9-го числа

St. Muchch. Polyeucte and Nearchus Among the sorrows of earthly life, one of the most beneficial consolations given by God to man is friendship. Selflessness and self-sacrifice, inseparably associated with this feeling, purify and elevate the soul capable of nourishing this feeling. Friendship in its true form or meaning leads a direct path to the only goal of human existence on earth: moral improvement. The influence of friendship is so strong that it can completely change a person; and good for him who meets a true friend in life; he is protected from a helpless and joyless state into which the trials and sorrows of life can plunge his soul. A friend will support you, a friend will not allow you to become exhausted, and more than that: the friend who is higher than the other in his mental state will put his loved one on a level with himself, and will often lead him out of the realm of darkness onto the path of light and salvation. In the lives of saints there are many examples of grace-filled friendship that had great significance, such as the friendship between St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory the Theologian. For those honored today, St. martyrs - Polyeuctus, who was a pagan, and Nearchus, who was a Christian, friendship, fearful of eternal separation, frightened by the separation of fate to which the then strong persecution of Christians subjected them, turned out to be the path to their inseparable merging in one common belief in Jesus Christ. Through friendship with a Christian, the pagan in this case comprehended the truth of eternal life in the Kingdom of the Eternal God, the One Common Father. St. Polyeuctus and Nearchus were warriors and sincere friends in the world; Without a doubt, Nearchus the Christian often poured out before his pagan friend the cherished beliefs of his soul, enlightened by the Christian faith, and, without a doubt, they were not alien to the pure and sublime heart of Polyeuctus. “Our soul is in itself a Christian,” says Tertullian. Probably the soul of Polyeuctus contained within itself all the properties for the perception of Divine truth, and under the influence of his friend it was only waiting for an opportunity to implement everything prepared in his soul by this influence. This opportunity presented itself. In 259, a strong persecution of Christians began from the Roman Emperor Valerian. Strong grief took possession of the soul of Nearchus when the royal decree about the persecution of Christians was announced. He was not alarmed about his fate; he was tormented by the thought that his friend Polyeuctus would renounce him and leave him when he was handed over to torture and death for a faith alien to the pagan soul. The thought of eternal separation from his friend was the beginning of martyrdom for him... The sadness of his friend was not hidden from the loving, sensitive heart of Polyeuctus. Having learned about the reason for it, he himself was struck by the thought of the separation ahead of them. - But why separate? - his whole soul rebelled against the expected event and for the first time realized in itself that power that conquers everything in the world, before which there are no indestructible obstacles. For the first time it became clear to him to what extent he had long shared the only true convictions of his friend, to what extent he was undoubtedly involved in his Christian influence. - Nearchus! - he responded to the great joyful amazement of his friend, - what are you afraid of? Do I not know your Christ! Didn’t my heart burn within me when you told me about Him, when you read the Gospel to me! Only I have not yet been called by the name of a Christian, but I abhor idols and have always felt faith in Christ, the Son of the one true God... – Glory to God’s mercy! - Nearchus prayed, hearing these words; - but do you love God so much that you would leave your wife, children, and wealth for His sake? - he asked Polyeuctus anxiously. “I don’t need anything other than the true God,” answered the pagan, “from this hour I renounce the world and will serve Him Alone... And with these words and in a fit of inexplicable and uncontrollable feeling, he rushed to the city square, where, having read the royal decree, he tore it up and threw it in front of the people, and then, seeing that they were carrying idols to the church, Polyeuctus rushed to them and destroyed them... He was immediately captured and tortured. In vain his wife and father-in-law begged him not to destroy himself, not to make them unhappy. He answered them only with a prayer that they would know the true God, that they would be convinced that those gods were insignificant, whom he could now so easily crush into dust. Many of those standing around believed and followed the words of the martyr. Seeing his firmness in confessing his faith amid torture, his torturers condemned him to death. With triumph and love, Polyeuctus turned his last gaze to the crowd surrounding him, and, seeing Nearchus, addressed his last words to him: “Take heart, friend!” remember the covenant of love that was established between us!.. - and after that he bowed his head under the sword and surrendered his spirit to God. He was the first martyr in Armenian Melitina, near the right bank of the river. Euphrates. Following him, Nearchus also suffered martyrdom. Memory of St. Polyeucte has been revered since ancient times. The parents of St. Euthymius the Great and Euthymius himself prayed in the church founded in his memory. In the West, as in the East, this martyr was revered as a punisher of violators of oaths and contracts. The granddaughter of Emperor Valentinian III, Juliana, built a magnificent church in his honor in Constantinople under Emperor Justinian. His holy relics rested in the Church of the Apostles, in Constantinople, in the 14th and 15th centuries, according to the testimony of the Russians and the pilgrims Stephen and Zosima. St. Peter, Bishop of Sebaste St. Peter was the younger brother of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa. His spiritual education was accomplished under the irresistible influence of a Christian family: righteous parents, holy sister Macrina and holy brother Basil. A flourishing branch of a family flourishing with piety, he proved to be a fruitful worker in the field of Christ's service. In piety he imitated his sister, St. Macrina, in the desert - to his elder brother Vasily. He was appointed bishop of Sebastia of Armenia (now Savas), and was a member of the 2nd Ecumenical Council against the Macedonian heresy, in 381. Memory of St. the prophet Samea (1 Kings 12), and Rev. Eustratius the Wonderworker, who died in 821 † Memory of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow In the life of the great Philip among the saints of God there are two parts: the life of a hermit and the life of a shepherd of the Church. He first answered the words of the Lord: be faithful until death (Rev. 2:10). In the second, he fulfilled the words of the Lord: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11) 68. Saint Philip, in the world Theodore, was born on February 11, 1507. 69 The nobility of origin and the distinction of his ancestors in the service promised him a brilliant move in the world. He came from the famous Kolychev family 70. His grandfather Ivan Loban Kolychev enjoyed the power of attorney of John III; he was an ambassador to Mengli-Girey, held dangerous posts: either the governor of the advanced regiment, or the head of the very important Ivangorod fortress; under the walls of the latter he laid down his head 71. Theodore's father, Stepan Ivanovich, the eldest of Loban's five sons 72, was loved by Grand Duke Vasily as “a man full of the military spirit.” Devoted to the Grand Duke, the boyar lived in Moscow, while his brothers lived on Novgorod estates; but was not blinded by the “height of his rank.” He loved to read useful books; when it was necessary to act for the common good, he was firm and decisive, “erasing the obstinate paths to the end.” Theodore's mother, Varvara, was pious and pious; she died as nun Barsanuphia. The best consolation for Theodore’s parents was to protect the offended, give shelter to the homeless, feed and clothe the beggar. It is clear that the son of such parents received the best upbringing. Theodore studied, like others, from church books, and the love of spiritually beneficial reading remained in him until the grave; another school for him was the church of God. A nobleman of a noble family was also preparing to serve his fatherland. “Youths” were assigned to Theodore in order to train him in horse riding; From them he learned to shoot at a target with a arquebus and a bow, and to deftly wield a spear and saber, which was required by the preparation for service at that time. He probably took part in the Crimean campaign of 1522–1524 and another in 1530; in the first we see his uncle, and his father wanted his son to be a warrior of the fatherland 73. Grand Duke Vasily took Theodore to court, having learned about the noble qualities of his soul. Young John fell in love with him. But during John’s childhood, life at court was doubly dangerous: it was dangerous for life from the intrigues of the boyars, dangerous for the heart from debauchery. The young courtier did not share his absent-minded life with others; but it was not what it could have been. The very fact that, being over 25 years old, he did not enter into married life, shows that in his soul there was already a thought about a different kind of life; but he hesitated, delayed from time to time; and so the Lord Himself called him to a better life. During the harsh reign of Elena, the prince fell into disgrace. Andrei, uncle of Grand Duke John. They pledged to him an oath to preserve the life and freedom of him and his friends. And, however, they were locked in prison, where they soon died. The Kolychevs, along with others close to Prince Andrei, were subjected to severe persecution. The uncle of Theodore Stepanovich, Ivan Kolychev-Umny, a close boyar of Prince Andrei, was tortured and locked in prison, from which he was freed after the death of Elena; and Gavriil Vladimirovich Kolychev was whipped and then hanged. This everyday storm took place in May 1537. 74 Bitter events, so close in kinship to the soul of Feodor Stepanovich, could not help but affect him; he vividly felt the sinfulness and emptiness of secular life. On the third Sunday after Pentecost (June 5, 1537), during the liturgy he happened to listen to the words of the Savior: “no one can work for two masters.” This time the Savior’s words struck him so strongly that he decided to part with the world forever. This was in the 30th year of his life. Theodore secretly, in the clothes of a commoner, left Moscow and near Lake Onega in the village of Khizhakh spent some time in the occupations of a peasant in order to remain unnoticed in the event of a search; then he appeared at the Solovetsky monastery and, unknown to anyone who or where he was from, took upon himself harsh work: “the son of famous and glorious parents chopped wood, dug soil in the garden, worked in the mill and fishing.” Tested for a year and a half, he was tonsured, at his request, into monasticism with the name Philip and given under the supervision of the experienced elder Jonah, the interlocutor of the Monk Alexander of Svirsky 75. Hegumen Alexy sent a new monk to the monastery forge, and Philip pounded iron with a heavy hammer; then they forced him to work in a bakery. Philip turned out to be the best novice in everything; Despite the hard work, he never left the church services - he was the first to appear in the church and the last to leave it. The humble worker was encouraged in his exploits by heavenly cover: in the church of the monastery they still show the image of the Mother of God “of bread”, which consoled the baker Philip. The brethren praised the hardworking monk, but he withdrew from the monastery into solitude and labored there for a long time, invisible to people. When he returned to the monastery, Abbot Alexy entrusted him with supervision of the initial novices. After 9 years of Filippova’s life in the monastery, Abbot Alexy, feeling his decrepitude, wished for the brethren to choose another abbot for themselves. The choice fell on Philip. Consecrated unwillingly to the position of hegumen (1548) by the Novgorod Archbishop Theodosius, he zealously set about the affairs of his title; but soon he again withdrew into the kind desert and only for the communion of St. came to the monastery 76. Igum. Alexy ruled the monastery for more than a year and died. At the request of the brethren, St. Philip again accepted the abbess. In 1550 and 1551, the new abbot was in Moscow and Novgorod to meet the needs of the monastery; he brought gifts from the tsar for the Solovetsky miracle workers and three letters of grant: one of them, at the request of the blessed one. Philip, it was granted to the Solovetsky monastery to build a church on the site where the Venerable died. Savvaty, and the village was given to her jurisdiction 77. When blessed Philip, the Solovetsky monastery received a new look in both economic and moral life. In 1538, the monastery was reduced to ashes by fire. 78 Hegumen Alexy, with his weakness, managed to restore little. The number of brethren did not decrease, on the contrary, it increased, showing grumbling about the poverty of their contents 79 . Philip's economic management was amazing. We are not talking about the many buildings he built for housing and economic needs. He multiplied and improved the salt pans, the main source of maintenance for the monastery; salt was transported on ships to Kholmogory, Ustyug, Vologda, Totma, and with the money received for salt they bought bread and other food supplies 80. Under him, a mill was built in the monastery; 52 lakes are connected by a canal, thereby draining marshy areas for haymaking; roads were built through the wilds and swamps. Milk was necessary for the brethren, and according to the rules of the monastery it was forbidden to keep fertile animals in the monastery. Blazh. The abbot presented both to the archpastor, and, with the archpastor's permission, on one of the islands, 10 miles from the monastery, he built a barnyard and raised cattle; here he released Lapland deer into the forests. Thus the food of the brethren was improved: at the blessed. Philip was presented at the meal, in addition to other dishes, with cabbage soup with butter, pies, and jelly, which had never happened before 81. By ordering a huge amount of cloth and leather from different places, he found the opportunity to make furs and leathers from his own deer and also seal skins 82. He wrote (1553) a charter for the brethren, how much clothing and shoes each person should have in his cell, and thereby set limits to self-will 83 . To bring peace and charity to the decrepit and sick, he built a hospital in the monastery. Tsar John Vasilyevich, at the request of the pious abbot, gave the monastery both benefits and land 84. Statutory charters given by the teacher. the abbot in charge of the monastery estates, as much as they breathe love, just as much show in the writer their intelligent foresight, careful prudence and fidelity to the truth 85. He appointed tiuna, servants, and paymasters: this means that he freed the peasants from the obligation of that time - to maintain justice and government at their own expense. Modern St. A foreigner wrote to Philip (1553): “Russians do not have the greatest of evils - lawyers, but everyone is a lawyer for himself” 86. This is true, although nowadays some people like the “greatest evil.” But, having not allowed one evil, they allowed another - they allowed the tiuns and closers to live at the expense of the defendants. Rev. The abbot expelled this evil too. He ordered that the strictest truth be observed when distributing duties, and that drunkenness and gambling in grain games should not be allowed among the peasants. If the venerable abbot cared so much about the morality of the workers of the monastery, then it is clear how much he cared about the elevation of spiritual life among the monastic brothers. Spiritual life blossomed under him in the monastery: the experience of the Monks John and Loggin, Vassian and Jonah, glorified by the Lord. Blessed. Philip selectively accepted into the monastery only those who sincerely wanted to strive for the Lord. He did not give room in the monastery for idleness and laziness: everyone worked in it. In order to revive in the brethren the spirit that lived in the great founders of the monastery, he tried to restore everything that reminded them of them: he found the image of the Mother of God Hodegetria, brought to the island of St. Savvatiy; I found a stone cross that stood in front of his cell, a psalter and the service vestments of the saints; He repaired these vestments, distinguished them with an inscription and “made them the first vestments.” By his order, the miracles performed by the saints upon his arrival on the island were described 87. The church is a school of Christian piety; the church is the house of God. Blessed. Philip built churches in the monastery that worthily bear the name of the villages and the glory of God and teach reverence. In 1552, he began to build a stone Assumption Church with a refectory and a bell tower, the entire building is 82 fathoms in circumference; the church was consecrated in 1557 Previously, in the monastery there were stone riveters and wooden ones; bliss The abbot acquired three bells: one - 173 pounds, another - 80 points, the third - 30 points 88. Then, he began to build the stone main church of the monastery, in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The brothers pointed out to him the lack of funds. He answered: “Trust in God is not deceiving; He will send funds if our intention pleases Him.” In 1558 he founded a church on 170 square meters. fathoms The abbot participated in the work with his own hands, and at his request the king sent 1,000 rubles. for a new church. The monk prepared utensils for the church, multi-colored glass for the frames, and gave a lot of his property. He dug a grave for himself under the northern porch, next to the grave of his mentor, Fr. Ions 89. At times, from the troubles of his rank, he retreated into silence, 2 miles from the monastery, and the place of his solitary exploits is still called the Philippi Desert. For those who are devoted to solitude, he built a monastery on Zayatsky Island, and secluded cells in other places. Blessed Philip wanted to be and was faithful to his Lord in all aspects of his life. In 1566, Ivan the Terrible summoned Abbot Philip to Moscow “for spiritual advice.” This meant that Philip would be invested with the rank of high priest, which Athanasius and Blessed Herman resigned, burdened by the deeds of John. The Tsar received Philip with honor, spoke and dined with him in a friendly manner, and finally announced that he wished to see him at the metropolitan's see. Philip did not agree to accept high rank for a long time. “I can’t,” he said with tears, “take on a task that exceeds my strength, let me go, for the Lord’s sake; Why entrust a small boat with a great burden? The king insisted on his own. Philip finally announced that he would carry out the will of the tsar, but so that the oprichnina from which Russia was suffering would be destroyed. John replied that the oprichnina was necessary for the king and the kingdom; that otherwise they will plot against him. Blessed Philip was persuaded to agree to this last will of the angry tsar: “not to interfere in the affairs of the court and the oprichnina, after being appointed, not to leave the metropolis for the fact that the tsar will not destroy the oprichnina, but to consult with the tsar, as the previous metropolitans consulted.” Thus, St. Philip left behind his conscience the freedom and duty to grieve for the innocently persecuted and speak about the truth of the Gospel. They could not refuse him this, because both John’s father and John himself wrote more than once in letters that for his father the Metropolitan sovereign forgives one or the other or returns what was taken to the treasury 90 . Blessed Philip was ordained metropolitan on July 25 91. For the first time after that, things went calmly. The depraved oprichnina became silent, fearing the desert saint. The king showered him with affection and respectful attention. Moscow rejoiced to see silence with the appearance of the new saint. The saint had a lot of work and troubles in the capital, near the king. And he said to himself: “What happened to you, Philip? From what silence and what noise did you find yourself?” In order to have near him the objects of the abandoned desert that were dear to him, he built the church of Zosima and Savvaty in his yard. Of his pastoral orders, it is remarkable to designate Bishop Athanasius of Suzdal as archbishop of the recently returned Polotsk. Athanasius, even after his dedication, remained in Moscow until the end of the year, partly because there was an infection in Smolensk, but more because the Polotsk diocese, in which papist fanaticism dominated, required special advice and benefits from the high priest: St. Philip subsequently sent 33 priests and deacons 92 to Polotsk from Novgorod. In the last half of 1567, oprichnina cases arose - denunciations, slander, murders, robberies; especially upon returning from the unsuccessful Lithuanian campaign, the king was very irritated, and the villains took advantage of this. They laughed at the groans of the innocent and indulged in vile deeds 93 . The saint convinced Novgorod Archbishop Pimen and other shepherds to stand for the truth, but they trembled from cowardice. St. Philip went to admonish the Tsar in the Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, this den of debauchery and villainy 94 . “Sovereign Tsar! - the saint said privately to John, - invested with the highest rank, you must most of all honor God, from Whom you received the rank; You are the image of God, but at the same time you are dust. A ruler is one who controls himself and does not serve base lusts. Have you ever heard of pious kings agitating their empire as yours is agitated?” John began to seethe with anger and said: “What do you, monk, care about our royal affairs?” The saint answered: “By the grace of the Holy Spirit, by the election of the sacred council and by our will, I am the shepherd of the Church of Christ. You and I must take care of the piety and peace of the Orthodox Christian kingdom.” “Be silent,” said John, and bless us to do the works of our will.” Silence is inappropriate now, the saint answered: it would multiply sins and destruction. If we carry out the arbitrariness of men, what answer will we give on the day of Christ’s coming? The Lord said: love one another; No one has greater sowing love, but whoever lays down his life for his friends. If you remain in My love, you will truly be My disciples. The hard-nosed book reader answered with the words of David: “My sinceres are right near me and stasha, and my neighbors are far away from me, and I am in need of those who seek my soul, those who seek evil for me.” “Sovereign Tsar! - said the saint, - you need to distinguish good people from bad: some protect the common good, others tell you lies, according to their appearance; it is a sin not to curb bad people; drive away from you unworthy people who are destructive to you and the kingdom; let love establish itself in the place of division and enmity.” "Philip! - said John, “do not contradict our power, lest my wrath befall you, or leave the metropolis.” “I did not send,” answered the saint, “neither requests nor intercessors, and I did not fill anyone’s hands with money in order to receive this rank. You have deprived me of my desert. Do as you wish." The king left in anger at the saint, but also in thought about himself 95. The guardsmen - Malyuta Skuratov, Vasily Gryaznoy and others now began to persistently arm the tsar against the metropolitan, and the innocent began to suffer even more from their violence and atrocities. John returned to Moscow in black clothes and with a drawn sword; in this form he was accompanied by guardsmen. Executions followed. Nobles and simple people came to the saint and begged with tears for protection. The saint consoled the unfortunate with the words of the Gospel. "Children! - he said, - The Lord is merciful! He does not send more temptations than we can bear; there must be temptations; woe to him by whom temptation comes. All this, God’s chosen ones, happened to us because of our sins, for our correction; and happiness is promised to us not on earth, but in heaven.” March 2 (1568), on the Sunday of the Cross, the Tsar came to the cathedral church. He and the guardsmen were in black clothes, with high shlykas on their heads with drawn weapons. John approached the metropolitan, who was standing in his place, and waited for the blessing. The saint silently looked at the image of the Savior. The guardsmen said: “Vladyka! The sovereign is before you, bless him." The blessed one, looking at John, said: “Sir! Who were you jealous of, taking on such an appearance and distorting the splendor of your dignity? The king is not visible either in his clothes or in his deeds. The Tatars and pagans have law and truth, but in Russia there is no truth; in the whole world mercy is respected, but in Russia there is no compassion even for the innocent and the right. Fear, sir, the judgment of God. How many innocent people are suffering! Here we offer a bloodless sacrifice to God, and behind the altar innocent Christian blood is shed! Robberies and murders are committed in the name of the king. If there are those guilty, forgive, so that the Lord will forgive you. He who does not love his brother is not God’s” 96 . John was inflamed with anger and, confused, said: “Philip! - Do you really think about changing our will? Wouldn’t it be better for you to be of the same thoughts as us?” “What is our faith for? - answered the saint. – Both the Savior’s suffering and His commandments given to us are in vain. I do not feel sorry for those who suffered innocently; They are martyrs of God, but I grieve for your soul.” John flew into a frenzy, waved his hand at the saint, banged his stick on the floor of the church and threatened executions. “Are you opposing us? We will see your steadfastness,” said John. “I am a stranger on earth, like all my fathers,” the saint quietly answered, “I am ready to suffer for the truth.” Beside himself with rage, John left the church. A reader appeared before the council of bishops with vile slander against the saint. Novgorod Pimen, humiliating himself before the Tsar, although he could not believe the slander in his soul, said out loud to others: “He denounces the Tsar, but he himself commits vile things.” The confessor of truth said to Pimen: “Dear! By pleasing people you seek to obtain someone else’s throne, but you will also lose yours.” The reader then confessed with tears that he was forced by threats to take an oath. The saint, having forgiven the reader, surrendered himself to the will of God. “I see,” he said to the ecclesiastical dignitaries, “that they want my death, and for what? because I did not flatter anyone, did not give anyone gifts, did not treat anyone to feasts. But no matter what happens, I will not stop telling the truth - I don’t want to wear the priesthood uselessly.” He moved from the Kremlin to Nikolskaya Street to the old monastery of St. Nicholas (now Greek) 97, since it was already obvious that the king did not want to see him near him; but the blessed confessor did not voluntarily abandon the ministry entrusted to him by the Lord. On July 28, he performed a religious procession at the Novodevichy Convent. John, who wanted to appear pious, appeared here with the guardsmen in their full attire. At the time when the tsar came, the saint wanted to read the Gospel, and, teaching peace to everyone, he saw a guardsman in a tafya. “Sovereign Tsar! - said the saint, - good Christians listen to the word of God with their heads uncovered; Why did these people decide to follow the Mohammedan law - to stand in tafiyas? “Who is this?” asked the king. But the culprit hid the tafya, and his comrades said that the Metropolitan was lying and rebelling against the Tsar. John lost his temper, rudely scolded the saint, called him a liar, a rebel, a villain, and swore that he would convict him of crimes. After a conference with Skuratov and confessor Eustathius, whom the saint had banned for his unworthy life, an investigation was ordered to be carried out in Solovki. For a long time they could not force any accusation against Philip through torture; there they called him righteous and holy; finally, Abbot Paisius, who was promised the rank of bishop, monk Zosima and with him some others who were at enmity with Philip even during his abbesses, agreed to be slanderers against the saint. They made a denunciation. In Moscow, Paisius, in the presence of the tsar and the clergy, accused Philip with all the impudence. The saint meekly said to Paisius: “What you sow is what you reap.” And turning to the king, he said: “Sir! – Don’t you think that I’m afraid of death? Having reached old age, I am ready to surrender my spirit to the Almighty, my and your Lord. It is better to die an innocent or a martyr than to silently endure the horrors and lawlessness of an unfortunate time in the rank of metropolitan. I leave the metropolitan's staff and robe. And you, saints and all the altar servers! shepherd the faithful flock of Christ; prepare to give account and fear the Heavenly King more than the earthly one.” The saint took off his white hood and robe. But the tsar stopped him, saying that he must wait for his own trial, and forced him to take back the holy utensils and still serve the liturgy on November 8, 98. This meant that John wanted to publicly disgrace the saint and at the same time give his violence against the saint the appearance of a legal trial before the people. The fate of the saint then, on November 4th, was decided: the ferocious John demanded that Philip be burned as a wizard, and only the clergy begged to leave him life without rank 99 . On November 8th, the day of the Archangel Michael, the saint began his service in the cathedral. Basmanov appeared and in the hearing of the people read the condemnation of Philip based on denunciations of slander. The guardsmen rushed to the altar, tore off the saint's robe, dressed him in rags, pushed him out of the church, put him on a log and took him to the Epiphany Monastery, showering him with abuse and beatings. Crowds of people saw off the saint with tears, and he calmly blessed the people and his lot. Before the gates of the monastery he said to the people: “children! I did everything I could; If it weren’t for love for you, I wouldn’t have stayed in the pulpit for one day... Trust in God, be patient.” The next day they brought him to the Kremlin to hear the verdict: Philip, allegedly convicted of magic and heavy wines, was to end his days in prison. “Remember, king,” said the righteous man, “what good kings were like; remember that the wicked are subject to the strict judgment of God’s righteousness.” John, with a movement of his hand, ordered the implacable guards to take Philip. He was taken to a stinking room, shackled, a heavy block was placed around his neck, his hands were chained, and he was not given a piece of bread for a whole week. The steadfast prayer book was nourished by prayer, and he was found without shackles or chains - free. The king, hearing about this, was amazed, but then said: “enchantment, enchantment. So people are ready to explain great things with the strangest reasons, just so as not to recognize in them the action of the power of God, which is threatening to their guilty conscience. The Tsar ordered Philip to be transferred to the monastery of old Nicholas. Not content with what St. endured. Philip, the tsar tortured and executed the boyar children who served him; Ten of his Kolychev relatives were killed one after another. Beloved by the saint, Ivan Borisovich Kolychev sang psalms when he was being tortured; the king sent his head to Philip with the words: “here is your beloved relative, your charms did not help him.” The saint, when they came to him with such a gift, stood up, blessed and kissed the head and ordered it to be taken to the king. Finally, John ordered Philip to be sent to captivity in the Tver Otroch Monastery 100. About a year has passed since St. Philip languished in captivity. John went to Novgorod. Malyuta Skuratov appeared in Philip’s cell and said with an air of humility: “Holy Master! give a blessing to the king on his way to Novgorod.” The saint knew why Malyuta appeared. Three days before, he said to those who were with him: “The end of my feat is approaching,” and he received Holy Communion. secret He answered Malyuta: “Do what you want, but the gift of God is not obtained by deception.” Having said this, he began to pray and asked the Lord to receive his spirit in peace. Malyuta strangled the saint with a pillow, and, telling the abbot that he died from intoxication, he ordered him to be buried with him. It was December 23, 1569 101. Of the monuments left after Saint Philip, his holy letter to the Cyril Monastery is remarkable for his response to Protestantism. “The Lithuanian king Sigismund Augustus,” he writes, “and the Germans, who fell into various heresies, and especially into Luther’s delusion, swearing at the holy icons, formed an evil intent against St. churches, honest icons and the pious faith of our Greek Christianity.” Then, announcing that an army has been sent against the enemies of Orthodoxy, he orders to serve prayer services in the church and to pray in cells for the success of the Orthodox army 102. Some of the things left behind are instructive for lovers of imaginary antiquity. In the Solovetsky monastery there is a phelonion with a four-pointed cross; There are also two following psalters: in them, after the usual psalms, it is said everywhere: alleluia three times, just like in his book of hours; there is also his apostle, where the sweetest name of the Savior is written like this: Іѵ., service book, where there are six prosphoras on the proskomedia 103. In 1591, the incorrupt body of the saint was transferred from Tver to the Solovetsky monastery, to the place of his monastic exploits, and was first placed under the porch of the church he created, and in 1646 - in the church itself. In 1652, according to the thoughts of Blessed Nikon, then still Metropolitan of Novgorod, the relics of the saint were solemnly transferred to Moscow. In a letter addressed to the saint, living before the Lord, the pious sovereign wrote: “I pray you - come here, so that the sin of our great-grandfather Tsar and Grand Duke John, committed before you by uncontrollable rage, under the influence of envy, may be resolved. Your indignation at him exposes us as participants in his crime: but I am innocent of your suffering. The coffin of my great-grandfather makes me grieve for him, and my reverent conscience before your life and suffering makes me grieve that, innocently expelled, you are still deprived of the hierarchal see of the royal city. So, I bow down to my royal rank for the one who sinned before you: by your coming to us, forgive his sin” 106. The triumph of the saint returning to the pulpit was touching and instructive. The Tsar wrote in a letter to Boyar Obolensky: “God has given us, the great sovereign, a great sun. Just as He returned to Tsar Theodosius of old the relics of the blessed John Chrysostom, so He deigned to return to us the relics of the healer, the new Peter, the second Paul the preacher, the second Chrysostom, the great sun, Philip Metropolitan of Moscow. We, the great sovereign, with our pilgrim Nikon, Metropolitan of Novgorod, now by the grace of God the patriarch, with the entire sacred cathedral, with the boyars and with all the Orthodox even down to the infant, met him at Naprudny and accepted him to our heads with great honor. As soon as they accepted him, he gave healing to the demon-possessed mute; she began to speak and recovered. When they brought her to the place of execution at the fire, he also healed the girl in the presence of the envoys of Lithuania, who stood at the place of execution. When they installed St. His relics are on the place of execution: everyone shed tears of tenderness: the innocently exiled shepherd returns to his throne. A blind man was healed in the square near the Chamber of Facets. In the cathedral in the very middle, it stood for ten days and on all days, from morning to evening, there was a ringing sound, as in Easter week. No less than two or three people a day, or even five, six or seven people received healing. The wife of Stefan Velyaminov was healed. She had already said that they should read her the funeral service, but she forgot, and the miracle worker appeared to her and said: tell her to carry you to my tomb. She was blind and deaf for 8 years and lay sick. When they brought her, she received her sight, began to hear, and walked away healthy. When they brought him to the cathedral church and placed him on his pulpit: how not to marvel, how not to shed tears at the thought that the exiled one was returning and accepting the honor that belonged to him? Where are the persecutors now? Where are the lying advisers? Where are the slanderers and headphones? Where are the eyes blinded by bribes? Where are those who sought power for the persecuted? Didn't they all die? Haven't they all disappeared forever? Didn't everyone take revenge from my great-grandfather? And they will take eternal revenge if they do not repent! Oh, blessed are the commandments of Christ! Oh, blessed is the truth that does not measure faces! Oh, blessed, truly blessed is he who fulfilled the commandments of Christ and suffered for the truth from his own! She, there is nothing better than to be comforted by the truth, to suffer for it and to judge people according to the truth. Every day we pray to the all-generous Creator God and His Most Pure Mother, that the Lord God, at the request of the Mother of God and through the prayers of all the saints, would grant us, together with our boyars, to judge His people in truth, all equally” 107 . Transfer of St. relics were brought to the capital to celebrate July 3, 108. Life of St. Philip, written in 1592 by the Solovetsky monk (review of literature § 150), published in the note. to the outline of life. M. 1860. Solovetsky monk, who wrote, 20 years later. after the death of the saint, he was, in his words, an eyewitness to certain events “I heard not from another, but saw myself”; about another hearing “from not false tongues.” Nevertheless, its description requires verification by other monuments, and in some places it turns out to be incorrect. Monastic life of St. He knows Philippa, but the news about Moscow life is confusing, although he tried to be detailed. Solovetsky Chronicle, p. 14. M. 1790. Armorial 2, 27. Laquiera heraldry, p. 475. St. Petersburg. 1854 Continuation of Nestor, under 7000 and 7001. Karamz. VI Ave. 428, 507, 516, 519. Pedigree. book, p. 8. 7. 160. M. 1851 Nestor's continuation. Life: “military courage is also admonished.” Tsarst. book pp. 72, 73. Nikon. l. VII, 18. By genealogy. book 2 hours, Andrei Ivanovich and Vasily Ivanovich Pupkov-Kolychev, second cousins ​​of Fyodor Stepanovich, were also executed. Under the porch of the Church of Zosima and Savvaty there is an inscription on the wall: “in the summer of 7076 (1568) the servant of God, monk Jonah Shamin, M. Gen., passed away. 10 days." This is the mentor of St. Philip, who preceded his death by one year. Life: “I have seen a lot of summer - I am honored by everyone who sees it.” Not true: he was in charge for no more than a year. Description Solov. monastery Part III, pp. 7–23. The Council on the celebration of Russian saints was in 1549, and not in 1551; and the council on the Code of Law was not in 1550, but in February. 1551 Karam. 8, 68, 69. The charter of 1550 says: abbot. Philip beat him with his forehead, and said that de, etc. In Solov. l. under 1551: “Vel. state granted Philip, or whoever will take care of him, to give him food, on the road, as the abbot will go from Moscow.” According to the chronicle (Collected sheets 155) in December. 7060 (1551) “Philip Abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery”, together with the archbishop, buried the son of the Novgorod governor, Prince. Kurlyateva. In the life of Solov. miracle Ch. 55 it is said that “in the autumn, when the frosts are ripe, at the most necessary and yearless time,” abbot. Philip traveled from Novgorod to Moscow. Considering all these testimonies about Philip’s stay in Moscow, we must assume that at the end of the summer of 1550 Philip arrived in Novgorod and from here was summoned to Moscow in the fall; He stayed here not only until the end of 1550, but also in 1551 until the first winter journey. According to Solov. l. the fire happened in 1538 along the Lavra river. “On the very feast of the Ascension of Christ, in the deep evening, the entire monastery was burned to the ground by lightning.” Description Solov. mon. 3, 1. 3. Ibid., pp. 74, 75. In Solov. l. It is said that during the reign of Philip, industries arrived: in Kolezhma 2 tsrena, overseas 2 industries, and 1 iron industry in Solokurb, in Luda 2 tsrena, pp. 20, 21, 26. Solov. years., pp. 26, 28, 29. Lepekhina's journey. IV, 51. Description. Solov. mon. 3, 12, 25. Description Solov. mon., p. 299. Diploma c. John at 3 o'clock. Description. mon. pp. 7–30. Gram. ex. in Ak. E. 1. No. 221, 258, 269. The first trip of the British to Russia in the Zh. m. 7. 29, 50. RKP. Sergius Lavra No. 40. Prev 46 ch. inscription: “This was written off in l. 7056 (1548) under Abbot Philip, the honest inhabitants of Solovetsky.” In 47 ch. the vision of Elder Leonid about the fire that happened a few days after the vision (May 1, 1538) and so on. Description Solov. mon., pp. 73, 224, 239, 240. Description Solov. Mon., pp. 225, 234, 236, 292–296. Solovetsk. letop. “Philip Stepanovich Kolychev, abbot Solov. mon., asked the entire brotherhood to write in eternal wake, in the litia, his father Stefan, his mother the nun Barsanuphia, and his brother Boris, and when he, the abbot, reposed, to write him in the litia; and send commemoration month. November at 7 days; and his dacha that he gave to the monastery amounted to 171 rubles, in addition to other dachas,” a list of donations follows. Add. to act. ist. 1, No. 52, 62. Act. ist. 1. No. 158. 173. Collection gram. 1 No. 139. The charter was signed by St. Philip on July 20; and “on the 25th day of July (1566) he was quickly appointed abbot to the metropolis. Philip Kolychev." Collection years. 4, 317. Kurbsky: “Philip, hegumen of the Solovetsky Island, was elevated to the archbishop’s throne of the Russian Metropolis, a glorious man of great family, and from his youth adorned with free monastic food and sacred life: in mind he is strong and courageous.” About the mistakes of the ancient biographer regarding the time of the establishment of the oprichnina Karamzin IX, p. 174. Letop. at Karam. 9 Ave. 177, 268. Eleutherius was dedicated to Suzdal in place of Athanasius. Rostov Archbishop Athanasius was also consecrated in 1567; and in Feb. 1568 Astrakhan Archbishop. Lavrenty. About the execution of Fyodor Chelyadin, Chulkov, princes Kurakin, Ryapolovsky, three Rostovskys, Shchenyatev, Turuntai-Pronsky, treasurer Tyutin at Karam. 9 Ave. 182–188. According to Taube and Kruse, the first admonition of the saint to the king took place secretly - erstlich in gelieim (Karamz. 9 pr. 189). This is entirely in accordance with the prudence of the saint and with the instructions of the Lord, Who commanded to “convict the sinner first in private.” In February 1567, Swedish ambassadors were received in Alexandrova Sloboda. Karamzin IX, 12. Service for December 23, compiled in 1590 “Your tongue, driven by the fear of God, turned out to be a sharp sword on both sides; Reasonably denouncing those in charge, he brought all and His disciples into testimony of Christ the King.” “Out of zeal, you appeared as the new Moses, surprising not with terrible signs, but instructing with the teaching of the word of God, you led the new Israel from passionate Egypt to a quiet refuge.” Menea. M. 1649 Taube and Kruse at Karamz. 9 Ave. 191. Life. Collection years. III, 162. Stroeva signpost to the royal exits, pp. 59, 60. Taube at Karamz. 2 project 199. Karamzin (project 198) rightly noted that in the RPK. life is inconsistent with the order of affairs of St. Philip is exposed as incriminated and responsible after the court verdict. Kurbsky: “(John) gathers his vile congregations against the saint and come together to the great church, sit down in the holy place and command that the venerable bishop be brought before him, clothed in sacred robes, and present false witnesses, bad men and traitors to his salvation.” RKP. Life: “I placed false witnesses before the king and laid up my scrolls. The Tsar, having heard these books, as if they were pleasing to him, commanded honor before himself and before the boyars.” The cathedral was under the personal orders of the king. But where? Ivan the Terrible loved to give his deeds the appearance of holiness, which is why it is likely that the assembly met in the Assumption Cathedral. The archival chronicle says that Philip was defrocked on November 4, 1568, and on November 11 a new Metropolitan, Kirill, was elected. Taube and Kruse say that John wanted to burn Philip, and only the clergy begged for his life. This is quite probable: Philip was accused of witchcraft, an accusation in itself absurd, but for John the best thing was to burn the saint. Among the perpetrators of the saint’s sorrowful fate, the ancient life places Novgorod Archbishop Pimen. And Kurbsky writes: “Pimen had a pure and ascetic life, but with oddities; they say that he connived with the tormentor (John the Terrible) and together with him was the persecutor of Metropolitan Philip” (Hist. John, p. 123). Pimen was removed from the see on February 24, 1570, that is, only two weeks after the death of St. Philippa; he was imprisoned in the Venev Monastery, where he died in September 1571. Coll. l. III, 186. 262. RKP. Life, Kurbsky, pp. 108, 109, 117–120. According to his life, “his brother from his family, Mikhail Ivanovich Kolychev,” was executed; according to Kurbsky “Dear Ivan? Borisovich Kolychev." Mikhail Ivanovich Kolychev, son of Ivan Ivanovich Lame and grandson of Ivan Semyonovich, Lobanov’s brother. Ivan Borisovich was a relative, but of a different tribe (Genealogy book, pp. 160, 161). Who to believe? Kurbsky says: “I heard from a witness.” According to other monuments, the okolnichy Mikhail Ivanovich Kolychev was executed already in 1571 (Vivliof. XX, 51). In the Cyril Synodikon of John the following are recorded: Vasily, Andrey, Timofey, Venedikt Kolychev. In the small fodder book of the Sergius Lavra of October 8, John and Georgy Kolychev were remembered. Yuri Nikitich was alive at the beginning of 1568. In the large Yuri Lavra feed book, ch. 137: “1568 gen. on the 5th day, Yuri Nikitin, son Kolychev, gave money to the deposit from his brother Anton, 50 rubles.” Kurbsky, pp. 120, 121. In 3 Novgorod. years. under 7077 it is said: “that same summer, going to Tver (John) ordered the old Metropolitan Philip of Moscow and All Russia, the wonderworker Kolychev, to be strangled.” Since, according to other sources, the death of the saint followed when John walked through Tver to Novgorod, and he raged in Novgorod from January 6, 1570, after he did the same in Klin and Tver in December 1569 (Karamz. 9, 85, 86); then there is no doubt that the saint died painfully in December 1569. RKP. Life: “December was tied up with the crown of torment. at 23 days.” The same in the RKP. Saints and in the Solovetsky inscription on the wall Description. Solov. mon. 1, 303. M. 1836. In the Dictionary of Saints of St. Petersburg. 1836 it is said: “the date of death is shown everywhere as January 9.” Not true! See below pr. 99 and 102. A. e. 1. No. 275. His statutory charters for the monastery - in the same place No. 221, 258, 269. The Truth of the Solovetsky Monastery – pp. 61, 98. Description. Solovetsky Monastery, pp. 299, 292. Orthodox. interview 1856, k. 2, pp. 151–154. RKP. life; Solovetsky chronicler. The inscription on the plate: “l. 7099 (1591) the relics of Filippov were transported to the Solovetsky Monastery and buried on August 11th.” In the December Menya, printed. M. 1636 on December 23. The service to the saint is the same one that is now sung on January 9. In the calendar of M. 1660, commemorated December 23. See Project 102. Message c. Alexia Mikhailov. to the Solovetsky monastery - to the congregation. state gram. 3, 470. 471. Sl. ist. A. 4, 245. A. e. 4, 491. Collection. pis. c. Alexia M. M. 1856. At the meeting place of St. a cross with an inscription was erected of the relics, which was still intact at the Krestovskaya outpost, which received its name from it. Dictionary of Saints. SPb. 1784, p. 227. Monthly 1856 In Moscow, on other days of July, the saint was celebrated (see Stroev's index to the exits of the kings, p. 100), probably in memory of the Moscow miracles. In the output of the kings (M. 1844) about 1661, p. 367 under December 23. noted: “The feast of Metropolitan Philip. the sovereign did not deign to celebrate; and Genv celebrated after Christmas. 9". In subsequent years, the saint was also commemorated on January 9, p. 36. 410, 431, 453. Under January 9. memory in the charter of 1682 and in the Menaion of M. 1693. The same is true today.