53. 1426 г. февраля 2. Послание митрополита Фотия в Псков, по случаю моровой язвы

From the Rumyants manuscript. Museum No. 204, l. 433–438; verified with the lists found in the Synodal collection No. 562, l. 393–398 and in the June book of the Makarievsky Menya-Chetykh (synod. sp. l. 654; successful sp. l. 630 vol.). It was published in Volume I of Historical Acts under No. 30. And this about priests and monks and rulers 2348 Blessing of Photius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Rus', in Pskov, to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, and to the abbots and priests, and to the entire priestly and monastic rank, and to the old posadniks and boyars, and to all rulers and rulers, and to all the complete fulfillment of holy people. O children of the Lord, beloved of our humility! Our Creator Christ the Lord has given us many and varied paths, providing for His image in humanity, taking pains and deeds to show our salvation, and with all of these arranging for us, our property, in the heavenly paradise of existence; for 2349 having resurrected us from ancient times and brought us into being from oblivion 2350 and brought us into procreation through holy baptism, saying with the great initial word: “he will give the region to the children of God,” who believe in Orthodoxy and walk in his ways. And about this and to all, beloved in the Lord, out of duty of spiritual authority, firstly many times from the true Gospel itself, and from the Apostles and from the Prophets, and from the divine Fathers of tradition, and from all divine scripture, first and at length in spiritual words and teaching letters to you about your spiritual benefit, offering your love a meal not of the flesh of the perishing, but abiding in the eternal belly, delighting and enlightening the soul. And about everything because of my spiritual innate love for your love, even though I am removed from you by the distance of the place, but from the origin of your race, great for the sake of faith in God and spiritual warmth, and about all your deanery and care and well-being of your true Orthodox state, and about everything there is always this for the sake of the spirit, as our humility is inseparable from your good faith; and as I always heard about the prosperity of all your Orthodox sojourns, I rejoiced spiritually about this. And therefore I heard, beloved, what a sin it is for our sakes, God’s rebuke coming upon you, and about that, God knows, what it is like for all the days and hours of the mind that never sleeps for God and my daily sobbing and tears for my flock for Christ. 2352 And therefore, my children, I have heard from my spiritual son, your mayor Fyodor and your other ambassadors, that God’s punishment and rebuke from his love for mankind are on you 2353, and his ancient mercy and mercy are addressed to you; and hearing about this, I spiritually rejoice greatly. And from now on, as from the beginning, our Creator Christ the Lord, with many different punishments and illnesses, punishes us, his property, for correction, demanding our conversion, and not destruction; and for this reason, all kinds of things disgust us in abundance, sparing the root, so as to preserve the fruit. And behold, beloved ones, such God’s punishment will come upon us, on Moscow and other surrounding cities, and on Tver and other countries. 2355 And for this reason we only thank the depth of God’s destinies and his command, thanks to his love for mankind, the indescribable abyss, which neither in vain nor bitterly takes its creation, according to the gift of 2356 all fulfilled and prepared Christian death, with pure repentance and confession, and with the consecration of oil, and the communion of the honest and life-giving the body of Christ and his divine and life-giving blood, and many times and many like those who depart to God in the likeness of the great angelic robe: and I have hope in God’s love for mankind for those who depart in this way to the eternal life. We pray to God, the lover of mankind, and I have even more hope 2357, expecting his righteous punishment to turn his ancient mercy on us, on his property 2358. And [in] all these righteous Master’s punishments imposed on us, we must collectively all Orthodox, trembling and horrified, come diligently to the knowledge of everything and search ourselves, for the sake of what we are guarding, or for what reason we have strayed from the right path, and with recourse to everything and with tears, let us sweat again, ascend to the right paths, resorting to God, purely about confessing to everyone, with the retreat of all impurities and passions, and according to the Prophet Joel, who speaks about these, “to sanctify fasting and preach pleasing to God,” recsha, from all evil by conversion and repentance, always calling to him with a contrite heart: “Woe, woe, for the day of the Lord of vengeance is near!” Again, as the Prophet said: “turn to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning, and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn, speaking, to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and generous and long-suffering, repenting of the evils of men.” And to this the Lord once again spoke to the Prophet: “If you turn to me, I will turn to you.” And for this reason, in these present God’s punishments upon us, we strive to wash our faces with tears and cleanse our souls from sins by fasting and diligent prayers to God for everything, and we will expose to him all the wounds of our souls; and if we remain silent about all kinds of uncorrections of ours, we are not disciplined by these punishments, and you, who know the secret of all hearts, and are ready to tempt all our deeds with fire, will always be a time of inexorable judgment, and not purification, lower confession, or repentance of the hour. To you who are priestly and monastic, after the first great worthy punishments, and now in a little way from this I am writing, as our Lord Christ, entrusting spiritual superiority, says to us: “If you stand and do not change, the luminary of existence in souls and bodies, and the body of the whole world will be enlightened; But if you, who are the salt, become stinking, and you who are the light, and become darkened, the darkness will be even more colic.” And the great Theologian Gregory, the teacher of all about God, 2359 speaks to those sanctified by God: “For I say more to you, who is the eye of the Church, and the inheritance of that is not filled with darkness, nor to appear to you as an evil representative; Even if the light is darkness, and by seven the darkness will be worse than colic.” And for this reason, the Lord’s priests and monks, I beg you to walk in everything according to the order of your calling, and strive and lead the Lord’s spiritual people to correct everything in everything, and so that the deeds will follow those words 2360, according to Christ’s word: “so that men may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” To you, the governors and rulers of all, remembering a little, I say teachingly: from the Lord, as is given to you 2361 power and strength from the Most High; and for this reason, debtors naturally work for the Lord, and not for man, but for the sake of interest and the gains of the unrighteous, they show mercy and intercession and truth to everyone to the Lord’s people, with all humility and love, and they have all the judgments of God’s righteousness, and are mindful, when there will be 2362 unhypocritical and unpaid judgment reward; and for this reason, in no way transforming the judgment of the wretched, below the shame of the possessed person of the strong, as it is said: “judgment is cruel to the owner”; and likewise the life-giving Spirit bequeaths this commandment, saying: “Punish yourself, all you who judge the earth; work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in him with trembling.” But you, deliberate cities, I pray you, be pleased with your lessons, instructing others in the right and good course, and piety in splendor, in purchases and in the standards of the righteous, observing God's truth: for the purchase and measure of the wicked are abominations to God, but the purchase and measure of the righteous are blessed and acceptable from God. And with all this, beloved ones, I beg of you, strive for yourself to have both measure and love for each other, and to have all spiritual copulation, remembering Christ’s great word above the Gospel about love: “about this speech, everyone understands, as my disciples are, if you have love among yourself”; and all together, obedience and reverence are shown to the spiritual principles and authorities, as the divine Apostle says about these: “For you are vigilant about your souls, as if you want to pay back the word on the day of the great judgment.” And about this, priests and monks and all Orthodox together, I pray to you, to do everything worthy of Orthodoxy, demonstrating faith and deeds, being kind to each other, gracious and submissive, and giving alms to the fruit of goodness, and giving generosity to the poor, and with all of these sharing God’s truth and purity; and about everything, all the ulcers of our souls are always laid bare before the One who created us, who does not reproach or despise us, but who leads all the secrets of our hearts to our Master, but who, moreover, has mercy on us and heals all our ulcers and illnesses. And with all of these, beloved ones, let us, together, from our souls and hearts, anticipate his righteous punishment coming to us with confession 2363, and as if he is philanthropic and merciful, he will look upon us, on his property, and may he deliver us from all wrath, and may he make us worthy of all his rich rewards. And I pray that for all the temporal 2364 of your great Orthodoxy, and moreover for all the prosperity and care and strength of your Orthodox state, and for this countless, abundant blessings, may you be honored in your heavenly endless kingdom, the inheritance of these future endless blessings, which I pray you will receive through the grace and love of mankind of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And may God's grace and mercy and my prayer and blessing be in everything with your good faith and with all the fulfillment of the holy people of your Orthodox state. And the letter was given in Vladimir, the month of February on the 2nd day, indictment 4. Epistle of Metropolitan Photius to Pskov Sin. In the original and no longer available; corrected according to Sin. collection. useful Sin. collection.; upon arrival Mac. Min. (syn. sp.). In the original and Mac. Min. (usp. sp.) stands next to transgress - obviously a note for the scribe included in the text. from the philanthropic Synod. collection. This is true in all lists, i.e. Photius’s usual incorrectness of wording. In the original, bestowed; corrected according to the Synod. collection. Next on all lists is mercy - superfluous. In all lists comes next and – superfluous. to you Mac. Min. (syn. sp.). On all lists temporarily. Executed in the original; corrected according to Sin. collection. You might be interested in: