Message to Vasily, Archimandrite of Pechersk, XII century

The following message is borrowed from the Collection of the Moscow Synodal Library, 4 days, 16th century, according to the 1823 catalog under N 935. This collection in the inscription on the book is called: Blessed Cyril's collection of various matters. The inscription was made in the 17th century, probably at the direction of some Little Russian scientist. The words: different works clearly indicate imitation of the Latin: varia opera, that is, different works. The name of Blessed Cyril is placed here in the first article, which is inscribed: “The Word of Blessed Cyril, a teaching on the life of the monks,” and was published between the works of St. Kirill of Turov (in Monument. Ross. Literature of the XII century. M. 1821. p. 102). But it cannot be said about this collection that it was compiled by the works of St. Kirill of Turov, and presented a list from his original manuscript. In the same collection, between articles that are ancient in language, there are also new ones, sometimes with a specific indication of the name of the writer. So on L. 276. vol. additional teaching of Archbishop Smion of Novgorod (XV century); – l. 293. Teaching from the Metropolitan of Kyiv to a priest in Pskov about widowed priests, written by Metropolitan Photius (XV century);-l. 308. The legend of Maximus the Elder the Greek, Mount Sinai, or a message to the Tsar, however, unfairly attributed to Saint Maximus the Greek, written by one of the Russians, as can be seen from the content. But although this manuscript cannot be called a collection of St. Cyril of Turov - in it, in addition to his mentioned teaching, there is also a word that, according to other manuscripts, belongs to the same Archpastor of Turov. Here it is entitled: l. 72. About some Kings, not named for military weapons. The story is wonderful about the Cheriorians. The printed edition reads: “A Tale to Vasily the Abbot of Pechersk. A parable about a white man, and about imaginary thoughts, and about souls, and about repentance.” The proposed message is included in this manuscript. 11 – 18. with the inscription: a message from a certain elder to the blessed Basil the Archimandrite, about the skime. From the contents of the letter it is revealed that this Archimandrite Vasily was one of the successors of St. Theodosius of Pechersk, therefore, the abbot of the Pechersk monastery, and, in all likelihood, the same person with Abbot Vasily, to whom St. wrote. Kirill tells the parable “about the Belorized woman.” According to the chronicles, it is known that the first abbots of Pechersk, invested with the rank of archimandrite, did not postpone the title of abbot. So in the Kyiv chronicle, the rector of Pechersk Polycarp, until 1171 called hegumen (Complete. Collected chronicles, Vol. 2. Page 95. 96. 98. 100. 101), from 1174 he was called together archimandrite and hegumen. Sretosha and the crosses, Metropolitan, and Archimandrite Pechersk abbot (p. 107). Under 1182 - The blessed Archimandrite Hegumen of Pechersk, named Polycarp, reposed in the month of July on the 24th day (p. 126). In a similar way, Vasily is called in the chronicle by both names: the church of St. Vasily was sacred... by Archimandrite Pechersk Abbot Vasily (p. 128). Then the Prince... convened... Bishop Andreyan Yuryevsky... and Archimandrite Vasily Pechersk abbot. And not only in Kyiv, the abbots of the Kievyechersky monastery were called together archimandrites and abbots, but we see the same in the dioceses of Novgorod and Vladimir, when archimavdrias were established there in the monasteries of Yuryev and Vladimir-Rozhdestvensky. The abbot of St. George Savatius, Archimandrite of Novgorod, reposed (T. 3. years. Novgor. 1. p. 42). Poslash according to Kiril, hegumen and archimandrite of the monastery of the Holy Mother of God of the Nativity ... (Vol. 1. Laurentian let. p. 192). – This phenomenon, which is repeated many times in different regions of the Russian Metropolis, cannot be explained by the inconsistency of the chroniclers. We see that in Greece, archimandrites sometimes signed themselves abbots, sometimes with both names together. Thus, at the Seventh Ecumenical Council, in Act 3, Savva the Studian, Plato of Saccadia, and Joseph of Irakli were simply called abbots, and in the fourth act they all signed themselves archimandrites and abbots. ἀρχιμανδρίτης καὶ ἡγὐμενος μονῆς τῷν Στυδίων, Etc. Five more abbots of other monasteries also signed (Dinii Concil. T. III. par. 1. Sect. 1. p. 522 et 597). The title “abbot” expressed the attitude of a famous person to the monastery as abbot; and the name “archimandrite” refers to his relationship to other abbots, before whom he took precedence in dignity, and sometimes was in charge of them. So the message was written to the famous Archimandrite Vasily of Pechersk, whose election and installation is described in the Kiev chronicle in 1182. Who wrote this message remains unknown until the discovery of his other lists with the name of the writer. But due to the tributary nature of the message, it can most likely be attributed to the same Bishop of Turov, St. Kirill, who wrote a parable “about the Belorized woman” to Archimandrite Vasily. This guess can be confirmed by some expressions of the message found in the mentioned parable “about the Belarusian”, and in the other “about the humanity of the soul”. Let us present examples. Although both of these parables were composed by the author himself, he, however, while offering the teaching of the Gospel in them, does not hesitate to say that he takes them from the Divine Scriptures. In the first parable he says: “It is not we who tell the Creator this, but from the Divine Scriptures” (Monuments of the 12th century, p. 125). Starting to present the second parable, St. Cyril says: “Do not wake us up (read about ourselves) to move our unpunished tongue, but to take from the Divine Scriptures, touching and speaking words with much fear of the Gospels” (p. 134). - So in the epistle, before the beginning of the tributary instruction, the writer says: “I will not tell you about myself about the holy skime, but from the holy books, and moreover, I will tell a parable from Christ himself...” The message contains the words of Psalm 75:12, in a translation somewhat different from the current reading, but close to the Greek text: “promise, speak, and you will repay.” These words are read in the same way in the first parable: “Promise, speak, and give glory to God” (Monuments, p. 121.) In the letter, the writer humbly says: “My words are like teaching to fight myself, for they cannot do any good, not having the moisture of the Holy Spirit.” - In the second parable of St. Kirill expresses himself about his essay as follows: “I am in the grip of bodily lusts, it is impossible for me to talk about spiritual things, I am not a sinner of words, not having the moisture of the Holy Spirit” p. 141. The proposed message to Archimandrite Vasily, by the way, is curious in the sense that it indicates to us that this abbot of Kiev-Pechersk is the builder of the stone fence around the Lavra. During the Ave. Theodosius, it had a wooden fence. The chronicle says: “the monastery is surrounded by pillars” (Nestor. Let. T. 1. p. 68.). In the Legend of St. Matthew the Perspicacious, who lived to become Nikonov's abbess, a wooden fence is also mentioned: “he jumped from the pillar” (Ibid. p. 82). The chronicle later speaks of the construction of a stone refectory in the Pechersk monastery (pages 120. 121): but nowhere does it mention the existence or construction of a stone wall around the Lavra. Only in a later work, the Kiev Synopsis, following the narrative about the beginning of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, it is said: “the monastery itself, surrounded by stone walls, was surrounded by two shooting ranges; the thickness or breadth of the stone wall is about a fathom, and the stone gate, where now is the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, is two... (Ed. 1823. p. 65). – The Epistle to Vasily now determines when and by whom this wall was built. – During the Tatar invasion it was destroyed, and the monastery was again surrounded by a wooden fence. The current stone fence was built in 1698 (See Description. Kiev Pecher. Lavra. 1847. p. 35). Message from a certain elder to the blessed Vasily Archimandrite, about the skime Should be read by the victim. Probably should read about the person. Maybe I should read about those who work for God. Perhaps it should be read that it is not possible to resolve matters.