Глава IV. «О должности христианской к ближнему»

This chapter is named in the words of Saint Tikhon himself. The articles “On the Christian duty to one’s neighbor” and “On the mutual Christian duty” are placed at the end of the work “On True Christianity” (the 6th and 7th articles of the second book, respectively). It is likely that this location of these articles is not accidental. They deal primarily with the relations of Christians, which are determined by the mutual responsibilities of “pious monarchs and their subjects”, “judges and those who come to judgment”, “shepherds and their subordinates”, “parents and children”, “husbands and wives”, “masters and their slaves” (4, P. II of the table of contents). But for the moral consciousness of a Christian, a person’s external behavior is not something that exists independently of the internal state. What the heart lives, it also appears outside. A tree is recognized by its 100 fruits (Matthew 7:16). We believe, not least for this reason (emphasizing the secondary importance of external behavior in relation to the internal state), the saint first comprehensively reveals the Christian teaching about vices and virtues, about the ways of putting off the old man and putting on, according to the apostle, a new man, and only after that offers the reader a specific application of this teaching to the relations of Christians of different social status, when difficulties may arise in the practical application of the proposed moral teaching. Since these articles are relatively small and simple in content, as is the part of the “Christian Instruction” (6, 153–177) devoted to the same issue, we will limit ourselves to only a brief overview of St. Tikhon’s views on the basic principles that should guide Christians in their social and family life. The saint likens Christian society, as already mentioned, to a living organism, and Christians to its members. They and Christ, “like a body with a head, are spiritually united” and therefore “should have peace and harmony among themselves in Christ,” for in the body individual members help each other, doing a common cause, and do not fight 101. “There must be unfeigned love between Christians,” connecting them in the same way as “in a material body, the ouds are connected by veins.” Love is expressed in deeds of mercy and mutual assistance: “from doing good a true Christian is known and the living soul of the spiritual body of Christ.” On the contrary, those Christians who, lacking love for their neighbor and its fruits, “do not show obedience to Christ, but live according to their own whims” (4, 337–342) are “cut off and rejected from Christ and His holy Church.” The world is hierarchical, and human society, as part of it, is organized on the basis of the subordination of the lower to the higher and the younger to the older. The relationships that arise as a result of this between various social strata, social groups, and individuals require ordering, moral regulation and evaluation in order to “preserve the well-being” of society and are therefore the subject of the saint’s special attention. According to the saint’s remark, “in the Church of Christ, or Christian society, there is no master and slave, but all are brethren in Christ, all are servants of the Most High Lord and sons of the Heavenly Father.” Therefore, “all are one another’s neighbors, their leaders and subordinates, their shepherds and their people, their parents and children, their husbands and wives, and every person to another: relatives and non-relatives, known and unknown, one-earth and foreign... And even more so Christians, who have one faith, one baptism, one word of God, are one another’s neighbors and brothers” 102 (27, 58). “That some are called masters, and others slaves, this happens in the image of this age” and is only an earthly, human division, necessary for the proper existence of society and the good of its members 103 (4, 366–367). By its very position, power is “visible to everyone,” and those in power bear a special responsibility before God and before people for the conscientious fulfillment of the duties assigned to them. The same high position makes the occupant of it subject to “every temptation and disaster” (thus, the higher the tree, the more “it is overwhelmed by every storm”) and obliges those in power to “be extremely careful not to give temptation,” which “comes either with a rotten word, corrupted, contrary to Holy Scripture and heretical, or with a lawless deed.” Those in power, demanding that their subordinates fulfill what is prescribed, must themselves serve as an example for them in this, refraining from everything that could serve as a temptation. The boss “must first learn to control and manage himself, and first do what he wants to order others” (4, 162–163; 27, 594). Finally, “he who seeks honor is not worthy of honor,” says the saint. – People don’t know what they are looking for. It often happens that a person’s honor is like a madman’s sword, with which he kills himself and others.” Therefore, a Christian “should not seek rank or honor, but expect a title” 104 (27, 1172–1173). Those called to command should be distinguished, the saint believes, mainly by goodwill, conscientiousness in relation to their duties, and intelligence and wisdom. Carrying out his position with the fear of God will protect the commander from covetousness, fear of people, partiality, while reason will tell you “what should be done, when and to whom” for the common good 105. Prudence will help to maintain a measure between truth (which requires that “everyone be given their due, the good and faithful are rewarded for their loyalty, the evil and faulty are punished, and others who want to dishonor have fear”) and mercy (which “wants to warm everyone with its embrace”), dissolving one with the other 106. “Everywhere moderation and the middle path are praised,” the saint concludes (4, 347, 358, 362). In a world filled with evil, the use of punishment is inevitable, which is a difficult but indispensable duty of any government. The saint writes about how it should be in a Christian society as follows: “When it becomes necessary to punish someone in word or deed, proceed to punishment with reluctance. When you punish with a word, beware of punishing with a defamatory word: you are a rogue, you are a spendthrift, you are a thief, and so on. When you punish with deeds, then punish, and not torment... Beware of punishing in anger, but wait until the anger is tamed. With regret and for the sake of correction, punish your subordinate. This is the heart and spirit of a Christian – to have compassion for one’s neighbor” 107 (6, 154–155). Punishment is only one of the responsibilities of government. The saint also writes about others, such as “preserving the prosperity” of Christian society, “turning it away from all troubles,” “pacifying disorder.” For example, “it is the duty of pious kings to protect and multiply the Holy Church, to provide for the peace and well-being of their fatherland and to protect them from foreigners”; parents “should punish faulty children” if they do not heed good teaching and do not correct themselves (however, without using “immeasurable severity,” but “according to the crime,” having previously shown “what someone has committed and sinned in”). The general duty of superiors should be to build their relationships with subordinates on the foundations of Christian love, from which prayer for the well-being and well-being of their subjects, servants, children, and flock will inevitably be born (4, 346–349, 362, 365; 6, 155, 161–162, etc.). The memory of the omniscience and justice of God, the voice of conscience, the duty of the oath, the thought of the well-being of society depending on their zeal and honesty should encourage commanders and elders to fulfill their duties zealously and conscientiously, restraining them from abuses (4, 351). As for the “subordinates,” the saint also considers the fear of God to be the basis of their conscientiousness in the performance of their duties. “Work, O beloved and humble sheep, not for men, but for the Lord,” he exhorts not only the peasants, to whom these words are directly addressed, but also all “subordinates.” Among other duties: subjects in relation to the monarch, flock in relation to shepherds, wives in relation to husbands, children in relation to parents, the saint identifies the following: to provide the authorities and elders with due obedience and obedience; honor them with love; pray for them; not only do not condemn them for misdeeds, but cover their weaknesses with love (the only effective tool for correction) 108 ; be afraid of upsetting them and sinning against them, and if this happens, then ask for forgiveness and correct yourself; protect them in case of danger, and in relation to shepherds, elderly or infirm parents or one of the spouses - support them not only without grumbling, but with all zeal, bearing their God-given cross. And only in one case does the saint consider disobedience to authority justified. “Everything happens in the world,” he writes, “when what the boss orders is contrary to God, do not listen to him, for it is more fitting to obey God than man (Acts 5:29)” (4, 349–370; 6, 153–177). The most important thing in the Christian attitude towards power is the primacy of responsibility over the advantages that power gives, the responsibilities of the powers that be over their rights. “For a Christian, all power is not peace and honor, but the greater is the cross,” writes the saint, “burdened with great labor, care and constant patience” (27, 167). It is no coincidence that the corresponding chapters always first set out the duties of those in command, and then those of those subordinate to them. But the main principle still remains the principle of Christian love. The Holy Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to work for each other with love (Gal. 5:13). “Without love,” says the saint, “a Christian office cannot be carried out in any rank, for every work without love is dead” (4, 370). Another question is that words and deeds, as mediated by the activity of the mind, do not always reflect the true internal state of a person; sometimes they are designed to hide it, especially with age, when childish spontaneity is increasingly lost. But this is a separate question, a question of psychology, the inner honesty of the person himself, on the other hand, the spiritual vision of those who have been granted the gift from God to see the inner through the external. Borrowing this image of the Church (1 Cor. 12:12-27) expresses the saint’s view of the ideal state and social structure. Hence, according to the word of the Gospel, the attitude towards all people, as our neighbors, should be as towards ourselves (Matthew 7:12). Why “this word: “What do I care about his needs?” - must be driven away from Christian borders” (3, 15). The saint confirms this idea with the following reasoning. All Christians can be (and be called) free (in the Christian sense). And although the “subjects” are outwardly dependent, if they live with dignity in a Christian way, they also have spiritual freedom. On the contrary, those who have external freedom by enslaving themselves to sin and passions lose the true internal freedom given by Christ (4, 367). The saint himself not only did not seek honor, rewards, etc., but also “often used to say: “If it were possible, I would give up this rank, and not only the rank, but also the hood and cassock, and would say about myself that I am a simple peasant, and would go to the most deserted monastery, and would employ myself in work, such as: chopping wood, carrying water, sowing flour, baking bread.” and so on. But the trouble is that this cannot be done here in Russia” (6 “Notes”, 10–11). And although one without the other is not enough, “however,” the saint notes, “a good (and honest) ruler without wisdom is more useful to society than an evil one with his wisdom and cunning” (4, 343). “For the sake of the fearless, the fear of God is needed,” says the saint, “yes, having awakened from the sleep of sin, they will repent; For the sake of the contrite and sad, the plaster of gospel consolation is needed.” But just as “excessive severity harms”, plunging into despair instead of encouraging correction, so “reckless mercy is useless”, as it contributes to the spread of lawlessness. In relations between spouses, in particular, this “golden mean” is achieved on the condition that husbands, while loving their wives, should not at the same time “be captivated by their love and please them without reason” (the Sacred Scriptures provide sad examples of the opposite in the stories of Adam, Solomon, Ahab and Jezebel, Herod) (4, 365). V. Chebotarev recalls: “He (St. Tikhon) was hypochondriacal in build, and there was some choleric in him. It happened that he would give me a strict and correct reprimand, but he soon comes to repentance and regret, after half an hour he will call me to himself and give me either a scarf, or a cap, or something else, and say: “Take it for yourself,” which was a sign of approval and consolation” (6 “Notes”, 12-13). Especially in this case, the saint speaks about those shepherds who “do not do what they teach themselves.” Then, according to his instructions, one should “heed the word of Christ, which says about such shepherds: whatever slaughter is told to you, observe and do; but do not do them in deeds: they say but do not do them (Matthew 23:2-3)” (27:650).