Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov: His life, personality and moral and ascetic views

(Motives, objectives, review of sources, scope and plan of our work) Among the questions that concern human thought, among the tasks presented to man at every step of his life environment. No, there cannot and should not be questions more important than the question of the meaning and purpose of human life; no, there cannot be and should not be a task more complex and difficult than clarifying the needs and means to achieve a life goal, to embody the eternal meaning of life, for such a structure of life “so that in every day and hour and moment there would be hidden an eternal meaning that gives the right to live”; to coordinate all human life activities with a definite and clear ultimate goal of his existence. In the order of answers presented to man over the centuries-old period of his existence on earth, giving resolution to vital questions and tasks and revealing the purpose of existence and the means to achieve it, there is not and cannot be a clearer and more definite answer than the one given to the Orthodox Christian soul in the testimonies of the Word of God and in the silent call of the Orthodox Christian Church to their vital understanding and embodiment. The meek and kind Evangelical Shepherd incessantly calls all sorrowing and burdened workers of life to the fields of eternal spiritual nourishment, placing on their shoulders not those “heavy and poor burdens to be borne” with which the life of the world and the flesh oppresses a person, but the good yoke of fulfilling the commandments of spiritual salvation, in which the burden of life becomes light, and joyful and invigorating for the bearer. The Good Shepherd is ready to help someone who is weakened on the path of life to lift him onto his shoulders and carry him to the abode of the Heavenly Father. He seeks out the human soul, lost in the emptiness of sin, leads it onto the path of salvation, rejoices over it and pours His holy joy into the sorrowful soul. Among the banners of life, which at different times gathered human regiments around them in the pursuit of progress and improvement of life, there is no more durable and eternally progressive banner, capable of gathering to itself, indeed, all of humanity, like the banner of the cross of Christ with the encouraging inscriptions on it: “By this, conquer” and with the call it expresses for eternal perfection” in the likeness of the Heavenly Father. In view of these considerations, a corresponding picture of life would seem quite natural, when the interests of all people are focused on the issues and tasks of spiritual salvation, they all hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him along the path of life, carrying the victorious banner of eternal spiritual rebirth. But, for reasons clear and open to the spiritual Christian gaze, this picture, desired by the Christian gaze, is not observed in real life at any given time in the fullness of its content, but on the contrary, its purity is obscured by other pictures that testify to the removal of a person from the paths of salvation, and each time, from this point of view, has its own appearance that belongs to him. The appearance of modernity that we are experiencing is characterized, in this respect, by a significant decline in the religious and moral life of society and the intelligent classes in particular. If the simple faith of the people is still nourished by the traditions of good Russian antiquity and is enlivened by the glorifications of God’s saints that appear before our eyes and other obvious signs of God’s mercy to sinful man, then the life of the intelligent class, too 200 years ago artificially torn away from the people’s foundations and roots, is characterized, to a large extent, by indifferentism, irreligion, the desire to develop an autonomous morality, to free oneself from any obligations to fulfill the religious and moral law and, in connection with this, longing and impetuous searches for new paths and new non-church leaders of life. In these quests we can sometimes observe a bias towards morality, absolute and autonomous, 1 sometimes towards a strong personality - the destruction of old dogmas and principles and the creation of new values. 2 Be that as it may, even among the best part of ideologically minded people, who want to live a conscious moral life, but are alienated from church grace-filled communication and leadership, there is spiritual exhaustion, loss of spiritual power, impoverishment of idealism and betrayal of the banner of life. The life picture of a gradual weakening of idealism, the darkening of the covenants of youth and a positive moral decline, subject to an arbitrary and proud structure of life, is observed in life quite often. But on the path of life, not only those who separate themselves from the flock of Christ for the sake of arbitrary freedom fall and weaken, but also people of faith, often suppressed by the nomism so common in religious life, tempted by the weakness of spiritual life in those around them, unable to cope with spiritual and life difficulties, and cooled towards the true life of the spirit. For those and others and for everyone seeking living support in life’s feat, a clear and definite answer to the questions of life and a living, visual example of the embodiment of this answer in a person’s personal life are of great importance. But along with souls that are sorrowful, restless, searching, with fluctuating moods, the reality of life gives us even more difficult pictures that characterize the mood of modern life, as a cult of flesh and instinct as opposed to the spiritual culture of Christian asceticism. With the triumph of this cult, human life is regarded mainly, almost exclusively in conditions of temporality, the center of human interests is transferred mainly to external life. As a result of this, there is a decline in inner, spiritual life with the inevitable and natural predominance of the interests of time over the eternal, and in relation to issues of spiritual salvation there is at least indifference. But in the depths of even lukewarm souls, the spark of saving zeal for approaching God, implanted by the Creator in human nature, very often smolders, and one cannot lose hope that in the contemplation of a living example of an active Christian life, bright clear visions - the otherworldly sphere of life, and in the assimilation of the wonderful harmonious peculiarity of the human personality, living in the world for the sake of the worldly, spending a temporary day before the Face of the Eternal. And these indifferent and lukewarm hearts, apparently deadened to spiritual life, rejected from the church fence and self-righteously proud hearts, will be inflamed with zeal for God, love for good, thirst for spiritual salvation and, in the name of this, will embark on the path of spiritual renewal and rebirth. In offering the reader our work on the Most Reverend Ignatius Brianchaninov, we would like to note as the most powerful motive for our work the desire to clarify the foundations of spiritual salvation and the essential elements of spiritual life and rebirth according to the consciousness of the Russian ascetic of faith and piety, based on the evidence of his personal spiritual experience, regardless of school theological science, and thereby reviving religious and moral consciousness in relation to the ways, norms and meaning of true Christian life, i.e. to give an answer to the question of the most important task of human life and the best means of solving it. On the other hand, the personality of Ignatius Brianchaninov seems, upon closer acquaintance, to be so charming, integral and lofty; the conditions of his life are so exceptional, and between word and deed, hopes and deeds there is such a close relationship, such an amazing harmony, that the image of the ascetic saint, in addition to its special meaning in the history of Orthodox Russian monasticism, has the general Christian meaning of a living example of activity in which for a person life is only life in Christ, and death is gain, as the end of a pilgrimage and the beginning of true eternal life. Both, i.e., the clarification of the worldview of Bishop Ignatius, the picture of his personal spiritual and external life, his entire charmingly righteous, pure and virgin spiritual image seem to us to have important, modern significance, especially in view of the darkening of religious and moral consciousness and the decline of spiritual Christian life that we observe everywhere. Having set ourselves the immediate task of clarifying the personality and worldview of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, we, in addition to a thorough review of all printed literature concerning the personality of the ascetic, tried to create a detailed description of him based on primary sources and new documentary data and direct impressions in the places of Bishop Ignatius’ life and ministry. For this purpose, the author personally visited: 1) The village of Pokrovskoye, Vologda province - the birthplace and childhood place of Bishop Ignatius; 2) Vologda with its St. Sophia Cathedral, and the Church of the All-Merciful Savior - the winter residence of the Brianchaninov family, the place of Bishop Ignatius' monastic tonsure and his religious consolations; 3) The Assumption Seven-Gorod Hermitage of the Kadnikovsky district, Vologda province - the place of the preliminary novitiate ordeal of Bishop Ignatius; 4) Gregory-Pelshemsky Lopotov Monastery, Vologda province, Kadnikovsky district - the place of the first abbot of Bishop Ignatius in the rank of first builder, and then abbot of this monastery; 5) Trinity-Sergius Hermitage of the St. Petersburg Diocese - the place of the greatest settled life of Bishop Ignatius and his longest labors in the rank of rector and Archimandrite of this monastery; 6) Stavropol Caucasian - the place of the four-year episcopal service of the Most Reverend Ignatius; 7) Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery of the Kostroma diocese - the place of the six-year spiritual work of St. Ignatius and his final resting place. In all the indicated places of the life and service of Bishop Ignatius, the author, in addition to direct personal impressions, clear and vivid, thanks to the kind assistance of the current inhabitants, owners and leaders of places and monasteries related to the life and exploits of Bishop Ignatius, met and had the opportunity to hear personal memories of Saint Ignatius - relatives in the flesh and spirit, successors of his holy work and other persons who were witnesses of his earthly feat. In this regard, the memoirs of the elderly peasant of the village of Pokrovsky, the rector of the Trinity-Segiev Hermitage Archimandrite Michael, the Stavropol citizens - G.N., are valuable for reviving the collected documentary data. Prozritelev and Elder N.V. Socrates, the monk Elder Alexander in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, carrying out the reading of the Psalter and commemoration of the departed at the tomb of St. Ignatius with zeal and edification of obedience. But what was especially important for the author in compiling the proposed work was the unusually responsive and sympathetic attitude towards his task on the part of the relatives of St. Ignatius in flesh and spirit, whose names we are encouraged to mention with deep gratitude. These are: 1) the nephew of the ever-memorable Saint Ignatius, the former Governor of Ryazan, now Senator, Actual Privy Councilor Nikolai Semenovich Brianchaninov, who refused to the author to communicate his personal high and heartfelt reverent memories of Saint Ignatius on the basis of family traditions and personal spiritual communication with him, and moreover, with immeasurable cordiality and courtesy, presented various documents - memoirs - to the author, letters and memories found in the papers of his cousin, also the nephew of Saint Ignatius, the late comrade of the manager of the affairs of the Committee of Ministers, Alexei Petrovich Brianchaninov; 2) Member of the Noble Land Bank in Moscow Valerian Nikolaevich Brianchaninov, who experienced the height and difficulty of ascetic feat, the continuity of which characterizes the entire difficult life of Bishop Ignatius and reverently honors his memory. 3) The niece of the late Saint Ignatius, the elderly Varvara Vasilievna Boborykina. At her advanced age, over 80 years old, she has preserved in complete clarity the memories of her childhood and youth, taking us back to the period of public activity and the hermit life of Bishop Ignatius. In her memoirs, like N.S. Brianchaninov, in relation to our task, the consistent presentation of the height and purity of spirit and righteousness of the life of Bishop Ignatius is of particular importance. With complete clarity of thought, rare thoroughness and logic of judgments, the deeply educated V.V. Boborykina evokes high respect for himself with the complete certainty of his view of life and death and his readiness to move to the other world at the call of God, relying on the intercession of Bishop Ignatius, in whose person the relatives of Bishop Ignatius and those who are akin to him in the spirit of their life hopes have their heavenly forerunner, in the apt expression of the Vologda Cathedral Archpriest Nordov. 3 4) The current landowner of the village of Pokrovsky is the wife of the Arkhangelsk Vice-Governor. V.N. Brianchaninova – S.A. Brianchaninova, nee Tatishcheva, thanks to the courtesy of which the author had the opportunity to familiarize himself in detail with the manor house and garden of the Brianchaninovs' estate - the former cradle of Ignatiev's childhood and the nursery of his lofty thoughts about monastic feat and spiritual salvation. Sources and aids for reviewing the life and work of the Most Reverend Ignatius Brianchaninov and for becoming familiar with his views on the question of the purpose and meaning of human life and spiritual salvation are contained in his writings, a general overview of which is devoted to the first chapter of the second part of this work, and in printed materials and written documents related to the personality of Bishop Ignatius. The most important for the author, in addition to the works of Bishop Ignatius, in the compilation of this work were the following monuments: I. Memoirs, notes and notes received from Senator Nikolai Semenovich Bryanchaninov, which he received in the papers of his cousin A.P. Brianchaninova. 4 Among these materials, the following are of particular value: 1) Letters from various persons about the “Ascetic Experiences” of Bishop Ignatius, clarifying the attitude of contemporaries to this important part of the works of the Ignatievs; 2) Unpublished materials on the issue of Bishop Ignatius’s attitude to the liberation of peasants from serfdom, making it possible to establish a certain judgment on this issue. 3) Unpublished letters from Bishop Ignatius to various persons, including letters to His Eminence Leonid (Krasnopevkov) and brother N.A. Brianchaninov. 4) The opinion of His Grace Ignatius on the need for a Council on the current state of the Russian Orthodox Church. 5) Documents on the publication of the works of Bishop Ignatius, I.L. Tuzov and others. II. Affairs of the office of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery and decrees of the St. Petersburg Spiritual Consistory and the Holy Synod during the management of Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninov of this monastery. 5 III. The affairs of the Stavropol spiritual consistory, to which, upon the establishment of the Stavropol diocese in 1885, the affairs of the former Caucasian and Black Sea departments were transferred. 6 IV. The affairs of the office of the Stavropol Civil Governor, administered by the Stavropol Archival Committee, which created the wonderful “Museum of the North Caucasus,” administered by G.N. Prozriteleva. V. The affairs of the board of the Caucasian Theological Seminary, stored in the archives of the current Stavropol Seminary. VI. Papers of Bishop Ignatius Bryanchaninov, which we personally found in the archives of the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery of the Kostroma diocese; Among them are the case of the dismissal of Bishop Ignatius from the administration of the Caucasian diocese and a letter from Hieromonk Methodius, imprisoned in the Spaso-Evfimievsky Monastery of Suzdal, to the monk Paisius regarding the heresy that arose in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery. VII. Handwritten autobiography of the schema-monk of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage, Fr. Mikhail Chikhachov, friend of Ignatius Brianchaninov, and the manuscripts of Fr. Mikhail Chikhachov: “Stories for the memory and benefit of the soul – yours and your neighbor’s”; “Explaining the reasons for my desire to be tonsured into the schema”; “Appearance of Bishop Ignatius A.V.Zh. on the 20th day after her death, May 19, 1867, described by someone who saw it in Moscow,” and “Dream of S.I.S. about Bishop Ignatius 1867. August 12 in St. Petersburg." These manuscripts were found by the author in the papers of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage. In addition to the above-mentioned valuable handwritten and hitherto unpublished material and works of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, when compiling the book, the author took into account, if possible, all materials, books and articles that have appeared in print to date relating to the personality of Ignatius Brianchaninov, such as: 1) Letters from His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow to the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, Archimandrite (later Bishop) Ignatius Brianchaninov (1833 - 1842) were reported by Hieromonk Ignatius Sadkovsky. Всего 11 писем. 2) Letters from the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Kiev Philaret (Amphiteatrov), to the rector of the Trinity St. Sergius Monastery, Archimandrite (later Bishop) - Ignatius Brianchaninov (1837–1843). Всего 13 писем. 3) Letters from Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov to various persons, published in the magazine: “Theological Bulletin” for 1913 and 1914; 4) There are also printed sayings of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, extracted from his letters to the monks, reported by Hieromonk Ignatius of Sadovsky. 5) Art. "In. Christ the Sapper" (to the clash between A.I. Herzen and His Eminence Ignatius Brianchaninov) - "Theological Bulletin" for 1913. 6) Letters from Ignatius Brianchaninov to Anthony Bochkov, Abbot of Cheremenetsky. 7) Biography of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, compiled by his closest students and admirers, ed. 1881, and attached to it letters from the Most Reverend Ignatius to various persons. 8) His Grace Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Bishop of the Caucasus. Biographical sketch by V. Askochensky, in the magazine “Home Conversation” for 1867. 9) Letters from an ascetic. From the correspondence of Archimandrite Ignatius Brianchaninova with S.D. Nechaev (published in the magazine “Christian Reading” for 1895. 10) Prot. F. Znamensky. Biography of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov (printed in the magazine: “Church Gazette” for 1908). 11) Lives of Russian ascetics of piety of the 18th and 19th centuries. 12) Leskov. Engineers are unmercenary. 13) Hieromonk Ignatius (Sadkovsky). In search of the Living God. Sergiev Posad. 1913 14) Archimandrite Ignatius. A word in defense of Russian monasteries. St. Petersburg 1874 15) Archimandrite Ignatius. Brief biographies of Russian saints. St. Petersburg 1875 16) Works of Bishop Theophan the Recluse and other printed publications, which are cited as necessary in the relevant parts of our book. According to the topic we have chosen, our work is divided into two parts; The first part is devoted to depicting the life of the personality of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, and the second is to presenting the moral and ascetic views of the Saint in their basic elements. In the first part, the author sets himself the goal of depicting the life and work of St. Ignatius based on the materials at his disposal and characterizing his personality. In the second part, the author’s task is to review the literary works of Bishop Ignatius, present the teachings of the Saint about the spiritual world and the conditions of spiritual salvation, as necessary prerequisites for Orthodox Christian spiritual achievement and, further, in presenting the spiritual world and the conditions of salvation, determining the data of the living reality of spiritual life or the real side of spiritual life, and then indicating the order and structure due and corresponding to the preparation for the eternity of human life or depicting the ideal and proper side of spiritual life. For these reasons, our book has the following outline: The life and personality of the Most Reverend Ignatius Brianchaninov. Chapter one. Eminence Ignatius Brianchaninov before becoming a monk. Chapter two. Ignatius Brianchaninov as abbot of the monasteries. Chapter three. Ignatius Brianchaninov – Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Chapter Four. Life in the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery and the blessed death of Bishop Ignatius. Personality of Saint Ignatius. Moral and ascetic views of the Most Reverend Ignatius Brianchaninov. Introduction. General overview of the literary works of Bishop Ignatius. Chapter one. Spiritual world and conditions of spiritual salvation (necessary prerequisites for Orthodox Christian achievement). Chapter two. The real side of spiritual life. (The sinful state of man). Chapter three. The ideal side of spiritual life. (The Orthodox Christian feat of spiritual salvation in its order and gradualness). In addition and to illustrate the proposed work, appendices have been made to our book in the form of unpublished articles and letters of Bishop Ignatius, his portraits and various photographs and drawings related to his personality. A typical expression of this kind of quest and sympathy is a book by an unknown author who hid himself under the name “Former Theologian”: “Is religion, mainly Christianity, necessary for morality? (Experience of a critical-systematic review of modern opinions). St. Petersburg 1911. Without the need for a detailed description of the observed phenomenon, we consider it necessary, however, to indicate some paths to the justification of moral life that are observed, in literary reflections, in the intelligent life of modern society. So, for example, Brandt preached absolute morality: “all or nothing”, implementing the idea of ​​the categorical imperative; he step by step renounces everything earthly, sacrificing everything to the idea of ​​serving God and thereby approaching from this side the main motives of religious-Christian consciousness. But this selfless service to an idea for the sake of an idea, without an ultimate goal, divorced from church paths, fails. New fighters for life are being born, and ethical values ​​are being reassessed. In Ibsen, Doctor Shtokman appears, the enemy of the majority, since the crowd lives only by familiar ideals, and a strong man, Doctor Shtokman, who disagrees with the crowd, brings into life a new idea and enters into a fight with the crowd. Then, under the influence of Nietzschean philosophy, a new man appears—the destroyer of old dogmas and principles—for example: Larra from "The Old Woman Izergil" - Gorky - is a fighter, too weak, and therefore perishing due to the inability to create anything new. Such is the fate of Tadeusz from Przybyszewski's "Snow". Modern literature in a whole series, produced under the influence of Nietzsche, gives several types of fighters, creators of new life values. Such, for example: 1) Heinrich from Hauptmann’s “The Sunken Bell,” who finds the meaning of life only in creativity. But his idea fails, since it does not cover a whole range of life responsibilities - civil, family, etc. And this one-sidedness destroys Henry. 2) The same creators of new autonomous values include the hero of Knut Hamsun in the work “Pan”. He is a contemplator of nature, he feels cramped and stuffy among people, he feels not whole, but part of nature, and this humiliation deprives him of independence and devalues life for him. The third type of creator of new values ​​and seekers of new paths is the hero in “Homo Sapiens” by Przybyszewski-Falk. Falk denies the possibility of experimental knowledge of truth, laughs at duty, principles and rules, doubts all human institutions. According to Falk, the main role in life is played by the area of ​​the unconscious, which is best expressed in art, and therefore truth is most cognized in art. The fourth type of “new people” are mystics and decadents, isolated from the crowd, and therefore lonely due to misunderstanding by the crowd and lack of universal human interests. Unfortunately, Artsibashev’s “Sanin” and others, heroes in tune with him, should also be considered among the varieties of the new man. We see what heterogeneity of varieties and uncertainty of moods is observed in society, characterizing its moral instability and flabbiness. According to V.V. Boborykina after the death of St. Ignatius, relatives and acquaintances Al. Sem. Brianchaninov, according to accepted custom, stopped by his Vologda house to express condolences on the death of his son. Among others, the cathedral archpriest V.I., who was famous in his time in Vologda, also stopped by. Nordov, a great admirer of Bishop Ignatius. Approaching Alexander Semenovich Bryanchaninov, Nordov said with great feeling: “Congratulations to you, Alexander Semenovich, God has given you such a good forerunner as His Eminence Ignatius.” The sympathy is original and in a true Christian spirit. Senator Alexey Petrovich Bryanchaninov is the son of Peter Aleksandrovich Bryanchaninov, brother of Bishop Ignatius, former governor of Stavropol, who later, following his revered brother, left the gubernatorial position to become a novice at the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery. P.A. Brianchaninov died on June 25, 1891. 82 years old and buried in the cemetery of the Nikolo-Babaevsky monastery with the name of monk Paul. A deep and sincere admirer of Bishop Ignatius since childhood, P.A. Brianchaninov has the closest spiritual relationship to him, as a result of which those materials. which were collected by his hands are of particular value for illuminating the personality of Bishop Ignatius. The office of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage has been maintained in remarkable order since the time of Ignatius Brianchaninov. The entire clerical order in the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage was created by the educated, neat and devoted novice of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery Pavel Petrovich Yakovlev, who during the entire time of the archimandrite of Ignatius Brianchaninov conducted affairs not only at the Trinity-Sergius Monastery, but also over the deanery of the St. Petersburg monasteries diocese. His worthy successor in the office of the monastery is the young and handsome hieromonk Andronik, currently the head of office work at the Sergius Monastery. Thanks to the sympathetic attention of His Eminence Agathodorus, Archbishop of Stavropol, and the kindness of the Secretary of the Stavropol Consistory S.A. Malevinsky and the administration of the Stavropol Seminary, the author had the opportunity during the non-present days of Easter Week of 1914 to get acquainted with the data of the Caucasian and Black Sea Department and the Caucasian Seminary that interested him.