30-го числа

Council of Three Saints: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom Each of the three ecumenical teachers and saints was distinguished by high, true virtues: Basil was deep in speech, Gregory was tall, Chrysostom was abundant; and each had special admirers and imitators. About special venerators of St. Basil the Great St. Gregory the Theologian says: “such is the valor of Vasily, such is the greatness of glory, that many, imitating even his physical qualities, turned them into a means to glory. Such were Vasily’s pallor of face, quietness of gait, slowness of speech, extraordinary thoughtfulness and self-absorption; which in many, due to unskillful imitation and incorrect understanding, has become sullenness. Vasily’s type of clothing, bed arrangement, and methods of eating food were the same; and he did all this simply. And you will see many Vasilievs in appearance; these are statues representing Vasiliev’s shadow; for there is much to say for them to be an echo. Echo, although it is the end of only utterances, nevertheless repeats clearly; and these people are more distant from Vasily than they want to get closer to him. It was rightly considered a considerable and even great honor if anyone happened to be close to Vasily, or served him, or noted as a keepsake something he said or did.” The people, and especially the strongest and smartest people, suspecting Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, of the removal of Basil, a most glorious man in life and eloquence, and loving him, thought to leave their bishop and gather separately. In his place, Gregory the Theologian also had special admirers. He says about himself: “What is happening to me? I am drawn here and there; They enter into litigation about my labors, without mercy demanding my word as a kind of debt, they love me more than I love myself. Everyone says that they will not stop bothering me until the fire of the word ignites from a small spark. And some of them are already promising benefits from my words, giving me seemingly great rewards; firstly, the fact that they will do good to themselves, betraying themselves to God and to me as a fruit of the word, then the fact that through correspondence, good will turn out to everyone present here, that is, to my clergy and my flock, with whom I would have acted very unfairly if I had not had the zeal to do good to them in every way.” Finally, there were many special admirers of the virtues and St. John Chrysostom Fr. People loved to listen to his words or teachings. One day he allowed a shepherd who had arrived from Galata to speak in his place: “the people retreated with screams, sick, as if remaining in hunger for a long time, and desired our speech, which cut, reproached, touched, saddened, acting exactly like a child who, even when he is beaten and punished, does not lag behind his mother, but with tears follows her, holding on to the side of the mother’s clothes or even being carried away by her with sobs." When he was unjustly deposed, many who were devoted to him separated from the Church under the name of the Ioannites, and had special liturgical meetings. This separation ceased after the transfer of the relics of St. Chrysostom from his place of imprisonment to Constantinople. In denunciation of these zealous but unreasonable worshipers of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch Atticus of Constantinople, caring for the unity of the Orthodox Church, established in the 5th century that prayerful commemorations of both St. John, and other bishops, were performed with equal honor. During the reign of Alexius Komnenos, at the end of the 11th century, the discord between believers about the merits of the three saints especially intensified. great universal teachers and saints. Some praised Basil, others exalted Gregory, others preferred John. From this there arose a division between the readers of St. lamps of the world, so that some called themselves Basilians, others Gregorians, others Ioannites. This dispute was resolved by the saints themselves: having appeared all together to John, Bishop of Euchaitis, they discovered that “they all have one equal dignity with God. So, declare that Christians should abandon this vain dispute. Just as during our lives we tried for unanimity, so after our death we most of all desire the unanimity of believers; establish one holiday for us.” The Bishop announced a vision for the Church, and in honor of the three saints. ecumenical teachers and saints, a general celebration was established in 1076 on January 30, celebrated after a separate celebration for each in this month, namely after the celebration on the 1st day of January of St. Basil the Great, 25 – St. Gregory the Theologian and at 27 - St. John Chrysostom. In the 8th century from St. John of Damascus, in XI from John the Euchaite and Nil Xanthopulos, the Church adopted many sacred songs in honor of the three ecumenical saints, now sung by the Orthodox Church on the 30th day of January. The word for the day of the three ecumenical saints has also been preserved from John the Euchaite. Equally glorifying and simultaneously distinguishing them, the Church likens them to the three ancient patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; to wise, artistic and meaningful men; fathers whom the Lord willed to love; righteous and chosen. He calls Vasily great and sacred, Gregory - Divine and God-speaking, John - with a very golden tongue; Vasily - a church luminary and an immutable pillar, Gregory - a heavenly mind, the greatest bishop, John - an all-gold master; Vasily - filled with the Spirit of God of art, Gregory - with the fire of loftiness, John - with the lips of Christ; Vasily is a pillar who precedes and scorches enemies with fire to faithful people, Gregory is a delight to everyone’s ears, John is a river of spiritual gifts. Having ascended to the heights of Christ's love, Vasily saw the ineffable and Divine mysteries, which he explained to people like a wise preacher of piety. Gregory resolved the binding of heresies by the wisdom of his words and teachings, and in unanimity he gathered the Orthodox, who in prudence praised Christ. Christ established John with the indestructible strengthening of His Church. The three are the highest saints of the Trinity and ministers; three-edged sword of grace. St. Hippolytus, Pope of Rome, and others with him St. Hippolytus, Pope of Rome, at the same time with others from 218 to 235, when he was exiled to Sardinia with Pontian, upon his release from exile in 238, lived in the east in Antioch and Arabia; having arrived in Rome with the orders of the eastern bishops and having fulfilled them, he led a solitary life, but as a disseminator of the faith he was captured in 268 and suffered at the same time as Senator Censorinus, Savinus and many others. † Memory of St. Peter, Tsar of Bulgaria St. Peter, King of Bulgaria This is shown in the Bulgarian synaxar of 1340 and in the Serbian prologue of the 13th century 361. Church praises to Tsar Peter: “Just as you first loved to remain peaceful in your life, so now we have the whole country to die with prayers to God.” “You have been guided, O Master, among the brethren who are younger than you, having anointed David, and commanded this land to keep everything from harm” 362. From these praises it is clear that Tsar Peter, glorified by the Church, is the son of the warlike Bulgarian prince Simeon († 927). At a young age, he was appointed by his father to rule Bulgaria instead of his older brother and loved peace, not war, during his reign 363. Blessed Tsar Peter was a contemporary of St. John of Rylsky 364 and had reverent respect for this wondrous hermit. Arriving in Sredets, he sent 10 experienced hunters to find Blessed John in the mountains, and they barely found him on the fifth day. Having received possible information, Tsar Peter the next day with several sincere ones himself went to the mountains; Having reached the Ryla stream, he encountered impenetrable cliffs with impassable landslides. He climbed Mount Knishava. From here they pointed him to an inaccessible cliff where they had seen the monk. He sent two beloved youths so that, be that as it may, they would reach the Elder of God and ask him for his blessing for the king, who strongly desired to see him. The youths fulfilled the royal commission. The hermit sent the king a response of love. “Your labor and offerings, like a fragrant censer, ascended to God; but hurry to leave the place where you are standing: the place is dangerous, you may unexpectedly suffer with your sincere ones. You will not see our badness in this life; but in the future we will see each other, we will enjoy joy if we bear fruits worthy of repentance.” The king then sent a lot of gold and food to the hermit and wrote: “To the most honorable John the desert dweller, Peter stole. Hearing about your God-loving life and desert sojourn, about your complete removal from the world and angelic life, I really wanted to see your reverence and listen to your instructions. I hoped to get a lot of benefit from just contemplating your life, although I would look a little at the light of immaterial life. The desire for wealth, vain glory, passions do not leave us, worldly people, and our spiritual eyes are darkened by worldly things; mutiny. That is why, having awakened somewhat from a deep sleep, I wanted to see your holiness. But, unfortunate me, I have lost this grace due to my sins. Therefore, I fall down and pray: send me some consolation, some coolness from the heat of my sorrow. Your Reverence knows what storms of the world and what worries overwhelm the royal heart.” Blessed John, out of love for the royal love, accepted the fruits sent and ate. But he didn’t want to touch gold. In his answer, he wrote to the king: “The hermit does not need gold and it is even dangerous. The king needs it: he must spend money on weapons and troops. If you want to inherit the Heavenly Kingdom, be generous like the Heavenly Father. Do not rely on lies and do not thirst for gain; be meek and quiet, accessible to everyone. Let your princes not boast in their tongues. Let your scarlet shine with virtues. Let the memory of death visit your soul. Humble yourself at the feet of our mother Church; bow your head before her chief altars, so that the King of kings, seeing such your zeal, will give you blessings that have not entered the heart of man.” Having received this letter, the king kissed it lovingly and then constantly kept it with him, often read it and thereby drove away worldly vanities 365. In the description of the life of St. John does not say in what year these relations between King Peter and the great hermit took place. Because it is known that St. John died in 946, the alarming state about which the king complains to the hermit must be attributed to the time preceding the events of 941. According to the Greek chronicles, Tsar Peter, who married the emperor’s granddaughter, concluded a profitable peace with the Greeks: Simeon’s conquests were left to Bulgaria, the title of emperor was recognized for the Bulgarian sovereign, and the Greeks pledged to continue sending tribute 366. After that, until 933, Tsar Peter lived calmly. At this time, he reconciled the Bulgarian Church with the Patriarch of Constantinople, and he recognized the title of Bulgarian Patriarch for the independent Bulgarian archbishop 367. The entire hierarchy of Bulgaria under Peter was Bulgarian, without any admixture of Greek 368; and Tsar Peter himself corresponded with the Greeks in no other way than in the Bulgarian language 369. In 933, not without intrigues on the part of the Greeks, Tsar Peter had to endure great anxiety. At first some rose up against him in the name of Brother John. Tsar Peter, with all his meekness, was forced to lock John in prison and subdue the rebels with various punishments. Then another brother, the monk Michael, having occupied one fortress, agitated and ravaged the Strymon region, seeking a crown; but the accomplices of his rebellion killed him and dispersed. The Hungarians attacked Bulgaria in 934 370. The pious king complained about these political storms before the great hermit. The Bogomil heresy was a grave misfortune for the Church of the time of Tsar Peter. “What happened in the land of Bulgaria in the years of the Orthodox Tsar Peter: there was a priest named Bogumil, but in truth he said, “He is not dear to God,” who first began to teach heresies in the land of Bulgaria,” says a contemporary of Peter 371. Already John the Exarch, a contemporary of Simeon, said: “Yes, let all the insults (extravagant) and defilements of the Manichaeans and all the trash of words be persecuted.” 372 But under Simeon, Manichaeism was limited to the circle of newcomers and was despised along with paganism. Under Peter, Manichaeism was adopted by Bogomil and appeared in a special form, softened: Bogomil subordinated two principles, good and evil, to a single Godhead and tried to reconcile Manichaeism with Christianity 373. His heresy spread all the more easily because it was hidden behind the outward appearance of piety - a fasting life, gentle treatment of others. Priest Bogomil finally became so bold that he set out his teachings in books 374. Bogomil’s comrade was priest Jeremiah, and his disciples were Michael, the most beloved student, Theodore the good, Stefan, Vasily and Peter 375. Tsar Peter could not help but remember the words of the great hermit: “Humble yourself at the feet of our mother the Church.” In view of the audacity of heresy, they subjected the heresy to conciliar condemnation and the heretics to punishment; The council instructed Presbyter Cozma to write a lengthy word against the Bogomils 376. The most difficult time for the pious Tsar Peter was in the last two years of his life. After the insults inflicted by the empire, Peter's nobles sent envoys to Emperor Nicephorus with stern demands for heavy tribute. This meant that Peter’s nobles, contrary to the prophetic advice of the saint, “boasted on their tongues.” Nikifor treated the ambassadors extremely insultingly and also demanded that Tsar Peter not allow the Hungarians to cross the Danube against the empire. Tsar Peter replied that since he did not receive help from the empire against the Hungarians, which is why he was forced to make peace with Hungary, but he could not break the treaty, he could not fulfill the wishes of the empire. The Empire was to blame. The wild Magyars broke into the empire through Bulgaria in 959 and 962, and the passage of these robbers was undoubtedly difficult for the Bulgarian country. Left without contractual assistance, the Bulgarians, and still grossly insulted by the ambassadors, could not help but fight with Nikephoros. Nikifor understood this, as well as the fact that the empire was very weak. Therefore, he hastened to secretly hire Svyatoslav, Prince of Russia, for the war with Bulgaria. The war-loving Svyatoslav readily agreed. In April 967, the Russians and Svyatoslav unexpectedly appeared at the mouth of the Danube. Peter sent out the army that he could muster to prevent the enemy from entering the Bulgarian land; but the army could not resist the onslaught of the Russians and hastily locked itself in Drestvin, and then just as quickly surrendered. This struck Tsar Peter so much that he, who was always honest and loved his homeland, but was not in good health, died at the age of 56 377. Zap. acad. VI, 105. Lamansky's article, p. 120 Mus. Rumyantsev, p. 449. Izv. acad. 1, 98, 99. Notes from an admirer, pp. 332, 319. K. 1864. Continued by Amartol: “May 27 ind. 15 (927) Simeon, Prince of Bulgaria, died, having appointed in advance his son Peter, whom he had from his second wife, sister George Sursuvul, as prince; He left the latter as the guardian of his children. Mikhail, the son of his first wife, was tonsured a monk. John and Benjamin, Peter’s brothers, still wore Bulgarian shirts.” Χρονικον Αμαρτολου, St. Petersburg. 1859, p. 830. Krug, byzant. chronol. s. 166. 167. Life c. Peter was described by Theophylact of Bulgaria, the one who wrote about the Strumnitsa martyrs and about St. Clemente, but the description remains in inaccessible manuscripts. Eabricii bibl. grace, ed. Harlcs VII, 598. Here are the unpublished works of Theophylact: “a conversation about nature, dedicated to Peter, King of Bulgaria,” and “the life of this king.” Life of St. John, description. Evfimiem Ave. Konstantin de ceremoniis. Luitprand in a letter to Otto; George Mon. r. 904, 905. Lev Gram. 315. Kedrin 308. Zonara 18. Cont. Amartola r. 830, 831. Le-Quien or. chr. 11. 290-Assemani calend. 111, 149. Back in the 15th century. By order of the cathedral, they sang eternal memory to the Preslav Patriarchs Leonty, Dimitri and Gregory. Bulgarian synodikon in 23 books. Temporary. Leo, Archbishop of Bulgaria, under Constantine Monomakh (1042–1054) was the first (πρώτος) ruler from the Greeks in Bulgaria. Le-Quien or. 11. 292. About the Bulgarian cities - in the report. Acad., 1, 348, 349. II, 109–112 Palousian Age of Simeon, pp. 29–33. Krug byzant. chronol. s. 166, 167. However, the reading from Simeon Logothet: επιςολην εκομισαντο βυλγαρικν, when compared with the successor of Theophanes and George the monk, should be recognized as corrupted and should be restored as follows: ετι σολην εκομισατο βουλγαρικήν. About the written agreement between the Bulgarians and the Greeks Sreznevsky in ancient times. Prokhorov, notebook. 8. 1864, countries. 119. The successor of Theophanes, Kedrin, George Acropolis - in Stritter: Bulgarica § 129, 130, in Chertkov about the war of Svyatoslav 137–147, Raich, 1, 401–405. Kozma presbyter in 9 tetr. Antiquities 1864 The fourth word about the six-day period. Bulgarian synodikon in 23 books. the temporary worker is cursed by “Priest Bogomil, who was also under Peter Ts. Bulgarians who accepted the Manichaean heresy and scattered them across the Bulgarian lands, also declared that in a ghost Christ our God from St. The Mother of God was born and crucified in a ghost and took up the deified flesh and left it in the air.” In the collection Novgorod. Sofiysk b. 15th century: “and as for Bogumil the priest’s heretical books, his whoredom is malicious.” To the Synod. RKP. No. 322 says: “the creators of heretical books in the Bulgarian land were priest Eremey and priest Bohumil.” Archaeological Chronicle. comm. 1, 26, 27, 29, 40. St. Petersburg. 1862. Fables of priest Jeremiah, imbued with Bogomilism, - in a review of the history of Slavyansk. literature Tsypin, St. Petersburg. 1865, pp. 65–79. Bulgarian synodikon in 23 books. temporary I typed the whole word. in archivu za powiestnicu iugoslavenscu VI, 69–97. Excerpts from Vyatsk. Eparch. Led. 1865 The time when the word was written is determined by the words of Kozma: “imitate John the Presbyter, many people know him from you yourself.” Kozma does not directly talk about the council, but speaks about the punishments that persecuted heresy. Leo Deacon, Zonara, Kedrin - in Chertkov: about Svyatoslav’s war, pp. 18–25, 210–214.