62. Замечательные деятели в истории Русской Церкви и двигатели богословской науки за последние два века

Let us name the archpastors who, in the last two centuries, had the greatest influence on the affairs of the Church and became famous for their preaching and scholarly theological works. Stefan Jaworski. A native of Volyn (the town of Yavor), a graduate of the Kyiv Academy, 10 years after accepting monasticism, in the 42nd year of his life, he was destined for the Pereyaslav bishopric and sent to Moscow for initiation; but Emperor Peter I, noticing his high talents, wished to have him closer to Moscow and ordered that he be installed as metropolitan in Ryazan, which happened in 1700. By the end of the same year, Metropolitan Stephen was appointed locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, and upon the establishment of the Holy Synod, its president. Therefore, for more than twenty years he took a very active and intimate part in the affairs of the Church during the difficult era of Peter’s reform. At that time, Protestant ideas began to penetrate into the upper strata of Russian society and, given the paucity of religious education, many were seduced into lack of faith and freethinking. Stephen actively fought against this influx of Protestant ideas, and his famous essay “The Stone of Faith” remains a monument to this struggle. At the beginning of his archpastoral service, Stefan diligently assisted Emperor Peter in his reforms and praised him in his sermons, but recently he began to diverge in many views from the great transformer of Russia; however, until his death, which followed on November 22, 1722, he retained his leading post in church administration. Feofan Prokopovich. Gifted with outstanding abilities, he received his initial education at the Kyiv Academy. Subsequently, he studied abroad in Jesuit schools, but learned from them a dislike for Catholicism. Upon returning to Kyiv, he successively held the positions of teacher, prefect (inspector) and rector of the local academy and became famous for his theological lectures in a new spirit, free from scholasticism. In his theological writings, Theophanes adhered to the direction opposite to Stephen of Yavorsky: Stephen opposed the invasion of Protestant ideas into Russian society, Theophanes primarily rebelled against the errors of the papacy. Through the works of these outstanding theologians of Peter's time and the polemics that continued after them, a direct (middle) path was outlined for the development of theological science in our country in a strictly Orthodox spirit. The excellent word spoken by Feofan in Kyiv in the presence of Emperor Peter 1 in memory of the Poltava victory in 1709 drew the attention of the transformer of Russia to him. Summoned to St. Petersburg in 1716 and appointed Bishop of Pskov in 1718, Theophanes became Peter's closest collaborator, Peter's right hand, not only in church reforms (regulations), but also in matters of public administration. After the death of Peter, Theophan’s position increased even more: in the rank of Archbishop of Novgorod and the leading member of the Synod, he was the main adviser and support for the Empresses Catherine I and Anna Ioannovna, but at the same time he interfered in court intrigues and the struggle of different parties, in which he wasted his rich forces in vain. Feofan died in 1736 with bitter disappointment in life. “Oh, head, head, drunk with reason, where will you put it (yourself)?” - he said, lying on his deathbed and preparing to stand before the judgment of God. Plato, Metropolitan of Moscow. The son of a poor cleric (who later attained the priesthood), Pyotr Levshin (the secular name of Plato) was educated at the Moscow Academy and was so successful that even before completing the course he was a mentor there. According to the custom of that time, the young theologian often preached in church and interpreted the catechism for the people. His intelligent and simple speech and excellent pronunciation attracted many listeners, and even then Muscovites called him the second Chrysostom. He accepted monasticism at the Trinity Lavra in 1758, at the 22nd year of his life, and 4 years later he was already the vicar and rector of the Lavra seminary. Empress Catherine II, during one of her visits to the Lavra, was surprised by his gift of preaching and summoned him to St. Petersburg, to be the court preacher and teacher of the law for her son, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich. At Catherine's court, he met many European celebrities of that time. His quick and witty answer to the French encyclopedist Diderot is known: “I affirm,” said Diderot, “that there is no God.” “This is not news,” Plato replied, “the prophet David said long ago: “A fool says in his heart: there is no God.” Catherine spoke of her courtier in the following way: “We cried - we cry.” In 1770, Platon was appointed archbishop of Tver, and in 1775 he was transferred to Moscow. The enlightened archpastor deeply penetrated the needs of his time and in every possible way opposed the harmful trends in thought and life that penetrated from the West. He waged an active struggle against atheism, deism (mainly Freemasonry), and fashionable liberalism, and advocated against wastefulness, luxury, and general laxity of morals. At the same time, he denounced the schismatics’ blind adherence to the letter and ritual and tried to reconcile them with the church (the charter of common faith). He preached quite often. The distinctive qualities of his words and teachings: simplicity, clarity and constant application to life. Some of them (on the occasion of the Chesme victory, the speech at the coronation of Emperor Alexander I) are rightly revered as examples of oratory. At the same time, he also possessed the external advantages of a church orator: majestic posture, beautiful voice, authoritative tone and graceful manners gave special expressiveness to his every word 86 . In the diocesan administration, Metropolitan Platon was distinguished by his fatherly closeness to everyone, complacency, responsiveness to all that is good, encouragement of talents, and mercy towards the poor. The zealous archpastor had special concerns about the Trinity Academy and the Bethany Seminary that he founded. The pupils of these two institutions were like his family: he walked with them in the gardens, talked, sang spiritual songs. Metropolitan Platon also took an active part in the political events of his time. It is remarkable that he warned Emperor Alexander I against an alliance with Napoleon, predicting its fragility. On the day of the Battle of Borodino, from his Bethany seclusion, he appeared in Moscow with words of consolation and encouragement to the saddened and awaiting disaster of his last breath. Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow. The son of a Kolomna priest (later an archpriest), Vasily Mikhailovich Drozdov (secular name Philaret) received his education at the Sergius Lavra Seminary. Here he became a monk and became a teacher. Metropolitan Platon was amazed at one of Philaret’s sermons, saw in it glimpses of extraordinary talent and, valuing him, with great sorrow, which was shared by the young monk, sent him to serve in St. Petersburg in 1808. An unusually gifted mentor and preacher soon attracted everyone's attention here and quickly rose to prominence. In 1817, he was ordained Bishop of Revel, and four years later he already occupied the see of Moscow, where he served the Church for forty-six years (in total, he served as a bishop for more than 50 years). Filaret first of all became famous for his extraordinary gift as a preacher. The peculiarity of his sermons is that, while revealing Christian teaching, he acts primarily on the mind and consciousness of his listeners. His words are filled with deep theological contemplations and at the same time high Christian poetry. The conviction of the mind, thus, was reborn in him into a living feeling, and his word produces the same effect on the listener and reader. His speeches, spoken mostly in front of crowned officials, show an extraordinary play of a strong mind and a very lively attitude to the needs and events of the era. Philaret’s scientific works are also very important for the Church: “Church Biblical History”, “Notes on the Book of Genesis” and others. His catechism has the significance of a symbolic book, and Russian youth learn from it. For 60 years, Filaret took such an active part in church administration that his history has been closely connected throughout this time with the history of the Russian Church. A characteristic feature of this activity was the strict preservation of Orthodoxy in Christian thought and life; and he was the first to respond to the needs of the time and the initiative of many beneficial actions and measures of recent times belongs to him. One of Filaret’s main concerns was to make it accessible to every Orthodox Russian to read the word of God in a commonly understood language. He drew up statutes for the care of the poor of clergy, regulations on the protection of church antiquities, and rules for monastic hostels. He was the first to offer assistance to the mentors of religious educational institutions to improve their maintenance, supported missionaries on their difficult path, took care of the needs of the Eastern and Slavic Churches, and encouraged the faithful servants of the fatherland in their difficulties and in the fight against enemies. His advice and instructions were valued not only in church, but also in civil affairs 87. In private life, Filaret represented the model of a bishop and monk. The doors of his house were always open to everyone seeking a solution to their perplexities and seeking peace of conscience. Always simple in life and home environment, he was entirely devoted to the duties of his title and stood guard over his flock. Himself a strict ascetic, he loved and honored spiritual asceticism as the highest color of Christian life, and contributed to the elimination and renovation of many monasteries. Shortly before the death of the saint, his late father appeared to him more clearly than in a dream and ordered him to remember the 19th. Two months after this, on November 19, 1867, on Sunday, the saint himself celebrated the liturgy in the church of the cross and died instantly shortly after. He was buried in the Trinity Lavra. Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson. Innocent (in the world Ivan Borisov), the son of a priest, was educated at the Oryol Seminary and the Kyiv Academy. His scientific activity began in St. Petersburg in 1823, where he became a monk, and flourished mainly in Kyiv, where he was rector of the academy and professor of theology in 1830–1839. Here he began his episcopal service in the rank of vicar, then successively occupied the departments of Vologda, Kharkov and Kherson. At the coronation of Emperor Alexander II, August 26, 1856, he was appointed a member of the Synod. The main glory of Innocent, like Philaret, is his extraordinary preaching talent. A contemporary of the famous Moscow poet, Innocent differed from him in that he acted primarily on the feelings of his listeners and captivated them with the extraordinary clarity and simplicity of his words and the artistic picturesqueness of his ideas and images. In addition to all this, Innocent was a famous improviser and always spoke without the help of a notebook: his strictly thought-out words poured out of their own accord from his soul, as if overwhelmed by inspiration. And no matter how beautiful his sermons are, they still, according to the feedback of his listeners, cannot captivate readers the way his living, inspired word captivated them. In the history of theological education, Innocent is known for the fact that, as an expert in modern languages, who closely followed the development of theological science in the West, he made the first attempts to bring Orthodox theology closer to it, for which he was sometimes reproached by zealots of Orthodox antiquity. At the same time, Innocent tried to bring theological science closer to other branches of knowledge. He loved the natural sciences very much, and in his views they not only did not contradict, but best served theology. As a boss and archpastor, Innocent gained in all places of his ministry common love through his fatherly closeness to his subordinates and flock. The literary evenings he established were intended to bring together ministers of spiritual science with well-intentioned secular figures: lectures and sermons were given here, and a lively conversation was held on religious issues. “You’ve never read something like that in six months from all the possible magazines,” says one of the participants in these literary conversations, “that you find out in one evening, and you find out easily” 88 . At the same time, His Eminence Innocent took every possible care to arouse the religious spirit among the people: in addition to constant preaching, this was achieved by the religious processions he established in all places of service, the renewal of ancient monasteries (Akhtyrskaya, Svyatogorskaya), ancient akathists (the Passion of Christ, the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Life-Giving Sepulcher). In the last years of his priesthood, Innocent became famous for his most lively archpastoral participation in the disasters of the Crimean War and for his extremely beneficial influence on the soldiers. During the bombardment of Odessa on April 10, 1854, the courageous archpastor calmly celebrated the Divine Liturgy and with his powerful words kept the residents cheerful. After the disastrous defeat of our army at Alma, the residents of the city of Simferopol were horrified and confused. Suddenly, without a call, without a retinue, the archpastor appeared among them and in the cathedral church burst out with a word of reproach for cowardice. The word was so powerful that everyone in the church burned and cried with shame. From Simferopol, Innocent went to the bloody and scorched Sevastopol: he served, spoke sermons, distributed icons to the troops, inspired, encouraged and convinced everyone to stand up for the faith and the fatherland. Intense labor and anxiety broke the health of the valiant archpastor; his death followed instantly, on May 26, 1857, on the day of the Most Holy Trinity. Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow. A native of the Kursk diocese, the son of a priest, an orphan from an early age, Mikhail (secular name Macarius) Bulgakov at first seemed to be a frail, sickly and even somewhat stupid boy, but great powers were hidden in this youth who promised so little. A stone thrown by one of his comrades broke the shell of his skull, and his life was truly miraculously renewed: childhood illnesses passed, wonderful talents were discovered, and he quickly moved forward. He received his highest spiritual education in Kyiv, under the leadership of the famous rector Dimitry Muretov (he died as Archbishop of Kherson in 1883), and here, along with the vow of monasticism, he vowed to devote his entire life to the benefit of enlightenment and to use everything that would be earned through scientific labors for his own benefit. His educational service began in Kyiv, which then continued with great honor in St. Petersburg, where he was awarded the highest academic degree and episcopal rank. At the end of his educational service, Saint Macarius occupied successively the chairs of Tambov, Kharkov and Vilna and, finally, was elevated to the see of the Moscow Metropolitan, but he never abandoned his scholarly works and, as if on purpose, was moved to precisely those places where it was more convenient for him to collect information for his main learned work, “The History of the Russian Church.” Another, no less great work of the saint is “Dogmatic Theology” with a special volume of Introduction to it. The main advantage of Macarius as a theologian is the fidelity of word and fidelity of view, the special gift of finding and indicating the boundary between the dogmatic truth of faith and the so-called theological opinion, which allows for objections and disagreements. The special dignity of the historical works of St. Macarius lies in the patient collection and careful discussion of information about this or that person or event, while maintaining complete impartiality and a calm and clear presentation of this information, and the highly gifted and filled with deep humility author carefully hides the entire burden of preliminary work and paints pictures of past centuries before the eyes of the reader as if he were an eyewitness of them. Working selflessly until the last minute of his life in the field of theological and church-historical science, Metropolitan Macarius carefully kept track of all the acquisitions from his literary works, as if they were not his personal property, and made enormous sacrifices to establish prizes for scientific works and the best textbooks and scholarships at the Academy of Sciences and in all theological academies (more than 300 thousand rubles), at the same time Saint Macarius received the most living and active participation in the highest church government in difficult times, when the reforms of Emperor Alexander II were restructuring the entire life of the Russian people, and at the same time the external structure of church life was inevitably affected. Continuous labors and intense activity, which knew no rest, broke the strength of the ascetic saint, and on June 9, 1882, he unexpectedly died for everyone, to the deep sorrow of admirers of his extraordinary talents and immortal works. In addition to the named great luminaries, Evgeniy Bolkhovitinov, Metropolitan of Kiev, remarkable for his historical works, who died in 1827, gained fame for his works for the benefit of spiritual enlightenment; Innokenty Smirnov, an associate of Filaret Drozdov at the St. Petersburg Academy, author of “Ecclesiastical History,” which for a long time was a textbook for seminaries, died as Bishop of Penza in 1816; Filaret, Archbishop of Chernigov - theologian, historian and preacher, who died in 1866; John, Bishop of Smolensk; Chrysanthus, former bishop of Nizhny Novgorod; Nikanor, Archbishop of Kherson; Pavel, Archbishop of Kazan; Theophan, a reclusive bishop; Ambrose, Archbishop of Kharkov - highly gifted writers who showed new paths to the movement and development of theological science and church speech, etc. – According to reviews of foreigners, Metropolitan Plato combined in himself Greek grace, Roman eloquence, knowledge of antiquity and the latest sciences, along with a kind and charming manner (Russian Antiquity, vol. XVII, p. 442). – Filaret was commissioned to write a manifesto on the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas I, and he also wrote the final version of the famous manifesto of February 19, 1861 on the end of serfdom. – Wreath on the grave of the Most Reverend Innocent, p.122. You might be interested in: