22) Иеромонах (ныне архимандрит) Феодор (Поздеевский).

On the issue of Christian asceticism (Speech before the defense of the master's thesis: “The ascetic views of St. Cascian the Roman”). Orthodox Interlocutor. 1902. December, pp. 876–884. Briefly characterizing at the beginning the attitude of modern Russian society to the issue of asceticism (predominantly negative, in the person of Mr. Rozanov, for example), Fr. Theodore, in relation to the essence and main tone of the attacks of representatives of this society on Christian asceticism, focuses mainly on that side of it, according to which “the translation of the ideal of moral perfection into life was always in reality accompanied by increased restrictions on those aspects and phenomena of life that relate primarily to the area of ​​physical existence.” 1382 “From this point of view, the ascetic creations of Christian ascetics are of deep interest, for they are the only reliable way, after personal experience, to solving the so confusing issue of a negative attitude towards the physical needs of nature in the interests of spiritual improvement.” 1383 From the point of view of the indisputable data of this ascetic writing, we are undoubtedly convinced of the truth that there is “a deep internal reason why, in the interests of the spirit, it is necessary for a person to deny to a certain extent the interests of the flesh.” 1384 This “reason for their negative attitude towards the needs of physical life in the interests of spiritual ones is rooted deeply in the very nature of man;... this need was only discovered by them as really existing and clearly understood”... 1385 “Man, in the interests of spiritual life, is forced to reduce the service of the flesh in order to restore the former harmony of spirit and body that man had before the fall.” 1386 Hence, asceticism, as a certain kind of struggle and effort, in all its manifestations, due precisely to the special state of the nature of fallen man, is an inevitable element of Christian morality in its life implementation, expressing not the content of perfection itself, but only the path that a person has to involuntarily go to spiritual perfection.” 1387 These are the main provisions of this article, for obvious reasons not disclosed in detail, but only outlined by the author. This is natural, since by its very purpose the article postulates the author’s master’s work. We fully share the author's basic concept of asceticism as a necessary, but at the same time a secondary element of morality. In vain only about. Theodore uses the concepts of “flesh” and “body” as equivalent, completely covering each other.