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Holy Hieromartyr Hypatius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Gangria Hypatius was bishop of Gangra, in Paphlagonia; He was famous for his virtuous life and miracles. On his way back from the first Ecumenical Council, he was killed by heretics in 326 in Galatia, but his relics were transferred by the faithful to Gangry. - In honor of this saint, the Ipatievsky Monastery, famous from historical memories, is located in Kostroma, founded in 1330 by the Tatar Murza Chet, in the baptism of Zacharias, in grateful memory of the miraculous appearance to him of the Mother of God with the eternal Child and with the Apostle Philip and the Hieromartyr Hypatius of Gangra standing in prayer. This was when Murza, on his way to Moscow, stopped near Kostroma to rest. Saints Avda the bishop and Benjamin the deacon, victims of Persia Avda, Bishop of Susa, was beheaded in 418 for spreading the faith and burning the church, and Benjamin, at the request of the Roman envoy, was released on the condition not to spread Christianity among the Persians. But recognizing this condition as contrary to conscience, he continued to convert the infidels and suffered three years after Abda (in 421). † Repose of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of All Russia and Wonderworker “The path of the righteous, like the brightness of light, breaks forth more and more until the very middle of the day” (Prov. 4:18). Such was the life of Saint Jonah, Metropolitan of All Russia 278. Born near Soligalich, the blessed one took monastic vows for 12 years in one of the Galich monasteries, or as Grand Duke Vasily wrote about him, “from infancy he lived in a virtuous life” 279. Subsequently he came to the Simonov Monastery. “Then there were, writes the Monk Joseph, the great elders - Bartholomew the economist, John the Golden and Ignatius the icon painter; Seeing that the monastic customs were changing, they did not remain silent about this, but forbade it, and did not allow disorder and rebellion to occur, for which they suffered many sorrows and sorrows from the then archimandrites, especially Blessed Bartholomew, to whom the autocrat Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich was entrusted with economic management. The abbots, in anger, more than once wanted to beat him with a stick, but were restrained by fear of the sovereign. Blessed Bartholomew constantly cared about the monastic order, first spiritual, then physical; He went around everywhere and looked at the monastery, in the refectory, in the kitchen, in the bakery, in the courtyards, in the cells, and if he saw disorder anywhere, he did not remain silent about it, but at first spoke meekly and with love, then he restrained the disobedient with severe reprimands and kicked out those who did not want to lag behind their bad customs from the monastery” 280. It was under the influence of what mentors and what kind of deanery that blessed Jonah lived in Simonovo. He remained here in continuous labor, in severe fasting, prayer and reading the word of God, undergoing various obediences. In such exploits his spirit rose from perfection to perfection. Once Saint Photius, having visited the Simonov Monastery, found the monk Jonah sleeping in the monastery bakery; on his face one could see the exhaustion from the labors of his soul and body, and he held his right hand on his head, “I will bow down, as if I blessed it”; and the saint said to those around him: “Know, children, this monk will be a great saint of the Russian land, will lead many infidels to the true God, and will finally be appointed shepherd and teacher to the reigning city of Moscow itself.”281 His strict life and firm knowledge of the teachings of the Holy Church earned Blessed Jonah such general respect that he was consecrated bishop of Ryazan, and when Saint Photius died (in July 1431), the council and the Grand Duke entrusted him with managing the affairs of the metropolis. Thus, Jonah, Bishop of Ryazan, already at the beginning of 1433 acted as “ordained to the most holy Russian Metropolis” 282. As the Ryazan archpastor, Saint Jonah acted with Apostolic zeal against the superstitions and evil beliefs of the vast Ryazan country. In the Ryazan diocese, which then included, in addition to Murom and Ryazan, parts of the current Voronezh and Tambov dioceses, there were many pagans and Mohammedans. The saint turned his zeal to the spread of the holy faith and “turned many unfaithful people to God and baptized them.” The blessed shepherd had to grieve greatly for his flock in Ryazan. Under him (1444), Tsarevich Mustafa robbed the Ryazan volosts. Caught in a severe cold, he died with his horde under the swords of the Moscow army; but this did not please me for long. A few months later, the Tatars of the Golden Horde avenged the prince by devastating the Ryazan Ukraine 283. The human decision to be a saint. Jonah did not soon become Metropolitan of Russia due to a long series of obstacles. Everyone recognized him as worthy of a high title, everyone wished him this title; and yet the time did not soon come when St. Jonah became metropolitan. Of course, this situation was not easy. Jonah. - But St. the shepherd always appears with silent submission to God's providence and always with firm fidelity to the promptings of his conscience. In 1433, Gerasim, Bishop of Smolensk, returned from Constantinople as Metropolitan; but he did not live long († July 26, 1435) 284. Grand Duke Vasily sent the Ryazan archpastor to Constantinople for ordination as metropolitan; but Isidore was already appointed and dedicated there. The Council of Constantinople said at the same time that St. Jonah: “whatever the will of God will provide for Sidor, or die by death, or otherwise, what will become of him: and you Jonah, Bishop of Ryazan, are ready, blessed on that great throne of Kiev and all Rus'” 285. The conciliar condemnation of the traitor to Orthodoxy Isidore was also signed by the saint of Ryazan 286. The Grand Duke prepared (1441) ambassadors and a letter to the emperor that from now on it would be allowed for the Council of Orthodoxy to elect and install a metropolitan in Russia; but rumors of betrayal of Orthodoxy in Constantinople forced the ambassador to be turned back from the road 287. Meanwhile, the civil unrest that arose in Russia delayed the execution of the decision on the metropolitan for a long time. Grand Duke Vasily, captured by Dimitri Shemyaka, was blinded (February 16, 1446) and imprisoned in Uglich. The Ryazan bishop, who enjoyed general respect, was summoned by the same Shemyak to Moscow; promising his favors to the children of the unfortunate Vasily, and blessed. Receiving Jonah with honor as a metropolitan, Shemyaka convinced St. the elder to take the young princes from Murom onto his stole. St. Jonah delivered them to Shemyaka, and he forced him to take them to Uglich, where their father was imprisoned. By the will of Shemyaka, the saint lived thereafter in Moscow at the metropolitan court, but he repeated to Demetrius: “You have committed a lie and led me into sin and shame. You should have released the prince; and you put his children in captivity with him. You gave me your word and made me a deceiver.” No matter how little Shemyaka valued honesty, but not wanting to seem dishonest and cruel, he declared freedom to the Dark One and gave him Vologda and Kolomna as his inheritance. After 5 months (February 17, 1447), Vasily’s friends returned the grand-ducal throne to him. Shemyaka concluded an agreement with the Grand Duke, but continued to disturb Russia with his lust for power. Then the council of shepherds sent out a formidable accusatory message against Shemyaka. Here Saint Jonah expressed in strong terms the insult that Shemyaka’s deception inflicted on his hierarchical rank. “You have defiled,” says the message to Demetrius, our stoles with your godless words; but we hope you know what those stoles mean? they are an image of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, which took place during His saving crucifixion... Our stoles cannot be defiled by your words, but you are destroying your soul” 288. When Grand Duke Vasily established himself on his throne, they turned to the matter of the metropolitan. They did not expect anything more from Constantinople: there, as they learned, the Pope was being commemorated in the St. Sophia Church. Council of Russian Shepherds based on the Apostle. Rules and 4 Ave. of the Council of Nicea, following the example of the times of Yaroslav and Izyaslav, determined (December 1448) to consecrate Jonah as Metropolitan of all Russia 289. The first concern of the new metropolitan was to stop the anxiety and bloodshed caused by Shemyaka and his rebellious friends. The saint, with a district letter, called on everyone who was carried away to the side of Shemyaka to seek forgiveness from the legitimate sovereign of Russia and not to destroy their souls through bloodshed and enmity; otherwise he threatened to close the churches of God for them 290. Shemyaka worried Russia. The Grand Duke led troops against Shemyaka, the saint went together with the Grand Duke and the council of bishops to convince the perjurer personally. Some of Shemyaka's supporters lagged behind him; Shemyaka reconciled himself, gave a peace document with curses against himself. But then he retired to Novgorod and there raised a disturbance against the Grand Duke. The Holy Metropolitan more than once sent letters and ambassadors there with admonitions to the Novgorodians; Finally, death (1453) stopped the unrest of the indomitable power-hungry 291. Another subject of concern for the saint was to unite the dioceses of the southwest under the control of one metropolitan. This was necessary especially in view of the dangers from the machinations of papism. The saint (in 1449) took part in the peaceful relations of the Grand Duke with King Casimir and approved their agreement with his blessing. The king, for his part, expressed his consent to the subordination of the Orthodox dioceses of the Principality of Lithuania to Saint Jonah and invited Jonah himself to Lithuania for a personal meeting 292. The saint asked the Kyiv prince Alexander Vladimirovich to assist in the fulfillment of the king’s promises 293. And at the beginning of 1451 he himself went to Lithuania. The king kept his word and issued the saint a charter to govern the Kiev Metropolis 294. In this situation, his St. Jonah immediately demanded to see the Vladimir Bishop Daniel, dedicated by Isidore, forced him to renounce his agreement with the Roman Church and pledge to remain faithful to St. Orthodoxy, after which he released him to his diocese 295. He also appointed his governors for the cities directly dependent on the Kyiv Metropolis (Kyiv, Vilna, Novogrudok and Grodno) with the rights to issue letters of approval to those seeking clergy, monitor compliance with church regulations, judge the guilty, manage church estates and collect income from them 296. At the same time that the good shepherd was gathering and putting in order his scattered flock, a grave sorrow was being prepared for him in Moscow. He had barely returned to Moscow when the son of Sediakhmet approached it (1451) with the Nogai predators. The Grand Duke left the capital to gather more strength to help her and entrusted her protection to St. Jonah and the boyars. The enemy (July 2) set fire to the outskirts of Moscow. The good shepherd, under the heat of a terrible fire, in clouds of smoke, made a religious procession along the walls of the Kremlin. Tatar arrows whistled, and one monk of the Chudov Monastery. Anthony, beloved by the saint for the severity of his life, barely had time to say that the Lord would save the city for the saint’s prayers, when he fell, pierced by an arrow. Through the prayers of the saint, the wind, which was driving smoke and flames towards the Kremlin, subsided. By the evening of that day, the besieged made a sortie, and in the morning there was no longer an enemy under the walls of Moscow - he fled, abandoning all his burdens. – The saint himself performed the burial of the fallen monk. After another invasion of Sediakhmet, who boasted of enslaving Russia, but was driven out by the son of the Grand Duke, the saint built a church at the Assumption Cathedral in praise of the Mother of God. At the same time, at the western gates of the Assumption Church, he founded a “stone chamber” with the Church of the Placing of the Robe of the Mother of God; this is the new house of the Russian high priests, which formerly was at the Borovsky Gate at the Church of the Forerunner. – The saint’s hopes in the Lord were so strong that he promised the Grand Duke, out loud to everyone, the imminent independence of Russia from the Tatars; The Russian princes, he said, will not go to the wicked horde to bow 297. The saint of God tried to instill sincere piety in his flock and eradicate bad habits, either with admonitions and pastoral orders, or with the help of civil authorities. – This is what the Grand Duke wrote in a letter of 1453 to his village officials: “My father, Metropolitan Jonah, told me that our people go uninvited to metropolitan villages for holidays, feasts and brotherhoods, and at these feasts there are murders, thefts and other bad deeds. And I, the Grand Duke, gave the Metropolitan a letter so that uninvited people would not go to his villages for holidays, feasts and brotherhoods” 298. The morals of that time were wild, and pride, for which the power of faith is always intolerable, was revealed in the most rude antics. In Vyshgorod, the volost of Vereisky Prince Mikhail, the ten-year manager and the nobles of the saint were beaten to a pulp. The saint demanded from the prince that the townspeople be immediately punished, threatening otherwise to strike them with ecclesiastical excommunication. “Ask your old boyars,” the saint wrote to the prince: did such disrespect for the Church of God and the saints ever happen under your ancestors and parents? You know that Grand Duke Vytautas, like the present king, and all their princes and lords are not of our faith; but ask how they protect the Church and what honor they give it! And these people, being Orthodox Christians, revile and dishonor the Church of God and us... I pray that you, as an Orthodox ruler, protect the Church of God and me, your father and shepherd, from the townspeople, so that nothing like this will happen in the future. If you don’t protect, then beware of retribution from God, but I will defend myself from them by the law of God” 299. – Residents of Smolensk mourned that their ancient miraculous icon of the Mother of God remained in Moscow, left here by the last Smolensk prince. Their bishop Mikhail appeared in Moscow with an earnest request to return the Smolensk shrine to Smolensk. The High Hierarch was glad at such a request and, wanting the ancient shrine to nourish and support ancient piety in Smolensk, he convinced the Grand Duke to release the miraculous icon to Smolensk. As a consolation to Moscow, an exact copy of the miraculous icon was left in Moscow, and the high priest ordered a prayer service to be sung every day before the new icon of the Mother of God 300. In 1453, Constantinople fell under the blows of Mohammed. – The suffering of the Greek Church was indescribable. - Wonderful defender of St. Patriarch Gennady asked St. for faith from the Pope and from Mohammed. Jonah about helping the needy Christians of the East. The holy metropolitan, sending a response with the ambassador of the Grand Duke Ivan Vladimirovich, apologized for the paucity of the aid sent and wrote that he valued the alliance with the patriarch of Orthodoxy 301. – In all likelihood, as a result of this relationship with His Holiness, the Russian Church received permission to elect and appoint a metropolitan for itself without communication with the patriarch, and the metropolitanate of Russia was established first after the Patriarch of Jerusalem 302. Dad was bursting with frustration that St. The Lithuanian dioceses were given to Jonah, and he did not want to give up his dream of power over Russia. In 1458, Gregory, a student of Isidore, was installed in Rome as Metropolitan of Russia. The Grand Duke, having heard about this, wrote to King Casimir so that he would not accept Isidore’s disciple, as he would never be accepted as a descendant of St. Vladimir. The bishops of northern Russia at the council decided not to accept the impostor Gregory, and from now on the legitimate Metropolitan of Russia is the one who is dedicated at the tomb of the wonderworker Peter. St. Jonah sent two abbots to Lithuania with a message to the Lithuanian bishops, princes, lords and people, exhorting them to stand firmly for Orthodoxy 303. “The princes reassured the metropolitan about themselves, but made it clear that they needed the help of the Grand Duke. The bishops also sent an answer with a promise of fidelity to Orthodoxy, but, to the sorrow of the saint, others entered into relations with Gregory 304. – Isidore’s disciple brought with him to Lithuania the letters of the false patriarch Mamma and Isidore and the formidable bull of Pope Pius II. - The Pope, entrusting Gregory to the king, ordered that 9 dioceses be transferred to him, and about St. Jonah wrote: “to catch and shackle the apostate Jonah” 305. But how the Lord disgraces human pride! The Pope calls Jonah wicked, and the Lord had already glorified him with the gift of miracles; The Pope calls the defender of Orthodoxy an apostate, but the Lord listened to him as a beloved shepherd - a messenger! “And then there was in Moscow the Most Reverend Metropolitan Jonah of Kiev and All Rus', who was also the wonderworker,” says almost his contemporary, the Venerable. Joseph of Volokolamsk 306. The Council of Northern Shepherds, having sworn an oath not to accept Gregory, sent a circular message - not to listen to the Metropolitan of Rome 307. The saint himself wrote to the Lithuanian bishops and lords: “just as Isidore is a traitor to Orthodoxy, so Gregory is the same, and was appointed an apostate by Mamma. In the Orthodox Church, for five centuries, none of its great men entered into communion with the pope” 308. Inspiring everyone to stand firmly in Orthodoxy, the saint said: “if anyone had to die for his confession, I believe in Christ, my Master, he will be numbered among the martyrs” 309. Meanwhile, Casimir, fulfilling the will of the pope, sent an embassy to Moscow with a proposal to replace the aged Jonah with Gregory. The Grand Duke did not want to hear about it and replied that Gregory was not the Metropolitan of Russia 310. St. himself Jonah hastened to reinforce with his letters the flocks and shepherds of Novgorod, Smolensk and Chernigov, and added: “if anyone is subjected to violence and coercion in the faith: let him come to me” 311. This is how the saint of God labored, already close to death! So that the Russian Church, in its grave oppression from the pope, does not remain without a supreme shepherd, ready for the exodus from this life of St. Jonah, on the advice of the leader. the prince and with the consent of the bishops, appointed a successor to himself - the eldest of the archbishops in service, Theodosius of Rostov 312. He was notified from above about his imminent death. And about her it was revealed to others through the keymaster of the Assumption Cathedral, Presbyter Jacob. At night, the cathedral watchman saw lighting in the church. The sacristan, notified of this, saw burning candles and heard a voice: “Go, tell my servant, Metropolitan Jonah, that through his prayer a sign will be revealed on his leg - an illness; Having arranged everything that is right for himself and his flock, he will move into eternal life.” The embarrassed presbyter did not dare to appear to the saint; but the saint himself called him, rebuked him for disobedience to the heavenly commandment and said that his wife, then healthy, would soon die, which was fulfilled. The prediction about the saint was also fulfilled. Pain in the leg opened; but the saint did not stop visiting the church, preparing for that life. His blessed death followed on March 31, 1461 313. A contemporary of his death says: “his face was not like that of a dead man, but he seemed to be sleeping, this is from his high life, which, as we heard, he spent from his youth, following the example of the holy fathers” 314. After such a life, after the miracles performed by the saint during his lifetime, there was no doubt that he was a servant pleasing to the Lord. Less than a year after his death, his spiritual friend, St. Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod, commissioned the educated monk Pachomius to write a canon for St. Jonah 315. After 11 years, his relics were found incorrupt and then many miracles were performed at his relics: at the same time it was established to celebrate “throughout the whole earth” on July 1 the discovery of the relics of the saint 316. The ancient biography describes several experiences of the miraculous power that acted in the saint during his lifetime. The housekeeper Pimen was tasked with giving honey to the poor on certain days. One widow asked him for a drink for her illness. Pimen said with anger: go away, it’s not time yet. The saint, having learned about this, said to Pimen: “Do you know what kind of widow you insulted? God is sending you death for this, go and repent.” And he ordered him to be tonsured into the schema, after which he died. He entrusted one servant with a significant amount of money to distribute to the poor. He gave away half and kept the other for himself. A poor widow came to the saint with a complaint that she had been given nothing. The saint asked the servant: why didn’t they give it to her? He replied that she was shameless, they gave it to her more than once. The widow insisted that she had not received anything; the Saint said to the servant: “You steal and lie, and then you will die.” At that same hour he felt a terrible fever and died. Led a young daughter. Prince Vasily Anna, later the wife of Ryazan Prince Vasily Ivanovich, I was sick and dying. Almost lifeless, they brought her to the saint’s cell, and his prayers restored her to life and health. And then there was one, like there are now, and more than one, who said that the girl recovered by herself; envy did not allow him to recognize the peculiarity in the saint of God. The saint, calling him, said: “Terrible blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, my son; Believe, health was restored to the sick woman by the Lord through the faith of her pious parents.” – He began to brazenly speak ridicule. “Let the lips of the wicked be stopped,” said the saint, and he became speechless and died 317. We have already seen that the saint was a zealous teacher of faith and piety. Up to now, up to 35 of his epistles and the order of ordaining a bishop 318 have been published. Some of the messages relate to the protection of civil peace in Russia 319, others to the protection of Orthodoxy from the violence of papism 320, others console those who mourn, or admonish those who are inattentive to themselves 321, others protect the order of internal church government 322. He wrote to Vyatka: I pray you, priests of the Lord, look around in every possible way and shudder... See into what mouth the immortal body and the honorable blood of the Lord enters. If you dare to approach or allow anyone to approach those immortal and life-giving mysteries with unclean and vile lips, you are like grass touching fire” 323. To the Novgorodians, after offering instructions about the destruction of enmity, he wrote: “how sweet, my children, repentance! It is the root of life. Sweet and kind, kind and generous, the humane God and builder of our salvation rejoices at the tears of the repentant and rejoices at our confession. He waits with great patience for our conversion and does not leave the very last, begging, calling each of us to turn to Him from hostile deeds... It is good, my children, to obey the Divine Scripture... Just as obedience, my children, is life, so disobedience is death. The witness to my words is the first man created by God. If I had not disobeyed the Creator’s commandments, I would not have lost the tree of life; and the one expelled from paradise is condemned to death both himself and his descendants. I also bless you, my children, so that in everything you will be obedient to our son and brother, and to your father and teacher, the God-loving Archbishop Euthymius, according to the word of the Lord, who said: listen to you, He listens to Me, but if you are rejected by Me, He will also be rejected by Him who sent Me. - He, children, was appointed by God as a saint, teacher and shepherd of Christian souls, he is the vicar of our Lord Christ Himself and a prayer book for human souls; he was given the authority of the holy Apostles: whoever he looses on earth is loosed in heaven, and whoever he binds on earth is bound in heaven. Give him honor and obedience, and you will receive a reward from God in time and in eternity” 324. To children who did not obey their mother, he wrote: “your mother, and my daughter, the princess, complained to me about you, that you, either through your negligence, or through the teaching of the devil, or because of your youth, not only do not honor her, but also offend her in everything. Her husband, the prince, gave her a separate property, something for her to live on as long as God pleases, and then after death to help her soul; your father gave you special parts. And you took away from your mother what was given to her. This is an ungodly thing, children; you are building your own destruction in time and eternity. Do you not remember the Lord, Who says: “Whoever curses his father and mother, let him die?” And the Apostle said: “Children, listen to your parents, this is pleasing to God.” And in another place the Scripture says: “Like a servant, serve the one who gave birth to you; what will you give back against their giving?” The tributary says: “who honors his father and mother, he himself will rejoice over his children, and he who glorifies his father and mother will create long days and cleanse his sins; For the father's blessing establishes houses, but the mother's oath uproots the foundation... I am writing to you briefly so that you come to your senses - you would ask for forgiveness from your mother and return respect to her, according to God's command - you would obey her in everything, and not offend her; let her manage hers, and you – yours, with your father’s blessing. Write to us when you are reconciled with your mother, and I, out of my holy duty, and out of your pure repentance, will pray to God for you. If you begin to anger and insult your mother again; then, there is nothing to do, I myself, fearing God, out of holy duty, will send for my son, for your ruler, and for many other sacred persons, and together with them, having read the sacred rules, having spoken and judged, we will place on you the spiritual burden of the church, ours and the other sacred persons’ unblessing.”325 Venerable Hypatius, healer of Pechersk He labored in the 14th century, a great faster and man of prayer, devoting himself primarily to serving the sick and receiving from God the grace of miraculous healings. With the assistance of faith and prayer, Rev. Hypatius healed the sick with one touch of his hand; - at all times and after his death, those who turned with faith to his intercession received healing from illnesses. His relics rest in the Feodosiev caves in Kiev. Holy and Righteous Joseph the Beautiful Blessed Joseph, beautiful in body and soul, the son of Jacob and his other wife Rachel, was the eleventh son of Jacob, and the twelfth son was Benjamin, born of Rachel. Rachel died shortly after the birth of Benjamin and was buried in Euphrapha (in Bethlehem). And both her sons were dear to Jacob, as if they were born in his old age. Being seventeen years old, he tended sheep with his half-brothers, and seeing their misdeeds, he turned away from their deeds; That's why he was disliked by them. They suspected him of being a spy and especially hated him when Jacob gave him clothes made of colorful fabric, and Joseph himself told him two of his dreams that foreshadowed his future fate. “Listen to what I dreamed! - he said to the brothers, - it seemed to me that we were all together in the field and knitting sheaves. And behold, my sheaf suddenly rose from the lying sheaves and stood upright, and your sheaves bowed down to him.” “Will you not become our ruler and master?” said the brothers indignantly. But soon Joseph had another wonderful dream, and he hastened to tell it to his father and brothers. “I saw that the sun and the month with the eleven stars surrounding them bowed to me.” This time his father ordered him to be silent, saying: “What does this dream mean? Shall I and your mother (Leah’s stepmother) and brothers begin to bow to the ground before you?” And the brothers began to plot against him. At one time, Joseph and little Benjamin remained with their father in the Hebron Valley, and the rest of the brothers tended flocks in Shechem. Having no news for several days, Jacob sent Joseph to visit his brothers. Joseph did not find his brothers in Shechem and, at the direction of a certain traveler, he headed to Dophaim. The brothers saw him from afar, and before the young man approached, they had already decided to destroy him. “Here comes the dreamer! - they said to each other. “We’ll kill him and throw him into a ditch, and tell his father that the animals tore him to pieces.” Let's see how his dreams come true? But Reuben, the elder brother, who loved Joseph, said: “Brothers, do not shed blood; Better throw him into that empty well so he can die there.” This is what he said, seeing the constant anger of the brothers and then wanting to secretly save Joseph. As soon as Joseph approached and said the usual greeting: “Peace be with you,” they rushed at him, took off his colorful robe and, not heeding the cries of the innocent, threw him into a deep, dry well. After committing the crime, they ate and drank, not at all sparing their brother. And so, a caravan of Ishmaelite merchants appeared, heading to Egypt. On the advice of Judah, one of the brothers, they decided to sell Joseph to these merchants so that they would take him to a distant country, and having taken him out of the well, they sold him for twenty gold coins. Reuben was away; Returning late and not finding Joseph, he wept inconsolably. Finally, to cover up their crime, the brothers, having bloodied Joseph’s clothes with the blood of a goat, sent them to their father with the message: “We found these clothes in the field and learned that these were the clothes of Joseph, our brother, and we grieve that we did not find him; We are sending it to you so that you too can consider whether this clothing belongs to your son?” And Jacob tore his clothes, put on rags and wept for many days, saying: “I will go down to my son into the underworld!” The merchants brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him to the nobleman Pentephry, the chief of the Pharaoh's bodyguards. But the Lord was with Joseph and blessed all his endeavors. Pentefry fell in love with his slave and entrusted him with the management of his entire house. Joseph was approaching his twenty-seventh year, when his wife Pentefria, with her speeches and actions, began to incline him to sin, but he answered her: “I am no longer in this house, and my master has not forbidden me anything except you, because you are his wife, how can I do this great evil and sin before God?” Joseph reasoned with her many times; but one day she grabbed him by his clothes, and he left his clothes in her hands and ran out. Then the hypocrite called her household and slandered Joseph before them and before her husband. The angry nobleman ordered Joseph to be imprisoned in a prison where state criminals were kept. But the Lord was with Joseph and extended mercy to him, and the warden favored and trusted him. It soon happened that two nobles, a cupbearer and a baker at the court of Pharaoh, angered the sovereign and were imprisoned. After some time, they had a dream one night, which foreshadowed each of their future fates. The cupbearer imagined three dry grape branches suddenly covered with leaves and bearing ripe grapes; the cup was in his hands; he took a ripe bunch of grapes, squeezed the juice into a bowl and presented it to Pharaoh. When he told his dream to Joseph, he said: “In three days, Pharaoh will return your rank to you, but I ask you to remember me in your happiness and intercede for the innocent.” Then the baker told his dream to Joseph. He dreamed that he was carrying three baskets of bread on his head; Suddenly birds appeared and pecked at the bread. And Joseph said, “In three days they will take off your head and hang you on a tree, and the birds will eat your flesh.” And so it happened; but the cupbearer did not remember Joseph and did not say a word about him to Pharaoh. After this, two years passed, and the king was embarrassed by a strange vision. He dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River, and suddenly seven fat cows came out of the river and grazed along the bank; but after them seven skinny cows came out, and rushing forward they devoured the fat ones, although they themselves remained skinny. The king woke up, but soon fell asleep again and saw that seven ears of grain, thin and dry, had devoured seven full ones. Pharaoh woke up and was confused; and he called together the wise men and fortune-tellers of Egypt, demanding the interpretation of the dream. But no one could explain this to him. Then the cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about interpreting dreams in prison. Hearing this, Pharaoh was glad and ordered Joseph to be brought out of prison immediately. He was released, his long hair was cut, his clothes were changed and he was presented to the king. And the king said to him: “I heard about you that you explain the meaning of dreams.” Joseph answered: “This is not mine, God will give an answer for the benefit of Pharaoh.” And Pharaoh told his dream. Then Joseph said: “The dream of the Pharaohs is one; what God will do, He told Pharaoh. Seven good cows and seven good ears of corn are seven years of plenty, and seven cows and seven thin ears of corn are seven years of famine after those previous years. And that the dream repeated itself means that it was decided by God, and God will soon fulfill it. Now, sir, choose a wise man and place him over the land of Egypt; and appoint overseers to gather a fifth of all the fruits of the earth in seven fruitful years. And let this collection serve as a supply for seven years of hunger.” Pharaoh and his nobles liked these words. And Pharaoh said to them: “Shall we find a man like him, in whom is the Spirit of God?” And he said to Joseph: “Look, I will make you over all the land of Egypt.” And he took his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and dressed him in fine linen garments and put a golden chain around his neck. And he ordered to take him on the second of his chariots and proclaim before him: bow down! And he set him over all the land of Egypt, and said to him: “Without your will, no one will move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.” And the king gave him Asepeva, the daughter of Pentephry, priest of Iliopolis, as his wife. Joseph was thirty years old when he appeared before Pharaoh and was exalted by him. So God looked upon Joseph’s humility and meekness! He became the second king and received the honorary title “Guardian of the Kingdom.” God blessed his marriage with two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph's words came true. The summers of plenty came, and so much grain was collected that there was even enough to last the hungry for seven years. The famine also spread to the land in which Jacob lived. Hearing that they were selling bread in Egypt, he said to the children: “Go to Egypt, buy wheat so that we don’t have to die of hunger.” His ten sons went to buy bread. Joseph was not recognized by them; he, in order to admonish them, at first dealt harshly with them, as if they were spies of the enemy, and finally releasing them with the purchase, he left brother Simeon as a pledge until they brought brother Benjamin, whom they themselves mentioned during interrogation. The next year they came again for bread and brought with them Benjamin, whom his father sent away with grief and tears. On this second meeting, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and told them: “I am your brother whom you sold. Do not mourn now; you sold me for your salvation. There will be no harvest or sowing for another five years. You see that God sent me here for the best for you. Hurry to your father and tell him about me, and bring him here with his whole house to feed himself in those years.” Meanwhile, Pharaoh, having heard that the brothers had come to Joseph, ordered him to transfer his entire family to Egypt and settle in the land of Goshen, which was most suitable for shepherd life. And Joseph gave gifts to his brothers and provided them with chariots and horses and donkeys to travel to Egypt. At the joyful news about Joseph, Jacob revived in spirit and, having thanked God, prepared to set out. Before the walls of the city of Ramessa, Joseph met his father, bowed to the ground and cried for a long time on his neck. “Now I can die,” said Jacob, hugging his son; “I also saw you! You’re still alive, my Joseph!” Pharaoh accepted Jacob with honor and gave him and his family the country of Goshen, near Arabia, to inhabit. Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years and, feeling the end of his earthly wanderings, he called Joseph and asked to be buried not in Egypt, but in his native land, in a common tomb with his fathers. Joseph swore to do this. The entire house of Joseph, his brothers and a large retinue of Egyptians accompanied the coffin of Jacob to Canaan and buried him in the cave of Mamre, where Abraham and Sarah and Isaac were already buried. Upon returning to Egypt, the brothers, fearing revenge, sent word to Joseph: “Your father bequeathed before his death to tell you to forgive the guilt of your brothers; and forgive the iniquity of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph cried when they told him this. The brothers themselves came and said: “Behold, we are your servants.” And Joseph said to them: “Do not be afraid; have I forgotten God? Behold, you intended evil against me, but God turned it into good. So, don't be afraid. I will feed you and your children." And he calmed them down. In total, Joseph's life was one hundred and ten years; He saw his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and before his death he bequeathed that during the general exit from Egypt, his bones should be taken out and buried in the cave of Mamre. Celebration of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God The legend of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God begins in the 9th century, when iconoclasm was rampant. This icon was initially in the house of a rich, pious and virtuous widow who lived near Nicaea, and then in a special church built through her diligence not far from her house. She had the greatest reverence and often turned to the icon with warm prayers for her needs. During the reign of Theophilus the iconoclast, those sent by him to destroy holy icons everywhere came to the pious Nicene widow, but she, with the promise of money, persuaded them to leave the shrine with her until the morning; in this case, one of them struck the image of the Mother of God with a sword and caused a wound. After the selfish and rude tormentors had been removed, the widow and her son came to the church where the holy icon was located, and prayed for a long time before it with kneeling and tears. But in order to save her from a new desecration, the widow that same night took the shrine to the seashore and there, throwing herself on the ground, she begged the Queen of Heaven to deliver her from the royal wrath, and her image from drowning. After the prayer, having kissed the icon, she lowered it into the sea and, to her great joy, saw that the icon, in an upright position, rushed across the water to the west. The pious mother inspired her son to move away from the persecution of the iconoclasts to Greece. The young man went to Thessaloniki, and from there he moved to Mount Athos and there accepted monasticism. From him the Athonite monks heard about the icon that his mother had floated across the sea. Two hundred years after this event, the monks of the Athos Iveron monastery, founded in 980 and named Iveron in honor of the founders of its three noble Iverons, one evening saw a pillar of fire on the sea. The phenomenon repeated for several days and nights in a row. Not understanding what this vision meant, they prayed for a long time in bewilderment and fear. When the desert dwellers from all the surrounding monasteries gathered and came closer to the sea, they saw that a pillar of fire towered over the icon of the Mother of God, standing on the water and, as they approached, moving away from them. The monks of the Iversky Monastery gathered in the church and with tears prayed to God to grant them the miraculous appearance of St. icon. At that time, the pious elder Gabriel, originally from Iberia, lived in the monastery. The Mother of God appeared to him in a dream, illuminated by the light of heaven, and ordered him to announce to the abbot and brethren that She wanted to give them Her icon for help and intercession, commanding the elder to walk with faith on the sea waves and accept Her icon for his monastery. Gabriel announced the vision; The abbot and brethren the next morning went ashore during prayer singing with censers and lamps. The elder fearlessly approached St. through the waters. icon and was honored to accept it with his own hands. With joy, the monks met her on the shore and built a prayer church for her here, and for three days and three nights they continuously performed a prayer service in front of the shrine; after this they brought it into the cathedral monastery church and reverently placed it in the altar. Subsequently, the Mother of God was pleased to place Her Iveron Icon in another place. One day before Matins, the monk appointed to light candles and lamps, entering the church as usual, did not find the Iveron Icon in the place where it was placed. After a long search, they found it on the wall above the monastery gate and took it to its original place; but the next morning she again appeared above the gates and was again transferred to the cathedral church. This transfer and return of the icon took place several times. Finally, the Mother of God appeared for the second time in a dream to Elder Gabriel and said: “Declare to the brethren that they no longer tempt Me and do not try to keep My icon in the cathedral, but leave it on the gate. I do not want to be kept by you, but I want to be your guardian not only in this life, but also in the future. May all who live here in virtuous living and fear of God trust in the mercy of My Son. And here is a sign for you: as long as My icon is in your monastery, the grace and mercy of My Son towards you will not fail. From that time on, the joyful brethren no longer disturbed the holy icon and built a church in honor of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary above the monastery gates, where She Herself had chosen a place for Herself. In this church, an honest icon of Her now stands on the left side of the royal gates. By the name of the monastery it is called Iverskaya, and by its location above the gate it is called Portaitissa (Πορταιτησσα) - the Goalkeeper or Gatekeeper. Miracles and healings from St. Iveron Afopian icons are innumerable. To this day, the wound inflicted by the robber on the cheek of the depicted Most Pure Virgin is visible. This barbarian, in a frenzy, struck Her icon with a sword, and at that very moment, blood flowed from the face of the Mother of God, as if from a living thing. Horrified by such an extraordinary phenomenon, he immediately repented and entered the ranks of the brethren of the Iveron Monastery, where he ended his days in the strictest asceticism and was nicknamed the holy barbarian. In a similar way, the Saracen predators, who had once robbed the Iveron monastery, repented, and not only turned to the true God, but also gave up all their treasures to restore the churches they had devastated. The Iverskaya monastery also owes its salvation from the invasion of the Persians to the intercession of the Mother of God the Goalkeeper, who, under the leadership of Amira, landed on the shores of Athos on fifteen ships with the intention of robbing the Iversky monastery. The frightened monks, taking with them church vessels and St. icon, took refuge in one fortified tower and there they prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to protect them and save Her monastery from destruction. Through their prayer, a storm suddenly followed and sank all the Persian ships with the people on them. Amira, seeing the death of his soldiers and ships, repented of his daring act and asked the monks to pray to God for mercy on him, and handed them a lot of gold and silver to build new walls around the monastery. Among the miracles of the Mother of God should be included the fact that I am St. Her icon, being on the monastery gates, often did not allow people who had any spiritual impurity to enter there. The Iveron monastery, from the time of the appearance of the miraculous image in it, did not lack anything; many contributions from God-loving people enriched it with decorations and treasures. Recently, “there was great confusion and anxiety in St. grief, so the fathers, the inhabitants of Athonite, wanted to flee from there. Before this confusion, it was considered in St. woe to all the brethren, up to forty thousand, and now (in 1854) no more than one thousand remained; and they wanted to leave and run, who knows where; and they believed that the Mother of God had completely abandoned St. mountain, and St. Mount Athos will be desolate. But during these anxious and sorrowful thoughts, the Queen of Heaven and quick Helper appeared to many fathers and desert dwellers and said: “Why were you very afraid, and why are such thoughts entering your hearts? All this will pass and end; and again the St. will be filled. mountain of monastics. Here I am giving you notice that when My icon is in St. grief, in the Iversky Monastery, then do not be afraid of anything, and live in your cells. And when I leave the Iversky Monastery, then let everyone take their bag and go, who knows where. And now the desert dwellers come to the Iveron Monastery every week and see if the Mother of God is standing in her place, and, having seen them, they joyfully return to their desert cells.” Travelers who visited the monasteries of Athos mention the features of the image of the Iveron Mother of God and the decorations of her icon. In the 17th century, the Iveron miraculous icon was mentioned by a Russian admirer, Barsky, who traveled (1729–1747) to St. places, formerly in the Iveron Athos monastery. “In the beautiful,” he says, at the inner gates of the monastery, the created church, in the iconostasis, instead of the usual local Mother of God, stands St. a miraculous icon, named by the ancient monks the Goalkeeper, with great fringes, holding Christ the Savior in her left hand, blackened by many years, everything except the face is covered with silver-gilded clothes, and in addition, studded with valuable stones and gold coins from various kings, princes and noble boyars, given for her many miracles: where the Russian tsars and queens, emperors and empresses, princes and princesses, gold coins and other gifts were hung in sight of my hair. Have also St. This icon is a sign or a scar of an ulcer on the cheek, which was received in ancient times from one who was previously unfaithful, and was called a barbarian, and struck with a knife out of malice and hatred.” Another recent eyewitness writes: “the stern appearance of the Divine Mary inspires involuntary awe in the fans; The features of Her holy face are extremely expressive and its very size is majestic. The Mother of generosity and joy appears in this icon as if more than the mother of justice and the formidable Judge.” The celebration of the Iveron Mother of God on Athos takes place on Tuesday of Bright Week, probably instead of the celebration on the day of the appearance of the icon on March 31, “when she miraculously came across the sea to Athos.” Life of St. Met. Jonah in the steppe book 2, 69–97, in the Menaion of Makaria. Reduction in the prologue of June 15 days. A. and. I, No. 39. Collection. l. VI, 162. Tale about St. fathers, p. 6. Step. book 2, 69. Gram. dated March 11, 1433 in history. act. I, no. 37. Step. book 2, 71–72. Ryazan hierarchs, pp. 17. 18. St. Petersburg. 1859 East. act. I, No. 39, 41. 47. Step. book 2, 71. East. act. I, No. 39. Collection. years. 6, 160. Collection years. 6, 167. East. act. I, no. 262. East. act. 1. No. 40. Message December 29, 1447 Collection. years. 6.174–180. Step. book 2, 76–78. Collection years. l. 4, 146. 5, 269. 8, 121. 122. 149. East. act. 1. No. 68. St. Jonah wrote to the Prince of Kyiv in 1450: “until now there has been no metropolitan in the most holy Russian Metropolis. There was no one to send to. The Tsar is not like that, and the Patriarch is not like that. They philosophize differently, draw closer to the Latins.” East. act. 1, No. 47. also 1. No. 62. 262. Act. ist. 1, No. 43, where we read: “and now they have made me metropolitan.” Collection years. 6, 178–180. 5, 269. 271. A. e. 1, no. 372. Ak. zap. Ross. 1, No. 80. A. e. No. 49. Act. ist. 1, no. 49. East. act. 1, No. 47. In 1450, the son of the Kyiv prince, Semyon Alexandrovich, was in Moscow. Karamzin 5, pr. 386. East. act. 1, pr. 31. No. 43. But the king ordered to report to himself about the dioceses of Galich, Helm and Przemysl when he was in those areas (ac. zap. Ross. 1, no. 53. Act. ist. 1, no. 260). And they are never mentioned among the dioceses subordinate to St. Jonah (L. source 1, no. 100). The churches of the Galich Metropolis went to Poland (ac. zap. Ross. 1, No. 53) and the lords, under the influence of the bishops, did not allow Casimir - to allow St. Jonah to support Orthodoxy here. Denial of Daniel on October 28, 1451 at Karamz. 5, 6, pr. 311, and his permission is in the source. act. 1, no. 52. East. act. 1, No. 46. “Protropi” - letters of approval of the governors in history. 1, no. 52. Step. book 2, 82–84. Collection l. 4, 147. 148. 5, 270–272, 6, 170–181. 8, 122. 147. Nikoi, l. 5, 219–221. 282. Ak. e. 1, No. 50. His letters in history speak about the same concern of the saint. act. 1, No. 261. 267. Kostromsk years. 2, 27. This was in 1456 collection. l. 8, 144. 145. Act. ist. 1, No. 263. Sl. A. e. 1, no. 59. Additional to the source act. 2, no. 76, p. 182. A. e., 1, No. 58. Act. ist. 1, No. 65, p. 117. Act. ist. No. 45. 62. 273. Act. ist. 1, No. 63, p. 114. No. 62, p. 110. No. 273, p. 504. Collection years. 6, 167. 168. East. act. 1, no. 65, p. 118. In a letter to Ivan Ivanovich. A. e. 1, No. 80. Act. ist. 1,505. Act. ist. 1, No. 273 and 62. Ak. zap. Ross. 1, No. 13. Karamz. 6, pr. 629. Step. book 2, 86–88. min. Macarius, prologue, June 15. This is what Pachomius says in the life of St. Euphemia (collection of the Sergius Lavra No. 8). The canon himself is in Rumyantsev No. 295. 397. Collection years. 6, 196. 8, 171. 202. 203. Steppes, book. 2, 88. Lviv. years. 2, 26–28, 35, prologue May 27. Nowadays the memory of St. Jonah is celebrated on March 31 on the day of his death, May 27 on the day of the discovery of his relics, St. Cyprian and Photius: June 15 and October 5 are celebrated together with the memory of St. Petra and Alexia. Nowadays July 1 is not celebrated, and it has been replaced by May 27. Step. book 2, 80–82. Menaion of Macarius (Thurs. Min. March 31). These miracles of the saint are also depicted on his 17th century icon in the church of the village of Golenishcha, the former metropolitan (Russian Starina 2, 38. 39). About the miracles of the saint at his relics - Step. book 2, 91–95. Not published: several messages from Tsarsky, pp. 366. 399. 500, permissive prayer for the deceased (Volok. RKP. No. 293). East. act. 1, No. 40. 43. 51. 53. 56. 60. 262. A. e. 1. No. 49. East. act. 1, No. 45. 47. 52. 62. 63. 65. 69. 260. 271. 275. Additional. to the source act. 1, no. 13. East. act. 1, No. 37. 44. 46. 265. 267. Dopoli, to the source. act. 1, no. 11. East. act. 1, No. 45. 50. 67. 266. 268–271. Additional ist. act. 1, no. 11.