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St. Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian The holy evangelist John was from Bethsaida of Galilee, the son of Zebedee the fisherman and Solomia, the younger brother of James Zebedee (Matthew 4:21,27:56, sn. Mark 15:40,16:1). The parents of James and John were pious people, not rich, simple and submissive to the will of Providence. The father did not prevent his sons from leaving their studies and him and following the Lord who called them. The mother, along with other pious wives, herself followed Jesus Christ, served Him with her property (Matthew 27:55–56, Luke 8:3), took care of the decent burial of Jesus Christ, went to His tomb to anoint His body with precious aromas (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56,24:1). The son of Zebedee and Solomia, John, was an unlearned and simple man (Acts 4:13). Initially, he was drawn to the Savior by the Baptist’s preaching about Him. When the Forerunner, pointing to the Lord, exclaimed: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,” two of his disciples followed Jesus (John 1:36–37). One of them was John. Together with his brother Jacob, he was called by the Lord to the rank of Apostle (Matthew 4:21,10:2), from fishing on Lake Gennesaret (Matthew 4:18–21; Luke 5:1–14). Like his brother, John was named Boanerges by Jesus Christ, that is, the son of thunder (Mark 3:17), as a sign of his special zeal for the glory of his Teacher (Luke 9:54–55) and the greatness of his Gospel preaching. “The theology of John was like thunder to be heard throughout the whole world and to fill the whole earth.” According to Jerome, John was called to the Apostolic ministry at a young age and was younger than the other Apostles, and therefore labored longer than all of them on earth. A year after his calling, John was chosen by the Lord from among His many disciples to be one of the 12 Apostles. During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, John enjoyed His special favor, was His beloved disciple, and, as the Gospel repeatedly testifies to him, Jesus loved him (John 13:23,19:26,21:20), according to St. Chrysostom, for his great meekness and quietness. Together with Peter and James, John was honored by the Lord to be present at the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter, at the transfiguration of the Lord, and at the prayer of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the Lord, for eternal unity with the believers, desired to establish the sacrament of St. Communion, He sent Peter and John to Jerusalem to prepare a special upper room for this (Luke 22:8). During the Last Supper, the beloved disciple reclined on the Lord’s toes (John 13:23,21:20). After Jesus Christ announced His imminent betrayal, which saddened His disciples, at a sign from Peter, John alone dared to ask the Lord about the traitor (John 13:21–26). When Jesus Christ was identified as a traitor and taken in the Garden of Gethsemane, all the disciples fled; only Peter and John followed the Lord (John 18:15). But Peter, during His suffering, denied Him; John stood alone at the cross of the Lord. For such great love, John was highly rewarded by the Lord. From the cross, Jesus Christ commanded him to be with His Most Pure Mother instead of a son. On the third day after the death of Jesus Christ, John, having heard from Mary Magdalene about the failure to find His body in the tomb, was the first to flow to the tomb and see and believe in the resurrection of Christ (John 20:1-8). That same day in the evening, John, together with the other disciples, saw the Risen Lord Himself, and eight days later he saw Him again (John 20:19–26). Then the Risen One appeared to His disciples on the Sea of ​​Tiberias, where St. John. After this, the beloved disciple of Christ repeatedly met the Risen Lord; I also saw His glorious ascension into heaven. Named son of the Most Rev. Virgin Mary, John did not leave Her until her Dormition, which followed in the seventh decade of the first century A.D.; and therefore, perhaps, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, Apostle. John preached the Gospel mostly in Jerusalem and its environs, and together with Apostle. Peter suffered the first chains and beatings for the word of God (Acts III, IV, Acts 8:14,25; Gal.2:9), and, like Apostle. Peter and James, the brother of the Lord, is called in Scripture the pillar of the Church (Gal. 2:9). After the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Apostle. John took upon himself the care of establishing in the faith the Churches of Asia Minor - Ephesus, Pergamum, Smyrna, Thyatira, Sardia, Philadelphia, Laodicea, about which he was told in Revelation. Like Ap. James and Peter, he was not so concerned about traveling for the gospel of St. faith, as much as about establishing it in one place, from where it could subsequently spread further. He chose Ephesus as this place, and lived here from 67 or 68 AD. During the reign of Domitian (81–95), who launched the second persecution against the pagans against Christians, St. John in Rome was thrown into boiling oil, but by the grace of God he remained unharmed. In 94 AD. The Apostle, for his testimony about the Divine Word, was exiled by Emperor Domitian to Patmos, one of the islands of the Archipelago on the Mediterranean Sea, near the shores of Asia Minor, and became the educator of this island. A monument to the stay of St. Ap. John still serves as a monastery founded by Alexei Komnenos on Patmos in the name of the Theologian, and local tradition preserves places consecrated by the presence of the Evangelist John. The inhabitants of the island are all Christians. The Lord appeared to the holy prisoner for the word of God on Patmos, His beloved disciple, and revealed the mysterious destinies of the holy one. His Church to encourage and strengthen the believers. In deep solitude, during the days of the Apostle’s fiery prayer, a whole series of mysterious visions were revealed to him, in which the struggle of the lamb with the serpent and the triumph of the former over the latter were presented. The Lord commanded that these revelations be written and the book sent to the Asian Churches for consolation and instruction to Christians. So, on Patmos in 94 AD. John wrote the Apocalypse, i.e., a revelation about the future fate of the Church of Christ and the whole world (Apocalypse 1:9), and sent his book to the indicated Churches. After Trajan's accession to the throne of Rome, John received freedom and returned to Ephesus, where the main care of St. John was the observance of the spreading faith in purity, the establishment of the Church and piety, despite the multitude of false teachers who appeared. For this purpose, he always had with him many disciples, raised them in true faith and piety and ordained them as bishops for different Churches, so that the Asia Minor Churches in the 2nd century mostly derived from him the succession of their bishopric. Among the temptations from false teachers, believers also needed the personal instructions of the Apostle. Therefore, despite his advanced years, he often undertook journeys to confirm the faithful and convert the lost. At this time, around 97, the Apostle John wrote his conciliar letters; the first of them is to all Christians, and the last two are to individuals. From the latter it is clear that the Apostle wrote them either in preparation for a trip, or during a trip to the countries of Asia Minor. To what extent does St. The Apostle John had love for his spiritual children in order to protect them from the influence of false teachers or to distract them from the path of vice, one can judge from the story about St. John of ancient modern writers. Disciple of St. John St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, talks about his teacher, St. Apostle John that, having once come to Ephesus to wash himself and seeing the heretic Cerinthos in the bathhouse, he ran out, saying: “Let us run away from here; the bathhouse may collapse when Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is in it.” Eusebius, conveying the words of Clement of Alexandria about the fatherly care of St. John about the salvation of sinners, says: “after the death of the tormentor (Domitian), John returned from the island of Patmos to Ephesus and, by invitation, visited the nearest regions of the pagans, partly to install bishops, partly to establish churches, and partly to accept into the clergy certain persons indicated by the Holy Spirit. Having arrived in one city not far from Ephesus and having given consolation to the brethren, he noticed, among other things, a young man, prominent in body, pleasant in face, sensitive in heart, and turning to the bishop in charge, he said: I especially entrust this young man to you, attested by the Church and Christ. The bishop received the young man and promised to take all his care of him. The elder, having taken into his house the young man entrusted to him, raised him, supervised him, looked after him and finally enlightened him with baptism, and after this he relaxed his care and supervision over him, because he informed him of the perfect guardian - the seal of the Lord. Taking advantage of the early relaxation, the young man found himself in a society of idle, depraved people, capable of any evil deed. At first they lured him with luxurious dinners, then they took him away with them, going out at night to commit robbery, and finally they persuaded him to do the worst. The young man gradually got used to it. Having an ardent nature, he, like a wild and powerful horse, rushed from the straight path and, biting the bit, quickly rushed to death. Having subjugated his comrades to his power and made them into a band of robbers, he became their leader, and surpassed everyone in violence, bloodthirstiness and inhumanity.” Meanwhile, the Apostle John came there again and said to the bishop: “Return to us the pledge that I and Christ entrusted to you in the presence of the Church governed by you.” The bishop was at first astonished, wondering whether he had been slandered for appropriating some money that he had not taken. “I want to know about the young man, about the soul of our brother,” said the Apostle. Then the elder took a deep breath and said with tears: “He died! He died for God, became evil, depraved, the head of robbery, and now, instead of the Church, he settled on the mountain with his community.” Then the Apostle, with great sorrow, went to the mountain as quickly as he could. Approaches the indicated location. The guard robbers grabbed him, but he did not think of running or resisting. “Then I came,” he says, so that you would take me to your boss,” who, meanwhile, was already waiting for him with a weapon; but as soon as John approached, he found out and fled out of shame. The Apostle chased after him with all his might, forgetting his old age and shouting after him: “My son, why are you running from me, from your father, from the unarmed and old, my son, have pity on me and do not be afraid! There is still hope for life, I will answer to Christ for you. If necessary, I am glad to die for you, just as the Lord did for us; I am ready to give mine for your soul. Stop, believe, Christ sent me!” The young man stopped, lowered his gaze to the ground, then threw down his weapon, shook and burst into tears. The elder approached him, the young man hugged him, and with expressions of deepest sorrow begged for forgiveness and was baptized a second time in tears, only hiding his right hand, which was given as a sign of peace and a promise of fidelity (1 Macc. 11:50). The Apostle assured and swore that the Savior had also purchased forgiveness of sins for him, begged him, fell on his knees before him, even kissed his right hand, as if it had already been cleansed by repentance, and thus again brought him to the Church. After this, John often prayed for him, maintained long fasts with him, calmed his thoughts with various edifying conversations, and, they say, not before leaving, he had already completely returned him to the bowels of the Church. Among such labors and cares of St. The apostle was finishing his course. Convincing requests from bishops and the intercession of entire Churches prompted him to put in writing what he had hitherto preached orally, and to supplement the three already known Gospels with a new Gospel. Tradition says that St. The Apostle did not begin this task suddenly. Having commanded the whole Church to fast, he, like Moses, withdrew into the mountain with one of his disciples. There he spent three days and three nights in fiery prayer, and finally, after heavenly signs, he ordered his disciple Prokhor to write what he heard from his lips. Prokhor heard and began to write: In the beginning was the Word, etc. The Gospel of John was written in Ephesus probably around 102 AD. in Greek. According to the preface to this Gospel, accepted by the Church from Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, as well as according to some other legends placed by the Church before the Gospel of John, at the end and before the liturgical book of the Apostle, the Gospel of John was written by him “after thirty-two years of the Ascension of Christ.” Tradition says that when the three previously written Gospels spread among everyone and reached John, he undertook to give his testimony about them. “He saw that, decreeing the grace of truth, and whatever they left, replenish that, and decide to reduce the amount, spread this in his gospel.” According to the height of the teaching of the Gospel, especially about the Divinity and the beginningless birth of God the Word, about the Divinity and the beginningless procession of the Holy Spirit from God the Father, St. The Evangelist John was predominantly given the title Theologian by the Church, which is borrowed from the words that make up the beginning of the Gospel: in the beginning there was the Word and the Word was to God and God was the Word. This name, known since the time of the Apostles, became commonly used in the 4th century. In the 4th century, a manuscript of the Gospel of John was found in Jerusalem. Philostorgius writes: when, by order of Julian the Apostate, the foundation for the Church of Judea was being built, one of the stones placed at the very bottom, moving, opened the opening of some cave carved into the rock. Those in charge of the work, wanting to find out what kind of cave it was, lowered one of the workers into it. There he saw a pillar; placing his hand on it, the worker found a book on it, wrapped in a thin and clean cloth, and, taking the find, gave a sign to be dragged back. Having been pulled out, he showed the book and amazed everyone - especially because it looked like a new book and had not been used at all, as well as because it was found in such a place. This book, which brought the pagans and Jews even more into amazement, was immediately unfolded and at the very beginning they read the following words written in capital letters: in the beginning there was the Word and the Word was to God and God was the Word. In general, the book found contained the entire Gospel preached by the theologizing lips of the disciple. Having reached a very old age and being no longer able to come to church himself, St. John, as Blessed writes. Jerome was brought to the sacred assembly by his disciples and continued to repeat loving words: children, love one another. St. Evangelist John lived on earth longer than all the Apostles. Having been more than 100 years old from his birth, he reposed peacefully in Ephesus, about 72 years after the ascension of the Lord. According to an ancient legend, John, sensing the approach of his death, ordered a grave to be prepared for himself, he himself lay down in it, as if on a bed, and died peacefully, and was buried in Ephesus. Day of repose of St. The Church celebrates the Apostle John on September 26, and more solemnly than the days of other saints, glorious and all-praised Apostles and Evangelists, as more than others beloved by Christ God. Honest relics of St. John, soon after his burial, were no longer found in the tomb by those who visited it, but only fragrant myrrh, or some thin air flowed from the tomb every year on May 8th and gave grace-filled healings to the believers. In remembrance of these miraculous signs, since ancient times the Church has established May 8, another holiday in honor of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. In the Chermenetsky Theological Monastery, St. Petersburg. dioceses, on this date they celebrate the appearance of the miraculous icon of John the Theologian around 1480. Venerable Arseny the Great Arseny, originally from a Roman patrician family, even in his young years became famous for his extensive education; with such data he could have a brilliant career ahead of him, but in his inner mood he humbly sought not earthly honors, but spiritual enlightenment. Having devoted himself to serving the Church, he was already in the rank of deacon when Emperor Theodosius the Great wished to have him as a mentor to his children, Honorius and Arkady. It was difficult for a humble clergyman to take on such a responsible duty, because of which, moreover, he also had to live at court, in plain sight. But Theodosius’s requests and convictions that Arseny serve for such an important matter as the education of future rulers of the state forced Arseny (in the 29th year of his life) to agree to such a proposal that was inconsistent with his personal goals. “Be a father to my children more than I am,” the emperor said to Arseny, entrusting his children to him, “because it is much more difficult and important to give children a good mind than life.” Make their souls virtuous, protect them from the temptations of youth. Demand from them complete obedience, like their father and teacher... This is what Arseny did when raising the royal sons. Teaching them languages ​​and sciences, he especially tried to instill in them Christian rules, the desire to please God and earn the love of the people. But the zealot of the task entrusted to him was not satisfied with the success of his educational influence... One of the emperor’s sons, Arkady, did not tolerate the severity of his mentor, in the unbridledness of his temper even planned to kill him... Warned about this, upset, not trusting his own strength and, moreover, guided by a secret voice that inspired him to “flee from people and be silent,” Arseny withdrew from the court and hid in the Egyptian Skete desert... He was then about 40 years old. Here he met with the hermit John Kolov, who flourished in the holiness of his life in the 5th century, and under his leadership he continued his spiritual development and improvement... After several years of strict monastic asceticism, Arseny again, prompted by a mysterious voice: to flee from people and remain in silence, because “silence is the root of sinlessness,” received from John the blessing to indulge in complete solitude and silence in the desert. One of the monastery brothers asked Arseny, who was moving away from them: why is he leaving them? “God knows how much I love you all,” answered the ascetic, “but you cannot be with people and with God at the same time. There are thousands of thousands of higher powers in heaven, and darkness of those, but they all have one will and unanimously glorify God. On earth, human wills and thoughts are varied: everyone has their own will and thought... How can we be together with people and with God?” ... Arseny’s constant prayer was: “God, do not leave me; I have done nothing good before You, but by Your mercy grant me a beginning!” When Arseny was still living in the monastery, one of the brothers, having once heard that the great ascetic was asking for advice from one simple, unlearned elder, asked him in surprise: “How is it that you, who have studied the Greek and Roman sciences, ask for guidance from a simple, unenlightened elder?” “It is true that I have a scientific education,” answered Arseny, “but I don’t even know the alphabet of what this simple and unlearned man knows, because,” he concluded in his explanation, “humility is the beginning of all virtues, just as the alphabet is the beginning of book learning.” Wandering from one desert to another (after leaving the Skete desert, he spent 10 years in Troen or Trogin, 3 years in Kanop, the last 2 years again in Troen) 154, Arseny returned from time to time to his cell in the skete and “no one,” it is said in his life, “could comprehend his way of life”... The fame of Arseny's exploits was widespread; from the life of St. Euthymius shows that even during Arseny’s life, the fame of his holiness forced people to collect information about his life 155. Arseny's former pupil, Arkady, who now occupied the throne of the Eastern Emperor, sent him a letter in which he asked him to forgive him for the errors of his young age, also asked the hermit to bless him and his brother Honorius, who took the throne of the Western Empire, and sent him gifts. Arseny did not answer in writing, but instructed to convey in words that God had forgiven both emperors and blessed them for wise governance; The hermit refused the royal gifts, saying that he had long since died for the world and did not need anything... Arseny fed on his own labors and never accepted help from his rich relatives; when one of them, dying, bequeathed an inheritance to him, he refused to accept it, saying: “I died before him: how can he, who died recently, make me heir to his estate?” Possessing both scientific and spiritual enlightenment, the Monk Arseny did not consider himself worthy to teach others. “He never wanted to talk about any controversial passage of Scripture, although he could if he wanted; “He rarely wrote letters,” says his student Daniil about Arseny. However, no matter how much he avoided visitors, many came to ask for his instructions; He once said to one of these: “If we truly begin to seek God, then He Himself will come to us, and we will see Him; and if we keep Him by pure living, He will remain with us.” St. spent more than 50 years in spiritual exploits. Arseny the Great, away from the world, and died in the 95th year - in 449 or early 450. After him, only his “sayings” and “instructions to monks” remained known, preserved in ancient patericons or collections of sayings of the desert fathers. † St. Emilia, mother of Basil the Great, Macrina and Theosevia, his sisters The grandmother, mother and two sisters of Basil the Great, by the grace of God, were sincere, wonderful servants of God 156. Blessed Emilia, in her youth, strongly desired to remain a virgin until death. But, having lost her mother and father early, from whom the emperor’s anger took away her property and life, she was forced to act against her wishes. Her rare beauty made her an object of quest for young people, so there was a plan to kidnap her. Rootlessness and danger to her soul forced her to seek support for herself in a pious husband, and the general opinion about the high qualities of the lawyer Vasily disposed her to agree to give her hand to Vasily. The young wife of Vasily found herself a great mentor in the mother of her husband, St. Makrine. Grandmother of St. Basil the Great had a wonderful wife in intelligence and piety. She was a student of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea. During the Diocletian persecution, which continued under Galerius and Maximinus, she and her husband were among those who decided better to wander from one place to another, to endure poverty, hunger and all troubles, than to change their faith. In 305 they retired to the Pontic forests and remained wanderers for seven years. In the dense forest they were deprived of any human assistance, reaching an extreme lack of food; but God, through their prayer, sent them wonderful help. Beautiful goats, descending from the mountain, easily approached them and gave themselves into their hands. This visible cover of the Almighty strengthened the exiles in patience and struggle for faith. Under Licinius (in 320), their estates were confiscated. Macrina remained firm in her faith. It is clear how much such a great wife meant to the young wife Emilia. Her grandson, the great Basil, wrote in his time to the Neocaesarians: “What proof of my faith could be clearer than the fact that I was raised by my grandmother, a blessed wife, who is yours by birth? I’m talking about the fiery Macrina, from whom I learned the words of the most blessed Gregory, which she herself preserved as a gift of tradition, and imprinted on us, still little ones, forming us with the dogmas of piety” 157. Vasily and Emilia lived with the same Christian thoughts and feelings. Emilia, with the consent of her husband, fed the poor, calmed the strange, helped the sick, and made donations to churches. Although the parents of both spouses were deprived of almost their entire fortune during the persecution for St. faith, but God, for the good deeds of the spouses, increased their earthly property so much that there was no one in that region richer than them. They owned lands in three provinces, in Pontus, Cappadocia and Lesser Armenia. Subsequently, each of the children had more in their share than the father received. When son Peter was born, his father died and Emilia was left with nine children. She raised everyone in deep piety. Three of them were bishops: Vasily, Gregory, Peter. St. Gregory of Nazianza spoke with delight about Emilia: “She gave the world so many such lamps, sons and daughters, married and celibate; she is happy and fertile like no one else. Three glorious priests; one participant in priesthood mysteries; and others - the face of the celestials. I'm amazed at how rich Emilia's family is! The pious blood of Emilia is the property of Christ; this is the root! Most excellent! This is the reward of your piety: the glory of your sons, with whom you have the same desires” 158. His son Basil the Great triumphantly pointed out to his enemies that he was taught the faith by his mother Emilia 159. Emilia's granddaughters, the children of one of her daughters, were in charge at the Caesarea monastery 160. The eldest of Emilia's children was Macrina, and Macrina was her mother's helper for earth and heaven. God was pleased, when Emilia was pregnant for the first time, to announce to her about this daughter and show her what the daughter would be. She dreams that she is carrying her daughter in her arms and that a majestic old man, approaching the child, called her Thekla three times. Emilia woke up and gave birth so easily that as soon as the dream ended, a daughter was born. From that time on, mother and father were convinced that the name given to their daughter was a foreshadowing of the daughter’s qualities, close to the qualities of St. Thekla maidens. A nurse was called into the house; but the child almost did not leave his mother’s arms, he was at peace only in her arms. Emilia deeply understood the duty of a mother. If a man, in the hustle and bustle of life and caring about it, is not always attentive to himself, then all the more distant from him is the constant supervision of the development of inclinations and concepts in children. Therefore, it is primarily the mother’s duty to supervise the development of the child’s mental and physical strength. Unhappy is the mother who does not want to know her calling, so high! Emilia treasured this calling. Apparently, some mothers are not carefree about their children: but from experience it turns out that she still did not fulfill her duty. Why is this so? Because she taught the children the wrong things, what and how they should teach. Macrina's upbringing is all the more noteworthy because Emilia herself took it as a model by which she raised other children and especially her daughters, and one cannot help but wish that other parents would follow this model. The Greeks almost always began teaching children with fables and some literary works, just like our dear progressive teachers. Emilia saw that in pagan works there were many thoughts and pictures that were offensive to a pure soul. (If only there were fewer of those glorified by progressives!) Therefore, she took the sacred songs of David and the parables of Solomon for educational books. From them she chose some passages of prayer or praise, or with lessons of life wisdom, and forced them to learn them by heart. So, no matter what Macrina did, sacred verses and instructions were her constant companions-supervisors (and not dissolute teachers?). Emilia taught her daughter to sing, but did not let her sing the song of Anacreon and Sappho. Everything that could leave impressions of rottenness and moral stench in the young soul was removed by the mother from the sight and ears of her youth. Mothers themselves took their children (they still consider it their duty to take them) to the theater and amphitheater. Emilia recognized that the harm from theatrical scenes was no longer remunerative, that they wean the soul from the love of work and accustom it to frivolity and absent-mindedness 161. She taught her daughter women's handicrafts and housekeeping, especially since physical labor strengthens her health. Is it so now? Here is a respectable parent and mother walking with their children. A young man walks next to them. The youngest seven-year-old son felt hot, and he took off his velvet caftan. The young man immediately offers his services, takes and carries the caftan, which weighs a pound. The mother stood up and, taking the caftan and handing it to her son, said timidly: “let him get used to it.” Of course, thank God for the fact that “let him get used to it!” But, dear mother! Are you kind to your son and to yourself, that your son is weighed down by a pound of weight, and you are preparing different types of weights for yourself from him? Don't be inferior to a female. After homework, Emilia took her daughter to the Church of God to listen to sacred songs and prayers. Her son, already a saint, wrote “to young men about how to use pagan works” 162: Emilia’s pedagogy meant so much. Macrina, who had grown up, was a beauty in body and soul. Defending her soul, they hid it from immodest eyes. But some managed to see her, others learned about the wonderful qualities of her soul. Therefore they began to look for her hands. The father chose a worthy groom for his daughter and spoke about the chosen one; but God, who was preparing a different atmosphere for the pure dove, arranged it in His own way. While the chosen groom tried to strengthen the good opinion of himself in the Macrina family by protecting the innocently accused, an illness was sent to him and he died. This decided the future of Macrina. When her parents offered her other suitors, she answered: “My fiance is not dead, he is only away; why cheat on him?” Now Macrina tried more than ever to be useful to her mother. Several maids could not perform as many services as Macrina alone performed. And her mother loved her dearly. “I carried other children,” she said, “only for a while, but I was never separated from Macrina.” This connection between daughter and mother was beneficial for both, and the benefit was invaluable; the mother controlled her daughter’s feelings and thoughts, and the daughter cared for her mother to such an extent that she baked bread for her and sewed linen with her own hands. When the father of the family died, Macrina was her mother’s main assistant in managing estates located in different regions. What was more important was that Macrina had influence on the moral life of the entire family. Although the mother stood on a high level of moral life; but Macrina insensitively led her higher and higher, by the example of her selfless life. She inspired Brother Vasily to devote himself exclusively to the study of Gospel wisdom. She educated Peter, being his second mother and mentor. When all the brothers and sisters could already take charge of themselves, she persuaded her mother to retire with her to the monastery. With such determination, mother and daughter built a monastery in Pontus, on the banks of the Iris River, not far from Mount Ivora. There, having removed everything that could scatter them, they changed their way of life, turned their maidservants into their girlfriends and devoted themselves mainly to prayer. St. Gregory describes their desert life this way: “There was no difference in the community with respect to food and drink, as well as with regard to cells or furniture and other needs of life. The inequality of fortunes, classes, and significance in the former secular life did not leave any trace here. The life they led was so holy, its virtue so high, that I cannot describe it. Their precision in fulfilling the duties of the charter day and night corresponded to the zeal with which they burned. They could be compared with those blessed souls who, having left the shackles of the body, soar to heaven; their hearts were so cleansed of everything earthly that, one might say, they lived like angels. There was no sign of anger, envy, suspicion or hatred in them. they threw away all secular vanity - the desire for distinction, fame, brilliance. Their pleasure lay in abstinence, glory in obscurity, wealth in lack of property, strength in weakness; They shook off everything worldly from themselves like dust. Every minute was considered lost if it were spent on something external and perishing. Their activities consisted of prayer and the singing of psalms, which was not interrupted day or night.” Blessed Macrina ascended from perfection to perfection, conquering with firmness the manifestations of the corruption of nature. Regarding everyday needs, Blessed Peter helped Macrina and the monastery, who was raised by her and who now paid her for her kindness with diligent care for his sister and mother: he lived not far away, in another monastery, which was built by his mother and where St. first labored. Vasily. The latter also helped his sister and mother from time to time. Mother and daughter were visited by an unexpected loss. Pavkratius, the second son of Emilia, was brought dead from the desert along with a servant, and no one could explain the reasons for their death. Macrina was all the more amazing in this case because, shocked to the depths of her heart by the loss of her beloved brother, she so overcame her feelings with thoughts of faith that she calmed her inconsolable mother. “There were no screams or moans, no tears or other ordinary manifestations of the cruel grief of the mother and sister; there was only everything worthy of wives who dedicated themselves to God.” How strong in spirit blessed Macrina was, how close her soul was to the Lord, this was revealed on a special occasion. An extraordinary growth formed under Macrina’s neck, on her chest: it was assumed that it was an internal abscess, and they considered it necessary to perform a surgical operation, so that otherwise the disease would not spread to the lungs and liver and cause death. The mother begged Macrina to agree to follow the medical advice: the doctor was given by God for our benefit, said the tender mother. But the tall virgin decided to endure all the suffering rather than expose her body in front of the cameraman’s eyes. She turned her hopes to the Lord. Having stayed with her mother until the all-night vigil, she retired to the prayer room of the monastery and spent the whole night there in tears, begging the Heavenly Doctor to show His will over her. Then she took some earth, soaked with her tears, and applied it to the sore part of her body. Her hopes were not disappointed. Returning to her mother, she said that if she wishes her recovery, then let her make the sign of the cross over the sore spot. The mother wanted to fulfill this; but, putting her hand to her daughter’s chest, she noticed that the growth had disappeared; All that remained was a sign, as if the place had been pricked with a needle. “It was God’s will,” says St. Gregory, “to leave this trace as a monument to the miracle that has taken place.” Emilia, having reached a ripe old age, was finally to experience the common lot of mortals. Of her children, only Macrina and Peter were with her. Feeling the approach of death, she spoke with inexpressible tenderness to those present about those who were absent, and with prayer for her children her holy life ended on May 8, 375 163. Less than four years passed after that, and then St. died. Basil the Great († Jan. 1, 379). If his death plunged the entire Church into deep sadness, then how must Macrina have suffered when the news of his death reached her desert? She understood his significance for the modern Church, and she was his tender sister. But just as gold is purified by fire, so the soul of the great virgin, having gone through three difficult losses for her, renounced earthly things. 9 months have passed since then. There was a council in Antioch, at which St. Gregory of Nyssa. He was in a hurry to see his sister Macrina after the loss of his brother. “The 3rd day before my arrival,” he says, “I had a vision in a dream. It seemed that I was carrying the relics of the martyr in my arms, and such light emanated from them that I could not look at its brightness. This vision happened three times a night. And I could not understand the meaning of the vision; there was only some kind of sadness in my soul. Approaching the monastery where my sister spent her angelic life, I asked one of the many who met me: is my brother there? He replied that his brother left in four days, and his sister was sick. I hurried; my heart sank within me.” Upon arrival at the monastery and its church, “I went to my sister’s cell. She was lying not on the bed, not on the mattress, but on the ground, on a board covered with hair shirt; instead of a pillow, under her head there was another board, placed at an angle. My sister was very sick and when she saw me, unable to get up due to weakness, she rose up on her beggarly bed to receive me with honor. I ran up to her, calmed her down, laid her down; Then, raising her hands to the sky, she said: “I thank You, Lord my God! You fulfilled my desire and inspired Your servant to visit Your servant.” She tried to hide the heaviness of her breathing from us and, in order to sweeten our sadness about her, she increased her smile and talked to us about subjects pleasant to us. The speech leaned toward the late Great Basil. I couldn't stop the sadness from showing on my face. But she, inspired by lofty thoughts, spoke to us with such sublimity about the wondrous look of God, extending to all cases of earthly life, that my soul, carried away by her, soared above all natural feelings and flew to heaven. Then I could not marvel at how she, consumed by a fever that had deprived her of strength and had already poured cold sweat over her exhausted body, could retain complete freedom of thought, like Job, covered with wounds. She easily, subtly, sublimely explained the state of the soul, the life we ​​spend on earth, the purpose for which we are born, the immortality in which our once mortal body will be clothed, and why we must enter into a new life. Words flowed from her mouth like a stream from a source that nothing stops 164. Finally she told me; “It’s time for you, brother, to rest after a hard and long journey.” What rest could be sweeter than her words? But I obeyed and took refuge under the shade of trees in a nearby garden. My vision about the relics was explained, I told some who were here about it. My holy sister, penetrating my thoughts from afar, sent to tell us so that we would not be distressed - her illness is a blessing; she meant death, about which she sighed in order to quickly enjoy the sight of the Savior. We immediately got up and went to her. Not wanting to waste the last minutes of her life on useless things, she began to talk about everything that had happened to her since childhood as if she was reading from a book; I counted all the blessings with which God had bestowed upon our father, mother, and family, and blessed Him from the depths of my soul for His mercies. I began to talk about how much I suffered when I was exiled for my faith by Emperor Valens, and about other disasters of church unrest. “Will you stop,” she said, from losing sight of all the good deeds that you owe to God? Beware of ingratitude. He rewarded you with favors more generously than his parents. Although my father became famous in his youth in public affairs, which earned him the respect of his fellow citizens, his name did not cross the borders of Pontus. And your name has spread so far that the Churches invite you, they turn to you to restore order and rules between them. Find out, with deep gratitude of your heart, this is the mercy of God and the effect of the prayers of our parents.” After listening to the prayers of the all-night vigil and resting at night, when morning came, it was not difficult for me to be convinced that this morning was the last for the patient - the fever consumed the remainder of the sufferer’s strength. My soul was agitated by two feelings - grief, because my sister’s tenderness aroused in me tenderness for her - holy; I heard the last words from her lips; another feeling was amazement at the sight of the inexpressible calm with which she awaited her death. The sun was already close to setting; The strength and energy of her mind did not weaken in the least. She stopped talking to us. With her hands folded, her eyes motionlessly fixed on the dwelling of the Heavenly Bridegroom (her beggar's bed was facing the east), she spoke to Him sweetly and so quietly that we could hardly hear other words. But we understood what she was saying to Him: “Lord! You deliver us from the fear of death... The end of this life is the beginning of true life... You leave us to rest for a while and awaken us with the sound of a trumpet at the end of the ages. Eternal God, to whom I belong from my mother’s womb, whom I have always loved with all the strength of my heart, to whom I have dedicated my body and soul! give me a bright angel who would accompany me and lead me to the holy fathers, to a place of peace and coolness. You, who have forgiven one of those crucified with You, as soon as he resorted to Your mercy, remember me too in Your Kingdom. Let not the terrifying darkness separate me from Your chosen ones; Let the envious spirit not prevent me from soaring to You; May my sins disappear before You. You forgive mortals, forgive the sins that I have committed due to the weakness of nature, in a word, in a thought, so that, leaving this body, I feel cleansed from all filth, and You would accept my soul as an incense before You!” After this touching and loving conversation with the Savior, she made the sign of the cross on her lips, eyes and heart. When it got dark and the candles were brought in, she opened her eyes and said that she wanted to read the all-night vigil, but her voice betrayed her, she only mentally prayed and read the psalms, we were silent. Having finished, she tried to raise her hand to her face to cross herself - a long and deep sigh escaped from her chest, and her life ended along with her prayer. The hermits, who had drowned out sadness and groans in their hearts out of respect for the abbess, now that she was gone, filled the air with sobs and cries of grief. Vestiana, a pious woman who, having lost her husband, chose St. Macrina, the leader of spiritual life, remained with the deceased when others left. The saint asked: would they not consider it necessary to dress the deceased in decent clothes? They called Lampadia and she answered that the deceased had never liked beautiful clothes, and she had no other clothes other than the one they saw on her. “Do you have anything left?” asked the saint. Here, answered Lampadia, a worn-out robe, a basting and shoes - all her wealth. The chests and wardrobe are empty; she has nothing on earth. Such was the poverty of the holy virgin! A thin robe, a basting and shoes - these are all the property of the abbess, the one who received a rich inheritance. The body was covered with one of the saint's brother's robes, and on top was covered with the mantle of the deceased mother. Vestiana, who dressed the deceased, found under the deceased’s head a cord on which there was a cross 165 and a small iron ring 166. “Let’s divide the inheritance,” said the saint, “take the cross for yourself, and give me ring". “Your choice is happy,” answered Vestiana, in this ring there is a piece of the life-giving tree.” The rumor about the death of the saint called a countless number of people of all ranks to the monastery. The local bishop arrived with his clergy. He and St. Gregory and the senior presbyters carried the coffin to the Church of the Martyrs, where it was placed next to his mother’s coffin in the family crypt. Blessed Macrina performed miracles even in her earthly life, healed the sick, cast out demons, miraculously multiplied bread. But, says the saint, people are reluctant to believe what they do not see with their own eyes, and therefore, in order not to lead to unbelief, he does not describe miracles. Epitaph of St. Gregory of Nazianza to Macrina: “Here is a monument to the famous maiden. You have certainly heard about Macrina, the eldest daughter of the great Emilia. She hid from the eyes of every man. But now it is on everyone’s tongue and its glory is most resounding” 167. The same great saint saluted another daughter of St. Emilia - St. Theosevia. A strange mistake was made about Theosebius, an offensive mistake especially for the saint, one or the other. Theosevia, glorified by the great Theologian, was considered the wife of St. Gregory of Nyssa, then St. Gregory of Nazianza 168. Why did they think so? Because they did not take the trouble to understand the exact meaning of the name: ἱερέος σύζηγος, with which Theozevia is honored by the Theologian. In relation to the Nyssa archpastor, one must keep in mind that St. The theologian calls Theosevia the sister of Gregory of Nyssa and the daughter of the great Emilia. How could she be the wife of her own brother? After that, only paganism could hold onto the words: ἱερέος σύζηγος the meaning of the priest’s wife. At St. For the theologian, this means that Theosevia, with the rank of deaconess, was her brother’s faithful companion, a zealous assistant to him in the affairs of the episcopacy. Then it is easy to understand that the words: ἱερέος σύζηγος were in vain applied to the marriage of Gregory of Nazianza. He says: “my Theosevia,” but he also says directly that he does not understand bodily relations. Comforting St. Gregory of Nyssa at the death of Theosevia, St. The theologian wrote: “I hear that after the death of your holy and blessed sister, you maintain amazing patience and wisdom, like a good, perfect husband, standing before God, knowing more than others both God’s and man’s. What is very bitter and difficult for others, was easy for you - to send such a sister who lived with you away from you, to place her in a safe home, I will say in the words of Holy Scripture, like a haystack of a threshing floor brought in on time (Job 5:26). Although she tasted the pleasures of life, yet due to her age she was freed from sorrows. Before I mourned you, I was honored by you with a wonderful burial, which should be for such wives. And I myself, believe me, desire death, if not to the same extent as you (to say this about myself would be a lot), then no less than you. But are we able to do anything against the statute of God, which has long been so powerful over us, which stole my Theosevia (who lived for God I call mine, because spiritual kinship is higher than the physical), Theosevia, the glory of the Church, the adornment of Christ, the need of our age, the boldness of the female sex, with such beauty of her brothers, she was distinguished by her brilliant beauty, Theosevia is truly sacred, a fellow priest, venerable and worthy of the great sacraments. - Theosevia, whose memory will be preserved in the future on immortal pillars, that is, on the souls of all those who knew her until now, and who will recognize her later! And don’t be surprised if I repeat her name many times, because I enjoy the memory of the blessed one. And this is my funeral word for her, and my comforting word for you, which contains a lot in a little." 169 St. Gregory also left the epitaph “Theosevia, sister of the great Basil”: “And that Theosevia, daughter of the glorious Emilia, faithful comrade of the great Gregory, was covered here with sacred soil. Supporter of pious wives, you left this life in time” 170. In Emilia’s inscription, he distinguishes Theosevia from Emilia’s other children as follows: “one is a participant in the mysteries of the priesthood.” Thus, blessed Theosevia was a deaconess who dedicated her life to being a faithful assistant to her brother-bishop. Theosevia, “worthy of great sacraments, participant in the mysteries of the priesthood.” As a deaconess, she was an actor in the baptism of wives; as a deaconess, she experienced the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist, which was inaccessible to the laity, even to men. “Choose,” the ancient canons tell the bishop, “a faithful and holy deaconess to serve wives. It sometimes happens that in some houses you cannot send a deacon to the wives because of unbelievers, then to calm the thoughts of bad people, you can send a deaconess” 171. As a deaconess, Theosevia carried out the bishop's orders for wives in hospitals, prisons, and deathbeds. It is not for nothing that the Theologian more than once calls Theosevia a comrade, a faithful comrade of the great Gregory. This name allows us to see that if Gregory the bishop suffered, then Theosevia also suffered. In 375, Gregory, slandered, was expelled from the throne by the Arians, and for three years, until Valens died, he wandered, moving from one place to another. The zealous shepherd did not remain inactive even then: “the good that you spread is durable, although you yourself do not have a stable place,” St. wrote to him. Theologian 172. Theosevia, the faithful companion of the great Gregory, shared a wandering life with her brother-bishop; she, on behalf of the bishop, acted on the wives in maintaining Orthodoxy, oppressed by Arian power. What a great service of the wondrous virgin! Theosevia is “truly sacred, the support of pious wives.” She is a deaconess in more ways than one; she sanctified herself with zealous service to the holy faith and the sisters. The letter comforting his brother about the death of Theosevia was written in 385 173. This means that Theosevia, upon her brother’s return to the see, continued her ministry as a deaconess for another seven years. Memory of St. Theosevia on January 10th on the same day when the memory of St. Gregory of Nyssa, to whom she was such a diligent assistant. “Monthly. East." archim. Sergius, vol. II, part 2, p. 128. The main source of information is the words of St. Gregory of Nyssa on the life of Macrina in. Act. Sanet, Julia Tom. IV, 589, s. iot. Nysseni opera ed. 1638 T. 2, 677 S. In Chetye-Mineya July 19 abbreviated. Epist. 204 ad Neocsesar. Op. s. Basilii ed. Migne 4, 751. Creativity. St. Basil 7, 69. In another letter, against Eustathian, he says: “that concept of God, which I acquired from childhood from my blessed mother and grandmother Macrina, grew in me.” Or. 4, 826. Creativity. 7, 126. The Roman Church glorifies the memory of the elder Macrina Jan. 14. In the monthly books of the Greek Church, for some strange reason, her name is not visible among the saints, while Gregory of Nyssa, in describing the life of the younger Macrina, speaks of her confessional exploits. Or. s. Gregorii 4, 37. Sons of Emilia: Basil of Caesarea, Naucratius (killed early), Gregory of Nyssa, Peter of Sebaste, the monk mentioned by Philostorgius; daughters: Macrina, Theosevia, three others unknown by name. “The theater is an open school of intemperance (ασελγιας),” says Vasily Vel. Demon. 4, for six days. Tertullian: “the theater is a privileged hall of shamelessness and a castle of all kinds of infamy.” De Spectac, p. 10. 17. Creation St. Vasily 4, 344–366. According to the Roman martyrology, the memory of St. Emilia - May 8th and again on May 30th “in Caesarea Cappadocia the memory of St. Vasily and Emmelia his wife, parents of St. Basil, who in the time of Maximin, having been expelled, lived in the Pontic deserts and after persecution, leaving their children as heirs of their virtues, they rested in peace.” The news is incorrect. The grandfather of St. is mixed here. Vasily with his father. St. Gregory subsequently described “a conversation with Sister Macrina about the soul and immortality,” ed. translated into 4 parts of the works of St. Gregory pp. 201–326. Here St. Gregory calls Macrina his mentor. Let not all the words learned by St. Macrina, belong to her - St. Gregory, while free, revealed the subject of the conversation with the dying woman and in some ways complemented the conversation: but even then in Macrina one can see not only amazing firmness and depth of thought, but also extensive acquaintance with pagan philosophy. Let the new materialists listen to Macrina, who discusses the spirituality of the soul; They will probably not be left without benefit, if only they value the truth at all. In the life of St. John the Merciful, § 1, says about his disciple Zechariah: “he took off the silver cross he was wearing and gave it to him” (the beggar) (Patr. Lat. 73, 341). The cross on his neck was worn by the martyr Procopius under Diocletian (Concil. Nicaenum act. 4. Callista ist. 7, 15. Chet-Minea July 8), the Christian warrior Orestes (Chet-Min. Dec. 13). They think that this ring was placed on Macrina’s hand when she accepted monasticism as a sign of betrothal to Christ. To justify this idea, the words of St. much Agnes from the story of her suffering: “My Lord Jesus Christ betrothed me with His ring and crowned me as His bride.” Optatus of Milevitsky says about the crown: “there are no rules given what kind of wool the crown should be made of and what kind of purple it should be covered with” (Lib. 6, cont. Donat). The crown is now the kukul of the nun. For ancient local rites of initiation of a virgin, see add. to creation father 1, 286, 287. Orthodox. interlocutor 1865 3, 292. Or. s. Gregorii Naz. 4, 76. St. Macrina died in 383 and her memory is July. 19. The wife of Gregory of Nyssa is called Theosevia of Vershinsky in the month book (p. 7) and St. Demetrius in Chetye-Minea Jan. 10. Irenaeus (Short Lives p. 41. MU. 1861) weaves fables like this: “when he (Gregory) was still a presbyter, his wife Theozva was a deaconess; after being ordained to the priesthood, they lived like brother and sister.” Even the learned Theiners (Einführung, enzwungen Thelosigkeit 1,2667. Altenburg 1845) do not part with the thought of Theosevia, the wife of Nyssa. The muratorium passed off Theosevia as the wife of Gregory of Nazianza. Or. s. Gregorii Naz. 2, 322–326. Creation St. Gregory, 6, 281–283. Or. s. Gregorii 4, 78. Creation. St. Gregory 5, 381. Regulation Apostle book 3, ch. 15. Epist. s. Gregorii 34, words. epist. 35. Doctrine of the Church Fathers 2.194,195. Or. s. Fregorii Naz. 3, 318–322 ed. Migne.