1. Прп. Паисий в наследии и культуре христианского Востока

The importance of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) (1722–1794) and his spiritual and literary heritage in the Christian culture of Eastern Europe is difficult to overestimate. Unfairly forgotten by his contemporaries, he actually had an important influence on the spiritual and cultural awakening in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and even Greece. Founded by Rev. Paisiy’s monastic-ascetic school, the titanic works it carried out to translate the patristic works into the Slavic language, the revival of the lost traditions of Orthodox eldership and hesychasm gave a powerful impetus not only to the revival of genuine monasticism and spirituality, but also to the revival of Orthodox East Slavic culture, its return to traditional Christian foundations and values. It was the followers of the school of Rev. Paisiya, the famous elders of the Optina Hermitage, seriously influenced the formation of the worldview of many cultural and public figures of the Russian Empire of the 19th century, which significantly affected their creativity and activities. Il. 1. St. Paisiy (Velichkovsky) (1722–1794) Therefore, without exaggeration we can say that St. Paisiy, albeit indirectly, through his creations and disciples, had a decisive influence on the fact that such names as N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, I.V. Kireevsky, A.S. Khomyakov, the Aksakov brothers, K.N. Leontiev (Clement in monasticism), V.A. Zhukovsky, F.I. Tyutchev, I.S. Turgenev, V.S. Solovyov, P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.A. Maksimovich, P.D. Yurkevich, N.N. Strakhov, E.N. Pogozhev (Poselyanin), K.E. Tsiolkovsky, L.V. Chizhevsky and many, many others. All of them, to one degree or another, experienced the spiritual influence of the students of the school of Rev. Paisius, and therefore are also the shoots of those “seeds” that were generously sown by St. Petersburg, a native of the family of Poltava Cossack priests. Paisiy Velichkovsky. According to the fair remark of Prof. A.-E. Takhiaos, a long-term researcher of the heritage of this outstanding ascetic and spiritual and cultural figure, “Elder Paisios took from the Greek world the treasures of the forgotten Orthodox spiritual heritage and presented them to the entire Orthodox world... Thus, it becomes obvious that the entire “philocalic revival,” the echoes of which reach our days, is due exclusively to the personality and activities of Elder Paisios Velichkovsky” 1 . On the issue of studying the life and work of St. Paisius's letters are of particular importance. Unfortunately, very few of them have survived to this day. Therefore, each such newly discovered document is a valuable source, allowing us to get to know more closely how the saint himself. Paisius and his legacy, which represents an important component of world Christian culture. For the first time, some of the letters of St. Paisius were published in 1817 in the Neamets Monastery in Romanian 2. In 1847, with the blessing of Paisius's spiritual heirs - the elders of Optina Pustyn, a number of his letters were published in the Slavic language 3. Then there were other publications in Slavic and Romanian 4. In 1986 A.-E. Takhiaos first published the Autobiography of St. Paisius, the Life of the Elder, compiled by his disciple, Schemamonk Mitrofan, as well as the correspondence of the monk with the famous Greek theologian of the 18th century Dorotheos Voulizmas (in Greek), stored in the archives of the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Athos 5. In an extensive introductory article in English, the compiler analyzes in detail both the work of Paisius and the above-mentioned works. Subsequently, the scientific processing and publication of the ascetic’s letters continued. Thus, through the efforts of Peter Zhgun and Maria Zhgun, selected works and letters of the St. were published in Russia. Paisia ​​6. An important initiative towards introducing the Russian-speaking reader to the works of “Paisiana” was the publication in 2014, in the year of the 220th anniversary of the repose of St. Paisiy Velichkovsky, collection entitled “Reverend Paisiy (Velichkovsky). Life and Selected Creations”, which, in addition to the Autobiography and the Life of the Saint, included nine letters from Velichkovsky, two of his teachings and “Chapters on mental prayer” 7 . All texts are presented in Church Slavonic with a parallel Russian translation by A. P. Vlasyuk. The plans of the publishing house “Heritage of the Orthodox East” include the publication of a Russian translation of all the lives, works and letters of the saint known in Church Slavonic and Romanian. Paisius Velichkovsky, with the exception of the “Minor Essay on the Sign of the Cross” and correspondence with Dorotheus Vulizmas, the publication of a translation of which is currently being prepared by the Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon on Mount Athos. The edition offered to readers publishes six little-known letters from St. Paisiy on the Zaporozhye Sich, discovered in the Ukrainian archives, the history of the relationship between St. Paisius, Athonite and Moldavian monasticism with the Zaporozhye Cossacks. The book also presents rare documentary evidence from the archives of Ukraine and Athos, confirming the facts of the abbotship of St. Paisius Velichkovsky in the Athonite monastery of Simonopetra and the monastery of St. Konstantin. Tahiaos A.-E. The revival of Orthodox spirituality by Elder Paisiy Velichkovsky (1722–1794) // Millennium of the Baptism of Rus'. International Church Scientific Conference "Theology and Spirituality". Moscow, May 11–18, 1987. M., 1987. P. 266. Adunare a Cuvintelor. NeamĠ. 1817. The life and writings of the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky with the addition of prefaces to the books of St. Gregory of Sinaite, Philotheus of Sinai, Hesychius the Presbyter and Nil of Sora, composed by his friend and fellow faster, Elder Vasily of Polyanomerulsky, about mental sobriety and prayer. Moscow, edition of Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 1847 The life and writings of the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky with the addition of prefaces to the books of St. Gregory of Sinai, Philotheus of Sinai, Hesychius the Presbyter and Nil of Sorsky, composed by his friend and fellow faster, Elder Vasily of Polyanomerulsky, about mental sobriety and prayer. Moscow, edition of Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 1847 Detailed description of all letters to St. Paisius of Velichkovsky, made by Adalberto Mainardi, indicating where the manuscripts are kept, by whom and when they were published and where they are mentioned, see: St. Paisiy Velichkovsky. Autobiography, biography and selected works based on handwritten sources of the 18th–19th centuries. M., 2004. S. 336–343; also see: Takhiaos A.-E. Preliminary list of a complete bibliography about St. Paisiya Velichkovsky // Cyrillomethodianum, 1993–1994, 17–18. pp. 212–227. Anthony-Emil N. Tachiaos. The Revival of Byzantine Mysticism Among Slavs and Romanians in the XVIIIth Century. Texts Relating to the Life and Activity of Paisy Velichkovsky (1722–1794). Thessaloniki, 1986. LV+296 rub. St. Paisiy Velichkovsky. Autobiography, biography and selected works based on handwritten sources of the 18th–19th centuries. M., 2004; St. Paisiy Velichkovsky. Polemical works, teachings, letters. M., 2007. Rev. Paisiy Velichkovsky. Life and selected works. Serpukhov: “Heritage of the Orthodox East”, 2014.