6-го числа

St. Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople “First of all, I was called to virtue by my father, who for the sake of Orthodoxy and the true faith, having renounced wealth and honors, agreed to endure everything and died a martyr in exile, and my God-loving mother, attached to virtue and zealous, in no way lagging behind her husband.”... This is how Photius writes about himself and at the same time reveals a life, the height of which is truly drawn from an immutable saving source: Christian education received from parents. Standing out among his contemporaries with his extraordinary intelligence and amazing multifaceted scientific education - even his enemies spoke of him: “he was so distinguished by information in almost all the free secular sciences that he could rightfully be recognized as the glory of his age and could even argue with the ancients” - Photius, however, put the subjects of St. above all. faith. “Our noble muses,” he wrote, “are as much higher than the Hellenic muses as the noble spirit is higher than the life of a slave, and the truth is a lie.” Grandson of St. Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople, who was related to the royal house, who was the head of the guard and the first secretary of state in the Senate, Photius from a young age was placed in a brilliant field, but was not carried away by it; monasticism was more consistent with the aspirations of his soul for solitude, deepening into oneself, and inner work. But he did not seek a high spiritual rank either and avoided it with all his might when his election to patriarch followed. Here are the letters with which Photius responds to this election: “The chosen ones from the clergy, bishops and metropolitans come to me in a council, and in front of them and with them is the pious emperor... They did not retreat from me until they had done a deed that was unwanted by me, but pleasing to them”... (letter to Patriarch Antioch.). And in a letter to Varda: “Having not experienced it in practice, I felt unworthy of the degree of bishop... At the same time, I was embarrassed by the anticipation of the troubles now overwhelming my soul. Hesitated and tormented by them, I cried, begged, and used all measures to reject the election.”... In a letter to Pope Nicholas: “I, as a guilty person, was kept in custody; the sentence was imposed on me against my wishes; I cried, begged, and was tormented when they elevated me to this position. Everyone knows this." Not without great turmoil, however, this election took place, and already by a council of 313 bishops, in 861, it was approved after the deposition of Ignatius. The church calmed down. Photius devoted himself to his studies in governing the Church. In the very first times of his reign, it fell to his lot to promote the general Christian education of the Slavic tribes. On the occasion of the adoption of St. baptism by the Bulgarian prince, he sent an archbishop and priests to Bulgaria to bring the Bulgarian pagans to the faith. He himself wrote to the Bulgarian Prince Michael, “outlining in the 1st part of the epistle the Orthodox teaching about faith and the evasion of various human arbitrarinesses from it, and in the 2nd part proposing the rules of Christian life, exposing love as the essence of the law.” Photius sent his former student Cyril and his brother Methodius to Moravia, at the request of the Moravian princes, so that the teaching about Christ would take place in the popular Slavic language. He also appointed his disciple Abramius as metropolitan in Armenia, the Church of which, through the efforts of Photius, entered into an alliance with the Orthodox 61. Meanwhile, the pope acted against the Eastern Church; he expelled Greek priests from Bulgaria, and through priests instilled in the recent pagan Slavs the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, the importance of Roman statutes and rituals, and demanded obedience to Rome. Latin preachers began to destroy everything that the Greeks had managed to do: they rebelled against the use of the Slavic language in Divine services, spreading that it was a sin to commit it and read St. Scripture in a language other than Greek, Latin or Hebrew... Moreover, they introduced a changed symbol. – Photius could not be indifferent to such actions on the part of Pope Nicholas. He notified the East in a circular letter about the Pope’s retreat from ancient Orthodoxy, and as a result of this, the self-will of the West was condemned at a numerous council. The demands of the popes were rejected, the innovations of the Western Church were condemned. Meanwhile, political circumstances changed, and this had an unfortunate effect on the Church... Basil the Macedonian killed Emperor Michael and took his throne in 867. Photius fearlessly rebelled against Vasily, did not allow him to receive the Eucharist, and thereby greatly irritated him against himself. This was also accompanied by persecution from the pope, who declared that Patriarch Photius was slandering the West and was himself being unfair regarding religion. Confused and irritated, Vasily returned Ignatius to the see and imprisoned Photius in a monastery. The Pope was triumphant and hastened to send legates to the council convened in Constantinople for the trial of Photius and the reconciliation of the two Churches. The meeting at the council began by demanding the unconditional submission of the Eastern Church to the court of the pope. Photius was brought to the 5th meeting; to all the questions that the legates asked him, he answered with silence. When they told him that silence would not save him from condemnation, he answered: “It was the same with the Lord Jesus.” – At the 7th meeting he was asked: does he want to repent? He answered with a question: have the judges themselves come to their senses? - They sought denunciations against him, they insulted him, but, not finding guilt in him, they pronounced anathema on Photius and his bishops... After that, they sent Photius to prison and there they deprived him of everything, not only servants, but also meetings with relatives even during his illness; “They invented another new, strange punishment: they took away all the books.” Photius spent seven years in this captivity. But “I only thanked the Lord,” Photius testified before the council of 879, “patiently bore His judgments against me”... “Anathema,” Photius wrote to one friend, “pronounced by preachers of truth against wickedness is a terrible, most extreme execution. But the truth produced by the enemies is nothing more than a fable or amusement, and instead of execution, it prepares unfading, imperishable glory for the innocent. Since the frenzy and lack of understanding of false zealots has reached the point that, against all order, both Divine and human, against all common sense, they curse the witnesses and defenders of the truth, and, on the contrary, defend barbaric injustice against the Church of God - since then this terrible, extreme punishment of the Church has become the subject of ridicule, and a good person will rightfully wish to be cursed by these people.” At the outrageously unfairly furnished cathedral, which opened already under the successor of Pope Nicholas - Hadrian - where those present were even surrounded by armed soldiers, and where, due to the lack of actual ambassadors from the three Eastern Patriarchs, Saracen attorneys who came to ransom prisoners were presented as authorized for the cathedral - unfortunately, several concessions were made to the pope, but in the case of Bulgaria, firm resistance was offered and it was decided that she belonged to the Eastern Church. Finally, the time came when the emperor himself realized the injustice in relation to Photius and, calling him to court, entrusted him with the education of his children, and after the death of Ignatius he returned the department to him. – In 879, 383 bishops recognized him as the legitimate shepherd of the Church. Then Pope John VΙΙΙ, who knew the merits of Photius and who hoped to gain more influence in Constantinople by friendliness than by threats, explained in a letter and through a legate at the council the abolition of all previous Vatican decrees regarding Photius and generally sought peace with the Eastern Church. But this peace could no longer be durable. Photius made no concessions; the pope lost hope both in Bulgaria and in the recognition of his other claims by the Eastern Church. He was forced to call his bishops from Bulgaria, and Slavic worship was established in this country. This circumstance again armed the Roman Church, which was concerned not so much with enlightening the Slavic countries, but with keeping these areas under the Roman Church and spreading its influence in them. John's successors repeated the anathema to Photius. Under Emperor Leo, Basil's successor, the pope's secret agents slandered Photius in plans against the emperor and achieved that Leo, Photius's pupil, saved by him from the blindness to which Basil wanted to subject him out of suspicion, deposed him from the pulpit. – The great defender of the truth of the Universal Church, one might say, the savior of the Church from the love of power and self-will of the popes, died in the same year (886) in the Armoni monastery - under the anathema of the pope and in disgrace with the Greek emperor. “Leo, hastening to please the pope with the news of the new patriarch, but realizing in his soul that Photius had nothing to accuse, wrote that Photius voluntarily left the see, and was not expelled.” After Photius, many varied works of high merit remained, both in terms of extensive scholarship and elegance of style and warmth of soul. They place him alongside the most famous writers of all centuries (See “Teaching about the Father Church” Philar. Chernih., part III, pp. 253–264). Memory of the suffering of a thirteen-year-old orphan, Christian Fausta The memory of the suffering of the thirteen-year-old orphan, Christian Fausta, during the persecution of Maximian, who was in Cyzicus between 305 and 311. “With miraculous patience in suffering, she turned her tormentors to the faith of Christ - the pagan priest Evilasios, 80 years old, and Eparch Maxim, who rushed with the words: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!” into a cauldron with boiling resin, where Faustus and Evilasius glorified God in suffering, and who died with them... Reverend Father Barsanufius, Egyptian and great ascetic of the 6th century The Venerable Father Barsanuphius, an Egyptian and great ascetic of the 6th century, and his disciples - John, called the prophet, and another John - from the city of Lykos. (See “Teaching about the Father’s Church” Philar. Chernigov.) Memory of St. Vukol, Bishop of Smyrna Consecrated by the Apostle John the Theologian as bishop of the Smyrna Church, St. Vukol led many from the darkness of idolatry to the light of the faith of Christ, and denounced the heretics who appeared, and edified his verbal flock in word and deed. He died peacefully in 105 AD, leaving St. as his successor. Polycarp. Holy Martyrs Dorothea, Christina and Callista and Martyr Theophilus They suffered in Caesarea in Cappadocia, at the beginning of the 4th century, between 300–312. Sapriky, the ruler, demanded the noble maiden Dorothea for trial and told her: “By the command of our great kings, make a sacrifice to the immortal gods.” Dorothea answered: “God, the Heavenly King, commanded me to serve Him alone; let the gods who did not create heaven and earth disappear from the earth and from under the heavens!” (Jer.10:11). – Sanrikiy began to threaten her with torment and finally ordered her to be taken to two women sisters Christina and Callista. They were formerly Christians, but, fearing torment, they fell away from Christ. Now they were instructed to convert Dorothea to paganism, with the promise of a reward for that. “Listen to the judge and do as we did,” the sisters said; "don't ruin yourself." But the saint urged them to repent and turn to Christ again, so as not to perish forever. “We have already perished once by denying Christ; how can we turn to Him again?” - they answered. Then Dorothea said: “To despair of God’s mercy is a greater sin than to worship idols. Do not despair, do not doubt the good Physician and Guardian of your souls (1 Peter 2:25)! He is a Physician because He can heal your wounds; That is why he is called the Savior because he saves. Turn to Him with all your heart, and, without a doubt, He will forgive you.” Both sisters threw themselves at Dorothea’s feet and asked her to pray for them to the merciful God. After some time, the sisters and Dorothea were asked to appear before the ruler. He asked the first ones in private: “Were you able to bend the maiden entrusted to you to the veneration of the gods?” But the sisters exclaimed: “We ourselves got lost and did something bad, that, fearing temporary torment, we sacrificed to idols! We asked her, and she guided us to repentance, through which we hope to receive forgiveness for our sins from Christ God.” Sapriky tore his clothes out of anger and immediately ordered them both, tied back to back, to be thrown into a barrel of tar and burned. With the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, accept our repentance and grant us forgiveness,” they suffered martyrdom and inherited eternal life. Dorothea was given over to torment: she was scorched with fire and cruelly scourged. Finally the ruler condemned her to death; The saint heard with joy about the verdict and exclaimed: “I thank You, Christ God, for calling me to Your paradise!” When they led her to the place of execution, Theophilus, the governor’s adviser, said to her mockingly: “Do you hear, bride of Christ! Send me apples and flowers from the paradise of your Bridegroom Dorotheus answered: “I will truly fulfill your request!” When the saint died from the sword, and Theophilus was laughingly telling his friends and comrades about the promise given to him, an Angel suddenly appeared and gave him three apples with three beautiful flowers and said: “Dorothea sent this to you from the paradise of her Bridegroom.” Theophilus, taking apples and flowers in his hands, exclaimed: “Christ is the true God, and there is no unrighteousness in Him!” - “Laugh enough, Theophilus!” friends told him. “I’m not laughing,” answered Theophilus, “but common sense makes me believe in Christ as in God. Now it is the month of February, winter, and in all of Cappadocia there is not a tree or bush covered with leaves. Where do these flowers and apples come from? I laughed when they led Dorothea to execution, but now I say: blessed are those who believe in Christ and those who suffer for His name!” Some went to the governor and reported to him that Theophilus was glorifying Christ and many, listening to him, believed. He, having called, began to convince him in the name of his wife and children to leave the new faith and, seeing his inflexibility, handed him over to be scourged, whittled with a sharp iron and tortured by fire. Theophilus courageously endured torment, exclaiming: “Christ God! I confess You! Canonize me too among Your saints. The torturer ordered his head to be cut off, and the saint joyfully accepted death. The conversion of the Russian princes Askold and Dir is also associated with the name Photius. In the spring of 866, on the 1st week of Lent, the Russians launched a devastating raid on Greece. The squad of princes threatened Constantinople. The people turned to God with a prayer for help. Patriarch Photius acted as a wonderful instrument of God. Having performed a prayer service, he lowered the robe of the Mother of God, which was kept in the Blachernae Church, into the sea, and a suddenly rising storm sank the Russian ships... This so amazed the Russian princes Askold and Dir that they wanted to accept Christ. faith and, returning to Kyiv, they sent to Constantinople to ask for Christian mentors. Photius sent the Greek bishop to them and then the princes and many with them accepted Christianity. “Vasily concluded a civil peace with the Russians. Photius helped him in this matter and made a conversion to faith.” Photius, in a district letter, writes about the Russians: “Now they themselves have transferred the wicked pagan superstition to the pure and unblemished Christ. faith and, having accepted the bishop and teacher, behave like obedient sons and friends.”