Каноническое послание архиеп. Дионисия Александрийского к епископу Василиду Правило 1 Дионисия Александрийского

In your message to me, my most faithful and enlightened son, you asked me: at what hour should the fast break before Easter? For some brethren argue, as you say, that this should be done during the peto-crying (petel is the Old Russian name for a rooster; thus, the pe-to-crystal is early in the morning, the time of the first rooster crows - editor's note), and others that it should be in the evening. The brethren who are in Rome, as they say, are waiting for the loop: and about those who are here you said that they will sooner stop fasting. You demand to set an exact time and a completely definite hour: but this is neither convenient nor safe. For that after the time of the resurrection of our Lord, celebration and rejoicing should begin, and before that, the souls should be humbled by fasting, this is all agreed upon. But in your letter to me you proved very sensibly, and in accordance with the understanding of the divine gospels, that they do not say (do not say; editor's note) anything definite about the hour of resurrection. For the evangelists described in different ways those who came to the tomb at different times, and said that they all found the Lord already risen. Late on Saturday, as Matthew says (Matthew 28:1); in the morning, while there was still darkness, as John writes (John 20:1); very early, like Luke (Luke 24:1); and early in the morning the sun rose, as Mark says (Mark 16:2). But when he resurrected, no one showed this clearly. What is certain is that on the evening of Saturday, the dawning day, the first of Saturday, those who came to the tomb no longer found the Lord lying in it. And let us not imagine the evangelists to be either discordant or contradictory to one another. But even if there seems to be some difference of opinion about what is being asked: if everything agrees, as in that night the light of the world, our Lord, arose, they say differently about the hour: then let us endeavor to agree prudently and faithfully with what was said. What was spoken by Matthew is read as follows: later on the Sabbath, having gathered together from the Sabbaths, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came and saw the tomb. And behold, he was a great coward: an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it; his face was like lightning, and his robe was white like snow. From his fear the guards shook, and were as if dead. The angel answered and said to the women: Do not be afraid, for we know that you are looking for Jesus crucified: there is no one here, as he said (Matthew 28:1-6). Some will imagine that the saying, “late,” according to the general use of the word, means Saturday evening: but those who listen more judiciously say that it is not this, but deep night: for “late” signifies slowness and a long time. And to signify that he speaks about the night, and not about the evening, he added: turning into one from the Sabbaths. And they came, not yet wearing perfumes, as the other evangelists said, but to see the tomb, and they found an earthquake that had occurred, and an angel sitting on a stone, and they heard from him: there is no rising here. Similarly, John says: one day from the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene came in the morning, while the darkness was still present, to the tomb: and she saw a stone taken from the tomb (John 20:1): and so, according to this evangelist, while the darkness was still present, she went out to the tomb. Luke says: on the Sabbath she kept silent according to the commandment; One day from the Sabbath, she came very early to the tomb, wearing the same spices that she had prepared: and when she found the stone was rolled away from the tomb (Luke 23:56, 24:1, 2). The deep morning perhaps marks the beginning of the light of the dawn of the first day of the week. For the Sabbath had already completely passed, with all the darkness that followed it, and another day was beginning when those who carried aromas and peace came. Whence it is clear that the Lord rose again long before this. Mark will follow this, saying: I bought some spices, so that when they came they would anoint him, and on the first sabbath morning he came to the tomb, the sun shining (Mark 16:1,2). And this river: the dawn of the morning, which is synonymous with the expression in the deep morning, and added: the sun that has risen. Obviously, their departure and journey began in the deep morning, and very early: in the procession and slowdown at the tomb, they extended the time until the sun rose. And then the young man in white robes said to them: there is no rising here (Mark 16:6). Having put this in such a way that it requires exact permission at what hour, or at what half of an hour or quarter of an hour it is appropriate to begin the rejoicing about the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, we answer. We do not approve of those who hasten excessively and break from fasting before midnight, although they do not break fast for long, as being cowardly and incontinent, as if they are stopping a course that is not yet completed. For, as a wise man says, it is not unimportant in life if not much is missing. those who want to be the last in allowing fasting, extending to a further limit, and enduring until the fourth watch, in which our Savior, walking on the sea, appeared floating, we approve, as courageous and hardworking. We do not give much cold to those who, by their own special impulse, or by their own opportunity, between one time and another, calm down from fasting. For even six days of fasting are not spent equally and uniformly: but some, being without food, miss all of them, others two, others three, others four, and others not even a single one. Those who have labored completely in missing whole days without food, then become tired, and almost lost all their strength, can be forgiven for eating as soon as possible. And yet some, who not only did not miss days without food, but also fasted, or even indulged in luxury in the four previous days, then reached the last two days, and these only two days, Friday and Saturday, having spent without food, imagine doing something great and bright when they remained in fasting until dawn: I do not think that such people accomplished a feat equal to those who labored in fasting for a greater number of days. This, in my opinion, I wrote while giving advice. This 1st rule, together with the three following, constitutes the epistle of Dionysius to the Bishop of Pentapolis (in Libya) Basilides, in response to the latter’s request for clarification of the issues about which the epistle speaks. This Dionysian canon served as the basis for the 89th canon of the Trullo Council, which is explained in detail by this Dionysian canon 121. In the Helmsman (I, 259 vol.) there is a real rule, however, without indicating the number and in a somewhat abbreviated form, and it is translated from the canonical Synopsis (Af. Synt., IV, 393). Following this rule, in the Helmsman, as the 1st rule, follows this: “The same (holy father) about those who exist without communion, but for the sake of mortals they commune with fear, and then are eliminated. Those who have been bound and excommunicated, having fallen ill, for the sake of mortal fear, will be allowed, and will receive communion. And if he gets rid of himself, it is not appropriate to tie him up again, without sinning anything in the meantime. If he calms down and is healthy, he will appear more demanding conversion: and he is ordered to humble himself and become embittered by fasting and observe himself. If he listens and speaks contrary to his words, his sin will be a second excommunication” (I, 260). According to the remark of the editor of the Russian translation of the Byzantine commentator (III, 12), the present rule is compiled from the 2nd canonical letter of Dionysius to Bishop Conon or from Liber de poenitentia ad Cononem ep. Hermapolitanum (cp. G. Caνe, Scriptorum eccles. historia literaria. Genevae 1705, p. 83). Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History (VI, 46), mentions this book of Dionysius, but Jerome, in his De viris illustribus cap. 59 (ed. Bernoulli, Freiburg, 1895, p. 43), says nothing about this, mentions only the canon de poenitentia and other messages of Dionysius de poenitentia. You might be interested in: