Глава 11. 1800–1804

...Because it has been given to you for the sake of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him... 651 Years pass like a shadow 652, and man walks like this, but he rests in vain 653. Saint Nicodemus was absorbed in the publication of his “Pidalion,” which he entrusted to Hieromonk Theodoret. Theodoret was Lavriot 654, and for some time became abbot of the Holy Mountain monastery of Esphigmen, and then spent a silent life in the vicinity of the Lavra. He belonged to the number of educated people of his time and, like St. Nicodemus, Christopher Prodromitus, Onufriy Konduroglou, Cyril Castanophyllis, Joseph of Vatopedi and others, formed a unique aristocracy of spirit on the Holy Mountain. During the period of disputes, Theodoret, although he was a reverent man, opposed the conservative views of St. Nicodemus, Macarius of Corinth, Athanasius of Paros and others on the issue of constant Divine Communion and commemoration of the dead. However, it seems that the very fact that Theodoret was entrusted with the responsibility of supervising the publication of the Pidalion suggests that, despite various contradictions, he remained in fraternal relations with Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Then the definition of Theodoret (given to him by Euthymius) as a “false brother,” that is, an insincere brother, becomes clear when “Pidalion” was sent from Leipzig distorted. In any case, the Monk Nicodemus could feel indebted to Theodoret in connection with the concerns he raised regarding the publication of the Pidalion. Theodoret recognized the spiritual superiority and great learning of Nicodemus, which is also confirmed by one letter from Chrysanthos Lavriot to Theodoret, which says the following: “During the illness of the teacher Cyril, I found the learned cyrus of Nicodemus, cyrus of Christopher and others. I gave an interpretation of the Apocalypse to Nicodemus, who said: “I am indebted to brother Theodoret, and, of course, I will do my best to consider the entire interpretation, even though I am unworthy.” The letter is marked with the date September 15, 1799, that is, a year earlier than the publication of Pidalion. By the way, we note that the interpretation of the Apocalypse, written by Theodoret, was recognized by the Great Church of Christ as contrary to Orthodox teaching, and its dissemination was prohibited. Therefore, it is very doubtful that the Monk Nicodemus could encourage this publication. Theodoret was a reverent man, but had a weakness for visions, dreams, “revelations” and risky allegorical and symbolic interpretations. The story about Theodoret, recorded by Manuel Gideon, is typical: “But even more famous in that era for both his knowledge and his fluency in it was Archimandrite Theodoret, a native of the city of Ioannina, famous for his love of science. A hardworking man, but of a restless disposition, who had a thorough education in external wisdom and, it seems to me, worthy of many praises as a man who walked around the Athos monasteries and studied the ancient manuscripts stored in them and researched the history of the Holy Mountain. They say that one day robbers, not finding money in his cell, took with them many of Theodoret’s manuscripts, and he, angry at the misfortune that befell him, threw those that remained into the fire...” In any case, regardless of whether Theodoret thought one way or another, he should not have decided to make any changes in someone else’s work, much less introduce those provisions of his own that had been the object of attack for many years and contradicted the judgments of the Monk Nicodemus. Meanwhile, Theodoret, who was engaged in the publication of the Pidalion, considered that the time had come to introduce his errors into it and thereby render the enormous work of the holy father useless. He, “revealing his cunning,” arbitrarily made additions to the book that made it possible to cast doubt on the validity of the “Pidalion” as a bearer of the true teaching of the Church. That is why Patriarch Neophytos 7 wrote two years later: “... these additions were painted over so that the real would not be mixed with the forged and would not spoil this noble book, and instead of benefiting it would not cause considerable harm to its readers - both physical and mental.” Theodoret’s distortions were pointed out by the patriarch himself, who ordered them to be hidden under paint, “so that they would not spoil this noble book.” Here is a list of them: “1) (Theodoret) in the additions says that our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected on Saturday; 2) that one must kneel on Sunday and on the most important day of Pentecost; 3) that Saturday has the same benefits as Sunday, since it is also an image of the Resurrection; 4) (Theodoret) in a certain sophistic way renews the old unrest that happened on the Holy Mountain regarding commemorations, which by the grace of Christ have now subsided, while the Holy Church of Christ, caring for peace between the monks, forbade anyone to write about this through three Council Epistles under the threat of terrible oaths; 5) he accuses the Typicons of the Holy Mountain as disagreeing and contrary to the general Typikon, which in fact are not contrary to the Typikon, but rather explain and set out in more detail what is unclear and briefly stated in the general Typikon; 6) what is contained in these additions simply contradicts the rules of the holy Ecumenical and Local Councils and the Traditions of the Church of Christ; 7) and lastly, the all-insolent (Theodoret) decided to write in this book, where we are talking about the Antichrist, such a terrible and insolent word that we are afraid not only to commit it to writing, but even to say it out loud, because of the danger and great absurdity of it; these additions themselves are in the book on the following pages: 96, 104, 141, 167, 183, 184, 203, 204, 212, 300, 383, 399, 449, 502, 504, 533, 548, 549. And if anyone who has purchased this canonical book anywhere wants to remove the mentioned false additions from it and correct his book, let him find the numbers of the above pages on which these additions are located. That is why this message was sealed with our patriarchal signature, both for the sake of the integrity of the book and for the sake of everyone’s benefit. May the grace of God be with all its sincere readers. 1802, month of August. Former Constantinople Saint Nicodemus was a fighter, experienced in enduring temptations, and he knew that there would be only one sorrow in the world, but he also knew that the special destiny of God’s chosen ones in Christ is not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him 656 - and this filled his pure soul with great joy. After all, the entire life of the holy father was a constant war against the authorities, darkness, 657, and he suffered from them many sorrows and wounds. Onuphry writes that “he endured nobly the many temptations of intelligent enemies and countless accusations of the sensual, that is, the unlearned and pretending to be virtuous.” He endured just as patiently this great temptation—the distortion of his “Pidalion.” However, although the Pidalion was his own work, it no longer belonged to him personally, since it was dedicated to the Church and the Christian Orthodox people. And such work, which had such a great purpose, acquired special and outstanding significance for the life of the Church. Therefore, Saint Nicodemus, seeing that the “Pidalion” had been changed by the absurd additions of Theodoret, experienced such great pain because of the incalculable harm done to the Church that he would gladly prefer to endure this harm himself, if only it would not affect the Orthodox people. He would have sacrificed his very life for this, as evidenced by the words of St. Nicodemus, preserved by Euthymius, that “it would be better for Theodoret to stab him in the heart with a knife than to add or subtract anything from this book” 658. On the other hand, the teacher also grieved over the expenses incurred by the poor Svyatogorsk residents for the publication, which took place “not because of excess, but because of the lack of many.” “After all, these blessed ones, although they do a lot of other good things, receiving strangers and giving alms to poor brothers in various ways, having heard about this book that it is necessary and very useful for the entire race of Orthodox Christians, everyone readily responded and each contributed according to their strength and will in the printing of this book...” 659. But the monk endured this grief courageously, strengthened by Christ’s grace. And with inspired zeal and diligence he set to work on the new writings, for he felt that the time of his departure had come 660. ...Lord! either bring my children with me into Your Kingdom, or blot me out of Your book 661. One of the most grace-filled and Holy Spirit-filled books of the Fathers of our Holy Eastern Church, although less known to our Orthodox people 662, without a doubt, is the “Most Soulful Book” like our Holy Fathers Barsanuphius the Great Elder and John, called the Prophet, containing 836 answers from 663 of these saints. Until 1803, it circulated among the monks in rare manuscripts and was a true delight of the soul for those who devoted themselves to a blessed life in Christ, since it served them as an infallible rule of monastic perfection. And as our venerable father Nicodemus writes, “this book was so rare that not only was it never published and, therefore, was not available to many in printed form, but also, remaining unpublished and handwritten, remained extremely rare. But may much grace be poured out on the great, honest and royal monastery of our holy, great and God-bearing father Athanasius of Athos, for in this godly monastery, among other worthy and rare books, such as the manuscripts stored in the rich monastery library, only one very ancient manuscript of this book was found, like the only begotten phoenix; It was from it that those fathers who possess this book on the Holy Mountain made copies...” 664. The poor collivads of the Euthymian brotherhood and the brothers 665 of our saint called him to take up the correction of the “Most Soulful Book” and prepare it for publication for the benefit of the Orthodox. “Who are the publishers of this book? Most reverend and most reverend, both in the divine angelic schema and in spirit, brothers, living together, and one-equal in Christ, and of one mind, the most reverend among monks, Cyrus Ananias, and the most reverend among hieromonks and priests, Father Cyprian and Father Euthymius, Holy Mountainers, carvers of crosses and engaged in the manufacture of encolpies. They, having ardent reverence for the venerable and God-bearing Fathers, for Saint Barsanuphius and Saint John, and nourishing the greatest love for their sacred book, since they received great benefit from it, having learned various god-created virtues and especially obedience leading to perfection, valiant cutting off of the will and highly creative humility... Not only was I, my brother in spirit, moved to correct it and add a biography of the Saints along with the table of contents, but they also took away the latter for its publication...” 666. Our Holy Fathers Barsanuphius and John belong to the ranks of the ascetics of the desert who, especially the first, reached such a spiritual measure that they became like gods by grace. For, truly, Saint Barsanuphius (he himself speaks about this in secret) was one of the three saints who in the 6th century. with their fiery prayers they influenced the commands of God about the destinies of the world. “Therefore,” writes the Monk Nicodemus, “when during the time of that divine Father the great wrath of God befell the whole world and the Fathers who were silent in that community asked the saint to make a prayer to God so that His anger would cease, he said: “...many pray to God’s love for mankind that this wrath of God upon the world may cease, and there is no one more philanthropic than God, but He does not want to have mercy, for this is opposed by the multitude of things committed in the world sins. But there are three men, perfect before God, who have surpassed the measure of humanity and received the power to decide, to bind, to forgive sins and to hold. They stood on the path of destruction, so that the Lord would not suddenly destroy the whole world, and, according to their prayers, He will punish mercifully. And they were told that the wrath would remain for a little while. So, pray with them. The prayers of these three men meet at the entrance to the high altar of the Father of lights, and they rejoice and rejoice with each other in heaven. When they look at the earth, they cry together, and weep, and shed tears, because of the evils that are happening, which cause the wrath (of God). This is John in Rome, Elijah in Corinth, and someone in the diocese of Jerusalem (that is, Barsanuphius himself, who says this, for he was silent near Gaza in the diocese of Jerusalem), and I believe that they show great mercy to the world: yes, they do. Amen"" 667. Oh wonder! How incomprehensible is the power of the prayer of the righteous! And he had such love for his spiritual children and such boldness towards God that the words of the Great Barsanuphius seem almost incredible to us: “Believe me, brother, that my spirit strives to say to my Master, Who rejoices at the request of His servants: “Master! either bring my children with me into Your Kingdom, or blot me out of Your book." 668 It is worthy of admiration that in the preface to the book, the Monk Nicodemus says about the love of the Monk Barsanuphius for God and neighbor (he chose these testimonies from the saint’s answers): “Who is able to depict the overwhelming love of this blessed one for God? For he carried in his heart a love for Christ that burned like a powerful fiery flame, as he himself testifies (answer 109). Therefore, nothing could lead it to fall, for love, according to the saying of the Apostle, never falls away (1 Cor. 13:8), and, according to the divine Barsanuphius, “perfect love never falls, and the one who acquires it remains in ardor, kindling together with love for God and neighbor” 669. Who can explain the love for his neighbor that burned in him? The compassionate father did not stop day and night to beg God to make all the brothers God-bearing: “Even before your request, for the sake of the love for Christ burning in me (like the strongest fiery flame), who said: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39), from the ignition, and from the fact that I am burning in spirit, I do not cease to pray day and night God, so that He would create you God-bearing, so that He would dwell in you and walk, and send down the Holy Spirit to you... I was for you like a father who tries to include his children in the bright regiments of the King, without their own concern for this" (answer 109)" 670. The Monk Nicodemus, based on the answers of the saints, was able to compile the life of the Great Elder Barsanuphius, and thus his divine teaching and honest life became known to those who were inexperienced in hagiology. In our time, when the anti-Orthodox spirit is everywhere, we have a great need for such teaching - teaching that “strengthens the heart with grace,” saving, truly Orthodox, so that we too become “wholly in mind, wholly with eyes, wholly bright, wholly perfect, wholly gods. So, we also desire their fortune; let us flow in their way; Let us be jealous of their faith; let us acquire their humility and patience in order to obtain their property. “Let us hold on to their unfailing love in order to be rewarded with unspeakable blessings, which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9)” 671, writes Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. “The Most Soulful Book” was published only once 672. I would like to hope that its second edition will be possible, so that the divine wisdom of the recluse Barsanuphius will become the property of the Orthodox, a wisdom called in modern terminology “Orthodox spirituality,” which cannot be conceived without holiness. 3. “Psalter of Euthymius Zigaben” My heart is ready, O God, my heart is ready: I will sing and sing in my glory 673. “An interpretation of the 150 psalms of the prophet and king David, once written in ancient Greek by the most reverend monk and most honorable philosopher, Mr. Euthymius Zigaben, translated into simple language by the least of the monks, Mr. Nicodemus Svyatogorets and equipped with extensive additions in the form of notes...” was published in two volumes, with a complete index, and amounted to 1200 pages of small format. Commentaries and notes by St. Nicodemus take up almost half of this work. All the exegetes “wrote their interpretations in the ancient language of our ancestors, in that language, the high style and eloquence of which for so many years thundered magnificently from the rostrum of Athens and for so many centuries adorned the sacred pulpits of the Church; in the language that was and is now sung by all peoples as a divine language and the only one in its adaptability to the worship of God - and this language was and remains in neglect... And as soon as the ancestral language was neglected, the mentioned interpretations of the psalms, written in a dialect incomprehensible to the majority, became almost useless...” “Finally, in our time, the most reverend and learned Mr. Nicodemus from Naxos, who spends a solitary and ascetic life on the holy Mount Athos, an extremely hardworking man who loves his people, and who has sufficient knowledge and skill in the Divine Scriptures, acquired as a result of their frequent and attentive reading and purity of mind, having heeded the requests of many other people who have a love for the people and all that is beautiful, undertook the translation interpretations of the sacred psalms by Mr. Euthymius Zigaben... But Mr. Nicodemus, who took up this work, did not stop at a simple and artless translation, but turned to the ancient interpretations of the first exegetes and filled in the missing evidence of Scripture, and also in many places explained what was unclear, and everywhere added the names of the sacred interpreters from whom the author borrowed his interpretations; and not only this, but, having undertaken tedious labors, he embellished and improved this sacred book with numerous notes from many unknown commentators, and many of his own necessary and useful comments, and, finally, completely completed the work, now worthy of a printing edition...” 674. Both in this Book of Psalms and in other works of St. Nicodemus, much indicates that he knew the Hebrew language. In some notes he argues against the meaning of certain Hebrew 25 texts or makes his own corrections 675 . Manuel Gideon reports that the Patriarch of Constantinople Anthimus, who was on the Holy Mountain just when the saint completed his amazing work on the Psalter, undertook with his own hands to copy out the entire interpretation of the saint from the manuscript for printing, and subsequently, being already on the patriarchal throne, was proud of this, saying: “My hands were sanctified by the Psalter of blessed Nicodemus.” A remarkable story is what the Monk Nicodemus suffered from demons during his work on the interpretation of the Psalter (it is related by Euthymius, who heard this story, undoubtedly from the reverend himself). One night, “when he was writing an interpretation of the thirty-fourth psalm, on the verse “Let their path be darkness and creeping, and the angel of the Lord chasing them” 676, they made such a roar,” writes Euthymius, “that it seemed to him as if a huge army passed by his kaliva with great haste and a stone bench nearby collapsed” 677. At night in the desert, in complete silence, with his soul lifted up to God, the monk wrote down words directed against demons, and this angered the “demonic regiments.” This was not the only case when the forces of darkness took up arms against the saint. As we have already seen in another chapter of this book, the unclean spirits, alarmed by the fiery prayers of the Monk Nicodemus and his spirit-bearing writings, repeatedly made a deafening noise in order to frighten him. But the reverend father “laughed at their attempts” 678. In the preface to the interpretation of the Psalter, we read, among other things, the following words, explaining the special place that this inspired book occupies in the worship of our Eastern Church, as well as the enduring significance of the moral teaching of the psalms and even the scientific dignity of the Psalter. “...What else did those who truly wisely explored the beginning of all things understand, if not what the prophetic voice of David so clearly proclaims: “He spoke, and it was: He commanded, and it was created” 679? And again, in another place: “Your are the heavens, and Yours is the earth: You founded the universe and its fulfillment. You created the north and the sea” 680 ? What else did those who observed in the bottomless abyss of the Universe an immeasurable multitude of bodies, constantly moving both around each other and along their own paths, and never slipping or deviating from their orbits for an endless number of years, dare to say otherwise? What else do the noisy and boastful voices of philosophers, speaking about the “apocenter” and “epicenter” mean, if not the same thing that the inspired philosopher announced before them: “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their power” 681, and in another place: “To him who established the earth on the waters” 682? What else can they say, observing the powerful upheavals and rises of the ocean waters, threatening terrible floods and suddenly seeing how these terrible waters are held back by fine sand and, as if ashamed of the neighboring land, caress towards it and return home - what can they say, except to confess with David that the reason for this calm and harmony of the two elements is He who gathers “like a skin the waters of the sea, laying them in treasures” abyss" 683 ? What else did those who ascended to the heights and armed themselves with keen eyes and the most perfect telescopes see and discover, and, as they decided, accurately determined the form, position and movements of the fixed and wandering stars, if not what the astronomer of Israel, taught by God, knew with the divine eyes of his soul, more than with the eyes of his body: “Put Your dwelling in the sun: and He, as the Bridegroom, proceeds from the palace His own, he will rejoice like a giant mother-in-law’s path. From the end of the heavens His departure, and His meeting to the ends of the heavens: and there is none that will be sheltered by His warmth 684. What else better proves both the spherical shape of the celestial bodies and their cyclic motion, since it is openly said here that the sun begins and ends its path at the same point? And if the Godfather David is such in the contemplation of beings, is he really less or insignificant in moral wisdom than those philosophers who, through a motley chain of metaphysical and natural proofs, try to assert what is good, what is righteous, what is right, what is useful, what should be chosen and what to turn away from, and thus ennoble and adorn human morals? And David’s morality is simple, devoid of diversity, uninvolved in dialectical tricks, but at the same time easily provable, true and strong. What is simpler and more moral than such instructions: “Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Who is a person who, even if he loves his life, sees good things? Keep your tongue from evil, and keep your lips from speaking flattery. Turn away from evil, and do good: seek peace, and get married, and "685, and in another place he says: "He who does not take his soul in vain, and does not swear by the flattery of his sincere: this one will receive a blessing from the Lord, and alms from God his Savior" 686. What else more convincingly calls for virtue than such expressive words of the Holy Prophet: “The youngest was, for he was old, and did not see the righteous man left, below his seed asking for bread 687? In a word,” St. Nicodemus continues his preface, “there is no type of knowledge or teaching that is not mentioned in the book of Psalms, and the exact provisions of which and the true paths are not set forth there in abbreviation. The history of not only Israel, but also of almost all hitherto known nations is reviewed in this holy book. Let everyone carefully read the seventy-seventh psalm - and he will see in it alone, in the most accurate and concise way: the entire book of Exodus, the books of Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, the Prophets; all the highest and most necessary thoughts of the Pentateuch are everywhere woven into the fabric of the Psalms. For the sake of these diverse merits, this holy book was recognized as most necessary and more useful than others for our Holy Church. We are commanded to pray seven times a day 688, and seven times a day there is certainly a reading of the sacred Psalter. In all sacred successions, in all divine sacraments, the beginning, middle and end is the sacred Psalter. Whether angels, or prophets, or apostles, or martyrs, or hierarchs, or saints are honored, we borrow appropriate melodies from the spiritual lyre of the Psalms and collect flowers for wreaths in the ever-blooming garden of David. We always enter and leave our sacred churches, led by the psalm. If we rejoice, David also rejoices with us; we grieve, and he grieves with us; we sing, and he sings with us; we cry, and he unites his sobs with ours; we pray, and he prays with us. Why does the Great Basil, in the introduction to the first psalm, say: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful (2 Tim. 3:16), for this reason it was written by the Holy Spirit, so that in it, as in a common physician of souls, all of us, humans, would find a cure - each for his own ailment. The book of psalms contains in itself what is useful from all books" 689 ". “And such a sacred book, the Psalter, containing so many lofty and contemplative thoughts and recognized by everyone as divine and inspired by God, remained everywhere incomprehensible, and the rude and earth-bound mind could not easily comprehend and penetrate into the ineffable verbs of the Spirit written in it. Therefore, a need arose for higher minds, purified by all virtue and akin to the Holy Spirit, so that they could understand through Him what the Holy Spirit spoke, and dispel the darkness that surrounded these words, and make clear the divine truth hidden everywhere in the Psalms. Thanks be to the Divine and Mystical Spirit Himself, Who sought and found those worthy of Him and dwelt in them, purified, enlightened and revealed them capable of comprehending the heights of divine thoughts and expressing their meaning, in accordance with human weakness. Such are the sacred and miraculous churches of the All-Holy Spirit, the God-speaking interpreters and explainers of the Divine Scriptures, the God-bearing and God-voiced Fathers of the Church. These godly men, approaching God and ascending to the highest contemplation, illuminated by the enlightening grace of the perfection-giving Spirit, entered the darkness of the Divine Scriptures, and together they became contemplators and interpreters of the true knowledge of the mysteries of God contained in these Scriptures...” The Orthodox Church of Christ should especially thank Saint Nicodemus for the most beautiful work on the interpretation of the sacred Psalter, carried out in those years when, as stated in the introduction to this book, there was not a single similar publication, especially in simple Greek. The reverend father, "after tedious labors, embellished and improved this sacred book with numerous notes from many unknown commentators, and many of his own necessary and useful comments, and finally completely completed the work," bestowing spiritual edification on entire generations in the sweet sounds of David's lyre, the strings of which are touched by the Holy Spirit Himself. Let my brother go down to his garden and eat the fruit of his vegetables. I entered my helicopter city, my sister, my bride 690. The Monk Nicodemus, whose heart was filled with sacred concern for the edification of his brethren in Christ, could not help but notice the absence of another absolutely necessary interpretation for the Church. Christians could not derive proper benefit from the God-created and spiritual verse of the nine songs sung at matins in holy churches, because a proper interpreter had not yet been found capable of explaining the divine thoughts and the deepest meaning of these songs. The urgent need for interpretation of the nine songs was aggravated by the fact that both monks and lay Christians, leading pious lives and attending matins in churches, were for the most part simple and illiterate people and did not understand what was being sung. This circumstance placed the responsibility on the Monk Nicodemus, out of love for his brothers, to ensure that, like other liturgical and spiritual books, poetry became the property of everyone - priests, monks, and laity, so the saint undertook to compile an interpretation in simple Greek. And as he himself says, “it happened that they read and versified songs every day, but they did not know what thoughts were contained in them, and the word spoken by Philip to the eunuch was fulfilled on them: “Do you understand what you are reading?” » 691. Therefore, my weakness, strengthened by the grace of the Almighty God, collected from different places and interpreted the poetry in simple language skillfully and completely, so that all Orthodox Christians would not only verse it, but also understand the meaning of what they are versifying, and also understand those thoughts that are contained in the irmos of each song of all the canons and were borrowed by the creators of the canons from the nine songs of the poetry..." 692. The Monk Nicodemus included in his interpretation of the versification some chapters 693 that were very useful for the fullness of the Church of Christ, and as a result the book consisted of 300 pages of small format. The saint called it “because of the diverse and varied gifts of grace contained in it, “The Garden of Grace” 694 and advised all readers to collect in this garden “today various flowers, and tomorrow - various fruits useful for the soul and body...” 695. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, who throughout his entire venerable life had the deepest reverence and filial love for the Mother of God Mary, on every occasion, literally overwhelmed by divine inspiration, composed wondrous hymns and words of praise in honor of the Mother of God, as we have already written earlier. In the verse of the ninth canto, which, as is known, is dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin, the monk, with great reverence and admiration, brings Her the most beautiful flowers of his heart and spirit from his mental GARDEN as a gift. Let us cite here, from the interpretation of the verse “My soul magnifies the Lord,” the saint’s loving reflections, to the glory and praise of the Lady Theotokos. “...The Virgin Mary magnified the Lord... with great, lofty and worthy thoughts of God's greatness. For She throughout Her life, and especially those twelve years during which She was in the Holy of Holies, did not do anything else and did not zealous in anything other than contemplation, or better yet, the vision of God. For, being above all petty consideration of the earthly things of the world, surpassing everything both sensual and mental, as well as all the powers of the soul, that is, feeling, imagination and opinion, and various thoughts, with one mind she remained sightlessly and ugly in the contemplation of God, like a disembodied Angel. One contemplating the One God, and one contemplating the One God; one magnifying the One Lord, and one magnifying the One Lord; one loving the One Lord, and one beloved by the One Lord. And if the God-bearing great philosopher Maxim, interpreting the words “His Name is great in Israel” 696, said that “the contemplator, comprehending the greatness of God, magnifies Him worthily,” who else is more contemplative than the Mother of God in the lofty visions of God? Or who else, be it an Angel or a man, comprehended the greatness of God more than Her? Of course no one. From this it follows that no one else, both from angels and from people, could magnify God as worthily as the Mother of God magnified Him. For She, living in the Holy of Holies in an equal-angelic and God-like life, comprehended mental activity, which is much higher than the contemplations of the ancient sages, and was rewarded with contemplation, as much higher and superior to ancient contemplation as truth is higher than fiction. For through the turning of the mind into itself, and attention, and divine unceasing prayer, She all acquired complete unity with Herself and ascended above every form and image, and thus prepared a new path to heaven, that is, mental silence. For, clinging with Her mind to this silence, She ascends above all creatures and sees the glory of God more perfectly than was given to Moses, and beholds divine grace, which is not completely comprehended by sense, but constitutes a sacred and beautiful vision only of pure souls and angels. And the Mother of God herself acquired this mental activity and contemplation, and created it, and passed it on to subsequent generations...” 697. The Monk Nicodemus, following our Fathers, traces back to the Lady Theotokos the beginning of the mental prayer revealed by divine enlightenment, which was performed in the deserts by the venerable mystical Fathers and teachers, of whom the most outstanding in the times after the fall of Byzantium was, without a doubt, the Holy Mountain himself. Commenting on the verse “As he looks upon the humility of His servant,” 698, in addition to his other highly spiritual theological reflections, the hermit saint of Kapsala writes the following about the Mother of God: “Truly, every mind is perplexed and every thought is driven out of itself when it sees the extreme humility of the Mother of God. After all, although She carried in Her virgin womb the all-bearing God of the Word, although She was the true Mother of God and the Queen of all creatures, visible and invisible, with all this she calls Herself a servant of God... For the higher and more majestic She was, the more she humbled Herself... having humility rooted in the depths of Her soul and heart, as a gift of the Holy Spirit..." 699. “Lady Theotokos,” continues the holy father, “in outward character and disposition, she was modest and respectful in everything and spoke little and only what was necessary. She was quick to obey and kind; she respected and respected everyone; her height was average and proportionate, or, as others say, above average; was not impudent with anyone; she moved away from laughter and from all indignation and rage; the color of Her God-receiving body was like the color of wheat, Her hair was light brown, Her eyes were very beautiful, painted with divine modesty and adorned with quick pupils like olives, surrounded by radiant eyelashes; Her eyebrows were black and arched; nose – straight and even; Her immaculate lips were blooming, scarlet and filled with sweet speeches; Her sacred face was not round, but slightly oblong; Her God-receiving hands were long, likewise the fingers of her hands were long and thin; She was not proud, she did not show off Herself, but she did not show any stupidity or shortcomings; possessed abundant humility; wore and loved clothes of natural color, as can be seen from Her holy and sacred maforium. In general, the Lady Theotokos was, even in the external members of Her immaculate Body, filled with such divine grace and reverence that everyone who saw Her felt in their soul a certain fear and reverence, mixed with innermost joy, and, not knowing anything about Her in advance, knew from Her appearance alone that She was truly the Mother of God...” 700 . In his interpretation of the troparion of the 9th song of the canon for the Dormition of the Theotokos, “Receive from us the original hymn...” 701, the holy father, among other things, writes the following: “Have you heard, brothers, from this canon, what glory, what greatness, what honors befitting the Mother of God, the Lady Theotokos received from Her Son, when she rested according to the law of human nature, and was resurrected, and was transferred more nature to Heaven? However, know that this was not given to Her motherhood simply and as if by accident: after all, after the ineffable Nativity in the flesh of the Son of God, She did not dare to assume many greatnesses that she was awarded, did not spend her life in negligence, but instead, with special zeal, she took up a diverse and difficult ascetic life, helping with Her all-powerful prayers to the whole world and promoting the preaching of the saints Apostles with His instructions and convictions; and so She lived a life so laborious and ascetic that it is above all mind and word, as the divine Gregory of Thessaloniki testifies 702... The same thing is confirmed by Saint Andrew of Crete with just that story about the Mother of God, in which the feat of the Virgin is so majestic that it makes every mind amazed and plunges every tongue into silence. For he says that the Mother of God made such numerous and frequent genuflections while praying in Holy Zion that depressions were formed on the floor slabs, and these depressions were still preserved in the time of the saint and even later. This is what he says verbatim: “In this Zion, the slabs covering the floor loudly cry out for the bowing of the sacred knees of the most holy body” (Word, the beginning of which: “The real holiday is a sacrament”)” 703. What is given above is just a small reflection of the inspired love, the deepest veneration and gratitude that the holy Fathers of the Church felt towards the Most Pure Mother of Christ God, as if in some kind of sacred competition, weaving the highest songs and the most divine verbal praises of Her glory, Her HOLINESS and Her highest position, for She became “God after God” 704 - in God. Unfortunately, in this area of ​​the theology of our Orthodox Church, there are also Protestant tendencies to diminish the Mother of God dignity of the Most Holy Theotokos, which we have already written about elsewhere. Here it is necessary either to abolish sacred hymnography, or, as soon as we recognize that it has the power of authority, we must philosophize in accordance with it. My children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is portrayed in you! 705 There are aspects of the varied activities of St. Nicodemus that have not yet been illuminated in studies about him. Who would have expected that a hermit from the humble Kapsala, immersed in his labors, in scriptures and asceticism, would extend his love - his enduring concern - to Christians who had apostatized from the faith and, with the help of appropriate teachings, would turn them to appropriate repentance, to confirmation 706 or even to martyrdom itself, which washes away all sin? Gregory 5 stayed in the Iviron monastery, and the Monk Nicodemus, as is known, lived next door, in Kapsala, which for centuries listened to the sighs of the holy ascetics. As is clear from their collaboration in publishing the books of the monk, they met regularly. The Patriarch, expelled from his throne, remained silent in the monastery. Perhaps, from his own funds, he provided assistance to the poor ascetic Nicodemus, exhausted by all kinds of poverty. All the apostates who, having repented, fled from the boundless Muslim lands to the Holy Mountain to mourn their terrible fall here, first stopped at the father of the nation - the patriarch 707, where they confessed, and then, at the command of the patriarch, they turned to the Monk Nicodemus for catechumen, contrition and preparation for anointing. It seems that Euthymius knew well what kind of work “his sweetest brother” was doing when he wrote that “almost all those wounded by sins left the bishops and confessors and resorted to the poor Nicodemus to find healing and consolation in their sorrows, and not only from monasteries, and monasteries, and cells, but many Christians also came from different places...” 708 It is reliably known that the New Martyr Constantine of Idra, who stayed in the hotel of the Iviron monastery for five months, received a catechumen and instructions for martyrdom from the Monk Nicodemus. Having learned about his holy martyrdom, his mentor felt great spiritual joy, which he poured out by writing the life of the martyr and composing a wonderful service, placed in the church Menaions on November 14th. It was no coincidence that Nicodemus the Svyatogorets stayed in Kapsala, because he could have found scope for exploits in other parts of Athos. He was also here for the sake of Gregory 5, who dreamed of the resurrection of the Greek people, while the saint dreamed of the moral and spiritual education of the nation. It is possible that there was another reason: the monk’s boundless reverence for the Most Holy Goalkeeper of the Iviron monastery, in whose honor he composed four canons. He was also attracted by the rich library of this monastery, which was at his disposal. And from the letter of Nicodemus given below, the date of writing of which is unknown to us, it is clear that not only Christians who had renounced the faith and various sinned brethren flocked to the “poor” one, but also Catholic clergy from distant countries came to him, as to a monk famous for his wisdom and holiness, and he helped them convert to Orthodoxy. This letter is addressed to Gregory, who was silent not far from the Iveron monastery. He had to leave for Constantinople for his second patriarchate. “My Most Holy, Divine and Honored Lord, Lord and Ecumenical Patriarch! The giver of this, a native of Hungary and baptized, or better yet, sprinkled and defiled with Latin filth, resorts at my petition to Your All-Holy Head, fervently seeking Orthodox baptism in our Eastern Church of Christ. So, we ask both he and I your Christimitable and apostolic heart, so that you, with your brief command, send the said unordained monk to the confessor of the monastery of Pantocrator - the Wallachian Father Gregory, so that he, as a fellow tribesman and speaking the same language with him, would instruct him and revive him through our baptism. He and I earnestly pray to God that, with all other saving gifts, you will be granted a favorable voyage and reach your Ecumenical throne, and do good for the common benefit of the Christ-named people. I ask for your prayers. Your least servant Nicodemus." We found this letter in the archives of the sacred monastery of Iviron. It was published in the theological journal Gregory Palamas 709 by a learned monk. Having read it, the Catholic V. Grumel, in his article about the Monk Nicodemus in the “Catholic Theological Dictionary” 710, noted with bitterness that there was no need for other evidence of Nicodemus’ anti-Latin convictions after this letter, and especially the phrase “sprinkled and defiled with Latin filth.” The monk was never a reckless hater of heterodox people. A deep canonist and defender of the authority of Tradition and the Fathers, he did not accept the sanctity of Latin baptism, both because of the heretical teachings of the Latins, and because it was performed through sprinkling, instead of three times immersion, as stated in many of his works. Among the extant stories related to the exploits of the monk as a fighter against the heterodox and their “catcher”, there is this: once the Holy Kinot of the Holy Mountain called the saint for a debate on dogmatic issues with the papists who had come to Athos. He appeared dressed, as usual, in rags and rough shoes, so that the papists took this as an insult on the part of Cynotus. After explanations were given, an argument began. Every word of Nicodemus was like a thunderclap and lightning that burned the papist brushwood and completely blocked their lips. The fleeing crows croaked, asking: “Are there others like our interlocutor on Athos?” The question is addressed to the Holy Kinot, but the “monster” 711 is ahead of him and gives the answer, as the Monk Nicodemus himself constantly called himself: “There are many, and I am the very last.” 6. Friend of patriarchs and metropolitans Reverend Father, throughout the whole earth came the broadcast of your correction... 712. The fame of the Monk Nicodemus as a holy ascetic and great writer soon spread beyond the boundaries of the Holy Mountain. Kapodistrias supports his publications, the princes are interested in his works, Patriarchs Gabriel, Procopius, Gregory 5 and Neophytos 7 713 happily take on the costs of publishing many of his books and ask for his opinions on various church problems. We saw how, while still young, he attempted to travel to Romania to visit Paisius Velichkovsky, who translates the Philokalia. He corresponds with the patriarchs, as is clear from the messages that precede his works, and they, in turn, turn to him for advice. The Holy Kinot repeatedly calls upon him to answer the theological problems put forward by heterodoxists who sought to test the faith of the monks of the Holy Mountain - and he, as we have already seen, puts these tempters to shame. And the monasteries, in difficult economic circumstances, ask the “poor” Nicodemus to intercede for them with his powerful friends abroad. Below we quote his own unpublished letter to Metropolitan Benjamin of Moldova, which not only demonstrates the authority that St. Nicodemus enjoyed among Orthodox Christians in other countries, but also provides an example of the style of the message addressed to the hierarch, a reverent child of the Church. Metropolitan Benjamin Costakis 714 is known to us by the laudatory mention of his name by the Scurtei brothers, who appreciated the interest he showed in the publication of the works of St. Nicodemus remaining in the manuscripts, and his frequent donations. He was an expert in Greek and took care of the translation into Romanian of the “Invisible War” and the “Euchology” corrected by Father Nicodemus. The fact that these two husbands were in correspondence can be assumed on the basis of the mutual respect they showed and the interest that the Metropolitan showed in the writing of the Svyatogorsk teacher. The letter below serves as an expression of their friendly relations and the reverend’s recognition of the authority of the Metropolitan of Moldova, whom he respectfully calls “his wisest teacher.” Let us note that in the cenobitic monastery of Simonopetra lived some Romanian monks or Greek monks from Romania, who had previously learned monastic life in the great monastery of Paisius (Velichkovsky) 715 and after his death came to the Holy Mountain, as can be concluded from this letter. “Bowing filially to your most honest and beneficent sacred and wise learning, I kiss your bishop’s hands with inexpressible reverence. I extend my servile pen to your reverend head, but how? - With great courage and filial boldness, which my most honest Father and teacher in Christ gives me in abundance. For I dare to ask by this letter that he may bear some concern in connection with the following matter. The venerable abbot of the new cenovia of the sacred monastery of Simonopetra, Mr. Iakinthos, sacredly sculpted and adorned with beautiful morals, fragrant like the hyacinth of the same name 716 (I believe you know this man), together with his brethren, knowing the paternal goodwill that your sacred perfection has for me in his virtue, and having a great need in many ways, begged me badness, so that I write you a letter of recommendation about the Most Reverend Father Dionysius who was sent for alms. I hesitated and put it off, fearing anxiety, until at last I was convinced. For the sake of the duty of brotherly love, for the sake of the great need of the brethren in many ways, which I have already mentioned, and for the sake of what I cannot express. I have a special relationship with these brothers, for I see in them many traits befitting monks, and the fragrance of Christ 717, according to Paul, received by them from that great Paisius, whose reward was, I think, the coveted bosom of Abraham. The most important argument that convinced me was the apostolic heart of my wisest teacher, which by its nature strives for brotherly love and rejoices over such God-loving blessings. Therefore, my most honest and most venerable teacher, I dare to recommend the good hieromonk Mr. Dionysius to your fatherly Head and I pray, and, moreover, I fervently pray that sufficient help be provided in any way to this newly formed and poorest cenobia. Let it be said in the ears of the highest rulers and Christ-loving princes of Ugro-Vlahia and Moldo-Vlahia that they make some significant contribution to alleviating the heavy debt of this monastery, to ensuring and providing everything necessary for the brothers of this monastery. For I know and am confident that, if only my most brotherly and monastically loving teacher wants, he can restore the kneeling cenovia by the effective power of his wisest words and build and restore in the best form, so that this cenovia becomes an imitation of the ancient holy cenovies, which the divine John Climacus called the earthly heaven 718. And let Simonopetra be a stone 719 of refuge for the hares who come running there, according to what is written 720. However, I do not extend beyond what is necessary, knowing to whom and to what kind of person I am writing - to one who has an innate and natural desire for brotherly love, no less than an eagle for flight or a dolphin for swimming. May your most honest and fatherly Grace, who forgives the insolence and anxiety caused to her by her slave, be healthy in both soul and body, raising the fullness of Christ from an unholy and material life to a sacred and godlike life with her convincing speeches. Of your most honorable and beneficent Fatherhood, the least son in spirit and a worthless slave, NICODIM.” Contemporaries of Svyatogorsk, having heard about the glory of the Monk Nicodemus and his acquaintances with the powerful of this world, appreciating his excellent theological education, divine wisdom and virtues, more than once said to him in a friendly manner: “Brother Nicodemus, why don’t you go into the world to enlighten our Christian brothers?” And he humbly answered: “Lest my own lamp go out...” He spoke about a wondrous luminous lamp that dispelled the gloomy darkness of a long and moonless night in which the ill-fated Greek people were... And did he believe in what he said? Of course, for he was humble and considered himself “unwise.” Eloquent evidence of voluntary poverty and the extreme simplicity of his holy life is the fact that he wore rough shoes made of wild boar skin (this detail was reverently preserved by the memory of the Holy Mountain residents). And the monastic clothes were so dilapidated that the biographer Euthymius, to the honor of the monk, calls him “dressed in dilapidated clothes.” Among the stories from the life of the reverend father, there is this one. The sacred monastery of Iviron was visited by one hierarch who had a great desire to meet the monk, about whom he had heard and read so much. So, he asked one of the monastery monks to inform the saint’s kaliva in Kapsala that he wanted to see him. Then the Monk Nicodemus was subordinate to the elder. He asked the elder’s permission, and now the novice, with all his unfeigned and natural simplicity, goes, in what he was wearing, to the monastery and appears before the eyes of the hierarch - modest, silent, immersed in his thoughts and mental prayer. He reverently greeted the bishop, who was reading some book, and waited to be told why he was called. The bishop, completely unaware that before him was the famous hermit sage Nicodemus, and thinking that this ragamuffin was some kind of unknown ascetic, continued reading. Then Saint Nicodemus, having waited quite a long time and considering that some kind of mistake had occurred, returned to his kaliva. After some time, the hierarch called the monk again and asked why the one he wanted to see had not come. The monk objected, saying: “Master, he just appeared before you!” “So it was him? Call him and be quick!” - the ruler commanded. In vain the monk begged the elder St. Nicodemus to send him to the monastery again. The elder said: “Since this bishop decided that the old clothes of my spiritual child are unworthy of the wise and venerable hermit, therefore he himself is not worthy to see Nicodemus.” And the monk left in bewilderment... Place of burial of the monk in Skurteev's cell Theodoret Athanasiou took monastic vows at the Great Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mount Athos, which is why it was often called “Lauriot”. He was the pro-abbot of the Lavra. In 1804, by decision of the Patriarch and the Synod, he became abbot of the Esphigmen monastery on Athos. Here he laid the foundations of the monastery with excellent worship, began to renovate the buildings and laid the foundation for a new cathedral church. Deprived of his abbess, he remained silent in his cell in the vicinity of the Great Lavra. The letter of Neophytos 7 is placed at the beginning of the Pidalion, see: Πηδάλιον. Σ. ιʹ. Venerable Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John Guide to Spiritual Life. pp. 77–78. Memory of St. Barsanuphius the Great (in modern tradition: Barsanuphius) and St. John the Prophet is celebrated on February 6 (O.S.). St. Barsanufius was from Egypt and died in the mid-7th century. in his cell in a seclusion in a monastery near Gaza, where his relics came from in the 9th century. were transferred to the city of Oria (in the south of Italy), here in the cathedral a particle of his relics is kept. – Note. ed. In Greece, until 1960, this book was indeed little known (like the Philokalia and many other patristic works). Now its translations into Modern Greek and new editions in the original have appeared. In the first edition, prepared by Nikodim Svyatogorets, there were errors in numbering: out of 849 answers, 836 were numbered, with seven numbers being duplicated, and number 543 was followed by number 554. Not a single complete manuscript has survived, and the number of answers and their order do not coincide in different manuscripts. Therefore, in Greek publications (including the series “Greek Fathers of the Church”) the number of answers is 841, in the Russian translation there are 850. - Note. ed. Βίβλος ψυχωφελεστάτη... Βαϱσανουφίου καὶ Ἰωάννου. Θεσσαλονίκη, 1997. Σ. 27–28. The prologue is quoted here, which was translated in an abbreviated form in the Russian edition. Brothers (παϱάδελφοι), i.e. tonsured by the same old man as St. Nicodemus. Βίβλος ψυχωφελεστάτη... Βαϱσανουφίου καὶ Ἰωάννου. Σ. 28. Βίβλος ψυχωφελεστάτη... Βαϱσανουφίου καὶ Ἰωάννου. Σ. 20. (The full translation was made taking into account the translation of St. Theophan the Recluse, see: A brief account of the life of the Venerable Fathers Barsanuphius and John, compiled by Nicodemus, a monk of Mount Athos // Venerable Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John Guide to Spiritual Life. pp. 15–16. – Ed.) See: Answer 17 // Venerable Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John Guide to Spiritual Life. P. 14. Right there. P. 24. in this place of the preface by St. Nicodemus quotes Answer 120. The Russian translation is given with minor changes. The first edition was published in Venice in 1816; after 1960, other editions were published, including with a modern Greek translation. Preface to the Psalter by Euthymius Zigaben (in Greek). There is an opinion that the preface of St. Nicodemus was slightly changed by the editors of the first edition of this book, because. The monk never spoke of himself in such laudatory terms. There is direct evidence that St. Nicodemus the Svyatogorets knew Hebrew, does not exist. These facts can be explained by an excellent knowledge of the Byzantine exegetical and lexicographical tradition. In the “New Ladder,” the monk, citing the meanings of Hebrew words, usually refers to other exegetes and theologians, for example, to George Coresius. St. Basil the Great. Conversation on the first psalm // First psalm. M., 2003. P. 9. Song 5.1 (Greek 4:16–5:1). Νικόδημος Ἁγιοϱείτης. Κῆπος χαϱίτων. Θεσσαλονίκη, 1992. Σ. 12. Namely: four chapters about thoughts, my own composition; the chapter of Patriarch Callistus (for its Slavic translation see: Philokalia in Church Slavonic language: In 2 volumes. M.: Sretensky Monastery, 2001. T. 2. L. 158–159); excerpt from the book by Joseph Kalofet; The Gospel Law as abbreviated by Patriarch Gennady Scholarius; The Lord's Prayer arranged in hexameter; sample letters (in Ancient Greek and Modern Greek). Literally: “Garden of graces”, “Garden of gifts”, because Greek. means "grace, gift, beauty, mercy", etc. Κῆπος χαϱίτων. Σ. 13–14. Κῆπος χαϱίτων. Σ. 195–196. Here Rev. Nicodemus the Svyatogorets expounds the patristic teaching about the Mother of God as “the head of mental work,” and he quotes an excerpt from a conversation with St. Gregory Palamas on the Entry into the Holy of Holies of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos, cf.: “...She paved a new and ineffable path to heaven, which I will call speculative silence” (Conversations (Omilia) of St. Gregory Palamas. Part 3. P. 134). – Note. ed. Κῆπος χαϱίτων. Σ. 203–204. Σημ. 1 The description given here reproduces similar descriptions preserved in various patristic and historical books of Byzantium, for example, in the 14th century church historian. Nikephoros Callista Xanthopoula. Such descriptions were also included in icon painting originals, especially in Russia. 3rd troparion of the 9th song of the 2nd canon at the Matins of the Assumption (creation of St. John of Damascus): “Receive from us the original hymn, Mother of the Living God, and by Your luminous and divine power of autumn grace, to the victorious king, to Christ-loving people, peace, leaving those who sing, and giving salvation to souls.” St. Gregory Palamas speaks about this in his Conversation on the Dormition of the Mother of God. Ἑοϱτοδϱόμιον. T. 3. Σ. 405–406. Those who renounced the Orthodox faith were accepted back into the Church through confirmation. According to the laws of the Ottoman Empire, the patriarch was considered the leader of the “people of Christians” and bore the title “Millet-bashi”. Euph.20. Hereinafter, Greek. the word meaning “dressed in shabby clothes (i.e., in patchwork, beggarly clothes, rags)” is translated by the word “poor.” – Note. ed. Γϱηγόϱιος ὁ Παλαμᾶς. 1918. 2. Σ. 435–436. Grumel V. Nicodeme Ι’Agiorite // Dictionnaire de Theologie Catholique. 1931. 11. P. 486. Grumel, famous theologian and Byzantinist. In this case, Rev. Nicodemus uses a word in relation to himself taken from the Holy Scriptures. This is what the Apostle Paul called himself, saying that Christ “after all others appeared to me also, as to a certain monster” (1 Cor. 15:8). Greek “ἔκτϱωμα” literally means “miscarriage; a baby born prematurely,” hence in Russian kalka – “monster.” Other meanings of this word: “freak, monster.” Stichera after Psalm 50 at Matins from the general service to the one venerable one or, for example, St. John of Damascus (December 4), etc. - Note. ed. Gabriel 4, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1780–1784/1785; Procopius, Patriarch of Constantinople 1784/1785–1789; sschmch. Gregory 5, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1797–1798/1799, 1806–1808 and 1819–1821; Neophyte 7, Patriarch of Constantinople in 1789–1794 and 1798/1799–1801. In 1941, Demetrius Ikonomidis published in the journal Biserica Ortodoxa Romana a study on Saint Nicodemus, in which he mentions a translation into Romanian of the Invisible Warfare, the Exhortatory Manual, the Euchologia and the Blagonravia, made with care and with the blessing of the saint’s friend, Metropolitan Benjamin Costakis of Moldavia. – Note. m. Theoklit. See: Economidis D. Nicodim Aghioritul (1748–1809) // Biserica Ortodoxa Romana. 59. Bucarest, 1941. P. 51–69. Veniamin Costakis (1768–1846), Metropolitan of Moldova (1803–1842), did a lot for the publication of spiritual and liturgical literature (in 1807 he opened a printing house in the Neametsky monastery), contributed to spiritual and secular education in the Principality of Moldova, and helped monasteries. – Note. ed. This probably refers to the vast and populous monasteries of Sekul and Neamets, of which St. Paisiy led in the last years of his life. The name "Iakinthos" (as it sounds in Byzantine and Modern Greek pronunciation) means "hyacinth" (which reflects the Latin pronunciation). St. John. Ladder 4.87 (according to the Greek text - 4.82): “The community (cinema) is the earthly sky.” Greek "πέτϱα" means "rock, stone." Wed: a stone is a refuge for a hare (Ps. 103:18).