11. Письма прп. Паисия Величковского к Кошевому атаману Войска Запорожского Петру Калнышевскому

1. 1st letter dated June 2, 1768 To the noble of his mercy, Mr. Master of the glorious Zaporozhian Army, Ataman Koshevoy, and also to their highly respected and most noble mercy, Mr. Judge, Mr. Clerk, Mr. / Asaul, the foreman of the military and their noble mercy, Mr. Atamans of the kuren and all the glorious and pious and to the gracious Zaporozhian Army, our gracious benefactor. Grace and peace from God and our Savior Jesus Christ and rejoice in the Lord. We have in unforgettable memory the many good deeds from you, our most merciful benefactors, as before, in the holy Mount Athos, done to us by those who exist, and also by those who moved from there by God's will to the Moldovlachia land, now the squalor and poverty of ours is done to the lowest We thank you, and we will not cease to thank you forever in word and heart for your merciful benevolence and merciful benevolence to our poor community. Because your good deeds and love for us have succeeded, as if envy had arisen, even if every good undertaking had become obsolete. We are surprised with great surprise - where does such slander and such lies come from against our wretched hostel, as it came to our minds below when we heard what we heard from our brother monk Pachomius who arrived and who they are, stitching up false slander; Are those who, for some perceived inconstancy in them, are not accepted into our society, or are consumed by envy, secretly learning from the enemy of the Christian race, who always hates goodness? And because they are not afraid of the Lord who says: Give an answer to idle words on the Day of Judgment; If you give an answer to the need about an idle word, those who lie will obviously be executed in every way. For it is written: The Lord will destroy all who speak lies. But we pray to the most merciful God, that by His grace he will understand those who are at enmity and slander against us and grant them to come to the knowledge of the truth and to perfect repentance from their evil intentions. May they not end up giving themselves over to evil and they themselves will perish to evil. Now, to our most merciful benefactors, to the entire Orthodox Zaporozhian Army, I will tell you in detail about myself, as if it were the truth, we declare: Let the lips of the liar be stopped! And even if I am weak in health, I find myself and rule with God, admonishing me according to the tradition of the saints, the father of our communal monastery, our great strength is, which monastery, called Dragomirna, who came to us with fifty brethren from the holy Mount of Athos, was seen by the pious the ruler of Moldova and the most reverend metropolitan, as being in a decent place in society, into complete possession of the goods belonging to that monastery. Our brethren, like those who came from the holy mountains of Athos, who also joined us here, of whom the number of all of them is one hundred and fifty, live peacefully, serenely, obeying the commandments of Christ, of whom the majority are from the Russian family, especially from the Orthodox name of the Zaporozhye country. As this fills the place in all the handicrafts and obediences of the monastery, from these some have already been tonsured into the monastic rank, while others are still in the process of being tempted, according to the tradition of the holy fathers, if they can become a monk. The essence of these people has already been given the dignity of the deacon and priestly ranks, which, standing before the throne of God in the church, diligently pray to the Lord for the health and salvation of the entire Christ-loving army of Zaporozhye, as their closest benefactors. There was no confusion or change in our monastery, and we trust in the mercy of God that there will not be. For with all our communal rules and rituals, which we brought from the Holy Mount of Athos in the monastery allocated to us according to the tradition of the saints, the father established, just as the pious ruler and the most holy metropolitan himself, as well as all the most famous spiritual and temporal ranks of the Moldovan lands, the Lord is not only in which they do not hinder, but are also very happy about it and praise it. And they would like to establish this forever and ever, and the signs of this holy mountain of Mount Athos, where our community first began, would not allow wives, under any circumstances, even the most noble ones, to enter our monastery, they do not deny it, but they greatly favor this, they will help in the buildings the monastics in distributing cells, the brethren who have multiplied by the grace of Christ cannot accommodate the cells. The hated enemy of the human race from time immemorial saw a large number of brothers united in Christ, walking in humility and simplicity, needing to fulfill the commandments of Christ, walking along a crowded and sorrowful path, decorating the divine churches and monasteries with splendidly appropriate utensils, began tormented by envy and vomited out ancient malice. It is impossible for him to create some kind of dirty trick inside the community and confuse the flock of Christ, with the power of the life-giving spirit we drive away, starting from the sides, having found the will of his subsequent instigations, false slander and enmity, so as to sadden the humble community gathered by God and others reverently, from which they could crawl spiritually, they want to harm themselves, so that by splitting us poor from you, our most merciful long-time benefactors, leaving us naked, barefoot, uncovered. And you yourself, for the great mercy you have created for our monastery, out of the zeal and love of God, will be deprived of eternal reward, and the church of God itself, unadorned as it should be, should be left with decent, holy vessels and sacred clothes, even as much is given to the good soul of those who look on, if for they see so much glory and decoration of the church in the ostentatiousness of the divine depths. They think how much more God will adorn the incorruptible age of the future with the adornment of those who love the splendor of the churches of God. But thanksgiving to Almighty God admonishes you, his faithful servants, and enlightens your hearts to understand the truth and not accept false slander brought by the common Christian enemy. In the same way, we pray to the most merciful God: may He always allow you to see His holy will and may He preserve your life all the days from all spiritual and physical slander. Let us poor ones not be deprived from now on of your usual beneficent benevolence, with which we are always blessed by the bloodless, terrible divine sacrifice of the unforgettable prayer books. Our most merciful benefactors of temporary and eternal blessings are the most diligent desirers and worshippers, the Moldovan hostel of the Descent of the Holy Spirit of the monastery of Dragomirna, the builder of Hieromonk Paisios with all his brethren in Christ. 1768, June 2. W Moldova. 2. 2nd letter dated June 2, 1768 Envelope: To the nobleman of his grace, Mr. Ataman Koshevoy of the Zaporozhian Troops, Peter Ivanovich, of his nobleness in the Zaporozhye Sich. Most honorably. To the noble, high-born and highly venerable of the glorious Grassroots Army of Zaporozhye, the great master Ataman Koshevoy, and also our most merciful benefactor and good deed. Grace and peace from God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and rejoice in the Lord. We have always thanked your lord for the merciful good deeds done to our misery with due respect. Nina, moreover, having seen the special kindness of your greatness towards us the poor, we are very grateful, and with great surprise we praise the good judgment bestowed by God upon your greatness. As such a real slanderer and false speaker of our wretched society, they no longer had full faith, but for better assurance they ordered our brother Pachomius to immediately go to the monastir, from whom they heard the same thing that came to our minds, and we dreamed about when such a lie was uttered by envious people. We really wonder where this comes from for them, if only they could stitch together such false slander; And who are these; Are those who, for some inconstancy seen in them, are not accepted into our society, or are consumed by envy, secretly learning from the enemy of the Christian race, who always hates good, and are not afraid of the Lord who speaks about an idle word and gives an answer on the Day of Judgment. If there is an answer to the idle word, there is an answer to the need. Those who lie are clearly guilty of all sorts of punishment, for it is written: The Lord will destroy all who speak lies! But we pray to the most merciful Lord, may he enlighten those who are hostile and slander us with their grace and grant them to come to the knowledge of the truth and to perfect repentance from their evil and envious mind. Let them not end up giving themselves over to evil and perishing to evil! I’ll tell Nina in more detail about myself, as we declare the truth, that even in poor health I find myself and my brothers live and health inseparably in the hostel. There was no confusion or change in the Niyakova monastery, and I trust in the mercy of God that there will not be. For those who came to us from the holy mountain of Athos to Moldovalachia with fifty brethren and were graciously received from the pious ruler and the most holy metropolitan of this land, entrusted the ancient monastery of Dragomirn as the most convenient place for monastic cenobitic residence, and gave it to us in complete possession of the goods belonging to that monastery. Then, hour by hour, the multiplying brethren were filled with the grace of Christ to one hundred and fifty, of which the majority are from the Russian family, especially from the Orthodox name of the country of the Zaporozhye Sich. As if this is the place in all the handicrafts and obediences of the monastery, in the kravechna, in the shevna, in the sacristan, in the choir, some are clothed in the monastic order, while others who are not yet tonsured remain in the trial, being tempted according to the tradition of the holy fathers, being tempted if they can bear monasticism, the essence of innia has already been granted the dignity of the rank of deacon, who, standing before the throne of God in the church, pray to the Lord for the health and salvation of your greatness and for the entire Christ-loving Army of Zaporozhye, as for their closest benefactors. Yet these, our brothers, one hundred and fifty live peacefully, serenely, without any sedition or embarrassment, humbling each other and honoring each other, bound by the love of Christ. I have thus greatly enlightened God that according to my strength I have the endeavor to rule over our entire society and to open the path of salvation to the brethren according to the tradition of the holy fathers. And such a pious order from the holy fathers of traditions, having brought from the Holy Mountains in our community monastery, was established, which has been preserved to this day. As for this, so that women should not enter our monastery under any circumstances, less so than the most noble ones themselves, this is constantly and firmly observed, like a sign or seal of the Holy Mount of Athos, where our community began. The Lord not only does not hinder all of our communal rules and rituals, just like the pious ruler himself, and the Most Reverend Metropolitan and all the most famous spiritual and temporal ranks of the Moldovan lands. so approve. They will help with the buildings of the monastery and other needs, and they have recently begun to build for us some of the Lord’s love for Christ, a Moldovan stone bonnet with a warm church outside the monastery fence for the sake of a more spacious structure and better peace of mind sick brothers happening. Having instilled your greatness, you can conveniently understand, since the lies of slander from hostile people are applied to us and almost the most satanic envy, for from time immemorial the enemy has hated the human race, unable by himself to commit some dirty act inside the monastir and confuse the flock Christ, by the power of Christ we drive away, goes further into the country and, having found the will of his followers, instigates those false slander to stitch together so that he will sadden us and others who are reverent, from which they could use their souls, they will cause harm. But in both cases, his envious malice achieves nothing, as we see, for with His ineffable mercy the most kind Lord breathed into the heart with His most pure spirit the great power of yours, so as not to accept those false slander inflicted on our poor community, and granted us your most special power an intercessor and strong defender in all evil slander that occurs. We thank the most merciful God, for through such great power he will show us the poor mercy. Most of all, we earnestly pray to his unsearchable goodness, but as your greatness protects us the poor and wretched, it will protect and preserve for many years your greatness, our most merciful benefactor, from all evil and hostile slander, spiritual and physical, and bestows beneficent and It is wholesomely soul-saving to see off your belly all the days. In the future, may the heavenly king honor us with glory and promise this bliss especially to those who are merciful to the poor and who protect them. At the same time, we humbly, in our authority, communicate another similar scripture to the entire Orthodox Army of the Zaporozhye Cossacks, which we most humbly ask, by your authority, to be read at your command in the Church of the Sichova Zaporozhian Svyatopokrovskaya in front of everyone Christ-loving congregation. Also, for honorable assurance, we ask for our brother monk Pachomius from the company of our honorable hieromonk Sophrony, and we most humbly ask, as we do for all of our remaining brothers to return to Monastir, show mercy and love in all your benefactors and provide charitable assistance in the needs of those who happen to you. We, according to our position, for your mercy towards us and many good deeds to the most good ruler, at the holy divine secret sacrifice, we will remain ever-present and unforgettable prayer books. At the same time, having entrusted ourselves with the mercy and love of your greatness, with all our respect we remain in hope forever Your greatness, our all-merciful benefactor and goodness of all temporal and eternal blessings, the most diligent desirers and incessant prayers, Moldova cenobitic Descent of the Holy Spirit of the Dragomirna monastery, builder Hieromonk Paisios with all the brethren in Christ. 1768, June 2. W Moldova. 3. Letter dated January 30, 1771 Envelope: To the Highly Noble and Highly Honorable Mr. Zaporozhye Military Pan Pysar, Our Most Gracious and Reliable Benefactor, with respect. Most noble and highly respected Mr. Clerk, Most merciful to our benefactor. For your good deeds and charity done to our poor abode in unforgettable memory, we are now worthy to offer thanks in writing for it with the desire for temporary and eternal blessings from Christ our Lord. We were in our monastery in great oppression and fear for quite some time. Firstly from the passing enemy Hagaryan troops, then from the pestilence that followed by God's permission. Moreover, from all other incidents, the Lord kept us safe and sound by His grace, only one misfortune remained for us - extreme poverty, poverty in food and clothing, and in all needs. Just as you can judge for yourself where wars and changes occur, famine and all kinds of poverty will most likely follow. Then we ask your honor, our most reliable benefactor, just as you did before, so now do the mercy to provide help for us poor ones. These two honest brothers sent from our monastery will need this; above all, work for God’s sake about this, so that it will be possible for our brothers to sit in the Sich for some time without being forbidden to ask for mercy from the lovers of Christ. For any good deed of yours, may the most merciful Lord reward the righteous with His eternal goodness. I and all the brethren of our monastery always pray for his goodness, and we must also remain for the health and long life of your honor. Your Highness, our most mercifully reliable benefactor, all temporal and eternal blessings and all-zealous desirers and ever-present pilgrims, Moldovan cenobitic Descent of the Holy Spirit of the monastery of Dragomirna, Abbot Hieromonk Paisius with all his brethren in Christ. 1771, January 30, Dragomirna. 4. Letter dated January 31, 1771 To the noble, high-born and highly respected Orthodox army of Zaporozhye, the great master Ataman Koshevoy, our most merciful benefactor and doer. We thank Almighty God for granting us the time to reach our high and merciful benefactor, in which we can testify in writing to our ever-present pious blessings for the great blessings shown to us and to our brothers there who are found from you. A lot of time has passed about him in no way from our monastery, because of the fear of the enemy and other turmoil that happens in the middle of the world, and after the dangerous pestilence of God, the permission of sins for our sake, happened in the land of Moldova, no one was sent anywhere for needs. monastic ones were not possible. Then we remained to this day, as if others knew nothing about us: why would we guess that before two years of great injustice there were rumors and slander against our wretched monastery, so it may be now that various speeches are blatant and false, either out of ignorance, or out of the envy of some was revealed. But your greatness, thanks to your sound judgment, did not listen to the previous conversations, and they did not doubt about us. I so hope that even if there were any slander on anyone’s part, you will not believe it, but we humbly beg you to listen to this written representation of ours. At the beginning of the world, we were in great fear and trepidation, not only we were in the monastery, but all of Moldova was not far from our monastery from the passing Turkish and Tatar troops. Then, when God, with His grace, granted the Russian troops the victory to enter Moldova, they had little rest, but soon, from the pestilence that followed by God’s permission, they were again oppressed by fear. Moreover, the Lord delivered us from all those incidents, with His ineffable mercy safe and sound in our monastery. The only oppression we are left with is great poverty in everything, from the beginning of the bosom of the land of Moldova through various changes to extreme poverty. Consistently, our monastery has long been a wretched existence, now to the end it is becoming scarce in food, clothing and other needs, so that the brethren and others walk almost half-naked, eating such bread that they harm their health more than they receive strengthening from it. For this reason, having no more hope from God, we turn our most humble prayer to your greatness and most merciful benevolence. We again send from our monastery two honorable brothers, Hieroschemamonk Matthew and monk Spyridon, who have asked them on their way from his high-ranking excellency for a pasport, to whom we ask in prayer, may your Majesty favor in the Zaporozhye Sich and in other places belonging to unrequited mercy from To ask willing donors of the Christ-loving Zaporozhian Army to our wretched monastery at some time. May your Majesty command these brethren who have been there to this day, the honorable monk Gabriel and monk Pachomius, to come to our monastery with the requested mercy, with church utensils and other supplies. If, after such a long delay, there was something wrong with these brothers of ours, or some mistake to your greatness, or to anyone from the honest gentlemen and comrades of the Zaporozhian Army, we ask you most humbly, forgive the Lord for the sake of your mercy, and let them have a peaceful departure. In other respects, we rely on your greatness, but even more so we trust in God, if we receive some merciful alms from you with your permission, we must attribute all that to your greatness, and we pray to the all-merciful Lord that, according to his false promise, he will honor your greatness for many years here to remain in the future in the reward of the righteous in this voice: If you do mercy to these lesser brothers, do it to me. With such a godless desire and with hope from your great ability to be kind to our misery, we remain in our good deeds. To your greatness, our most merciful benefactor of temporal and eternal blessings and all-zealous desirer and worshiper, Moldovan cenobitic Descent of the Holy Spirit of the monastery of Dragomirna, Abbot Hieromonk Paisios with all his brethren in Christ. 1771, January 31. Dragomirna. 5. 1st letter dated March 18, 1772 To the noble, high-born and highly venerable of the glorious Grassroots Army of Zaporozhian Great Master Ataman Koshevoy, Our most merciful benefactor and good deed. Grace and peace from God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and rejoice in the Lord. In the firmament of heaven, the sublime solar circle, the established city on the high mountains, and the human soul shining with nobility and high virtues cannot hide. We see this truth so much clearer and more frankly irresistible the more perceptively we enter into the circumstances of affairs. The bright sun is often covered by darkness and darkness, but not even the darkest slanderous forces of evil envy can darken a shining noble soul with high virtues. A virtuous man trusts like a lion and is not afraid, because God is with him, and who is with him! The Israeli leader Gideon, the glorious, had his trust in God of old, and with that trust, the numerous thousands of Midianites, with three hundred soldiers, destroyed them all, and finally destroyed them. Your Highness, you also hope that just as then, so and always and until the end of the century, there is and will be an omnipotent and insurmountable help in the battles of the mistress, who protects and preserves the life of your greatness from all slander. We have heard quite a lot about how the omnipotent God has granted you glorious victories over the enemies of the cross of Christ, and for this we glorify the mercy of God, which has made you wise and strengthened your highness with undoubted faith, hope, strength, courage, courage and true reasoning. That by your wise leadership and your skill all the glorious army of the Lower Zaporozhian Zaporozhye was wisely instructed, only they powerfully killed, killed, exterminated the damned Mahometans, ancient Voalites, wicked Hagarians without any mercy, jealous of piety as sometimes Elijah according to the Lord God, which is no longer necessary, but everything that happens is glorified by God. To the extent that the enemies of the cross of Christ are eradicated, to the extent that faith spreads, to the extent that God is glorified, to the extent that His servants become glorified. Just as your noble name is known everywhere, heard everywhere, glorified everywhere, thanks to your intelligence, courage, courage, military skill, and other virtues that the Holy Spirit has endowed you with. Virtues do not just glorify people, but they often deliver them from death, protect them from enemies, and completely preserve them from all slander. Virtues lead to eternal bliss. Virtues are nourished with certainty of future rewards. O holiness of virtues, the superiority of the noble soul and the high virtues associated with it, which we clearly see in your greatness. For this purpose, we undoubtedly congratulate your honor and wish that the good God with your life has vouchsafed you to complete this chaste Lenten course, and to worship his saving passion, will also be worthy to enjoy his bright resurrection, and may he grant perfect victory to his adversaries. With this also your greatness, our greatest benefactor, for the great love, mercy and mercy that has been done more than once in our wretched monastery, we all unanimously mentally, as if sensually crouching, bow and give thanks a lot, and we owe it throughout our lives implore his merciful goodness. May your eternal power grant those who love their Creator to receive this good thing with undoubted hope, we hope that you will receive it! It is known that your zeal and zeal for God is strong, your love and mercy for your neighbor is ardent, and reasoning and reason are true and constant in everything, the womb of generosity is open and abundant in everything. No one has ever received from you, despondent and insulted, no one is despised and disgraced, no one is weak-handed and not gifted. You are like the blind, you are the foot of the lame, you are a refuge for strangers, you are a garment for the poor, you are food for the hungry. From this we know that your hope is good, that your faith in Christ the Creator is true and living. Do you believe with an undoubted soul in the saving words of the Gospel, even as Christ said: He was strange and brought me into the house, naked and clothed me, was hungry and gave me food. And here we clearly see in your power the words of Christ being fulfilled, those who are strange among you find peace, those who are helpless and poor receive mercy from you, those who are naked among you are clothed. Which mercy our poor monastery is repeatedly privileged to receive from your kind and generous hands. How the temple of the Holy Spirit is abundantly decorated in our monastery with priestly vestments, consecrated vessels and Gospels, and other holy things belonging to the church. So now we all diligently beseech your greatness to show your usual fatherly mercy and benevolence to the brothers Spyridon and Pachomius, who were sent from us, to be kind to them after some time there and to ask from willing donors for alms to supply more churches. God's naked brethren are animated. For, by the high mercy of you and your kind donors, we have already been supplied with shirts and other things, but they have almost completely stripped themselves of clothes and cloth after not having been in Kyiv for such a long time. And having presented this to your greatness, our most merciful caretaker according to God, we hope to receive it without hesitation. And just as your great ability to build churches is known to us, decorate monasteries, provide for the poor brethren of Christ, so you yourself will receive a reciprocal reward from the bribe-giver, the righteous judge, according to superiority. For the creation of temporary and perishable churches, Christ will build for you a church not made with hands in heaven. For the decoration of the monasteries he will adorn your soul with a crown that does not fade, for the clothing of the naked blessings of Christ he will clothe your soul with imperishable clothing, and in his heavenly place he will be worthy to enjoy his divine glory forever. We, your pilgrims, strive to receive all these advantages with our ever-present and short-lived prayers. Your greatness, the most venerable and most merciful benefactor, desires all temporal and eternal blessings, the most diligent pilgrims and low servants. Moldovan Latvian hostel of the Holy Spirit of the Dragomirna monastery, hegumen hieromonk Paisiy with all his brethren in Christ. 6. 2nd letter dated March 18, 1772 To the most noble and worthy lord of the glorious Sich of Zaporozhye, chief clerk John Yakovlevich, the most merciful benefactor and good worker of peace, health and salvation, and rejoice in the Lord. Christ-imitation of your high-nobility deeds, mercy, mercy and generosity show you that you sincerely follow the footsteps of your most merciful ruler, when you become like his mercy, you willingly open your generous beneficent hand to our wretched monastery, from which We, your prayer books, have graciously dissolved your willing hands, received generous mercy and repeated benevolence towards our brethren, shown by feeling. All of us unanimously and with one mind, falling at the feet of your high nobility, we thank you a lot and throughout our lives we owe gratitude as a duty, begging the goodness of God to grant you, our greatest benefactor, long-lasting health, a soul-saving and perfect life defeat and victory over the barbarians are the enemies of the God-fighting Mohammedans, and may your dearest high nobility keep his belly under the wing of his goodness, hated. For which we implore his omnipotence without any doubt, we hope that just as we, in our pious position, have inscribed the name of you and the deceased relatives of your high nobility in the everlasting unforgettable eternal remembrance of a bloodless sacrifice, so it is inscribed in the lower abdomen of the eternal and Like your name, your merciful alms will remain unforgettable until the terrible judgment of God. For which alms the most righteous giver and merciful ruler will reward your high nobility with eternal life, everlasting bliss, unspeakable joy and all sorts of peaceful and worldly heavenly advantages. This we, as our greatest benefactor, strive to receive without prayer. Your high nobility's temporal and eternal blessings to the sincere desires and everlasting prayers of the Moldova hostel monastery of Dragomirna Hegumen Hieromonk Paisios with all his brethren in Christ. 1772, Marta, 18, W Dragomirny.