Ascetic teaching about the meaning and essence of the “passions” of the so-called “carnal”

The center of gravity of “carnal passions” lies in the soul itself: – The unnaturalness of “carnal passions”. - Conclusions from here regarding the general nature and basic methods of combating “carnal” passions). – Type and quality of food. – A person’s normal attitude towards the process of nutrition. – Violation of this relationship in passion γαστριμαργία and various types of “gluttony”. – Analyzes of passion “fornication” (πορνεία). – General conclusions. From the analysis of the main moments of the gradual development of tempting evil in man, the truth follows with complete conviction and complete certainty that, according to ascetic teaching, all passions without exception - not only mental, but also the so-called. bodily things undoubtedly have their center of gravity in the soul. That is why the ascetic attitude towards nutritional and sexual functions belongs precisely to the mental area of ​​the struggle of the spirit actually and directly not with the body, but precisely with “thoughts”. From this point of view, it is also highly significant that the main reason for the subordination of the soul to carnal passions is believed and categorically indicated by many, very authoritative ascetics, precisely in the removal of the soul from the contemplation of God (ἀπὸ τῆς είς θεὸν θεωρίας 1). The functions of the body themselves cannot in any case be called passions in an ethically bad, reproachful sense; such are only mental states of voluptuousness, voluptuousness 2. That is why, according to the teachings of the ascetics, gluttony and fornication are subject to moral imputation and ethical assessment not as natural functions of the body, that is, not in the sense of physiological phenomena, but actually as mental states of fall, and precisely insofar as they are sinful and disastrous, since “thought is mixed with the Spirit” (ὄταν ... λογισμὀς ( πορνείας) τῶ πνεύματι μίγνυται) i.e., since it touches his sphere, enters his domain, and the soul “is combined with a seductive imprint in it” (ἐκτυπώματι πλάνης ἠ ψυχή σου συγγίνεται ) 3, i.e. - since the named passions turn out to be phenomena belonging to the sphere of mental life. From this it is clear that “bodily passions” in no case can be explained in their main specific features from normal bodily needs alone - the latter serve for the former, at most, only as reasons, starting points, foundations; in the future, the most important significance belongs to the soul, precisely to its influence and influence. Hence the result is the unnaturalness of passions. By definition, St. I. Damaskin, “an action is called passion when it is excited in a way inconsistent with nature” 4. This important, characteristic feature of them is not in itself explainable from the needs of bodily life 5 . “The body has a natural movement, innate to it; but it does not act if the soul does not want, and shows in the body only dispassionate movement” (ἀπαθῆ κίνησιν) 6. According to St. Isaac the Syrian, that natural movement that occurs in a person for the sake of childbearing, alone, without external addition, cannot disturb the purity of the human will and disturb his chastity. If someone is excited by lust, it is not a natural force that forces him to go beyond the limits of nature, violating his (moral) duties, but what a person himself adds to his nature, according to his volitional impulses (διὰ τῶν ἀφορμῶν τοῦ θελἡματος ) 7 . With such a fundamental teaching of the ascetics about the necessary, essential connection of even “bodily” passions with the purely mental area of ​​human self-determination, their instructions regarding the methods, means and conditions of practical struggle with these passions are in complete harmony, complementing, clarifying and firmly, more decisively substantiating it. Quite definitely, especially characteristic and typical is the teaching on this issue, belonging to, for example. And Cassian. According to St. father, - since the attack of the passion of fornication is twofold - that is, on the body and on the soul - (dupplex est oppugnatio gemino armata vitio consurgens ad praelium), then one should also resist the passion with two corresponding weapons (idcirco similiter ei gemina est acie resistendum). In this case, victory cannot be achieved except through the joint struggle of body and soul. In fact, physical fasting alone, for example, is not enough to acquire or maintain perfect purity of chastity, even if it is supported in addition by the ascetic use of physical labor and handicrafts, unless it is preceded by contrition of the spirit (contritio spiritus), constant prayer (oratio perse verans), prolonged meditation on the truths of Holy Scripture (continuata meditatio Scripturarum), combined with spiritual understanding (scientia). spiritalis), and first of all, true humility (humilitas vera) 8 will not be laid as the foundation. As we see, from here, St. the father, affirming the necessary importance of fasting, physical labor and handicrafts for the successful fight against the passion of fornication, however, places the center of gravity not in them, but in spiritual ascetic means, of which in the first place he puts, due to its fundamental importance in general for spiritual and moral life, humility. From this we see how harmonious, consistent, definitely, true to itself the ascetic teaching is at this point - in it the beginning, the starting point, is harmoniously consistent with the result, with the practical conclusion, so that an irresistible impression of harmonious consistency, inner strength and original originality is obtained. The revealed fundamental ascetic point of view on this issue completely and decisively determines the content, meaning, and character of all the particular provisions of the ascetic worldview included in this area. Thus, it substantiates, for example, the idea that the type and quality of food for everyone is, if not exclusively, then to a large extent, subjective, since they must correspond to the individual characteristics of each person 9). Likewise, the question of whether a certain person is free from voluptuousness in relation to food or not, whether his eating is normal from an ascetic Christian point of view, is resolved correctly only from the point of view of a person’s mental attitude to this act. And this latter embraces, on the one hand, his religious and moral mood, accompanying the eating of food, in relation to God, the Supreme Giver of food, as well as all blessings in general, to glorify and prayerfully - contemplatively thank whom eating food is a completely sufficient and completely worthy incentive 10), and on the other hand, the formal side, the concept of a person’s normal relationship to food includes his self-control, commensurate with the need, quantity, quality and time eating food in order to provide your body with healthy vigor and sufficient strength, and not with the aim of obtaining pleasure. In this last respect, the whole matter actually comes down to whether or not a person controls his mood in the matter of nutrition, i.e. whether the feeling of pleasure associated with this process or its presentation appears as a secondary, incidental element, or whether it comes to the fore and completely and decisively captures a person’s attention 11 . Recognizing this latter state of man as not alien to a passionate nature and, as such, an unnecessary phenomenon, subject to gradual limitation, Orthodox asceticism is far from prescribing any mechanical, violent, outwardly coercive means to achieve this goal. The achievement of the indicated proper state actually takes place in complete dependence on the first ethical-religious moment, being entirely determined by it and conditioned in its normal application. The natural feeling of pleasure, which marks and accompanies the satisfaction of man and all of his essential needs, under the influence of religious and ethical feelings that have God as their object, loses its grossly selfish, animalistic, self-satisfied character and is ennobled and spiritualized. The teaching of Rev. is extremely valuable and definitely in this case. I. Cassian. According to St. father, the suppression of the passion of gluttony consists and manifests itself in the fact that a person consciously accepts food not so much for pleasure, for pleasantness (non tam jucunditati), but rather by yielding to the irresistible need of the body. The ascetic path leading to the achievement of precisely this state is characterized by St. father, as a feat of the mind itself, consisting mainly of reflection (meditationibus). Namely, “the mind must be refined not only by fasting, but also by vigil and reading, and by frequent contrition of the heart for that in which it recognizes itself to be seduced or defeated—now lamenting from the fear of vices, now inflamed with the desire for perfection and purity” (desiderio perfectionis et, integritatis accensa) 12. From the point of view of the ascetic prerequisites revealed so far, the phenomenon that one person can take tasty and well-cooked food with complete self-control, without being upset or experiencing an unpleasant state when replacing it with a much worse one, as well as with a complete - more or less prolonged - deprivation of it for any occasion, turns out to be quite acceptable and understandable, while another - the meager food with greed, savors it, trying to extract get as much pleasure out of it as possible 13 . The latter is a glutton, but the former is not. According to St. Vasily V., “the passion of gluttony usually reveals its strength not in a variety of dishes, but in desire and small taste (ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ μικρᾷ γεύσει) 14. The whole point here, therefore, is precisely in this or that mental relationship to the physiological act, and not in this latter in itself. The sinful enslavement of the spirit of the flesh in the state of the passions of gluttony and especially fornication 15 carries within itself, that is, evidence, proof and guarantee of an extreme weakening of spiritual life, stating precisely the “disease of a corrupted will” 16. So, in passions of a carnal nature, a person consciously and freely turns his natural need into a reason and source of self-pleasure, self-indulgence, extending it to complete perversion and dominance over other aspects of his nature, that is, he is guided by the beginning of gross egoism, perverted self-love (φιλαυτία) 17. Apophth., col. 197C. (Cp. Verba, Seniorum. lib. XI, § 12, col. 934B) . I. Zlatoust. De compunctione, p. I. T. XLVII, col. 412. Isaac Cup. Λογ LXXXI, σελ. 457. Λογ XXXVIII, σελ. 243. Cp. Isaac Cup. Λογ. LXXIII, σελ. 438. Λογ. I, σελ. 4. Λογ. XIII. σελ. 74. Λογ. XXI, σελ. 120. Λογ. XXII, σελ. 127. Λογ. XXVII, σελ. 175 Λογ. XXIX, σελ. 182. Λογ. XXXIV, σελ. 215, 216. Λογ. XLIII, σελ. 259. 260, 263, 268. Λογ. LXXVIII, σελ. 442, where the cause of passion is μετεωρισμός τῆς διανοίας. Wed. Simeon Nov. Theologian, Or. XVIII. T. CXX, col. 398BC. Ave. Neil of Sinai. Tr. ad Eulog. With. XIX, col. 1117B. De fide orthodoxa. L., II p. XXII, col. 941. Wed. Isaac Cup. Λογ. XXVII, σελ. 173. Apophthegm. Patrum, col. 84A, §22. Cp. Verba Seuiorum. V, 1 col. 873D. Isaac Sir. Λογ. XXVII. σελ 173. De coenob. istitut. Lib. VI, p. I. De spiritu fornicationis, col. 267–269A. Cp. Verba Seniorum, X, § 99, col. 931 (cf. Patericon, § 141, p. 240). Wed. Vasily V. Reg. brev. tr. interr. CXCVI. T. XXXI, col. 1212D-121ZA. Wed. excellent reasoning on this issue - in the spirit of the patrists - Rev. Feofan. Tolkov. Paste. Last (1 Tim. 4:3), pp. 298 - 299: "God put into the nature of man, as an animal, the need for food, and scattered around him among the creatures those who could satisfy this need by eating them. He allowed them to do this in paradise; he confirmed this during his expulsion from it and expanded it in the commandments and blessings given to the righteous Noah before the flood. God arranged it this way so that people, seeing in the preparation of their necessary food for them, recognized in this God's care for them, and ate the food with thanksgiving. This thanksgiving was supposed to nourish religious feelings towards God and, in the points of belief about God, illuminate His face with bright, attractive and exciting features. Thus, in this apparently simplest matter, eating food, God placed the most impressive, and at the same time silent school of faith and. piety. Wed. Vasil. B. Regulae fusius tractatae. Interr. XVI. § 2. T. XXXI, col. 960B: I. Cassian. DC coenob. inst. With. VIII, col. 1223–1224. In particular, in ascetic literature, several types of gluttony are distinguished, corresponding to the different ways in which a person’s abnormal attitude towards accepting poverty manifests itself in the loss or weakening of his self-control in relation to the said act. Various ascetic writers indicated a different number of types of gluttony, usually three or two. So I. Cassian allowed three types of gluttony (triplex natura est gastrimargiae. De coenobior. institut. lib. V, p. XXIII, col. 240B. gastrimargiae genera sunt tria. Collat V, p. XI, col. 624. Cf. Isaac Cup. Λογ. XXVI, σελ . (161–162), while Abba Dorotheos distinguished only two types of this passion (δὑο γὰρ εἰσι δίαφοραί τῆς γαστριμαργίας. Doctr. XV. c. 2, col. 1789B). This difference is due to the fact that the second meant only the manifestation in a person of an immoderate sense of pleasure in relation to the quantity and quality of food, while the first also took into account the unregulated and untimely consumption of food in order to receive pleasure from it by the monk eating food before the appointed hour (Collat. Ioc. cit., col 625A πρὀ καιροῦ Isaac Cup. ογ. XXVI, σελ. 164, 166. Cf. Λογ. LIV, σελ. 321). which. traces .. was committed separately from others (secretly from them), therefore it was called secret eating for the last reason (λαθροφαγία Cf. Basil the Great. Sermo de renuntiatione saeculi, p. VI. T. XXXI, col. 640B). The desire to be satisfied with food that is certainly tasty, skillfully prepared and beautifully presented (cf. Abba Dorotheos. Doctr. XV, col. 1789 V. I. Cassian. Collat. V, f. XI, col. 625A. Nile of Sinai. Narrat. Ill, col. 616AB) was called laryngeal rabies ( λαιμαργία. Doctr. XV, col. 1789 CD. lib. In the third type of gluttony, the characteristic feature is the immoderate, intemperate consumption of excessive quantities (ὑπερβαλλού ση ποσότης. Isaac the Syrian. Λογ XXVII, σελ. 173) of food, moreover, in pursuit of the quantitative side of food, its quality may be forgotten. (I. Cassian. De coenob. inst. lib. V, p. XXIII, col. 240BC. Abba Dorotheus. Loc. cit., col. 1789C, etc.). Wed. Prof. K. D. Popov. Op. op. cit., pp. 197–199. De coenob. Institute L V, e. XIV, col. 229AB. Lecturer Isaac Sir. The main source of the fight against “disturbance from bodily aspiration” is recognized as “occupying the heart with knowledge” (Λογ. I, σελ.6). The reasoning on this issue is also imbued with the patristic spirit. Feofana. According to him, “pleasure naturally accompanies the eating of pleasant food; but for those who accept it with feelings of gratitude to God, pleasure loses the character of sensuality, becomes spiritualized and sanctified. When they eat food in order to enjoy, creating pleasure for the flesh in lust, then they are immersed in sensuality; and when they take food to satisfy an inevitable need, with thanksgiving, then they feel the sweetness without becoming sensual. At the same time, raising the mind and heart to God makes sweetness itself seem detached and dematerialized.” Tolkov. Paste. Last (1 Tim. IV, 3), p. 300 Cf. Tolkov. Last Titus (I, 15), pp. 73–74. In the words of Abba Dorotheus. this attitude towards food is called τὀ φαγεὶν διὰ τἠ ν ἡδονήν. (Doctr. XV, p. 2. col. 1792A; cp. ibid., col. 1780BC). This attitude towards eating food actually belongs to the second type of gluttony and is called laryngeal madness (λαιμαργία). (Clement of Alexandria. Paedag, L. II, col. 397A. Abba Dorotheus. Doctr. XV, p. 2, col. 1789CD Neil of Sinai. Liber de monastica exercitatione, c. LVIII. col. 792B). This passion, which usually occupies second place in the lists of vicious thoughts, is mostly called πορνεία (see, for example, Macarius E. Homil. XV, p. L., col. 609C. De perfectione in Spiritu. p. V, col. 845A Evagrius of Pontus, col. 1272A. Nilus of Sinai. De oratione. с. XC, col. 1188A; Его же. De octo spirititus malitiae., c. III, col. 1148C. Ефрем Сирин. T. III, р. 429В. Исаак Сup. Λογ . LXIX, σελ . 403. Λογ . II, σελ . 12, τὸ πάθος πορνείας . XXIX, σελ . Λογ . 267; γυναικός. (Athan. Alex. Vita Antonii, col. 872A) ἐπιθυμία γυναικεία (Histor. Lausiae. p. XXIX, col. I084B, etc.); (I. Damascene. T. XCV, col. 80A); συνουσίας (Bl. Diadoch. Λογ. ασκητ., c. XCIX. (by Prof. K. D. Popov. Soc. cit., p. 517; cf. pp. 159–160). In I. Cassian it is called fornicatio (Collat. V, p. 2, col. 611, p. X, col. I. Cassian. Coll. XII, 2. Wed. Maxim the Confessor. Capi. charit. Cent. III, §§ 56 – 57 col. 1033B-C.