Глава 12. 1805–1807

1. In the cell of their beloved collivads Skurteev ...He who endures to the end will be saved 721. In the fifty-seventh year of his life, the venerable Teacher began to bow under the weight of his ascetic labors: so many of our Fathers lived their lives in weakness and died before their time. This high-topped Svyatogorsk cedar, a great and glorious man, was being undermined by the worm of time, overcome by “labor-laden flesh” 722 and the constant tension of the mind that permeated his entire life. A man, like the grass of his days, like the flower of the field, will bloom 723. And he felt the need for outside help - lest all flesh boast 724. Saints also have their own needs. Only God lacks nothing, but not man. Liturgical hymns usually call the saints of our Church incorporeal - having become in some way immaterial through asceticism and prayer, for they subordinated matter to the spirit, conquered their lusts, transformed the world of their soul into a divine village and limited natural human needs to the smallest. However, there is something in the unfortunate human nature that rises even above the powerful willpower and surpasses death itself in its power. This is a disease. Unhappy man! Saint Nicodemus, bent by old age and “exhausted by illness,” remembered that he, too, was a man of “flesh and bones,” flesh that he had oppressed for forty years, torturing and enslaving, so that, preaching to others, he himself would not appear worthless 725. And by the grace of Christ he fulfilled the most essential and fundamental requirement of Christianity: he achieved the divine goal, holiness, without which no one will see the Lord 726. Having previously lived disembodied, the reverend monk now wanted to eat and drink in order to strengthen the weakest flesh, weakening from illness, which was increasingly depressed by early old age. This period of human life is so sensitive and dangerous that the prophet David prayed by the Holy Spirit: “My God, in my old age: when my strength fails, do not forsake me.” 727 Exhaustion, the need for food and sleep—these immaculate passions 728—were also perceived by God who became man, our Lord Jesus Christ. And how then could a great ascetic, who had wasted all his spiritual and physical strength in serving God and his neighbors, avoid the laws of nature? As far as it depended on him, he lived superhumanly. And when the Wisdom of God desired it, he also became involved in flesh and blood 729. After all, when the reasons for asceticism are exhausted, asceticism becomes unnecessary. This happened with the Monk Nicodemus. Therefore, leaving his silent Kapsala, he moved to his beloved Scurtei in Karea, accepting their filial care and enduring the will of the Lord to the end. However, despite all his physical weakness, the flame of love impelled his soul to new exploits for the sake of building the Church. Just as the “divinity” of Socrates 730 once gave him no rest, so now grace, enlightenment and love for God do not give rest to every soul engulfed by them. Life is never conquered by death, for death is swallowed up by Life. The depth of this mystery was known to those who, through tearful sobs, confirmed in their souls the action of the grace of Christ. “And although the one who has acquired such happiness undergoes the most terrible torments, nothing prevents him from reaching the heights of happiness. After all, the one who always bears the extreme and blessed good, which is God, within his heart, thanks to faith and love, considers all torments to be pleasures and feasts. And although pain permeates the members of his body, and he screams and groans by nature, happiness is found in his soul, and therefore he rejoices and is merry for the sake of joy and hope of reward...” 731. So the Monk Nicodemus, who is able to do everything in Christ who strengthens him 732 and motivated to new creations by the confidence that the present temporary sufferings are worth nothing in comparison with the glory that will be revealed in us 733, between mental prayer and bodily sorrows, took up the correction of the “Synaxarist 734 twelve months”, a voluminous work requiring great knowledge, much patience and great dedication. The saint’s mind was clear, and his love for the cloud of witnesses 735 was strong, which made it possible to bring as a gift to the Church of Christ a most serious liturgical book, which had not existed before. From the further published and previously unpublished letter of St. Nicodemus to Gregory 5, we learn that work on the Synaxarist took two years. Based on the fact that he spent only a year in the Skurteev’s cell, we can conclude that this work had begun a year earlier, in the saint’s kaliva in Kapsala. In the Synaxarist, writes the Monk Nicodemus, “... there are not a few saints, but thousands, tens of thousands, millions and many many saints... so that through their prayers you, a Christian, may receive rest from the heat of temptations, so that they will water you with streams of their grace when you dry up from the flames of passions, so that they will cover you from above with the wings of their intercession from the attack of visible and invisible enemies; and finally, so that you are not afraid of the invisible warfare of passions and demons, having around you a countless militia of so many saints - your helpers...” And indeed, in the Synaxarist, almost the entire Church known to us, triumphant in Heaven, appears before us. Just imagine that the Church militant in Christ honors eleven million martyrs alone - and this will be enough to cause delight and admiration! When at night at monastery services at the sixth hour the synaxarion of the saints of the day is read and the names of those who valiantly labored and were crowned are proclaimed, the monks feel a sacred awe that permeates their souls and fasting bodies. The voice of the canonarch is like a roll call in war: those who fell heroically in battle are blessed, honored here on earth, and glorified in Heaven. Having completed this enormous work, the holy father sent the manuscript of the Synaxarist to didaskal Joseph of Vatopedi, so that he would make his judgment. Archimandrite Joseph, after carefully studying the book, sent Nicodemus the following letter, ending with an iambic epigram written “out of brotherly love.” “I greet my dear reverend and most learned head fraternally in the Lord. With great joy I received the new composition of your learning and adorned with the greatest purity and grace of the style of the Synaxarist. And now, having read it and understood how possible it was for me, I praise you for the exhausting labors that you undertook in order to properly and best correct and present the Synaxarist, enriching it with beautiful notes. And I weave you a crown of many praises, for you, having collected words of praise to the saints, which were hitherto unpublished and unknown to many, made them public property. And what was unnecessary in this book, you removed it in some places and moved it to its proper place. And what was unreliable or false, he rightly rejected, removing it from the environment, and replaced it with something genuine or more probable. So, having created everything in the highest degree beautifully and judiciously... you, like a hardworking bee, having collected the sweetest and saving honey from the flowers of the sacred meadow of the Church, like a kind of beehive, filled this sacred Book with it. And this honey delights every spiritual taste and satisfies the curiosity of all learned readers. And, in short, having filled in everything that was lacking in the previous Synaxarists, you made this newly formed Synaxarist perfect in everything. And therefore I firmly hope that the Rewarder of all good, the Lord, bowed by the prayers of the saints whose lives are contained in this book, will give you His great reward for your labors, O best of men and dearest to me! Who is this Nicodemus, whose glory is great Among the Orthodox and wise of Mount Athos, Who composed this book beautifully, about a friend? – Husband from Naxos Oh, wonderful talent! Then the reverend teacher sent the “Synaxarist” to Christopher Prodromitus, who wrote him the following letter and iambic verses “as a gift to one who has labored out of brotherly love”: “With all my soul and brotherly in Christ I greet your reverend learning, most dear to me! Having seen, my all-gold brother, the Holy Synaxarist that you had just created and having read it, I said to myself, slightly altering what the Queen of Sheba said to Solomon: “And behold, there is not half what I thought about” 736. You have given him so many benefits - beyond all my expectations. “Blessed... Hearing all your meaning” 737. And this Synaxarist seemed to me to be a new, brightly transparent sky, on which, like multi-bright stars, all the saints, steadily moving along their paths, circumambulate the twelve-part Zodiac, that is, twelve months, now descending with the intelligent Sun of truth, Christ, now co-shining with the all-bright Moon, our Lady Theotokos. I saw there corrected the chronology and naming of the saints, which were corrupted in the previous Synaxarist. In that one I saw implausible and absurd things, but now I see that in the new one you very correctly removed them. I saw that in the past many holy men were missing, but now I see that their lives have been skillfully added, so that one can speak about this in words from the psalm of the prophet and king David. For you yourself count the many stars, and give names to all of them 738, no matter how many these names there are. Your style is colorful and clear, and sparkles like sunlight. The completeness and directness of truth is like gold purified seven times 739. The testimonies of the wise are like arrows in the hand of the mighty 740. The variety of information in the notes is like myrrh, scarlet with all the first worlds, as the Song of Songs says 741. Glorious and glorious are you, my beloved, for grace, grace, prudence and breadth of thought have been given to you from God. So, if this book happens to be published, it will become a spiritual joy for all of Christ’s fullness! Amen. Completely devoted to you in Christ, Christopher, monk Prodromitus 742. You are victorious, Nicodemus, people of writers, Having collected the Lives of all the saints, Therefore, you have become what you were called before, Having received the significant name 743. Oh, great grace! Your friends were very honest to me, O God... I will count them, and they will multiply more than sand... 744 “The Synaxarist of the twelve months of the year, once written in ancient Greek by Mauritius, a deacon of the Great Church, now translated for the second time directly from the Greek manuscript of the Synaxarist, and with all care purified, corrected, expanded, supplemented, clarified, adorned with various notes and divided into three volumes by the least of the monks, Nicodemus the Holy Mountain...” This huge book of 1150 pages “in quarto" required two years of hard work... In the preface to the Synaxarist, St. Nicodemus sets out the purpose of writing this book, its benefits, moral dignity, spirituality and the place it occupies in the Church, and points out the need for its use in the liturgical life of the Church. At the beginning of the book, the monk agrees that “it is unnecessary to generate twice what was born once good,” but he emphasizes that the Synaxarist of the Deacon of Mauritius, existing in manuscripts, was “born evil” in the edition of the wise Maximus Margunius, Bishop of Cythira. According to the saint, “this translation is so unclear and so bad and unpleasant in style that many of the brethren, dissatisfied with its obscurity and bad taste, completely abandoned reading it and read the synaxari placed in the Menaion to the saints of each day, written in ancient Greek...” “So, for this reason, some good-loving brothers on the Holy Mountain, both living in monasteries and in monasteries and cells, turned to my dignity with a request: to make a second translation of this Synaxarist, clear and pure, for the common benefit of the Church of Christ. At first, I rejected these requests, believing that working on the book was very difficult, but on the advice and insistence of my Most Holy and Most Honorable Master, the former Patriarch of Constantinople, Mr. Gregory, I obeyed and finally agreed to take on this work, which was filled with many and great benefits. And, daring to the prayers of All Saints... I came to the sacred, honorable and royal monastery of Pantocrator, in the vicinity of which I live... and, taking pen and paper, day and night, laboriously and with all zeal, I devoted myself to work, and translated the book by the grace of Christ...” The Holy Father says that his work is based on four manuscripts, and, as he writes, “we tried to clear this translation of ours and from what in the previous Synaxarist was contrary to Divine Scripture, unreliable and incorrect, according to common sense and the opinion of critics... in addition, we brought the incongruous into conformity, ordered the disorderly, explained the unclear, harmonized the contradictory and inharmonious... for no other book in The Church of Christ was not as disordered and uncorrected as the Synaxarist...” And then he talks about the changes that were made to the Synaxarist, about additions to the lives of the saints, about corrections, the removal of unnecessary things, the compilation of iambic and hexametric verses about each saint, many notes and an index. Then the saint writes an appeal to the patriarchs, bishops, priests, deacons and monks, as well as to kings, rulers, princes and to all Orthodox peoples, urging them to read the Synaxarist as a very useful book in which everyone will find an example to follow according to their way of life. Further, the Monk Nicodemus cites the following wonderful epithets of the “Synaxarist”: “This is a multi-bright sky, the great Luminary of which and the brightest Sun is the Lord Christ, and the silver-shaped and full Moon is the Most Holy Theotokos; stars, not wandering or falling, are all the faces of All Saints. Therefore (this book) enlightens, warms, life-giving and encourages the entire Church of Christ and all sunflower creation to create virtues. This Synaxarist should rightfully be called the rich and most fragrant garden of the Holy Church of Christ, pomegranate trees and hazel trees, spikenard and saffron, reeds and hyacinths, daffodils and cinnamon and all the first and most fragrant incense and aromas. With its lightness and beauty the Church delights, amuses, pleases and envelops its children with aromas, according to the rank and occupation of each of them. The Bride of the Song of Songs spoke about this garden when she asked that the wind come from the south and blow “in my garden, and let my fragrances flow.” And further: “Let my brother go down to his helicopter city and eat the fruit of his vegetables” 745. And about this garden, Theophilus, the sixth bishop of Antioch, correctly wrote to Autolycus, 746 that the Church is truly a Garden in which the roses of martyrs, the lilies of virgins, the violets of widows and the ivy of spouses are found. Therefore, Mary Magdalene was not mistaken when in the garden she mistook the Lord Christ for the heli-grader 747. After all, Jesus Christ Himself became the true gardener of this Synaxarist’s Vertograd...” Thus the teacher continues his extensive introduction to the Synaxarist, in which he insists that reading the Synaxarist will bring Christians many benefits. And at the end he places a touching prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ and All Saints “Synaxarist”, as well as two hymns to the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands, one of which we give below: “O Most Sweet and All-Desiring Christ; O kindness red above all people! How Your Divine image was adorned, and the source of divine graces appeared! For Your Church, like another Heaven, is placed in the middle, like the sun shining everywhere; it delights those who see it, and lifts them up to Your memory and desire; He sanctifies those who worship; He brings those who kiss You to the Prototype; and gives cleansing of sins and great mercy to all who ask.” And in conclusion, expressing the satisfaction, joy and peace that he felt upon completing his work, the Monk Nicodemus wrote the following hexametric couplet: “The sailor rejoices, having reached a deep harbor: The writer also rejoices, completing the last line.” Upon completion of the Synaxarist, the saint sent it to Patriarch Gregory 5, who then lived, during his second exile from the Ecumenical Throne, in the Iviron Monastery, accompanying the book with the hitherto unpublished letter published below, marked May 15, 1807: “I bow to my beloved Master, according to custom, proclaiming the greeting characteristic of Christians: Christ is risen! There is nothing more changeable than human desire, and it was rightly said by the ancients that “the thoughts of mortals are always compliant” 748. For first I decided to send this book with the famous most reverend deacon Mr. Grigentius Iviritus, and then I changed my decision, prompted by some brothers, fearing the dangers that lay in wait for the book on the way. Having learned about this, the mentioned Cyrus Grigentius came to me and convinced me, telling me that there was no fear or danger in taking this book with him on the road, and then I decided to send it with his reverence. So, take and receive the book You desire, and do with it what the enlightening grace of the Comforter inspires in you, for the glory of God, in the honor of the saints and for the benefit of all Christ’s fullness. Read it carefully, and if you come across any obvious error, correct it. Because I'm tired of reading and correcting. What I wrote, somehow: ὀγλίγωϱα, ϰαλλίτεϱα, φανεϱόνοι, or when two ϱϱ without aspiration 749 and the like - these, I say, are not mistakes, although these words are not written as is customary. Whether it is appropriate to write it this way, or according to general custom, without any pretense, I am not talking about this now. In total, the book contains more than four hundred and sixty sheets, and I gave one of those who copied it thirty obols for each sheet, another a penny, and a third fifty obols; I spent money on buying all the paper and binding the book. I worked on this book for about two years. Why am I writing this? So that my greatly gifted Master will favor me with the publication of the book in a certain number of copies, as your noble and free will pleases (and if I die in an hour, I ask you to send the books to the cell of Scourteus, where I now live, consecrated in the name of St. George), so that I, too, can give them to others, for the remission of your sins and in remembrance of the souls of your parents. If you send a book to each of the local monasteries, you will receive a great reward from the Lord and many thanksgivings from the fathers of the Mountain. I also bring a great prayer to your apostolic head, and with me the whole multitude of the Holy Mountain fathers brings it, or better yet, the entire fullness of Christ brings it through me. What is this and what is it about? May your people-loving heart deign to print the Synaxarist in large letters, as in the Menaion, and let the notes be even larger, as in the interpretation of the Council Epistles or in the Blagonravia: after all, the book will be read by the elders, and even at night. I know it costs too much: but let the cost of the book increase, so that all readers will pray for your parents and the salvation of your soul. Many brothers and fathers addressed me with this request. That is why I moved to bring it to Your Eminence, being convinced that we will be heard. And since I already belong to you undividedly, and have become a captive of your love, and are forced by it, having one single book of the newly printed “Blessings”, I could not own it, although I needed it, but I send it to my beloved, and desired, and all-loving Master, and let him own it for the benefit of his flock. And if it seems to him pleasing and generally useful, I ask, I really ask him to encourage some Christ-lover in his diocese to publish it a second time, without loss to himself. For the demand for this book, due to its rarity, is such that many would gladly give eight or ten pennies just to get it. The Reverend Ioannina printed a thousand books, but he only had ten of them left, as he wrote to me - those that were bound; and others snatched it right out of his hands. Many people have written to me to send them, but I have nothing. I ask that as soon as you receive the books sent, that is, the great sacred sheaf, Synaxarist, and the small sheaf, Benevolence, like the priest of the old Law 750, immediately notify me of their receipt, if possible, by pigeon mail, so that my thoughts may calm down. May He who has risen from the dead preserve your most honorable Eminence with a sound soul and body for countless years. Your head, who has done more good to me than anyone else, the least servant Nicodemus.” Patriarch Gregory, taking into account the opinion of the learned men of the Holy Mountain, sent the Synaxarist to the learned hieromonk Christopher from the monastery of Kosifinissa, who found the Synaxarist “in everything renewed and incomparably more perfect and complete than the previous one...” He also expressed the hope that “from this book there will be the greatest benefit to the entire Christ-named fullness of the Orthodox Church,” accompanying his review with the following epigram: "Nicodemus, you are the whole Church With wisdom he brought joy both above and below, Having depicted and glorified the Lives of [the saints of the Heavenly Church] And encouraging [the earthly Church] to imitate the Heavenly Church.” Despite this, for unknown reasons, the book remained unpublished until 1817, when Patriarch Kirill in his message ordered the Scurtei brothers to take care, along with other unpublished works of St. Nicodemus, about publishing the Synaxarist in Venice, which happened in 1819. In any case, from the letters of Gregory 5, sent in 1816 to the Orthodox in Venice and in the monastery of the Holy Mountain, one can see his great interest in the publication of the Synaxarist, which has since been published four times. The Monk Nicodemus never saw this work of his published, and yet, as Joasaph Lavriot writes in his poem, he passed it on to his brothers so that they could collect its fruits: Like trees strewn with fruits and fragrant flowers, From which immortal fruits are collected And enjoy the sweet scent of roses, White lilies, variegated violets, Fragrant daffodils, crimson hyacinths - This is the Book, beloved, Which King Christ gave through the good Nicodemus, A holy man who labored on Mount Athos. 3. “Love of silence” and sorrow due to turmoil In the same way the tree desires the springs of water, my soul longs for You, O God 751. And again, the love of silence forced Nicodemus to leave his beloved Skurtei and retire to the coveted desert Kapsala, taking advantage of the hospitality of a certain wondrous monk who lived in the kaliva near the monastery of the monastery of Pantocrator. At that time, a new scandal erupted around the name of the holy father. From one message of the Sacred Kinot of the Holy Mountain, published on July 13, 1807, that is, when the work on the “Synaxarist” had already been completed, we learn about the sorrowful circumstances in which the saint found himself, and about the unrest instigated by opponents of the Orthodox beliefs and aspirations of St. Nicodemus, expressed by him regarding the Sacrament of Divine Communion. The message in question depicts very vividly the accusations to which the teacher was subjected, as well as his amazing long-suffering and the baseness of his enemies. “Most reverend fathers and our beloved brethren in Christ, laboring on our Holy Mountain in sacred monasteries, monasteries and cells, we greet you all brotherly in the Lord. There is nothing higher than love, there is nothing sweeter than peace: after all, love is the sign and distinctive feature of the disciples of Christ, and peace is the heritage of the Lord Christ, which He left to us who believe in Him, for He says: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” 752. But the common enemy of the human race, the primary culprit of all evil, the devil, does not cease to fight against the two highest virtues, namely, against love and peace, causing confusion instead of peace in those who obeyed his wishes. What do we want to say? The fact that already three years ago the local wise and most learned mentor, Cyrus Nicodemus, sent a letter to one sacred and spiritual person, in which he discussed a certain mystical question. And so, some ill-natured and crooked-minded people took the said message of the Cyrus of Nicodemus into their hands in Constantinople, opened and read it, thereby committing a most lawless act, an act that in an enlightened human society is recognized as disgusting and subject to the same condemnation to which grave diggers are subjected, as the wise Sinesius says 753, and also punishable by the oaths and curses of the Great Christ's Church... So, the above-mentioned message of Cyrus Nicodemus was not only opened and read by these evil-doers, but also distorted and misinterpreted, and in such a distorted form they rewrote it and sent copies throughout the Mountain. With what intention and purpose? To dishonor the cyrus of Nicodemus, imagining that he is a heretic and slanderous. That is why, having learned about this, Cyrus Nicodemus himself appeared before our Assembly and, having confessed everything that the Catholic Eastern Church professes, proved that he is innocent and in no way involved in the accusations that were brought against him, and those who dishonored him are liars and slanderers. Therefore, all of us, the heads of the twenty Holy Monasteries, with this letter of ours, sealed with our seal, declare... that the said letter of Kir Nicodemus was villainously opened, villainously distorted, villainously interpreted and villainously sent out in copies... and those who have his copy should burn it... We all unanimously proclaim and confess that (Reverend Nicodemus) - the most pious, and the most Orthodox, and nourished by the dogmas of the Church of Christ, as is clear from his sacred works written for the general benefit, which do not contain any heretical wisdom. And just as we confess him to be Orthodox, so you all recognize that he is truly so. If, after this, someone, prompted by that distorted letter, opens his mouth and begins to say something against this Teacher of Cyrus Nicodemus unfairly and slanderously, such a person, clearly convicted, will not only be severely punished by our general Assembly, no matter what rank he is and what monastery he belongs to, but will also be completely expelled from this sacred place, as the instigator of troubles...” 754. The monk informs us about the content of the slander that was raised against him after the publication of the book “On Permanent Divine Communion” in the following apology: “Some slander us, as if we believe that the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, that is, the most pure Body of the Lord and His precious Blood, is changeable and perishable, and that not all the Body of the Lord is in every part of the consecrated Bread and not all the Blood is in all parts of the consecrated Wine. However, such people are worthy of laughter, because they should read the prayers composed in the form of ikos to our Lord Jesus, 755 printed in 1796 along with a book called “The Invisible Warfare,” from which they would know what we think about it. But since they are blinded and have not read these prayers, we will present here verbatim what we write there, to the eternal shame of those who unjustly accuse us. So, on page 334 of the said book we write like this: “O my Jesus, the redeeming Sacrament of mankind, You conveyed to the mysteries, putting bread into Your very Body at the Supper, and wine into Your very Blood, commanding them to do this in Your remembrance, and I, constantly partaking of Them (the Holy Mysteries), as incorruptible, am sanctified and, adored, I appeal to You like this..." And below, on page 335, we add the following words: “Jesus, who is entirely present in the whole Sacrament, and wholly in every part of it, I confess to You that I am approaching Your Holy Table without proper preparation.” So, we not only thought or are thinking piously about this incomprehensible Sacrament, but we also wrote with our own hands” 756. Accusations against the monk, widespread among ordinary monks, sometimes reached extremes: some believed that in his monastic skufia there was a monstrance with the Holy Bread, so that they could receive communion on the road! The monk himself writes: “... to other slanderous accusations against us, the slanderous brothers add this: that we carry a monstrance with the Holy Bread in our kamilavka and, passing along the road, whenever we wish, we sit down and receive communion. When we heard such obvious slanderous fabrications for the first time, we laughed, and most of all we laughed at their brotherly hatred, because we have freedom and every time, after we have tested ourselves, 757, according to the Apostle, we prepare, go to the church of God and take communion with the priest.”758 It should be noted that the Monk Nicodemus, who was accused that he believed that the Body and Blood of the Lord are changeable and not entirely present in every particle of the Holy Bread and Wine, having learned that “someone is preparing to publish a treatise on this topic,” wrote to “a certain sacred person” in Constantinople to prevent the publication. And as the saint writes, “since this can bring great confusion to the Church of Christ and cause harm to simple brothers who are not able to accommodate such things, it means that we must stop arguing in the bazaars and crossroads about the Most Divine Sacraments...”. And the good brothers, who knows how, having taken possession of the monk’s letter, composed an addition and presented Nicodemus as agreeing with the heretical beliefs that he reported. “But blessed be God, who catcheth the wise in their wickedness, 759 according to Job; for this said application turned out to be so thoughtless that almost all the learned mentors of the Mountain recognized the dishonesty and villainy...” 760 . Both slander and various accusations against the Monk Nicodemus began immediately upon his arrival on the Holy Mountain, after the publication of his book “On Constant Divine Communion,” which was also mixed with the Orthodox views of the saint on the remembrance of the dead, and the story of the opening of the letter, which happened three years earlier than the events described. Nevertheless, the humble teacher remained silent, awaiting the bliss of the Lord, for for His sake they carried his name as dishonored 761 . But “since, after the lapse of time, he saw and heard how harm was being done to many brothers” 762, the saint was forced to resort to the highest authority of the Holy Mountain, the Sacred Kinot, for, according to St. John of Damascus, “when the harm done to one spreads to many, one should not remain silent.” We consider it necessary to explain in detail here the views of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain regarding the Sacrament of the Divine Eucharist, set out in his works. The struggle for the enlightenment of monks and laity, which he waged from the very beginning of his arrival on Athos, concerned the question of Divine Communion, raised in the first edition of this book, and was mainly directed against the gloomy ignorance from which arose the conviction that did not allow the faithful to resort to Holy Communion more than two or three times a year. However, the monk was deeply convinced that both the canons and practice of the Church prescribe constant Divine Communion as a unique means of spiritual rebirth and achievement of perfection in Christ. Therefore, he drew his arguments from these two sources, as well as from his personal experience. The spiritual world of St. Nicodemus, in which he lived, consisted of constant Communion and prayer; with their help, he acquired the ability to fulfill the life-giving commandments of Christ and live in Christ. In this regard, it is important to clarify what St. Nicodemus meant by the term “permanent Divine Communion” and under what conditions it was to be performed. First of all, we should not forget that Nicodemus himself was a great ascetic and ate boiled beans, water with honey, olives, rice boiled in water and bread 763. He, being an adherent of constant Communion, felt his unity with Christ, which is visible in those places of his writings where love for the Lord is discussed. Of course, it would be erroneous to assume that the monk, ardently defending constant Divine Communion in all his works and being persecuted for almost thirty-five years for this Orthodox belief, meant Christians like him. Quite the contrary, he considered Divine Communion extremely necessary for the imperfect, as he writes, but without any canonical obstacles to this. And he believes that constant Divine Communion for the imperfect is like a medicine that heals passions, and for the perfect it is a means of achieving greater perfection, sweetness and pleasure. Consequently, for St. Nicodemus, constant communion was not static, but continuously progressive, that is, “for healing, and purification, and enlightenment, and preservation, and salvation, and for the sanctification of soul and body... for boldness and love... for correction of life and affirmation, for the return of virtue and perfection... in communion with the Holy Spirit...” 764. From this it is clear that he not only wanted to bring a Christian closer to the Sacrament of Divine Communion, but first to heal him with the help of the Body and Blood of Christ and then lead him to perfection. However, this also presupposes a feat on the part of one who wishes to advance along his spiritual path. This feat consists of all those deeds that constitute asceticism of body and soul, and thanks to which we help the cleansing that is accomplished during non-judgmental Divine Communion by God's grace. From what has been said above, it is clear that the one who receives communion in this way is required to constantly strive to achieve a certain dignity corresponding to this Sacrament. In his work “On Constant Divine Communion,” the saint literally sings of the faithful’s frequent participation in the spiritual meal, and this “frequency” extends up to daily communion, as he writes, “if such is possible.” It is impossible not to notice that, fighting against the extreme of receiving Communion twice or thrice a year, he falls into the opposite extreme of daily Communion. However, we believe that the reverend does this by “knocking out a wedge with a wedge,” that is, healing one extreme with the other. In confirmation of constant Divine Communion, the Monk Nicodemus constantly cites the sacred canons, the teaching of the Fathers and the practice of the Church. But one of the sacraments of the Church, namely the Sacrament of Divine Communion, which since its appearance in apostolic times has undergone so many changes, both in the manner of its celebration and in the timing and mode of distribution, inevitably had to somehow weaken the significance of the canons associated with it, or, better said, limit their influence to the era in which they were approved. In the holy communities of apostolic times we see that the faithful continued in the teaching of the Apostles, in fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayer 765 . In that era, the faithful received communion daily. The 9th Apostolic Canon does not imply daily liturgy when excommunicating those who do not receive communion. In a similar way, the 2nd canon of the Council of Antioch, the 80th of the Fifth-Sixth 766 and the 11th of Sardicia, by which those who do not receive communion at the Divine Liturgy are excommunicated, obviously speak about the liturgies celebrated on Sunday, and specifically refer to those who do not receive communion “for three weeks.” From this we can conclude that the arguments given by the Monk Nicodemus from the above rules are not intended to legitimize daily communion, but to refute the opinion that it is permissible to receive communion only twice or thrice a year, and that, despite the daily celebration of the Divine Liturgy, for example, on the Holy Mountain, those who do not receive communion daily are not at all subject to excommunication by the said rules. However, at the same time, the Monk Nicodemus also cites texts from the Holy Fathers, which contain mention that in the East the faithful received communion four times a week, and even throughout the entire week. These Fathers - Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Nicholas Cabasilas, Theodore the Studite - have enormous authority. In the book under consideration, the monk more than once enthusiastically preaches communion twice or four times a week 767. This conviction is undoubtedly Orthodox, but is it feasible? Rarely, due to the person's tendency to fall. We do not know whether the monk himself received communion every day, with the exception of the last days of his life. What can we say about this? He who can contain, let him contain 768. The one who is able to say with a heart filled with fiery readiness, together with the Monk Nicodemus: “I see well, O my God, in the light of Your fiery love, that You have one goal, most clearly demonstrating the sincerity of Your love for me: namely, that You give me all of Yourself as food and drink for no other reason than to transform all of me into Yourself; not because You needed me, but so that You lived in me, and I in You, and through loving union I became like You Yourself, and through the union of my earthly heart with Your heavenly heart, a single intelligent and divine heart became in me” 769 - let such a person receive communion every day, for he is already united by spiritual love with Christ. But how many are there? How many people in their souls can utter the loving words of the Bride of the Song of Songs: “Why have you been adorned, and why have you been delighted in Your sweetness?” 770. However, if such holy souls are so rare, to whom then is the teaching of the Reverend Father addressed? We think to many, so that from among them these rare people will appear. The doctrine must be preached regardless of the fact that only a small part of those who hear it will learn it. Christ's teaching about perfection is addressed to everyone, but very few have become perfect. But this did not prevent the Lord from speaking about perfection, which consists in boundless holiness. From what has been said above, it becomes clear that holiness of life is a condition for participation in the Sacrament of Divine Communion, for the law is not laid down for the righteous 771. But the imperfect are required to have means of education and preparation for the Sacrament. Among these means are confession, contrition, vigil, prayer, fasting. Since contradictions and disputes have arisen regarding fasting before Communion, we are obliged in our explanation of the views of the Monk Nicodemus to recall the following: whenever the monk in his books speaks about preparation for Communion, he also indicates “fasting that is feasible” 772. As for Nicodemus the Holy Mountain’s recognition of the need for fasting or abstaining from fasting food, the following note in the “Pidalion” quite clearly expresses his views. “...Here we move from the greater to the lesser: if three days of abstinence from carnal relations are sufficient to prepare for Divine Communion, then even more so a three-day fast is sufficient for it. And although fasting before Communion is not defined by the sacred canons, those who are able to fast before it throughout the week do well.” 773 We recommend that those who disrespect fasting before Communion should delve into the meaning of this note, unless, of course, they consider that they have become sons of the bridal chamber 774. But the sons of the bridal chamber are not overcome by the womb, of course, if they really are like that. They became completely spiritual, strengthened by the incorruptible Food and Drink of the Body and Blood of the Lord. It is not our task to study the topic of Divine Communion. We are simply interpreting to some extent the thoughts of St. Nicodemus in connection with the period of his life that we are talking about. And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor the churches of God 775. 4. Creator of hymns and praises to the saints To the saints who are on His earth, the Lord surprises all His desires in them 776. One of the biographers of the holy father, Onuphrius Ivirit, speaking about the multitude of song sequences, words of praise and canons compiled by the monk for the glory of the saints, and wanting to describe all this wealth, reveals the complete impossibility of such a description and exclaims: “How many troparia, ikos and entire canons and words of praise for the multitude of saints he composed and supplemented in the highest degree melodiously, this is almost consigned to writing impossible! The saints have a law: love for God and neighbor embraces the whole soul, which takes on various images and moods according to its good disposition. From praising God, confession, thanksgiving, prayer, right up to the very joy and weeping, poured out because of the joy and weeping of a brother in Christ, according to the word of the Apostle: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” 777 . Likewise, the Monk Nicodemus, feeling a debt of gratitude towards our fathers and brothers who died in heroism or martyrdom for their secret blessings shown to us, “whom we know and who we don’t know” 778, according to the Apostolic Decrees: “Glorify the one who speaks the word of God to you, remember him day and night, honor him as the one who became the cause not of your birth, but who interceded for you good life" 779, - decorating the Church with spiritual songs, expressing his love and wonder at the saints, he created a great many canons, ikoses and words of praise. These creations, “which are almost impossible to commit to writing,” are marked by special poetic art. By the grace of Christ, we had the opportunity to search for the poetic works of the holy father scattered in different places, in the hope of publishing them in due time. Here we present a catalog of canons, ikos and words of praise that the glorious father wrote. His soul trembled with admiration for the virtuous lives of the saints and their supernatural exploits, and he poured out his sacred feelings in chants and praises. This catalog is compiled on the basis of the research of the late Sophronius Evstratiadis, Metropolitan of Leontopolis, and Mr. I. Kolitsaras. As a hymnographer, the Monk Nicodemus is distinguished by sincerity of feeling, enduring love for those being sung, depth of thought, knowledge of proportion, accuracy of definitions, and a keen sense of belonging to those to whom he praises. The fabric of his text combines deep contemplation with pure emotional excitement, subtlety of thought and precision of its expression. Hymns created by St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain: A word of praise to Chrysostom. Naxos, 1909. Service to the Venerable Martyr of Christ Paraskeva. Syros, 1877. 22 p. There were 3 editions. Canon of prayer to Saint Charalampios. Athens, 1840. 20 p. Follow-up songs and words of praise to the fathers who shone on Holy Mount Athos. Hermoupolis, 1847. There were at least 3 editions. A manual containing the song of praise and the funerary canon, printed in the Triodion, and carefully corrected, together with the Sunday canon of the luminous day of Easter. Printing house of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, 1800. Prayers in alphabetical order in the form of ikos, touching, to Christ. Attached at the end of the book "Invisible Warfare". Service to the Holy Glorious Great Martyr Phanurius 780. Athens, 1909. 23 p. Service to Benjamin, Deacon of Persia (October 13th day) with similar stichera, self-accordances, sedals, kontakion and canon, its edge: “I bring a song to Benjamin the preacher.” Unpublished codex of the Kyriakon of the Kavsokalyvia monastery. Service to Saint Tryphon (February 1st day). Unpublished codex of the Kyriakon of the Kavsokalyvia monastery. Service to Athanasius of Alexandria (2 days in May). Unpublished codex of the Kyriakon of the Kavsokalyvia monastery. Service for the acquisition and presentation of the venerable relics of St. Nicholas. Venice, 1819. There were at least 2 editions. Service to James, brother of the Lord (October 23). Venice, 1806. Service to Mark Eugenicus. Constantinople, 1834. There were at least 4 editions. Service to Saint Feona. Codex of the Catholicon of the Monastery of Pantocrator on the Holy Mountain. It is also located in the monastery of St. Anastasia the Pattern Maker near Galatista. Service to all newly-minted martyrs, after the capture of Constantinople by the victims. There were 3 editions. Second edition: Athens, 1856. Service to Saint Antipas. Placed in the "Great Synaxarist" 781. Service to Saint Thalaleos. Mesolonghi, 1878. Service to Saint Ferapont. Not published, located in Karei. Service to the Holy Great Martyr Kyriacia. Published in “New Limonary” (2nd ed.). T. 2. P. 41 et seq. There were 4 editions. Service to the Prophet Elijah. Found in the Synaxarist 782 of Nicodemus, under July 20. T. 3.S. 123 et seq. Service to Lawrence Archdeacon. Not published. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 3. P. 247. Note. 3. Service to Niphon, Patriarch of Constantinople, improved and corrected by additions, changes and abbreviations. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 3. P. 251. Note. 1. Service to Parthenius of Lampsacia, supplemented by the canon. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 2. P. 111. Note. Not published. Service to Saint Cyprian, supplemented by the second Canon. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 1. P. 112. Note. 2. Not published. Service to John Duca Vatazu 783. Constantinople, 1872. Service to the New Martyr Constantine of Idriya. Venice, 1814. There were 6 editions. Service to the holy martyr Eleutherius. See: Dukakis K. The Great Synaxarist. Towards December 15th. Service to Saint Sebastian, supplemented by the second canon. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 1. P. 397. Note. 1. Not published. Service to Meletius the Confessor. Published at the end of the book “The Alphabet of Alphabets” by Meletius the Confessor. Thessalonica, 1923. Service of Saint Theodosius of Constantinople. Athens, 1933. Service to Saint Ananias. Expanded. Not published. Service to Joseph the Songwriter. Expanded. Not published. Service to Saint Theophilus the Myrrh-Streaming. See: Dukakis K. The Great Synaxarist. July. P. 490 et seq. Service to Saint Polydor (September 3). Published in “Martyrology” (1st ed. pp. 224 et seq.) and in “New Chios Limonary” (p. 11 et seq.). Service to the Holy New Martyr Theodore of Byzantium, who suffered in Mytilene. Published in “New Martyrology”. P. 291. Service to Saint Simeon the New Theologian. Hermoupolis, 1877. Service to Dionysius the Areopagite. Not published. Manuscripts of the Vatopedi monastery, the Great Lavra and the kyriakon of the Kavsokalyvia monastery. Service to Saint Anastasia the Pattern Maker. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. December 1st. P. 404. The Canon of the Twelve Apostles, which from the 1st to the 6th canto contains interpretations of the names of each of them, and from the 6th to the 9th tells in what places each of them preached and what death he met. Beginning: “Petra, the rocks of the indestructible faith, rich in name.” Published in a book called “The Spiritual Garden” (Constantinople, 1863, p. 162). Canons in eight voices for the Entry of the Mother of God into the Church. Found in the Vatopedi Codex No. 1027 and the Codex of the Hilandar Monastery. Two prayer canons to Saint Charalampios. One of them, see: Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Synaxarist. T. 2. P. 167 et seq. Two canons to St. George. Kept in the cell of St. George in Kareya. In the Codex of Joasatheev (p. 153 et seq.) there are 4 prayer canons to St. George, the creations of the same Nicodemus. Eight canons to Saint Demetrius. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 1. P. 194 et seq. Two canons to the Evangelist John. Leipzig, 1799. The prayer canon, which also contains a narrative of miracles, is sung before the miraculous icon called “Quick to Hear,” our Lady Theotokos. Bucharest, 1843. Canon of prayer for Chrysostom. Not published. Four canons to the Most Holy Goalkeeper of Iveron. The first with the edge: “I bring the beginning of the song to the Goalkeeper. Nicodemus"; the second – “I crown the Goalkeeper of the Iviron Monastery. Nicodemus"; third - “The third I sing to the Goalkeeper’s voice. Nicodemus." Jerusalem, 1907 784. The fourth canon has not been published. 24 Ikos to Peter and Paul and the canon of prayer. Athens, 1921. There were 2 editions. Ikosy to Saint George. Athens, 1912. Ikos to Simon the Myrrh-Streaming. Athens, 1925. We agree, 5 in number, on the Conception of St. Anne. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 1. P. 437 et seq. Self-agreement, number 2, to the Holy Image Not Made by Hands. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 3. P. 303 (end of August). Troparions, sedals, etc., complementing the service to the holy Apostle Timothy. See: Nikodim Svyatogorets. Synaxarist. T. 2. P. 94 et seq. Service for the acquisition of the Holy Right Hand of the Forerunner. Service to the three venerable martyrs, Jacob, James and Dionysius, who labored in Aetolia. Service and praise for the discovery of the relics of St. George. In memory of the same saint, the canon is similar to “Resurrection Day”. Another canon, a prayer service, 24 ikos and a translation of the commendatory word of Andrew of Crete, the beginning of which: “For the martyrs are bright.” Replenishment of the service to Saints Athanasius and Cyril. Completion of service and life with praise to Saint Vissarion of Larisa. Two canons to the Quick Hearer of Dochiarskaya. Ikos, canons, troparia and praises to the Archangels. General prayer canon for the Baptist, Nicholas and Eustathius. A solemn word and a canon for the procession with the icon of the Mother of God in Protata. Funeral words for different occasions. A Word on the Gospel about the Shepherd. Megalinaria for Holy Pentecost. Prayers to Saints Tryphon and Modestus. Service and some additions to the miracles of the holy icon of the Mother of God in the Pierce monastery. In the Service to the Holy Mountain Fathers, the holy hermit pours out his soul in the full sense of the word, for the monk clearly imagined their feat, living in the same place where they labored and were awarded the gift of holiness, and besides, he knew many of them personally. Let us present here a praising book in the 8th tone, in which the poetic soul of St. Nicodemus and his love for the Holy Fathers are visible: “The venerable father face, who rushed from various countries and settled in this Mountain, [avoided the unnatural, preserved the natural and unnatural] was granted gifts (spiritual from the Lord) and showed us the path of fasting in deed and word. In the same way, out of duty praising them, let us cry out: O multitude of saints, sanctified and beloved by God, O bee-height of the God-gathered One, who in the clefts and caves of this Mountain, as in the mental streets, co-created the sweetest honey of silence (and spiritually offered fragrant incense on the altar of Heaven), [the sweetness of the Trinity and the Mother of God pleasure], Athonite praise and blessing of the organ of the glory of God, pray to the Lord to have mercy on our souls” 785. This full Service, with the historical and laudatory word of the Holy Father, caught in the Athos net countless numbers of Christians from everywhere where there are Orthodox Greeks: from Hellas, from America, from Europe. Here, M. Theoclitus quotes words from the 1st and 8th stichera at the last kiss in the rite of burial of the dead: “πολυμόχϑου σαϱκός”, which in the liturgical text (in Church Slavonic) were translated: “about the many-passionate flesh” (1st stichera) and “The laboriousness of the flesh” (8th stichera). Slav. the word “passion” has now changed its meaning, and previously it meant “suffering, disaster,” so it would be more accurate to translate: “long-suffering flesh.” – Note. ed. Compare: 1 Corinthians 9:27: But I discipline and enslave my body, so that, having preached to others, I myself would not remain unworthy. “Immaculate” or “immaculate” passions (Greek: τὰ ἀδιάβλητα πάϑη) is the most important concept of the patristic teaching on the Incarnation. Let us present it as presented by St. John of Damascus (An exact statement of the Orthodox faith. Book 3. Chapter 20. § 64): The Lord took on “the whole man and everything that belongs to man, except sin”; “natural and immaculate passions are not in our power, which entered human life as a result of condemnation resulting from a crime, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, labor, tears, decay, evasion of death, fear, death throes, from which sweat and drops of blood occur; help from angels that occurs as a result of the weakness of nature, and the like, which is inherent in all people by nature.” But at the same time, “our natural passions were in Christ... both in accordance with nature and above nature. For, in accordance with nature, they were aroused in Him when He allowed the flesh to experience what was characteristic of it; and above nature because in the Lord what was natural did not precede His will, for in Him nothing is seen as forced, but everything as voluntary. For desiring, He hungered; desiring, thirsted; desiring, feared; desiring, He died” (John of Damascus, St. Precise presentation of the Orthodox faith. M.; Rostov-on-Don, 1992, pp. 185–186). The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates (470/469–399 BC) was tried and sentenced to death by the Athenians on false charges of worshiping new deities. From childhood, he was characterized by an inner voice, which he called daimon (i.e. deity, “demon”) and meant by this human conscience and reason. – Note. ed. Συμβουλευτικὸν Ἐγχειϱίδιον. 297. Σημ. 106. In this case, a synaxarist means a collection of synaxars, short lives of saints, arranged in accordance with the church calendar, but originally this word meant “the author of short lives of saints.” Wed. in the synodal translation: and behold, not even half was told to me (1 Kings 10:7). Those. resident of the monastery of John the Baptist (Forerunner in Greek - “Prodromos”). Nicodemus in Greek means “conqueror of the people.” Song 4:16–5.1. The description of the garden largely coincides with the description of the helicopter city in the Song of Solomon (cf. marked in italics with Song 4:14). – Note. ed. This refers to the early Christian apologist Theophilus of Antioch (late 2nd century), author of three books on Autolycus. The expression goes back to Homer (see: Iliad 15.203). We are talking about the spelling of Greek words, which in the book sent were written in violation of the rules prevailing at that time (as follows from this letter, St. Nicodemus left the spellings characteristic of the previous translation, since his tasks included correcting more important shortcomings). Sinesius (c. 370–c. 413), bishop. Kirensky, an orator and philosopher, belonged to the Alexandrian school of Neoplatonism; 9 hymns and 156 letters have come down from him (letter 143 speaks about grave diggers). – Note. ed. Ὁμολογία Πίστεως. Σ. 174–177. This refers to the famous “Alphabetical prayers, in the form of ikos, to our Lord Jesus Christ, touching and beautiful, starting from Theology [i.e. teachings about the Trinity God] and extending even to the Second Coming of Christ, and embracing, according to the order, doxology, thanksgiving, confession and petition.” These are “ikos”, i.e. Akathist to the Lord Jesus, written in imitation of the famous Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, but representing an independent creation of the saint. In recent years, Ikos has been republished several times, including as part of the book by the monk Theoclitus “Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountain and the School of Neonicolaitans.” Ὁμολογία Πίστεως. Σ. 166. Cor.11:28: Let man examine himself, and in this way let him eat of this Bread... Ὁμολογία Πίστεως. Σ. 172. 1 Cor. 3.19. St. Nicodemus quoted the Apostle Paul verbatim, in whom these words are an adaptation from the Book of Job (Job.5:12,13). – Note. ed. Ὁμολογία Πίστεως. Σ. 173–174. Compare: Ὁμολογία Πίστεως. Σ. 174. See about this in the life compiled by Euthymius (Euth. 16). Prayer for Holy Communion 6th, St. Basil the Great (in the abbreviated prayer books, where the 4th prayer of Simeon Metaphrast is omitted, this is the 5th prayer; in the Greek books it is the 2nd). Council of Constantinople in 691–692. called Trullan, Sixth or Fifth-Sixth. – Note. ed. This is precisely the practice that currently exists in many monasteries and monastic communities in Greece and Mount Athos. Ἀόϱατος Πόλεμος. Σ. 227–228. The translation was made from the Greek text, taking into account the translation of St. Theophan the Recluse (see: Invisible Warfare. Part 2. Chapter 3). Γυμνάσματα Πνευματικά. Σ. 220, 458. – Note. m. Theoklit. Πηδάλιον. Σ. 230. Σημ. 1. – Note. m. F. From the prayer of a priest during the Divine Liturgy, in which they thank God for all His blessings. – Note. ed. Apostolic Constitutions 7 9. Vmch. Fanurius (translated from Greek as “revealing”) suffered in the 2nd–3rd centuries. No other information has been preserved, but it has long been revered by the Greeks: on about. In Crete, in the monastery of Vrontisiou, his ancient icon (15th century), painted by the Cretan master Angelos Akotantos (d. 1457), is kept, and the monastery of the Great Martyr is located nearby. Fanuria (14th century). But especially martyr. Fanurius began to be revered in Greece after being discovered in the 15th century. on o. Rhodes of his icons, which was perceived by the enslaved Greeks as the mercy of God. The memory is celebrated on the day the icon was found - August 27. – Note. ed. Hereinafter we mean the Greek edition: Dukakis K. The Great Synaxarist. Great Assembly of All Saints. Athens, 1889–1896. 13 t. – Note. ed. Hereinafter we mean the Greek edition: Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Synaxarist. Venice, 1819. 3 volumes – Note. ed. John 3 Ducas Vatatzes (1193–1254), famous emperor of the Nicaean Empire (1222–1254), canonized. He did a lot of good to the Church, built new churches and monasteries, and financially helped the Orthodox clergy. But at the same time, he put pressure on the Church. – Note. ed. For the latest reprint of these canons, see: Νικόδημος Ἁγιοϱείτης. Θεοτοκάϱιον. Θεσσαλονίκη, 2002. Σ. 367–381. The stichera on praise (on “Glory”, tone 8) is given according to the service “On the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost of All the Reverend Fathers who shone forth on the Holy Mount Athos” (see: Menaion: [In 12 vols]. M.: Moscow Patriarchate, 1978–1989. Vol. 9. Part 3: May. 1987. P. 407). In square brackets are words omitted from the liturgical translation and added by the translator from the original Greek; in round brackets are words that are not in the Greek text. – Note. ed.