Переписка Константина Зедергольма со старцем Макарием Оптинским (1857–1859)

M.S.O.Sc. G.I.X.B.n. p.n. 87 Most merciful benefactor, By the grace of God, my affairs seem to be working out. By December 15th they promise to publish a dissertation 88 , which, therefore, I can defend around the 20th 89 . I’ll go to St. Petersburg later, when I receive the order. Meanwhile, T.I. Filippov informs me that Count A.P. Tolstoy wants to entrust me with writing something for the “Spiritual Conversation” 90, which will be published at the St. Petersburg Seminary. I am both happy and afraid, realizing my inability. Bless, father, this new activity, so that it will benefit both others and me. For publishing the dissertation in a journal and for the right to sell 600 copies of it in their favor, P. M. Leontyev and M. N. Katkov want to give me 500 rubles. Thus, I can pay off the main debts, and there will still be left for the first establishment in St. Petersburg. Thanks be to God, who helps me with your prayers, cowardly and unworthy. About myself I will say that I live in bustle and carelessness. Being in the same room with my brother, I don’t correct the rules exactly and am happy if I manage to read my morning and evening prayers with sin. I hardly read spiritual books at all, I have no time to remember my sins, I live and I don’t know how. My brother Albert is wooing Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin’s daughter, Alexandra. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will bless his transition from a chaotic single life to family life and that this important step will bring his brother closer to both Russia and the Church. Sorry for bothering you so often. I fall at your feet, ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. Moscow, November 12, 1857 M.S.O.Sc. G.I.X.B.n. p.n. Please accept my most sincere congratulations on your upcoming birthday 92. Over the past year, I had the consolation of being with you on this day. According to your gracious words, I hope to be with you during the coming Lent. I don’t know when exactly. Brother Albert also wishes you a happy birthday, thanks you for your letter and will reply soon. I bring you my deepest gratitude both for your letter to my brother and to me, the unworthy. It delighted and consoled me, but a few hours before receiving it I was very upset mentally, having been an involuntary listener to how my father tried to confirm my brother in the Protestant teaching. The brother says that he is not yet convinced of the truth of Orthodoxy. I volunteered to explain to him what I meant and how; he agreed, but also said that he did not know his faith well and would turn to his father to find out. Pray, father, that the Lord will guide us all on the path of truth. Countess Maria Alexandrovna Panina sent you (through Natalya Petrovna Kireyevskaya) a rosary made of olive wood, brought from Jerusalem and consecrated at the Holy Sepulcher. On my own behalf, I dared to attach a chromolithographic photograph of the icon of the Mother of God (Jerusalem) and, falling at your feet, I ask before the most pure image of the Lady to pray that the Lord would give me memory of my sins, repentance and humility, and that I would be a Christian in reality, and not just in words. I ask for your fatherly blessing, I entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Today the fate of my dissertation is being tentatively decided at the university. Moscow, November 15, 1857 Most Honorable of the Lord I received two of your letters (from November 12th and 15th), I am sincerely glad that your dissertation work has moved forward, God grant that it be completed with benefit for you. Thank you for congratulating me on my birthday and for your diligence. I received the image of the Mother of God of Jerusalem correctly. I thank your brother Albert Karlovich for congratulating me and ask you to convey my greetings to him. You write that you would like to visit us in the desert with your brother, we will be very glad and will receive both of you with love. On November 14, our Jerusalem missionaries, Fr. Yuvenaly Polovtsev, Leonid Kavelin and Alexander. The first two received gold pectoral crosses brought to them by His Eminence Kirill Naumov, they saw him in Kaluga, served with him and stayed for three days. I ask for God’s peace and blessing on you, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. I ask you to thank the most venerable Mrs. Marya Alexandrovna for the rosary. I recently wrote to her. On the very day of your name day, I am writing to you, both unwell—I have had a fever since yesterday—and very worried. The other day I had a conversation with my friend and godfather Boris Almazov about freedom and honor, I got excited, he said words that were insulting to me, and so we quarreled. Until now, I expected him to come to his senses, however, I am ready to take the first step towards reconciliation myself and write to him. And Natalya Petrovna seems to be angry with me. I would like to explain it to her too. I deserve, and it is probably good for me, to have a bad opinion of me. On the other hand, it will be difficult for me if relationships with people who are close in spirit are severed. Forgive me, dear father, and pray for me, a sinner who only seduces others with my behavior. I've been sick all this time, but it seems that I'm starting to get better. On December 5th, I hope I will be able to go to you, father, bless me on my journey, pray that the Lord will help me. Your books will be sent today. I made peace with my friend, Almazov. Sorry. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. I congratulate you on the feast of the Great Wonderworker and, falling at your feet, I tearfully ask you to pray that the Lord will help me, for the sake of spiritual benefit, to make the proposed trip to your holy monastery. I know that I am unworthy of this great mercy, but I believe that through your prayers the Lord will arrange everything for good. I’m still sitting at home, but the doctor is encouraging that, God willing, I can go out for the first time tomorrow. I wrote to you that my brother wooed the daughter of Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin, who still has not given a decisive answer. Now Pogodin turns to me - at baptism he was one of my godparents - and asks me, in good conscience, to tell him information about my brother. Tomorrow, with God's help, I plan to go to him. Pray, father, that the Lord will inspire me to say what is needed. The publication of my dissertation is nearing completion, and illness prevents me from doing things, of which there are still many. Forgive me, father, I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. My heartfelt congratulations to Nikolai Nikolaevich. My health, thank God, is improving, and with God’s help I hope to go to you on Thursday or Friday. They advise me to postpone my debate until January 13th. Mikhail Petrovich Pogodin gave his consent to my brother Albert. I most earnestly ask you to pray for him and his fiancee Alexandra and bless them. My brother Victor is in great grief. He had a fiancée (Catholic) who recently passed away. It may be for the best, but the brother is deeply upset and needs prayerful help. Falling at your feet and asking for your blessing, I entrust myself and my brothers Victor and Albert and all my relatives to your holy prayers. Having arrived home safely last night, I hasten to congratulate you in at least a few lines on the upcoming great holiday and from the depths of my soul to thank you for your great mercies towards me, the unworthy. Pray, father, that the Lord will help me fulfill your words and that they will not serve to condemn me. Yesterday I found a letter from Filippov, which I am enclosing as a copy 99. According to your gracious promise, I will await your advice and blessing on what to do. I would like to ask Vladyka Philaret (Drozdov) for his blessing for new classes. I don’t know whether it would be decent to tell him what exactly Count 100’s first order was, or not to make the official order public. Sorry. Throwing myself at your feet, I ask for your father’s blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. O. Archimandrite St. Moses (Optinsky), Fr. Abbot St. Anthony (Optinsky), Fr. St. Ambrose I express my deepest respect to Ambrose (Optinsky), Andrei Ivanovich Glushkov and all the fathers and brothers. I would like to visit the Trinity Lavra after the New Year. I congratulate you on the upcoming holidays of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the New Year. I wish you to spend these days in good health, reverently, with heartfelt joy in the Lord our Savior. I received your letter, in which you ask me about the questions asked to you by Mr. Chief Prosecutor, that when starting them, should you first ask for the blessing of the Bishop for this undertaking or leave this assignment as an official one without publicity. My opinion is to go to the Vladyka, ask for his archpastoral blessing for this and ask for his merciful advice and holy prayers. I received news from St. Petersburg that a telegraphic dispatch had been received there about the safe arrival of the mission in Constantinople. I ask for you God’s peace and blessing, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. R.S. Andrey Ivanovich congratulates you on the holidays. Thank God that your dissertation is completely finished. I look forward to your notification about receiving your master's degree. In what way may the most merciful Lord help you. Please accept our common sincere thanks for sending copies of your dissertation, which were delivered to everyone according to your destination, Fr. Archimandrite, Fr. abbot, Fr. Ambrose and Andrei Ivanovich. Notebook of St. Gregory Palamas 103, paper and paintings were also received - God bless. I am writing to your brother Albert Karlovich today and asking you to deliver my letter to him. I don’t know if I wrote to him like that, but I wrote according to my mind and feeling, wishing him true good. You work hard, get him the books that I write to him about and advise him to read. In your previous letter, you wrote about a certain person who wants to seduce you and is considering divorcing her husband. May the Lord protect you from this temptation. Pray to the Lord and Mother of God, do not give the temptress any hope, and it is even better not to answer. Can she be your wife, trampling on the sacrament of legal marriage? And your intention is not going that way. I hope to hear from you about the success of your master's degree. You must preserve the instruction that you received from the Bishop of Moscow and not violate the rules taught to him in your writings. I wish your brother Maxim Karlovich to know the truth. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim of many sinners, Hieromonk Macarius. Give the letter to your brother after the wedding. We heartily rejoiced at the success of your scientific work and the award you received for your dissertation, the title and master's degree 105. God grant that this will serve for further useful action in your service, for the defense and maintenance of Orthodoxy. Congratulations on receiving this degree. I also congratulate your brother Albert Karlovich on entering into a marriage union, on his Orthodox marriage with the girl Alexandra Mikhailovna. God grant that this union will serve him to unite with the Orthodox Church. I received a letter from Alexandra Mikhailovna, but could not answer her. God bless her. May God grant them happiness, peace and harmony in unity of spirit according to faith, and not disagreement. I rejoice in you and in the blessings your brothers received in their rank and position. I received both your letters dated January 15 and January 21 and the image of Elder Seraphim. Thank you. You write that you are going to St. Petersburg, I don’t know where to write to you, I’m sending a letter to Natalya Petrovna so that she can give it to you. I recently received a letter from Countess Alexandra Panina. I don’t know her patronymic and where to write, to Moscow or St. Petersburg, and therefore I leave it until the future. Write me her patronymic and, if in St. Petersburg, her address. I hope that you will write to me from St. Petersburg. Wishing you peace, health and salvation, I remain the unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Not knowing your address in St. Petersburg, on January 28, I sent a letter to Natalya Petrovna to be delivered to you. I congratulated you on receiving your master's degree and wished you continued success in the field of ministry, and on the 30th I received your letter and address. And with the very first mail I hasten to answer your question. You, wanting to talk in the first week, ask me who should you confess to? But I don’t know any of the clergy there at all and I can’t appoint exactly whom for you. It seems to me that it is better to confess in the Nevsky Lavra to the confessor of the hieromonk. All this is closer to us. However, I don’t know who the confessors there are and what kind of thinking they are, but, of course, they are Orthodox, there is no doubt about that. It doesn’t hurt to ask you Terty Ivanovich Filippov. He probably has a confessor there and will tell you who is more convenient. I asked you about Countess Alexandra Panina, what is her patronymic and where is she, in Moscow or in St. Petersburg, and in the latter, where to address. She writes to me, but I don’t know how to answer. I wish your family health and prosperity. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. On Thursday, January 30th, with God's help, I arrived safely in St. Petersburg and introduced myself to Mr. Chief Prosecutor. He had not yet told me anything about my official position, but he received me very graciously and expressed a desire that I would now take up the task entrusted to me, known to you from T. I. Filippov’s letter to me, 108 which I delivered to you in a copy. While still in Moscow, as I informed you, I wrote a letter to Tertiy Ivanovich about this subject and outlined some considerations and information that I made at the direction of Bishop Metropolitan Philaret. The Metropolitan advised: 1) to strictly separate from the persecution and torment to which Christians were subjected, the actions of the Orthodox kings, who only curbed the insolence of the enemies of the Church, and did not use torture, 2) in the rules of the councils (and specifically the Council of Carthage) and in the laws of the Byzantine emperors, look for confirmation of the truth that Orthodox kings should not be indifferent to different faiths, but to promote Orthodoxy and counteract heresies and schisms, 3) in support of the same truth, cite relevant facts from the history of Orthodox Christianity, but do not cite the Inquisition, etc. as an example, because such actions hardly had good consequences and were caused by the search for power by the Roman clergy. In my letters to Filippov, I was guided by these instructions and article on the Donatists 109 (Sunday reading), indicated by the Metropolitan. The count really liked my letter, he was glad that in the cathedral rules, the laws of the kings and the opinions of St. fathers (St. Augustine) one can find confirmation of the thoughts that occupy him. He also expressed surprise that Metropolitan Philaret never pointed out these sources to him in such conversations. I did not dare to announce that the Bishop told me all this, for I was afraid that this would not arouse displeasure in the count, however, in this, as in everything else, I expect your guidance and, if I did not do well, I am ready to do everything that you find decent and necessary. From conversations with Filippov and Count Tolstoy, I now see that the task entrusted to me is closely connected with the question of how our government and Church should treat schismatics, that my note will perhaps be applied to the case and that therefore I must keep in mind what is useful and what is harmful in the current circumstances. Unfortunately, I thought little about this in Moscow, when I could still consult with the Bishop. He noted that the question to what extent one should tolerate heresies and schisms and to what extent one should oppose them is resolved differently at different times, depending on the circumstances, that those who themselves are in error, but do not seduce others, cannot be treated the same way as those who bring harm to others. But in general, how now, under the current circumstances, it is more useful to treat schismatics, I, unfortunately, did not think to ask the Bishop about this. By the way, speaking about K.S. Serbinovich, the bishop said that he seems to adhere to some Latin opinions and that therefore one should be careful in dealing with him. And T.I. Filippov, for his part, says that Serbinovich, in relation to schismatics, is ready to act like the Pope with his heretics, that is, to build fires for them, to put them to fire and sword, in a word, to swallow them. Therefore, Filippov advises me to be careful that my note does not fall into the tone of Serbinovich (which seems to be in force, and, unfortunately, with Count Tolstoy), and to pay attention to what is now required by both public opinion and the state of our police. “We must remember,” says Filippov, “what kind of executors of the orders of the Holy Synod will be.” Falling at your feet, I humbly ask you to write to me whether and to what extent Filippov’s remarks are fair and to what extent religious tolerance is required under current circumstances, and to what extent there is opposition to schism 110, I humbly ask you to inform me of all the considerations and instructions that will be useful for me to follow. In general, it seems that I will be close to the count, who is more accessible to us and our speeches than I thought. Sorry, dear father. I congratulate you on the upcoming Pentecost, I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing, and I entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kavelin (with whom I live together) shows his respects to you, brother Maxim is going to see you, pray for it to be fulfilled. I congratulate you on the onset of Holy Lent and thank you most earnestly for your gracious and precious letter, which I have already received here. There seems to be no official introduction about me yet, but I already have classes, which I wrote to you about. I dine every day with Count Tolstoy, it seems, and will always have a table with him together with Filippov and V.I. Ovchinnikov. The apartment is government-owned, shared with D. A. Kavelin. Pray, father, that our cohabitation will be in peace and harmony and will serve both of us. Now Filippov also lives with us, and he will move into his apartment with the Saint. Regarding my service, I am firmly convinced that I can be useful only if I have the happiness of using your, dear father, instructions and directions. For the sake of the church and my soul, do not leave me under your leadership. Whatever you deem necessary, either I or Filippov, depending on the circumstances, can bring to the attention of the count. I got to work, looked through the rules of the Council of Carthage (particularly remarkable are 59, 104, 120) 112, and then I will get down to the laws of the emperors. My thought cannot calm down and establish itself as to how to choose the middle path between treason and criminal tolerance, which comes from indifference to faith, and, on the other hand, such constraining measures that seem to violate conscience and violate Christian love. Filippov, it seems, is against any restrictive measures in relation to the schism and says that by resorting to them, it is as if we are getting closer to the Roman inquisitors. I remember that the bishop somewhat accused Serbinovich of inclination towards Latin. But, on the other hand, I am also afraid of excessive religious tolerance. The thought hesitates, the question is beyond my strength, but you know, father: it is not of my own free will that I begin this task. I believe that the Lord will announce to you, and you will tell me everything that I should be guided by in the note entrusted to me for the benefit of the Church and for my soul. I look forward to your letter. Compiled by Fr. Leonid notes about. All members of the Synod and Count Tolstoy really liked Hilarion, and Count Tolstoy would like to publish them, but they have not yet been returned by His Eminence Ioannikiy (Gorsky) of Saratov, to whom they were communicated so that he would complement and take into account what was stated in them 113. O. Leonid spoke with great praise about the Kaluga inspector Archimandrite Agapit, which I will convey to Filippov. Filippov finds it possible to transfer him to St. Petersburg, but first wants to know your opinion about him, dear father. Count Tolstoy really wants P.N. Glebov to come to him. I saw Pavel Nikolaevich, but did not dare tell him about it. With the help of God, I hope to begin the interrupted translation of St. Orsisius next week. Countess Alexandra Sergeevna Panina (née Tolstaya, not a countess, but simply) is annoyed with herself and grieves that by not telling you her address, she deprived herself of the happiness and consolation of receiving your letter. Next week she will be in Moscow, where she lives on Nikitskaya in her own house. T.I. Filippov and D.A. Kavelin (who is going to write to you himself) show their respect to you and ask for your blessing and holy prayers. Gleb is recovering. This week I would like to speak and, God willing, partake of the Holy Mysteries on Saturday. Pray, father, that this will happen for the healing of the soul and body of me, unworthy. If my brother Maxim is with you, I am happy for him and entrust him to your fatherly love. Falling at your feet, I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. On Liteinaya, in the House of the Spiritual Department of the Orthodox Confession No. 30. St. Petersburg, February 4, 1858 First of all, I will tell you the good news: your brother Maxim Karlovich is now a son of our Orthodox Church. You have long desired this, and now God has consoled you. On the 8th of February, Saturday, he was added to our Church, and on the 9th, he was honored with communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and all this was in our skete church, and with a great sense of joy he accepted this sacred celebration over him, we are consoled by the grace of the Holy Spirit. You probably already received his letter about this event. He left us that same 9th hour in the afternoon for Moscow, where he will not show himself to anyone except Natalya Petrovna, and will go to Saratov. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord, who enlightened his mind and heart with the knowledge of the truth, and may he be established in the firm confession of our faith. May the Lord shed this light on other members of your family. I received two of your letters on the 6th and 9th of February, the first without a date, and the second on the 4th. We do not know how and whom the Lord appoints to serve for the common good of our neighbors and His Church. From the subsequent circumstances it is clear that, not without inspiration from God, you were entrusted by your superiors to write a discussion on the very important subject of religious tolerance and on other related actions on the part of the Church and the government. For this you ask for my blessing and advice. Your request that you do not trust yourself is commendable, but it is inconvenient for me to fulfill it in an accurate and decisive answer. Calling upon the Lord for help, I am writing to you and, firstly, asking for God’s blessing on this matter of yours. The Lord said: “Without Me you cannot do anything.” Therefore, pray to Him and call upon Him, the God of Minds, for help, so that He may enlighten you in this matter, how and what to write for the benefit and maintenance of His Orthodox Church, and so begin the work entrusted to you. You already have instructions from His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret on how and what to be guided by in this work and in what strength to give answers to the expected questions; and adhere to this rule unswervingly. But there are perplexities about how to write in relation to the Church and the government, how to deal with our schismatics - should we use strict measures or lenient ones? We talked about this in general and find that strict measures will not bring any benefit, but will make them more severe; equally, even if they are very weak and indulgent, they cannot be converted into the bowels of the Orthodox Church; but one must stick to the middle and use the necessary prudent and strong measures to persuade. In case of resistance and violence, do not extend severity to everyone, but to their main teachers and mentors. The question is: who will convince them? Parish priests are uncomfortable, busy with their positions, and not everyone can have the gift and ability to persuade. It seems that it would be necessary to elect special people for this matter, like a mission with an official assigned to them, so that they could not complain about oppression and coercion. On the part of the government, the danger is that sometimes ill-intentioned officials, under the guise of religious tolerance, can provide them with patronage and protection; it can cause great harm. (I ask you not to tell anyone that I am writing to you, actually for you.) His Grace Jacob of Saratov acted on the schismatics with condescension and love, but with strong conviction, so successfully that with God's help many thousands of them turned from the schism to the Church 115. However, you need to write slowly, but you need to take time and think it over better. It would be very good if you deliberately went to Moscow to ask for instructions on this subject from the Bishop of Moscow, it would be firmer and more thorough. And to go under the pretext of talking with Fr. Parthenius, who is engaged in the conversion of schismatics. He recently published a book about the Providence of God, turning from schism to Orthodoxy, 116 and from him one can extract something useful on this subject. It would be good if they printed notes from Fr. Hilarion. These can be useful in convincing schismatics. I know very little about Father Archimandrite Agapit due to the lack of relations between us and them, and therefore I cannot say anything about him. Whether P. N. Glebov can serve with the count, I cannot tell you; I know nothing about his intentions regarding his service. If you are not burdened by the translation of Orsisius, then we will be very grateful for your work. The manuscript of St. Mark the Ascetic has already been received by the censor, and they promise to look at it soon, and Isaiah the Hermit is translated from Latin by Fr. Pavel is ours. I am writing to Countess Panina on this post in Moscow, I mentioned something about Orthodoxy, maybe she won’t like it. For the first week, Princess Varvara Dmitrievna Urusova and her sister and son-in-law were fasting with us. I express my respect to Dmitry Alexandrovich, and to Terty Ivanovich I am thinking of writing a response to his letter. I believe that you have been honored to be a communicant of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ, for which I heartily congratulate you. I ask for God’s blessing on you, I remain a desirer of your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. Our monastery brethren express their respect to you. Once again I turn to you with the most humble and earnest request to help me in the assignment entrusted to me. In the Synod, as you know, the matter of translating the Bible into Russian 118 arose. Apart from the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Kyiv, all members of the Synod recognized the need to begin this translation, but consider it unnecessary to address this issue to the Greek Church, which was desired by the Most Reverend Philaret of Kiev Amphitheaters and what Mr. Chief Prosecutor very much desires. Having talked with me about this, the count ordered me to review all the relevant papers on this issue and, if possible, present such arguments in favor of the request so that the members of the Synod would agree to this. This is all the more important because if the Synod does not agree to these final arguments, the count will inevitably resort to the last resort: he will turn to the sovereign and announce to the Synod the highest order to make a request for this transfer to Greece. Falling at your feet, I most earnestly ask you to convey all your thoughts on this issue for the benefit of the Church. Upon completion of the first assignment, which I wrote to you about, I will begin to develop this issue. I am sending you 30 copies of “Letters from Jerusalem,” which I ask you to distribute both in the monastery and among the parishioners at your discretion. The Holy Synod collects donations in favor of Jerusalem Christians, which can be sent to T.I. Filippov or mine. Forgive me, father: to my shame, I am carried away by vanity, pride and irritability. Forgive me, father, and pray that the Lord will give me true repentance. T.I. Filippov asked for your fatherly blessing and your prayers. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, February 13, 1858 I had the good fortune to receive your letter dated the 11th yesterday. Glory and thanksgiving to the merciful Lord, who through your prayers shows unspeakable mercies to us sinners. I fall at your feet, and from the depths of my soul I express gratitude to you, gracious father, for your love and care for us. I also sincerely thank Natalya Petrovna, who supported her brother with her Christian participation in the last struggle. God save her! Having prepared the materials, I hope, with God’s help and with your blessing, to begin drafting the note entrusted to me 120. In it I propose: 1) to give some examples from the history of Christianity in the East, proving that government assistance promoted, and opposition hindered the spread of the faith; 2) indicate what exactly the Laws of the Byzantine kings consisted of, issued to protect the church from heresies and to tame the latter; 3) put the certificates of St. fathers and Councils, proving the legality and necessity of such measures. In presenting this, I will try to be guided by the rules you communicated, for which I offer my most ardent gratitude. These rules are all the more important for me because from my note, perhaps, they will deduce what measures should now be taken against the split. But, however, this is not the direct purpose of my note, but only to prove in general that the government can and should counteract the split and that similar government measures have previously achieved their goal and are completely legal (the opposite is stated by Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich). I don’t know what it will be possible for me to do after this preliminary work is completed. I don’t know whether I will be entrusted with drawing up rules about schismatics. In any case, I will do everything that depends on me to go to Moscow and talk with the Metropolitan. Meanwhile, there is already another order - to translate the Bible. From the reported papers, I see that the reasons for translation are the incomprehensibility of the Slavic language for many, the general need of our society for Russian translation and the possibility of reading the Holy Scriptures in an understandable language. Others point out the following: 1) that the Russian language is insufficient, incapable of this task; 2) that the Russian translation may completely displace the Slavic language, so that the divine service will become incomprehensible; 3) that the Russian translation will separate us from other Slavs; 4) that nowhere until now has the church allowed the translation of the second into colloquial dialect. Therefore, instead of a Russian translation, they offer the following: 1) make the necessary amendments in the Slavic text or callouts; 2) publish interpretations of Holy Scripture; 3) strengthen the teaching and learning of the Slavic language; 4) publish Slavic primers and dictionaries. The Synod did not agree to this, but decided that it would be more consistent with the need of society to publish a Russian translation with a Slavic text for home use. Opinion of the Metropolitan of Kyiv and Mr. Chief Prosecutor is such as to at least make a request to the Greek Church (wouldn’t it be better to all the patriarchs?). For the benefit of the Church, I humbly ask you to inform me of your thoughts on these subjects; I will tell them to the count either from myself or from you, as you bless. I will officially be listed as the secretary of Metropolitan Grigory (Postnikov), there is no other place, but in fact I will be under the count. The salary will be 800 silver rubles, the apartment is government-owned, I dine with the count. The Count often asks us what our opinions are on various subjects, and generally likes us to frankly tell him what we think and know. This places a responsibility on me to speak. It’s strange to be with him and with him (sometimes together) and remain silent. In general, my entire position and my entire service is such that it is as if God is ordering me to express, in my extreme understanding, what can be useful to Orthodoxy. But here there is a danger of falling into conceit, pride, teaching, etc. On the other hand, I think: without my harassment, I was put in this position - which means it is God’s will! Forgive me, my fool, and instruct me how to act in this regard. On Saturday of the first week I was honored to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. At your word, I asked T.I. Filippov, and he pointed me to his confessor, Archimandrite Melchizedek, the Nevsky confessor. I confessed to him and thanked God for everything, only one thing embarrassed me, that he did not let me finish even half of what I wanted to say. I received a letter in response from Father Archimandrite Moses, to which I don’t know whether I need to respond again? Forgive me, father, I, a sinner, carried away by vanity and anger. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. I most earnestly bow to all the skete fathers and brothers. Dmitry Alexandrovich, showing respect, asks for your blessing and holy prayers. St. Petersburg, February 16, 1858 In response to your questions in the letters dated February 13 and 16, I want to express my opinion, in fact, only for you, and not for the higher ones, whom I have no right to examine and it’s not our business, and therefore not to convey this to anyone. The first and exclusive qualities of the pastors of the Orthodox Church have always been humility and general advice, attracting the grace of God, enlightening and admonishing. First, the apostles set the example of resolving perplexities by general council, as seen in the 15th chapter of Acts. Then their successors, pastors and church teachers, conciliarly resolved the disagreements that arose in the Church and, with general agreement, determined the necessary rules and regulations, which you can see for yourself from church history. Also, the Russian Church has always had a relationship with the Greek Church, as having received from it enlightenment through Holy Baptism, and Christian dogmas, and other Christian decrees and rituals, while maintaining a fraternal union, and also about this, select what is necessary from church history. Therefore, we believe that it does not hinder our Church now to treat in a decent tone the Council of Eastern Patriarchs on such an important subject as the translation of the Holy Scriptures into Russian from Slavic, and this is all the more necessary since the opinion of some is very fair that the Russian language is meager and insufficient compared to the Slavic for expressing the truth of the Holy Scriptures. The consent of all the patriarchs to translate the Bible into Russian can have great weight against such an opinion. Moreover, such an attitude, firstly, will appear to be humility, which is proper for the Orthodox and in which there is no mistake, and, secondly, through this, Catholics will be deprived of the reason to dispel false rumors in Greece that the Russians have deviated from Orthodoxy. If, due to current circumstances, they find it not entirely decent or inconvenient to approach Greece in the same tone in which our former high priests treated there, then at least they would treat it, at least in the form of notification of such an intention and enterprise, with a desire to know the opinion of the patriarchs about this. Still, this would be closer to unity and like-mindedness, which are both decent and necessary for the Orthodox. The opinion of the Holy Synod to print the Russian translation with the Slavic text is very good, and we also thought about this. In this case, the Russian translation will not be too striking to lovers of the Slavic language and those who know the significance and meaning of it. It would be good if at the same time the dark places of the Slavic text were clarified below. It would also be good to print the Russian translation in separate books in order to discreetly omit the Song of Solomon, where everything is said spiritually, and weak people can be harmed by reading them in Russian. And Origen, interpreting them, fell into a great error, and the Jews read them after the age of forty. Fragment of a letter from Elder Macarius Another thing is to translate our opinion into bookish language, and not into simple colloquial dialect. Translators also need to keep in mind the sense in which St. well-known passages of Holy Scripture by the fathers, so as not to fall into errors similar to the following: in the 1st letter of the Apostle Peter in chapter 4 p. 12 it says: “Beloved, do not marvel at the desire in you, to the temptation that comes to you” and so on. Many St. the fathers refer this to the temptation of carnal warfare 122, and in the New Russian Testament it is translated: “Do not shun the fiery temptation.” How can one not shun the temptation of carnal warfare? Don't know. Inquire about this yourself in the Greek text and let us know why “do not be surprised” is translated as “do not be alienated.” There are other similar places, but they cannot be found soon. Slavic dictionaries are definitely needed: one is shorter, containing the darkest words, and the other is complete. The first one is not bad to learn in educational institutions. It is very necessary to strengthen the Slavic language in educational institutions. When they teach foreign languages, which only serve to show off their knowledge for the local life and popularity, then how can one not teach the language in which the doctrine of eternal salvation is written in our Rus'? Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky fussed a lot about this 123. Thank God that you now have official service and have been graciously received by the count. When asking questions about any necessary subjects, answer by calling on God for help, and you cannot ascend, not with your own mind, but with God’s admonition, and for ascension you cannot avoid the darkening of “thinking to be a wise fool.” This must be remembered. And for God’s sake, don’t show me what I mean? I am writing only for you, as I asked you above not to tell anyone what I am writing, and I hope that you will fulfill it. O. Archimandrite does not need to answer his letter, but perhaps write a congratulation for Easter. Do not grieve that your confessor did not wait for everything you wanted to say, he is very busy, and God sees your intention and will accept repentance. At the Holy Synod, books are published annually about all Russian bishops and archimandrites. Then please send me 2 copies of each. Although they are printed a little, we have enough. I received a letter from Jerusalem, 30 copies, gave part of it to Fr. I will give to the archimandrite and the abbot and others to the pilgrims. I remind you about the translation of Orsisius, do not leave when you have leisure, continue. I wish you peace, health and salvation, and I remain an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. I express my respect to Tertius Ivanovich and Dimitri Alexandrovich; I received a letter from our missionaries from near Cyprus dated January 24. You are more likely to get news from there. Now they have been in Jerusalem for a long time. We still don’t know who has been appointed Metropolitan of Kyiv. If possible, please notify me. All our monastery brethren show their respect to you and thank you for the memory of them. And I, sinful Macarius, bow to you and thank you for the book about Cato 124. I read it with pleasure, and I didn’t find anything contrary about religion. Most merciful father and benefactor, I consider it useful to inform you of some secret orders of the Committee regarding schismatics. This committee (even the existence of which is kept secret) received a request from Moscow schismatics, supported (to the shame of Russia) by A. A. Zakrevsky, that they would be allowed by the government to have their own priests, who would resign for this purpose and no longer depend on the bishops, but on the civil authorities. Against this petition, Count A.P. Tolstoy submitted to the committee an unusually clever and strongly written note, in which he discovered the full danger of such measures, and to limit the schism, he proposed other measures adopted by the Committee and contained in the following: on the part of the clergy, the form of transition to unity of faith should be facilitated, the construction of Orthodox churches should be facilitated, if possible, the former staff (deacons) should be restored, these instructions should be sent to priests (about responsibilities in relation to the flock and in attitude towards schismatics) and, finally, to prepare students of theological schools to act against. On the part of the civil authorities, they should send out the necessary instructions to the civil authorities, facilitate the actions of local committees (about schisms), monitor the elders of schismatics, not allow gatherings, look for people who leave, but at the same time, so as not to give rise to temptation, prohibit spectacles on the eve of holidays and trading on holidays, observe fasting in educational institutions, etc. Some members of the committee (especially V.K. Konstantin Nikolaevich) expressed the idea that persecution never prevented, on the contrary, helps the persecuted religion to spread, strengthening fanaticism, and that, therefore, should introduce religious tolerance among us. Against this opinion, I was instructed to draw up a note 126, which I finished the other day and handed to the count. I hope to deliver the draft to you one of these days. The Count was very pleased with it and intends to correct it and present it to the Emperor, so that it can be submitted to the Committee by the highest order. Thus, through your prayers, God helped me fulfill my first assignment satisfactorily. Although my note inevitably contained an indication of what measures are generally permissible against a split, I, in fact, was not instructed to find the specific measures necessary now. I included your comments about how one should generally act against the schism in my note, and I verbally conveyed the idea that one should send missionaries to the schismatics with officials assigned to them to the count, who wanted to tell the members of the Synod about this. It seems inconvenient for me to go to Moscow now; later we will see what other instructions the Count will give me and when it will be possible to go. I would like to be in Moscow during Holy Week. Then, perhaps, it will be convenient to talk about everything with the bishop. Now I have instructions to write about the translation of the Bible and about relations with Greece, which I have already informed you about. I look forward to your response. Your instructions in this matter, as in the first order, will be a guiding thread for me. Meanwhile, since the time has come for me to act, I would like to write an article with the following content: about the impoverishment of faith in Russia, deviation into Latinism or Protestantism, indifference to Orthodoxy, lack of complete obedience to the Church and, finally, about the inactive faith of some. The thought of this article has been on my mind for a long time, but I don’t dare start on my own. Write to me, dear father, is it useful for me now to write such an article or is it more useful not to volunteer to write, but only to wait for orders and do what is ordered. If you consider it useful to write, then I ask you to tell me about this subject your thoughts that would guide me, and also indicate whether there is any discussion about this subject in the writings of the holy fathers. Perhaps in the lives of the saints one could find confirmation of the need for obedience to the Church. If you consider it necessary to begin this article, I ask for your fatherly blessing on this matter and your holy prayers. Forgive me, father, for being a sinner. My current situation is dangerous because it can give food to my vanity, ambition and pride. I repent, dear father: I am carried away by vain, vain thoughts. Pray, father, that the Lord will forgive me and help me in temptations not to deviate from His Holy will and, caring for the benefit of others, not to be carried away by vanity and not to forget about the benefit of my soul. I ask you to pay respects to Fr. Archimandrite and thank him for the letter. I bow to all fathers and brothers. Forgive me, dear father, me, a sinner and accursed one. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. T.I. Filippov and D.A. Kavelin ask for your blessing and your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, February 27, 1858 I bring you my most ardent thanks for your letter dated February 25th, which I had the good fortune to receive today. Truly, without your instructions and without your prayerful help, I could not have brought the slightest benefit, but only myself would have received harm in the difficult field to which I was called. I will take into account all your precious words regarding the translation of the Bible, if possible, I will include them in the note that I am preparing, and I conveyed the rest to the count personally. When the note is compiled and rewritten, allow me to send it to you along with the note on religious tolerance. Regarding the fate of this last one, I don’t know anything for sure. The count wanted to present her to the sovereign, but changed his mind (not without Serbinovich’s suggestions) and personally reported on her. Whether there was an order from the highest order to transmit this note to the committee on schisms, I don’t know and I don’t ask. I did my job, and then as they know. Yesterday the count also reported on my unworthiness - I was allowed to be assigned to the office of Mr. Chief Prosecutor with a secondment for special studies, supposedly to the Reverend Grigory Postnikov, and with a salary of 857 rubles. 72 kopecks ser. God bless! Everything worked out just fine. The Count repeatedly expresses some doubts, which I dare to tell you. Armed with your words, I will not be unrequited. Comparing the Roman Church with the Orthodox Church, the count is embarrassed, finding among the Latins more activity in the matter of propaganda (and they have a lot of improvement and zeal in charitable institutions) than among us, and, moreover, finding our higher clergy too insolent in the face of secular power. How to respond to such comments? Second. About inner prayer. The count was shaken by the accusations against St. Gregory Palamas from Western writers, he is also tempted by the instruction on bodily techniques during mental prayer, he says that this teaching is new (that, for example, it is not found in either St. John Chrysostom or Basil the Great) and that do not those who practice it fall into delusion? How to answer this? I would really like to write, at the very least, a note about your holy monastery and those living in it, for the count personally. I ask for your permission and blessing for this. Yesterday the Right Reverend Isidore Nikolsky was appointed to Kyiv (a rescript addressed to him was written by Serbinovich and will soon be published). It is planned to send Archimandrite Seraphim (Tver rector) to Constantinople, who was summoned here for this purpose, but, it seems, is reluctant to go. Archimandrite Porfiry Uspensky will probably be sent, at his special request, to Jerusalem for his remaining books and manuscripts, from there he wishes to make a scientific journey through the Greek islands to Athos. The Count has such an opinion about him that he has one passion - learning. We are already afraid that he might harm our missionaries. All that is known about them is that they are in Jerusalem. They intend to send a Russian consul to Jerusalem (some gentleman unknown to us, chosen by Konstantin Nikolaevich). Terty Ivanovich wants Vadim Ivanovich to join the consulate. V.K. Konstantin Nikolaevich intends to soon take a trip around Russia. At his request, our department is preparing an index of remarkable monasteries, etc., lying along his route. They say that it is allowed to publish four magazines (one of them under the “Russian Conversation”), the exclusive purpose of which is to serve the issue of the liberation of the peasants 128. Here, dear father, is our news. Sorry for the chatter. The count is not entirely satisfied with the actions and reports of His Grace Gregory of Kaluga regarding schismatics and co-religionists. Sorry, dear father. Pray that the Lord will help me not to get carried away by irritability and conceit. Falling at your feet, I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. To the Honorable Andrei Ivanovich, I express my respects and most earnestly ask you to take care of sending brother Maxim 129 an extract from the metric books regarding his annexation. St. Petersburg, March 2, 1858 I received your letters dated February 27 and March 2. Thank you for the notification and I rejoice that you have now been officially identified and given a decent salary. Try to earn the attention of your superiors through worthy behavior and zealous execution of the tasks assigned to you. Due to my weakness, I can no longer answer your questions correctly, but with the help of Fathers Ambrose and Gabriel, I gathered something together with my joint efforts. And I am writing only for you, and not for others, as I told you before; save it. At the present time, you need to deal only with the instructions of your superiors, and leave the composition of your own discretion until the time comes and only prepare the materials necessary for it at your leisure. If I come across anything on this subject, I will let you know. In the January book of this year, I read in “Christian Reading” about the unity of the Church of the Hieromartyr Cyprian, and I advise you to read it. There's a lot of good stuff there. Also get yourself books by Basil the Great and an interpretation of the Apostolic Epistles of John Chrysostom in the Slavic language. At the ends of these books there are alphabets of the objects contained in them, using them you can get to what you need, and after that you will find it in the Russian translation. Regarding the advantage of propaganda of the Roman Church over the Orthodox Church and about its charitable institutions, it should be noted that since the reason for its falling away from Orthodoxy was the love of power and other human goals and calculations, then to this day all its actions are dissolved by the same illness and the same types, and there are no enterprises in them that are pure in God and in conscience, as in the Orthodox Church. That is why the latter’s actions are modest and quiet. Look into the history of the times of Photius the Greek Patriarch, who converted Bulgaria to Christianity, and you will see what the papists did then and why. And the same thing continues to this day. The papists do not care to convert the Turks to Christianity, but try to seduce the Orthodox Greeks and Bulgarians from the true path. Their actions have always been and are based mostly on lies and intrigues. And about Gregory Palamas, their information was borrowed from Barlaam the Heretic and offered for a special purpose (see “Spiritual Conversation” in No. 8, letter 2 to those who have turned away from Orthodoxy) 131. If the papists are confused and confused in external church actions, then can they have a correct concept of internal prayer, as Gregory Palamas taught. And that Basil the Great does not mention the artistic 132 image of prayer, one can say to this: since the external decrees of the Orthodox Church were established gradually, and only over the course of 7 centuries they were finally completed, then the conclusion about internal prayer must be that it also received improvement gradually, as can be seen from the short life of Gregory the Sinaite (see in the Philokalia). While in Sinai the image of inner prayer was already well known, on Mount Athos they were still practicing only the active image of piety, and very few and only a few were reaching out to inner attention. Saint Chrysostom, urging everyone to simple mental prayer, does not mention its artistic image because it belongs only to rare people, as St. Isaac the Syrian (in word 16). Hardly one out of a thousand (and among those who undergo mental work) is honored to achieve pure prayer. Many people are not even worthy of pure prayer. To this sacrament, which through it and on the floor it has barely reached, is barely found in the generation and generation by the Grace of God. The artistic image of prayer requires many conditions, therefore rare people are able to undergo it, as can be seen from the writings of the Venerables Callistus and Ignatius (in the Philokalia in the 2nd part) 133, firstly, it requires a spiritual, experienced mentor for it and sincere obedience to him, and maintaining a conscience towards God, towards people and towards things, and the right goal for going through it, with humility and direction towards the fulfillment of all commandments God, to cleanse the heart from passions and sin, and not out of proud zeal and arbitrarily strive for prayer, with the goal of seeking high spiritual gifts. With this direction, not only in pursuing artistic prayer, but also on the ordinary path of piety, many fall into delusion. Because the main reason for delusion, in any case, is pride and self-rule. It should also be noted that St. If the fathers of the first centuries speak anywhere about the image of inner prayer, they do not speak clearly, but in secret, so as not to give rise to harm to ignorant or daring self-initiators. There are many such places near St. John Climacus. For example, he says in the 27th degree: “Let the memory of Jesus, that is, prayer, be united with your breath, and then you will know the benefit of silence” 134. And St. Simeon the New Theologian, speaking about Anthony the Great, says: “What would he do, staying in a dark pagan tomb, if the image of inner prayer was unknown to him?” 135 The reason for the insolence of the clergy of the Orthodox Church in the face of secular power, I think, is the following: secular power has a great advantage in controlling external circumstances, and there were many examples, as can be seen from history, that for daring conversion they deprived worthy shepherds of their places, where they brought significant benefit to their flock, and sent them to the slums, where they themselves were cramped, and they could not bring any benefit to their neighbors. Therefore, experience and the very circumstances force our clergy to act recklessly, so as not to lead matters to a worse situation. We see examples in church history that many bishops jealously desired the feat of martyrdom, but for the benefit of their flock they shied away from it. Leave the intention of writing a note about our monastery so as not to give rise to empty vanity. We recently read in the 9th issue of the “Spiritual Conversation” that in the 6th issue of the “Petersburg Gazette” a feuilleton published a free-thinking article, completely contrary to faith and Orthodoxy, and although a refutation was written in the “Conversation” 136, I think that the spiritual authorities should also make a remark to the editor and the author. This article is even worse than the one published in the brochure last year. Please let me know how they think about this article, but keep silent about me, that I am writing to you about this. We are working on a certificate for your brother Maxim Karlovich, but we don’t know where to send it. I wrote to you about little books about bishops this year, but you kept silent. I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. I think it would not be superfluous to tell you some information about the death of Bl. Patriarch Hierotheos and the election of his successor. On January 1, returning from church, Patriarch Hierotheus slipped and fell, they picked him up and carried him to his chambers, but all medical aid was useless: he had already died. The first news about this in Constantinople was received through our embassy, ​​and at the same time the Patriarch of Constantinople learned that the Alexandrian community wanted to ask that Blessed. The former Patriarch Gregory 6 of Constantinople, who was removed due to the machinations of the English and now lives in retirement, was appointed Hierotheus. The Patriarch of Constantinople and the entire Synod were inclined to elect P. Gregory. But when, along with the official notice of the death of Bl. Hierotheus, the Alexandrian community proposed not one, but 3 candidates (except for St. Gregory, Metropolitan Kalinikos of Thessaloniki and Archimandrite Dionysius (Cleopas) of Jerusalem and expressed consent in advance to the decision of the Great Church, then disagreement arose in the Synod of Constantinople. Meanwhile, Patriarch Gregory himself refused the proposed see for the reason that he did not feel (as he said) enough strength in himself to combat entrenched abuses. By the way, Patriarch Gregory strongly condemned the fact that in Alexandria the laity arrogated church power to themselves, and also saw in the introduction of a new musical melody in the churches there a harmful deviation from church traditions. Finally, after various hesitations and intrigues, the choice fell on Metropolitan Kalinikos of Thessaloniki. Notifying the Alexandrian community about this, the Great Church did not even mention in its message that the choice fell on one of the candidates proposed by the Alexandrian community. In Adrianople, a sad clash for Orthodox Christians took place between the Greeks and the Bulgarians. In the parish of the Church of the 12 Apostles there are 400 Greeks and 500 Bulgarians. The service was still performed in Greek. Having asked the Metropolitan for permission to sing in Bulgarian in the left choir, the Bulgarians wanted to carry this out. The Greeks, having learned about this, stole the church keys to prevent the Bulgarians from entering the church, the Bulgarians became agitated. The Metropolitan again confirmed the permission for the Bulgarians to sing in Bulgarian in one choir. When the next day the Bulgarians wanted to take advantage of this permission, one Greek archdeacon started such a noise that all the Bulgarians, and after them the Greeks, noisily left the church and rushed to the metropolitan. The Metropolitan either allowed or prohibited Slavic worship. The unrest continued for several days, and the Bulgarians calmed down somewhat only when they were promised to intercede for them with Constant. patriarch. The Greeks are dissatisfied with our consul Stupin, because he decisively took the side of the Bulgarians, and with the help and intervention of the Turkish Pasha, forced the Metropolitan to agree to the demands of the Bulgarians. On this matter, on the orders and thoughts of the count, I drew up a note, which will be forwarded to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 138. I will deliver the draft to you and humbly ask you to tell me your opinion, so that in such cases I can be guided by it. Ave. Eusebius of Podolsky was appointed to the place of Exarch of Georgia. According to the idea of ​​Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the Academy of Arts and the Holy Synod jointly send an expedition of artists to Athos, so that they can meet there and then introduce Russia to examples of Byzantine icon painting 139 . They will stay on Mount Athos for 6 months, the estimated costs are 36,000 silver rubles, of which half will be contributed by the Academy of Arts, the other by the Holy Synod. The names of the artists being sent are still unknown; I only know that among those sent from the academy was a certain P.I. Sevastyanov, who is now in Paris. The leadership of the artists will be entrusted to Archimandrite Porfiry, who will stay in Jerusalem for no more than 5 days (according to the Count), and from there, through Egypt and the islands, he will go to Athos. The day after tomorrow, at your request, I am sending two books about bishops and two about rectors. Would you like the Chief Prosecutor's report for 1856? It won't be long before it catches up with 1857. About the count I will say that I am sincerely glad to have such a boss - pious, devoted to the Church. One pity: there are people in our department who are not entirely reliable. My determination took place on March 1st. I haven't been sworn in yet. Dmitry Alexandrovich and I hired a servant, Ivan, a German. He is now learning his alphabet. When he begins to understand more Russian, we want to offer him the opportunity to join Orthodoxy. He is a kind guy, and he seems to have a good disposition. We ask for your holy blessing and your prayers for this. During Holy Week, if God blesses me, I would like to pray and partake of the Holy Mysteries. I ask you to pray that at least in the last days of Holy Lent I will come to my senses and turn to humility and repentance. The translation of St. Orsisius, although slowly, is making progress. I would really like to visit both Moscow and you on Holy Day - it is extremely necessary. Pray about this, dear father. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. And the Most Reverend Kalinik, they say, renounces patriarchy and the Great Church is in great difficulty. St. Petersburg, March 9, 1858 I bring you my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming bright and great holiday and with all my heart I wish that the Lord strengthens your health, which is precious to us all, and sends you the consolation of seeing the good fruits of your instructions, in all who have the good fortune to use them. On Thursday, God willing, I would like to partake of the Holy Mysteries. I am ashamed on these holy days to burden you with a story about my mental illnesses, but knowing that you, dear father, bear the infirmities of all of us, I turn to you with a written confession. Having entered into a new relationship, I learned how strong ambition, vanity, pride and conceit are in me. It’s scary that all this might suppress thoughts about the common good and the desire to be useful to the Holy Church. At the same time, I still get carried away by impatience, irritability and arrogance. I also fall into condemnation of my neighbors. I am still careless, cold and inattentive in prayer. In general, I don’t see any good fruits in myself, but I only succeed in sinfulness. Forgive me, the accursed one, merciful father, and pray that the Lord will help me at least somewhat to feel my sinfulness and come to terms, and with a contrite and humble heart to confess my sins, and to partake of the Holy Mysteries not for condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body. Forgive me, for God’s sake, that I still haven’t sent the promised books. I just got it yesterday, but today due to an accident we didn’t get it to the post office. I don't know if they will accept it tomorrow. Today, by the way, I noticed to the Count that among the mentors of the Grand Duke-Heir there are people who are very unreliable in relation to faith. I spread the word about this. When I was leaving, the count suddenly said to me: “Here is an order for you: find good mentors for the heir.” The count enjoys the empress's gracious disposition and will probably tell her the names of those he learns about. I considered myself not entitled to evade this assignment. I thought, could Konstantin Dmitrievich Kavelin, a teacher of Russian law and a famous freethinker 141, be usefully replaced by Pavel Nikolaevich Glebov, who was also engaged, it seems, in the study of law? I humbly ask you to also tell me your thoughts about this, and also, perhaps, you would deign to know people who are capable of this. I firmly believe that anyone who, by your appointment and with your blessing, becomes a mentor to the heir to the throne will bring great benefit there. I thought about Stepan Petrovich Shevyrev as a teacher of Russian literature, but I don’t know if he will be able to behave properly at court. If you would like to write to me about this, then I ask you to send the letter to Moscow to Natalya Petrovna, the Count is going to Moscow for the Saint. I wish I could, but I haven't said it yet. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will help me go to Moscow and also to your holy monastery. There are obstacles to this. Pray for the Lord to remove them. There's a lot I need to talk to you about. The most respected Konstantin Karlovich, I received your two letters dated March 9 and March 19. Thank you for congratulating me on the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I congratulate you on this. From your letter I see that you intended to be in Moscow, and if possible, then to come to us, and you ask me to write to you in Moscow, which I do. Thank you for the many notices brought to our attention. To your question about P.N. Glebov, I cannot tell you anything, although I saw him, I could not talk to him about this. Yes, it seems that there are many jurists who are quite knowledgeable and firm in Orthodoxy, but I cannot pinpoint anyone. This is beyond my knowledge. I recently received a letter from my brother Maxim Karlovich from Samara and am sending him a metric certificate. I don't have the strength to write anymore. Thank you for the translation of Orsisius. I received your letter dated March 28, sent from Moscow, and am writing to you in St. Petersburg. God bless you, we all sincerely thank you for your congratulations to me and our brothers and wish you God’s mercy, good health and success in your affairs. Yesterday I received from the mail the manuscripts and little books you sent to bishops and archimandrites for 1857. God bless you. Equally for the promise to send the same for 1858, which I asked you for, i.e. for this year. I'll be waiting. These are more necessary for us. You write that your trip to us did not take place due to the poor state of the roads at present. Indeed, the mail was late by 2 days. God is merciful, if the Lord wills it and we are alive, we will see you in the summer, especially since Terty Ivanovich told you that in the summer it is very convenient and easy to get permission to visit us. We will be very glad to see you. I haven’t had time to read your manuscripts yet. We recently received a letter from our Jerusalem missionaries (dated February 12th and 17th), they, thank God, live safely and healthy. But oh. Juvenaly hurt his leg and recently began to walk around the room with difficulty, and Fr. Leonid performs the service. I also wrote to them. Father Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion and Andrei Ivanovich bow to you. I ask for you the peace and blessing of God and remain the desirer of your health and salvation and the prayer of God, the many-sinful Hieromonk Macarius. When you were in Moscow, you probably asked for instructions from the Metropolitan regarding your assignments? On Monday evening I safely arrived here in St. Petersburg, without, to my regret, having visited you. I hope that in the summer the Lord will bless and arrange my path to you. For your letter dated March 28, I offer you my deepest gratitude. I told the count that you had previously written to me about the article in the Petersburg Gazette and the objection to it in the 9th issue of Spiritual Conversation. At your request, I kept silent about you, but said that such an opinion was communicated to me from Moscow (and indeed, I received a letter from Moscow expressing an opinion that agrees with yours). The Count listened carefully to my words and conveyed them to Metropolitan Gregory. And the Moscow ruler wrote about this to the Metropolitan and to the Synod. Now the new Minister of Public Education E.P. Kovalevsky is familiar to the count. In due time, I will try to have the count give him the 9th issue of “Spiritual Conversation” and tell him his opinion about the need to counter freethinking. You previously wrote to me that in the Russian translation of the Gospel, instead of “do not be surprised at the hatred” it says “do not be shunned by fire.” temptations." In Greek it is said “mi xenisesthe”, which comes from “xenos”, i.e. strange, alien, alien, and means “don’t find it strange”, don’t “wonder”, instead of which the translators said “don’t be alienated”, which is completely contrary to the meaning 145. Would you be pleased to instruct someone under your leadership to compile a detailed list of all such irregularities? This would be both important and useful, and we would put it into action together. I long to hear your word about the notes I composed, which I sent to you in draft form. Today is the meeting of the committee on schismatics. It seems that everyone or many are against the count and for the schismatics. Much will be decided today. The Count goes to fight with Konstantin Nikolaevich and is concerned. Pray, father, that the Lord will help the just cause and Orthodoxy 146. There were rumors both in Moscow and here about the count's resignation. The Metropolitan of Moscow said that perhaps it was a difficult time for the count, but it has passed, but no one knows for sure. The count told me in a conversation: “A thunderstorm is rising on us.” What will happen? Much depends on the present day. By April 17, changes are expected in all departments. Something will happen. My heart aches. Pray, father, that the Lord will protect his Church. I ask for your fatherly blessing and forgiveness and entrust myself to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, April 10, 1858 I received your most pleasant letter dated April 10th on the 17th. I am very grateful to you for your sincere zeal for us sinners, I wrote to you about receiving books and manuscripts from you on the 8th of April, thanked you for sending them, but at that time we had not yet had time to read your works. After reading them, we find, and especially in two - about the Bible and about the schismatics - 148 very clear and strong arguments for the affirmation of the truth. In our little company, we thanked you very much and praised you for your zeal for piety, may the Lord also accept your favor towards the Orthodox Church. And whatever success there will be, we will leave it to the will of God. May His Holy Providence be upon her and keep her pure and immaculate both in teaching and in fulfilling the rules prescribed by her. It is very desirable to know what result followed what you wrote about. It is a great pity for the most venerable count, who strives for the truth. He has a great task ahead of him, with whom he enters into battle! We pray to the Lord that He will strengthen him, and what I wrote to you about the objection in the 9th issue of the “Spiritual Conversation” against the free thoughts published in the 6th issue of “Petersburg Newspapers”, this article is again discussed in the 10th issue of the “Spiritual Conversation” entitled “Orthodoxy and European Ideas” 149, but these are all just objections, and they have the will to write a lot such harmful opinions, unless they are prohibited. Your brother Albert Karlovich wrote to me recently that he was getting ready for his post and that he was not yet convinced of the truth of our Orthodox Church. May the Lord enlighten him to the knowledge of the truth. I don’t know if we can find the texts you write about that are incorrectly translated in the Holy Scriptures, Fr. Ambrose is unwell, the others are busy with business. The brothers who know you fervently bow to you and wish you peace, health and success in your affairs, and I am with them, wishing you health and salvation, and I remain your unworthy pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. For 1858 we expect little books about bishops and archimandrites, and, if possible, reports. It seems like I haven’t written to you for a long time, and this time was very troubled for me due to rumors about the count’s resignation. Thank God, the 17th passed safely. No one knows what will happen next, but now we thank God and set about our affairs with a good spirit. Among the papers you received from me was a note about the Adrianople clash between the Greeks and the Bulgarians 151. From this note you can see how the Count looks at our relations with the Greek Church, and I would very much like to know your judgment about this note, whether it is correct and whether anything has been overlooked in it. Unfortunately, opponents of the Greeks are raising their voices loudly in Russia as well. The Moscow magazine “Russkiy Vestnik” recently published an article by a Bulgarian, “Turkish Affairs,” 152 filled with the most terrible accusations against the Greeks. The Patriarch of Constantinople read it in translation and was deeply upset. The Greek archdeacon Alexander Lascaris, who lives here (whose speech was published in Christian Reading), is preparing an objection to the article of the Russian Messenger, but does not want opponents to know that the objection was written by him, a Greek. Today for the first time I saw the book “Orthodox Worshipers in the East” op. Mansurov 153, whom Konstantin Nikolaevich, unfortunately, again sends to Jerusalem. This book, as I was told, seems to deliberately want to quarrel between us and Grech. Church. And God willing, we will take action against this book. Under such circumstances, the count's view of Greece seems to be completely correct. But the question arises: it seems that many of the accusations against the Greek clergy are not entirely unfounded, and in particular towards the Bulgarians they are really guilty? Speaking about the importance and merits of the Greek clergy, should we forget about the needs of the Bulgarians? What should be done to alleviate these needs? By telling the Bulgarians to endure, will we not be chilling and embittering them? How should we act given the importance of the Greek hierarchy and its culpability, as it seems? For the general benefit, I ask you to tell me how useful it is to think about this. We talk about this a lot, and sometimes I have to talk about it too. Wanting to achieve rapprochement with Greece, the count wants to encourage the local rich Greeks to write out, translate and publish Greek. books. Other Greeks here are preparing a project to form a “Society of Greek Lovers.” Literature", which will also be presented in column 154. Care is required so that the dangerous is not combined with the useful in such an enterprise. In Moscow I introduced myself to the Bishop, had the good fortune to talk with him for a long time and, at your word, asked what measures could be usefully taken against the schism. To this, the bishop replied: “To counteract the schism, only one thing is required - to stop the assistance and patronage of the schismatics from the civil authorities, and this is a very weak hope.” There was a debate about this in the Council of Ministers, where our count was invited. I don’t know how this debate ended. Now I have this assignment: some colonel wants to publish a magazine for the people, in which he wanted to publish articles of both spiritual content and others: historical, about farming, medicine, and also poems. The members of the Holy Synod did not allow him such a combination of the spiritual and the secular, and the count ordered me to write a note about this 155. But my thought is wavering: maybe spiritual articles in a secular magazine would be useful. But, however, this is so, a passing doubt. Apart from such assignments, I have no regular activities. In my spare time, the Count told me to read reports from previous years. But Serbinovich only recently gave me these reports, and not all of them, so I had to collect them at hand. But Serbinovich doesn’t give it to me, it seems, because I, looking at the reports, noticed and reported to the count that the number of students in both secondary and higher religious institutions is constantly decreasing. In general, Serbinovich seems to be acting in such a way as to take everything into his own hands and push others out of business. Filippov was assigned to correspond with foreign priests. I told the Bishop of Moscow about this. He regretted it, but advised him to pay due attention to Serbinovich and be careful with him. Natalya Petrovna, according to Perel, advises me to swim in the sea in the summer and, for that, to take time off to Helsingfors. My financial affairs are already upset, I don’t trust the doctors who send everyone abroad, and, finally, it would be difficult for me to live for a long time (two months) in a foreign city. I would love to go to Kyiv like that. However, in this matter, as in everything else, I wish to act in accordance with your decisions and with your blessing. Today I sent you a translation of St. Orsisiya, two little books about bishops and a report for 1856. Having ironed the sheets cut out from the book of Fr. Juvenalia, Fr. can sew them in. Ilya, who cut them out. I received the books about bishops with the consent of the count from his office through the assistance of Vasily Ivanovich Avchinnikov, who asks for your prayers and your blessing. The books about the archimandrites have not yet been printed again. As soon as they are available, I'll try to get them. Recently, on behalf of Count D. D. Obleukhov, I wrote and asked him to write an objection to a German who showed the creation of the world in pictures here in St. Petersburg. It would be nice if Obleukhov wrote. I’ll say about myself that lately I’ve been upset with my health, and I’m still living in a hustle and bustle, I don’t follow the rules, I don’t pray well. Forgive me, dear father. My father is going to Germany. Pray, dear father, that he, looking closely at his fellow believers, will be convinced of their injustice. Forgive me. Throwing myself at your feet, I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself to your holy prayers. Dmitry Alex. Kavelin asks for your blessing. I show my respects to Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion and Andrei Ivanovich. St. Petersburg, April 22, 1858 From your letter of April 22, I see that the expected date has passed, thank God, safely, and what happens next, we will rely on the will of God. In the same letter you ask me several questions that are difficult and inconvenient to answer positively. In your note about the Adrianople clash 157 one side is written well, namely, that the Greeks deserve praise and approval and even condescension for their strict observance of Orthodoxy and how Mr. N.D. Stupin 158 acted recklessly, instead of reconciling both sides, persistently acting for only the Bulgarians through the Turkish authorities. But how can we make ends meet in this matter? By what means can we further reject the insistent demand of the Bulgarians, who want to have, in addition to serving in their native language, their own higher clergy, which they especially need at the present time for protection from Catholic attacks? How can we persuade the Greek clergy, who have always acted differently and are now (in the same position) under Western influence, to their satisfaction, and have lost confidence in our patronage? Meanwhile, the impatience of the Bulgarians has increased so much that they no longer want to be in their previous position under the initial orders of the Greek clergy. How to manage all this and lead to a good end is incomprehensible to us! You also think that the matter of sending Mr. Mansurov to the East is almost the same unclear, without knowing anything definite about the future consequences of it, and therefore it seems that it would be better to leave it to the will of God. Our government has its own goal and calculations in this, which should not interfere with our mission. And the Greek clergy is now tricky to force, but to do so is dangerous and impossible to resist the highest officials of our government, which intends to improve the situation of our fans in the East, starting with the fact that our mission there is on a solid basis and has weight following the example of others. Will it succeed in achieving this or not, and will objecting to this observance for the sake of peace with the Greek clergy lead to good? May God grant that He may preserve the peace of our Church with the Greek and all Eastern Orthodox Churches. Your thought, whether articles of spiritual content in a secular magazine would be useful, cannot be approved, for the word of St. The apostle directly forbids: “How can they preach if there are no messages?” This imaginary benefit did not materialize in the brochures of Alexei Stepanovich Khomyakov. Their view and wisdom on spiritual things and objects follows their own reason, and not the teaching of the Church and St. fathers. You also write that the Greek hierodeacon wants to object to the accusations of the Greeks from the Bulgarians, and some strong Greeks want to publish a Greek magazine. It would not hurt these persons to first take care of the reconciliation of the Bulgarians with themselves, proposing to their Synod the following: among the Greek bishops there are also from the Bulgarians devoted to the Greek Synod, from among them the Bulgarians should be put in charge with the same attitude towards the Greek bishops, so that the Bulgarians could greatly reconcile with the Greeks, and especially when they were given at least chapels in Greek churches for conducting church services in the Bulgarian language, since in villages Bulgarian services are allowed. After all, this is not a schism, but a desire to hear the service in the people's language. And no matter what you write in the journal and no matter what excuses you present, given the current course of affairs and the hostile disposition, all this may remain not only in vain, but also increase enmity even more; If the main thing is not done, will articles tending to reconcile both sides by decent and effective means be published? Although we wrote to you our opinion, we cannot present it as positive and affirmative; We also advise you to beware of expressing your opinion in the affirmative. The master’s word about schismatics is true, but how to achieve this means when there are those who resist? Let's wait for God's help. Your desire to visit Kyiv instead of Helsingfors is very good and commendable; there you can be treated with the waters of spiritual grace, a place consecrated by the deeds and labors of the saints and preserving their incorruptible bodies, giving spiritual and physical healing to many, but you have never been there. This is the cradle of our Orthodox faith. Surely you will have enough money for this, and you will travel for less than two months. May the Lord bless this desire of yours with fulfillment, then you will come to us too. God bless you for your work in the translation of Orsisius and for the little books about bishops. But I haven’t received them yet, I hope to receive them tomorrow by heavy mail. I sincerely thank Vasily Ivanovich for his assistance in obtaining the books and express my respect to him. The other day, Ekaterina Ivanovna Obleukhova, Dmitry Dmitrievich’s mother, came to us and said that he was writing some kind of article, I understand that this was at your suggestion. I regret the deterioration of your health, it seems to be due to your incessant work and stress, and if you take a rest, you will travel to Kyiv, where beneficial air and rest, and moreover the grace of God, will restore your health. May God grant that your father, having been in Germany, will be convinced of the truth of the Orthodox Church. Your brother Maxim Karlovich writes on April 17. Glory to God, he is in good spirits and thanks God for his Orthodoxy. But he’s just bored because he doesn’t have anyone to talk to about Orthodoxy and spiritual order; asks me if he can meet the local bishop, but I don’t know him at all and what his background is: you can find out about him there, and write to your brother if he can go to him. Father Ambrose bows to you, he and I generally discussed your questions and answered. Also, all our brothers bow to you, and we all wish you peace, health and salvation. I remain an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. I express my respect to Dmitry Alexandrovich and congratulate him on receiving the rank. I express my deepest gratitude to you for your gracious letter of April 19th. For my small efforts, my best, most precious reward is your word. However, in the notes presented to you, the thoughts, as you know, are partly expressed by the Bishops of Moscow, partly yours, and mine - mistakes. I know almost nothing about the consequences of these notes. The note about the Bible lay, it seems, like this. Recently the count promised to inform the members of the Synod about it. Sometimes it seems to me that fair thoughts and considerations are complacently accepted, but little is put into action, which plunges me into some despondency. Rabbi V. A. Levison, who turned to Orthodoxy and is now on a mission in Jerusalem, wrote an essay in German about the Greco-Russian Church, in which he points out the connection between the Old Testament and New Testament Churches, also outlines our worship, etc. The Count instructed me to review and, where necessary, correct the manuscript. I ask for your blessing on this matter and prayers for its success. The Bishop of Moscow advised to talk about dubious places with His Eminence Philotheus (Uspensky). The essay is expected to be published. It seems that it would be good to translate and publish also A. N. Muravyov’s article on Protestantism 160. T.I. Filippov writes an article in defense of the Greek Church. The materials were communicated to him by the Greek archdeacon Alexander Laskaris, who lived here, and he himself wrote the article, but it turned out to be necessary to completely redo it for the Russian public 161. We will especially gladly accept your judgment on the relations between the Greeks and Bulgarians, about which a note has also been presented to you. We're getting ready for a change. The director of the office of the Synod, J. A. Pozdnyak, leaves; his place will be taken by P. I. Salomon, or Salman, 162 Orthodox, who served under the state comptroller. They say that Salman has a sincere desire to serve the Church. Also appointed to us as an official of special assignments under the count is the bachelor of the Trinity Academy Sergievsky, the grandson of the Moscow Metropolitan. His Grace Eusebius, appointed Exarch of Georgia, is now here in St. Petersburg. On the 29th I was at St. Isaac's Cathedral, the consecration of which will be on May 30th, for the first test of church singing. They say up to 4 thousand people gathered to listen, but it was spacious. 1000 singers were singing, and from the enormity of the building in which the singing was heard, it seemed that 50 or 100 people were singing. Yesterday I accompanied my father to Kronstadt, who is leaving for Germany for four months. Having learned about Brother Maxim's trip to you and suspecting his inclination towards Orthodoxy, his father wrote Maxim a threatening letter with a request. I don’t know if it will still be possible to hide it from my father. Brother Victor also wrote to me. He and the others are unhappy with me because I persuaded Maxim. Pray, dear father, that in Germany the father will be convinced of the insufficiency of Protestantism and that the brothers will also soften. The Tver governor reported on a new, in his opinion, sect of praying mantises, the signs of which are as follows: they are very respectful to priests, always go to services, read akathists on Sundays and at home, do not like dancing or wine, and many of them remain virgins! There are up to 17 such alleged heretics in Bezhetsky district! The late Archpriest Fr. Matvey Konstantinovsky (who was the confessor of Count Tolstoy, Filippov, and also Gogol) recognized in them peasants who remembered his commandments. They wanted to convince them of the sanctity of marriage, but there was no proof that they did not recognize it, and therefore the order was stopped. I earnestly ask you to write what you think about this. Obleukhov promised to write an article at the count’s request. God save him! My relative, Doctor Christian Bogdanovich Ritter, lives here. His wife Maria Petrovna is Orthodox, I ask them and their daughter Lydia for your blessing and your holy prayers. They show me kindred love, and they are almost the only ones I visit. Forgive me, dear father. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and all my relatives to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. Archimandrite Porfiry is traveling through Constantinople to Athos the other day, and from there through Egypt to Jerusalem. St. Petersburg, May 4, 1858 M.S. Oh, n. G.I.X.B.n. p.n. Recently, a report from Eminence Kirill was received from Jerusalem to the Minister of Foreign Affairs A. N. Gorchakov. There is a lot in it that is fair and sensible, for example: considerations about the insufficient funds of the mission, about the replenishment of its staff with 1 hieromonk, two subdeacons and 2 choristers, about buildings in Jerusalem, about measures against the abuses of worship and also to meet the needs of fans, etc. But at the same time, it is clear from the report that (perhaps under the influence of Mansur’s ideas) Eminence Kirill is already looking with hostility at The Greek clergy is looking for complete independence in a foreign patriarchy. In his report, the Greek clergy is called a camp neither friendly nor hostile to us, but which can be both. Ave. Cyril says that the cause of all evil in the Church is the predominance of the Greeks, which should weaken their power and for this, with the assistance of the Porte, to snatch (his own word) from the hands of the Greek hierarchy the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria, or the last two, since they are inhabited by Arabs (who, meanwhile, when appointing the patriarch, themselves asked for a Greek) 164 . You know in part how the count looks at this, and in part you will see from the attached note, which I hasten to tell you and which the count recognizes as fair. The count was deeply upset by the report of the Right Reverend Kirill, expressed regret for the Optina missionaries and fear that they would be confused, and finally ordered me to put in writing some of my comments on the report of the Right Reverend Kirill and had in mind Neklyudov’s note 165 . By telling me your opinion about this note and about this whole matter, you will do me a true favor. Falling at your feet, I ask for your petition and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family and my studies to your holy prayers. Your most unworthy son, Konstantin Zederholm. What you write about Kyiv filled my heart with joy. I'll ask the Count one of these days. Pray, dear father, for success. I have an idea to go with the Greek archdeacon Fr. Alexander Laskaris, who wants to see Kyiv and to whom I want to show Optina. What do you think about this? Sorry, K.Z. 166 St. Petersburg, May 15, 1858 I received your letters dated May 4 and 15 and I answer the last one first. The opinion of that person 168 who finds it necessary to weaken the power of the Greek hierarchy and snatch from its hands the Patriarchates of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria, or even the last two, to which the Arabs belong, thoughtlessly, frivolously and very unfoundedly, leads to a break with the Greek Church and directly contributes to the long-desired intention of those in the West who are unfavorable to us, seeking this weakening through disunion. This measure has always been harmful, even more so at the present time, when the Turks are already contriving to further enslave and burden the Greeks and the Greek clergy by interfering in their mutual relations, limiting the latter to salaries in order to destroy their former freedom and independence, in which not only Orthodoxy, but also the Greek people were preserved (see about this in “Spiritual Conversation” in No. 17 "Message from a Traveler") 169. Perhaps the Westerners, for their own purposes, instilled this crafty idea in the Turks in order to carry out their fishing in troubled waters and harm Orthodoxy; but the latter have firmly grasped it and can cause great harm to Orthodoxy. If they really act so craftily, as appears in No. 17 of the Conversations, what will the enthusiastic detractors of the Greek clergy say when they are limited by their salaries and cannot satisfy the usual greed of Turkish officials, and is it reasonable under such circumstances to lay the blame on the Greek clergy and give rise to the disunity of the patriarchates in order to create their own imaginary independent dominion in the East? The note of Mr. Neklyudov 170 is thoroughly written, his opinion is very fair, so as not to weaken the Greek clergy, but to try, if possible, to free it from the grave oppression of the Turks; By helping it and strengthening it, we can achieve goals that we cannot achieve separately; being under his head and in friendly relations with him, we can do everything we want, because with such relations all our advice regarding the improvement of the Bulgarians and Arabs will be accepted by him. Moreover, our people in the East need to remember that everything is achieved gradually, and not suddenly, especially under difficult circumstances, and not to hope for too much benefit from education and enlightenment alone. God does not save everyone with reason, but many with simplicity. No one will approve of ignorance, but if you expose all the harm of freethinking, luxury and other things that come from imaginary education and false enlightenment, then bewilderment will arise about whether it is necessary to rush indiscriminately to educate all Arabs and to what extent? Now the Arabs are suffering a soul-destroying poverty that the educated cannot bear. Without a doubt, they need trained and knowledgeable priests with a decent salary; but who should prepare them, us or the Greek clergy, still needs to think about this. It seems that it would be more thorough to fraternally advise the latter to accept at least selected Arabs into the new Jerusalem seminary or train them in some other place; we can take on this matter ourselves only with the general advice and consent of the Greek clergy. Moreover, how soon will our people learn Arabic themselves? Mr. Neklyudov’s idea of ​​​​teaching Arabic and living Greek in Russian seminaries is good, but in order to be successful in this, it is necessary to exclude in seminaries the teaching of some subjects that do not exist in reality, but only burden students and interfere with essential learning. Neklyudov’s view, more than others, is very thorough, and in his note everything is said sensibly, but it is indecent to return our bishop from the East, and you just need to set him up for prudent actions, for a submissive and humble treatment and attitude towards the Greek clergy and mutual advice with them about the general benefit of Orthodoxy, instilling in him (the bishop) all the benefits of such an attitude and the inevitably harmful consequences of a separate and independent actions. The count's gracious attention and condolences for our brothers at the mission are very touching for us. And if any of them asked to leave, I would petition for them to be fired. Thank you for the notice written on May 4th. It’s nice to hear that well-intentioned people are entering the service of the Synod - Salmon 171 and Sergievsky. Don’t be discouraged that your notes are still not being implemented, but for God’s sake, with good intentions, do the things entrusted to you. God grant that Levinson’s writing may also be useful. I can’t say anything about the refugee mantises, because I don’t know anything reliable about them. Do not be burdened by the fact that your relatives rebel against you for your brother Maxim: every good deed is either preceded or followed by temptation. When it is necessary, then announce it. With the help of God, we wish your parent to be taught the truth from his German trip. For your relative Maria Petrovna and her daughter Lydia, I ask God’s blessing. May the Lord help you to fulfill your intention to go to Kyiv with the Greek Archdeacon Alexander Lascarius, and we will be very pleased with your visit. O. Ambrose bows to you, together with him we judged written objects. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Please hide our opinion from others, and use it yourself when you find it useful. There was not enough space in the letter to congratulate you, most honorable Konstantin Karlovich, on your Angel’s Day. Accept this from the many-sinful Hieromonk Macarius, who sincerely wishes you all the best and peace of mind. I express my respect to the most honorable Dmitry Alexandrovich. His uncle Andrei Mikhailovich Nakhimov died on May 8. Dmitry Alexandrovich's mother was very upset by this. I bring you my deepest gratitude for your gracious letter of May 20th and for congratulating me, unworthy, on my name day. By order and instructions of the Count, I drew up comments on reports from Jerusalem, which will be reported to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. But I find so many precious things in your letters that, if the Lord blesses, I will write a short note on them, which I will give to the count on my behalf. It’s a pity that I thought of asking you about the Greeks and Bulgarians too late. Due to my arrogance, this is what happened to me: trying to convince one of the Bulgarians living here and speaking too affirmatively, I brought it to the point that we simply quarreled with him, but, however, later we made peace. About me, the local Bulgarians (among whom there are people of dubious honor) say that Count Tolstoy is a German, a fanatic, a friend of the Greeks, etc. And, unfortunately, the Bulgarians are unhappy with the count, because he does not hide how highly he respects the Greek Church, although, however, he also helps the Bulgarians whenever possible. There is a note from the Moscow Metropolitan 173 about the salary of the Greek clergy in Turkey. It says, among other things: “The salary, in all likelihood, will not be enough to cover the costs of traveling around the diocese, travel will become less frequent, and the connection between the clergy and the flock may be disrupted. The taking of church property into the treasury in Christian states cannot be called a happy measure. Can we hope that the Turkish government, having taken church property, will not squander it? That salaries will be made on time? At a time of meager and unfaithful salaries, will they stop demanding gifts and bribes, which are now ruining the Orthodox clergy? etc. This note, together with Neklyudovskaya and the note about the Adrianople affair 174, the count wants to send to the Reverend. Demetrius of Kherson, who comes into frequent contact with the Greeks and Bulgarians. A project is being drawn up on how to arrange for Greek books, both spiritual and secular, to be subscribed to, translated and printed from us, which will be proposed for discussion to the Metropolitan of Moscow. By the 30th, the day of the consecration of St. Isaac's Cathedral, great preparations are being made; the count said that soon I would be able to think about a trip to Kyiv. Maybe my next letter will be from Moscow. I don’t know how I’ll go. I was completely confused and frustrated when it came to money. I hope the Count will help. Brother Maxim asks when he should celebrate his name day. Three years ago [ago], with your blessing, I gave my brother the image of St. Maxim the Fool-for-Christ, the Moscow miracle worker, whose memory is celebrated on November 11, and the discovery of his relics is on August 13, the day of my joining Orthodoxy. I humbly ask you, dear father, to write to your brother on which of the two days or any other you will bless him to celebrate the day of his angel. I should have complained to myself long ago that I was not living entirely peacefully with Dmitry Alexandrovich. Sometimes it seems to me that he has a difficult character, but there is no doubt that I am the only one to blame for the fact that, unfortunately, I remember little. I am happy to think about a close, God willing, meeting with you. I ask, dear father, your forgiveness and fatherly blessing, and I entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. I bow to Father Ambrose and Andrei Ivanovich, thank you most earnestly for the memory and rejoice at the goodness of meeting with them. St. Petersburg, May 27, 1858 I hasten to inform you that Pyotr Ivanovich Salomon, an actual state councilor, is coming to see you, destined to be the director of the office of the Synod in Pozdnyak’s place and now, in order to familiarize himself with the spiritual department, he is undertaking a trip to Moscow, to you, through Moscow to Kazan, to Kyiv and to Vilna. He is a man with pious aspirations, wants to serve the Church, but he himself feels that he is still little familiar with affairs. At the same time, I cannot help but express our common desires that Pyotr Ivanovich, both personally and in matters of service, receive the necessary instructions and direction from you, dear father 176. I advised him to stay with Fr. Theoktista. He wants to appear and be accepted as a simple pilgrim. He is very youthful and young (he seems to be no more than 40 years old), he is married to Polixena Vasilyevna Golovnina. His wife seems to be a very good woman; she instructs and guides her husband in relation to faith. By the way, they told me that she really loves the book of Abba Dorotheus. In a week I hope to leave here myself; I’ll stay in Moscow for a week, and maybe I’ll find Pyotr Ivanovich with you. I'm in a hurry. Sorry. I ask for your petition and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers, your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. St. Petersburg, June 8, 1858 On Thursday, the 14th of August, I arrived safely in Moscow 178, and from the third day Count Tolstoy was here, who had already given me something to do, namely, he instructed me to draw up an objection to the note from the editor of the “Russian Messenger” 179. Having received a remark from the minister, Katkov justifies the publication of articles directed against the Greek Church, says that the patriarch deserves public denunciation, and the unfortunate Bulgarians deserve expressions of sympathy, that if such articles are not published, then the Bulgarians will not consider us friends, and that in our society indifference to the Church stems precisely from the fact that there is no freedom to talk about church affairs and abuses. Katkov argues that speaking against the clergy does not mean speaking against the Church and that only theological reasoning should be subject to spiritual censorship. I need to answer against all these rumors. I ask for your blessing to resume my work. Pray that the Lord will help me write what was entrusted to me, so that those who are entrusted with the care of the Church will not appear irresponsible before its enemies. The Count really wants to receive from you, dear father, an explanation of Art. 36–38. Chapter 22 Gospel of Luke. An allegorical explanation of this place, placed in the 2nd book. "The works of St. fathers,” for some reason does not satisfy him, he says that, in addition to the allegorical, there must be a direct meaning, and, in addition, the 38th verse 180 is not explained there. The Count will stay here for three weeks. During this time I would like to visit St. Sergius to complete the course of my treatment. Brother Victor is calling to Dugino; I don’t know whether it is necessary and whether it will be possible to fulfill his desire. Sorry. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Natalya Petrovna asks for your prayers: there are troubles in the construction, they are threatening to force them to redo everything. K. 3. Moscow, August 19, 1858 I received your letter dated August 26, in which you write about your conversations in general. Of course, it’s better to be more careful in the future, but now there’s nothing to do, you can’t take back what was said, and therefore I advise you not to worry about this. Thank God that you completed the assignment entrusted to you safely and the count was pleased. May the Lord bless your intention to ask Countess Anna Egorovna Tolstoy for Mina and help you in this matter. Yesterday our builder, Fr. Moses, appointed to replace Fr. Paisia. You can wear the ahaluk given to you by your brother. Andrei Ivanovich took the portraits for you. Only without frames, because there were not enough of them. He bows to you earnestly. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim of many sinners, Hieromonk Macarius. Thank you for your letter of August 28th and for sending me the books, which I received in a timely manner. May the Lord bless your work - to compose a note on the importance of living unity with the Greek Church 183 on behalf of the count and complete it successfully. At your request, I offer our opinion on the tone in which one should write about Eastern affairs: at present, the attention of all religions is drawn to the East for various reasons and with various goals. In the East, the first place has always been occupied by the Orthodox Church, consisting of Greek, Arab and Slavic tribes. Representatives of the Roman faith, who have long been ill with claims to dominance, no matter how hard they tried to gain primacy in the East, have so far failed to achieve this at all. The word of the Lord is not false when he says: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Even in the last four centuries, when the tribes that make up the Orthodox Church in the East were and are under the Turkish yoke, the representatives of the Roman Church, with all their machinations, could not achieve the desired goal, because of the three designated tribes, the main representatives of the Eastern Orthodox Church are the Greeks, to whom Orthodoxy has become a nationality and who, therefore, at a high price, redeem from their rulers the freedom of their Orthodoxy, at the same time strongly opposing all the cunning attacks by infidels. Therefore, it must be assumed that the representatives of the Roman Church, stubbornly defending their quest, after many failures, finally resorted to the political cunning of their ancestors. It is known from history that the Romans, who have been suffering from claims to dominance since ancient times, when, after frequent wars, they weakened in strength and could not conquer any region with weapons under their rule, they resorted to cunning, namely, they tried to divide this region into possible parts, slyly instilling in the inhabitants of this region various plausible pretexts for this, so that later it would be more convenient to conquer those separated. Real representatives of the Roman Church manage to do exactly the same thing. Having noticed the hostile disposition towards the Greeks of the minor tribes, Bulgarian and Arab, they are trying in every possible way to fan the flames of this hostile disposition in order to separate the tribes that make up the Orthodox Church, and thus weaken it, and then improve their malicious desire. Many of the Russians, not knowing the real situation of the Orthodox Church in the East, with the cunning searches of its enemies, sympathize, albeit out of ignorance, with the crafty actions of the Catholics and even publicly speak against those who well-intentionedly care about the possible unity of the said tribes in order to support the Orthodox Church through this. Russian Orthodox, as children of the Greek Church, must try in every possible way to maintain its well-being and existence and have a living unity with the guardians of the precious deposit of Orthodoxy in the midst of all disastrous temptations, and not rebel against them recklessly with untimely reproaches, so as not to become like Ham, who dared to ridicule his parent. No son can independently do anything important in the inheritance of his parent without his will and consent. Likewise, it is impossible for Russians to exist independently in the East without mutual consent and living unity with the Greeks. Whoever knows well the circumstances of the East will also not dispute that the Bulgarians and Arabs cannot maintain themselves in Orthodoxy without the Greeks, because although among them there are good and well-intentioned people, they are not as far-sighted and as firm and persistent in character as the Greeks. For this reason, they occupy a secondary place in the local Orthodox Church. The defense of the Greeks and the need for unity with them is well stated in the note of Mr. Neklyudov 184. However, we are only expressing our opinion, and you consider for yourself what you find necessary to add or subtract, don’t be shy. Regarding Filippov’s article, I cannot say anything positive, 185 it seems to me that it was written well in defense of the Church, but regarding the persons mentioned, I cannot say anything. The Metropolitan knows better what influence it has on listeners and readers. I ask for God’s peace and blessing on you, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. Write how God will enlighten you about the defense of the Greeks. R.S. I gave the books you sent to Fr. Archimandrite and Fr. Abbot, they thank you for your diligence. I was very glad to receive your letter and to hear that you are going to worship St. Sergius, which you have probably already done. Regarding your frankness, I don’t advise you to be embarrassed, but be careful in the future. God is able to cover you from everything unpleasant. Today I don’t feel well, and in general all this time the weakness has not left me, we still have a lot of visitors, and the hotels are occupied. I am writing to your two letters, most respected Konstantin Karlovich, dated September 12 and September 17, which I previously wrote to you addressed to Natalya Petrovna, without knowing your address. And now I am writing to Andrei Nikolaevich Ferapontov. I thought of writing to you in St. Petersburg, but in your last letter you write that you will stay until September 28, then I assume that you will still receive this letter of mine. You write about the embarrassment that happened to you, which greatly disturbed you; but thanks be to the Lord that, through an explanation to my spiritual father, I received peace of mind. Look for the reasons for this not anywhere else, but in yourself, according to the word of St. Climacus: “Where a fall followed, pride preceded it.” May the Lord forgive you and have mercy on you and may you continue to be in good mental and physical health. What has been entrusted to you to write for the benefit of the Church, may the Lord help you to write with reason; You can take into account much from Mr. Neklyudov’s note 188. It is entirely directed against this work and is very practical. You wanted to start translating St. Simeon the New Theologian 12 words. But there are no such words in philology, but there is a special book of his works, from which these 12 words were selected, and not in succession, but from different places. If it’s not in the St. Petersburg Academy, then isn’t this book in the Patriarchal Library in Moscow? You are afraid of grief from your relatives and reluctantly stayed in Moscow - this is your cowardice. What is your fault? I wish you to be peaceful and calm, and I hope to receive a letter from you from Moscow. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim of many sinners, Hieromonk Macarius. M.S.O.Sc. G.I.X.B.n. p.n., On the 2nd of October, through Natalya Petrovna, I received your letter dated September 24th and with it, notebooks and books, everything that was written about in the letter. Another 16 rubles. ser. money, of which 6 rubles. gave it to Andrei Ivanovich for portraits, and 10 rubles. You sent it in vain. How many books did you send me, because they paid money for them? And besides, I ask you to fulfill my commission and for this I will send money 15 rubles. Take the trouble to donate three copies of 1859 to the editor of “Spiritual Conversation” and send me the tickets. Of which two should be sent in my name to Kozelsk in Optina Pustyn, and one copy should be sent to Sevsk at the Maiden Convent to nun Magdalena Voeikova. Please try to send me two copies of this year’s 17th issue of “Conversations” that were not sent in due time. When I wrote to the editor about sending them, they sent them, but not 17, but 7 No., which was sent back there with a request to send 17 No., but it was not sent. We will try to send you the papers sent from you after reading and considering them, and we will write what we find according to our understanding, but we must admit that the questions proposed by you are beyond our understanding. And especially the view of people of the upper class we do not dare to call ourselves correct, because many and various rumors from time to time reached us, some contradicting others. But dogmatic analysis of the soul according to ascetic teachings should not concern us, and we do not deal with it. But in order to get you out of doubt, we will try to collectively search for evidence of the truth on this question. In our monastery, thank God, everything is fine. We have news from Palestine on August 19, but they don’t write anything special, only they are alive and well and about their visit to the Jordan, services there and other places worthy of note. Our brethren greet you with fervent bows. I am sending money 15 rubles. and 1 rub., remaining from the portrait, which will be sent with the papers. In your letter dated September 24, you ask me many questions that, for many reasons, are inconvenient to answer. You ask how you can reconcile the books “Orthodox Confession” and “Theology” of Macarius regarding the origin of souls? Read for yourself in the first question 28 and answer 191 and in the second in the 2nd volume § 79th 192 and you will see that the famous priest told you something completely different, that souls come from parents according to one natural order. Peter Mogila says that according to the perfect image of the members of the body from the seed of man, the soul is given from God, and in the “Theology” of Macarius it is said that according to the image of the members of the body from the seed of man, the soul is mediocre created by God. The only difference is in the expressions. The first speaks unclearly, but the latter more clearly, and the book on final causes explains why the ancient fathers spoke about this subject in secret, precisely because at that time the prevailing tendency towards materialism. However, this is a subject or question into which many have been saved without entering into the subtle study. And we (especially monks) should be more concerned about practical knowledge; and avoid controversial subjects, and even more so, avoid disputes, remembering the word of the apostle that they lead to the ruin of souls. St. Isaac the Syrian teaches that we, monks, should not become dogmatic. We answer both this question and others with a general discussion with Fr. Ambrose. To place in a note about the living unity of Russia with Greece 193, in our opinion, it would be necessary, first of all, to show how the Lord initially, through the apostles and their successors, founded the Universal Orthodox Church, consisting of five well-known patriarchates, or private Churches; and when the Roman Church fell away from the Ecumenical Church, the Lord seemed to supplement this deprivation by founding the Russian Church in the north, enlightening Russia with Christianity through the Greek Church, as the main representative of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church. Attentive and prudent among the Orthodox see here two works of God's providence: firstly, the Lord, by the later conversion of Russia to Christianity, protected it from the harm of the papists; secondly, he showed that Russia, as enlightened by Christianity through the Greek Church, should be in unity with this Church, as with the main representative of the Universal Orthodox Church, and not with others damaged by heresy. Our ancestors did just that, seeing, perhaps, a pitiful example, except for the Romans, in the Armenian Church, which, through its separation from the Universal Church, fell into many errors 194. The Armenians lost their way for two reasons: firstly, they accepted slander against the Universal Church, and secondly, they desired arbitrariness and instead submitted to the subtle influence of the Westerners (from which they were protected by the locality itself). The evil, hellish enemy also cunning and is cunning over the Russians, only in a slightly different way. The Armenians were confused, first by accepting slander against the Universal Church, and then by the desire for self-government. And the Russians are moving towards the same consequences, only in a different way, accepting slander against representatives of the Universal Church. And thus, through the cunning of the enemy and our oversight, it will turn out that we, willfully deviating from the beneficial and saving unity with the Universal Church, will unwittingly and imperceptibly fall under the harmful influence of Western opinions, from which providence itself protected and protected us, as stated above. Since now everyone is attracted to the Greeks, and especially to the Greek clergy, the note should have hidden them in another place under the name of the Eastern Patriarchs, and in another under the name of the Universal Church, of which they are the main representatives. It would also be necessary to show that unconditional obedience and a different relationship with the Greek Church is a different matter. In the latter case there is nothing obligatory to unconditional obedience. In this note, some places are said too sharply and vaguely, for example: “Our clergy was not protected from Western unbelief either.” One might think that all our clergy are now damaged by unbelief. It would be better to say more definitely that Western opinion or unbelief has often begun to penetrate into our clergy. It is also poorly said: “...and academic fences do not protect from unbelief.” And again: “Progress and civilization are also seducing clergy.” These expressions should be replaced by those that would definitely express particularity, so as not to offend many who are not involved in this. About that person who allegedly rendered a service to the Church, although not with a rightful intention, we can only say the word of Scripture: “By their fruits you will know them.” Also: “The end crowns and reveals everything.” It is impossible to talk about details, and we know little and we do not get to the point of matters of this kind. It is a great pity that the opinions of important persons on Eastern affairs do not converge; and here what would be required most of all is unanimity. But may the will of the Lord be done! The Lord is able to reject the opposition of some, if necessary. Opinions about this, as well as the affairs there, are so mixed up that only God knows and is able to arrange what is useful. The book about the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ 195 is not well written, without strict historical accuracy and consistency; theological terms are replaced by simple human expressions, what should be especially exposed, depending on the spirit of the present time, is missing; in a word, instead of the Divine life, it turns out to be almost simply human. Although there is nothing particularly edifying in the People's Reading Magazine, at least for now there is nothing nasty. I haven’t had time to read the books “Lives of the Saints” in Russian 196 yet. I am sending your manuscripts, except for a letter to the Most Reverend Demetrius and an extract from the report of the Most Reverend Kirill, which were not found, in one of these papers there is a portrait; and a note stating that people are not dismissed to the monastery before 30 years of tax service. Father Ambrose and all our brethren bow to you. All that we wrote to you, we ask you not to expose us. Notebooks sent to you: 1) about the schism, 2) about the translation of the Bible, 3) about the Adrianople affair, but it is still possible there later, 4) about the Greek society, 5) about the journal “People's Reading”, 6) an objection to Katkov, 7) about unity with the Greek Church. Note on dismissal to monasticism. Portrait. You wanted to print portraits, if you can print them, then send them to us. We will send money, which will cost printing and delivery. Take the trouble to check with the Holy Synod to see if there is an idea from our Bishop about the tonsure of our father Paul according to the rules from the clergy who has completed the course. The archimandrite presented it at the end of August, but we don’t know whether it was sent to the Synod. If there is, then try not to be delayed for long. We are quite surprised at your silence: since your departure from Moscow, we have not had a single line from you from St. Petersburg. We received your last letter from Moscow dated September 24 and October 2 and briefly responded to it in St. Petersburg in your name on October 4 with an attachment of 16 rubles. silver for an extract from the magazine “Spiritual Conversation” of three copies and 1 rub. your. And on the 18th we sent a large letter and all the manuscripts you wrote about, but we still have no news from you. Are you healthy? Or did something happen to you? Please let us know as soon as possible about yourself and what does your silence mean? We want to know everything about you and wish you good health, peace and salvation. In our monastery, thank God, everything is fine. I remain your unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. And Natalya Petrovna is surprised that there is no word from you. I am sending this letter on purpose through Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kavelin. Our brothers bow to you. I received a letter from Princess Marya Alexandrovna Meshcherskaya and a Jerusalem candle, a palm branch and pebbles from the Jordan. In the 42nd issue of “Spiritual Conversation” it is published about the publication of the first volume of “Byzantine Historians” in Russian translation, containing the historical notes of Nikephoros Bryennius 198. Price 75 kopecks. silver Work hard, take two copies and come to me. I'll send you money. I had the good fortune to receive your gracious letter dated October 18th, but I did not receive the manuscripts and portrait you sent. Yesterday I sent 10 copies of the works of Arch. Quiz 200 for Fr. Archimandrite, who asked me for them, and 1 copy of “Byzantine Historians” to him, and another to Fr. Anthony, the third with the rest of the books to you, dear father. I also sent you some papers, partly my composition, about which I most earnestly ask you to express your opinion, so that in the future I can use your instructions. The Emperor read the note on the Greek Church and the Bulgarians 201 and made comments in his own hand that, while agreeing with the thoughts expressed in it, he finds it very difficult to implement them, that the Greek clergy is to blame in many ways and looks at the Church only from the Greek side, that, having irritated the Bulgarians with the previous indifference, we cannot reconcile them otherwise than by supporting their nationality. The count, who inserted many of his thoughts into this note, which also contained the comments of the Right Reverend Philaret (Drozdov) and the Right Reverend Agafangel (Soloviev), is upset that the sovereign did not pay attention to the importance of preserving church peace, etc. The objection to V. M. Zhemchuzhnikov 202 was drawn up mostly according to the thoughts of the count, some comments were stated by Serbinovich. Now bless, father, to begin reworking the Charter of the Greek known to you. society, which the count wishes to establish in spirit. Academy and under the chairmanship of the Metropolitan. Presentations by Rev. Gregory about Fr. Pavel Pokrovsky is not yet in the Synod; We will notify you as soon as it is available. Please bless us to begin lithographing portraits. Here is my proposal: 1) lithograph the one in which you and Fr. Moses and Fr. Anthony, in about 600 copies for a description of the monastery; 2) portraits of everyone separately, approximately 100 copies each. I suppose for the book to be lithographed together, because then 600 copies. – for one paper and print 12 kopecks. - will cost 72 rubles, and if three portraits are lithographed separately, then - 600 of each - 1800 copies. 10 kopecks each – 180 rubles. However, I am awaiting your orders regarding the number of copies, and I hope to begin lithographing 3 portraits together, in consultation with P.I. Salomon, soon. As for money, I hope from my friends (Salomon, Avchinnikov, Kavelin, Polner, Filippov and Ushinsky) to collect some for lithography and printing, so I will ask you to send us only the missing ones in case there is still a shortage. Sorry. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, October 30, 1858 Having not received letters from you for a long time, on November 1st I wrote to Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kavelin to notify about you, and also enclosed a letter for you. Meanwhile, on the 2nd I received a letter from you dated the 30th of October. You write that you received my letter on the 18th of October, but have not yet received the parcel of manuscripts, and I have not yet received your parcel sent to me. I also wrote to you on October 4 and sent 16 rubles. in silver for the extract of “Spiritual Conversation” of 3 copies - two for me, and one for the Seva nun Magdalene. But I didn’t receive a letter from you about receiving this letter from me and the money. Didn't you receive that money? Please notify me about this. Although I haven’t received your books yet, I thank you for them. Upon receipt, I will try to tell you what we can understand about your essays. It is a pity that the “Note on the Greeks and Bulgarians” looked differently to the person from whom they expected something different. But what to do? God grant that the union of our Church with the Greek Church will not be shaken, which, perhaps, is what the opponents of our religion desire. May the Lord bless your work on the charter of the Greek Society, which will serve to strengthen our union. Ideas about Fr. Pavle wasn’t there yet, but I thought it already was. But now, it must be presented soon, and you should try not to delay. About lithographing portraits, as you suggested, if according to your arrangement there are triple 600 copies, and individually 600 are a lot, but 300 are possible. We will send you as much money as you need, and many people will be grateful to you and those involved in this business together with us. Our brothers earnestly bow to you: Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Ambrose, Flavian and others. I am enclosing a letter from the nuns Magdalene and Athanasia. They want to have my portraits and ask you for this, but they sent them to me. I hasten to inform you that, after talking with P.I. Salomon, we decided to lithograph your portraits separately first (a large portrait would not fit in the book), which we hope to begin one of these days, as soon as a completely reliable lithographer is found. I will send tickets for the “Spiritual Conversation” to you and Nun Magdalene by the next post. Taking into account the fact that your monastery supplies many with books, the count ordered that two copies of “Christian Reading” be sent to her next year, one in your name, the other in the name of Fr. archimandrite; two copies of “Spiritual Conversation”. In whose name I should send them, I will await your order. I inform you about this and ask you to convey to Fr. Archimandrite, so that you do not worry about writing out on your own what the count donates. I have not yet received the manuscripts or the portrait. Yesterday they brought me a summons for a parcel worth 15 rubles. Whether this is your package or another, I don’t know. The day before yesterday, Archimandrite Nikanor Njeguš was consecrated as Bishop of Montenegro in St. Isaac's Cathedral. Pyotr Ivanovich Salomon took office. The office is trembling. Soon I expect my parents to come to St. Petersburg, who want to stay here. Postponing other matters until another letter, I ask for your fatherly blessing and forgiveness and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, November 4, 1858 On the 9th of this month I received your letter dated November 4th and the parcel you sent on October 28th, 13 days later, it is not surprising that you did not receive our parcel for a long time. We sent on October 18 for 1 rub. silver weighing 2 pounds. Now, perhaps, I have already received it. I answered your letter dated October 30 on November 4, and now I hasten with the first mail to notify you that I received the parcel intact and thank you for the books you sent. Father Archimandrite and Fr. I delivered their parcels to the abbot according to the inscriptions, and the manuscripts must lie for some time, because today I am going to Maly Yaroslavets to see Fr. Archimandrite Nicodemus, they will have a renewal of the warm church. The ruler will also be there. We feel the favor and attention of His Excellency Count Alexander Petrovich shown to us with permission to send us two copies of “Christian Reading” and the same number of “Spiritual Conversation”, which we also ask you to send No. 1 to Fr. Archimandrite, and the other to mine. God forbid that you are trying to make portraits, about triplets for the book (that is, three portraits together), it seems that you can reduce the bottom and top, then they will come out narrower and will be suitable. However, whatever you find better, do it. Don't blame the brevity of the letter. I'm in a hurry, getting ready to hit the road. Our brothers express their respect to you. Somehow did your parents accept about Maxim Karlovich? Has he read Confessions of an Englishman? 206 On the 10th of this month I sent you a letter from our monastery, and now I am writing a few lines from here. There I mentioned that I was going to Maly Yaroslavets, where I arrived that day. On the way I stopped by to visit the builder Fr. Moses to Tikhonov and came here with him. You promised to try in the Holy Synod to introduce our Fr. Pavel Stepanovich Pokrovsky, a monastery inhabitant. Now I repeat my request for this. A representation about him was sent from Kaluga on November 4 under No. 6546. Work hard for permission to tonsure him and for the immediate sending of this permission. I’m thinking of staying here until the 17th and hurrying home for the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Church. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation and an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Maly Yaroslavets, November 14, 1858 On Saturday, through Dimitry Alexandrovich, I received your gracious letter on November 1st, and yesterday a letter dated November 4th. From them I see that my first letter from St. Petersburg did not reach you. In it I informed you that I had received 16 rubles from you, talked about Zhemchuzhnikov’s note 209, about the Count’s efforts to encourage our ministry to assist the Greek Church, which was in considerable danger, and, finally, about the grief that had befallen me. My father submitted a petition to the empress for an annual allowance, and we all worked hard - and what we got was not help, but humiliation for our father, that is, 50 rubles of a one-time allowance. I regret and worry that the letter did not reach you, just as I have not yet received your parcel. What if the letter and package fall into the hands of ill-intentioned people? Wouldn't I have to answer for my messages to you? However, I trust in the mercy of God and I know that with your prayers you will protect me from everything harmful. I signed up for the “Spiritual Conversation” for the nun Magdalene, and since your father, Archimandrite, has already sent money for three copies of the “Spiritual Conversation,” the rector of the seminary, Fr. Nektary absolutely does not want to take money for your 2 copies and will send them that way. Thus, I have 10 rubles left of your money, please tell me what to do with it. The idea of ​​Fr. Paul was received by the Synod yesterday, today I will give a note about him to P.I. Salomon. For the portraits I found the best local lithographer, Paul Petit. As I wrote to you, triples don’t go into the book. If not for the holiday, then for the New Year, probably, with God’s help I hope to send you as many prints as you order. There are a lot of good people here who are concerned that modern literature is publicly taking a direction hostile to the Church: it is the rector of the academy, Fr. Feofan (Govorov), Fr. Nektary, from the secular A.D. Ushinsky, his brother Konstantin Dmitrievich, S.A. Burachek, V.I. Askochensky, Elagin N.V. and others. They say that opposition is necessary on our part, that otherwise sin will fall on us for negligence and silence, and what will happen to society if unbelief does not meet with opposition anywhere. But how to counteract? Should we bring to the attention of the Minister of Public Education the most extreme examples of magazine blasphemy and help strengthen censorship, or should we refute and denounce the wicked in print? Should I go the official or literary route? Or both together, and which one predominantly? On these questions, which occupy many minds, I ask from your love and experience for permission and guidance. Obleukhov sent me a note that the life of St. Fevronia was published among fairy tales; and immediately proves the possibility of carnal copulation of demons with people; he wants to publish this, and I asked him whether it would be more useful to make his note the subject of a confidential message from the count to the Minister of Education, which could be written in strong terms? I ask for an answer to this. If we resort to a printed refutation, then there are many questions here too. Should these refutations be published in existing journals? Not everyone, even many, will not be accepted. I don’t know if it’s possible to publish a special magazine for this? In order to be able to resist others, should we form a special brotherhood? And what tone should I choose? Many people like Askochensky's sheets 210 and praise them for their vernacular language (by the way, Fr. Feofan), others say that when speaking about the spiritual, there is no need to imitate peasant talk. I’m ashamed to bother you, but I believe that for the sake of the common good you will not refuse to resolve my questions. Some reproach the count for being too partial to Greece and being carried away by the affairs of the East, while Russia has many internal needs of its own. I don't know if this is fair. The Count entrusts other matters to others, but with me the Count mainly talks about the Greek Church, about the East, and most of my studies relate to this, as you know. Now I’m perplexed whether I should unquestioningly carry out the Count’s orders or, since perhaps he has some bias, ask him to give me classes related to Russia itself, for which I sincerely wish to be useful, for example, in spiritual and educational management, etc. I’m afraid of becoming one-sided in my studies, I’m afraid of self-indulgence, conceit, and contradiction. In moments of trust, the Count sometimes complains that he sometimes finds little sympathy on the part of our Eminences in church matters. So, having taken office, instead of a synodal church, which in no way corresponded to the dignity of the Synod, he immediately wanted to build a magnificent church, in ancient taste, and, to his chagrin, he met the strongest resistance in this seemingly good deed in the Holy Synod. Also, thoughts about the importance of unity with the Greek Church are somehow not very keenly accepted. Even the higher clergy values ​​master's learning too much, and sometimes there is a lack of knowledge of affairs and practical life. All this, of course, exceeds my understanding, and it’s not for me to talk about it. But if there is a particle of truth in the count’s words, then perhaps it can be explained by the answers of St. Niphon (in the book of St. Barsanuphius), the dependence of the clergy on a society that has been damaged in the faith, and, finally, by the structure of our institutions, from which come monks who do not know the active monastic life, but were brought up on judgments alone. The Count really wants to elevate the clergy and comes up with various measures for this: for example, so that the synodal members do not change so often and thereby acquire greater knowledge of affairs, so that messages about the most important matters are sent to all the Eminences, etc. If he said something wrong, forgive me, a sinner, dear father, and instruct me, a fool, and for the sake of the common good, do not refuse to teach us what measures could still serve to fulfill the good the count's thoughts. Along with the books, I also sent you a letter to Gorchakov about the Reverend Kirill Naumov. It was shown to the members of the Synod, and Bazhanov made the remark: “It is desirable that it be clear that we are talking about a bishop here, and not the last one.” Having received these words with gratitude, the count ordered me to remove all harsh expressions from the letter. The count wants to ask the local metropolitan about the Greek Society, so that it will be at the academy and under his chairmanship 211. Now, on the Count’s orders, I am studying, or want to study, making comments on Mansurov’s book. Bless this matter, father, and pray for me. The translation of St. Simeon is already progressing too slowly. I found the Latin book, but not the Greek one yet. The Count really wants to have information about that old German woman who recently converted to Orthodoxy in Orel. If you know anything, please bless me to write. I will say about myself: I live in vanity and carelessness, I am carried away by irritability, sometimes I am extremely overwhelmed by unclean thoughts, probably because I fall into pride. I would like to speak in the upcoming Lent, I don’t know where God will allow it. My parents have been here since the third day, and they will stay here until the holidays, and maybe even the holidays. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get out to you, but it’s inconvenient to fast in St. Petersburg. Would you bless me, as a last resort, to go to Staraya Ladoga for fasting, where Fr. Antony Bochkov? Father, as I already wrote to you in a (lost) letter, accepted the news about Maxim much more easily than we could have hoped. Mother tried to prepare and calm him down and persuaded him to write to Maxim more gently. Thus, with your prayers God covers and has mercy on us, the unworthy. The report for 1857 is just being printed; there are no books about the archimandrites. “Christian reading” for 1824 - 1832, which Fr. Anthony, not available. Filippov's article from Moskovskie Vedomosti will be published. I obtained a handwritten akathist for Holy Communion, attributed to Fr. Amphilochius of Rostov. Fr. Anthony expressed a desire to have such an akathist of the late Innocent Borisov, his manuscripts are still in Odessa, as soon as they are sent, I will take care of the correspondence, and now in the meantime I will order them to be rewritten and sent to Fr. Anthony Akathist Fr. Amphilochia. The local Greeks, not without the help of Lascaris, arranged that in the Kazan Cathedral, in the chapel, on Sundays and holidays there would be a mass in Greek, and the singers would sing in Greek, but, it seems, not in the Constantinople tune. O. Archimandrite, Fr. Anthony, Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Flavian, Fr. I sincerely bow to Pavel and Andrei Ivanovich and ask them to pray for me. Falling at your feet, gracious father, I thank you for your love for me, unworthy, I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my relatives, and my undertakings, and my damned soul to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, November 11, 1858 We are talking about the election of a secretary for the proposed Greek Society. Pray, dear father, that the choice does not fall on me, which would give rise to the envy of others, and that it would not be useful for me, vain, and would distract me from other activities. Above all, pray that the holy will of the Lord may be fulfilled over me and in me, a sinner. He knows what is good for us. Please also pray for the recovery of the count, who is bothering us with his illness. Manuscripts and portrait of Fr. I didn't receive Ambrose. Today I'm going to the post office to check. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, November 17, 1858 I have the honor to congratulate you on your joyful and longed-for birthday for your large family, and also on the day of your angel. I humbly dare to pray to the Lord, may He increase the life of your life and send you consolation in the good success of those led by you. I received your letters dated November 4th and 10th, but still no parcel. I don't know what to do. Would it be kind to you to send me the number under which it was received and sent at the Kozelsk office? Since Fr. The archimandrite had already sent money for 3 issues of “Spiritual Conversation”, then the seminary ordered two issues assigned by the count to be sent in your name, and then 10 of your rubles remained with me, and I don’t know what to do with them. Protocol on Pavle was signed, but the decree to Eminence Gregory, if not sent, will be sent one of these days. The Akathist for Holy Communion of the Right Reverend Innocent (whom Father Anthony desired) we still cannot obtain from Odessa. I have the same akathist 214, attributed to Fr. Amphilochius of Rostov, but in a list full of errors, and therefore not approved for publication. If you want, I can send it to you. The Count is ill, but very busy with the Greek Society. Pray, dear father, that the secretaryship of this society does not fall on me. But by the way, be the will of the Lord. The question arose whether the actions of this society could be extended to the Slavs. Sorry. I ask for your fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, November 18, 1858 Due to circumstances, the lithography of the triple portraits has been postponed until later, but I hope to send you the individual portraits by all means for the holiday. Kindly inform nun Magdalene and nun Athanasia that printing a portrait on a large sheet costs 10 kopecks. ser. from a copy, and on a small sheet (in the format of the book “Description of Optina Pustyn”) - 5 kopecks. ser. It seems there is no need to print on large sheets: one more paper. Let them send me money according to the number of copies, and in this case I will try to send them portraits for the holiday. Printing more or fewer copies makes no difference; You only pay for paper. The main costs are stone and lithography, and I collect these costs from my and your friends here. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will help me. If M. Magdalena and M. Afanasy want and can contribute to the costs of lithography, then let them send 10 kopecks for a portrait (on a small sheet). ser., if it does not embarrass them. Whether or not to convey this to them is at your discretion. Polixena Vasilievna really wants to have a pattern for your white (cell) robe so that she can send something warm using it. Confident of your condescension, I ask you, dear father, not to refuse her zeal for you and my humble request and send her or in my name this pattern. Postponing other matters until the next letter, I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. There will be a report on the Greek Society soon. Brother Maxim was sick. Parcels with a portrait of Fr. I didn’t receive Ambrose with any manuscripts. I received your letters dated November 11th and 18th. In the latter, you express doubt and bewilderment about the manuscripts not received by you, but by us of your letter. Rely on the providence of God, the Lord is strong to cover you, and if an explanation is demanded from you (which, it seems, cannot be), you can say that you forgot them with us while passing through and asked to send them to you. There is no letter in the parcel, but the portrait and note about the forest are not important; they could have been sent at this opportunity. I’ll send the note and parcel number later, and now the Kozel postal book has been sent to Kaluga for revision. And in the first letter you write about your general sorrow that your parent’s request did not have the desired success. A man of Lutheran confession should have petitioned the wrong person. They say about the empress that she is wholeheartedly committed to Orthodoxy, which is probably why she did not take part in your parent’s life. You also write that in St. Petersburg there are many well-meaning people who would like to show opposition to the real blasphemy of magazines, and you ask our opinion what is the best way to act in this case, officially or literary, in books or magazines, and what to do primarily? Our opinion: if it is possible, then we need to act in all these ways, depending on the antics of blasphemy and unbelief and freethinking, but mainly pay attention to the evil ones and report them verbally or officially to someone who can stop this evil, exposing the harmful consequences of the daring antics of the unbelievers. It would not hurt to compile a journal about exposing modern errors, although not independent, but attached to another useful journal, and from this journal publish especially important articles later in separate books. It would be decent, it seems, to compile from this the 2nd section of the journal “People's Reading” and write in a style consistent with the matter, and not in a peasant style, but here, on the other hand, there is a danger: so as not to harm the common people with the poison of unbelief, exposing various free-thinking ideas. It is necessary, after praying to God, to carefully consider it from all sides, and especially from the other side: how many people from the common people read this magazine? And having considered this matter with general advice, with God’s help, begin to act in one or another journal, but in the meantime, let the brotherhood in the Lord you indicated resist evil in whatever way possible. Obleukhov’s proof of the possibility of the carnal union of demons with people, written on the occasion of the publication of the life of the Venerable Euphrosyne among fairy tales, is now at the wrong time, when among those who have been retrained the opinion is growing that there are neither demons at all, nor their villain the devil. Moreover, such an example is not visible in ancient lives. Or you can convey to the Minister of Education that it is incongruous to write and publish fairy tales about domestic figures who prove their holiness by the incorruption of their moshes, which is known to the whole of Russia. You are afraid that you might become one-sided, and especially because you hear the reproach of some regarding deviation to one side to the point of partiality. There is a word from the Gospel: “... do these things and do not forsake them.” Therefore, you must always look at both sides, but first at the one that is closer to us, even if you have to act in favor of distant brothers. By considering the circumstances and the benefits of both sides together, you can get rid of your hobby with help. The count’s idea and desire to have living communion with the Greek Church and to support the Greeks and the Greek clergy are very laudable and have a good foundation, but how can this be achieved in the present state of affairs and circumstances of ours and the Greeks? Anyone who can understand and see all this will involuntarily lose the desire for this endeavor due to the difficulty of achieving this goal. Another reason is that none of these people have full power and full influence due to the multitude of persons. There is a proverb: “A mind is good, two is better than that, but three...”. And that is why a person may often not show active participation, because more than once his solid proposal was left in vain, but was put to the use of others because of their numbers or for some other reason. The proposal to build a splendid church was not accepted, perhaps because of the speed, for everything new usually begins only over time, gradually and according to the necessary circumstances. The reproach of some regarding deviating to one side before abandoning the most important matters of their own, perhaps, is not in moderation. But still, you simply cannot ignore this, but you need to understand what is fair according to your strength from the circumstances encountered, so that in case your opinion is needed, you can say more skillfully how you think and understand about this or that. Similarly, in writing you need to present it, getting as close as possible to the correct side. If they change anything later, it won’t be your fault. Also, in order to avoid a one-sided view, you need to pay attention not to one class of people, but to all. Because in other classes, knowledge of affairs is now based more on judgments, you yourself know what advantages students of higher educational institutions currently enjoy, just as everyone forgets that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, from which comes the keeping of the commandments of God, then morality in many classes is in great decline, so that in the present state of affairs it is difficult to find means that are positively effective for the restoration of both morality and practical life, and taking into account all these circumstances, I don’t know what to tell you about your reluctance to the proposed position and your inclination to serve in the spiritual and educational administration. See for yourself how and where it is better for you, consider your strengths and pray to God that the Lord Himself will arrange where it is more useful for you. One thing firmly remember that achieving the desired success in both cases is no longer associated with relying on yourself, but you just need to work everywhere according to your strength for God for the sake of possible success and expect reward from the Lord. Everywhere we must remember the advice of Mark the Ascetic: “... in every inconvenient circumstance, seek what pleases God, and you will find a useful solution to this matter.” And other than what has been said, we do not find any positive measures for the circumstances you presented. I received your letter dated November 17th through Natalya Petrovna. I also received your letter dated November 24th. You write about printing portraits, and for the nuns to print on small paper, they pay 10 rubles for 100 portraits. silver They will agree to this. I will send the money soon, and the prints for it have been sent to Sevsk. “Spiritual conversation” as prescribed by the count for Fr. Archimandrite and for me, let it be sent separately. And I wrote out another copy for Andrei Ivanovich Glushkov, for which I ask you to pay 5 rubles, and send two together in my name. Yes, take care of the 17th issue of this year. We do not have two copies of it. We have no information about the old woman who converted to Orthodoxy in Orel and cannot tell you anything. If it seems right to fast in St. Petersburg and time permits, then you can fast in the Ladoga Monastery and Fr. Anthony to confess. The Akathist for Communion, when they will send it soon, you can wait. I ask you to say my respects to your parents. But here’s an important question for me, and I don’t know what to say: the most respectable Polixena Vasilievna asks me to send her a pattern from my robe or robe. They are trying hard for me to work, to knit, as you write to Fr. Flavian. I greatly appreciate her zeal for my thinness, but, really, I don’t know how to do it, is it possible to tie it up? Let's think about this sometime later. O. Archimandrite and Fr. Abbot Anthony expresses their respect to you, as do our monastery brethren: Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Isaiah, Fr. Flavian, Andrei Ivanovich and others. Our father Vassian is sick with a wonderful disease, which imprisoned him in his cell. A growth has formed like a hernia, but it is not a real hernia, and he suffers greatly from it; doctors cannot find a cure. I finally safely received the long-awaited parcel with manuscripts and a portrait, and also your gracious letter of November 29, for which I thank you most earnestly. About Fr. A decree was sent to Pavle on November 26th under No. 11857. About the 17th issue of “Spiritual Conversation” I was assured a long time ago that it was sent to you a second time instead of the one returned on the 7th; upon receipt of your letter, I once again left an announcement about it in the editorial office. Next Monday I hope to send the first hundred of each of the 3 portraits to your name; I sincerely wish you to like them. Polixena Vasilievna helped me a lot. If you have not sent the pattern that she asked for, I most earnestly and most humbly ask you to send it, otherwise she will be displeased with me that I wrote directly to you about this. To our regret, the Emperor did not immediately approve the charter of the Greek Society, but ordered it to be submitted to the Council of Ministers. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will bless this useful enterprise. The Count is concerned about the state of the Eastern Church, and this very thing can be presented in an unfavorable light as the fruit of Greek intrigue. There is a lot of news from Constantinople, little joyful, and so much contradictory that you will not understand anything. The report for 1857 is just keeping up. We were terribly late. The count is not very pleased with Serbinovich on this occasion. According to Greek society, he did not take part in affairs. I wrote the most humble memo 218. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will give us success in business, not for our sake, sinners, but for the sake of the common good. Please also pray that the Lord will help me write against Mansurov, which is what I am doing now. Next week, on the 19th or 20th, I hope, with God’s help, to go to the Ladoga Monastery and talk there and even celebrate a holiday. At this time I suffered greatly from carnal thoughts, and there were strong wet dreams from the fact that I touched with my hands in a dream, without noticing or feeling it myself. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will help me to keep my soul pure, and not to upset my health, but to strengthen it. I also suffered from irritability and short temper, for which Terty Ivanovich also complained about me. Pray that the Lord will help us maintain friendly relations. I also suffered from proud thoughts, forgive me, damned one. I’ll write three lines and raise my nose. Pray that the Lord will allow me to see my sinfulness and insignificance. I am also interested in vanity and business. The Monk Simeon the New Theologian did not have time to translate even one word. I hardly read spiritual things. I’m standing in church, and my mind, driven by vanity, is busy with papers. Mother was with me in St. Isaac's and Kazan Cathedrals and was greatly comforted. Gaferley's father doesn't want to read his confession. In 5 days they will go to Moscow. They and also Brother Victor really want Brother Maxim to get married, since he doesn’t seem to think about monasticism, then I would be glad if he got married. Princess Maria Alexandrovna wishes to have from me a lithographed portrait of you, but not otherwise than with your blessing. Poor thing. There is a lot in her life that is difficult. Count E.V. Putyatin (from China) is here now. In Paris, he takes the grandson of the Moscow ruler N.A. Sergievsky as a teacher for the children for a year. Putyatin is a great person. Unfortunately, he is only partial to the Latin Church. By the way, this is what he says: “It was predicted about the Church of Christ in the psalms, in the Gospel and in the Holy Fathers that it will be universal, everywhere. This ubiquity is not more evident in any Church than in Latin. Wherever a Catholic goes, to any part of the world and country, he will find his church everywhere.” The count found it somewhat difficult to refute this and, turning to me, said: “It would not be bad for you to enter into correspondence with Optina Pustyn about this.” Many more from the local society are confused by the Latin sisters of mercy and missionaries, in whom they see boundless self-sacrifice, etc. The papists also reproach the Orthodox that our propaganda is not so strong because there is no (many or some) conviction in the unconditional and complete superiority of Orthodoxy and that only in the Orthodox Church can one be saved. This question also interested the Count very much. He asked many people (and high spiritual ones): “Who is the new Israel? Do all Churches (i.e. Eastern and Latin) bear the name Noah’s Ark,” etc. Almost no one dared to tell the Count that there is one true Church. One priest said this: “Different confessions are like multi-colored stones in one beautiful necklace.” At the count's request, I most earnestly ask you, dear father, to write to me in detail so that I can inform him. God grant that with your words he will completely calm down. The Count views evasive answers like the above partly as a sign of lack of faith. I fall at your feet and most earnestly ask you to pray for the count in holy cathedral. He needs help. In the report, among other things, he exposes the plight of the consistories, asks for money for this, and points out other dangers and needs of the Church. The count has no shortage of courage. Pray that the sovereign will look at this with a merciful eye and that this will benefit the Church. There is a new Latin preacher here, and many people come to see him 219. The Count wants me to listen to him so that we can know about him. Back in June I received a letter from Fr. Juvenalia. I kept putting it off and still haven’t answered. I’m ashamed, and I don’t know whether or how to answer now. I bow to all fathers. I fall at your feet, ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing, and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, December 11, 1858 From your letter sent on the 11th of December, I see that you received the manuscripts sent from us and were very calm about this. It's amazing why it took them so long to reach you. Thank you for sending the decree to the Kaluga Consistory about Father Paul. We hope that we will soon receive it and clothe it in the robe of salvation for the holiday. We didn’t receive the 17th issue of “Spiritual Conversation”, I don’t know why, but we’ll get it at the post office. We'll be expecting heavy mail. The portraits you are writing about, God bless you for helping Polixena Vasilievna. And we found people here who are passionate about this subject: 40 rubles. in silver and 10 rubles from the nuns. silver, only 50 rub. silver With this I am sending to you. Let us leave Greek society to the will of God. As He creates, so be it, where God helps good intentions in the care of the Eastern Church, no one can harm there, we cannot know the providence of God, what He is leading the real affairs of the East to and allowing His servants to go through the fire of sorrows and temptations, observing their reward in eternity. In your pursuits of zeal for piety, may the Lord help you to have time to write correctly and piously for the benefit of the Church and your neighbors. May the Lord bless your good intention to visit the Ladoga Monastery and be honored to be a communicant of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ and to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, on which I earnestly congratulate you. Prideful thoughts and irritability are the cause of passion arising from the desirable part of the soul. May the Lord give you the understanding to recognize them and the strength to resist them. When doing your business, when should you practice translating Simeon the New Theologian? Time is ahead, perhaps you will find freedom to do this. Your parent is afraid to read Gaferley’s confession, perhaps because if he had found the truth, he should have submitted to Orthodoxy following the example of his children; but pride does not allow this, having been a pastor, and then being simple, without having been ordained as a priest. Why shouldn't Maxim Karlovich get married? He is a secular man. If only the Lord would give a good match, an Orthodox and well-behaved girl. God bless him for this new life. If you wish, you can give Marya Alexandrovna Meshcherskaya a portrait of my thinness. You say there is a lot of hard things in her life. Yes, no one avoids sorrow in their life, otherwise people could deviate into various sins and forget about eternity. It is a pity for Mr. Putyatin that, having been born and raised in the depths of the Orthodox Church, he did not assimilate its purest teachings, because, apparently, he dealt more with Catholics and heard enough of their teachings. The papal predominance alone proves the incorrectness of their religion, which is what they are looking for and spreading their propaganda, but by what means? Money, intrigues, Jesuitism. Who are they converting? Orthodox Greeks and Slavs, seducing the poor from the right path, are attracted by protection from Turkish swords and other oppressions, but how many Muslims have they converted to their faith? I can't hear anything. Our Orthodox Christians very modestly convert the pagans who populate vast Siberia to the Christian faith, and a fair number of Muslims have recently converted beyond the Caucasus. But I mentioned this briefly now; later, with God’s help, we will write in more detail. There we will also mention that their teaching is heretical and an innovation contrary to the Orthodox Ecumenical Church, and not the main one of the Catholic Ecumenical and Apostolic Church. In all matters related to Orthodoxy, may the Lord help His Excellency to accomplish with good success, we humbly pray to the Lord for this. I wish you peace, health and salvation, and I remain an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. ABOUT. Paphnutius, Ambrose, Hilarion, Flavian and Andrei Ivanovich and all our brethren bow to you. Instead of a pattern, I am sending you a robe. Today I am sending you 300 printed portraits (100 of each), 100 prints of your portrait to Sevsk and leaving 100 (all together) for your friends here; it was not possible to print more for the first time. After the holiday, I humbly ask you to indicate exactly in what format and how many need to be printed, do you need more than 600 copies of each portrait for the book? At first we thought of drawing your portrait from both portraits (the one where you are alone, and the one where you are with other elders), but this combination was completely unsuccessful, it was necessary to correct and stick to one portrait, and we chose the one where you are alone, because the pose was already taken from it. I sincerely wish that you and everyone are happy. If something is wrong, then forgive me, for God’s sake, and point it out; We will try to fix what we can. Without Polixena Vasilievna, I would have been completely lost in this matter; she herself draws well and pointed out to the lithographer many errors, which, according to her words, he corrected, but I myself would not have noticed. I am sending the Sevsky nuns a portrait on Chinese paper (10 kopecks per sheet). The calculation is small, but much better. So far, Peter Ivanovich and Poliksena Vasilyevna have helped me most with the costs of lithography, then Dmitry Alexandrovich, brother Maxim, Dmitry Dmitrievich Obleukhov, and Peter Ivanovich also wants to invite Maltsova, which is necessary both for what has already been done and for printing more prints. Please take the trouble to notify me if the portraits arrive safely. No matter how they get spoiled on the way! Count Putyatin is very concerned about sending missionaries to China. They want to found a special missionary academy. The sovereign gives this to the village of Gruzino (formerly Arakcheeva), where there are already buildings. Putyatin, a poor man, donated 1000 rubles for the establishment of this academy. They propose to form missionaries in it not only to convert strangers, but also for our schismatics. The Count wants this academy to have a somewhat monastic order from the very beginning: so that they wear cassocks, attend services every day, etc. They propose to elect Fr. Clement (formerly in New Jerusalem, now in Kazan) 222. I most earnestly ask you, for the sake of general benefit, to inform me of your thoughts regarding the structure of this academy and also about Fr. Clemente, what do you know about him? Yesterday I was in the Latin church, listening to the preacher: it is noisy, thundering, but the church is full, and there are quite a lot of Russians! Brother Maxim wants me to send him a spiritual journal; I earnestly ask you to write to me which one you consider more useful for him. Of your money, I have 5 rubles left (you deigned to send it to the “Spiritual Conversation”, but the count ordered otherwise). Please write to me what you order to do with them. On Friday I plan, with God's help, to go to the Old Ladoga Monastery to visit Fr. Anthony. Bless me, father, to say a word there and celebrate the holiday. Sorry. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, December 15, 1858 I bring you my most earnest congratulations on the upcoming great holiday and wish you to meet it in good health. With your blessing, I hope to speak and celebrate the holiday with Fr. Anthony in the Old Ladoga Monastery, from where I am writing to you. I arrived here yesterday and hope to stay here until the 26th. A few days ago (last Monday) I sent 300 portraits to you and 100 to Sevsk. I earnestly ask you to tell me with complete frankness if anything was done wrong. Now you can still correct and even re-draw either one face or the entire figure. I ask you to inform me about this, both your opinion and the desire of the brethren and those who know you. I certainly expect an answer to this in your next letter. Bless me, dear father, here in the silence of the monastery I can gather and think about my soul, for which there is no time in the bustle of the capital. Indeed, not so much because of my position, but because of passion and vanity, I am so carried away by the affairs of the service that even in church, and while standing in prayer, I cannot think about anything else. I hardly read spiritual books at all. Simeon the New Theologian began the second word and still has not had time to translate it. I feel that I have an urgent need to free myself from extreme worldly attachments and devote at least an hour every day to reading or translating spiritual books. Pray, dear father, that God will help me with this. Without your prayers I can’t do anything. Probably, the rest of what I notice in myself comes from my passion for external affairs. I get carried away either by pride or by vanity, which feeds on the slightest success in business, and I seem to forget that I owe everything to God’s help, your prayers and instructions. I get carried away with anger and irritability and become unpleasant to others. I recently explained things to T.I. Filippov, who had a grudge against me. I have been especially weak lately in relation to carnal thoughts, which I enjoy. Forgive me, the accursed one, and pray that the Lord will help me to root out carnal thoughts and desires from my heart and not to condemn the Holy Mysteries, but to heal my soul and body. On behalf of the Count, I am adding some more questions to the questions about the Latin Church. Who is the new Israel - are they Orthodox alone or those of other faiths as well? How should we think about the Sacraments, and especially about the Eucharist in Latin? Is it possible to think that they have the true Sacraments, that is, the True Body and True Blood of the Lord? Perhaps these questions should not be answered directly and decisively, but then some kind of internal uncertainty remains. And when they brought me to Orthodoxy, according to the Order of joining, I promised to believe that outside the Orthodox Church there is no salvation. And in the Chetiy Menaia, similar expressions are found in different places. Why do our Eminences avoid giving a positive answer to the Count’s questions? Count Putyatin has the idea that, having lost Rome, to which primacy was once given, the Ecumenical Church is now not the same as it was before, and seems to have itself been damaged, and that in order to restore the former Ecumenical Church, the union of the Greek Church with the Roman Church is required, which is what the count desires. Putyatin. He also points to the proselytism of Rome and, on the other hand, to the coldness of the Greeks in this regard, in which he sees a lack of Christian love. All this either confuses or hesitates the count, and I most earnestly ask you, for his benefit and for mine, to write whatever you consider necessary. The Bishop of Moscow sent an amazingly wise note about the affairs of Constantinople: “A prophet will not fail with the Lord” 224. Please congratulate Fr. Moses, Fr. Antonia, Fr. Paphnutia, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Isaiah, Fr. Vassiana, Fr. Flavian and Andrei Ivanovich. I earnestly ask you to send me the pattern for your cell clothes, otherwise Polixena Vasilievna is very upset with me that I carried out her instructions so awkwardly and wrote to you myself. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. O. Anthony thanks you for your name day congratulations. He’s in no hurry to answer: maybe he’ll have the opportunity to write what he needs. He asks for your prayers. I gladly accepted your portrait from me. Old Ladoga Nikolaevsky Monastery, December 20, 1858 Please accept the most ardent congratulations from me, unworthy, on the upcoming New Year. Congratulations and Fr. Archimanrita, Fr. Antonia, Fr. Ambrose and all the fathers and brothers and I ask for their holy prayers. On the 24th, by the grace of God, I was honored to receive the Holy Mysteries, and on the 3rd day, due to my contrition, I was subjected to temptation and mental fall, for which the Lord punished me with illness. I am writing to you while lying in bed. Returning from the Old Ladoga Monastery, I and the road, in idleness, became carried away by lustful thoughts, and then at the station, when I saw a woman lying down in the room next to me, such a frantic kindling attacked me, of course, through my fault, that I, forgive me, damned one, approached her with vile intentions and if I had met some kindness and consent in her, I would have fallen! The Lord saved me from this, but the most powerful outflow followed. From this, from fatigue and a cold, I am now sick. Yesterday I didn't take any food. I am horrified by my damnation that this happened to me on the 3rd day after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Father! Punish me and forgive me, and pray that the Lord will have mercy on me! It is becoming difficult for me to live in the world, especially in St. Petersburg, and to resist! About visiting Fr. I’ll write to Anthony on Thursday. For the count, the time is cloudy and difficult. Pray for him. I fall at your feet and tearfully ask you to forgive me, the accursed one, and not to deprive me of my father’s blessing, and I entrust myself and my sinful soul to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, December 29, 1858 M.S.O.Sc. G.I.X.B.n. p, n. I congratulate you, most revered and beloved brother in the Lord, Konstantin Karlovich, on the upcoming New Year. May your heart be renewed from the old passions that plague you and insult you. May the Lord protect you and help you against all the snares and snares of the enemy. I am answering your last letter, which I received yesterday and which you sent on the 29th. You were greatly offended by the enemy’s wounds, so that you became physically ill. I sincerely regret you and advise you not to be cowardly, but to repent and humble yourself before the Lord, recognizing your weakness and poverty. You, wanting to be pure, retired to a desert shelter and there you were honored to be a communicant of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and joyfully celebrate the day of His Nativity. This, probably, was comforting for you, and perhaps you imagined something high about yourself, and therefore the enemy presented you with a snare for stumbling. However, I didn’t fully catch you in it. Thank God, who saved you, but from this case, recognize your weakness, and do not get carried away into thoughts of arrogance and vanity. But, recognizing that you are poor and wretched, and the hope of God saving you from cowardice and from the storm, remember that He looks upon the humble and helps them, and even more so in the passion with which you are fighting. May the Lord have mercy and forgive you for deviating thoughts. I wrote to you on the 16th of December, sent money 50 rubles. silver for portraits, and on the 20th my robe instead of a pattern for Poliksena Vasilyevna. I think you've got it all now. I also received two letters from you dated December 19 from St. Petersburg and from December 20 from the Ladoga Monastery. These were received on time, and the parcels were received on December 28th. God bless you for the portraits, in which the most respectable Pyotr Ivanovich and Polixena Vasilievna took a great part. I am very grateful to them, but at the moment I am not writing to them, although I have a letter from her. I feel great weakness and I am writing this with force. We thank you for your efforts, and all those who participated in this. The portraits arrived very well and were not damaged at all. Many people find in them a great resemblance to photographs that we ourselves cannot see, and some people say that my portrait is somewhat distorted. However, this is nothing: how many more of them will you print, as you like, it seems that they wanted 300 of each. And if it’s inexpensive, then for a book it’s 600, but you also need to print several triples. If only there are funds; Let us know how much will be missing, we will try to offer it to those here who can. It is a pity that Latin preachers, as you write, preach boldly and, of course, approve of their faith. And our Russians listen to him. And in our Kazan December magazine they write, in reference to Avdiy Vostokov’s book 227, that we don’t need to do this and tease them. Read this article as you see it. It seems that it doesn’t hurt Brother Maxim to send “Spiritual Conversation”; it is more varied than others, and in “Christian Reading” there is an essay by St. Chrysostom 228, and what has already begun continues, it will not have a beginning. Use the 5 rubles you have left to print portraits. We are still compiling a special note about your other questions, and there is a lot to read, then we will send it. Let's also remember the academy. I’m in a hurry to finish, as much as I could write, but what I didn’t have time to write, we’ll write later. I remain a wisher for your peace, health and salvation and an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. O. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion and all our brothers earnestly bow to you and thank you for the portraits, congratulating you on the holiday. Also about. Archmandrite and Fr. Abbot. My stay at the Old Ladoga Monastery left me with the most pleasant [impressions]. Father Anthony told me many interesting things about matters quite directly and frankly, and also told me about his life, among other things, about the circumstances that preceded his entry into monasticism. After the story about demons, I became afraid for him (which I did not hide from him), especially given his loneliness. Having recovered somewhat from my illness, I probably caught a cold again and am sick again, but tomorrow with God’s help I hope to get out. I celebrated the New Year very sadly, partly because I don’t have anyone particularly close to my soul here, but more because the sin I wrote to you about lies on my conscience. My father, who was here, really insisted that I turn to Dr. Kovalevsky, who treats using an electro-galvanic machine, to improve my health. It produces an electro-galvanic current in a special way, which is sent into the patient’s body through wires and plates. My father hopes that I will be cured in this way from an excess of emissions and from a nervous disorder. And I have an internal disgust from this treatment, but I don’t trust myself and I ask you to tell me whether or not I should be treated by Kovalevsky, and if I don’t, how can I write to my father about it? I received the money 50 rubles and thank you for it. Now only we have considered that your portrait is unsuccessful. It will be easy to correct it, but we ask you to resolve the question of whether the lithographer can copy your portrait exactly from the triple portrait or whether it can be taken from the portrait made here from a photograph with a magnifying glass, which I hope to send to you one of these days. We have received your cell clothes with gratitude and ask for your orders on what to do with them once the need has passed? I fall at your feet and humbly ask you, will you allow me, the accursed one, to keep this treasure for my mental and physical benefit? I feel that I am asking a great deal, but I know that your mercy is also great. As soon as I can leave the yard, I will try to carry out the instructions of Fr. Moses, whom I thank for the congratulations. For the 17th issue of “Spiritual Conversation” I bombarded the editorial office - it turned out that the postal expedition was to blame. I’ll try to get there when I recover. I hope to send lists of bishops and archimandrites soon with the help of Pyotr Ivanovich. Sorry. I hasten to send it by mail. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. The sovereign did not allow medicine to be removed from seminaries 230. St. Petersburg, January 5, 1859 You write to me on January 5th, before you receive my letter sent on January 3rd. I wanted to calm you down after the temptation that happened to you. And again I repeat the same thing: go like a wounded warrior in battle, and, having tied the wounds with a plaster of repentance, humility and trustworthiness, and fight the enemy who is confusing you, calm down. Yes, Father Anthony is quite knowledgeable about the affairs of the present time, internal and external. And what is his view on them, you can evaluate and believe for yourself. He has seen a lot in the world of people and is now engaged in journalism, understands the characteristics of the present century and time. May the New Year you greeted sadly be dissolved with joy in the Lord our Savior, who came into the world to save people. You write that my portrait is definitely unsuccessful, you have now considered this. Yes, and here some people find the same thing, but I am a blind judge, although I see that there is a difference with the photographic, but I wrote to you about this ambiguously. When you can correct it exactly with a photograph, that’s good. To your question, should a lithographer draw my portrait exactly from a triple or take it from a portrait made from a photograph with a magnifying glass, which you sent to us the other day: if you take one exactly from a triple, then, in the opinion of others, it won’t be bad, but when we get it, we’ll see, then we’ll say. But wouldn’t cutting out a stone be too unprofitable, far beyond my dignity?! You have an inner aversion to the treatment that your father offers you, through an electro-galvanic machine, and it seems that there can be no benefit without faith in it. I don’t know what to make of this car. If it is not close to magnetism, then it is good to leave this medicine, and remind your father that you have an internal aversion to this medicine and do not hope to get any benefit. We sincerely regret you and would wholeheartedly wish you to be healthy, but God’s providence is incomprehensible to us, why he allows you to suffer from such an illness. Of course, either to punishment, or to testing, and perhaps to a warning from any falls and keeping within the boundaries of humility. God bless you! It is very pleasant for me to fulfill your wish, to leave my robe for you. Be as you wish. We will wait for the promised lists of bishops and archimandrites and thank you for them. There was an error in issue 51 of Spiritual Conversation. The second sheet instead of s. Pages 481 to 496 are doubled with the 1st sheet p. 465 to 481 pages. We wanted to send it to the editor to change it, and send another one in its place. If you happen to be there, then ask to be sent away. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and a pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. Don’t be sorry for the slow response to your questions, we’ll try to send you. Our brothers bow to you earnestly. If you bothered to read the work of Avdiy Vostokov, “On the Relations of the Roman Church to Other Churches,” you would clearly see how much untruth there is in the Roman Church, both in dogmas, rituals, and in government. Look in the 2nd part on page 49, what kind of oath the popes elected to bishops take, which is completely inconsistent with the spirit of Christianity. Even on page 60, he will vigorously persecute schismatics, heretics and everyone who is not subordinate to the pope, and he calls the Orthodox schismatics. Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov described many of their lies in the book “The Truth of the Universal Church” and in the “Roman Letters” 232. And the circular letter of the patriarchs against the appeal of Pius 9. And all this clearly proves that the Roman Church fell away from the true Eastern Orthodox Church, and not the Eastern from the Roman-Western, and therefore one must wish that it would turn to the Eastern true Orthodox Church. It’s amazing how smart people like Mr. Putyatin, who was an Orthodox Christian, do not know the truth of their Church? This is because he reads what is against our Church and what is in defense, and does not know. This is how people get carried away by the seductive books of the papal Jesuits and propaganda. When we compare our teachings with theirs, we will see that the teaching of our Catholic Church is infallible, and the papal one, which deviates from the truth, is sinful; whoever rightly believes and follows the teaching is the true Israel. I had the consolation of receiving your gracious letter of January 2. I don’t know how to thank God, how to thank you for your mercy and condescension towards me, unworthy. God bless you! The other day I sent you a portrait of you, drawn from a photograph using a magnifying glass. I ask you to send it back to me and write down whether it is from this portrait, if you find it similar, or from the third one, do you want your portrait to be corrected? But it’s not difficult to correct and it’s necessary so that they don’t grumble afterwards. Let the fathers and brothers decide which portrait is better: photographic, triple or drawn. I also ask you to send me the exact format of the book “Description of the Desert” so that I know what size paper to print the portraits on. Having received a solution to these issues, we will immediately begin printing another 200 or 300 of each portrait, as you order, and 600 copies for the book. As for the triple portrait, with spiritual regret I must say that I do not have the means for this that your acquaintances here have provided. Some purchased portraits from me, all of this went and will be used for lithography and printing of single portraits, and there will be nothing left for triple ones. Lithography will cost about 70 rubles. ser., and for each sheet 10 - 12 kopecks. Maltsov and Potemkina have not given anything yet, but I don’t know who to contact them through. Tomorrow I hope to send you one copy of little books about bishops and archimandrites for 1854 (3 books). To you, dear father, one at a time (3 books), Fr. archimandrite one at a time (3 books), Fr. Anthony, and also Fr. Anthony asked me to send Fr. Gennady (Borovsky), which I did. I would like to send you some more just in case, but I couldn’t get any more. And these were obtained by P.I. Salomon, all his work. In the 17th issue of Spiritual Conversation, it is not the editors who are to blame, but the post office. I will answer O. Archimandrite’s letter tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Potemkina's brother Nikolai Borisovich Golitsyn, while living in Russia, wrote and published abroad a book against the Greek Church in favor of the pope 234. They want to excommunicate him (Golitsyn) from the Church for this and put him on trial. The article by the “Orthodox Interlocutor” against Avdiy Vostokov (Reverend Anatoly) outraged us too 235 . There are a lot of disappointing things in this magazine. All this time I was and am thinking about one thing: how good it would be to leave the vanity of the world and fulfill my long-standing desire - to enter a monastery. I won’t hide the fact that before this desire was combined with indecision, I seemed to persuade myself, and something attracted me to the world. And now, without regret, I would leave everything. I have served my fatherland little, but even from short experience I see: I can’t do anything. There is safety in numbers. There are so many obstacles to every good deed, nothing supports it, the spirit becomes depressed, and the hunt disappears without hope of success. And besides, I see how it is becoming increasingly difficult for me in the world. Loneliness is beyond our strength, marriage is not to our hearts. This means that there is only one way left to get out of the grave loneliness: be it good or bad, but let the brethren live together. Besides, is it useful to work here without any particular benefit, skipping the golden time while you, dear father, are still with us? I pray one thing: for God to untie me. Without a change in circumstances, it will be difficult for me to decide to give up everything; I also have debts from previous times. So that nothing is hidden from you, I am enclosing you a list (not entirely accurate, however) of my expenses from December 1, 1857 to December 1, 1858. How can I get out of debt? How can I get rid of the service? Circumstances approached that were humanly unfavorable for the count and for us. I secretly wish that my fears would come true and that I would thus be untied. I have determination, but I don’t trust myself. I fall at your feet and ask: instruct me in what is most beneficial for me to do, and beg God to lead me out of the vanity of the world onto the path of repentance and salvation. If the Lord pleases, all obstacles (debts, service) will fly away. I’ll tell you frankly: I have one remnant of indecision, it will be difficult for me to decide to leave everything and leave without a change in circumstances, but I think that if God wants it, then He will show me the way through circumstances. I entrust myself and my destiny into your hands. In the world, she, I see nothing ahead. I ask for your fatherly blessing and your forgiveness and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, January 12, 1859 I have the honor to congratulate you on your Angel’s Day and wish you good health and every consolation. I thank you for your letter of January 10, I ask for your fatherly blessing and forgiveness, and I entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, January 15, 1859 I thank you earnestly for congratulating me on Angel’s Day and for your well wishes. I received your letters dated the 12th and 15th, and we sent you a note on the 13th of January about the Latin religion 238. We have written a little of a lot, but those who want to know completely that the Roman Church has fallen away from the Orthodox Greek Church, let them read the district letter of the Eastern Patriarchs against the appeal of Pope Pius 9, printed in 1849, the book of Avdiy Vostokov “On the relations of the Roman Church to other churches”, “The Truth of the Universal Church” and “The Word of Catholic Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism” by Mr. Muravyov. It is well explained in the book of Vostokov (Reverend Anatoly) against the opinion that the Roman faith has spread throughout the entire universe and that this is why it is true, in the 2nd part on page 272 and further, how they spread this with loud cries of journalists, and a correct refutation is made to this. You can truly see how white and pure the light is. But whoever closes his eyes does not see the light. You are busy with portraits, God forbid! I received a drawn portrait, the art is very good, but the brothers do not find similarities in it due to the disproportion in some parts, and it is impossible to remove it correctly with a magnifying glass, it magnifies unevenly as it convexes. I am returning this portrait and enclosing a photographic portrait, which the brethren find very similar, from which I ask you to order to cut it out exactly. You write that it is not difficult to fix. If possible, the same one that was lithographed in the 100 copies we received. It would be enough to print another 200 copies of each. But they don’t seem to be needed for history. Instead, cut out and print a triple portrait of 600 or more. I am sending a measure of the format of the book, as it is, it will be pasted into the book, since the plan of the desert is pasted sideways, this does not interfere. You write that lithography (that is, cutting on stone) will cost about 70 rubles. silver I don’t understand whether this price is for one portrait or all three? And so, if you leave it, print 600 of each of the three, and print only the triple in 600 or 800 [copies]. In a triple portrait of Fr. Anthony, add a bronze cross, the same as in my portrait. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a cross to his single portrait. That means less need for dependency. And many people like triple ones because of their similarity, but it would be better to cut them out and print them. I still found people who are passionate about this subject, so I’m sending 50 rubles as a benefit. silver Compare the photographic portraits I sent with the printed ones and you will see what the difference is: it seems to be in the eyes, and the face is somewhat longer and seems younger than the real one, observe in order to more accurately remove it from the photograph. I thank the most respected Peter Ivanovich and Polixena Vasilievna for their participation in the printing and for delivering the books about bishops and archimandrites. But I haven't received them yet. I'll notify you as soon as I receive it. What a pity that our Russians are carried away into an alien faith and even rebel against their Mother Church. These are the fruits of Jesuit education and the preaching of papal agents. But they don’t even want to know about their true native Church; they read their false teachings and believe them. Truly such a retreat is worthy of lamentation. And here the December article of the Kazan magazine against the champion of faith Anatoly is also heartbreaking. Your desire to leave the world and enter the monastery of monks, of course, is God’s calling, especially since it is constantly growing in you, but everything must be done with expectation, consideration and prayer to the Lord, may He help you fulfill it in your good intention. Read from St. Isaac the Syrian Word 33. This is appropriate for your position. And remember the word of God: “Whoever wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and come after Me.” The denial of oneself by those entering our rank consists in the denial of one’s own mind and will and in the endurance of the sorrows that follow. You need to prepare yourself for this and be in tune with your mental and physical strength. Also, won’t love or passion for your parents and brothers serve as an obstacle for you, who, of course, all of them, except Maxim, will oppose this. And can you be fired by your boss? Will the debt that lies upon you not weigh you down? Consider all this and judge sensibly and count your possessions, can you create a pillar of rejection of the world? I know that it is difficult for you there too and that you find a good obstacle to every good deed, and it is impossible to do without it, for every good deed is either preceded or followed by temptation. This is how entering a monastery should be, with temptation either preceding or subsequent. For you, the feat and preservation of yourself in purity are all the more difficult due to your reluctance to enter into a marriage union, but you still wear shackles on your feet, according to the word of St. John Climacus, without a change in circumstances it is difficult for you to leave the world, and most importantly, you find your indecision within yourself. This is a matter of arbitrariness, or free will. We cannot give you direct advice to go, as we told you before, to tempt yourself in the field of service. Pray to God, as I said above, that He may send His blessing on your good intentions and destroy all the ties that tie you to the world, and when His will is done, He will do so for you. Handing you over to His omnipotent Providence and protection through the intercession and intercession of the Most Pure and Most Holy Virgin Mary, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation and an unworthy pilgrim, the much-sinful hieromonk Macarius. A booklet is included with the portraits. Deliver it to Poliksena Vasilyevna Salomon. The report submitted to the sovereign by the count and containing bold indications of the various needs of our department has not yet been returned; this and various other circumstances arouse many fears associated with my hopes, which I wrote to you about. Now, while neither fears nor hopes come true, I continue to work to the best of my ability and, by order of the count, I am compiling a short note about the current state of the Church in comparison with the previous reign 240. Then the termination of the union - now the Latin bishop in Saratov; then strict measures against schism and magazine freethinking are now the opposite, etc. Having no time to wait for your answer, I ask you, dear father, pray that the Lord will make me wise and help me write what is true and what is useful. Without your blessing and without your prayers I can’t do anything, but through your prayers and with God’s help even difficult things become easy. These days were somewhat alarming. The count considers his position to be fragile, and as a result of this, his first concern was to appoint in our department such a person who could later take his place, act in the same spirit with him, support the people elected by the count, etc. For which the count decided, and the sovereign deigned to appoint Prince Sergei Nikolaevich Urusov as director of the Spiritual Educational Administration (serving in Moscow in the Senate and married, it seems, to sister of Princess D. P. Obolenskaya). Thus, the current director of the Spiritual Educational Directorate, Serbinovich, was removed 241 (appointed as a member of the petition commission), for many - a joy of greatness! This great matter was decided on your name day, dear father. Prince Urusov, occupying the place of director of the Spiritual Educational Directorate, will be, as it were, a comrade of the count, in his absence he will correct the position, and over time, perhaps, he will completely take his place. How long the Count will last, I don’t know. I absolutely do not want to remain in the service after him; this seems to be the most favorable opportunity to move to Kozelsky district. It is difficult to leave the service before the count without special circumstances that would untie me. However, I surrender to your will and await your instructions. I'm afraid that my service here will be prolonged, that I will get confused. Shouldn’t I tell the count now that I don’t intend to serve without him? The editors of Spiritual Conversation received your letter about No. 51, and they said that they sent it. I thank you most earnestly for the dear gift of your cell clothes. The count listened to the note on the Latin Church with pleasure and intends to show the sovereign and empress the Latin oath of bishops. Today I read Kavelin’s letter from Jerusalem to Prince Obolensky, he hopes to return after the Saint. I hasten to finish the letter. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin Zederholm. A. N. Timasheva told brother Victor that you want him to be treated by Fr. Paphnutia. Brother ordered me to thank you for your trust in him, and he will try to earn it. He really wants Fr. Paphnutius actually came to those countries, and Countess Panina told me that then he could live in Dugin itself, where his brother lives. I finished the note on the dangers threatening Orthodoxy in Russia 242. Bless us for success. St. Petersburg, January 21, 1859 On the 24th of this month I wrote to you with an investment of 50 rubles. in silver and sent portraits at the same post office. After this I received your letter dated January 21st. You write that you are composing for the benefit of the Church, without receiving our answer; but from the continuation of your letter it is clear that you received our note. May God grant you to write something that is useful in protecting the Church from the wolves attacking the Orthodox flock of Christ. Reverence the Lord. We rejoiced at the change of a new person in the Spiritual Department: may the Lord help us to stand on guard so as not to allow wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing into the fence with their seductive florid false teaching. May the Lord strengthen the champions of Orthodoxy not to become exhausted in the field of this mental and visible battle. Don't give up your intention. Until an opportunity opens, work as hard as you can, calling upon the mighty and the God of the Lord’s minds for help. If you see a change in circumstances approaching, then you can tell the count about your intention and inconvenience to preserve yourself, and leave all this to the will of God, relying on His Almighty and Fatherly providence for us, having the immutable will to please Him. I don’t know where A.N. Timasheva came up with the idea when she wrote that Fr. Paphnutius wants your brother Victor to visit him. Polugarskaya suggested that he come to Moscow to consult with doctors, which he did, and is now in Moscow, and has also been to the Lavra. Doctors find that he does not need to be treated with anything other than water, and this should begin in May. I thank your brother for his willingness to help his neighbor. Entrusting you to the protection and providence of God, I remain an unworthy pilgrim and desirer of your health and salvation, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Our brothers bow to you. Your parcel has not yet been received and No. 51 of “Conversations”. Herzen wrote a letter to the Empress about education, the election of a mentor, etc. This letter confused many 245 . The Count ordered me to write an objection against him 246. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will enlighten me and help me write how useful it is. Bless this work I am beginning. I am not worthy to speak or write about lofty subjects. Like a pig wallowing in feces, I get carried away again and again by bad thoughts, I don’t keep my feelings and this upsets me mentally and physically. Forgive me, father, and pray again that the Lord will save me from embarrassment due to many and different rumors that those coming from Latin or Lutherans should be baptized, that this requires a new relationship with the Greek Church. I’ll write about this in more detail in my spare time, but now I’ll take on Herzen and ask you to assist my work with your fatherly blessing and to protect me from embarrassment and all evil with your holy prayers. The Ural schismatics ask that the Russian Church accept them into communion, that they be given priests, but allowed to serve according to their books, and that their priests be dependent on civil authority, and not on spiritual authority. Things have gone far - they almost agree. Bless and pray, dear father, to stop this matter for me. Pray that the Lord will enlighten us and prevent harm to the Church. The count decided to leave this matter to the Bishop of Moscow to decide. God bless! I'm extremely busy this time. For fear of being late for the post office, I can neither answer your letters today from January 24th (with 50 rubles) and January 31st, nor tell you the news, of which there is a lot... Hearing abuse... I received a parcel with a portrait. The day after tomorrow I am sending Fr. Archimandrite “Modern Ideas and Orthodoxy” 247. I ask for your fatherly blessing and forgiveness and entrust myself to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, February 5, 1859 From my previous letters you deigned to see that it seemed to me, and it was close, that the count was retiring. I thought of using this to leave the world. It turned out that the Count was staying. Whether time does not lend its hand, or my hidden passions are holding me back, but I cannot decide to leave the world right now. But my indecision relates only to time, and I don’t want to change my intention. It seems to me that love for my family will not hold me back. As for my strength, mental and physical, I know my weakness, but what should I do? It is no longer possible for me to remain in the world; if I decided to do this, I would be disgusting to myself, and my conscience, it seems, would not give me peace. This means that, feeling his weakness, he still goes to the monastery, trusting in the mercy of God. As for the service and debts, if an opportunity presents itself to leave the service, then, I believe, it will be possible to ask the count for help, partly from government funds, partly from him. Whether the opportunity will present itself soon, I don’t know. It doesn't seem to last long. However, pray, dear father, that the Lord will shorten the period of my stay here and give me the determination to find an opportunity, if it does not present itself. It's hard for me to live here. There are also strong lustful thoughts and wet dreams, and then such bitterness that I do not turn my eyes away from the temptation, but deliberately look for it. Irritation happens very often: today I, the damned one, killed my servant, however, I already asked for forgiveness. There are also proud thoughts: the count is merciful, and it seems to me, out of my wretchedness, that I write or speak intelligently, take advantage of the attention of other people, and I, instead of doing the work and thanking God, become proud and fall. All this time I am oppressed by some kind of gloomy melancholy. Petersburg seems like a desert to me, there seems to be no joy in anything, the only way I can relax is in conversations with the count, who, with a few exceptions, has a very similar way of thinking to me. Great Lent will soon be here, I don’t want to fast here in St. Petersburg, but there’s nothing to do, it will probably be impossible to leave in the first week, and in the last week, oh, if only God would bring me to fast with you and celebrate the holiday. It is convenient because there are no classes on Holy and Holy Days, and the Count leaves for Moscow on Holy Days, and at this time there may be obstacles on the roads. Pray, dear father, that the Lord will help me come to you, and write when you find it more convenient, according to your word the Lord will arrange it. I would also need to have an acquaintance here, a close one, from the spiritual, to talk and relieve my soul. I don't know who to turn to. Bless the Reverend Philotheus: he is greatly praised. I gave the portrait to be lithographed on your orders. A stone carving of a triple portrait (i.e. all three together) will cost 60 rubles for everything. The cutting of singles was based on a different calculation. Would you please write whether all 800 copies of the triple book have been assigned? That is, how many of them need to be printed on a small sheet in book format, and how many on a large one for distribution, like those already sent. The lithographer, feeling guilty, now promises to make it better and not very expensive. I received a summons for 30 rubles. I don't know who sent them. The article in the “Orthodox Interlocutor” against Avdiy Vostokov with other articles also greatly outraged us. The count had already written to the Bishop of Moscow with a request that he advise His Eminence Gregory (local) on how to deal with such articles 249 . The Count wants to ensure that articles published in Sobesednik from Kazan are sent for censorship either to Moscow or here. It’s not very pleasant for the people of Kazan, but let them blame themselves! I humbly ask Father Archimandrite to tell me that I am delaying the sending of “Modern Ideas” 250 because one of the publishers was leaving. Publishers want to send more copies to your desert. Nikolai Akimovich Barkov wishes to join our department. God willing. Many people attribute some participation to me in Serbinovich's resignation. Some say that I intrigued against him. You know that I spoke about him with Natalya Petrovna and the Bishop of Moscow, that’s all. Since then, the count, recalling the suspicions that Serbinovich was a Jesuit agent, always turned to me and proved the absurdity, in the count’s opinion, of these suspicions. The count also often told me about the merits of Count N.A. Protasov in opposing the Protestant trend, in the publication of Peter Mogila, etc. I mostly remained silent. In general, Natalya Petrovna’s conversation with the Count about Serbinovich did not convince the Count at all. Others, exaggerating the importance of the tasks entrusted to me, say that I survived Serbinovich by partially replacing him, that the count was convinced that much of what Serbinovich had done before could be done by me. This is very exaggerated. Most of his activities will go to Prince Urusov and Alexander Fedorovich Tyurin, vice-director of the chancellery. The count let Serbinovich go because he wanted to acquire Urusov and because since the summer Serbinovich had been burdened with business or was upset by some circumstances and worked slowly and worse than before. The report for 1857 is printed in extracts or with omissions. The Emperor received him favorably. Where it is said about the number of pagans who were annexed from other faiths and baptized, the sovereign made the remark that he wanted the Holy Synod to pay special attention to this most important subject. The count speaks in his report about the insufficiency of consistory staff, as well as about the embarrassing position of legislators in universities and gymnasiums 251. The Emperor allowed us to enter into communication about this with the ministers of finance and education. Finally, the sovereign agreed on the need for relations with the Greek Church and ordered considerations on this subject to be presented. In my next letter, with God’s help, I will say more about this. Meanwhile, political circumstances are vague, there is a fear of war between France and Austria, and also that we, like a dog to vomit, will not return to an alliance with Austria. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very busy and therefore holds for a long time the unfortunate charter of the Greek-Russian learned society, which was brought up for discussion there 252 . Here at the academy there is now a Franciscan who recently converted to Orthodoxy in Jerusalem and was baptized in the Jordan. Have they written to you anything about him? This is very important to know, because you will never understand what kind of person he is. However, he seems to be frank: he expresses his doubts and bewilderments directly. Sorry. I ask for your fatherly blessing and forgiveness and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. St. Petersburg, February 9, 1859 I am answering your two letters, most respected Konstantin Karlovich, sent by you on February 5 and 9. From which I see that your circumstances in the service do not change and you must carry out your feat for now in this field, calling on God’s omnipotent help in everything and not at all relying on your mind or your strength, but on God, who can save you from your cowardice and from the storm of passions. You should know, as the fathers teach us, that a strong struggle of passions is allowed for our exaltation and for the opinion of ourselves and our minds, as well as for the humiliation of others. Medicine in this way is humility, constant self-reproach. All this gives us peace and tranquility, for the Lord looks upon the humble and gives them grace. In the first letter you mentioned Herzen’s letter and the order for you to write to this objection and about the schismatics, but in the last letter you do not mention what result was achieved on these subjects? You say that some kind of melancholy is pressing on you, St. Petersburg seems to you to be a desert and there is no joy in anything. Gloominess and melancholy occur, perhaps, by God’s permission to test your will and love for God; God’s love appears in us not only when we are intoxicated with spiritual pleasures, but even more so when, when they are taken away, we are not faint-hearted, seeing darkness and darkness in ourselves. God's love is tempted by the contrary. And the fact that Petersburg is unpleasant for you, it serves for your better; it would be much more dangerous for you if it seduced you with the vanity and delights of the world. You would then forget about your intention. May the Lord strengthen you and confirm you in your good will and patience until the time of God’s will for your departure from the world. Why do you write that you don’t want to fast in St. Petersburg? Saving sacraments are performed in every place of God’s dominion; you worship there without any doubt, but with faith and love, and it will be for your salvation. If it is convenient for you to be with us during Holy and Clean Week, it will be a consolation for both us and you to celebrate the joyful holiday of the Resurrection of Christ together. But you also need to consider finances. Let us leave this to the will of God: as He pleases, let him arrange it. Are you asking me who to turn to for spiritual advice, to unwind your soul? You point to the Reverend Philotheus, I don’t know anything about him. Of course, he is a monk, but only a high person will probably not refuse you. I heard from Nikolai Joakimovich Barkov about the priest Fr. Vasily Grechulevich 254, who published the book of Avdiy Vostokov, that he is a good person. And from this we can conclude that he is a zealot for Orthodoxy, his book is “Reflections on the Cross of the Lord” 255. Try talking to him too. About triple portraits, it seems that 600 for a book and 200 for distribution are quite enough. And the others have already been written about. But where will you get money for expenses? Don't know. In the Kazan “Orthodox Interlocutor” we noticed only this one article against Avdiy Vostokov, but the others seem to be good, I don’t know which ones you find awkward? Yes, I ask you, don’t point it out to us that we wrote to you about this. Otherwise, the trouble is teaching scientists. So the reproach for Serbinovich falls on you. And you, considering your conscience and the course of affairs, find other reasons for it. However, you can’t convince everyone, be peaceful and calm. God Himself acts, and even more so in the affairs of the Orthodox Church. The acceptance of the 1857 report appears to be a good thing. You write some facts. We hope to receive them. We did not receive anything from our Jerusalem brethren about the Franciscan baptized in the Jordan. Father Leonid writes that His Eminence Kirill presented his dismissal from there to the Holy Synod, about this I ask you to notify me whether the presentation was received and what decision the Holy Synod followed on it. Will he be fired and will they soon send an order about this? All our brothers remember you and love you, expressing their respects. O. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Flavian, Fr. Andrey, o. Paphnutius had not yet returned from Moscow. Asking for you the peace and blessing of God and wishing you peace, health and salvation, I remain the unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. I congratulate you on the upcoming Pentecostal Day and ask for your holy prayers, so that the Lord will help me spend it Christianly and partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation. Next week I would like to speak, and I am afraid of the memory that very recently, having washed myself and begun the terrible Mysteries, I fell and did not get up! Father Archimandrite asked to send him 10 books “Are Modern Ideas Orthodox?” Publishers send these and other books, some 30 or more, others 10 or 20, and ask you together with Fr. archimandrite and with Fr. Anthony accept this offering from them and wish that, after distribution at your discretion, the rest will be sold in the shop for the benefit of the monastery. However, as you please. Yesterday I sent these books by heavy mail and attached to them some manuscripts: notes compiled by me on the orders and thoughts of the count about the dangers threatening the Russian Church and an objection to Iskander's letter 257 to the empress 258. I would like to hear your opinion about these notes and most earnestly ask you, for my and the general benefit, to tell me what is not entirely correct in them. I’m also sending Dubovikov’s story about Livonia, very interesting; two notes on the translation of the Bible by Alexander Laskaris and Archimandrite George Vegleris 259 and two notes by a former Franciscan baptized in Jordan, now living here 260 . I ask you, if necessary, to return all these manuscripts someday with other manuscripts that I sent you, it seems, in November (there was an objection to Zhemchuzhnikov’s note 261, etc.). I am also sending you a translation of 2 words of St. Simeon the New Theologian and a handwritten akathist. Little Salomon, Sasha, opened a collection here in favor of your monastery, the greatest pleasure for him is if his relatives put something in a box for Optina Pustyn. From the money he collected I send 3 rubles. 50 kopecks I smuggled them into the akathist. Finally, I am sending you the book of Prince Nikolai Borisovich Golitsyn “On the Union of Churches.” Take a look at what they write and why others are confused. Golitsyn makes an excuse by saying that he does not know who published his book! Yesterday I received an order from the count to write a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the dismissal of Kavelin (Fr. Leonid). The letter had not yet been sent, but that evening Pyotr Ivanovich reported that he had just received a message from the Reverend Kirill about this. If the count, even before receiving this presentation, was working for Kavelin’s return, then he will try all the more not to delay and fulfill the presentation. The case of the conversion of the Ural residents was transferred to the consideration of His Eminence Philaret. God bless! His wisdom has not and will not hide everything that is not quite right here 262. In “Orthodox Interlocutor” we are dissatisfied with the abundance of foreign words and such expressions: “Russia is now at the dawn of its revival!” etc. The notes about P. A. Michurin published by your monastery in 1849 do not indicate when he was born, when he left military service, when exactly he died and where exactly his grave was. V. I. Askochensky really wants to have all this information, who in his “Home Conversation” publishes the biographies of remarkable clergy. I was told that it would be nice if you had a bookseller on commission here. And the books would be sold, and it would be easier for readers to find good books; some of your publications are not here, and few know about many. And the bookseller would publish it on his own behalf. Would you bless me to bother about this and talk, for example, with Korablevsky and Siryakov, and what conditions can be offered to them? Princess Maria Alexandrovna Meshcherskaya seems to be in grief. She is apparently also grieving over not receiving an answer from you. I feel really sorry for her. Polixena Vasilievna asks me to explain some passages in the book of St. Mark the Ascetic, which may be clearer to me, because I read the Greek book and talked about many things with you and with you. I don’t want to deny something useful, I don’t dare take on unnecessary things. How will you bless? Serbinovich, even in retirement, unfortunately, enjoys some of the count’s confidence. I would like to point out some misconceptions in order to cut off the possibility of harm. I don't know if it's necessary? I thank you most earnestly for your letter of February 14th. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing, I entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. O. Moses, o. Anthony, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Fr. Flavian and Fr. I pay my respects to Andrey, thank them for their memory and ask them to pray for me. The Count is trying to ensure that the royal family is in St. Isaac's Cathedral on the Sunday of Orthodoxy. St. Petersburg, February 18, 1859 I am only informing you, most respected Konstantin Karlovich, that I have received your letter dated February 18, but I have not yet received the parcel, it should arrive on March 1, then I will try, to the best of our understanding, to write you our opinions that you require. I congratulate you on the upcoming Holy Lent, may the Lord grant you to be a communicant of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ this week and receive peace of conscience. May the Lord give you peace and health. All our brothers who know you bow to you earnestly. Now I have neither the strength nor the time to write much, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, the pilgrim, the many-sinful hieromonk Macarius. Notify about dismissal. Leonidas from Palestine. But Dmitry Alexandrovich, will he return from Ufa soon? I congratulate you on the upcoming Pentecost and ask for your prayers and blessings to complete the fasting I have begun and to partake of the Holy Mysteries without condemnation. Remembering the rule that one should not change one’s confessor, I would like to confess to the Lavra confessor, Archimandrite Melchizedek. He is very old, and a little deaf, and sometimes confesses quickly. I fall at your feet and ask you to pray to God so that He does not reject my repentance and helps me to sincerely confess my sins and correct myself. You know my sins. I do not guard my feelings and am so carried away by lustful thoughts that I once already had, as you know, a vile intention and mentally fell. I am carried away by Phariseical, proud, vain thoughts, and the devil keeps imagining to me that I will become famous. I am exalted by success in my affairs, and am carried away by anger, so that one day I hit a servant. I am careless in prayer, I do not have the determination to leave the world: it seems to me that time does not lend a hand, but in reality, it is probably my passions that are hidden from me that are holding me back. Forgive me, dear father, and pray that the Lord will forgive and allow me, and put into my dead heart the desire to improve, and lead me out of the networks of the world, at the same hour and with the same fate. You have consoled me a lot with the books of St. Orsisius. I earnestly thank you for showing me and allowing me to participate in this work and, having corrected it, publishing this translation. And my other works are not used. I mean the two notes I wrote in Moscow (“On unity with the Greek Church” and “Objection to Katkov” 265), and the last two – “On the dangers threatening us” and “Objection to Iskander’s letter to the Empress” 266. The Count does not yet dare to make a move: it seems that he is not entirely satisfied with the last note. In all this I see that for the praise the Lord does not bless these labors of mine, and at the same time it hurts that I worked in vain. I want to change Iskander’s answer, I wish it would benefit others, but vanity is mixed in. In Constantinople, as you know, a meeting has been convened for various church reforms. Some of its members, through the ministry, have sent draft reforms to the Synod and want to know its opinion. All this will be proposed first of all to the Bishop of Moscow, and his opinion, approved by the Synod, will be sent to Constantinople 267. God bless! We are very happy about this opportunity! I will present one booklet of the Monk Orsisius to the count, I have already given the other to Pyotr Ivanovich, and the third to Polixena Vasilievna Salomon on your behalf. The rest - to the Metropolitan, rector of the academy, Fr. Feofan (Govorov, the Recluse of Vyshensky, a true monk, a lover of fatherly books), and my confessor, Fr. Melchizedek. Sorry. I ask for your forgiveness and fatherly blessing and entrust myself and my family to your holy prayers. Your unworthy son Konstantin. St. Petersburg, February 26, 1859 Again, I don’t have time to write to you, beloved in the Lord, Konstantin Karlovich, this week was not the time for letters, and besides, I have not yet received your parcels. Another benefactor was found and donated 50 rubles. silver for portraits. I am sending them, and, if possible, add triplets. One of these days a lady is leaving from here to St. Petersburg - Alexandra Nikolaevna Shcherbacheva. I ask her to deliver three prosphora to you: one for the Count, one for Pyotr Ivanovich and Polixena Vasilievna Salomon, and one for you. Take the trouble to deliver them. Yes, she has an order to buy 50 books of gold for the iconostasis there, but she doesn’t know the use of them and where to take them. You know Nikolai Ioakimovich Barkov, and he knows the merchant Tikhon Egorovich Palilov, who himself produces materials. Try to show her the way to this. She doesn't know anything. I wish you peace, health and salvation, I remain an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. You probably received the Holy Mysteries today. Congratulations. What does he write about? Plato, take the trouble to find out. Yesterday Alexandra Nikolaevna Ofrosimova went from here to St. Petersburg with her grandson Nikolai Rosset, I sent three prosphoras to you with her: to the Count, to Pyotr Ivanovich Salomon and to you. I ask you to present them to them from our zeal and also sent you 10 books of the Monk Orsisius 270. I would have sent more, but we also received a little ourselves. I received two of your letters dated February 18 and February 26, and along with the last one I received books, manuscripts, and Sasha Salomon’s collection. The books were given by Fr. Archimandrite, some articles have 30, while others have fewer. O. Gave Anthony 2 books of each article. We have not yet read all this due to its short duration and timelessness. God bless you and Nikolai Joakimovich. He also sent several of the same books himself. You write that in the first week you prepared for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and, truly, you were awarded this great gift on the 28th, on which I earnestly congratulate you, may these Mysteries be for you for the remission of sins and for the health of your soul and body. Grief over the sins you have committed proves that you hate them, regret your deeds and are contrite, but “God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” and “Behold, you were in health, to whom no one sinned...”. The reason for your attempts, although it has an external situation, is more from your internal structure, and especially from pride, for, according to the word of St. John Climacus, where the fall followed, was preceded by pride. Even if the will was good, strength is needed to resist passion. During a spiritual struggle, of course, it happens that you both lose heart and rebel, but not to be faint-hearted and not to be embarrassed, but, recognizing your weakness, you need to humble yourself, and repent, and ask for God’s help to assist you in this battle. God looks down on the humble, but allows those who are exalted to graze, so that they may humble themselves. You write that you notice in yourself a tendency towards vanity and glorification, but in reality this does not happen, from this you must learn that everything that we do must be done for the glory of God: “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory.” In every work and undertaking we must call upon God’s help and, while doing it, acknowledge that we are accomplishing it with His help, for He said: “Without Me you cannot do anything.” Here is your work, the translation of the Monk Orsisius, crowned with success for the glory of God. Likewise, others can be published, if it is the will of God. Don't be embarrassed. You say that we know about the convening of an assembly in Constantinople for various church transformations, but we know nothing about this except as we see from this letter of yours. We would like to know what subjects this concerns: religious, or dogmatic, or ritual, or orders in the form of government, etc. If possible, please describe this at least briefly. It is very pleasant that the Greeks also demand our consent, a sign of unity in a union of peace, God willing, for the better. In the Ancient Church there was such agreement through a message to the main Churches about any decrees, and thus uniformity and like-mindedness were established among the believers. After reading your manuscripts, we will try to write to you, but, unfortunately, I have so little time that I don’t think to do it, up to 60 letters do not leave the table, and sometimes I am not able to write even two a day. God bless you, oh. Andrey helps me in this matter, but only to some, and everyone cannot write to him, and you have to do it yourself. We have no more information about Pyotr Michurin. Will they find in the Zosima Hermitage, where Elder Zosima Verkhovsky lived and died, who knew this Michurin and lived in the Siberian forests, about which they wrote to Mother Abbess Vera Verkhovskaya in that Hermitage, and what we find out, then we will notify. You write that it would be nice for us to have a commission agent, a bookseller, in St. Petersburg; We don’t know anyone there, and the books were sent from us to a commission in Moscow by the merchant Ferapontov, and he sends them on his behalf to St. Petersburg for a commission, but we don’t know to whom. Well, when you propose to someone, and what their consent will be, then write about this directly to Father Archimandrite, and not to me, but I already have a lot to do. Princess Marya Alexandrovna grieves me for not receiving a letter from me, but I answered her letter on December 16th and soon received another letter from her dated December 10th and did not find it necessary to write about it, because in the letter dated the 16th I wrote what was needed, and in this she did not even write such matter as to write about. And you know how difficult it is for me to answer, and besides, I have to write it myself. I ask her to forgive me for this. You can explain some articles of your father’s writings to Polixena Vasilyevna, as you understand, but not with the rank of teaching and not with vanity. Thank God that the count deigned to agree to the dismissal of Fr. Leonid from the mission, and please notify me when the dismissal is sent, so that I know how he can get away from there, and you don’t know who is being appointed to replace him? Father Bartholomew, a venerable and spiritual elder who is very familiar to me and close in spirit, was formerly the Belobezhsky hieromonk, then hegumen of the Yuga Dorofeevskaya Hermitage, and somehow fell under investigation, and his case is in the Holy Synod, and it seems he himself went to St. Petersburg. Then I ask you, ask whoever you should for protection for him, Pyotr Ivanovich, and if necessary, then the count. You will oblige me with this. Nikolai Akimovich Barkov is very familiar to him. Fr. Archimandrite, perhaps, he himself will write to you, and Father Abbot Anthony expresses his respect to you, and our brothers who know you, Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Hilarion, Flavian and Andrei. We all remember you and wish that the Lord will strengthen you in the field of your service for the benefit of the Holy Church and the common. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. I don’t know Nikolai Akimovich’s address, please tell him. What rumors are there from Dmitry Aleksandrovich Kavelin, will they return from there soon? I bring you my deepest gratitude for the little books of St. Orsisius and for the prosphora. And the count thanked you most earnestly for the prosphora. 50 gold books will be sent by mail 272, they were not in time for the departure of A. N. Ofrosimova. About the dismissal of Fr. Leonidas, the protocol was signed by the members of the Synod, and the decree will soon be sent to Jerusalem 273. I would like to write about this. Leonid. He was awarded a gaiter. Hierodeacon Eukarpius (from Kyiv), who is now also in Jerusalem, is appointed in his place. Mansurov is here, bringing some news, but the count has not seen him yet. Dmitry Alexandrovich wanted to leave Ufa at the end of the 3rd week of V. Lent. About Fr. Bartholomew, I asked Pyotr Ivanovich, who somewhat doubted his rightness, but, however, promised to carefully consider the whole matter himself, and Fr. Bartholomew doesn't ask for anything else. The count is unwell, relaxed and seems to be losing heart; it seems that he would be glad to retire, not seeing the benefit of his labors. It dawned on him that the Recon hermit 274 said that in the month of August we can expect special disasters if we do not pity the Lord with prayers. This seemed to completely upset the count. In the “Orthodox Interlocutor” in the March book, 1 Cor. 7:23 is given in a perverted sense 275. Finally they decided to subject this magazine to Moscow censorship. And among the secular ones he has many defenders, some high-ranking ones, they say. A request had already been made to the count as to why they did this to the “Orthodox Interlocutor”. How will it all end? Pray, dear father, that the Lord will strengthen the mental and physical strength of our good leader. A meeting of clergy and even more secular persons was convened in Constantinople. Changes in church governance are expected. They want to give participation to the laity in the election of the patriarch and bishops, and to give the laity partly the management of church property; mixed commissions of clergy and laity will be established, and these commissions in many cases will replace bishops, and bishops will be given only purely spiritual matters, by which they mean only what concerns dogmas. They want to replace the Synod of permanent, lifelong members (geronts, elders) with a Synod of 12 members, of which one half will be replaced annually by others, so that each member will have to sit for no more than 2 years. The present Patriarch 276, dissatisfied with his Synod, united with the secular ones and agreed to these transformations. Metropolitan Philaret wrote an excellent opinion about these matters, which was sent to our embassy in Constantinople. Now an objection to it has been sent from there, written, probably, not without the assistance of our first dragoman there, Argyropulus, an unchurchly and crafty man. Meanwhile, the acts of this meeting, at the request of some members, were sent at the discretion of our Synod. We sent them first of all to Metropolitan Philaret. I would like to come to Strastnaya, I don’t know what the roads will be like. Bless me, father, when should I leave? Should I bring or send you the “Words” of Abba Isaiah in the Minier edition, which is much better than Holland’s? Pray that the Lord will help us in lithographing portraits: not without difficulties. Your unworthy son Konstantin 3. St. Petersburg, March 16, 1859 We are in your debt for your questions about some of the articles you sent to us, but even now we cannot say anything, since these subjects are sensitive and one cannot always trust their writing. You are disposed to be with us, then perhaps you will not be caught by the sending of your papers and these discussions. I sent you 50 rubles on February 28. silver, but from your last letter dated March 16 it is not clear whether you received it. I don’t know why it took so long for them to reach you. It would be desirable to know whether the members of the Holy Synod know the written opinions of Constantine, who converted to Orthodoxy, on some differences between the Russian Church and the Greek Church 278, and Lascaris and Vegleris on the translation of the Bible? 279 And how do they think about it? It’s a pity for our good champion of holy Orthodoxy; May the Lord strengthen his mental and physical strength for the good of the Church and her children, we humbly pray to His Goodness. On whom depends the convening of the spiritual and temporal members in Constantinople for reform in church government? Does the Turkish government have any participation or interference in these matters? It seems that it will not miss, because this concerns the management of affairs. Is everyone well-intentioned in this important revolution? God grant that there will be no disagreement or indignation among our eastern co-religionists and that the integrity of our faith and unity with us will be preserved. Is there anything here from Western politics? They are everywhere ready to interfere with their propaganda, causing a strong attack on our dear Russia, and supplying books and preachers in order to shake our holy Orthodoxy, and, unfortunately, the upper class greedily listens to Sawyer, and our teaching seems to be alien to them. With sickness and trembling of heart, we read a book about the possibility of uniting our Church with the Roman Church. How many lies and exaggerations are there, written with confidence, and from whom - from the son of the Orthodox Church! Of course, if those who are confirmed in the faith read it, they will be heartbroken, but will not be carried away, but those who are indifferent to the faith, and especially those who are familiar with the West and read false but attractive books, it is no wonder that they will be shaken. How should our archpastors look at this? The wolves torment the herd, and the herd willfully moves away from the fence. Our current situation is lamentable. Do you know whether the Metropolitan of Moscow and St. Petersburg know about this book, and have any measures been taken against this harmful teaching? May God preserve our Orthodox Church in all the purity of its teaching. This is what our rapprochement with Western Europe has brought us to! Thank you for notifying us about. Leonida, we will expect him, but, it seems, no closer than the month of June. We also thank you for Father Bartholomew, in which, as I see, you took part. It’s a pity for the venerable old man, who worked so hard for so many years. But be it the will of the Lord, He is able to deliver him from the temptation that has found him. It would be very pleasant for you to visit our monastery, but wouldn’t it be a big expense for you? And will the road allow it? We still have frosts, and we don’t know how soon the water will flow. Only the road from Moscow is difficult, but from Kaluga there are two transportations across the Oka to us, to avoid which you can get from Kaluga to the Tikhonova hermitage, 17 versts, and from there about. the builder Moses will give you horses to our desert. There is only one transportation through the Ugra. And if you find the opportunity to go, then, of course, you need to leave in the 6th week and no more than half of it. God help you! It is not clear from your letter whether you received my letter sent on March 3rd? You mention about portraits that they are not made without difficulty. In this case, it is better to leave them. The matter is not so important as to require any effort. I'm sorry for making it so difficult. I wanted to send you money for books, but I’m afraid you won’t receive it soon. And in letters I doubt that you are receiving them correctly. We do not have the 2nd book of “Byzantine Historians” and “Home Conversation”. Bring it or come, and then you will receive the money or send it. About the “Words” of Abba Isaiah, which are in the edition of Minya, Fr. Plato says that he read the translation of one "Word" in the "Spiritual Discourse" and finds it word for word correct, and therefore it seems unnecessary. They ask me who is the author of the wonderful little book called “Letters on Christian Life,” published by Elagin 280,” and I don’t know what to answer? Please find out about this and tell me. I don't have this book. I haven’t received the gold yet, but I will also be in your debt for sending it. Our fathers all earnestly bow to you and wish you peace, health and salvation, and together with them I wish the same and, asking for God’s blessing on you, I remain an unworthy pilgrim, the much-sinful hieromonk Macarius. For some reason, this letter was left at that post office, and is sent to this post office on the 21st. Meanwhile, I received a letter from Fr. Bartholomew, asks me to ask Pyotr Ivanovich and Poliksena Vasilievna about him, which I do at the same post office. I am enclosing a letter and Fr. Bartholomew, please deliver it to him. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 3–4 vol. Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. K. K. Zederholm received a master's degree in Greek literature for his dissertation “On the life and writings of Cato the Elder.” Zederholm K. Cato the Elder // Russian Bulletin. 1857. T. 12. No. 11. P. 205 – 256. No. 12. P. 445 – 492; dept. ed.: On the life and writings of Cato the Elder, according to Greek and Latin sources, written by Konstantin Zederholm. M., 1857. The St. Petersburg Orthodox magazine “Spiritual Conversation” was founded in 1857 with the assistance of Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov). Published weekly at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary in 1858 - 1876. The editor of the magazine is V. A. Askochensky. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 5–6 vol. Elder Macarius (Ivanov) was born on November 20, 1788. OR RSL. F. 107 K. 7. D. 8. L. 64 – 64a. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 7–7 vol. From November 20 to 28, 1857 OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D.28. L. 11–12 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K.6. D. 28. L. 9–10 OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 18–19. Chief Prosecutor A.P. Tolstoy instructed K.K. Zederholm to write a note justifying the need to restrain schismatics and sectarians by government authorities in order to prevent the spread of false teachings among Orthodox Christians. Here and further in letters to Elder Macarius, K. K. Zederholm, using the address “count,” means the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, Count A. P. Tolstoy. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 65–66. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 67–68. Manuscripts (translations of the works of the holy fathers by Archimandrite Paisius (Velichkovsky)) and other materials related to the publishing activities of the monastery were transferred to Optina Pustyn. In his work “On the life and works of Nicodemus the Holy Mountain” (M., 1865), K. K. Zederholm mentions the unpublished works of Gregory Palamas, stored in manuscripts: “A Word to Xenia, about the passions and virtues, and about those born from the silence that exists in the mind,” “On prayer and purity of heart,” “Chapters natural, theological, moral and active. Svyatogorsk spiritual definition, sanctified silent ... "and others (see: Orthodox German. Hieromonk Clement (Zederholm) - inhabitant of the Kozelsk Optina Hermitage. Optina Hermitage, 2002. pp. 221–224; Kashirina V.V. Literary heritage of the Optina Hermitage. M., 2006. pp. 56 – 206; Erast (Vytropsky), historical description of the Kozelskaya Optina Hermitage and the Optina Monastery, 2002. P. 120). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 69–69 vol. The master's debate of K. Zederholm took place on January 20, 1858. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 71–71 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 13–17 vol. The letter is undated. Donatism is a schismatic movement of the 4th–5th centuries. The works and activities of Blessed Augustine played a decisive role in the victory of the Church over the Donatist schism. A number of canonical decrees to heal the Donatist schism were adopted by the Local Council of Carthage in 419. Here and further in the letters the author's underlining is retained. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 20–23 vol. See: Book of Rules of the Holy Apostles, Holy Councils of the Ecumenical and Local and the Holy Fathers. 1893. L. 202–203, 224–226, 231. See: [Leonid (Kavelin)]. An eyewitness account of the actions of the Right Reverend Jacob in converting the schismatics of the Saratov province. St. Petersburg, 1862. The Venerable Optina Elder Hilarion (in the world Rodion Nikitich Ponomarev), even before entering the Optina Monastery under the patronage of the Archbishop of Saratov Jacob (Vecherkov), from 1829 to 1838, was active against various sects. With his direct participation, the eunuchs sect ceased its activities in Saratov. Thanks to the personal labors of the future Optina elder, representatives of other faiths (Lutherans, Jews) also accepted Orthodoxy. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 73 – 74 vol. With the assistance of Archbishop of Saratov Jacob (Vecherkov) in the 30s. 19th century The anti-schism mission “Orthodox Brotherhood” was created in Saratov. The fruit of the mission’s activities was the conversion of about twenty thousand schismatics to Orthodoxy (see: \Leonid (Kavelin)\. An eyewitness account of the actions of the Right Reverend Jacob in converting the schismatics of the Saratov province. St. Petersburg, 1862). Parfeniy (Ageev), archimandrite. About the Providence of God, how through Orthodoxy it leads to salvation, and exposes the non-Orthodox by their own deeds. M., 1857. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 24 – 25 vol. On the initiative of St. Philaret of Moscow in 1856, during a meeting of the Synod in Moscow, a decision was made to resume the translation of the Holy Scriptures. However, due to the negative attitude towards the translation of St. Philaret of Kyiv, who was supported by Chief Prosecutor A.P. Tolstoy, the question of translation was again returned to the Synod. The second synodal decision on the beginning of Bible translation took place on January 24, 1858. The protocol according to this definition was drawn up on March 20 and approved by the emperor on May 5, 1858 (see: I. A. Chistovich, History of translating the Bible into Russian. St. Petersburg, 1899, pp. 269–294). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 26 – 29 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 75 – 76 vol. “The will of the flesh is the natural movement of the body followed by kindling without thoughts, which are strengthened by sleep and rest of the body, about which blessed Peter says: Do not be surprised at the reluctance in you to the temptation that comes to you, as if it happens to you that is alien to you (1 Peter 4:12). And blessed Paul said about them: the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, therefore he commands, saying: walk in the Spirit, and do not commit carnal lusts (Gal. 5: 16-17). The apostles said this, wanting us not to agree with such movements” (Instructions of Mark the Ascetic, 2.64 // Philokalia in the Russian translation of St. Theophan, the recluse of Vyshensky. M., 1998. Vol. 1. pp. 449–450). Thanks to the note by I. V. Kireevsky “On teaching the Slavic language together with Russian” (1854), the teaching of the Church Slavonic language was introduced at the Belevsky district school, in the position of honorary superintendent of which I. V. Kireevsky served since 1839. I. V. Kireevsky repeatedly addressed this issue to the trustee of the Moscow educational district (1835–1840) to Count S. G. Stroganov, as, for example, in the note “On the directions and methods of the initial education of the people” (1840). A number of articles published by I. V. Kireevsky from 1828 to 1856: “Something about the character of Pushkin’s poetry” (1828), “Review of Russian literature for 1831”, “Review of the current state of literature” (1845) - also reflected the philosopher’s views on the understanding of the Slavic language “as God’s spiritual gift and a living, integral semantic unity” see: Kireevsky I.V. Poli. collection Op.: In 2 vols. M., 1911; Kireevsky I.V. Selected. articles. M., 1984; Motorin A.V. “Literature” and “literature”: I. V. Kireevsky’s view of the nature of the creative word // Ivan Kireevsky: Spiritual path in Russian thought of the 19th–20th centuries. M., 2007. Master's thesis by K. K. Zederholm OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 30–34 rev. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 35–38 rev. At the magazine “Russian Conversation” in 1858–1859. The magazine “Rural Improvement” was published. To Samara. – Note. K.K. Zederholm. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 77–80 vol. See: Yakhontov P. //., priest. The second letter of a Russian Orthodox priest to a former compatriot and fellow believer, and now an apostate of Orthodoxy, living in foreign lands // Spiritual conversation. 1858. No. 8. pp. 314–324. What do you call bodily techniques? – Note. St. Macaria. See: Monks Callistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos. Instruction for the Silent, in a Hundred Chapters. Ch. 14 – 18 // Philokalia in the Russian translation of St. Theophan, the recluse of Vyshensky: In 5 volumes. M., 1998. Vol. 5. pp. 342–363. See: Our Venerable Father John, Abbot of Mount Sinai, Ladder, in Russian translation: seventh edition of the Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage. Degree 27: About silence. § 61. Sergiev Posad, 1908. P. 428. See: Our Reverend Father Simeon the New Theologian, abbot of the monastery of St. Mamanta, twelve words in Russian translation from Hellenic-Greek: second edition of the Kozelsk Optina Hermitage. Sergiev Posad, 1911. P. 15. See: Useful advice // Spiritual conversation. 1858. T. 1. No. 9. P. 349 – 363. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 39–43. The expedition was sent to Mount Athos in 1859. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 44 – 46 vol. K. D. Kavelin was soon dismissed from the position of teacher of the heir after the publication in the magazine Sovremennik (1858. No. 4) of the article “On New Living Conditions,” which included excerpts from his note dedicated to the liberation of the peasants. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 81. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. L. 83–84. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 57–59 vol. See: 1 Pet 4. 12. Θενίζεσθε – the imperative mood of the present tense of the second person plural from the verb ξενίζω: the first meaning of which – to receive as a guest – is most often found in the text of the New Testament (see: 1 Cor 16:19; Acts 10:6); the second meaning is to be strange, new (see: Acts 17:20); the third meaning is to surprise (see: 1 Pet 4: 4). At a meeting of the Council of Ministers, a decision favorable for the Church was made. Using the note prepared by Zederholm, as well as the opinions of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and other hierarchs, the chief prosecutor was able to prove that the government can and should counteract the schism. All the claims of the Old Believers were rejected by the emperor (see: Bezhanidze G.V. Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod A.P. Tolstoy and St. Philaret // Filaretovsky almanac. M., 2008. Issue 4. pp. 106 - 118). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 85 – 86. A.K. Modern ideas and Orthodoxy // Spiritual conversation. 1858. T. 1. No. 10. P. 375–393. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 48–53. See: D. Daskalov X. K. Turkish Affairs // Russian Bulletin. 1858. T. 13. February. No. 4. Book. 2. Department: Modern. Chronicle. pp. 245–265; T. 14. March. No. 6. Book. 1. Dept.: Modern. Chronicle. pp. 35–52; T. 15. May. No. 9. Book 1. Dept.: Modern. Chronicle. pp. 33–51. We are talking about a secret note by B. P. Mansurov “Orthodox worshipers in Palestine”, which was printed on December 25, 1857 in a very limited edition to discuss issues related to the pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the government (see: Vakh K. A. Jerusalem project of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich // Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and the Russian pilgrimage to the Holy Land Earth. M., 2012. P. 37). The magazine "People's Reading" was published in St. Petersburg in 1859 - 1862. The editors of the magazine are Colonel G. Shcherbachev and collegiate secretary A. Obolensky. On March 20, 1858, the project for publishing the magazine was considered at the Synod, which forbade the editors of the new magazine to publish articles of theological content. The protocol of the synodal determination was written by K. Zederholm (see: Appendix 5). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 87–88 vol. Russian consul in Adrianople. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 60–64 It is unclear which article is being referred to. In 1852, an article by A.N. was published in “Additions to the Works of the Holy Fathers” (No. 11). Muravyov “On the difference between Protestant teaching and the truths of Orthodoxy.” The article was published anonymously. See: Reply to Mr. D. // Moskovskie Vedomosti. 1858. 5 Aug. No. 93. P. 864 – 866; Aug 7 No. 94. P. 874 – 876; Aug 9 No. 95. pp. 885–886; Aug 12 No. 96. pp. 894–895; Aug 14 No. 97.– 904–906. This refers to P.I. Salomon. ORRGB. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 64–65 vol., 70–71 See the bishop's report. Kirill to Gorchakov on March 11, 1858: “...the cause of all evil... is the predominance of the Greeks, who have seized all spiritual power into their hands. In the Eastern Church they currently have three patriarchates in their hands, inhabited by a purely Arab tribe. The Synod of Constantinople disposes of the patriarchal thrones in Antioch, Jerusalem and Alexandria at its discretion... It must be rightly added that on the side of the Greeks is not only external force, as if acquired by chance, but also moral or, more precisely, mental advantages. Their dependent position has sharpened their naturally resourceful mind, and if enlightenment among the Greeks has not gone far, then among the simpletons circumstances have developed such political abilities that involuntarily catch the eye... The zealots of Orthodoxy in the East face a double struggle: with the centuries-old predominance of the Greeks and with the ever-growing influence of the Gentiles... An open struggle with the Greeks is impossible; they are very strong, as one community ruling over the entire East, which knows how to appreciate the benefits of its current position, when it can open up in different cases with equal confidence, either against the Orthodox or against the Turkish government. The only way to weaken this power is to snatch from the hands of the Greek hierarchy the patriarchates of Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria, or at least the last two, to which the Greeks no longer have the slightest right. And this is only possible under the condition of the participation of the Porte” (RGIA. F. 797. Op. 28. Dept. 2. Art. 2. L. 34 – 35, 39 – 39 vol.; for the full text of the report, see: Ibid. L. 3 – 45). OR RSL. F. 188. K. 11. Storage unit. 5. L. 92–103 vol. The note, on a separate sheet of paper, was probably included in the letter dated May 15 OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 89–92 vol. Bishop Kirill (Naumov). Newest travelers to the East: Excerpts from an article by the French researcher Saint-Map Girardin // Spiritual conversation. 1858. T. 2. No. 17. pp. 191–206. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 66–68 vol. See: Collection of opinions and reviews of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, on the affairs of the Orthodox Church in the East. St. Petersburg, 1886. pp. 6–7. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 72–73 vol. P. I. Salomon stayed in the Optina Hermitage from June 18 to June 22, 1858. He confessed to the Monk Macarius and talked with the elders. “I saw and heard a lot of edifying and useful things in this blessed monastery,” wrote P. I. Salomon to A. P. Tolstoy in his report on the trip (RGIA. F. 797. Op. 87. D. 174. L. 23). Soon members of the Salomon family become admirers of the Optina elders and frequent guests of the monastery. It is known that the elders called P. I. Salomon “the man of Optina” (see: From the correspondence of Father Clement Zederholm / Publ. V. M. Bokova // Russian Archives. 2005. Issue 14. pp. 255–264). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 74–75 rev. K. Zederholm was returning from a business trip to Kyiv. See: Neil of Sinai, St. Word on the Gospel saying: “Whoever has a bag, take it, and also the scrip; and whoever doesn’t have it, sell your clothes and buy a sword” (Luke 22.36) // Works of the Holy Fathers in Russian translation, published at the Moscow Theological Academy. T. 3. Creations of our venerable father Nil, the ascetic of Sinai. Part 1. M., 1858. pp. 312–328. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 93 – 93 vol. Right there. L. 97 – 99 vol. The letter is undated. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. 28. L. 95 – 95 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7.D. 8.L. 101–101 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 103 – 104. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 105–108. See: Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East. M., 1996. pp. 32–33. See: Macarius (Bulgakov), archbishop. Orthodox dogmatic theology. St. Petersburg, 1867. T. 1. pp. 437–442. The Armenian Church rejected the creed of the 4th Ecumenical Council of 451 about the union of two natures in Christ, in no small part because of the fear of falling into administrative dependence of Constantinople (see: Armenian Apostolic Church // Orthodox Encyclopedia. T. 3. M., 2001. P. 334). Perhaps we are talking about the book of St. Innocent (Borisov) “The Last Days of the Earthly Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (Odessa, 1857). Muravyov L.P. Lives of the saints of the Russian Church, also Iveronian and Slavic, and locally revered ascetics of piety: In 12 volumes. St. Petersburg, 1855–1858. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7.D. 8.L. 109–109 vol. Spiritual conversation. 1858. T. 4. N° 42. P. 132. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 54–56. See: Victorin {Lyubimov), archimandrite. A true friend of a spiritual youth: Practical instructions for students of theological schools. St. Petersburg, 1858. A typewritten copy of the note “On the Greek Church and the Bulgarians” from the archives of the chief prosecutor’s office with notes from the emperor: RGIA. F. 797. Op. 64. Dept. 2. Art. 3. D. 191. L. 8–13; (Draft copy: OR RSL. F. 214. Opt. 28. L. 84–98 vol. - The note was published from a copy from the archives of the office of the Chief Prosecutor, discovered by L. A. Gerd with an incorrect date (see: “In the affairs of the East, our first concern should be the Holy Church...": Two notes of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod A. P. Tolstoy on the Greek-Bulgarian issue with comments from Emperor Alexander 2. 1860 / Preparatory text, article and commentary by L. A. Gerd // Historical archive. 2003. pp. 55–61). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 111 – 111 vol. OR. RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 78 – 79 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D.8. L. 113 – 113 vol. The author of the book “Confessions of an Englishman” is the Englishman Hatherley Stephen Georgeson, who converted from Anglicanism to Orthodoxy. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8.L. 115–115 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 80–83 vol. From 1858 to 1877, V.I. Askochensky published “Home Conversation” weekly. Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov) agreed to head the society, however, due to the tacit disapproval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chief Prosecutor's initiative, the charter of the Greek society was never approved until the death of Metropolitan Gregory in 1860 (see Appendix VIII). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D.28. L. 84 – 85. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 86–87 vol. Introduced to the Synod by one Elizabeth Thringham. – Note. K.K. Zederholm. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 88 – 89 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 117 – 120 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L.94 –97 We are talking about Abbot Soyard, a Latin preacher who attracted the attention of the St. Petersburg educated society. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7.D. 8.L. 121–122 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6.D. 28.L. 98 – 101. The Synodal decree on the establishment of a missionary academy was issued on January 11, 1859 (RGIA. F. 832. D. 114. L. 1–3 vol.). However, the organization of the academy was complicated by the fact that the allocated location was not suitable, and the proposal of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov) to designate the Yuriev Monastery for the missionary academy did not find understanding with Metropolitan Gregory (Postnikov). After the death of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, a zealous advocate of the idea of a missionary academy, the project did not receive due support in the Synod and was abandoned (see: Collection of opinions and reviews of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, on educational and church-state issues: In 5 volumes / Published under the editorship of His Eminence Savva, Archbishop of Tver and Kashinsky. T. additional. St. Petersburg, 1887. P. 509 – 510, 525 – 526). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6.D. 28.L. 90 – 93 rpm; 127 – 127 rev. See: Collection of opinions and reviews of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, on the affairs of the Orthodox Church in the East. St. Petersburg, 1886. pp. 7–15. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6.D. 28.L. 102 – 103 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7.D. 8.L. 123 – 124. See; Vostokov A. On the relationship of the Roman Church to other Christian Churches and to the entire human race. St. Petersburg, 1857. Since 1822, the magazine “Christian Reading” has published monthly excerpts from the works of St. John Chrysostom, and from 1895 to 1903 the “Complete Collection of the Works of St. John Chrysostom” was published on the pages of the magazine. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 104–107 The training of seminarians in medicine and agriculture was introduced into the seminary course in 1840. A number of hierarchs, including St. Philaret of Moscow, considered the study of medicine unnecessary and even harmful for future shepherds. Chief Prosecutor A.P. Tolstoy initiated a new discussion of the problems of spiritual education, which ended with the spiritual and educational reform of 1867–1869. Medicine and agriculture were not studied in post-reform seminaries (see: Sukhova N. Yu. Higher Theological School: Problems and Reforms (second half of the 19th century). M., 2006. pp. 121–134). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 125–126 vol. We are talking about the books by A. N. Muravyov “The Truth of the Universal Church about the Roman and Other Patriarchal Sees” (St. Petersburg, 1841) and “Roman Letters” (St. Petersburg, 1846). OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 108–111 vol. Golitsyn N.B. On the possible union of the Russian Church with the Western without changing the rites of Orthodox worship. London, 1858. Something about the modern relations of the Roman Church to the Orthodox // Orthodox interlocutor. 1858. Part 3. pp. 355–361. ORRGB. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 112. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 127–128 vol. See: Response to those favorable to the Latin Church about the unfair magnification of the papists with the imaginary dignity of their Church // Letters of the great Optina elders. M., 2009. pp. 500–508. ORRGB.F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 113–115 vol. This is still a secret. – Note. K.K. Zederholm. OR RSL.F. 107. K.7.D.8.L. 129–129 rev. OR RSL.F. 107. K.6.D. 28.L. 116–117 vol. We are talking about a letter from A. I. Herzen to Empress Maria Alexandrovna, which he published in the magazine “Bell” on November 1, 1858 under the pseudonym Iskander. In the letter, Herzen criticizes in vivid epithets the existing system of educating the heirs to the throne (Herzen A.I. Complete collection of works of letters / Edited by M.K. Lemke. T. 9. St. Petersburg, 1919. pp. 355–361). According to A.V. Nikitenko, Herzen’s letter made a significant impression at court (see: Nikitenko A.V. Diary: In 3 vols. M., 2004. T. 2. P.95). Barkov N.A.\ Are modern ideas Orthodox? Article one. St. Petersburg, 1858. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 118–120 vol. We are talking about the article by N. A. Barkov “Are modern ideas Orthodox?” (SPb., I858). See: Extract from the report on the Department of Spiritual Affairs of the Orthodox Confession for 1857, St. Petersburg, 1859, pp. 63–64. The slowdown was due to the pro-Bulgarian position of Foreign Minister A. M. Gorchakov. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 131–132 vol. A teacher of the law at the St. Petersburg Nikolaev Orphan Institute, in 1876 he took monastic vows with the name Vitaly. [Grechulevich V. Prot.] Reflection on the Honorable Cross of the Lord. St. Petersburg, 1848. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 121–124. OR RSL. F. 214. Wholesale. 37. L. 12–15,30–32. OR RSL. F. 214. Wholesale. 61. L. 10–15. See: Metropolitan Philaret’s opinion on G. T.’s letter and note by Fr. Savva “(Split in the Ural Army” // Collection of opinions and reviews of Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna, on educational and church-state issues. T. 4. P. 346. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6.D. 28. L. 133 ORRGB. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 125–126 vol. The transformations concerned the issue of church government. see: Appendix 12. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 135 vol. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 136–137 vol. Our venerable father Orsisius, Abba of Tavenisiot, teaching on the organization of monastic life. M., 1858. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 6. D. 28. L. 128–129 vol. The price is exactly 2 rubles. 50 kopecks, as you wrote. – Note. K.K. Zederholm. Leonidas was dismissed from the Jerusalem mission on May 20, 1859. Amphilochius (Shaposhnikov) Rekonsky, schemamonk. See: John (Sokolov), archman. A word about the liberation of the peasants on the day of accession to the throne of His Majesty the Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich. February 19, 1859 // Orthodox interlocutor. 1859. Part 1. pp. 334–355; The author of the article interpreted the words of the Apostle Paul as the desirability of external liberation for a Christian slave. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) called the interpretation of the “Orthodox Interlocutor” a change in the text of Scripture and the interpretation of this passage “opposite to how the Church explains it” (Archpastoral Appeals on the Issue of the Liberation of the Peasants // Complete Collection of Works of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). M., – 2001. Vol. 2. P. 397–431). Cyril 7, Patriarch of Constantinople. OR RSL. F. 107. K. 7. D. 8. L. 138–139 vol. The differences concerned primarily the divine service (OR RSL. F. 214. Opt. 61. L. 10–15). In the notes of Lascaris and Virgilis, doubts were expressed regarding the advisability of translating the Holy Scriptures into Modern Greek (OR RSL F. 214. Opt. 61. L. 10–15). Feofan (Govorov), bishop. Vladimirsky and Suzdal. Letters on Christian life / [Comp. N. Elagin]. St. Petersburg, 1858 – 1860. You might be interested in: