Spiritual luminaries of the 19th century: Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson (Borisov)

Among the host of glorious hierarchs of the past century, the name of Kherson Archbishop Innocent, who shone as a star of the 1st magnitude in the horizon of our church history of the 19th century, will forever remain. He was a comprehensive learned theologian, ahead of his time in many respects, a brilliant preacher - the Russian Chrysostom, who captivated the hearts of people, and a selfless shepherd, ready to lay down his soul for his flock. Unfortunately, nothing is known about his early childhood, and in this respect Innocent is similar to many great people who, usually out of obscurity, immediately appear before their amazed contemporaries in the full measure of their gigantic age, causing involuntary surprise: who is this and where is it from? It is only known that he was the son of a priest of the Oryol diocese. He was born on the eve of the century - at a time when the entire Christian world was shocked by extraordinary events. After the storms of the French Revolution and the victories of an unprecedented warrior, everyone waited with trepidation - had the terrible Antichrist-destroyer appeared in the person of Napoleon? These rumors, multiplying and distorting, spread throughout remote provinces, and of course did not even pass by the Oryol town of Yelets, where the future saint was born. But these were not the last times, but the beginning of the renewal, greatness and glory of Russia, and when young Ivan Borisov received secondary education, he could already consciously watch how Russia, which had liberated all of Europe from the yoke of the forgotten darling of fate, was elevated to incredible heights of political power. Together with the entire Russian people, he felt that almost tactile action of the hand of God, which was revealed in all these deeply amazing events. The current of mysticism that passed through our entire society, which revealed the entire depth of the Russian soul, could not but influence such an impressionable personality as Ivan Borisov. But if in relation to less powerful natures the influence of mysticism turned out to be almost overwhelming, then for the future saint it only deepened and even more warmed his bright mind, which subsequently manifested itself in the brilliant sermons and speeches of Innocent in a marvelous combination of deep feeling with bright thought. These high qualities of his were noticed even in the theological seminary, where he surprised not only his comrades, but also his mentors with his “problems” and sermons. Having graduated from the course as the first student, he entered the Kyiv Theological Academy, and there his young talent unfolded in all its glory. There, in the circle of selected, gifted young men, he realized his extraordinary talents, began to value them, felt a thirst for noble competition and enthusiastically devoted himself to science, so that he often spent whole nights reading books. Justice demands to note, says Metropolitan Macarius in his biographical sketch, that at the academy Ivan Borisov educated himself more by reading, thinking and practicing his essays than through the lectures of his mentors. With captivating interest, absorbing entire books from beginning to end, even entire systems of philosophers, he, as is seen in many gifted students, usually took notes on what he read and often wrote them down at the end of the books. All this extremely developed his receptive mind, and his extensive knowledge was highly valued by his comrades, to whom, at their request, he often expounded and revealed the teachings of this or that philosopher so clearly, easily and in detail that he amazed everyone and completely overshadowed the lectures of the professors. He attached particular importance to the compositions on which he worked with enthusiasm. Having thought about the subject thoroughly, he then wrote the essay straight out. After two or three days, he revised what he had written, and if for some reason it did not satisfy him, he wrote another essay on the same topic, sometimes a third, in order to submit to his mentors what he considered the best. This is how he acquired the skill of writing with such harmony and brilliance that his works are generally distinguished. Before the exams, he fluently read lectures, which he had done little of before, and, having great preparation and a huge store of knowledge gained from reading books, he always answered brilliantly, surpassing even those students who diligently pored over the lectures. In the higher (theological) department, Borisov was especially diligent in composing sermons, and in him the brilliant preaching gift that made him the Russian Chrysostom was revealed more and more. At the same time, he, having an excellent command of the French language, carefully studied the great masters of the preaching word, like Massillon and Bossuette, but of course the greatest influence on him was the works of the greatest of the great preachers, St. John Chrysostom. All this foreshadowed in him the extraordinary preacher that he later became. After graduating from the academy as a 23-year-old with a master's degree, Borisov entered the field of teaching. It was of great importance for him that he, as the best student, was appointed to the capital's exemplary theological seminary as an inspector and professor of church history and Greek. Here he immediately attracted the attention of his superiors with his extraordinary talents and seven months later he was appointed rector of the Alexander Nevsky Theological School, where he became a monk with the name Innocent and was ordained a hieromonk. Soon he was appointed bachelor of theological sciences at the capital's theological academy. He was made an inspector, and then an extraordinary professor of theological sciences and elevated to the rank of archimandrite (1826). In this natural environment for him, his rapid ascent began. In the audience, in front of young men thirsting for knowledge, he felt a surge of extraordinary inspiration. The professor's chair under him turned into a tribune, and he captivated the students with an inspired speech, which “from his prophetic lips flowed the sweetest honey.” He did not like to write lectures, seeing this as a burden for his mind, prone to wide and free flights, and presented his subject by heart, with fervor, with enthusiasm, in lively, free, often colloquial speech, but always elegant, generally understandable and alien to any feigned scholarship, which tries to cover up its inner misery with wise phraseology. The very subjects he taught—Basic and Demonstrative Theology—gave special scope to his thoughts, and the young professor could fully reveal the brilliant sides of his rare talent and extensive education. Brightness and often originality of view on the most important issues of science, quickness and insight of the mind, invincible dialectics and close acquaintance with the modern state of not only theology, but also philosophy in the West - these were the distinctive features of Archimandrite Innocent’s teaching. At the same time, he quickly became widely known outside the academy for his sermons. He did not speak them often, only for appointments in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and the Kazan Cathedral, but his fame had already spread throughout the capital, and many people gathered to listen to him. These sermons were usually published in the academic journal Christian Reading. This oldest of our spiritual magazines (founded in 1821), after the first years of lively activity, due to various unfavorable circumstances, completely died out: there were few subscribers, almost no funds for publication, and the magazine barely eked out its existence, supplementing itself with random material, for the most part, hastily compiled sermons and unedifying reflections. But then, in the person of the young inspector, an inspiration appeared, who, together with his two famous comrades - G.P. Pavsky and V.B. Bazhanov, bachelors of the academy - decided to raise the dying magazine. The magazine came to life and quickly began to grow and develop, attracting more and more attention and interest from readers. And when “The Last Days of the Earthly Life of Jesus Christ” first appeared on its pages, the issues of “Christian Reading” were sold in great demand and read by everyone with unprecedented pleasure. If before the magazine was almost never sold out, now all its copies were sold out instantly and many complained that they could not get these books. Now it seems that it would not be difficult to help the trouble by reprinting the edition. This is what the editors intended to do; but in the circles of guardians of good intentions, a fear arose that the general passion for the articles of the young talented monk was explained not simply by the merits of the works of his brilliant pen, but by the special spirit of dangerous neologism. This was a standard accusation against all works whose level went beyond the limits of dead formalism and scholasticism. And an amazing thing - such suspicion existed not only among the authorities, but was also supported among Innocent’s comrades. Everyone somehow shunned these three friends, and some even sarcastically called them neologists right to their faces. An interesting story is told about this. One day, all three friends in the common room were heatedly discussing among themselves some important theological issue, perhaps the question of the contents of the next issue of a magazine. Some of those present made witty remarks about them, and one unceremoniously remarked out loud: “Here they are, neologians!” Flushing with indignation, G.P. Pavsky turned to face the speaker and said loudly: “Yes, exactly the idiots!” - which made the unfortunate wit bite his tongue. And what caused this unworthy suspicion? – The best work of Christian theological literature not only of that time, but of the entire 19th century. The essay “The Last Days of the Earthly Life of Jesus Christ” brilliantly applied a unique method for that time to study the life of the Savior. Reading it even now, at the turn of the 20th century, one is involuntarily amazed at how the genius of a Russian theologian could anticipate a method that became the property of science much later, when, thanks to a mass of new discoveries in the field of geography and archeology of the Holy Land and antiquity in general, it became possible to illustrate the facts of Gospel history with data from the field of historical and archaeological research. At that time, these studies were little known in the West, and only the most insignificant fragments reached us. And here we see how Innocent really masterfully uses all the collected material, how he knows how to supplement every event of the Gospel history with suitable archaeological or geographical detail, without creating a chaotic accumulation of facts. The research materials are placed with the skill of an artist who creates a wonderful image from small mosaic stones - the image of the God-Man. Now many such works have been created - even, perhaps, too many. It is enough to mention at least the works of Farrar, Dido, Geikie, and Edersheim translated into Russian. All these are the latest studies of the type, a wonderful example of which was given by our brilliant theologian; It can be said frankly that in this respect he was ahead of his time! But that is precisely why this new method aroused blind suspicion and even - alas, it is with sadness that we have to talk about this - was subjected to censorship persecution. A secret inquiry was conducted into the lectures of the author of the famous work - they were also suspected of being a “neologism”. Although the inquiry did not lead to a sad result, it was already sad enough that such an important work of Innocent could receive censorship permission for publication as a separate book only thirty years after its appearance in the magazine! The St. Petersburg Academy had the happiness for six years to feed on the fruits of the brilliant mind and noblest heart of Innocent. In 1830, already a doctor of theology (1829), he was appointed to the position of rector of his native Kyiv Academy. The decade during which it was headed by Archimandrite Innocent can rightly be called the most brilliant period in its history. As a professor, he took upon himself to lecture on Fundamental Theology (so-called Religious Theology) and Dogmatic Theology, and his inspired lectures filled the audience with amazement and delight, so that the students, leaving the audience, did not know how to call their incomparable rector. His genius had an inspiring effect on the entire corporation, among which a noble competition began and glorious professors emerged, who subsequently created a great name for themselves in science and literature, such as Y.K. dictionary and others. Caring for the most thorough philosophical education of students, the rector tried to instill in them a love for preaching and the art in it. He himself re-read their sermons, called upon the authors of the best of them and spent hours talking with them about how to write and deliver sermons, and with this visual, living homiletics he achieved excellent results. Even for that time, a remarkable feature in Innocent’s views on education was that he, himself a comprehensively developed man, wanted the students of the Theological Academy not to be confined to the narrow circle of their special subject, which inevitably alienated them from living reality. He advised them, not limiting themselves to the range of disciplines taught at the Academy, to read books on other sciences, for example, astronomy and natural history - advice that has not yet found citizenship rights in our theological school. While working on the great task of educating spiritual youth, Innocent himself at the same time quickly matured, grew and developed spiritually, which was especially noticeable in his preaching activities. His oratorical talent gained extraordinary flexibility and strength, and when he delivered his carefully composed sermons in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral and Lavra, always delivering without notes, in a lively, breathtaking speech, the fame of his preaching quickly spread throughout Kyiv and people gathered from all over the city to listen to him. His sermons on the days of Holy and Bright Week, which were subsequently published in special collections entitled “Holy Week” and “Bright Week,” were distinguished by a special power of eloquence and inspiring feeling. And reading these excellent collections, you don’t know what to be more surprised at: the strength and depth of the feeling embodied in them, the clarity of thought, the grace of the theological concept, or the amazing harmony of their very construction and the beauty of the word. Truly, the name of the Russian Chrysostom is applicable to him more than to anyone, as his contemporaries called him, who came to listen to him from all sides, often from afar. Along with preaching, his scientific and literary theological activity also progressed and developed, which also reached amazing heights. This can be evidenced by his own confession that once escaped him. “I’m surprised,” he once said to students noticed in idleness, “how you don’t value your time and do little; last cheese week and the first week of Lent I wrote about 80 sheets!” Consequently, 40 sheets per week, almost 7 sheets every day except Sunday, and this is in weeks still occupied by prayers and divine services! The fruits of these labors were numerous, and he founded a special magazine for them, “Sunday Reading,” which quickly blossomed and became one of the most widespread publications of that time. At the same time, he conceived and partially executed a huge work, “Collection of Confessions of the Orthodox Faith of All Ages from the Beginning of the Church,” and he even thought about publishing the full course “History of the Russian Church,” as well as a theological dictionary. Neither one nor the other was carried out, since his new activity as a diocesan bishop diverted his attention from this area. And it is truly a pity, because through this we have lost such a contribution to our literature on Russian church history, which would probably have surpassed Karamzin’s famous work on civil history. In 1840, a new field began in the ministry of the famous hierarch - as a diocesan bishop. We do not have the opportunity to dwell in detail on this side of his activity, in which he also left a good reputation everywhere (in the Vologda, Kharkov and Kherson dioceses) as a wise administrator, tireless preacher and educator. Let us note only one more moment in his life, when he spoke in all the greatness of his archpastoral courage, for which the glorious historian Pogodin proclaimed him “a great citizen of the Russian land.” This was during the difficult time of the Crimean campaign, when the huge fleet of united Europe began to destroy the Black Sea ports, causing horror and confusion everywhere. Only the valiant archpastor of Kherson, whose flock was subjected to enemy invasion, was not embarrassed. He not only calmly remained in his bishop's house when everyone was hiding in the basements from cannon fire, and even served in the cathedral, which represented the most prominent target for the enemy guns that were crushing Odessa, but he also decided to personally appear among the valiant defenders of Sevastopol and infuse new courage into them with his fiery archpastoral word. And his visit to long-suffering Sevastopol represents a truly unprecedented picture in history. The enemy advanced more and more menacingly on the strongholds of Sevastopol, the iron ring of trenches and bastions with which the enemies tried to strangle Sevastopol with its brave fighters became increasingly narrower. Cannonballs and bullets rained down in hail, and death rushed over the heads of the Russian soldiers, hitting the target every minute. All earthly help became invalid, only hope remained for the highest heavenly help - and it was this that the famous archpastor appeared in the midst of this battle to announce! When he was crossing to Sevastopol from the northern side of the bay to the southern side, where the most desperate battle was in full swing, enemy cannonballs flew into his boat, one cannonball fell at the stern, and the other at the bow of the boat, and only by some miracle did he survive. And then, amid the horrors of destruction, the great saint officiated, blessed and inspired the heroes, exhausted by the struggle, to new exploits for the faith and the king! What other example is needed of a shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep! Such was Innocent of Kherson. He was truly one of the great spiritual luminaries of our 19th century church. One of the admirers of his sermons, expressing his delight at reading “Bright Week,” wrote to him: “Your “Bright Week” is as bright as a diamond!” And we can rightfully say that when impartial history, having sorted out the bustle of persons and deeds of the 19th century passing into eternity, finds it possible for it to weave a historical wreath from the names of its most glorious figures, then among them the name of Innocent of Kherson, one of the brilliant geniuses of the century, will sparkle like a true diamond. May his memory be sacred to us too; we can draw from the story of his life strength and courage for tireless service to the church and fatherland.