The golden rule of morality and the natural moral law in the teaching of St. Theophan the Recluse

Annotation. In this article we will look at the teaching about the golden rule of morality (morality) in the teaching of St. Theophan the Recluse. Although the very concept of the “golden rule” came into use in moral philosophy only at the end of the 18th century, its foundations in interpersonal relationships have an ancient history in various cultures and religions. For Christians, this teaching is also important because it was proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31) as a universal principle that should guide our actions towards other people. The natural moral law is also universal and finds its expression in the teaching of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 2:14–15), and in patristic exegesis in the works of such an outstanding saint as Theophan the Recluse. Abstract. In this article, we will consider the teaching of the golden rule of morality in the teaching of St. Theophan the Recluse. Although the concept of the “golden rule” came into use in moral philosophy only at the end of the XVIII century, its foundation in interpersonal relationships has an ancient history in various cultures and religions. For Christians, this teaching is also important because it was proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31) as a universal human principle that should guide their actions in relation to other people. The natural moral law is also universal and finds its expression in the teaching of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 2:14–15), and in patristic exegesis in the works of such an outstanding saint as Theophan the Recluse. As ethicists note, the New Testament teaching as a whole was characterized by the tradition of identifying the golden rule of morality with the commandment of love, which “applies to all occasions, to any relationship” [1, p. 47]. In this regard, the appeal to the golden rule as a manifestation of the commandment of love by St. Theophan the Recluse is a consequence of this cultural tradition. In his teaching, the relationship between the commandment of love and the golden rule of morality is manifested in the expression of perfect sympathy with other people, “to fully transfer their feelings into oneself, to feel the way they feel” [9, p. 228]. The golden rule of morality (morality) is a principle that has guided humanity for the past several millennia. It has negative and positive formulations that read: “(don’t) act towards others as you would like them (not) to act towards you.” Researchers of the golden rule of morality (morality) in the Bible mention it three times: Abramov Alexander Vyacheslavovich: in the book of Tobit (Tov.4:15) in a negative formulation, in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 6:31) and the most perfect formulation in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 7:12): “So, in everything you want people to do to you, do the same to them, for this is the law and the prophets" [2, p. 109]. In Theophan the Recluse, a peculiar reproduction of the golden rule of morality in its positive formulation was expressed in the following statement: “Transfer the condition of your brother to yourself, and whatever you wish for yourself, being in a similar position, do for him without refusal...” [10, p. 164]. And in a negative formulation, the golden rule was reflected in his doctrine of a “clear conscience.” According to his teaching, “keeping your conscience clear towards other people means not doing anything to them that you don’t want them to do to you...” [11, p. 406]. His teaching about the golden rule of morality is in many ways close to the definitions of the categorical imperative in the ethics of Kant, who formulated one of his interpretations of the principle of the categorical imperative as follows: treat a person as an end and never as a means [5, vol. 4]. Saint Theophan the Recluse expressed his teaching on the natural moral law in its most developed form in his interpretation of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans: “For when the pagans, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves: They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another” ( Rom.2:14–15). Saint Theophan the Recluse saw one of the signs in the community of law, oral or written, which in itself is recognized as good not only by Christians, but also by pagans, although both do not always follow its commands. Nevertheless, it acts as one of the guiding principles in moral life, which is embedded in a person at a subconscious level, which once again confirms the fact of the universality of morality. Theophan the Recluse explains this statement of the Apostle Paul as follows: a pagan performs a lawful action without special guidance from above, with his natural powers, which he has by nature. “With these forces they recognize what is lawful, and decide on it and create it, while maintaining complete freedom to follow it or not to follow it” [12, p. 209]. In terms of its quality, the mental law is as immutable as the written law, which is the same for everyone and is obligatory for everyone, since nature, meaning the nature or essence of a person, is unchanged and uniform for everyone [3, p. 177]. And therefore, a person “who does not act according to nature destroys nature” [12, p. 209]. The pagans also do the lawful thing, since “the first inspiration for good always comes from the heart” [12, p. 210–211]. This means that “every lawful deed is written in the heart and on the mind of a pagan” [12, p. 211]. This metaphor contains the meaning that what is required by the Law of Moses, written on tablets of stone, is inscribed in the pagan’s heart [8, p. 470]. However, among those who accepted the “written law” or “revelation,” according to St. Theophan, it is both fuller and more definite than among the former. With this he connects the ascetic teaching about the negative action of passions, when the trichotomous model is violated in a person and “mental-physical self-indulgence rises in him” [12, p. 566], when both the soul and the body do not obey the spirit. Therefore, despite the fact that such a person, although he strives for good, in most cases he fails to fully realize it in practice. P. A. Smirnov notes that, reflecting on the words of the Apostle Paul about the natural moral law, Theophan the Recluse states that conscience sympathizes with good deeds. But decision-making is also influenced by other elements of a person’s consciousness, which attract him to egocentric motives. Therefore, there is a struggle between them, and the final choice remains with the free will of a person, which is more often inclined not for the better [7, p. 349–350]. So, for example, cruelty may be natural, but it is also unnatural, since it violates the natural law inherent in man [4, p. 200]. In the teachings of Theophan the Recluse there is no clear distinction between conscience and natural moral law, but from its semantic context we can conclude that for him they complement each other. While in some studies of secular ethical thought, it is customary to separate these concepts, meaning natural moral law to mean certain moral norms, and conscience is considered as an internal mechanism of self-control over the implementation of this norm [6, p. 75]. Historically, the very understanding of conscience was not a widespread cultural phenomenon in its traditional Christianized understanding. So, for example, in the ancient culture of Ancient Greece, according to V.N. Yarkho, no special moral significance was attached to the concept of conscience, and modesty took its place. He notes that although the feeling of shame is close to conscience, it still does not coincide with it. Shame involves, first of all, external assessment, while conscience involves assessment from within [13, p. 260]. In ancient Greek culture, “a person is ashamed of his actions, which have become known to everyone and brought shame upon him. Conscience, on the contrary, presupposes the hero’s self-esteem, which does not depend on the awareness of others about his actions” [13, p. 262]. Thus, when studying the phenomenon of conscience in its comparison with the natural moral law, it is necessary to take into account the historical and cultural context and the invariance of approaches from both secular and religious ethical thought. 1. Apresyan R.G. Genesis of the Golden Rule // Questions of Philosophy. 2013. No. 10. 2. Guseinov A.A. The golden rule of morality. 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