A wreath for the grave of the late Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov in Bose

“We know your deeds, your labor, and your patience. And you labored for My name, and you did not faint.” (Apoc. 2, 2–3) “Blessed is the man who has gained wisdom, and mortal is he who has gained understanding: It is better to have this bathing than treasures of gold and silver.” (Proverbs 3:13–14.) Highest condolences Telegram from Moscow addressed to His Eminence Anthony, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga. “The LORD EMPEROR is pleased to express to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy His condolences regarding the grave loss it suffered with the death of Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov, whose scientific works were known to HIS MAJESTY. Speech delivered by His Eminence, the Most Reverend Anthony, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, during the Divine Liturgy in the Academic Church on April 11. On the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, I greet you, beloved brethren in the Lord. But while expressing this greeting of joy to you, I cannot remain silent in front of you about my deep condolences to you and my heartfelt complicity in your grief on the occasion of the death of our dear Vasily Vasilyevich. This is a difficult loss for all of us and for all of Russian theological science. But the Lord was pleased to recall His good and faithful worker from us before the bright holiday, in order to ease our sorrow with the joy of the Resurrection. We now celebrate victory over death, as we hear inspired chants about eternal life and endless joys. “We celebrate the mortification of death, the destruction of hell, the other eternal life – 4 – the beginning, and playfully we sing of the guilty, the only blessed God of the Fathers, and the glorified.” So, let us not grieve as if we have no hope, but let us seek Christian consolation in our sorrow. The Word of God divides the time of non-human existence into two centuries: this age, the present, and that age, the coming one. The first denotes the current order of life, in which they marry, encroach, work, fuss, rejoice, cry and finally die. The second designates a different order of life, in which those worthy to achieve it become equal to the angels, sons of God, being sons of the resurrection and can no longer die (Luke XX, 34-36). The present age is a preparatory age for the one to come. But even in this life, the eternal principles of the future life are more or less accessible to human consciousness. There are even people so akin to the structure of life of that century that real life seems alien to them, and they live here entirely according to the structure of that life. Such was undoubtedly our invaluable Vasily Vasilyevich. Existing in time, he essentially lived in eternity. Current life did not interest him at all; its modern interests were completely alien to him. He lived only in the scientific field, in the immortal kingdom of ideas. He was in the full sense a learned hermit, but a hermit free from dry, fruitless bookishness. The interest of his life was not in the letter of the book, but in the life-giving spirit. Therefore, beyond the scientific field, he especially loved to live the life of the Church, this only institution on earth with the living principles of immortality and eternal life. This life, even during the hermitage of the deceased, gave full flowering and wide scope to the sublime qualities of his soul, which made him not only marvel at him, respect him as a scientist, but also love him as a Christian man, always beautiful and highly attractive. And in his personal life, this amazing man was true to himself to the end. He knew only the life of the spirit, but did not seem to feel the life of the body. He fought with the infirmities of the body, the fruit of exhaustion from tireless work for the life of the spirit, to the last extremity, and submissively folded his hands only when this body began to die and when he felt that he needed to move to a new home, as he half-consciously told me himself during my last meeting with him in the hospital (April 1). And the son of eternity departed to his own eternity, the son of the resurrection died before the bright days of the Resurrection of Christ, the tireless worker moved to a place of rest, the believing Christian was released from the bonds of the body to be with Christ. So, we should not grieve, but be comforted by the hope of faith, and thank God that He destined us in our evil days to see working with us and among us His truly faithful and good servant, who has now entered into the joy of his Lord. With the saints, O Christ, rest the soul of Your servant Vasily, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life! Amen. Telegrams received at the Academy on the occasion of the death of V.V. Bolotov From the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. P. Pobedonostsev: “I heartily mourn with all of you over the loss of a great ascetic of science and a good teacher, who sold everything he had for one of his beads. I regret that I am not able to pray with you all. From fellow Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Senator V.K. Sabler: “The death of dear Vasily Vasilyevich is an irreplaceable loss, a great grief. From the Moscow Theological Academy: “The Moscow Theological Academy, in feelings of deep sorrow about the premature death of the scientist Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov, who was the glory and adornment of the St. Petersburg Academy and all of Russian theological science, expresses sincere condolences. Rector of the Academy, Bishop Arseny." From professors of the same Academy: “We ask the Academy to accept expressions of our deep sorrow for the grave loss suffered by the Academy and science in the person of Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov. Professors of the Moscow Academy: Evgeny Golubinsky, Pavel Gorsky-Platonov, Nikolay Kapterev, Anatoly Spassky, Sergey Glagolev, Vasily Myshtsyn, Ivan Popov, Ivan Andreev." From Yuryev University: “Yuryev University expresses fraternal condolences to the Academy on the untimely loss of its brilliant student and figure of our unforgettable Orientalist historian Professor Bolotov. From the rector of the Kazan Theological Academy, Bishop Anthony, a telegram was received addressed to His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Anthony, with condolences about the grave loss suffered by our Academy in the person of Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov. † In memory of Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov. Prof. I. Zhukovich Unexpected grief befell our Academy: our wonderful, our only Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov is no longer with us. The grief is so great that only the memory, too fresh for the writer of these lines, of the seriousness of the late Vasily Vasilyevich’s view of the academic duty of the strictly factual “memory” of his deceased comrades could overcome his indecision in order to fulfill, to the best of his ability, this sad duty in relation to himself in these first difficult days of inexhaustible melancholy, some kind of gloomy emptiness... More than one stone, no matter how huge, fell off. With the death of Vasily Vasilyevich, the entire Academy suddenly became somehow different. The deceased ordinary professor of the academy, V.V. Bolotov, son of the deacon of the Ostashkovo Trinity Cathedral (born January 1, 1854), spent his entire childhood in the village of Kravotyni, Ostashkovo district, Tver province. Having lost his father in very early childhood, his mother’s only son, he was a poor orphan, dependent on the treasury, and took a course of study at the Ostashkovo Theological School and the Tver Theological Seminary. In August 1875, as a twenty-one-year-old youth, he entered our Academy from the seminary, to the church history department. From the very first days of his stay at the Academy, he occupied an absolutely exceptional position among the students. The rare combination of a powerful mind with a phenomenal memory (which had not weakened in him over the years), an extraordinary supply of diverse scientific information at his age, an excellent knowledge of ancient non-modern languages, and a pure scientific passion that completely enveloped his entire being - all this put him beyond any comparison. Everyone at the Academy immediately recognized student Bolotov, everyone had the same opinion about him 1 . Only two and a half years passed from the time he entered the Academy before he was, so to speak, elected to the professorial chair. On March 5, 1878, the Honored Ordinary Professor of the Academy I.V. Cheltsov suddenly died, and the Academy Council decided not to replace the vacant department of ancient general church history until the end of the course with student Bolotov. From this time on, instead of Cheltsov, I. E. Troitsky, who temporarily replaced the latter’s department, became the professor-supervisor for Vasily Vasilyevich. A few months after completing the course (October 28, 1879), V.V. Bolotov defended his master’s thesis: “Origen’s Doctrine of the Holy Trinity.” The highly experienced reviewer of this dissertation, Prof. I. E. Troitsky, 15 years after its defense, officially called it not a master's thesis, but a doctoral dissertation based on its merits. The very defense of Vasily Vasilyevich’s dissertation was a true celebration of the chosen one of science, which had no other like it in subsequent academic life. Soon after defending his master's thesis, V. V-ch opened a course of his academic lectures on ancient general church history (he was officially elected as an assistant professor on November 2, 1879). The enchanting effect on the listeners of his outstanding oratorical talent after his first academic lecture (on the relationship between Greek and Roman civilizations in the pre-Christian and Christian periods) was no less powerful than after last year’s such an original, lively, fascinating presentation of the most special things by him at the master’s colloquium of associate professor M.I. Orlov. Only a year and a half had passed since Vasily Vasilyevich occupied the academic department, and he had to begin another difficult task as a professor, to whom he generally devoted so much of his strength. On June 10, 1881, he already officially opposed his younger comrade, I. S. Palmov, at the master's debate. Three years after this, the young associate professor is (in 1884) an opponent in two doctoral debates. The series of scientific works of Vasily Vasilyevich, which began brilliantly with his master's thesis, continued in a continuous stream, expanding and expanding, until the last days of his life. A list of his published works is given below. Back in the March book “Christ. Readings" for the current year included a continuation of his extensive research "From the history of the Syro-Persian Church", namely an excursion: "What does history know about the beginning of Christianity in Persia?" Even in the April book “Christ. Readings" for the current year there is a description he made of one Syriac manuscript (Nestorian liturgical book of the 18th century). Being completely incompetent in assessing the internal merit of Vasily Vasilyevich’s scientific works, we, for our part, consider it only appropriate to make a few excerpts from a brief official review of them by Prof. I. E. Troitsky, made by him several years ago. Let the teacher, stricken by a serious illness, repeat (in this obituary) his weighty word about his beloved student. “In this first scientific work (i.e., master’s thesis) of Vasily Vasilyevich,” he wrote, all the typical features of his talents and techniques were immediately clarified and established. All his subsequent works were only further development and improvement of both. But at the same time, something new was discovered that characterizes true scientists by vocation. As his studies in the field of his chosen science moved forward, Vasily Vasilyevich constantly expanded them, primarily in the interests of this science itself, and then in the form of expanding his scientific horizon in general, with parallel work in the field of other sciences. Excess strength was looking for space for himself, and his scientific conscientiousness did not allow him to stop halfway - to be content with the scientific results obtained by others, but encouraged him to check these results, and even better, to achieve them himself by studying primary sources and the best methods of scientific research, in order to take a completely independent and equal position among the scientists of our time, enjoying general fame and well-deserved authority in science.” “Having an excellent command of ancient languages - Hebrew, Greek and Latin, which gave him access to the primary sources of history and culture not only of these peoples, but of the entire ancient and medieval world in general, and possessing the same knowledge of new languages - German, French, English, Italian, Vasily Vasilyevich was not content with this, and introduced into the circle of his study a whole group of oriental languages - Arabic, Armenian, Coptic and etc. and placed this study, as well as the study of new languages, on a common philological basis and thus gave it a purely scientific character. Hence, in Vasily Vasilyevich’s further works, more and more space is given to philological research, yielding unexpectedly rich results even for the clarification and solution of special historical and ecclesiastical issues.” “Under every phrase of Vasily Vasilyevich one can feel a broad general historical basis. So briefly and at the same time, so meaningfully and accurately characterize entire theological trends with their sometimes very subtle shades and so concisely and accurately summarize the essence and shades of the opinions of the church fathers... only a scientist who felt like a complete master in his field could... "The author's scientific techniques testify not only to his complete familiarity with modern scientific requirements and the best research methods, but also to his remarkable experience and skill in meeting these requirements and in using these methods... Favorite scientific method Vasily Vasilyevich is critical, and he masters it perfectly... Vasily Vasilyevich’s scientific sketches satisfy the most demanding scientific requirements.” The deceased church historian, who had a remarkable ability in linguistics and through his own labor achieved knowledge of many eastern languages, was able to work in that area of ​​\u200b\u200bchurch history, which not only here, but also in Western Europe, is available for independent study to very few. Therefore, his works on the history of the ancient Christian Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian churches, which always contained only what was new and still unknown in science, aroused keen and deep interest among specialists from all countries. The name of our deceased church historian became known in all centers of European church-historical science, although he, one might say, took measures against the growth of his scholarly fame (not one of his Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian studies was even published in a special edition, in addition to being published in “Christian Readings”), a St. Petersburg orientalist told the writer of these lines, returning from the recent Paris congress orientalists, with what curiosity they asked him about prof. Bolotov from St. Petersburg were two Italian scientists who dreamed of seeing in person in Paris the one whose scientific works were well known to them. In general, not only Russian, but also the entire European church-historical science in the person of Vasily Vasilyevich has lost a first-class scientist, a chosen one among the chosen. Unfortunately, the entire long series of his works on Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian sources, especially the newest works, have not yet become the subject of cumulative special scientific study by Orientalists and church historians. Only this special study of his works, in connection with the general situation of European church-historical science at the current moment, can clearly show both the greatest sensitivity of the late church historian to the living, modern needs of his science (especially in view of the scientific movement so powerful in our days in the field of studying the ancient East), and the positive scientific significance for the general history of the church of his findings on the history of non-Greek ancient Christian churches. In the light of his new specialized knowledge, broader horizons open up in the science of the general history of the Church. Vasily Vasilyevich's scientific research is of deep interest, even regardless of its content, regardless of the positive scientific discoveries that they contain. They are of deep interest to everyone from one methodological point of view, by the very perfection of scientific and technical research techniques, and we know that they were read and studied (and were specifically recommended to be studied by those embarking on an independent scientific path) by scientific figures, sometimes very far in their specialty from the subject of Vasily Vasilyevich’s scientific works. In the scientific experiments of Vasily Vasilyevich, one could clearly see what a powerful tool in the process of scientific creativity is the perfect scientific method of research. Acquaintance with the scientific techniques of Vasily Vasilyevich is all the more instructive because he was completely alien to scientific pedantry and stereotyped forms of scientific-formal technology. And into this sphere, as everywhere else, he brought with him his life-giving spirit... Without taking upon ourselves the characteristics of the scientific techniques of the late historian, we cannot help but note one feature that sharply distinguishes him from the crowd of ordinary specialists. Studying one or another special area of ​​past life, he considered it necessary to be a specialist in all areas adjacent to it, and never confined himself to the narrow framework of his immediate church-historical problem. He thoroughly examined the historical phenomenon under study from all sides, although from this comprehensive examination only the features necessary for proper illumination of the matter fell into the picture he drew. This constant work in areas related to the subject he studied made him an excellent specialist in matters of general chronology (here he hardly knew his equal in Russia), ancient geography, the history of ancient culture, public and private life, metrology, etc. That is why his historical presentation often shone (in the text) with the living colors of life, and in his copious notes representatives of different specialties found so much that was important and new. In parallel with this own scientific and creative work of Vasily Vasilyevich, his remarkable scientific and critical activity proceeded non-stop. And it was not the central position of general church history in the circle of academic sciences, but precisely his comprehensive erudition in all branches of theological knowledge that made Vasily Vasilyevich, from the very first steps of his professorial service, an inevitable reviewer of most of the works of academic scientific and theological productivity. Without any exaggeration, we can say that he worked in this regard for ten people, never refusing, either directly or indirectly, from this responsible, difficult and sometimes annoying work. He participated in two doctoral disputations - F. G. Eleonsky (“History of the Israeli people in Egypt”) and N. A. Skabalanovich (“The Byzantine state and the church in the 11th century”), and was a reviewer of doctoral dissertations by N. V. Pokrovsky (“The Gospel in iconographic monuments”) and A. I. Sadov (“Ancient Christian church writer Lactantius”), as well as scientific works (mainly “The Shepherding of Christ the Savior”) by S. A. Sollertinsky, which earned their author a doctorate. The number of master's debates and colloquiums with his participation goes up to 9. Sometimes, almost unexpectedly for himself, he replaced another opponent at the colloquiums, who could not appear due to illness. Not being an official reviewer of other master's theses, he in fact, in the process of compiling them, took no less close, guiding participation than official reviewers (theses of A.P. Rozhdestvensky, I.E. Evseev). A number of master's theses begun under his leadership, one hopes, will sooner or later see the light of day 2 . Vasily Vasilyevich treated his reviewer duties with remarkable zeal and conscientiousness. His reviews sometimes grew into entire dissertations. His review of the essay Η, awarded the Makariev Prize by the Holy Synod. N. Glubokovsky (“Blessed Theodorit”), together with his Addenda - corrigenda and his Addendis superaddenda - turned into a special Theodoretiana, occupying 164 pages. His review of A. I. Sadov’s dissertation takes up about eight printed pages. The result of his colloquium with V.N. Samuilov (“History of Arianism in the Latin West”), regardless of the review, was a special study (“Liberius the Bishop of Rome and the Councils of Sirmium”) of 118 pages, which introduced a lot of new things into the specialized scientific literature, and in the appendix there were two private excursions... In Vasily Vasilyevich’s reviews of certain books awarded by scientists degrees or Makaryev Prizes (both internal academic and awarded by the Holy Synod, such as the works of Mr. Kiparisov, Glubokovsky, Spassky, etc.), there is a whole series of new, hitherto unknown to science, instructions and considerations. These reviews gave Vasily Vasilyevich a happy opportunity to share with the learned public the results of his deep, comprehensive and completely independent study of the entire system of church historical science. Sometimes in his official review, simultaneously with a detailed assessment of the book, Vasily Vasilyevich gave parallel experience of his own original research into the issues included in it. In his review of Vasily Vasilyevich’s reviews, prof. I. E. Troitsky at one time noted the most important scientific discoveries that found a place in them. Thus, the process of scientific creativity continued with all its might in those of his works, which in themselves called him only for scientific-critical analysis. As for this latter, Vasily Vasilyevich’s reviews represent something all-perfect in terms of the power of thought, the subtlety of feeling, and the expression and vitality of presentation. One could listen to Vasily Vasilyevich’s critical analyzes continuously for hours, not only without getting tired, but becoming more and more amazed at him and admiring him. Ruthless scientific-critical analysis victoriously competed with the creativity of the scientific spirit in him. Vasily Vasilievich Bolotov, extraordinary professor since October 24. 1885, did not seek a doctorate himself. And what could a doctorate degree add to his scientific fame? And without this degree, he had long been, both for the Academy and for all scientific circles, as if he were a born doctor! But the doctorate itself seemed to be diminished by the fact that Vasily Vasilyevich did not have it. Prof. I. E. Troitsky, “expressing the general opinion and desire of all members of the academic council,” entered the council with a brief memorandum (May 7, 1896) on the erection of prof. V.V. Bolotov to the degree of doctor of church history “in view of his numerous and major works in the field of church history.” On May 21, 1896, Vasily Vasilyevich was awarded the degree of Doctor of Church History by the Council of the Academy and approved in this degree by the Holy Synod on July 15, 1896; 13 Sep. 1896 elected by the council to the rank of full professor and October 19. the same year he was confirmed in this title by the Holy Synod. Back in 1894, the local Imperial Academy of Sciences expressed its attention to the outstanding scientific works of Vasily Vasilyevich by electing him to its corresponding members. The activity of the late Vasily Vasilyevich was not limited to one academic work, one desk-based special scientific work. His erudition, his scientific and historical sensitivity were resorted to and his talent was used, especially in the last decade, by our highest church authorities, and partly by the highest secular government. By Decree of the Holy Synod of December 15. 1892, the late Vasily Vasilyevich was appointed clerk to the commission for preliminary clarification of the conditions and requirements that could form the basis of negotiations on the union of the Old Catholics with the Russian Orthodox Church · The commission appointed by St. By the Synod, in accordance with the will of the late Emperor Alexander III in Bose and under the chairmanship of the Eminence Finnish Archbishop Anthony, which consisted of persons who were closely acquainted with the Old Catholic movement in life and history, received in the person of Vasily Vasilyevich such a clerk who could provide all the historical information necessary for her in complete abundance, and in formulating the conditions and requirements of the union, serve the cause with all the strength and flexibility of his incomparable language. The activities of the commission on the Old Catholic issue required a lot of work from Vasily Vasilyevich. Then he was called by the highest church authority to take the closest part in the accession of the Syro-Chaldean Nestorians to the Orthodox Church that took place on March 25, 1898. It was necessary to find out under what conditions and by what church order their canonical reunification with the Orthodox Church should take place, and also to translate the necessary confessional formulas, etc., into the language of those joining. Here, in this unusual in our times accession to the Orthodox Church of the remnant of the heresy of long-past centuries, the truly historical, deeply scientific view of the deceased on the church canonical and vital relations of the Orthodox universal Church of the 5th and subsequent centuries, and his rare knowledge of Eastern languages, could not have been more useful. This last knowledge of Vasily Vasilyevich, almost simultaneously with his participation in the Syro-Chaldean issue, was also used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had hitherto been in vain searching in Russia for a scientist who could translate the Abyssinian letters he needed (for this service, the ministry petitioned to reward the deceased with the rank of acting Stat. Councilor). Vasily Vasilyevich, in addition to the Coptic and Ethiopian languages, also knew the Amharic (New Abyssinian) language. In the last year of his life, Vasily Vasilyevich was appointed by the highest church authorities as a delegate from the spiritual department to a special commission formed under the astronomical society on the issue of harmonizing our old style with the new one adopted by Western Europe. Vasily Vasilyevich, as we said above, was primarily an expert on chronological issues in general. He studied the question that interested the commission in all its details, not only from the church-canonical and scientific-historical, but also from all other sides. In general, the Russian, and with it the entire Orthodox Church, lost in Vasily Vasilyevich such a son, to whose scientific help she could always turn with complete confidence in solving difficult and important church issues that require the most abundant light of church historical science. In this church and public service, Vasily Vasilyevich remained, of course, completely faithful to his strictly scientific duty. Every church and social issue on which he was called upon to express his competent judgment became, so to speak, a topic for his special dissertation. In the portfolios that remained after his death, in the official correspondence that passed through his hands on these and other church and social issues, there is undoubtedly a rich reserve of a purely scientific nature. Vasily Vasilyevich’s entire life path was the path of science, a pure, bright path of pure, soul-elevating science. His life is not the life of an ascetic, looking for a counterbalance to earthly desires in scientific work, but of a thinker, who, in a holy passion for the highest truth, has forgotten everything earthly. Our Academy had the true happiness that this life passed, that this path was passed under its shadow... To the great grief of the Academy, the path of Vasily Vasilyevich’s scientific life was interrupted halfway. The results of his life were still so far away that the deceased did not even have time, clearly for everyone, to formulate his ultimate scientific goals! But even halfway through his journey, Vasily Vasilyevich did as much for science as a rare scientist manages to do throughout his entire, even very long, career. For the Academy, the name of Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov, who unexpectedly went to his grave in the prime of his life, will forever remain the name of its glory - a bright, enlivening, stimulating the highest scientific impulses, a memory of the past triumph within its walls of a creative scientific idea. List of articles by V.V. Bolotov published in academic journals 3 A. In Christian Reading. 1. A threefold understanding of Origen's doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Speech before the public defense of his master’s thesis: “Origen’s Doctrine of the Holy Trinity,” October 28, 1879 Chr. Reading 1880, 1–2 (pp. 68–76). 2. On the history of the external state of the Church of Constantinople under the Turkish yoke. 1882, 1–2 (pp. 138–172) 9–10 (pp. 353–384). 3. The indisputable advantages of the Orthodox Catholic Church over all other Christian confessions, Dr. Overbeck, translation by V.V. Bolotov, with notes. 1882, 5–6 (pp. 776–798); 7–8 (176–207); 9–10 (385–413); 1883, 1–2 (56–114); 3–4 (407–445). 4. From the Church History of Egypt. Reville and its publications. I. Stories of Dioscorus about the Council of Chalcedon. In the notes: church historical essays and sketches. 1884, 11–12 (pp. 581–625); 1885, 1–2 (9–94). In separate reprints: first issue, 131 p. 4 II. The Life of Blessed Afu, Bishop of Pemdzhe. 1886, 3–4 (pp. 334–377). In separate reprints: second issue, 138–177 pp. III. Archimandrite Victor of the Tabennisiots at the court of Constantinople in 431 1892, 1–2 (pp. 63–89), 5–6 (335–861). Appendix: Paravolans? (Spelling question). 1892, 7–8 (pp. 18–37). In separate reprints: third issue, 181–255 pp. IV. Day and year of the martyrdom of St. Evangelist Mark. 1893, 7–8 (pp. 122–174); 11–12 (405–434). In separate reprints: fourth issue, pp. 259–434. 5. A few pages from the ecclesiastical history of Ethiopia. I. On the issue of uniting the Abyssins with the Orthodox Church. (Speech read at the annual act of the Academy on February 16, 1888). 1888, 3–4 (pp. 450–469). II. Theological disputes in the Ethiopian Church. 1888, 7–8 (pp. 80–62); 11–12 (775–832). In separate prints I-II together there are 111 pages. For this research (in connection with the study of “Dioscorus’s stories about the Council of Chalcedon” and “Description of two Ethiopian manuscripts donated by Rev. Anatoly to the Library of the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy”) the author (February 8, 1890) was awarded the full Makaryev Prize by the Council of the Academy. 6. Liberius, Bishop of Rome, and the Councils of Sirmium. A quarter of an hour of the master's colloquium on October 8, 1890, supplemented and explained (Regarding the colloquium of V. N. Samuilov: “History of Arianism in the Latin West,” 353–430). 1891, 3–4 (pp. 304–315), 5–6 (434–459), 7–8 (61–78), 9–10 (266–282), 11–12 (386–394). Excursion one: Sardica or Serdika? Spelling question. 1891, 5–6 (pp. 511–517). Excursion two: Rehabilitation of four documents of 343. 1891, 7–8 (pp. 79–109). All together in separate prints: First issue (chapters I-X), 119 pp. 7. Michaelmas day. Why is the Cathedral of St. Archangel Michael takes place on November 8th? (Eortological study). 1892, 11–12 (pp. 593–644). In individual prints 56 pages. 8. Traces of ancient monthly books of local churches. 1893, 1–2 (pp. 177–210). In separate prints: Appendix to the etude “Michael’s Day”, 59–94 pp. 9. From the history of the Syro-Persian Church. Chapter I. Supurgan. The meaning of this name. 1899, 1 (pp. 95–112). Excursion by A. Sephakan-Waspurakan (from the historical geography of Armenia). 1899, 1 (pp. 112–121). Excursion B. The most ancient metropolises in the Persian Church. 1899, 2 (pp. 323–349). Excursion B. Time of Troubles in the history of the Syro-Persian Church. 1899, 3 (pp. 535–547). Chapter II. List of Catholicoses of Seleucia-Ktisiphon. 1899, 4 (pp. 789–804), 5 (1004–1031), 6 (1182–1204). Excursion G. What does history know about the beginning of Christianity in Persia? 1900, 1 (pp. 65–99), 3 (428–439). Πάρεργον. From the era of disputes about Easter at the end of the 2nd century. 1900, 3 (pp. 439–454). 10. A note regarding Coptic translations of the revelation about weeks in addition to V.V. Bolotov’s translation from Coptic, placed in the work of A.P. Rozhdestvensky: “The Revelation to Daniel about the seventy weeks.” Chr. Thurs. 1896, 7–8 (pp.143–145). In the same work, V.V. Bolotov wrote “Appendix II” (pp. 271–274) on the question of how St. thought. Hippolytus of Rome on the duration of the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. 11. Belshazzar and Darius the Mede. Experience in solving an exegetical problem. With two applications: A. Antedatirung or Postdatirung? A controversial issue in Babylonian chronology. B. Name Astyages. Chr. Reading 1896, 9–10 (pp. 279–341). In a separate imprint pp. 279–341 12. Replacements of the concept ἵ λεως in eastern languages ​​(letter to priest M.I. Orlov). 1897, 4 (pp. 633–641). 13. “Treats” of Gelasius I (on the occasion of the colloquium on March 15, 1899 by M.I. Orlov “Liber Pontificalis as a source for the history of the Roman papacy and polemics against it”). 1899, 4 (pp. 812–817). 14. German theological literature (Bibliographic notes). Monographs: K. Holsten, Lipsius, Goelzer, Briger, Burckhardt, Francis and Bachmann. – Systems of church history by Gergenröter, Schmid, Landerer, Bühler, Mnhelns and Laurin. 1881, 9–10 (pp. 514–574). 15. Foreign theological literature. Bibliographical notes on new works by Keim, Langen, Lehner, Shegg, Funk, Drazeke, Riessel. 1882, 11–12 (pp. 796–836); – Copallicus, Guillou, Gregorovius, Marr and J. Gavet. 1883, 5–6 (pp. 778–817). 16. Review of the essay by V. Kiparisov, awarded the Metropolitan Macarius Prize by the Holy Synod: “On freedom of conscience. Experience in researching the issue in the field of history of the Church and state from the 1st to the 9th centuries. First issue, Moscow 1883.” Chr. Reading 1886. 17. Review of the essay by N. N. Glubokovsky, awarded the Metropolitan Macarius Prize by the Holy Synod: “Blessed Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus. His life and literary activity." Adaenda-corrigenda. 1892, 7–8 (pp. 68–124). Addendis superaddenda ibid. (pp. 125–164). In individual reprints: Theodoretiana, 164 pp. 18. A note about the book by Prof. Fr. Lauchert: “The canons of the most important ancient church councils together with the apostolic canons.” 1896, 7–8 (pp. 178–195). 19. "Book of Hours of the Ethiopian Church. Published and translated on the basis of several manuscripts by B. Turaev." (Bibliographic note). 1898, 2 (pp. 189–198). 20. Description of two Ethiopian manuscripts donated to the St. Petersburg library. Theological Academy by His Grace Anatoly, Bishop of the Baltic. 1887, 7–8 (pp. 137–160). 21. Description of the Syrian manuscript donated by K.V. Kharlampovich (Ak. b. No. BIII/1), 1900.4 (pp. 676–679). 22. Description of the Syrian-Karshun manuscript - the Monophysite service book (No. 3702 Isid. b.) - in the “Alphabetical Index of books and manuscripts received by the St. Petersburg library. Theological Academy in 1893." (pp. 95–99). 23. Description of the Ethiopian manuscript donated by the Fellow Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod V.K. Sabler (Act. No. B II/39) - in “Minutes of meetings of the Council of St. Petersburg. Theological Academy for 1895–96." B. In the “Church Bulletin” 5. a. Journal Review (articles in spiritual magazines) 1880 No. 2 (pp. 6–9), No. 27 (6–9), No. 33–34 (5–7); 1881 No. 3 (11–13), No. 6 (15–16). b. More about Mr. Hiltebrandt’s “Reference and Explanatory Dictionary for the New Testament.” 1884 No. 6 (pp. 4–7), No. 7 (5–7). c. Bibliographic note about the book by V.I. Lamansky “Secrets d’état de Venise”. 1884 No. 29 (pp. 6–9). d. A few words about the new edition of the Greek text of the LXX translation (R. de Lagarde, Librorum Veteris Testamenti canonicorum pars prior graece. Göttingen 1883). 1884 No. 41 (pp. 6–8) 6 . d. The Mystery of the Jewish Question (abridged translation of articles by R. F. Grau from “Beweis des Glaubens” 1881). 1884 No. 49 (pp. 5–7), No. 50 (7–8). No. 51–52 (9–12); 1885 No. 2 (29–30), No. 3 (51–52), No. 4 (74–75) 7 . e. Bibliographic note about the book by prof. A. Lebedeva: “The era of persecution of Christians and the establishment of Christianity in the Greco-Roman world under Constantine V.” 1885 No. 13 (223–224) 8. and. The table of contents of the unofficial part of the “Church Bulletin” for the first half of 1885 is the first systematic table of contents, based on the model of which tables of contents are compiled to this day. 1885 No. 25–26 (pp. 424–428). h. Colloquium notes: aa. V. N. Samuilova “History of Arianism in the Latin West.” 1890 No. 42 (pp. 699–700). bb. T. A. Nalimova “The question of papal power at the Council of Constance.” 1890 No. 45 (pp. 745–746). centuries P. S. Sokolov “Church reform of Emperor Joseph II.” 1893 No. 46 (pp. 730–731). gg. A. I. Brilliantova “The influence of Eastern theology on Western in the works of John Scotus Erigena.” 1898 No. 21 (pp. 733–736). dd. M.I. Orlova “Liber Pontificalis”. 1899 No. 1 2 (452–455). The last days and minutes of the life of Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov The illness that brought Vasily Vasilyevich to a premature grave had long been eroding his health, broken by tireless labor. Chronic inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis), complicated by hemorrhoidal suffering, liver disease and partly heart disease - all this together was the cause of his premature death, which no medical help could prevent during the most acute development of the disease. Vasily Vasilyevich himself, wholly and completely occupied with the feat of his whole life - scientific work, paid little attention to his physical health. Apparently, he himself believed that his strength was still sufficient to bear the full weight of the labors and assignments he had taken upon himself and others assigned to him, although recently he sometimes said that he was “not a citizen of the 20th century.” However, his soul strove more and more for his favorite activities. He did not lay down his hands until his physical strength completely failed him - and he went to bed. He went to bed only on March 22, although even earlier (at least since March 18) he felt the need to rest in bed during the day, which, however, he had almost never allowed himself to do before. Even after lying down in bed, Vasily Vasilyevich could not abandon his book studies: lying in bed, he read and looked through the newly received publications on the church history of Egypt and other scientific novelties that had just been sent to him from abroad. The writer of these lines observed this not only before March 22, but even on March 22 and 23, therefore on the eve and on the very day of Vasily Vasilyevich’s departure to the hospital of the Holy Cross community. And going to the hospital, he took with him several books, which he, however, did not manage to read... The illness weakened Vasily Vasilyevich’s strength more and more, and he, on the advice of friends (Dr. P.V. Modestov, who visited him in a friendly manner in the hospital) and with the blessing of the Metropolitan Bishop, who personally visited the patient on his sick bed in the apartment on March 23, he decided to move to the hospital for treatment, where, thanks to the special attention of the chairman of the community council, comrade chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, V. K. Sabler, the patient was provided with all possible comforts and was offered the most careful care. So, on March 23, Vasily Vasilyevich began his treatment in the hospital. The first three days apparently improved the patient’s well-being: he acquired an appetite that was not there before, and his physical strength apparently became somewhat stronger; His speech was still firm, his consciousness - of course - was quite clear, and his reasoning on various issues was as logical and instructive as had been observed before - before his illness. But suddenly, three days later (namely, from March 27), the patient developed epileptic seizures, which terribly weakened his already broken body. It was necessary to immediately consult doctors: outstanding medical forces gathered and determined the acute nature of the disease (nephritis), which brought the deceased to the grave. However, medicine continued to struggle for a long time against the established ominous illness... But the patient’s strength weakened. Still, the hopes of friends and admirers who visited the patient did not fall. Vasily Vasilyevich’s illness was closely monitored not only by hospital specialists. His illness terribly worried his many friends and admirers, who not only inquired in absentia about the state of his health, but also personally hastened to reassure themselves with some faint and perhaps exaggerated hopes. The Metropolitan, His Eminence Rector of the Academy, V.K. Sabler, many colleagues and close professional acquaintances visited him in the hospital, prayerfully wishing him recovery. Everyone wanted to believe that the miracle of God’s mercy could still manifest itself over a hospital patient dear to the Russian Church and science. But alas! The further course of the disease, unnoticed by believers and well-meaning visitors, led the patient to a fatal end. True, on the eve of his death (i.e. April 4), Vasily Vasilyevich felt much better than in the immediate preceding days. The writer of these lines spent about an hour with him that day and left the patient, partly reassured by his personal impression and especially by the competent observations of the doctors. But suddenly - the next day (i.e. April 5) the academy was informed by telephone about the patient’s plight. This news disturbed everyone who heard it, and the one writing these lines together with his other colleague - a friend of the deceased, Π. N. Zhukovich, hurried to the hospital. Indeed, the patient’s situation as a result of an asthma attack became not only worse than before, but also became fatal. The patient received Holy Communion on this day (for the third time during his illness); local hospital chaplain Fr. A.P. Vasiliev, who generally treated the patient so sympathetically, admonished him with a prayer for the outcome of his soul. But after this, the patient seemed to come to life, regained consciousness and recognized his mentioned colleagues who had arrived in time by this time. Soon we arrived at the hospital: Fr. Academy inspector Archimandrite Sergius, prof. M.I. Karinsky, V.S. Serebrenikov, - and for a long time they remained at the sick bed of Vasily Vasilyevich, who had already weakened significantly. His physical strength weakened more and more; at times he apparently fell into a semi-conscious state, but then regained consciousness and - despite his speech being difficult due to the onset of pulmonary edema - he spoke willingly and a lot, however, uttering only individual words and fragmentary phrases. Three hours before his death, for example, he uttered the following significant words: “How beautiful are the dying minutes!” And an hour later he said: “I’m dying!” But with the arrival of medical help, the physical suffering was partially alleviated, of which, however, the patient did not complain, both now and earlier, enduring with remarkable patience all even the most severe attacks of the disease. He continued to maintain his usual cheerful mood and did not stop pronouncing, although with difficulty, individual words and expressions, and only a few of which could be understood: “I am going to the cross,” “Christ is coming,” “God is coming,” and even a few separate words in foreign languages ​​​​incomprehensible to those present (Coptic or Ethiopian). Apparently, the patient’s thoughts were still working, but his organ of speech was hampered by physical suffering. Only a quarter of an hour before death the patient stopped speaking, and after that quietly, calmly, without any agony, he began to fall asleep, gradually closing his eyes and folding his hands over his chest. At the time of his death, the hospital priest came to the dying man and, kneeling, in the presence of the compassionate sisters surrounding the bed, who so carefully cared for the patient, in the presence of the doctor on duty and the writer of these lines, read the departure prayer. This happened between 7 and 7:10 pm, during the all-night vigil for Maundy Thursday. Burial of Professor Vasily Vasilyevich Bolotov. Zhukovich P., prof. At the Academy, the sad news of the death of Vasily Vasilyevich was received during an all-night vigil, which was attended by the entire professorial and student academic family, preparing for the St. communion. Immediately after the all-night vigil in the academic church, the right reverend rector and all the academic clergy celebrated the first memorial service for the deceased professor. Immediately after the all-night vigil and academic memorial service, Fr. The inspector of the Academy also served in the hospital chapel, where the Academy students carried the body of the deceased in their arms, a memorial service for him (at 10 pm) in the presence of several professors and a significant number of students who arrived from the Academy late in the evening to the hospital (distant from the Academy at least 5 miles). They stayed in the chapel all night to read the psalter at the coffin of the deceased professor. The next day, Maundy Thursday, at two o’clock in the afternoon, the body of the deceased was carried out to the Academy. The academic family close to the deceased surrounded the coffin of their best, their priceless member on all sides and escorted him on foot to his native Academy, which completely replaced his family and everything everyday in life for him - a lonely devotee of science. There was something touching in this crowded intelligent crowd following the coffin of a man with whom none of those walking was connected by ties of even the most distant carnal relationship... Not only the academic family of the present day took part in the sad procession, but also many representatives of previous generations of academic students of the late professor, as well as his other admirers, connected with him by ties of scientific kinship. As part of those walking in front of the coffin, led by the academy inspector, Archimandrite. Sergius, the clergy were an honorary member of our Academy, Prof.-Prot. M. I. Gorchakov, prof.-priest: S. A. Sollertinsky, chairman of the society for religious and moral education, prof. F. N. Ornatsky and others. With the singing of “Holy God,” the procession moved slowly and only reached the academy at 4 1/2 o’clock in the evening. From the Church of the Sign, students carried the coffin in their arms. In the academic lobby she was met by Rev. Boris, rector of the Academy. The coffin with the body of the deceased Vasily Vasilyevich was brought into the assembly hall and placed on a specially prepared hearse directly opposite the pulpit. Rev. Boris said a deeply felt funeral oration in honor and glory of the deceased. The academic assembly hall, which had seen so many learned triumphs of the late Vasily Vasilyevich, was resounding with his brilliant speech more often than the speech of anyone else, received him, already silent... In the assembly hall the coffin remained until Great Saturday. At the grave, requiem services were performed by the academic clergy with Rev. the rector at the head. On Friday, the Metropolitan arrived for the memorial service, which took place after hours. The funeral services were served by the seminary clergy with the rector Archimandrite. Sergius at the head and others. Metal wreaths were laid on the coffin from fellow colleagues (“To the dear, unforgettable, glorious professor”), from senior and junior students (“Unforgettable”, “To the most beloved”), from the professor of the Kyiv Theological Academy V. Z. Zavitnevich (a large wreath of forget-me-nots - “To dear Vasily Vasilyevich from a friend”). On Saturday, at 10 o'clock in the morning, after hours, the coffin was transferred from the assembly hall by the professors to the academic church. Before transferring the body from the assembly hall to the church, Rev. the rector read the telegram he received from the synodal chief prosecutor K.P. Pobedonostsev (see below). Then Fr. inspector archim. Sergius, in a brief speech, reminded the audience of the religious and church precepts of the late professor. Then the liturgy began in the academic church, celebrated by Rev. Boris in the concelebration of academic clergy. During the liturgy and funeral service, “the entire Academy” was in the church, and not only the current one, but also the former one, with former professors M.I. Karinsky, V.I. Damansky, A.L. Katansky, F.G. Eleonsky at the head. In the church there were secular scientific admirers of Vasily Vasilyevich (E. L. Radlov, editor Zh. M. N. Pr., B. A. Turaev, A. I. Popovitsky, editor of the “Russian Pilgrim”, Dr. P. V. Modestov, etc.) and many young scientists who came into personal or book contact with the deceased. During the liturgy, instead of the 8th participle verse, academy professor T.A. Nalimov spoke a word in which he tried to clarify the great meaning of the coincidence of the day of Christ’s rest with the day of burial of the deceased professor (whom he characterized as a man of a powerful mind, a great soul, unparalleled work, as a professor who alone could stand for all). Before the start of the funeral service, Rev. Boris, standing on the salt, read the telegram from Moscow received by the Metropolitan, placed above, from the comrade chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Senator V. K. Sabler, with an expression of the highest condolences... The highest attention to the late great scientist of spiritual science led the crowd of admirers of the deceased professor who filled the church into rapturous tenderness, and moved her to tears. During the funeral service, several deeply faithful and deeply heartfelt speeches were made. So much heavy, inexhaustible melancholy, but at the same time joyful pride in our common glory was heard in them that we wanted to listen to them more and more... The late Vasily Vasilyevich stood before us as if alive, in the fullness of his extraordinary spiritual gifts, his five Godly talents, multiplied by him to the highest degree possible here for a person (speech by Prof.-Priest E.P. Akvilonov), as a brilliant, uplifting, captivating, enchanting professor (speech by professorial fellow in Russian church history A.V. Kartashov), as a great scientist who has achieved the highest bliss on earth in the process of continuous scientific discoveries (speech by associate professor priest M.I. Orlov), as an inspired instigator of the highest scientific impulses and their caring guardian and strengthener (speech on behalf of the “sons of dispersion” of the caretaker Moscow Zaikonospassky Spiritual School I.E. Evseev), as marked with the stamp of extraordinary talents even on the seminary bench and already on it a very special person (speech by the assistant inspector of the Tver Theological Seminary M.V. Rubtsov, a school friend of Vasily Vasilyevich). On behalf of the current students, special farewell speeches were addressed to the late Vasily Vasilyevich, of which three (IV class student Vasily Uspensky, II class Alexey Lavrov and Anatoly Sudakov) were said in the church, and the fourth (I class student Vladimir Potapov) was already in the academic lobby, during the transfer of the coffin by professors and students from the church to the cemetery (Nikolskoye Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra). Here, at the grave, when the coffin had already been lowered into it, after the litany performed by the Right Reverend Rector, Prof. I. S. Palmov, through the tears that were choking him, said his last farewell to his friend and reminded everyone surrounding the open grave of his last great testaments - the testament of an internal deep combination of knowledge and faith, freedom of scientific research with full obedience to universal tradition, the testament of tireless work to the point of self-sacrifice, the testament of faith in the triumph of truth and goodness, the testament of faith in the vitality of the Russian people. This touching last farewell to a friend and comrade sent a burning pain through everyone’s hearts. So many bitter tears were shed at the grave of the lonely devotee of science!... Several professors close to the deceased remained in the cemetery until the final construction of the grave. Walking home from the cemetery, I still didn’t want to believe that our priceless Vasily Vasilyevich was no longer with us. I don’t want to believe it now. What did we have and what did we lose!.. Speech at the meeting of the coffin with the remains of Professor V.V. Bolotov of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, spoken in the assembly hall of the Academy (April 6, 1900). Bishop Boris Our unforgettable Vasily Vasilievich! Waiting for your coming today, your last coming under the shadow of your native Academy, to which you dedicated your whole life and all your strength, I re-read your last letter. You ended it with “I think I should just lie in bed today to clear my head and balance myself out.” That’s what I thought then, hoping to soon see you again full of strength and energy, with the same clarity of thought and firmness of speech, as cheerful and calm as we are used to seeing you. And now we really see you, but not in the way we wanted and hoped to see. Beloved son of the Academy, its glory and pride, you came to it once again, but you came only to say goodbye to it forever and to receive its last parting words on that path from which there is no return. You are still with us; but your eyes, in which, as in a mirror, your pure and direct soul, your bright and deep mind were reflected, these eyes are closed forever. You're still at the Academy; but your lips, from which freely flowed speech so clear, distinct, always imbued with such an undoubted love for truth and righteousness, and it was impossible not to admire it, even sometimes disagreeing with its content, these lips are already closed forever. Our dear Vasily Vasilyevich! Your untimely death is a grave grief for the Academy, a grief that struck us all the more powerfully, the more unexpectedly it fell on us. The loss of you is irreparable for the Academy, because such colossal and multifaceted scholarship, such brilliant and powerful talents as you possessed are a great rarity not only in Russia, but also in the West. It would not be an exaggeration to say that your professorship would be a true adornment for every academy, for every university, that in every scientific corporation you would honorably occupy one of the first places. The history of our Academy will give you one of its brightest pages. The memory of the righteous is with praise (Prov. X, 7). These words of the Wise One are completely applicable to you, as well as the following words of Scripture about wise and memorable men: “These were men renowned for strength; they gave sound advice, were leaders in meetings and in book learning. There were wise words in their teaching. They were respected among their families and were a glory in their days. There are those among them who have left a name for themselves to proclaim their praise” (Sirach. XLIV, 2-8). Glory and honor to you, valiant worker, who held high the banner of faith and science! But this earthly glory and honor from people is nothing in comparison with that heavenly glory, the crown of which, I firmly hope, will be given to you by the righteous Judge, “Who, according to the patience of a good deed, will reward glory and honor and incorruptibility to those who seek, eternal life (Rom. II, 6-8), as it is written: Whom eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has risen in the heart of man, even God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. II:9). Our beloved brother! Blessed is the path that you walk today, for a place of rest has been prepared for you, a place among the righteous, “who have made their garments white in the blood of lambs, and for this reason they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His church, and He who sits on the throne will dwell in them. They will not hunger, they will thirst, the sun will not fall on them, and all heat will not fall on them. For the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall shepherd me; and will guide them to animal sources of water” (Rev. VII, 14–17). Amen. A speech delivered by the inspector of the Academy, Archimandrite Sergius, before removing the body of the deceased V.V. Bolotov from the assembly hall to the academic church. Allow me, brethren, to say a few words before we take V.V.’s coffin out of this assembly hall forever... Here, in this hall, we have seen V.V. so many times in our midst at our academic events and debates, so many times we have had the opportunity to be amazed at his unparalleled scholarship and have heard so much instructive and useful things from him. Now he is here with us for the last time... What will he tell us this last time? What lesson will he teach at this farewell forever? I think, brethren, that this lesson is that V.V., having collected amazing information on almost all areas of theological knowledge, was also involved in that highest wisdom about which Holy Scripture tells us: V.V. knew why he lived, and knew how to live in accordance with this knowledge. He knew that life was given to man not in order to live, not for pleasure, but in order to do the will of God, to fulfill his duty. Without chasing earthly honors or the material comforts of life, he knew how to serve science unselfishly, and in everyday life he knew how not to forget his heavenly calling. Therefore V.V. and could have died such a blissful, Christian death. Let us, brothers, remember this last, this eternal lesson taught to us by our dear V.V., let us learn to find the meaning of life not in earthly well-being, not in the pursuit of our own profit, but in the desire for the honor of the highest rank, in serving God and His kingdom. Now let us pray that the Divine Wisdom, which visited V.V., would reward him with a righteous crown for his labors and for his pure life. As someone who has lived purely, he can sing to God that eternal song that the Apostle John speaks about in the Apocalypse. Eternal memory to Vasily Vasilyevich! A word spoken during the liturgy instead of a sacramental verse. Nalimov Timofey, Rev. prof. Today is the secretly great day of Moses transformation, saying: and God bless the seventh day. This is the blessed Sabbath, this is the day of rest, on which the Only Begotten Son of God rested from all his works, having sabbathed in the flesh by looking at death: and again returning by resurrection, giving us eternal life, for we alone are good and lover of mankind (Stichera on “I cried to the Lord” on the Great Saturday). Today this church song apparently does not correspond to our state of mind. For natural human feeling, this Saturday is not a blessed day of rest, but a day of soul-oppressing sorrow, a day of heart-piercing grief, inconsolable grief. Among our church today we see not only the image of the tomb of the God-man, the tomb that exuded incorruption to the world; but the real tomb also rises, a terrible witness to the fact that hell still reigns over the human race (canon of Great Saturday, troparion 6 cantos) and sin collects its heavy rent from us. And the rent taken now is especially heavy, heavy almost to the point of impossibility, so heavy that one might prefer not to see off the now deceased to the afterlife, but to now be seen off by him himself. Inexorable death takes away from our midst the most powerful, the most zealous worker, who involuntarily aroused a feeling of awe-inspiring amazement with the power of his spirit - takes away the one who alone was able to replace and always readily replaced almost every one of us and whom we all cannot now replace. The most radiant luminary of Russian spiritual science descends into the darkness of the grave, descending in all the brilliance of its rays, having barely completed half of its life’s journey. A true Israeli, in whom there is no flattery (John I, 47), a person who has set the service of truth as the sole goal for himself not only in science, but also in life, alien to any vanity in relation to himself and partiality in relation to others, and with this height and purity of his moral character, who has become, as it were, a mirror of our conscience, the appeal to which was almost inevitable even with any hesitation, he himself will now to the throne of the Judge of the whole world, and is irrevocably hidden from us in the earthly dust. Our loss is hard, unspeakably hard! And its severity is further aggravated by the fact that so recently we made difficult sacrifices of death and serious illness, and our hopes were now focused on the deceased. It was thought that the high-raised banner of church-historical science would remain in his powerful hands for a long time, and under his shadow the thinning ranks of workers in this area would be filled and strengthened again. And now, instead of these hopes, there is a new loss, unrewarded for the coming generations. It is not often that such deep, comprehensive, creative minds, strong characters, pure hearts are found separately; and the combination of all this in a single personality is a truly exceptional phenomenon. Meanwhile, from the depths of conscience there is still a voice of reproach for the fact that we poorly took care of this rare treasure, and not only did not take care of it, but directly abused it through our fiery zeal for work, our readiness to help everyone, to always serve science and the common grandfather. With a light heart we devoted part of our work to him, forgetting that his strength and time were immeasurably valuable to science and that a light attitude towards the task he had undertaken was impossible for him. Always working not in front of his eyes, but from the soul, as for the Lord, and not as a man (Eph. VI, 6-7), he investigated even a small matter to the last foundations, and his penetrating gaze and brilliant mind, even in a small - for others - question, opened up amazingly wide horizons and constantly attracted him to new and new works. Yes, we did not take good care of the beauty and pride of our Academy, we spared ourselves and others, and only considered his strength as inexhaustible, believing that a cheerful spirit would endlessly strengthen him. But the flesh is weak, and its weakness has now turned the quiet beginning of a bright holiday into a day of bitter farewell to the irrevocable past, heavy bewilderment before the darkness of the future. But for a believer's feeling there is no blind chance in the world and only a mechanical concatenation of causes and effects. What at first glance seems to be only a random coincidence of phenomena of completely different orders does not happen outside the paths of Providence and is not in vain, and today the mortal remains of Vasily Vasilyevich are presented with the image of the tomb of the God-Man Himself. Immeasurable - of course - is the distance between the infinite God and finite man, and Adam, who lied of old, desired to be. But in the unthinkable mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, man becomes God, and makes Adam God (Verse on the praises of the Annunciation). The Son of God, consubstantial, sincerely partook of flesh and blood (Heb. II, 14), and man, redeemed by Him, perceives sonship and, having partaken of the Spirit of the Son of God, cries out to the Infinite: Abba Father, from a slave he becomes a son of God by grace (Galat. IV, 5–7). The two coffins, apparently connected by external proximity today, are not alien to each other internally. In both the Only Begotten Son of God rests, in one - the tomb of death - showing primarily the sabbath of the flesh, looking at death, and in the other - the source of incorruption - reviving our hopes for the blessed resurrection. In ancient times, in the Old Testament, the apostle says, the verb “God the Father in the prophethood” was many-parted and varied, and in these last days, the apostles, the verb was spoken to us in the Son, Who hath appointed an heir to all, and in Him also created the eyelids (Heb. I, 1-2). And this verb of God did not change with the end of the visible sojourn of the Son of God on earth. On the contrary, only Jesus Christ was grace and truth (John I, 17). That grace that was poured out in ancient times on a few individuals among the people of Israel has now become the common property of the members of the Church of Christ. Christ, who descended into the lowest regions of the earth and ascended above all the heavens, may He fulfill all things, give grace to one and all of us according to the measure of His gift, and supplies us for the building of His body - the Church, for the perfection of the saints in the work of service, not only apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, but also teachers (Eph. IV, 7-12). One of these teachers, continuers of the work of Christ on earth, a great teacher who received abundant grace from Christ God, was, we hope, Vasily Vasilyevich, who is now buried in Christ. And if so, then his short, according to human judgment, life and untimely death receive another explanation, blissful for him, and comforting for us. Having been buried in Christ, at the dawn of his life, through Christian baptism into death, all his days, as far as we know, he walked in newness of life, thinking to himself that he should be dead to sin, but alive by God in Christ Jesus (Rom. VI, 4.11). Through the unceasing feat of selfless service to the truth, the tireless cognition of the Wisdom of God in the earthly destinies of Her Church, he crucified his old man all his days, so that he might abolish the body of sin (Rom. VI, 6). He steadily organized his relationships with his neighbors according to the covenant of crusading love, in the likeness of Christ, who came into the world not to serve Him, but to serve and give his soul deliverance for many (Matthew XX, 28). Living like this, he fulfilled even a little bit of his duty (Wis. IV, 13), quickly reached the union of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, grew into a perfect man, to the extent of the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. IV, 13), when his further stay in the flesh is most necessary only for others (Philip. I, 24), for himself, who has already surpassed the earthly level of understanding from a part and vision like a mirror in fortune-telling (1 Cor. XIII, 12), We hope that you were allowed to be much better with Christ (Philip. I, 23). And as if as a visible sign of his achieving this union with Christ, he dies on the day of the betrayal of the Son of God to death, anticipating his usual time of sacramental communion only so much that on the day of the Last Supper he can already commune with Christ; During his silent sojourn among us, funeral hymns to the Conqueror of Death replace prayers for the newly departed; the first - according to church institution - day of remembrance coincides with the day of the offering of the Calvary sacrifice itself, and the deceased is consigned to the earth on the day when Christ fulfills everything, being in the tomb, and in hell, and in heaven, and on the throne (trop. on the clock of Holy Easter). In firm hope in the mercy of the Redeemer, who is today destroying the power of hell and death, let us console ourselves, brethren, with this thought that for the one who is buried in Christ himself, the present day of our farewell to him is truly the day of repose from all the affairs of the earthly church, which could no longer serve the needs of his spirit, in the eternal church not made by hands in heaven (2 Corfu. V, 1) - there is a truly blessed Sabbath, above which the radiant dawn burns no longer of the earthly beginning of Easter, but of the very Sun of truth, Christ, shining with the light of resurrection, still unapproachable for us mortals. Let us say goodbye, therefore, to Vasily Vasilyevich not with the usual sad “forgive forever,” but with his own cheerful farewell greeting “goodbye,” with a warm prayer before the tomb of the Life-Giver, so that He Himself, the all-merciful One, will lead us all in His turn to this meeting in the non-evening days of His kingdom (Canon of Easter, canto 9), with the prayers of the Mother of God and all the saints, from all eternity to Him. well-pleasing Amen. The speech delivered over the coffin before the funeral service of Prof. V.V. Bologova. Prof. priest E. Akvilonov. Blessed is the man who gains wisdom. Proverbs III, 18 It is usually the one who seeks who finds: “Seek and you will find,” said the Savior Himself (Matt.VII, 7). The entire life of the deceased was devoted to the search for wisdom; and, having found her, he surrendered to her with all his soul, devoted all the days and hours of his life to her; he loved her, and she responded to his love with love according to the word of the Gospel: “And We will come to him and make our abode with him” (John XIV, 23). Truly, we all looked at the deceased as an amazing receptacle of wisdom and knowledge. In what area of ​​theology did he not handle with full knowledge of the matter? In what science was he not an expert, knowledgeable from the best primary sources? Gifted with all five talents, he acquired another five with them - acquired, but did not enclose them only for himself in the treasury of knowledge, but shared them with everyone who loves science. There was something extraordinarily majestic in the spectacle when the late professor, whether in debates, or in learned treatises, or in simple conversations, spoke fully armed with his amazing knowledge. He spoke with enthusiasm and inspiration, and everyone listened to him with pleasure. Truly, one can express oneself on behalf of the deceased in the words of the righteous Job: “they listened to me and waited, and were silent at my advice” (Job. XXIX, 21), and even “the princes refrained from speaking and put their fingers on their lips” (v. 9)... For others, knowledge is given only through hard work and considerable patience. But the one lying in this coffin knew everything, without crossing seas and rivers, sitting in his working cell. Knowledge itself seemed to come to him not in the form of tortured prey, but like a long-desired joyful guest. “I was with him,” says the Wise One about Wisdom, “an artist and a joy” (Prov. VIII, 30). Just as a sunbeam sparkles with multi-colored lights, passing through a multifaceted prism, or like a delicate pipe in the skillful hands of a musician produces various melodies, so the brilliant learning of the deceased shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow and proclaimed the divine truth in diverse, corresponding forms. How difficult it is for most people not to succumb to self-delusion in such a case! How difficult it is not to imagine yourself as an extraordinary mortal and not to look down on others! However, this was not the pure soul of the deceased. At the same time, I naturally remember the touching words of the psalm, so fitting for Vasily Vasilyevich’s face. "God! My heart was not lifted up and my eyes were not lifted up. My soul was within me like a weaned child” (Ps. CXXXX, 1.2). The Greek historian Xenophon, in his Memoirs, speaks with the greatest praise of the pagan righteous philosopher Socrates for the fact that no one has ever heard wicked speeches from his lips or seen him do evil. Honorable listeners! Since the time of Socrates, Christianity has given the world a whole host of even more illustrious “philosophers” - not in the narrow and specially technical sense of this word, but in another, broad sense, as people whose word does not differ from deeds, who “believed in the same and spoke” (Ps. CXI, 1). Such was the deceased. He was an amazingly whole nature, as if carved from a whole rock or cast from one metal. He did not double or triple and did not serve an “alien God,” but faithfully and truly bowed to the one Sun of Truth. Yes, in this tomb rests a true Christian philosopher, our beauty and our glory. Imitating the historian I cited, I joyfully testify about the deceased as an unusually high person, not only in scientific, but also in religious and moral respects. But I have one and, moreover, a very happy advantage over the Socrates biographer - a special indication that our ever-memorable brother suffered precisely in these painful, passionate days and died almost simultaneously with the Crucified Redeemer. It cannot be that “He who arranges everything in measure and number and weight” accidentally allowed His chosen one to recline in the tomb next to Him. The deceased devoted his entire life to serving the Word and was faithful to Him until death. And now the blessed Promise of the Word is fulfilled over him: “be faithful even to death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Apoc. II, 10). Be crowned, beloved mentor and co-servant, with this most precious crown in the face of God’s chosen ones, and send us at least part of your grace, so that the light of faith and knowledge burns in your native Academy with a gentle, pacifying and enlightening flame for many long and happy years! Prof. priest E. Akvilonov. Speech given by professorial fellow A. V. Kartashov after the singing of the immaculate How long ago, how long ago, highly revered and dear teacher, the smooth surface of the sea of ​​life expanded evenly before your eyes, the distance was clear and called you forward: to live, learn and teach; and we, your enthusiastic disciples, cherished bright hopes for many more - many more to partake of the amazing wealth of the treasury of your mind and erudition! But an ominous coalition of physical infirmities, like a black cloud, has long since gathered over the horizon. She came from there in a mad rush. Suddenly, a menacing blow was heard, and - Yes, he was truly great, my friends, children of one common mother - the Academy - great as a man of brilliant talents of mind and will, great as a professor, as a scientist, as a figure in the Russian Church. His glory is, first of all, his wonderful scientific creations, not multi-volume, however. But everyone knows that this stemmed from his firm conviction that “the saying of Callimachus μέγα βιβλίον, μέγα κακόν is true like few” 9. He was therefore the ideal miser for printed tin, and in his works there really is a lot in a little. He consciously worked for world science, refusing verbose popularization for the general public, and therefore did not build on someone else’s foundation, he worked only in uncultivated places, with careful but sure steps approaching the clarification of historical truths. In his small libells, with his characteristic strength of extraordinary critical gift and enormous, all-round erudition, he was a true artist of science: from the insignificant and varied in quality fragments of hoary antiquity, he knew how to build a whole mosaic in which positive scientific discoveries were so closely intertwined with the wonderful pearls of his constant eloquence. In these scientific buildings, the smallest details in the interests of the usually important whole were weighed and checked with amazing care, as if forged from durable metal, creating for the author a truly monumentum aere perennius. Working in science, in his favorite expression, “for the few,” among these few, with his advice and explanations, he was more useful to many than anyone else, and his untimely death will be sincerely mourned by domestic Byzantologists and Orientalists. Yes, he was an impeccable laureate of theological science, weaving for himself an unfading wreath of scientific glory! And with what disinterested, noble joy the hearts of his disciples beat at the sight of this glory, with what pride we could say: “such are the imams” of the teacher!.. He was for us a living, embodied science. He devoted all the great talents of his soul and the strength of his body to serving her, leaving absolutely nothing for himself personally. It was not for nothing that he became an idol for us in this church of science, in the most impeccable sense of the word, as a man of spirit, on whose cloudless brow the star of knowledge shone brightly - the seal of the Omniscient Prototype. Looking at him, I involuntarily believed in the power of science, in its beautiful, ennobling power, I involuntarily wanted to work, I involuntarily thought: here is a good, impeccable servant in his high calling, here is the soul of our Academy, one of those pillars on which the life of all human institutions rests! But not only by the example of his amazing personality, he “captivated our minds into obedience” to science, but also by his powerful, extraordinary oratorical talent. In his works, in reviews and lectures, everywhere and always, his lively speech flowed freely, like a river, and it was marvelous to combine his ponderous intelligence with the playful beauty of his wit, a peculiarly majestic one that did not in the least violate the scientific importance of the subject. With this wonderful gift, the past life in his teaching arose before us in a whole series of meaningful and living pictures, and therefore his word was often listened to directly with bated breath, as if an aria from a beloved singer. But alas! All this was just and irrevocably merciful! Our Chrysostom has fallen silent forever. O strange, destructive mystery of death! Have you, our pillar, fallen?! Are you, the adamant of scientific work and patience, crumbling into dust?! Are you, a sorcerer who knew how to put a living soul into the dead fragments of ancient monuments, lying lifeless yourself?! Yes, all this is true. You are not between us. You are where there is “neither sorrow nor sighing”... And we, earthly ones, suffer grievously, enduring this invaluable loss, this bitter misadventure! Where can we find even a little consolation? - We take comfort in the belief that and we will pass on your name as an inheritance to future generations. We take comfort in seeing that "Over the urn where your ashes lie, Already... “the ray of immortality is burning!” And most of all we are comforted by the greatest Christian hope that, by literally being buried in Christ on this great day of His sacred rest, you will be resurrected with Him in heaven! Speech given by fourth year student Vasily Uspensky before the singing “Rest with the Saints” Our dear and unforgettable teacher Vasily Vasilyevich! Yesterday we saw the death of the Lord and His burial. Today, being present at the sacrament of your death, we perform your burial. One thing brings us into amazement at the greatness of God’s love, arouses reverent awe: your death fills our heart with deep sorrow. For you yourself, death was not terrible. During your lifetime, you knew and said that “your days are numbered.” And could there be a place for fear? Your life was pure, like crystal, it was a continuous, tireless service to the idea - to know the truth: science and the Academy were everything for you, they filled your whole life, you gave them your great strengths and talents, you yearned for them with your soul even on your deathbed, in your dying minutes. Before this powerful desire for truth, in your consciousness, unforgettable mentor, everything had to bow; even the needs of the first necessity seemed to you as something secondary and insignificant, over which the human spirit could and should triumph. And you have achieved great spiritual power. You were a hero of spirit. For a long time, the tensions of spiritual life could not be overcome by the most severe illness, the most severe suffering, which would have long ago overcome your frail body, would have overcome your poor health, if the holy fire of the desire for truth had not burned in you with such a bright flame. In us, at least in many of us, your spiritual power awakens reverent memory, especially dear because it was an integral property of a person who ardently believed in the truth of the Christian religion, a deeply and consciously convinced member of the Church. In your lectures, conveying information about the Christian religion in its earthly existence and historical development, clarifying the existence of religious-ecclesiastical consciousness and its great significance for a Christian, in your life, as far as your strength was sufficient, you obeyed this voice of religious-ecclesiastical consciousness, striving to fulfill its requirements to the smallest detail. The inseparable companion of such heroism of spirit as we see in you, dear mentor, can only be high spiritual joy; with it, the fear of death cannot confuse a person’s heart; it is inspired by the brightest hopes that cannot leave it even at the moment of death. Indeed, the Lord also gave you, dear teacher, a peaceful and quiet death, for the granting of which the Church prays daily; Obviously your joy was unshakable and high, if even a few hours before death you could say the words significant for a Christian: “how beautiful are the dying minutes.” Truly, we, seeing the Holy Sepulcher before us, remembering your lofty life, even above your grave, dear professor, can exclaim with the Apostle: “death has been trampled underfoot in victory. Death, where is your sting?.... (1 Cor. XV, 54-5). But these hopes, which involuntarily arise in each of us at the sight of the tomb of the Lord Savior and your tomb, dear teacher, cannot heal us from deep sorrow. Death so mercilessly tore you from a family of professors and students who love and respect you. Meanwhile, how much light, how much good you could bring into your life, how you could brighten it up if you were still among us, on earth! It is not for me, of course, to assess the loss that science has suffered in your person: this will be done by scientists in Russia and abroad; in the same way, my judgments about the high scientific significance of your lectures would be my incompetent personal opinion. But I can tell you, on the basis of personal experience and the stories of others, about the great significance that your guidance, dear mentor, had for a person just entering the threshold of science. The position of the young worker is very difficult. He is unfamiliar with the questions that exist in the current state of scientific data, from the feasible answers to which science is composed at a certain historical moment in its existence, and he is even more unfamiliar with the materials that need to be used to solve these questions; finally, he is completely unaware of the perspectives in which individual scientific questions should be illuminated. This can only be made up for by the professor’s experience, his erudition acquired over the years: without them, one who begins science is sometimes condemned to wandering in a labyrinth; Often in this case, a lot of time and hard efforts of thought are wasted in solving such questions, the answers to which have already entered the treasury of human knowledge as its constituent elements and are unshakable in their authority. Your guidance, dear mentor, if only they resorted to it, was irreplaceable. Your inspired speeches, full of expression, speeches based on the most careful study of the underlying data, were a bright ray cutting through the thick darkness. A series of questions were easily outlined, the dark outlines of their decisions were outlined, their connections and mutual relations were visible. It was only necessary to put all this into flesh and blood, which can be done, of course, only through the application of personal efforts, through one’s own acquisition of erudition. And remarkably, the speeches of the late professor only illuminated the state of affairs: his personal views remained a secret for the young worker, which he learned only during a colloquium or from a review of his work, which had already been submitted to criticism. Personal freedom and independence in the study were therefore not constrained by anything. But not only those who worked under your, dear professor, enlightened leadership, experienced the beneficial consequences of scientific communication with you. Everyone who ever had the opportunity to contact you with a question, who approached you with truly serious and sincere interest, found a warmly sympathetic response in you and left not only completely satisfied, but also encouraged by your attention and delicate condescension to the mistakes that are inevitable in the first steps of scientific work. I noted the great significance of your, unforgettable professor, leadership in the scientific field. The loss of a great public figure of the Russian land in your person arouses equally deep sorrow in us. Yes, you were one, although your name is not associated with the idea of ​​any reform relevant to the life of the entire Russian society. In our time, when inner-spiritual life is so alienated, when life’s ideals are so debased, and people willingly make peace with external advantages - strength, wealth, nobility, etc.; when a theory openly proclaiming such a system of life as completely normal and the only possible is spreading more and more: then heroes of the spirit like you, dear teacher, are of especially great importance. They are lights in the surrounding social darkness: for those who do not sympathize with the current, who know that the truth is not here, such people can provide support, can serve as a support. By their very existence, they say more convincingly than any speeches that a life given to the service of an idea, for the sake of which one has left and forgotten everything in the world, is possible on earth, they affect the very heart, serving as a living reproach for everyone who lives differently, they awaken the public conscience. And of course, the spiritual and moral influence of such heroes of the spirit does not end with their death; no, they are considered immortal even by those who see personal immortality as a chimera: this is immortality in history, in the memory of people. And we fervently wish that the memory of you, your lofty appearance will always be alive, not only among your students who personally knew you and revered you, but also in the hearts of all future students of the Theological Academy: for us and for them this will be a great acquisition when we have to appear in public life. I could illuminate from many other angles the great loss that we suffered in your person, dear mentor, for which we so deeply mourn. But you can't cover everything. Your merits will be appreciated by God himself, according to the words of the Lord Savior: “Whoever does and teaches will be called great in the kingdom of God.” And we can repay you for all the good that we have seen from you, only with an incessantly living and grateful memory of you and ardent love for you. Accept, dear and unforgettable mentor, warm gratitude from your pupils, who have always revered you; forgive us if we ever insulted you! Sorry. The speech delivered over the coffin after the singing of “Rest with the Saints.” Associate Professor Priest. M. I. Orlov. Bolotov died!!. You can talk a lot and convincingly about the faded beauty of the Academy, about the faded star in science, but I do not undertake to weave a wreath of these praises on his head. Dear Professor! let me sincerely express the covenant with which you were animated and to which you were faithful until the last hours of your short life. I realize that my word is weak, but it will be the word of a grateful student who was destined to stand close to you. You, a natural son of our poor environment, carried in your heart a spark of God, which is given only to the most selfless seeker of truth. Just as in nature, on the clearest noon, under the rays of the sun standing in the sky, light and shadow mix with each other, so truth and lies are mixed in human affairs and the conclusions of the mind. Your field of study was human affairs, and between them - ecclesiastical affairs. Since you truly loved the truth, you wanted to see it with your own eyes and... If you can feel it with your hands, then your work was terribly hard. The explorer of nature and the most abstract subjects remains in a better position than you were. Your domain is a fickle one: it can deceive the keenest eye and tire the strongest mind. But for that you were familiar with the days and hours that fly by like minutes and seconds, when you experienced a feeling of self-satisfaction incomprehensible to us, when the mind asked for more new food, and yielded only to the bodily nature that could not keep up with it. You once said: “Here is an insignificant handful of grains of sand, but count them; and the result already has a price.” Dear mentor! I have always understood this in such a way that any research must begin with one’s own ignorance, and knowledge of it must be suffered through suffering. Only then - again I say in your words - one question grows into a thousand and one; and happy is the one who, having overcome all the twists and turns of mixed truth and lies, achieves at least a negative result. His mind is then satisfied because it does not offer him any new requests. But there is no end to the bliss of the mind if the martyr-researcher reaches a positive conclusion. Then he happily rushes to share his find, and is unable to translate it into any visible value. Dear Professor! You were a martyr to your inquisitive mind. Your path was made easier by your loneliness, but that was not all. Our poor environment with its school did not give you much that you needed. You finally achieved these means, but now you are gone. Farewell, dear professor, who so honestly enhanced his five talents!.. Speech given by 2nd grade student Alexei Lavrov before the reading of the Apostle. The eyes of many who come to venerate your ashes involuntarily stop and, probably, more than once will stop at the inscription that adorns one of the wreaths laid on your coffin. The inscription itself is short and simple, it only says: semper attendebas ubi veritas albescit (i.e. you have always strived to where the truth flickers), but at the same time it is significant in content and quite exceptional in its application. It is significant because it embodies the fullness of life’s meaning, and it is exceptional because it is so strict in its demands on those whose memory and work they want to evaluate with it. There is no doubt that the thoughts of those who honored you with this important inscription, not without some courage and at the same time sensitive confidence, focused on it. In fact, birth and death, death and birth - these facts pass in an uninterrupted row before our consciousness, leaving only in the middle between each other, as it were, a strip of life and activity, and just as the images of entry and exit from this life are the same for everyone, the images of life itself are just as different. The beginning and the foundation are apparently the same for everyone, the end and the result must also undoubtedly be the same; And yet, what a bewildered variety, sometimes a complete opposite, are the very paths along which people accomplish their earthly mission! The goal is one, but this diversity of paths, blindly or consciously chosen while passing through the field of life, is incomprehensible... Antiquity, in a somewhat similar case, proudly proclaimed that all roads lead to Rome, and in a certain sense, of course, she was right, forgetting only that with all the formal justice of her judgment, anyone who wanted could not reach the “eternal” city, in the absence of appropriate instructions and a guaranteed life expectancy. We, when applied to the afterlife, as the desired Capital - heavenly Jerusalem, especially cannot be indifferently satisfied with such a formal consideration. Life is sometimes, and in general, too short to waste its limited hours on aimless wandering along the crossroads, cherishing oneself with the dubious hope of someday, by chance, taking the real road. Hence, there is an urgent, constant and valuable need to distinguish true paths from false ones, in general, truth from lies; otherwise we run the sure danger of remaining outside the real and guiding earthly path. From this particular side of you, deceased professor, taking advantage of your posthumous moments, you can and, I think, should testify to what is included in only five words of the inscription and was clear to everyone during your lifetime - that the truth in its many different manifestations was a guiding star for you in all your life and activities. But truth is achieved by knowledge in general, by science; science was worthily embodied in you. When studying historical reality, you were brought face to face with the sublime process of the universal human flow, you, like no one else, tried and were able to understand the meaning of this flow, according to which the meaning of existence of an individual member of the universal human family is comprehended and determined. If it is true that each present has its roots and explanation in the previous, past, then it is no less true that the one who comprehends the past thereby pours the light of meaning into the present and thus opens a glimmer of truth where for the majority there is complete ignorance and darkness. Few are able to accomplish this properly, and it is as if life itself provides such a task only to its chosen ones - the servants of truth and science. Comprehension of any individual subject requires the participation of all senses and the totality of a whole series of knowledge in a person; comprehension of a universal human flow all the more requires the totality, and not highly specialized knowledge, otherwise it cannot be complete and sufficiently fair. Without hesitation, we can say that you were truly a learned historian for us and thus, reaching into the depths of the past, comprehended the truth of the present; Moreover, he did not leave it with himself, but also made others partakers of it. In an individual person, the mind - this mental eye - always precedes, goes ahead, trying to catch the flickering of light in the incomprehensible darkness of the surrounding; in the whole society, in a similar way, a host of learned men always goes ahead, fulfilling the sacred task of finding the truth and leading the rest of the accomplices. This is the basis of the farewell tribute of respect that we pay to you, unforgettable teacher, at our last meeting with your imperfect image. You walked ahead, illuminating human paths in life and history; now, by the will of the Almighty, you have been recalled from a difficult but glorious career; you are no longer and will no longer be among us; but the light of science, kindled by you in the minds of your readers and listeners, should not, of course, go out without a trace: it requires new workers and relieves them of the need to do what you have done. The edifice of science is created not by individual, but by collective efforts, and whoever put a large or small link into the overall system of construction has certainly earned a grateful memory and gratefully truthful respect. You undoubtedly laid such a link, since you have always sought the truth, serving it selflessly; now, as one who stood on the actual path of earthly wandering, you have gone to where the truth, which is God, does not only flicker, but also shines in fullness. We pray that it will appear to you not as an abstract truth, but as an eternal life, according to the word of the Savior: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Speech by assistant inspector of the Tver Theological Seminary M. V. Rubtsov. Dear friend, dear comrade of school days! The news of your untimely death, in the prime of your life, at the time of the highest development of your scientific knowledge, struck the hearts of all your comrades and fellow countrymen who loved and knew you like a thunderbolt. Your name in your homeland was remembered and pronounced with reverence, as the name of a person who completely devoted himself to science and penetrated deeply into its sanctuary; your wonderful, original and scientific articles, which decorated the books of “Christian Reading”, were read with admiration and we hoped that you would be your joy for a long time, our pride, the beauty and honor of the Tver seminary that raised you, and suddenly - the news that you were gone!... Horror seized our hearts! We couldn't find words to express our grief... As your comrade, I considered it a sacred duty for both of us to immediately appear at your coffin to tell you on my own behalf and on the part of all your fellow countrymen and comrades who knew and loved you the last “forgiveness.” It would be possible to remember a lot from our joint school life, testifying to you as a noble man, a wonderful comrade, but at the moment I lack the time, spirit, or strength for this. I will point out only one or two characteristic facts: even in high school you amazed everyone with the extraordinary breadth of your knowledge... There was no question, there was no task, there was not such a difficult translation from languages ​​that you could not explain, resolve and interpret with incomprehensible ease for us, who often needed your help. You were not the first among us, but higher than the first. Even in high school, you knew very well not only ancient languages, but also new ones, and even Hebrew. As I remember now: in a philosophy class (the Tver seminary had not yet been transformed at that time), the teacher of biblical history gave us the topic: “What attracted the Jews to idolatry”... Everyone wrote as usual: weakly, well, and very well, but you amazed the mentor with the knowledge of the Hebrew language, which you discovered in your essay, which was expressed publicly by him... The Academy, as you know, has further expanded and blossomed your talents. While thoroughly studying the entire vast range of church-historical subjects that you chose as your specialty, you did not leave without developing and improving that special inclination for the study of Eastern languages, which was revealed in you back in high school. There were a few lovers of your comrades and fellow countrymen to whom you dedicated and to whom you explained the secrets of Eastern linguistics. And it was necessary to see with what ardor and with what love you did it!... At this time, that is, when you were still a student, the Ethiopian language, related to Hebrew, became your special favorite. As I remember now: in a few minutes you wrote for an amateur a translation into Ethiopian of Oratio Dominica, even providing it with notes on Ethiopian transcription and pronunciation, the original original of which is still kept in the hands of this amateur, as a precious memory of you... In this way you gradually grew to the degree of enormous, original and original scientific power; it would seem that you were destined to be a representative of modern Russian scientific church-theological thought for a long time, but your endless devotion to science left you too little time to think about your health; An inexorable illness has sapped your strength and now you have died untimely....! But let us always submit to the good will of Providence... What you have done for science is enormous, and it will never die! Honor and glory to you are our pride, our joy and our consolation! Speech by the caretaker of the Moscow Zaikonospassky Theological School I. E. Evseev - following the previous one. Dear and unforgettable mentor! The news of your illness, and then your untimely imminent death, struck me like a thunderbolt, and from the heart of Russia - Moscow, I hastened here to say my last “forgiveness” to you. Accept this last kiss from your disciples, distant from you in space, but close in spirit and reverent admirers of your memory. The beloved Academy, abandoned by you, deeply mourns for you in the person of professors and students. We have heard why the orphaned academic family appreciates and mourns you: you take with you to an untimely grave the great noble spirit of selfless service to science and the truth of Christ; Through this spirit of yours, some got used to testing their scientific and heartfelt conscience, while others - your pupils - learned to develop, under the shadow of the Academy, true concepts of what pure science is, what it means to serve it, what the unalloyed truth of Christ is and its firm and steady implementation in life. The Academy is accustomed to seeing in you a true Israeli, leading the law and truth, and is accustomed to drawing strength and skill from you in order to serve them faithfully. But even outside the walls of the Academy, many hearts were orphaned by your untimely grave. And the long-standing and not so long-ago graduating students of yours, in reverent remembrance of the unforgettable Vasily Vasilyevich, found the strength for themselves to zealously and vigorously fulfill in life your favorite academic covenants - serving truth and righteousness - whether in science or in life, to whom what is given as an inheritance by the Providence of God. These former pupils of yours, like the Jews of the Diaspora, turning their gaze in cases of impoverishment of spirit to the best academic testaments, always as to a certain Zion, a solid support of academic Jerusalem, resorted to the memory of Vasily Vasilyevich as an example of a high, vigorous and tireless, necessary day of life, spirit. God destined me to stand quite close to you as a student, although not in the subject you chose, dear mentor, and this is what I remember about your precious relationship with me. Immediately after completing the academic course, the desire to serve to the best of my ability the science so beloved by you prompted me to take up my first scientific work. Young inexperience confronts me with a dry, unclear and undeveloped question and sets me on the path of severe indecision. With reverent awe I enter your humble abode and on your unassuming sofa all my work is illuminated by an amazingly bold and prolific thought in the final conclusions, visible dryness is replaced by a consciousness of inner importance, young forces are strengthened under your confident, authoritative word - and the work goes on, delivering inexplicable pleasure. How you rejoiced when any of the associated scientific beacons identified through your general guiding idea were justified or received a different definition! Truly - as you put it - this joy of yours with timid scientific successes in the mouths of babies and pissing infinitely exceeded your joy of the birth of a son... Your deep, amazingly comprehensive mind was able to give direction and strength in the scientific community not related to your scientific specialty. What should you think about the influence that stands within your favorite subject - church history? Now is not the time to talk about the influence of your powerful spirit on various aspects of our native scientific life, but the truth is often better visible from afar, and I - as a stranger from countries - can testify that you, dear mentor, were looked upon as a scientific conscience by not only the servants of science close to you and known to you... Not only the workers of the theological school fed on your spirit: you, I know, were valued and listened to by representatives of Secular scientific knowledge. How upset, I know, one of the prominent Moscow scientists unknown to you was when he heard from me about your terrible illness: this spring he was just going to submit his scientific work on the field of writing of the ancient Christian East for your weighty conclusion. How deep and precious were your passing remarks in scientific conversations and everyday reasoning, I understood especially when, by the will of God’s Providence, I set off, guided by your well-wishes and insistence to serve science to the best of my ability, from my almae matris to a distant country. Your spirit, powerful with faith in the truth, gave me strength in those moments when the everyday and work situation oppressed me, suppressed me to the point of despondency. Feeling your moral approval from afar, I filled the free moments from my direct educational service with feasible research in the same area that your firm and benevolent hand revealed to me. In parting with me, you asked me, unforgettable teacher, when the need arises, to assist you in acquiring copies of the Moscow Greek manuscripts of the church history of Eusebius, which you intended to prepare for publication - and with what impatience I awaited your order! But God did not judge this: your lifeless lips will never give me the opportunity to thank you in any way for all the manifestations of your great spirit towards me. Accept, dear Vasily Vasilyevich, instead of gratitude from me and those like me, scattered across the face of our native land, your former disciples, a prayer before the Father of Lights for the granting of the ever-present light to you - and accept our last earthly worship. Speech given by 2nd grade student Anatoly Sudakov at farewell in church. “The Light of Christ enlightens everyone,” you said, dear mentor, at your last lecture. Who thought that these would be your last words in the audience? We were looking forward to when you would come to us again, when we would still enjoy your speech, for your speech was always so sweet and captivating. So what? Here you are again, again - among us, your students, in your dear Academy, where you were so eager even in your dying moments. But how unusual is your coming! The Academy does not greet you with a look of joy. From the senior professor to the junior student, she is plunged into grief and sadness, looking at you, lifeless, voiceless. Your prophetic lips are silent, from which, truly, “speeches of the sweetest honey flowed.” And I can’t believe it, I don’t want to believe that you’ve fallen silent forever. I think, I would like to think that you will get up and speak, and your speech will flow smoothly, clear, pure, like... crystal, light and therefore enlightening, in the likeness of that light of Christ; which you were talking about. You carried within you a particle of this great light; and “the light that is in you” was not “darkness” (Matthew VI, 23). How brightly your lamp burned in our sky! God knows, it was not due to a lack of oil that it went out. You collected it everywhere and stocked up on it abundantly. Until the very last minute, the spirit was cheerful in you and burned with a bright flame of a bright mind and pure aspirations. You received good gifts in your belly, and did not go and dig the talents given to you into the ground. You could rightly say: “His grace which is in me was not in vain, but rather than all... I labored” (1 Cor. XV, 10). He worked until the very last moment, to the point of extreme exhaustion. Strength when a fatal illness took you, tired and exhausted, from the working furrow. There, in the higher planes, it was destined to interrupt your life and activities. Quietly and peacefully you passed away into eternity. What are we, your last 10 students?.. List your merits, talk about your greatness?... - But it will be a weak voice about the lofty and unforgettable. - The students accept the precepts of the teacher, continue his work... We remember your precepts. You bequeathed to us tireless work, honest, noble work in the name of truth. You have always strived to where the truth shines, and you have bequeathed this royal path to us. Your covenant is holy and forever memorable for us. - But how can the weak and infirm bear the work of the strong and powerful? Oh, if only there were worthy successors to your work in your spirit and strength, and would be inspired in their activities by the memory of you! For all of us, your unworthy disciples, your majestic image until the very gravestone will remain an object of grateful memory and surprise, for in you we have recognized the purity and height of man. And the grateful Academy will write your name with bright and indelible features on the pages of its history, and its sons from generation to generation will focus their attention on your bright personality with love and joy. Now, dear teacher, we offer you a bow to the ground, a bow of love, gratitude, respect and surprise. In your face, beloved, unforgettable professor, we bow to human work, human thought, the greatness of man. You showed us the brightest and best in man. Speech given by Prof. I. S. Palmov in front of the open grave of the deceased professor V. V. Bolotov. My dear, unforgettable, priceless friend, our irreplaceable Vasily Vasilyevich! It’s hard for me, who talked with you in the last minutes of your earthly life, to speak now here, with the open arms of this grave. But it would have been even harder for me if I hadn’t told you my last farewell here too. Therefore, before the open arms of the mother, the damp earth, hide your mortal remains from us forever, I have an inner, deep need to say my last farewell greetings to you, and as a farewell gift to your love and friendship, I dare to bring to mind for myself and everyone around your fresh grave the ideal testaments of your entire life, your entire state of mind and your sublime moral outlook. What behests do you, my dear friend, our irreplaceable, always benevolent, advisor, leave to us, who are accompanying you to another world and, as if in trembling expectation from you, of a word of edification to those around this fresh grave - your resting place?... In all the speeches that have been heard hitherto at your grave, pouring out from the lips and from the fullness of the hearts of your deeply grateful admirers, those glorious paths of life and scientific, truly ascetic, work of yours, which you yourself followed and which, without a doubt, aroused noble competition in your students, friends and admirers, are clearly noted. I personally remember here - first of all - the covenant of an internal deep combination of knowledge and faith, the covenant of free scientific research in the field of church historical science with full attention and obedience to the general church universal tradition, the covenant of tireless work to the point of self-sacrifice for the triumph of truth and goodness - I also saw examples of your selfless love and faith in the triumph of truth and goodness... Deeply believing in the triumph of the true principles of Christian life and knowledge, our deceased friend and teacher I have always burned with a fiery desire to see my fatherland, in particular, and my beloved Academy at the ideal height of their destination. To this end, to increase the glory of his family and friends, in the name of the highest interests of Christian culture, he usually disinterestedly began work with himself, sparing his strength, and creatively in his brilliant head sometimes combined various plans for more successful and free service of the main goal of his life - service to the truth. You, friends, want to call these plans: they are known to you, for they were repeatedly expressed by our late friend, both orally - in private conversations and at lectures, and in print - in his major scientific works and even in. his numerous characteristic notes on the research of other scientists, which - by the way - he generously communicated to everyone who turned to him for scientific help, without, of course, requiring mention of his always useful cooperation. It is our duty, friends, students and admirers of the unforgettable Vasily Vasilyevich, to sacredly guard his ideal precepts, to follow them to the point of self-sacrifice, without stopping at any crafty temptations of the flesh and spirit, which usually lull our spirit in the pursuit of everything beautiful and sublime. Our giant of thought, knowledge and sublime moral achievement has died. But may his spirit remain with us! Let us sing the eternal memory of our deceased friend and unforgettable teacher. And then, having dispersed from here, we will sacredly honor and remember his ideal covenants and serve them to the best of our ability in the creation of one common cause entrusted to us. And by this they understand that we are his friends, students and admirers. Eternal memory to him! Already in his first year, his semester-long essays were such that they attracted the special attention of professors, and from that time on the history department began to monitor his scientific development in a special way. Vasily Vasilyevich’s willingness to help anyone in the cause of science truly knew no bounds. Not only young scientists, but also those who had already worked a lot and with honor in the scientific field turned to him for help. How many publications and books contain the pearls of his talent and erudition, invisibly for everyone, this is well known to a select circle of specialists and close friends of the deceased. How many valuable scientific messages and considerations are found even in his ordinary letters to his scientific correspondents! Comp. A. Rozhdestvensky. This did not include various reviews of B.V., reports, etc., placed in the “Minutes of meetings of the Council of St. Petersburg. Spirit. Academy". Wed. in the collection “Wardest Greetings” in memory of the fiftieth anniversary of the ministry of Metropolitan Isidore, pp. 169–299. Articles a-d are signed B-l-. “Chr. Thu." 1896, issue. IV, p. 178. The speech was made on behalf of the LIX course students who attended the last full two-year course of lectures by the late professor.