade synaxar of 1340, Enen (Inna), Nirin (Irin, Rome) and Pen (Pinna). Nirin and Pen are understandable; Enen is not entirely clear. Fpiphanii monachi edita atque inedita, p. 56. Lips. 1846. Oriens christ. 1, 1094. Wiltsch, Kirchl., Geographie 1. 24. VII, 6. Skimnus of Chios: “at the foot of Mount Emos (Balkan) mountains. Mesemvria, border between Thrace and Getia" (Orbis descrip, v. 742–744) According to Theophanes, "Varna is near Odysse." Nearby is the Greek colony of Marcianople, the Slavs have the great Preslava. Chertkov about Svyatoslav’s war, pp. 199, 200. Pliny lib. 4. p. 11. Tristium lib. 5. Eleg. 7. 12. An example of the language of the Getae from Strabo, who says that the Getae called the rivers gods. Tristium lib. 3. eleg. 10 et 12. See East. Rus. Ts. 1, 3. ex. 12. Even for imp. Constantine Slavs of the Strymon region - Scythians (De provinciis). But Nicephorus and Theophanes, speaking about the occupation of Thrace by the Bulgarians in 678, call the inhabitants of Lesser Scythia Slavs. “Having crossed the river (Danube) they reach Virna and neighboring Odyssos, pass through the middle fields... they conquer the seven Slavic tribes who lived there.” Stritteri Bulgarica r. 507, 508. Theophilacti Simocatti hist., ed. Venet. lib. VII, c. 2, p. 253, lib. III, c. 6, p. 24. Temporary X, 106–110. See July 8, September 13, April 20.